Tag: Contemporary Romance (Page 95 of 98)

BOOK REVIEW – Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

BOOK REVIEW – Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica RothDivergent (Divergent #1)
by Veronica Roth
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

This first book in Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy is the novel the inspired the major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet. This dystopian series set in a futuristic Chicago has captured the hearts of millions of teen and adult readers.

Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Maze Runner series, Divergent and its sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant, are the gripping story of a dystopian world transformed by courage, self-sacrifice, and love. Fans of the Divergent movie will find the book packed with just as much emotional depth and exhilarating action as the film, all told in beautiful, rich language.

One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.

Review:

This book will forever have a place in my heart. Tris’ courage, Four’s mysterious sexy self and the spellbinding storyline are making me kick myself that I didn’t read this sooner. I became enraptured in Tris’ world and every time I had to put this book down I couldn’t get it out of my head. It contained all my favorite things and I think I felt every emotion under the sun. I laughed, I got butterflies in my stomach, I held my breath, I had sweaty palms, and I cried. I cried not only because I felt Tris’ sadness and pain but also because I was so over the moon happy. I don’t think I’ve ever cried because I was happy while reading a book. Can you tell? I LOVED Divergent.

Abnegation is what I am. It is what I am when I’m not thinking about what I’m doing. It is what I am when I am put to the test. It is what I am even when I appear to be brave. Am I in the wrong faction?

This storyline makes you forget that the world exists around you. The city is Chicago and the all of the people have been divided into five factions. It’s such an interesting concept because depending upon what you believe caused chaos in the world is what faction you belong to. Amity blames aggression, Erudite blames ignorance, Candor blames duplicity, Abnegation blames selfishness and Dauntless blames cowardice. Tris belongs to Abnegation but since she just turned 16 she will now undergo a mental stimulation test which in turn tells her which faction she should belong to. When Tris undergoes her test her results come back as inconclusive. She is shocked to find out that she is now something dangerous, she is Divergent. Not only that but she is now faced with the tough decision of whether she should stay in her faction or permanently move to two other factions that she could very well be suited towards. And from here is where I start to become VERY attached to the book. I loved the way the story progressed, I loved how my questions kept getting answered and I loved how Tris grows throughout all of her trials and tribulations.

It will be difficult to break the habits of thinking Abnegation instilled in me, like tugging a single thread from a complex work of embroidery. But I will find new habits, new thoughts, new rules. I will become something else.

Honestly, I didn’t connect with Tris in the first few chapter. She seemed so meek and timid and that turned me off. The fact that she was trying to comply with such a foreign selfless lifestyle rubbed me the wrong way. I definitely was clueless in the beginning because I missed to see the good in her. The good of what her faction believed in and how that would help mold her into the person she would become throughout the book. And I came to love that person she slowly emerged into! As each chapter progressed THAT Tris was slowly merging into a NEW Tris and the combination of those two personalities was BEAUTIFUL. She was still selfless but she started to become someone more sure of herself, someone not afraid to show her stubbornness, someone not afraid to stick up for others and someone who asked questions when no one else was. She struggled with the decision of what was right and what was wrong but at some point it just all clicked for her. She became someone I admired and while I didn’t agree with every choice she made along the way she became a force to be reckoned with. The trials and tribulations she had to endure were at times suffocating and the lack of choices had me screaming at the unfairness of life, but then again even though this is my least favorite saying EVER, who ever said life was fair.

Suddenly he presses a hand to my stomach. His fingers are so long that, though the heel of his hand touches one side of my rib cage, his fingertips still touch the other side. My heart pounds so hard my chest hurts, and I stare at him, wide-eyed.

Four was, sigh, he was everything I love – tough demeanor, calculating mind, capability to be authoritative and lead, a secretive past and an ability to completely melt someone into a puddle. He had an innate way to keep me constantly intrigued and constantly asking for more. While I didn’t always understand his actions and even if he was seeming to act like the biggest jerk on the face of the planet, I knew that I could trust his reasoning behind each action and all would be forgiven. He also had this wonderful way of putting people in their place. There were a few times when he verbally slammed one of the people I hated into the ground and you couldn’t knock the smirk off of my face! And going back to the melting someone into a puddle, well, this is kind of silly but there is this one scene that had me smiling SO huge that I swear I fell asleep with a smile on my face!View Spoiler »

“People tend to overestimate my character,” I say quietly. “They think that because I’m small, or a girl, or a Stiff, I can’t possibly be cruel. But they’re wrong.”

But truly, I loved the characters, the plot, the setting, the unknowns, and everything in between about this book. I know people either love or hate this series and I’m desperately hoping I won’t be in the latter group because this book has definitely become one of my favorites!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
divergent veronica roth
Divergent #1
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
insurgent veronica roth divergent
Insurgent #2
Reviews:
Jen
Chelsea
allegiant divergent veronica roth
Allegiant #3
Reviews:
Jen
Chelsea

Four: A Divergent Collection #0.1 - 0.4
*Four's Story*

BOOK REVIEW – Jet (Marked Men #2) by Jay Crownover

BOOK REVIEW – Jet (Marked Men #2) by Jay CrownoverJet (Marked Men #2)
by Jay Crownover
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

With his tight leather pants and a sharp edge that makes him dangerous, Jet Keller is every girl’s rock and roll fantasy. But Ayden Cross is done walking on the wild side with bad boys. She doesn’t want to give in to the heat she sees in Jet’s dark, haunted eyes. She’s afraid of getting burned from the sparks of their spontaneous combustion, even as his touch sets her on fire.

Jet can’t resist the Southern Belle with mile-long legs in cowboy boots who defies his every expectation. Yet the closer he feels to Ayden, the less he seems to know her. While he’s tempted to get under her skin and undo her in every way, he knows firsthand what happens to two people with very different ideas about relationships.

Will the blaze burn into an enduring love. . . or will it consume their dreams and turn them to ashes?

Review:
Ayden – We were two people forever marked by those around us, and it hurt to know it was enough to keep us apart.

Jet was a sweet love story that made me smile as I closed the book.  The slow build of their relationship, their banter that had me laughing out loud, and the drama that came crashing down on them made me care for both of them.  Shockingly, I had to wipe the tears from my eyes from time to time and that just made me fall for Ayden and Jet’s story that much more.  I am so glad that I continued on with this series!

Ayden – When I looked at him I had a hard time remembering the rejection and what I should be doing and instead let his wicked grin ruin all of my self-control.

Thankfully we get to start back at THAT night. The night where Ayden throws herself at Jet and Jet of course turns her down. Finally we get to understand what was going on in Ayden’s head. We get to see why she became so withdrawn and why the whole experience shook her to her core. And of course it gave us insight into her infatuation with the hard-core rocker. I loved that the book started at that scene! Then we fast-forward one year later where Jet is now living with Ayden and Cora.  We get to feel the sexual tension and watch what makes them tick, explode and run.

Ayden – Jet was going to undo me in every way he could, and I just didn’t know if I was going to be able to stop him.
Jet – I thought she was going to look remorseful or ashamed; I wasn’t prepared for her to be mad. Those whiskey eyes lit with a fire I had never seen in her and before I could react, she slapped me across the face hard enough to make my back teeth rattle and my face flame.

Jet has so much more going on than one would ever think. The outside that he shows the world doesn’t even hint on how potent and intense he is on the inside. When he starts pulling back the layers and allowing you into the core of himself, wow, you almost need to step back by the intensity of it all. He is filled with so much rage, so much talent and so much passion that it’s a lot to take in. His accumulation into this person is partly because because an aspect of his life is so depressing, so unfair and the weight of it is crushing him into the ground. Jet is one very conflicted, complicated person and for me I never really knew what he was going to do next.

Ayden – Who I was and who I wanted to be were being torn into separate parts, and the me that was left was vulnerable and raw, I had no idea how to stitch it all back together again, or even if I wanted to.
Jet – None of us is shooting sunshine out of our asses, girl, so I don’t know why you think you should suffer alone.

Oh Ayden, I just loved that girl, huge mess and all! She made me smile, laugh and her “I’m not going to be some defenseless little girl” attitude made me love her even more. Ironically, Ayden reminded me of the opposite of what Shaw was trying to mold herself into in Rule. Where Shaw was portraying to the world what she thought others wanted her to be, Ayden was portraying to the world the exact opposite of what others wanted and expected her to be.  Coming from a shady past that constantly haunted her and in her desperate need to have that past fade away forever, she created the current Ayden.  But they say you can’t always outrun your past, and unfortunately Ayden is no exception to that rule.

Ayden – It would take torture to get me to admit it, but my main goal in life was to see how far down that damn angel tattoo went, and to trace the entire thing with my tongue.

Together they are nothing short of endearing and I liked watching Jet and Ayden interact. They are both two broken souls that are just trying to figure out how to put all of their pieces back together.  It was funny, sad and frustrating but I thoroughly enjoyed their story and I will definitely be continuing on with the series.

P.S. The song used on Page 93 was so WRONG and HYSTERICAL. I couldn’t stop laughing, shaking my head and shouting no, no, no!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
***Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.***
Rule by Jay Crownover
Rule #1
Reviews:
Jen
jet jay crownover
Jet #2
Reviews:
Jen
rome jay crownover
Rome #3
Reviews:

Jen
nash jay crownover
Nash #4
Reviews:
Jen
Rowdy by Jay Crownover
Rowdy #5
Reviews:
Jen
asa jay crownover
Asa #6
Reviews:
Jen

BOOK REVIEW – Rule (Marked Men #1) by Jay Crownover

BOOK REVIEW – Rule (Marked Men #1) by Jay CrownoverRule (Marked Men #1)
by Jay Crownover
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Sometimes opposites don’t just attract – they catch fire and burn the city down

Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight-A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want – and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess – and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw – even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.

But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love…or each other.

Review:

What a sexy, amazing, touching book. I loved everything about it and I was so sad when it ended because I just couldn’t get enough of Rule and Shaw! Rule Archer and Shaw Landon have been friends, errr more like acquaintances, since middle school. She was his twin’s best friend and his family fell head over heels for her. They all loved her as one of their own, well everyone except for Rule. Over the years he more or less ignored or tolerated her. Then one drunken night Rule and Shaw went past the bounds of their ‘friendship’ and are now left struggling where to go from here.

Shaw – You have always been determined to make everyone who cares about you prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. You’ve never wanted to be easy to love, Rule, and you make damn sure that nobody can ever forget it.
Rule – My mother looked at me with tears in her eyes and stated point-blank, “It should have been you” as they lowered Remy into the ground.

Rule is the epitome of a douche bag, man whore and a charming, sexy bad boy all rolled into one. With his countless hairstyles (gah he makes mohawks so sexy!), body piercings and tatted up body, he is one of those people that oozes sex appeal. He is THAT type of man that everyone shamelessly stares at when he walks into a room. He is THAT type of man that you can’t help but feel magnetically pulled to. But his problem? Oh man, he has baggage. Two enormous issues to be specific. And living this type of douche baggery, man whoring lifestyle helps him cope with those demons. They help to diminish the mind numbing pain of missing his twin and being a constant failure in his parent’s eyes. Rule struggles on a daily basis knowing that not only is his twin dead but that his parent’s constantly throw in his face that he is NOT his twin. Every time they look at him they see everything they lost and everything that he is not. Drowning himself in woman and alcohol helps him feel better, if even for a moment.

Rule – It made me a little nervous that when she didn’t have all of her guards up and all her haughty defense mechanisms in place, she seemed so fallible, so undeniably human, so approachable, and so…attainable.
Shaw – I loved Rule like it was my mission in life. I loved him like it was inevitable, like no matter how many times I was shown what an awful idea it was, what a bad match we were, what a callous asshole he could be, I couldn’t shake it.

Shaw is classy, rich, gorgeous and loyal. She is on her way to becoming a doctor, and has the world at her fingertips. On the outside, Shaw’s life looks absolutely perfect. On the inside she is a mess, a huge mess. She is constantly struggling to live up to everyone else’s expectations. Her actions and choices are not what she wants but what others would expect of her. Unfortunately she shoves her needs and wants under the rug. And what does she want more than anything – Rule. She has been in love with Rule since the moment she first saw him. But loving Rule Archer would never be allowed in her parent’s world. Her parents are cold, calculating and love is irrelevant in their book. Heck, Shaw was solely conceived because she would be a tax deduction. That’s why she feels so eternally grateful to the Archer family. When she became immersed with the Archer’s, she finally understood what a family should be. And because of this, she will do anything to make them happy.

Shaw – All I had ever wanted in life was to affect him, to get him to feel something, anything, other than simple tolerance for me.

Every Sunday Shaw endures the sight of seeing Rule hangover, naked, and with some girl(s) in his bed. She feels as though it is her obligation to gather his discombobulated crazy self and take him to his parent’s house for their weekly dinner while her heart breaks a little more. This is how the book starts and I loved every minute of this twisted, steamy read! Rule and Shaw’s interaction were electrifying and I loved that every other chapter we got to be in either Rule or Shaw’s head. It made me that more attached to the two of them. The other characters in the book were amazing also.  Now I’m off to read Jet’s story, yay!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
***Each book can be read as a standalone, but best enjoyed in order.***
Rule by Jay Crownover
Rule #1
Reviews:
Jen
jet jay crownover
Jet #2
Reviews:
Jen
rome jay crownover
Rome #3
Reviews:

Jen
nash jay crownover
Nash #4
Reviews:
Jen
Rowdy by Jay Crownover
Rowdy #5
Reviews:
Jen
asa jay crownover
Asa #6
Reviews:
Jen

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3) by Julie KagawaThe Iron Queen (The Iron Fey #3)
by Julie Kagawa
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

Review:

I laughed, I cried and I even clapped out loud and I’m not a clapper while reading, or so I thought. I loved this book! I can’t believe how much this series just keeps getting better and better. The love and history between the characters, the action that makes you read faster and faster, the new characters we are introduced to that integrate seamlessly into the story-line, and the development of the story all make for a magical book.

Summer and Winter were supposed to be enemies. We were not supposed to cooperate, we were not supposed to go on quests together and, most important, we were not supposed to fall in love.

Meghan and Ash have been exiled from the Nevernever. They chose love over their loyalty to their courts and because of this they have been banished to the mortal realm. While they are returning to Meghan’s home, to see her family, the Iron fae intervene. They try to capture Meghan to bring her back to the false king of the Iron Kingdom. Meghan realizes she can’t sacrifice her family’s safety and that she will never truly be free until she faces the false Iron king. She becomes resonate that she needs to destroy the false king so she can finally start to live her life. The journey they embark on is even more eventful then their other journeys in the past. The faery fates lay in Meghan’s hands and regardless of what happens nothing will ever be the same again.

He sighed, framing my face with his hands. “My life…everything I am…belongs to you.”

It’s hard to imagine I know BUT Ash is even more magnificent in this book. Meghan has fully melted his ice facade and we get to see ALL of him. He’s sarcastic, heartfelt, protective, loyal, trust worthy and he knows in his heart that his world and future are Meghan. Ash’s heart still bleeds from past events but with the help of Meghan’s love he is trying to overcome it.

Despite everything I felt and the crazy emotions churning inside me, it all came back to him.

Meghan grows up so much in this book. She realizes what her duties are and she gives her all and then some. She speaks her mind and doesn’t allow anyone, no matter their rank, to walk over herself or the ones she loves. She is strong, determined, and a force to be reckoned with. She is the epitome of who you want to read about if you love a take charge, kick-butt female lead!

Gods forgive me if I was being selfish, but I wanted nothing more than to stay with him forever.

One of things that I love about this series is that each character we know and are introduced to is so unique. Their personalities, their words and their actions are SO each their own. Each one stands out by themselves and each one ads so much to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed the constant reappearance of Grim and I enjoyed two newcomers that really stood out, Razor and Glitch.

I understood. This was my fate, my destiny. I knew what had to be done.

I always know that I’ve fallen for a book when I think about the characters long after the book is over. I’m shocked that this series will now be lumped in with my favorite books especially since the first book was so mundane. Now on to finding out what happens next!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
the iron king julie kagawa
The Iron King #1
Reviews:
Jen
Chelsea
Anna
winter's passage julie kagawa
Winter's Passage #1.5
Reviews:
Jen

Chelsea
the iron daughter julie kagawa
The Iron Daughter #2
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
Anna
the iron queen julie kagawa
The Iron Queen
#3

Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
summer's crossing iron fey novella julie kagawa
Summer's Crossing #3.5
the iron knight julie kagawa
The Iron Knight #4
Reviews:

Chelsea
iron's prophecy julie kagawa
Iron's Prophecy #4.5
Reviews:

Chelsea
the lost prince julie kagawa
The Lost Prince: Call of the Forgotten #1
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
the iron traitor julie kagawa the iron fey
The Iron Traitor:Call of the Forgotten #2
the iron warrior julie kagawa the iron fey
The Iron Warrior:Call of the Forgotten #3

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa

BOOK REVIEW – The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie KagawaThe Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2)
by Julie Kagawa
Purchase on: AmazoniBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review:

I have fallen in love with The Iron Fey! I was swept away in the story and found myself becoming even more attached to Meghan and Ash and what the future had in store for them.

No matter how much I wanted a normal life, there would be a part of me that longed for this world, for the magic and wonder of it. It had seeped into my soul and shown me things I’d never thought existed. I couldn’t be normal and ignorant ever again, knowing what was out there.

Meghan has honored her end of the bargain and followed Ash to the Unseely court. She is now being held as a prisoner by Queen Mab while Ash is out searching their territory for the supposed Iron Fey. Meghan’s world gets turned upside down when Ash returns. The man she loves treats her as though she doesn’t even deserve the ability to look at him let alone speak to him. With each hurtful remark and cold stare Meghan’s heart breaks more and more. From here the story becomes even more captivating! I do not want to go into the book further than this but I’m happy to say that I had a hunch where the story was going to go from here and I was thrilled it panned out how I thought it would!

Even if I turned ninety, lost my mind and forgot everything else, the memory of the Winter prince would be a shining beacon that would never fade.

I love Meghan so much. She is strong, determined, and fierce. At the same time, she is alarmed by everything that is going on around her – whether it is the creatures that Mab is tormenting for ages or her concern if Puck will ever come back to her or her fear on whether Ash can break the stronghold the Iron Queen has on him. Her decisions and actions are admirable and I loved being in her head! There was only one part where I wanted to shake herView Spoiler », but I’m going to blame that madness on all of the stress she was under.

View Spoiler »

I love, love, love Ash. We get to fully understand the court he came from and why he is the way he is, which is heartbreaking. His struggle to become more than what the law states he is allowed to be seems even more dire now than ever before. Even when he was being the world’s biggest douche, my loyalty to him never faltered because I kept holding out hope that he would eventually let Meghan in all the way.

View Spoiler »

The end of this book was everything I wanted it to be! It was honestly ridiculous how emotional I was over the last 8 pages of this book! This series just keeps getting better and better!

Reading Order & Links:
Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
the iron king julie kagawa
The Iron King #1
Reviews:
Jen
Chelsea
Anna
winter's passage julie kagawa
Winter's Passage #1.5
Reviews:
Jen

Chelsea
the iron daughter julie kagawa
The Iron Daughter #2
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
Anna
the iron queen julie kagawa
The Iron Queen
#3

Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
summer's crossing iron fey novella julie kagawa
Summer's Crossing #3.5
the iron knight julie kagawa
The Iron Knight #4
Reviews:

Chelsea
iron's prophecy julie kagawa
Iron's Prophecy #4.5
Reviews:

Chelsea
the lost prince julie kagawa
The Lost Prince: Call of the Forgotten #1
Reviews:

Jen
Chelsea
the iron traitor julie kagawa the iron fey
The Iron Traitor:Call of the Forgotten #2
the iron warrior julie kagawa the iron fey
The Iron Warrior:Call of the Forgotten #3
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