Tag Archives: 4.5 stars

The Score Book Review

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thescoreTitle: The Score
Series: Off Campus #3
Author: Elle Kennedy
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: January 11, 2016
Genre: New Adult – Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 361
Format: Purchased eBook

He knows how to score, on and off the ice

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she’s going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di-Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.

This is the third novel in this companion series and it was just as sexy, fun, and addicting as the last two.

In this novel we get a more in depth view from Allie and Dean, the two best friends to Hannah and Garrett, and I thought that it was fun to see into their world and lives and how they act together as they get to know one another more. I knew that there would be lots of sex in this book, but wow, I think this one had the most out of all of the books in this series thus far. It also had its own share of drama just like the others.

Allie is very much a go getter when it comes to her focus in life. She wants to become an actress and either work in film and TV shows, or on the stage. She had never really considered the stage before until recently when she played a part in a show, and though that is one of her primary focuses in her life, she is also very much attached to relationships that she has. So after recently breaking up with her boyfriend, Sean, she knows that she can’t take him back because he would just be holding her back since he practically forbid her from chasing her dreams. I’m glad she didn’t end up taking him back because that would have been a very toxic relationship. But I think the way it was handled was a genuine reaction upon a break up with the conflicting emotions, the lingering feelings, and the knowledge that it won’t work out if she were to go back.

She also cares very deeply for her father, who has multiple sclerosis, and wants to take care of him as much as possible, even though he’s in New York. During her fling with Dean, I could see how much she not only cared about being with him (and boy was it hot and heavy a lot of times), but that she was grateful to him that he was willing to help in whatever way possible.

Which brings me to Dean, who was a major playboy because it started out hot and heavy with him in the beginning. But as time passed and the fling with Allie started to happen, I started to get a better sense of who Dean was and that there was more that what was on the surface. Yes, his family has money and the name of their family can get them places, but I loved his carefree attitude and that he rarely, if ever, relied on his family’s name to get him whatever he wanted. He was still a sex fiend, that’s for sure, but I think what was most enjoyable about it was how much careful attention he gave to Allie during those times. As their fling progressed into something more serious, it became clearer of his feelings toward her and how he was willing to do anything for her.

That’s not to say he didn’t have his faults because there as a major one that happened in the book that caused his whole world to shatter and for him to practically be a walking zombie for a while. He turned to drugs and alcohol during this time and though it was something that irked me, it was realistic because people deal with grief in many different ways. But, overall, I really enjoyed his character. I loved when he was teaching the kids of the Hurricanes hockey team, as well as a little girl, Dakota, how to skate. It was clear where his heart was, even if he didn’t realize it, and I thought it was kind of sweet.

As I said, this book is nothing short of steam and drama because oh my, I was fanning myself in almost every other chapter. Seriously.

There was a lot of chemistry from the start, and though Allie was adamant that she doesn’t like casual sex, and it turned into a fling, turned into a relationship, I thought that it was realistic and well done. Dean and Allie were less “opposites attract,” and more like they completed the other. I loved that they each turned to the other during difficult times when they otherwise would have turned to their friends (because hello, developing feelings here!), and even though they’d bicker and had a strenuous time at one point, neither forced the other to do anything they didn’t want to do, which I thought was key.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this book just like the rest of this series. It was fast paced and well done, and though I could have done without the drugs and so much sex (there was more in this book that the other two, I noticed), I did highly enjoy it.

I rated it 4.5/5 stars and highly recommend it.

The Deal Book Review

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thedealTitle: The Deal
Series: Off Campus #1
Author: Elle Kennedy
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: February 24, 2015
Genre: New Adult – Romance, Contemporary
Pages: 342
Format: Purchased eBook

She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy…

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

…and it’s going to be oh so good.

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

This story was sexy, funny, with touches of drama and realistic situations that made me feel sad for the characters. It was a romantic story about two college students who strike up a deal that if Garrett helps Hannah get the attention of a boy she likes, then she’d help him study for a class so he doesn’t lose his place on the hockey team – and things get interesting from there.

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, if I’m being honest. I’ve heard good things about it, and I think maybe it’s because it’s my age group, but it was totally something I could envision happening on a college campus and how a relationship could develop between two unlikely people.

Hannah is a spitfire. She’s kind of quiet and likes to keep to herself, but she made a promise to her best friend, Allie, that she’d be more social in their junior year of college and meet people and do more things. I thought that she was very level headed and well within her element. She knew who she was, and tried to not let what happened in her past define her. Though what did happen did make things complicated for her at some points, the fact that she found help through Garrett – someone she thought was so unlikely to help in any way – and I thought that it was both brave and wonderful of her to do so. Not that Garrett was a bad choice, but by explaining to him why she was broken and what she hoped could “fix” her was brave.

Garrett was totally cocky and I loved him. Though, like Hannah, I thought he was a pain sometimes, I knew that that was just how he was and that he really had his heart in the right place and many times he showed with his actions about how much he cared not only for her, but others, too. He progressively became much more open about his own past and his own problems, and we got to see first hand the one responsible for said problems. I was proud of him for being able to be strong and do something about it.

The dynamic between these two started out as a hate to love relationship, and I thought that it worked really well. At first they couldn’t really stand each other, but they grew to be friends over time, which I thought was super awesome. Even if the friendship stage didn’t last as long as what I’d expect, I still highly enjoyed their relationship dynamic because they grew with each other and developed with one another, bouncing off the other and brining out the good in each.

Yes, there were sexy times, and yes, they were detailed, but I thought that they were well done. There weren’t any hints of abuse and the way that it went about with the situation really made those moments sweeter -and steamier- in my opinion.

The plot of the book focused around helping Garrett pass an ethics class, but it also focused on college life, friendships, parties, getting to know others, and branching out of your comfort zone. Both of them had their own hurdles to overcome, but they did well with each hurdle. There was enough drama to keep me reading and wanting to know what happened next.

Overall, I thought this was a well-written new adult read and that the characters were dimensional, the setting was awesome (hello, home state!), and that the story went on an upward direction.

I rated this book 4.5/5 stars.

The Rose & the Dagger Book Review

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theroseandthedaggerTitle: The Rose & the Dagger
Series: The Wrath & the Dawn #2
Author: Renee Ahdieh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 26, 2016
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy, Romance, Retelling
Pages: 416
Format: Purchased Hardcover

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid’s empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn’t yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

As this is a sequel there may be spoilers!

This second book was full of a heightened sense of urgency, of magic, of love, forgiveness, friendship, and more. I honestly enjoyed this sequel more than the first book and I think that it was a really great wrap up to this duology.

The plot starts right after the events of the first book after everything has pretty much gone to hell after a magic storm that Jahandar cooked up in order to “save” Shazi. Everything is in ruin and while Khalid works to restore the city and look for Shazi, she’s in a Badawi encampment being kept there for her own safety as well as Khalid’s. It continues to show more of the magic in this world because we got just the barest glimpse of it in the first book, as well as how Shazi’s magic actually works.

There is a lot of mystery surrounding several of the characters, and plenty of romance to drink in. I thought that, the plot itself, was a solid one, driving each of the characters into the next course of action that needed to be taken in order to break the curse over Khalid and Khorasan, as well as other opposing forces in the story.

I will say, though, that I thought the threat of danger wasn’t as immediate in this book as it was in the first. Yes, there were still threats and still concerns that had to be addressed, but otherwise I thought that it was more of a story of action than of danger. It didn’t take away from the story at all, but there was a difference in tone between the first and second books given the circumstances.

Shahrzad is as strong willed and silver tongued as ever in this book, and I kind of really missed that. I forgot how she can have such witty banter and come up with such awesome insults on the fly:

A rush of blood heated her cheeks. “If I had a fireball, I’d send it straight between your legs. But I worry there would be little to burn.”

OH SNAP. That part made me laugh quite loudly. But aside from that, she still uses her mind and her resources around her to get where she needs to go and do what needs to be done. I thought that her relationship with her sister, though strained at times, was still one that I could see the true love from them in. Shazi really cares for Irsa, even if she doesn’t reveal many things to her because she views Irsa as a child still. Through the many ups and downs and revelations, though, Shazi remains strong and brave. She’s a really amazing heroine, in my opinion.

Khalid is just as temperamental as ever, but we get to see a much more human side of him than we have before. We see him helping to rebuild his city and him trying his best to look out for those around him because he doesn’t want to shed any more unnecessary innocent blood. His love for Shazi is beautiful and I loved reading the moments with them together because they so perfectly reflect one another so well. I thought that he was a strong character, like usual, though he fought with a lot more conviction now that he has something to fight for. And we got to see him with some of his military skills, which was pretty strategic and cool.

Irsa, I think, was a welcome sigh of relief when it came to this story. As Shazi’s younger sister, you would think she would be a little more headstrong and quick to act, but I felt that she was very mature for her age in some of the ways she acted and how she responded in certain situations. She was very knowledgeable on medicinal herbs and her love for her sister was very strong, though she knew that Shazi would lie to her constantly to protect her. Irsa was a welcome surprise and I thought the interactions between her and Rahim were so adorable.

Tariq was just as angry as he was in the last book when it came to him thinking about Khalid, and he acted with a blind heart instead of an open mind on more than one occasion, causing something almost terrible to happen to Shazi. Even though he and Khalid had an altercation, an understanding on Tariq’s part happened and I think that’s when he became a more agreeable character after that. Though he still reacted on pure guts than brains, I thought he did his best in the situations handed to him.

Jahandar, I thought, was trying to do so many things for the wrong reasons and I was so mad he seemed to care more about his book than his daughters. He tricked and lied, and he did it with the best intentions, but I think the gift he gave in the end was fitting and right.

We didn’t have as much Despina or Jalal at all in this book, which made me very sad because they’re two of my favorites, but there was still an interaction with them that made me smile at the end.

There was fighting, blood, worry, curses, magic, and more in this book and I thought that it did very well for a conclusion, for sure. And I just want you to know that I ALMOST CRIED at one part – like, there was a tear and everything – because holy carp was it sad and OH THE FEELS. Renee Ahdieh’s writing is very beautiful, just like the last, and will capture you with lush details and exquisite settings, sprinkled with awesome banter.

I rated this book 4.5/5 stars.

My duology review: 4.25/5 stars

Earth’s End Book Review

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earthsendTitle: Earth’s End
Series: Air Awakens #3
Author: Elise Kova
Publisher: Silver Wing Press
Publication Date: February 11, 2016
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 348
Format: Purchased eBook for Kindle

A woman awoken in air, a soldier forged by fire, a weapon risen from blood.

Vhalla Yarl has made it to the warfront in the North. Forged by blood and fire, she has steeled her heart for the final battle of the Solaris Empire’s conquest. The choices before Vhalla are no longer servitude or freedom, they are servitude or death. The stakes have never been higher as the Emperor maintains his iron grip on her fate, holding everything Vhalla still has left to lose in the balance.

This sequel was unexpected in its intensity, especially toward the end, and it shows just how far Vhalla has come as not only a sorceress, but as a woman: brave, strong, and unrelenting.

As this is a sequel, there may be spoilers.

This book destroyed me. My emotions felt like they were just on a roller coaster that wouldn’t stick on a straight path most of the way through. Oh man.

As far as the plot went, I really enjoy how it keeps advancing to a common goal and a main purpose of Vhalla having to fight for the crown and to hopefully win her freedom. Throughout the events that happen in this book, that never changed, but it was always met with one challenging opposition or another. I’m rooting for Aldrik and Vhalla, and to see their love grow and blossom, only to be torn down, hurts. Challenge after challenge got in their way, and even though they both fought for each other in their own ways to strive toward an end together, things became so rocky in the end that I could feel my heart pounding as I read it all unfolding before me.

I found that there were secrets and many twists and turns in this novel. Vhalla is becoming a much stronger individual even in the face of death surrounding her. She doesn’t give up and she strives to protect the prince she loves. I think that although that is her primary driving force, she does so with so much passion that it’s hard not to root for her and to hopefully see her through to the end. She’s much more bold in the presence of the Emperor (whom I wouldn’t mind seeing NOT in a place of power, thanks), never backing down and asserting her intelligence among people who would otherwise belittle her.

I thought that Vhalla was a force to be reckoned with in this book as we saw her use her magic many, many times than in the previous two books, and how far her training has brought her. She’s unafraid to hurt and kill if the need be, which is extremely useful in a solider. I loved being able to see her use her strength and power to her advantage because it really shows how far she’s grown from a meek library apprentice, to a stubborn, strong headed, Windwalker.

Aldrik was also someone that I worried about at the beginning, but once he recovered from injuries at the beginning, I was glad to see his protective and loving nature over Vhalla come back right away. At times I thought he was too overprotective, much in the same way he was in the previous books, but I saw that his love came from somewhere deep inside of him and he wanted to express that. We also got to see more of his epic fire wielding skills as he fought alongside Vhalla and WOW, those two are incredible together. I thought that mentioning how they fight stronger and better together was an important aspect of the book, for sure, because they bounced off of each other so naturally.

As for some of the other characters and side things going on, I thought that Daniel was a good constant companion, though I could see something brewing between them momentarily, Vhalla seemed to quickly shut it down. Elecia and Fritz are in this as much as I would have wanted, but still seeing their presence there, and the interactions they have with Vhalla, really comforted me that friendships weren’t just cast to the side in way of the romance.

Speaking of the romance, OH MAN. Things got hot and heavy up in here and I was just like, “YES. FINALLY.” Yup, no shame.

But let me just say: that ending, man. I am a ball of angry emotions because WHY CAN’T THEY CATCH A BREAK. WHY. I mean, I knew the Emperor would find some way to twist and turn everything around and make things miserable for them, but ARGH. I’m so mad. I mean, that’s not an entirely bad thing, but wow, so many emotions. I need the fourth book now, thanks.

There were a few problems I did have with the novel, though, and they mainly had to do with the formatting of the book. I don’t know what happened, but on the Kindle it read weirdly and didn’t separate paragraphs at times or separated them in chunks. It was strange and distracted from reading because I oftentimes didn’t know who was speaking when sentences would run into each other in the same paragraph.

Also, there were a lot of typos that I noticed, too, as with the other books. That became distracting, too, but I easily chugged forward.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this sequel. It was heart pounding, action based, very romantic, and a whirlwind of emotions (see what I did there?). I’m definitely excited for the next book and I can’t wait to read it.

Overall, I thought this was a solid sequel and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s read the first two novels.

I rate this book 4.5/5 stars.

The Wrath & the Dawn Short Stories Reviews

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thecrownandthearrowTitle: The Arrow and the Crown
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #0.5
Author: Renee Ahdieh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 1, 2016
Genre: Young Adult – Romance, Fantasy, Short Story
Pages: 9
Format: Free eBook

Seventy-one days and seventy-one nights had come and gone since Khalid began killing his brides. This dawn, Khalid would mark the loss of the seventy-second girl, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. Khalid didn’t know how many more of these dawns he could take. And there was something about this latest girl that piqued his interest. Not only had she volunteered to marry him, but at their wedding ceremony, she had seemed not the least bit afraid. In fact, what he had seen in her eyes was nothing short of pure hatred. She was about to lose her life. Why wasn’t she afraid? Why did she hate him so? He had never before gone to his wife’s chambers before her death at dawn. Tonight would be different.

That was it? I was expecting more, that’s for sure. It didn’t really add much to the story at all, but we got to see the very beginning from Khalid’s point of view. I mean, it was fine. You could tell he hated what he had to do, and he could see the hate burning in Shazi’s eyes, but it leaves so much that I wish could have been added. Seriously wish there was more.

3/5 stars

themothandtheflameTitle: The Moth and the Flame
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #0.25
Publication Date: March 22, 2016
Genre: Young Adult – Romance, Fantasy, Short Story
Pages: 37
Format: Purchased eBook

It started as playful, if barbed, banter before rising to a fateful wager with a most notorious rake—the Captain of the Guard, Jalal al-Khoury—who may have finally met his match in a lovely, if haughty, handmaiden, Despina. But she, too, seems to have met her match in the handsome Jalal. What begins as a tempestuous battle of will and wit in short order becomes a passionate affair spurred on by tragedy of the worst kind.

This short story had me holding my breath and my heart racing. I thought that this was such a better short story than the last, and I was not disappointed.

This story follows the handmaiden, Despina, and the Captain of the Royal Guard, Jalal. Both of these individuals have their own tasks with which they have to think about and attend, and then when they run into each other one day, it seems like it just goes from there.

Despina, though I was weary of her in The Wrath and the Dawn, turned out to be a really intelligent young woman with a strong will and a sharp tongue, and this short story definitely continued to show that. I enjoyed reading from Despina’s point of view to see what it was like serving the calipha and her interactions with Jalal. It was funny at first, playful even, and then things became more serious as time progressed.

Even Jalal was likable in this story! I don’t really remember what I felt for him when I read the main book, but in this one we got to see a couple glimpses from his point of view and we got to learn a little bit more about him and his… “reflections.” He’s funny and tries to be charming, and I love how Despina can disarm him with her own retorts.

What made me really enjoy this was the heart racing moments they had together, for sure. There was one scene in particular that I was like, “Yesyesyes!” I also enjoyed reading about Despina’s interactions with the calipha because we got to see a little bit of who this girl was before the things that happened in the main book. I wish that their relationship could have turned into somewhat of a friendship, but it didn’t happen that way.

I just wish that the last chapter could have been a little different? I’m not really sure what I was expecting… Well, I do know what I was expecting, but it didn’t happen the way I hoped, so I’m disappointed only in that aspect, haha! But otherwise I think that seeing the progression of time and feelings was useful. I only wish there could have been one more chapter in between the last two to further dive into Despina’s, and even Jalal’s, feelings of one another.

Overall, I think this short story added to the main one because we got to get more from two of the important side characters. I loved this a lot and highly recommend it if you’ve read The Wrath and the Dawn.

I rate this short story 4.5/5 stars.