Review: The Cellar

The Cellar by Natasha Preston

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I picked up The Cellar because I needed an actual book to take with me on a trip. It does start a little slow, but once I got into The Cellar, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. The reason I didn't rate it four stars is because I have no desire to continue the series.

At sixteen years old, Summer goes missing. No one in her small town knows what to think, as things like that just don't happen there. They immediately start searching, but when they don't find her, or even a clue, they begin to lose hope. The Cellar is all kinds of twisted, both physically and mentally. At the end of the book I felt extremely anxious, almost as if I was personally witnessing this psycho and his house of horror. As someone who has never experienced such a terrifying situation, I can speculate as to what I think I might do. Being in the situation, as Summer quickly learned, tends to change things. When each decision could possibly have a life or death consequence, the lines are blurred. I can't imagine living through such a terrifying experience. The fact that this happens in real life is unimaginable. There is a reason we have gut feelings, or intuition. It is usually pretty spot on, and it might do us all well to remember that, or at least buy a gun!



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Review: Opposition

Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I stuck with the Lux series until the end, but I'm glad that it's over. I hate when I mentally move on from a series before it's completed, but it happens, and there really isn't much to do about it. Opposition was a struggle for me, not because it was a bad book, well a little bad, but I just didn't have the interest in the subject anymore. I go through phases, and apparently I am out of the hot alien phase. The fact that it took me nearly a week to finish it should have been a red flag, but I have this weird sense of loyalty to some authors. Armentrout finished up the Lux series nice and neat, no loose ends to keep you wandering. You have permission to move on.



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Review: Black Lies

Black Lies by Alessandra Torre

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This is why I love Goodreads! After reading the description, I wasn't sold. Black Lies didn't sound like the type of book I would enjoy reading, but the fact that most of my GR friends rated it highly, and the average rating was 4.53 convinced me to give it a try. I absolutely loved it! This is not your every day love triangle romance. It is so much more than that. Torre did an amazing job with keeping me in suspense, and guessing right up until the very end. I cannot get over the mind that could come up with this book. Authors never cease to amaze me with their brilliance, but some authors have additional parts in their brains that allow them to think things that the average human can't. Either that, or I am extremely low on the creativity scale..
If you're unsure about reading this book based solely on the description, read it anyway. If you detest cheating, and cheaters, read it anyway. If you decide to read it, and love it, like this review! :)



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Review: I Want It That Way

I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I Want It That Way was a little slow to start, but once it took off it was full speed until the last page.
Nadia is dedicated to finishing school, doing what no one in her family has done before. Her parents have sacrificed everything for her to be where she is, and she doesn't take that lightly. Maintaining her courses, her job, and student teaching is wearing on her, but knowing her family is proud of her is what keeps her moving when she'd rather not.
Ty, hot ginger, new downstairs neighbor, and young single dad has a full time job, night classes, and a rambunctious four year old. Sam is freaking adorable, and quickly wraps Nadia around his finger. Though Ty is attracted to Nadia, he knows at her age he can never be it for her. He has too many responsibilities to casually date, and could never give her the time she deserves. He's also very guarded after a bad awful experience, and may never be ready to open up to anyone.

Favorite line: "Life is real, and it's right now."

***Spoilers***
Though they try their hardest to remain just friends, they're fighting a losing battle. When the attraction is too much, and they finally give in, Ty is is insistent that Nadia knows he can only give her a fwb type relationship. Sam is his primary focus, and he doesn't want Sam to know anything about their relationship. He's afraid to allow him to get attached to Nadia, so that when they're done Sam is left hurting. They keep things a secret for a few months, spending Ty's one free weekend a month with each other, and sneaking stolen moments. Sam doesn't know about his fathers relationship with Nadia, but he's become just as attached to her since she is a teacher at his daycare. When the two of them get sick, and Sam ventures upstairs to get Nadia, she rushes into action. She calls in to work, and school for herself, and Ty, as well as passing out meds, and soup to her boys. Everything is great until Ty realizes that Sam went to get Nadia. He explains that he knew Nadia would take care of them, because she loves them. This is enough to spook Ty into pushing her away. She doesn't fight much, because she knows she isn't ready to move in and be a step mom at age 21. That doesn't make the heartbreak any easier for either of them. A few months go by before Nadia finally realizes that there is no time table. Societies idea of college, marriage, 2.5 kids, and retirement isn't for everyone. She knows that she loves both Ty, and Sam and can't possibly live without either of them. Convincing Ty is a little more difficult, but he finally comes around.



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Review: The Beautiful Ashes

The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I swear Jeaniene Frost can absolutely do no wrong when she writes. I don't know where she got her skills, but I don't think I have ever read one of her books that I didn't enjoy immensely. Don't believe me? Check out my shelf on GoodReads titled JF 5 star. Those are the books she rates as five stars so I know they are good.
The Broken Destiny series is brand new, and has nothing to do with vampires. Ahh I know, I was a little worried too, but not sure why. Frost handles this new genre with ease, and starts what I'm sure will be another favorite series.
All of her life Ivy has been the unfortunate recipient of weird visions. She may see an outdated version of an area on top of the current place, and only knows they are different by the outdated clothing, or decor. Her adopted parents have taken her to many doctors, but nothing has ever cured her. When her sister goes missing, she follows her trail looking for any clues the police might have missed. While searching for answers to her sisters disappearance, she finds more than she bargained for. Not only does she find out where her sister might be, but also that the strange things she sees are actually real, and the alternate vision is not an outdated memory, but another overlapping realm. Her sister is being held in one of the demon realms, and the only person that can help Ivy get her out is Adrian. He may be incredibly strong, and easy on the eyes, but he is fated to betray Ivy, and neither of them want that to happen. Adrian doesn't trust himself to be able to overcome his destiny, and Ivy knows her misplaced trust will probably end up causing her to get hurt. Avoidance may seem like the best solution, but the only way to defeat the demons, and free her sister is by locating a lost relic, and neither of them can find it without the others help.



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Review: Dirty Angels

Dirty Angels by Karina Halle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The Dirty Angels series is a spinoff of Halle's Artist Trilogy (which I loved btw). It can be read as a stand alone, but the other books give a little bit more background to just who Javier Bernal is. It's every bit as gritty as the author promised, and may not sit well with some readers. Unfortunately life is not always sunshine & rainbows, but if that's what you like reading, this isn't the book for you.

Luisa Chavez was an only child of her devoted parents. Her mother is blind, but not limited in the things she could do for her family because of it. Her fathers sudden onset of Alzheimer's prevented him from supporting his family, and all of Luisa's dreams must be put on hold in order to do just that. As a former beauty queen her looks may have helped her get a job at one of the bars that tourists frequent, but that isn't enough to prevent her sleazy boss from taking advantage of her situation. Salvador Reyes is the leader of the largest cartel in Mexico, and when he decides that he wants Luisa to be his wife, she doesn't really get the option of saying no. The plus side to their relationship is that she won't have to worry about caring for her parents because Salvador has promised to take care of everything. Immediately after they exchange their vows, Salvador makes her duties very clear. As his wife she is to be available for anything he wants, no questions asked. He sees her as his property, and treats her as such.
Javier Bernal is the leader of a rival cartel, and he is looking to expand. He believes Luisa is his ticket to taking part of Salvador's territory, and he intends to break her in the process. What he doesn't realize is that Salvador has almost accomplished that, and it may take more than he is willing to give to finally break her spirit.



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Review: Happenstance

Happenstance by Jamie McGuire

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



That was... weird. The first 80% read like any other really good book. Then it was like McGuire realized she only had twenty pages left to fit in the rest of the book. Not only was it really fast, it was also unrealistic, and a little too perfect. HM Ward has done well with her short stories, each of them about 100 pages, and all released quickly. Not sure if that's what McGuire was going for, but it didn't feel right. I still liked it, and I'll read the next book in the series, but it would have been better spread out over 200-250 pages.

Three girls with the name Erin were born on the same day in a small rural town. Two of them were born into wealthy families, and took great pleasure in tormenting the third. They are the typical snobby, mean girls that exist in every high school in America. Erin Easter was born to a poor, single mother which isn't necessarily bad, but her mother is. With only a few months left of her senior year, she just has to get through it, and then she'll be free of the whole town, and the people in it. Of course life is never that black, and white. Weston, one of the mean Erin's boyfriend starts paying too much attention to Erin Easter. She has always liked him, but she also knows that if anyone else knew, her living hell would be ten times worse.



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Review: Ruin and Rising

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'm not sure if my taste in books is changing, or if I am just too consumed with other things, but Ruin & Rising didn't do it for me. I enjoyed reading the first two books, and was looking forward to the final book in the series. After almost two weeks, which is practically unheard of, I am finally done. I probably should have just stopped sooner, but it ended well.

After their last run in with the Darkling, Alina and Mal are staying underground with the Apparat. She knows she must recover before the two of them can continue their search for the third, and final amplifier. Living underground with no access to her power is not helping improve her condition at all. Throughout their journey to find the firebird, Alina is hoping that she will also find Nickolai alive. As the only heir to Ravka, he is the key to putting their country back together, if/when they are able to defeat the Darkling. Her duty to her country, and those who consider her a saint, are also the very reason she can never be with the boy she has always loved. Mal is the one constant in Alina's life, but they both know that in order to defeat the Darkling, and revive Ravka, Alina needs an army, and allies.



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