(Mini) Book Review: Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa

Book Stats:
Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa

(Book #1.5 of The Iron Fey)

Source: Purchased

Format: Kindle, 61 pages

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Publication Date: 6/1/2010

Reading Level: Young Adult

Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Adventure

Goodreads Summary: Meghan Chase used to be an ordinary girl...until she discovered that she is really a faery princess. After escaping from the clutches of the deadly Iron fey, Meghan must follow through on her promise to return to the equally dangerous Winter Court with her forbidden love, Prince Ash. But first, Meghan has one request: that they visit Puck--Meghan's best friend and servant of her father, King Oberon--who was gravely injured defending Meghan from the Iron Fey. Yet Meghan and Ash's detour does not go unnoticed. They have caught the attention of an ancient, powerful hunter--a foe that even Ash may not be able to defeat....

"Why is it following us? What does it want?” “Doesn’t matter.” Ash’s grip around my waist tightened. “If it wants you, it’ll have to get past me first.”

It was nice mini story that took place after The Iron King and before The Iron Daughter. It tells the journey of Prince Ash and Meghan to the Unseelie Court as well as going through the past events and re-introducing its characters. As Meghan and Ash travels, you get to see their relationship deepen a little bit and the threat that imposes to destroy it. We also meet the so called "Hunter" as they travel along. It does stay true to how Julie Kagawa composed the first book, playing with some of the fairytales and other stories. Here, you really get the feel of the starcrossed lovers that Meghan and Ash are supposed to be. Although, it was still a little weird to read about because I still think everything's happening too soon but oh well. I really did love Ash's protectiveness in this one and he seems to be more haunted than ever. This is like the perfect teaser for The Iron Daughter!

★★★

Other books in the series that I've reviewed:

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Early Book Review: Risking It All by Jennifer Schmidt

Book Stats:
Risking It All by Jennifer Schmidt
Source: ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley
Format: E-book, 319 pages
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop
Expected Publication Date: 9/27/2012
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Erotica

Goodreads Summary: Kennedy Monroe barely got her foot in her college dorm her freshman year before she was being warned about a certain dark-haired, blue-eyed self-proclaimed Casanova. There were only so many tales of heartache – and incredibly steamy nights – she could listen to before she started to believe them. But after a run in with the most sought after college womanizer, her ill feelings toward him change and soon a friendship forms that surprises everyone. Twelve years later Kennedy and Memphis Adams are closer than ever - and only friends despite what those around them think, including Kennedy’s boyfriend Ian Brooks. When Kennedy accepts an invitation to vacation in Alaska from Memphis, her relationship with Brooks is tested as is her restraint when it comes to the desire she has always had for her best friend. Alone with Memphis in Alaska, Kennedy finds it increasingly harder to ignore temptation and wants nothing more than to give into her secret desires with the one man that has always been off limits. But is one night of passion worth the possible risk of losing their friendship over? Feeling torn between doing the right thing and doing what she wants, Kennedy fears losing her best friend. She knows she needs to sort out her feelings for the two men in her life and deal with the consequences of her actions, but how can she when everything seems to be falling apart so fast? And how much can Memphis take before he’s pushed too far and can no longer take Kennedy’s inability to make a decision about what and who she wants? Kennedy discovers the harsh reality of how one night can change everything and leave her risking it all.

Photographer Memphis Adams has always been easy with the ladies but never one to take them seriously. Kennedy Monroe was a girl all too familiar with his reputation and the fallout of being with Memphis, so despite the instant attraction for him, she want nothing to do with him at all. Until one day at a coincidental visit at the beach, Kennedy sees the other side of Memphis that softened her judgment for the boy and they've been best friends ever since.

Risking It All is a contemporary read that evokes strong emotions out of a reader, whether it's for the good or the bad. In my case, both. I live in Alaska so the little premise of falling in love at my hometown was mainly what got me excited.

I was never one to love a story that involves love triangles especially when the heroine simply cannot choose between the two. I remember reading Thoughtless and I was on the verge of pulling my hair out of exasperation. I was on the verge of that once again with Memphis & Kennedy. It's so hard because I hated what they both do to each other but at the same time, you can't help but root for both of them you know? As simple as things should have been, they both made it VERY difficult for each other. 

As difficult as it might have been, the sex in this book was hot but don't think it's all mindless screwing, you can see that they bared everything they had for those moments and the emotional pull of those scenes just makes you wanna melt in a puddle of goo.

Jennifer Schmidt did an awesome job blurring the thin line between friendship and love. Sometimes you won't be able to tell which is which but I was able to FEEL the friendship and the love that Kennedy & Memphis portrayed. 

  

★★★

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Review: Love's Rhythm by Lexxie Couper

Book Stats:
Love's Rhythm by Lexxie Couper
Pages: (Kindle) 192
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Publication Date: 4/17/2012
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Romance, Erotica, Contemporary

Goodreads Summary: His music moves the world. Can his love move her heart?Nick Blackthorne knows all about words of love. They’re the reason he’s the world’s biggest rock star. The irony? He turned his back on love a long time ago, lured away by the trappings of fame. An invitation to a friend’s wedding is a stark reminder of how meaningless his life has become. When he enters that church, there’s only one woman he wants on his arm—the one he walked out on a lifetime ago. But first he has to find her, even if all she accepts from him is an apology.Kindergarten teacher Lauren Robbins once had what every woman on the planet desires. Nick. Their passion was explosive, their romance the stuff of songs…and it took fifteen years to get over him. Then out of the blue Nick turns up at her door, and all those years denying her ache for him are shattered with a single, smoldering kiss.But molten passion can’t hide the secret she’s kept for all these years. Because it’s not just her heart on the line anymore…and not just her life that’ll be rocked by the revelation. Product WarningsRemember your first crush on a rock star? Now add smoldering sex, a raw and undeniable passion, soul-shattering orgasms. And secrets…

Final Verdict:
I understand that Nick had a pre-story before this and appeared in one of Lexxie Couper's series. I was confused when I saw the "Dedication" part, but now I know the reason behind it. This story played on a lot with the typical rockstar mojo. The fame, the tours, the groupies. Nick Blackthorne had that in the palm of his hands until an invitation to his friends' wedding brought him out to sought the life he left 15 years ago.
Lauren, the girl who Nick left for the fame and fortune, continued with life even as the bitter memories of Nick haunt her everyday. She got her job, a home and... a family. Until Nick suddenly showed up in her school's parking lot where she accidentally knocked him out cold but bringing out the passionate heat in her that only he can.
Being fictional did this book a favor because I would have never, in a million years, think all of that could have been realistic whatsoever but hey, I know nothing about the life in the limelight! It's a sweet short story of redemption of a long lost love over the deluding lure of fame and the chinks brought on by insecurities. My heart goes out for both of them actually. It's nice to have both of their POVs alternate in chapters because it gave me more insight to their situations. There was a lot of skepticism, longing, hatred and love. It's not necessarily an angst filled story but you could just feel the burning heat... *phew!
I don't know if I'll ever get used to it and I've read a handful of Adult novels/Erotica but it never fails to make cringe whenever they try to dirty talk or use really derogative terms while doing the deed. Am I the only one? Hm? Sometimes, It does work for the feeling it's trying to give the story but often, it's more than what my brain could handle. Other than that, I didn't really have issues with this book.
I wasn't expecting much with this being only 192 pages. I don't know if it was the characters urging me the feeling of sympathy or maybe the steamy sex between the protagonists but I liked it enough to read the whole thing in one sitting. There was more to it than just that, there were little twists to it that I would have never thought could fit but Lexxie Couper made it work for Nick and Lauren's story!
Sometimes, It's nice to wind down with fast-paced short stories that aren't too complicated and if you're looking for that, Love's Rhythm can definitely bring a bang for your buck.

Rating:

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Review: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Book Stats:
Storm by Brigid Kemmerer
(Book #1 of The Elemental Series)
Pages: 353; Paperback
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: 5/1/2012
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Sci-fi

Goodreads Summary:
Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream.
Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn't want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death. And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all. The storm is coming.... 

Final Verdict:
This has been in my TBR shelf for so long. Due to the high ratings and the undeniably appealing cover, I just had to give it a shot. Just like most readers, I think I died and gone to literary heaven when I heard that there we're 4 good-looking brothers within the pages of this book.
I can't say I was disappointed but it definitely did not live up to my expectations. I wanted a nice introduction to their Elemental world but all I got was confusion. With nearly everything. The elementals, Becca's school situation and the past. It's like I walked into the middle of a movie and I'm just left trying to figure out what's happened. A lot of the motions set into place we're mostly cause of what happened beforehand. It would have been nice to at least have half of the backstory explained in full detail but no, I was left with itty bitty pieces of it for me to stitch up to get a full understanding. That was frustrating for me!
 I didn't feel any connection with the characters either. They felt dead to me. Especially the guy protagonist! Honestly, I didn't see the appeal of the Merrick brothers anymore. It's a damn shame because I really thought they ALL could have been amazing ones. There were hardly any lines, mouth-watering descriptions or even wits for me to at least swoon over. Not to mention, I found most of them are jerks. Granted they went through what they went through but how am I supposed to like a guy who's pissed or indecisive half of the time? There were some points we're I liked them but other than that, I didn't really care for them.
I kind of liked Becca. I found myself sympathizing with her but not as much as really liking her character. I kind of liked Hunter too but after I got to the end? Not really as much.
I guess one of the things that kept me reading was because I was trying to figure out who Becca was going to end up with! I was going for Hunter then to Chris then to Hunter then to Chris. I don't really care for "love triangles", usually they annoy the crap out of me. This one was bearable although there wasn't a lot of romance to begin with. The relationship between the characters we're pretty hard to distinguish.
Past halfway throughout the book, an actual story picked up and I found myself invested. There was enough mystery and I was actually shocked for a second or two when we got to couple of twists.
Overall, I liked it enough to finish it but BARELY. Maybe it went too slow or too fast, I really don't know. It feels like everyone liked this book and I'm missing out because I feel otherwise! Brigid Kemmerer tackled too many interesting subjects for this story; A normal one and a fantasy, a couple then a love triangle. I'm sorry to say, that for me, it all felt short. Even reaching the end, too many questions we're left unanswered. But at least, Becca did end up with a guy or….. did she? Agh, I don't know.

Rating:

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Book Review: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Book Stats:
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
(Book #2 of The Maze Runner)
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback, 360 pages
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: 9/13/2011
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Mystery 

Goodreads Summary: Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago. Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal. The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them. Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

*This is delayed review, it's been a while since I read the book

I actually loved the first book which is The Maze Runner. I loved it so much, I picked up the second book as soon as I hit the bookstore. So yes, I had high expectations for this one. From where we left off, a lot of things we're still unanswered and wavering through the air. Once again, they're controlled and put to the test by WICKED. It's different this time, knowing they have a certain goal, if they were to actually go on to the "other side". There were adventure, death and betrayals. 

The first book was full of those things, so no shocker there. In the first book, those we're done tastefully but in some parts here, the execution was pretty sloppy. But anyways, I liked the beginning of the book. It was still action-packed. I still loved Min-ho but the others got on my nerves. Especially Teresa. Well, she only got on my nerves because Mr. Dashner, made her character too complicated on this one. I like a little bit of mystery and an element of surprise in my books but it was just too.... confusing! It was still intriguing but it didn't hold my excitement anymore. I could barely put down the first book, but this one, I had to put it down to actually finish it.It was enjoyable enough. I have to admit, I was disappointed though. But that's not going to stop me from reading the closure of the trilogy, The Death Cure and maybe even the prequel which is The Kill Order. Maybe then, my questions will finally be answered and my confusion with the whole series will subside!

★★★

If you want to read the 3rd book also or If you haven't read The Maze Runner or The Scorch Trials, you can purchase them on Amazon: