Review: You Don't Know My Name (The Black Angel Chronicles #1) by Kristen Orlando

You Don't Know My Name (The Black Angel Chronicles #1) by Kristen Orlando
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Release Date: January 10th, 2017
Purchase: Amazon

Fighter, Faker, Student, Spy.
Seventeen-year-old Reagan Elizabeth Hillis is used to changing identities overnight, lying to every friend she’s ever had, and pushing away anyone who gets too close. Trained in mortal combat and weaponry her entire life, Reagan is expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and join the ranks of the most powerful top-secret agency in the world, the Black Angels. Falling in love with the boy next door was never part of the plan.
Now Reagan has to decide: Will she use her incredible talents and lead the dangerous life she was born into, or throw it all away to follow her heart and embrace the normal life she's always wanted? And does she even have a choice at all?
Find out if you are ready to join the Black Angels in the captivating and emotional page-turner, You Don't Know My Name, from debut novelist Kristen Orlando!

My Thoughts:
Imagine if your parents were the couple from the Mr. & Mrs. Smith movie.  You know the one with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie??  That's who Reagan has as parents and she is expected to follow in their secret agency footsteps.  Only Reagan isn't so sure she wants to live that kind of life after falling for the boy next door.

I've seen this premise in quite a few books lately and I won't lie I am intrigued by them all and have liked most of them that I have read.  This one however just missed the mark for me.  From the get go Reagan wasn't tough enough.  She states several times throughout the story that she has all this training, but we really don't get to see her stone cold side. Yes she fights a few fights, but in the end she failed to show that she was capable enough to handle dangerous situations.  That was one part that bugged me immensely.  I didn't mind that she questioned her future, in fact I liked it, but I didn't buy she was this child prodigy and that the agency couldn't wait for her to come of age.  Her decisions weren't great and she disregarded orders multiple times and put others in danger including someone who had to right to be there.  I was frustrated to say the least.

I actually liked the romance in this one.  I am a sucker for the boy next door/best friend line.  What I didn't like was what Reagan did after her and Luke's big moment.  I understood what she was trying to do, but what she did was unforgivable in my opinion and I almost threw the book out the window when that chapter hit. Communication is huge and I just wish she would have trusted her gut to at least tell him a bit about her life.  I know it was all hush hush, but come on.  That whole scene wasn't needed after chapters and chapters of her pinning for him and all the talk about her goosebumps when he was around.  If she could put a stop to things so fast, why even go down that road to begin with.  I would have rather watched her avoid anything personal from the get go then read what she did.

Those were my major gripes.  I still have a few minor ones, but I can live with the others.  Those two not so much.  This story ends not really in a cliff hanger, but you know there is more to come and I will read the next installment.  I am hoping to see Reagan gain some fierceness and I think she did by the end after the devastation that happened.  I am also hoping the agency either kicks her out or lets her take part because this whole on the outskirts thing is a bit annoying. They said she was the best, but yet they won't listen to her.  Frustrating!!  So much of this book was frustrating!!  Compared to other books I have read with this same plotline this one doesn't stand out which is a shame because it had great potential.

2 snowflakes

 

Review: All the Feels by Danika Stone

All the Feels by Danika Stone
Publisher - Swoon Reads
Release Date - June 7th, 2016
Pre-Order - Amazon / B&N

College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life… So, when her favorite character, Captain Matt Spartan, is killed off at the end of the last movie, Liv Just. Can’t. Deal.

Tired of sitting in her room sobbing, Liv decides to launch an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. With the help of her best friend, Xander, actor and steampunk cosplayer extraordinaire, she creates #SpartanSurvived, a campaign to ignite the fandom. But as her online life succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, Liv is forced to balance that with the pressures of school, her mother’s disapproval, and her (mostly nonexistent and entirely traumatic) romantic life. A trip to DragonCon with Xander might be exactly what she needs to figure out what she really wants.

My Thoughts:

I am a fangirl! And I for sure am loud and proud about it. It is part of how I identify myself and because of that, I was very excited about reading this book about another fangirl, because I think that despite differences in fandoms, we fangirls are soulsisters because we know THE PAIN that can come from being a fangirl. For me, that pain has come from books (Harry Potter), from television & films (I WILL NEVER GET OVER THE WAY MARK AND LEXIE'S STORY ENDED IN Grey's Anatomy or the ending of Serenity) and sports (hockey is glorious, but also oh, so painful). For Liv, the fangirl pain comes from The Starveil movie and the completely unexpected death of her favorite character Captain Matt Spartan.

Liv is such a likable character that I would it very easy to identify with. She is a freshman in college, seems quite unsure of what she wants to do with her life (or thinks that what she really wants to do is not possible) and seems to be more like herself when she is engaging in online communication rather than in actual social situations. First and foremost, she is a fangirl and she knows that not many people in her "real life" will know how life as a fangirl can be like. Rather than spending time focused on studying, Liv is often occupied in activities of the fandom, especially after her favorite character is killed off. Is there something she can do to help other fangirls in need? Is there something she can do to help herself?

Liv is friends with Xander, a guy who treats every day as a good day for cosplay. Xander dresses like Lord Byron, carries a pocket watch with on day to day basis, and is capable of understanding Liv, even though he himself isn't interested in the Starveil movies. When Xander invites Liv to go along with him to DragonCon, Liv hesitates at first. But when her #SpartanSurvived campaign starts to make waves, she decides that she simply has to be a part of the much expected Starveil panel that will take place at the convention.

The novel is divided into two parts - life before the convention and life during the convention. I found both parts interesting and I think the build-up for the Con itself was done well. The principal characters are interesting and I really enjoyed reading about the relationship between Liv and Xander. I would say the book is more about Liv's growth rather than about romance, but there definitely are some swoonworthy moments here too. Xander is absolutely charming - kind of weird, but in this case, weird is good! 

The only complaint I have about this book is all the unnecessary drama Liv has with her mother. Her mother adds an obstacle to her fangirl lifestyle, but I think the novel could have done without, because the whole dynamic just doesn't feel like it has been developed enough. But that is just a really minor complaint and in general it did not take much away from my overall enjoyment of this novel. Stone writes well and with an occasional flair of humor, and I think in general All the Feels was the perfect kind of quick, sweet contemporary romance that I like to indulge in from time to time. 

Highly recommended to all you fangirls (and fanboys) out there!

4 snowflakes

Review: How To Say I Love You Out Loud by Karole Cozzo

How To Say I Love You Out Loud by Karole Cozzo
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Release Date: August 4th, 2015

When Jordyn Michaelson’s autistic brother joins her at her elite school, she’s determined not to let anyone know they're related. Even if that means closing herself off to all her closest friends, including charming football stud Alex Colby. But despite her best intentions, she just can't shake the memory of kissing Alex last summer, and the desire to do it again. Can Jordyn find the courage to tell Alex how she really feels—and the truth about her family—before he slips away forever?

My Thoughts:

How To Say I Love You Out Loud, another Swoon Reads release with an absolutely beautiful cover, took me quite by surprise. I guess the "swoon" word made me expect a fluffy, light and cute contemporary read. This one definitely made me swoon, it was occasionally fluffy and cute, but what really blew me away was the way Cozzo delved into the main characters family life and her brother's illness with so much detail, emotion and seriousness.

Jordyn is a definitely a main character for my taste. In many ways, she is quite a complicated character and I do have to admit that several times her actions made me question my feelings towards her. For her whole life, she has struggled with her brother's autism. She has felt that if people know about Phillip, she is always be seen as just "Phillip's sister" and not as her own person. This has made her quite resentful and occasionally slightly bitter towards her parents and Phillip's illness. She is a teenager, living in a world where appearances are important. So yes, she thinks and says things that are hurtful and seem petty, but at the same time, think of yourself as a teenager... didn't it matter to you quite a bit what people thought about you? I know were a not the same, but I think Jordyn deserves my understanding.  Keep your eyes and heart open for her - don't give up on her. 

After miserable middle school years, Jordyn has been able to keep her home life and her school life separate from each other. Everything changes when the school Phillip has been going to is closed down and Phillip is enrolled to the same high school with Jordyn. Soon, he is known as the "cray-cray" kid, and the worst thing Jordyn can imagine is everyone knowing that Phillip is her brother. It hurt my heart to read about the way the other kids talk about Phillip, mostly because you get the feeling that they do it either because they don't know what Phillip is going through or worse, just so they would fit in. The way Jordyn acts and declines to open her mouth definitely does not help, but as more and more happen and time goes by, the thoughts and understanding of Jordyn evolve and she becomes more aware of what is happening. Jordyn's character development is very well executed and definitely worth a mention.

Though romance isn't the biggest focus of this novel, the chemistry between Jordyn and Alex is palpable. Ever since the summer before, they have been friends, and though Jordyn feels like she would like to be more than just friends, she has never been able to open her heart to Alex. When the new school year starts and Jordyn learns that Alex has a girlfriend, she thinks everything between them is over. But the more they spend time together, the more the chemistry increases. And oh my, Alex definitely is worth swooning. He is honestly just a REALLY good guy who cares about those around her. What's between Alex and Jordyn is not instalove - rather, it is the best kind of "we are going to drag this out for a long time" kind of love you find from the best kind of romantic comedies.

The fact that the author has worked with kids that have different kinds of disabilities really shows from this book, especially when it comes to the way Cozzo writes about the struggle Jordyn's mother goes through. Though I do not have kids of my own and I probably never want to have, I always find it touching to read about mother's who despite everything that is going on are willing to fight for their children. My mother is like that, and I love her for it. Jordyn's mother is like that too, and she definitely deserves my love and respect.

How To Say I Love You Out Loud was a short, quick read that, as I said, took me quite by surprise. Don't be like be a let the "swoon" word fool you. If you are looking for more than just cute romance, look no further.

4 Snowflakes

Arc Giveaway & Review- Velvet by Temple West

Velvet by Temple West

Publisher- Swoon Reads

Released- May 12th 2015

Pre-Order- Amazon / B & N

First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart?

My Thoughts:

Ah, now this was a great read! My first love in reading has always been paranormal and it's been a long while since I've been able to read a vampire book, so this book was a pleasantly fun escape.

I really enjoyed West's writing, it's strong and the pace and flow was steady, smooth and always interesting. I really loved this particular twist on vampire lore. There is some traditional elements, but for the most part this was rather unique and imaginative and I enjoyed the emotional approach concept and I also liked the combination of vampires, demons and even a little scientific in the way of explanation, it may seem a little out there to some, but given this is myth/legend it didn't feel that way for me, just a new fascinating take on an old lore that has me completely absorbed no matter how many vampires stories I've read. The plot was rather cool, the spin was a lot of fun and extremely creeptastic and the characters were great, realistically flawed and easy to connect with. I also loved the setting and thought it fit the tone of the book perfectly.

Ok, so Caitlin wasn't exactly easy to get along with when we first meet her. She's bitter, reckless and even cruel. I get that her mother passed away and she's feeling empty and angry and wants to blame the world, but it started to get a little annoying with the way she was treating everyone. But, as the story moves on, I started to realize that her emotional state actually plays a bigger role in the overall story, so it was easier to overlook and thankfully, bitter Caitlin started to act a little more human. I ended up really enjoying her funny personality and witty attitude, she's got great spunk, feist and a big heart.

As for Adrian? I couldn't help love him from minute one. Mysterious, fiercely protective and intense at first but then eventually we got the more playful, warm and even a little adorably nerdish Adrian that I couldn't help love even more. There was a moment there where his hot/cold attitude was a little frustrating, but it was easy to forgive given the impending situation and how far Adrian would go to protect Cait. I simple adored the friendship between Adrian and Caitlin. They have the greatest chemistry, banter and sarcasm and were so incredibly funny, sweet and cute with real moments that made me smile all big and stupid. Forbidden romance and rules be damned. These two belong together. Period. 

This has a decent ending, but it's totally lined up for more which is great since I'm simply not ready to let go of these amazing characters or this world quite yet.

All in all, this was a really fun entertaining escape that has just about everything I want in my vampire books. Action, intrigue, and swoon-worthy romance. West is a great new voice for paranormal romance and I can't wait to find out what happens next! An excellent debut!

Find the author:

Website / Goodreads                               4.5 Snowflakes

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