Review: Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy #1) by J.R. Ward

Blood Kiss (Black Dagger Legacy #1)by J.R. Ward
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: December 1st, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

The legacy of the Black Dagger Brotherhood continues in a spin-off series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author…

Paradise, blooded daughter of the king’s First Advisor, is ready to break free from the restrictive life of an aristocratic female. Her strategy? Join the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training center program and learn to fight for herself, think for herself…be herself. It’s a good plan, until everything goes wrong. The schooling is unfathomably difficult, the other recruits feel more like enemies than allies, and it’s very clear that the Brother in charge, Butch O’Neal, a.k.a. the Dhestroyer, is having serious problems in his own life.

And that’s before she falls in love with a fellow classmate. Craeg, a common civilian, is nothing her father would ever want for her, but everything she could ask for in a male. As an act of violence threatens to tear apart the entire program, and the erotic pull between them grows irresistible, Paradise is tested in ways she never anticipated—and left wondering whether she’s strong enough to claim her own power…on the field, and off.

Arlene's Thoughts:
Despite my constant grumbling about how disappointed I’ve been in J.R. Ward for the last few installments of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, I’ve still kept my eye out for anything new she has coming. I think it’s the constant craving I have to get a taste of the Ward I knew back in the beginning of BDB. Well with Blood Kiss, I finally got a reading experience of the Ward I remember! This book is a great kick-off to what I hope will be an amazing series.

In Blood Kiss, Paradise, the daughter of Wrath’s First Advisor named Abalone has the chance to break the mold of what is expected of an aristocratic female vampire. She’s accepted into the training program for the Black Dagger Brotherhood and given the opportunity to learn to fight for herself and protect her race. In the program, she meets a fellow recruit named Craeg, who is not from the glymera, but they immediately develop a deep connection that defies the laws of their race.

Throughout the story, we also get to revisit with Butch and Marissa and witness their struggles as they deal with the pressures of life.

Overall, I have to say Paradise was the star of the show. She was amazing! I loved her compassion, strength and determination to be set free of the constraints inherent in her race. I enjoyed seeing her develop a deep connection with Craeg. Their romance was HOT HOT HOT! It reminded me how Ward is capable to creating intense situations and wrapping a sensual layer over the moment.

I have to give honorable mention to Marissa, as well. She has her bad-ass moments in this book too. With her storyline came a nice secondary element to the novel, which was a murder mystery. I found myself intrigued, and was surprised at the outcome. I always enjoy when an author detours from predictability lane, and Ward did so wonderfully.

Overall, reading a story with two very strong female characters as the leads was pure bliss. I enjoyed the characters, chemistry and plot, which was all perfectly blended and developed quite nicely. Great story!

4 Snowflakes

Crystal's Thoughts:
This is the J.R. Ward that I love and adore!  After having some trouble with her Black Dagger Brotherhood series lately I was a little scared to jump into this new spin off, but it was amazing and brought me back to the time when I fell in love with the Brothers.

This spin off series promises to focus more on the training center and the new recruits.  This definitely happened and I loved seeing new characters that weren't so complicated make their way onto the pages, but what I really loved was that we got to see the Brothers and their mates!  I fell in love with so many of them and I have missed them.  In Ward's BDB books lately they've been so depressing and I found I really missed just the old books that weren't so drama filled.  Blood Kiss is full of drama, but it's toned down from her other books and I found the pages filled with just the right amount of drama, lust, romance, and fun.

Blood Kiss was centered around Craeg and Paradise, but we got to see Butch and Marissa again.  They aren't living the Happy Ever After I thought they were.  A few things happen that trigger certain events and ultimately leads to a distance between the two.  Like I said this has drama, but it wasn't depressing drama.  I liked seeing these two work through their problems and honestly it was nice to see Marissa stand up to Butch.  I always had a problem with the way he treated her and if you have read their book then you will know what I mean.  He needed to bring her down from the pedestal he placed her on and let her live.  I loved how they resolved things and I feel better about them now. I even have more respect for Butch.

Craeg and Paradise were hot and I think they had some great scenes together.  The fact that they are training together made it fun and kept the tension at a high at all times.  I really enjoyed reading their story.  The only thing I missed was the MINE!  Where was the MINE?!  I look forward to that in each and every book and I can't say I wasn't disappointed when this little word didn't pop up at least once. 

If every book is this way I will definitely forgive Ward for her crazy turn in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series.  This spin off is a great distraction and I honestly can't wait to see who gets their story next.  I'm kind of hoping that it's Axe because I think with his story we will get to see more V and well we all need more V in out lives!

4.5 snowflakes

Waiting on Wednesday:The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we can't wait to get our hands on.

Here's my selection for this week…

The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt 

Expected publication: January 12, 2016 

Publisher: HarperCollins

This full-length novel by debut author Natalie Blitt is a pitch-perfect blend of Stephanie Perkins and Miranda Kenneally that proves the age-old adage: opposites attract.

Seventeen-year old Abby has only one goal for her summer: to make sure she is fluent in French—well, that, and to get as far away from baseball and her Cubs-obsessed family as possible. A summer of culture and language, with no sports in sight.

That turns out to be impossible, though, because her French partner is the exact kind of boy she was hoping to avoid. Eight weeks. 120 hours of class. 80 hours of conversation practice with someone who seems to exclusively wear baseball caps and jerseys.

But Zeke in French is a different person than Zeke in English. And Abby can’t help but fall for him, hard. As Abby begins to suspect that Zeke is hiding something, she has to decide if bridging the gap between the distance between who she is and who he is, is worth the risk.

I'm always on the look-out for a good contemporary, and this one seems to be perfect for me. The fact that it's by a debut author and I'm even more excited to see what a fresh perspective Natalie Blitt will bring to the YA scene.

Sooo, what are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday

 Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

This weeks topic is..

Top Ten Resolutions We Have For 2016  

Arlene

First, I would like to finish reading Richelle Mead's Bloodlines series this year. I only have books 5 and 6 to go, and they have been sitting on my shelf for quite sometime. For an author I adore so much, this shouldn't be too hard to accomplish.

Second,  I would like to be more flexible with my YA genre hopping. I used to read all sorts of YA books.  But for quite some time, I've been sticking to Contemporary and the occasional Fantasy. I'd like to jump back into YA Paranormal to cleanse my reading palette.

Lastly, I'd like to make more time this year to mingle a bit more on social media. That includes blog hopping, tweeting, and commenting on Goodreads a bit more. I feel in the last year or so, I've become a silent observer. It might be time to find my virtual voice again…. Watch out! :)

Crystal

Finish reading at least one series that is currently complete.
I would also like to finish up all my outstanding ARCs--they are staring at me!
 I really want to start scheduling my blog posts in advance so I can focus better.

Milka

Finish reading The Lunar Chronicles.
Read more backlist titles.

Tina

 I would like to resolve to only buy the books that I really want.

I would like to resolve to start and finish the already completed book series sitting on my self.

I would like to resolve to read as many books on my shelf at home collecting dust. 

Review: Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Publisher- Harper Teen

Released- Feb 9th 2016

Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok’s lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna’s survival depends on the world believing she is dead.But that doesn’t stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

 My Thoughts:

On the night the eclipse descended and a blanket of darkness washed over the kingdom was the exact moment Princess Luna was born. It was a time of great terror for with the black night came dark dweller monsters breaking through the grounds hunting for sport and blood. In the confusion and chaos Luna was taken to safety by her nurse Perla and one of her fathers royal guard, Sivo, deep into the cursed forest and to the hidden tower where Luna will live away from the dangers and shadows of evil. Now 17 years old, Luna may be the rightful queen of Ranhok, but she hungers for freedom, for companionship, for life away from the tower walls. This can not be her fate, she needs more, but she never dreamed it would be at the hands of a young archer named Fowler that will lead her to her freedom, to the outside world, nor did she ever guess what it would cost them both.

Ohhhh this was so goood!! I have always enjoyed Sophie Jordan's books, so when I heard that she was writing a retelling of my favorite fairytale, Rapunzel, I couldn't wait to get this in my greedy little hands. Jordan does not disappoint! Reign of Shadows is a thrilling, dark and a romantic reimagining story that I absolutely devoured in one sitting! I almost forgot just how amazing Jordan can do fantasy. I absolutely adore her writing and how she developed this wicked and wonderfully imaginative world. The pacing and flow of the story moves at a pulse pounding race. The characters are sharply put together and completely easy to invest in from minute one. The atmosphere is potent with terror and trouble. The setting was so vividly rich and detailed it may as well be it's own character. From the tower, to the Black woods where creatures breath fear and venomous monsters attack the night, everything in this world is crisp and crackles with pure excitement and thrilling adventure.

Luna was such a fascinating character and I loved that added twist that Jordan gave her. We learn about this revelation within a few chapters into the story, but I never saw it coming. I'm not sure why it felt so profound to me, but I think it was because it gives it that extra conflict that makes the impossible seem so possible and I loved watching Luna thrive. But besides that twist, I just absolutely adored her. She is such a free spirited girl, brave, determined, daring with a strong mind and a fierce heart. She can more then handle her own and I loved how she handled Fowler.

When we first meet Fowler, he isn't exactly friendly. He comes off as bitter, unfeeling and cold. Only the selfish survive, but there is something about him that kept nagging me to trust him and I found myself anticipating his real story. Turns out that Fowler is more then he seems and the lost he's suffered and the secrets he's kept only makes me love him more. Together  Luna and Fowler make such an exceptional team, it wasn't easy at first, but the hard journey ahead and the need to keep each other safe can bond even the emptiest heart. I loved their endless spunk, witty banter and sarcastic dance. It may have took awhile to get there but the romance was incredibly swoon-worthy. This wasn't an all consuming insta-love, but a slow burning bubbling attraction and connection that was undeniable and inevitable and I loved every second of it.

Now, about that ending? Evil! Evil I tell you! I'm in need of the next book right this second and it kills me just thinking about waiting a year to find out what happened after that evil as hell cliff-hanger! Gah!! Bottom line, this was an amazing book my friends. It's adventurous and wondrous and filled with action, suspense and the fantasy thrills you want in an escape. I seriously can't wait for more! Fans will need this book in their life. Instant love and my favoite Sophie Jordan book evah! 

Find the author:

Goodreads / Website                           5 HUGE Snowflakes 

Review: Far From You by Tess Sharpe

Far From You by Tess Sharpe
Publisher: Orion
Release Date: March 27, 2014

Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.

The first time, she's fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bum leg, and an addiction to Oxy that'll take years to kick.

The second time, she's seventeen, and it's no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina's murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.

After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina's brother won't speak to her, her parents fear she'll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places and Sophie must search for Mina's murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, about Mina and about the secret they shared

My Thoughts: 

I am not a big YA mystery reader (or a mystery reader in general) because I too often have felt like I have figured everything out way too soon. I often fail to just "enjoy the ride" and start to read the text like there's a prize there for the one who figures everything out the quickest (yes, I can be pretty competitive). After Kim Savage's upcoming After the Woods proved to be a GREAT and ENTERTAINING YA mystery experience, I finally decided to give this one a go after hearing so many good things about it ever since it was released.

Sophie is an addict. Ever since a car accident that almost killed her, she has been in pain, and the only thing that seems to numb that are the medication prescribed to her. When she realizes that taking too much pills makes her feel even better than the normal dose, she starts to overdose. But keeping something like that secret from her best friend Mina doesn't last for long, and eventually Sophie is forced to go through a long process of getting herself rid of using. So why is it that now that she is finally clean, she is suddenly pulled into rehab again after her best friend Mina gets murdered?

When drugs are found from the site where the murder took place, Sophie is instantly blamed. Was it a drug purchase gone wrong? Did they go to the woods to meet a dealer? If Sophie wasn't a junkie, would Mina still be alive? Sophie knows that drugs had nothing to do with what happened. She knows that Mina was up to something, and that the murder was something planned. The police are looking at the wrong places, treating it as a drug case, and it falls of Sophie to actually find the truth before Sophie can truly rest in peace.

While the mystery aspect of the novel and the process Sophie goes through to find Mina's killer is interesting, I think the zest of this book is the relationship between Sophie and Mina and the different sides of it we see through present-day narration and flashbacks. I thoughts especially the flashbacks were extremely interesting, because they showed that what happened between Sophie and Mina wasn't just all sunshine and rainbows, but that especially Mina had a "darker" side that sometimes made things difficult for them. 

The question of the nature of the relationship between Sophie and Mina is something that I also loved to read about. Sophie and Mina are both confused about what they feel - they both have boyfriends, but it seems like they are more attracted to each other than anyone else around. While I haven't myself gone through a period of similar kind of confusion, I would like to imagine that the way Sharpe writes about conflicting feelings and attempts to find the "true me" is quite realistic. 

At points, the mystery aspect of the novel feels kind of dragged out and there are points that I was a bit bored with it, but the dynamic between Sophie and Mina and the flashbacks to previous events helped me with staying interested. This book proved to be once again that I am not a mystery reader, but due to its elements that are often also found from contemporary novels (family drama, coming-of-age tales, etc) Far From You proved to be a quite interesting and entertaining read. 

3 Snowflakes