Aberrant (Aberrant #1) by Ruth Silver

Published: April 28 2013

Pages: 240

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17701160-aberrant

Source: I was provided an eARC by the author for review by the author

Where to buy:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Aberrant-Vol-1-Ruth-Silver/dp/1478348666/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371618452&sr=8-1&keywords=aberrant

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/aberrant-ruth-silver/1115129966?ean=9781478348665

SYNOPSIS

In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system. 

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.

MY REVIEW

Aberrant grabbed me from page 1, and did not let me down the whole way through! Ruth Silver did a fantastic job of capturing the mind of a 5 year old, and portraying her emotions, and how at 5 years old, there are so many things that we do not understand. In the first chapter we are in Olivia's mind when her father passes away, and she has to attend the funeral with her Mom.

After chapter 1, we are brought to Olivia's present when she is graduating school at 18, and everything that that entails for her. In Olivia's town of Cabal, everyone is the same, everyone gets the same houses, the same food provided every week by the government, even the same clothes. The government monitors everything there, including how many times you are allowed to shower (3 times a week for 3 minutes, and when the water comes on, it is already set at the "perfect" temperature for you), I cannot imagine living like that, however, all of the citizens have been told that going outside of Cabal would be instant death in the Gravelands, so no one dares go against anything that they say.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book, especially Olivia and Joshua, they were like typical teenagers, just unaware of what the world had to offer because of the oppressive society that they lived in. They had been best friends for so long that you wouldn't think that there would be any romantic feelings could develop, however, there may be, and it may grow faster than what they were expecting because of the situations that they are put in, and only having each other to rely on. 

The world building that Ruth has done is beautiful as well, I can totally picture myself there, seeing everything the way that Olivia does, it is so dark and dreary, I can't imagine living there. The cities there are all run down, and seem deserted by the people, and most of this was due to the four world wars that had taken place, there is not much left in this part of the world. Also there are very few vehicles left, but the technology is completely beyond anything that we have now, solar powered cars and being able to heal a knife wound by getting a scan on it, brilliant!

I will be the first to admit that I have not read many dystopian novels, but I know that I will be following this series for sure! I loved all the action, with just a little bit of romance, and not the insta-love kind either, the nice gradual kind that develops over time from friendship. I am so glad I was able to read and review this book, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next in the series, I give this one a 5/5 and any fans of sci-fi/dystopian should definitely check this one out!

Blessed Fate (Blessed Tragedy #2) by H.B. Heinzer

Published: June 18 2013

Pages: 220

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17670918-blessed-fate

Source: eARC provided for blog tour

Where to buy:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Blessed-Fate-Tragedy-Volume/dp/1489500316/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1371444292&sr=8-2&keywords=blessed+fate

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blessed-fate-heather-heinzer/1115594037?ean=2940016680460

SYNOPSIS

Colton Bradford never believed in love at first sight. And then, Rain Maxwell walked through his buddy's front door. He knew there was something special underneath the shy, guarded exterior and was determined to find out what it was. 

The problem? Rain had devised her own set of life rules and “Never get involved with a band mate” was right near the top of that list. She allowed Colton into her heart as one of her closest friends, but pushed him away at the mention of anything more. 

When tragedy strikes Rain's personal life, Colton is determined to be there for her in whatever way she'll allow. Will she finally open up to him and consider taking things to the next level? Will Colton's ways of trying to bury his feelings for Rain in the past ruin the possibility of a future for them?

MY REVIEW

I wasn't sure what to expect of Blessed Fate as it is only my second time reading a book that is set during the exact same time as the first one, but told from a different characters point of view, but let me tell you I was not disappointed! I liked Colton most times during the first book, but there was a couple times that I just wanted to give him a good punch in the arm and tell him to smarten up lol, but reading this has opened my eyes to what he was thinking during those times, and it made me understand him a whole lot more.

Blessed Fate is about the lives of Colton and Raine, members of the group Blessed Tragedy, who are best friends. At the beginning of the book we learn that Raine's mother has been diagnosed with cancer, and Colton helps her try and deal with this, he wants her to go home and spend some time with her and the family, however, after emailing back and forth with her dad, she decides that it does not sound that urgent, so she chooses to stay out on tour as her dad said that this was her mother's wish. 

Colton has had feelings for Raine for years, and he has asked her out to dinner before, but she turned him down as she has a "no dating band members" rule. When everything comes up with her mother, they seem to grow even closer, and he takes his chances again, but again he is denied as she is dealing with too much at the moment to think about anything like that.

As it turns out, they decide to go for it and become a couple. This does not sit well with some people and the author really knows how to write the jealous girl part, she drove me crazy. I understand that Colton had chose in the past to have a physical relationship with her, but he had never lead her to believe that it was anything more, and he knew that it was a mistake on his end. This is a part of the story that we see follow through the remainder of the book, and it adds some twists that were really fun to read.

I think one of my favourite aspects of this book was seeing everything so differently from Colton's point of view, with both Blessed Tragedy and Blessed Fate, we see the same story line, but it almost plays out like two completely separate story lines as there is such a difference as far as how each character views a situation, and how they react to it. I also really liked the romance with Colton and Raine throughout, it is not perfect, and each of them screw up at some point, and have their issues, but in reality who doesn't right? I liked it because it was so real, there was no insta-love happily-ever-after, this was definitely something that they had to work at, and grow with each other, and learn how to fit that other person in their lives as both of them have been single for so long that it is a drastic change to have someone there all of a sudden.

I cannot say enough how much I have enjoyed reading about these characters, and all the other ones in the books as well. The band members are awesome, and I have grown to understand and like Raine's family as well. If you are someone who likes new adult, this is definitely a series that you need to check out, it has drama, comedy, family issues, and romance all wrapped up in to one! Oh, and don't forget about the aspect the awesome band on the way to being rock stars. I would give this one a 5/5, check it out if you have not already!

Wilde Nights in Paradise (A Wilde Security Novel) by Tonya Burrows

Published: June 10 2013 by Entangled Brazen

Pages: 250

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17933837-wilde-nights-in-paradise

Source: eARC provided for honest review

Where to buy:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Nights-Paradise-Security-Entangled-ebook/dp/B00CVNRWUA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371367338&sr=8-1&keywords=wilde+nights+in+paradise

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wilde-nights-in-paradise-tonya-burrows/1115375441?ean=9781622662241

Kobo http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Wilde-Nights-Paradise-Wilde-Security/book-W1uNTeqbl0u0Jy9N3fWjeQ/page1.html?s=jdR4Kl2IS0qyruJNjXoriQ&r=1

Wilde nights in paradise follows the story of former marine Jude Wilde as he is assigned to the next case that lands on the desk of the security company that he owns along with his brothers. The problem being the person that he needs to protect is the girl that he dumped 8 years ago by kissing another girl in front of her, talk about awkward! It is her father that has decided that he wants to hire the company and specifically have Jude take care of her, and we notice a bit of bitter blood between Jude and Libby's dad, and we don't find out until much later what it is about, and I was surprised to learn the truth.

Libby is an extremely hard working lawyer, and she thinks that the threats that she has been getting are not that serious, and her dad and Jude are over reacting and she does not need to be taken anywhere, until a car tries to run over her and Jude as they are standing just outside of her office, then she starts to understand that this person is not playing a game with her, he means business.

Jude decides that the safest place for them is at a safe house in Key West. They are there alone, and in tight living quarters, so it gets increasingly hard to ignore the attraction between the two of them, it is like no time has passed, and this is not sitting well with Libby as she still wants to be angry with him for what he had done in the past. As the story progresses Libby learns things about Jude that seem to contradict what type of person she thought he was, and we start to see that the facade that he has put on for all these years, is not the true Jude, and maybe he is someone that she can fall in love with all over again. And let me just mention that when we find out what the meaning of his tattoo on his back is, I guarantee you will do the same thing I did and go "awwww" aloud!

Overall I really enjoyed this book with all the twists and turns, and just when you think you have it pegged for who is the threat to Libby, it is thrown for a loop, and it is someone you may not have suspected at all, that was a great twist! The romance is not straight off the bat, and I liked that, we have to see these two characters find out who the other one is all over again, and figure out if that person is someone that they could be with, it was really nicely written. I am going to give this one a 4/5.

Blog Tour for Hidden by M. Lathan

FOLLOW THE WHOLE TOUR AT:

http://www.xpressobooktours.com/2013/04/tour-sign-up-hidden-by-m-lathan.html

Published: November 12 2012

Pages: 241

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16155642-hidden

Where to buy:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Series-ebook/dp/B00A6301BO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364064162&sr=8-1&keywords=B00A6301BO

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hidden-m-lathan/1115292258?ean=2940044519978

Kobo http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Hidden-Hidden-Series-Book-One/book-b_yhgDlxIUiaK3lu9j5QkQ/page1.html

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/hidden/id646874475?mt=11

SYNOPSIS

Sixteen-year-old Leah Grant has given up on being normal. She’d settle for stopping the voices in her head, intrusive visions of the future, and better odds of making it to her seventeenth birthday.

That’s the thing about pretending to be human in a world where magic used to exist – at any moment, her cover could be blown and she’ll be burned to death like the rest of the witches.

Everything changes when she loses control of her powers and flees the orphanage she grew up in. She desperately wants to be invisible but finds her face plastered on every news channel as humans panic over the possible resurgence of her kind. And now the hunters won’t give up until they find her.

Making friends for the first time in her life and falling in love with one of them drives her to discover why she is unlike any being she’s ever met – human or otherwise. The dangerous powers inside of her that would repel Nathan, her new, handsome reason for living, are priceless to some. The locked up forever kind of priceless. And to others, they are too dangerous to allow her to live.

Let’s hope she can stay hidden. 

MY REVIEW

I was not sure what to expect with this book, it sounded really interesting, I was really hoping that it lived up to my expectations, and it DID! I am blown away at the writing, it is so detailed that I really felt like I was watching a movie the whole time, not reading a book as I could see everything so vividly in my head. Also the take on the paranormal aspect was fantastic, this is not your basic witches, warewolves, and shifter series. 

There are also so many realistic and important social topics covered, the biggest one being bullying and how it effects people more than anyone can imagine, and that is a really personal topic for me, and I really enjoyed how she tackled it in this book. It also explores family dynamics and the relationships between mothers and daughters specifically and how sometimes as daughters, we may not understand our mothers actions until we are able to sit down and have a heart to heart and see the story from each others points of view.

I also enjoyed the character development with Leah, at the beginning of the book she is extremely closed off and does not talk to anyone, including her teachers for the most part. I don't blame her after everything that she has been through, and is continuing to go through at school, never have I wanted to stick up for a fictional character as much as I have Leah, and get those girls that are terrorising her at school. Even when she is "saved" by Sophia and taken away to a safe spot, she still remains closed off to everyone there for quite a while. She then starts to open up with Nathan, and he is so sweet, probably my second favourite character in the book.

There is so much that takes place in this book, it felt like a lot longer than it was in the best possible way, and so many twists and turns that come about that add wonderful surprises and make you second guess the whole time if someone that you thought was "good" was maybe part of the "bad" side by their actions, it was wonderful, and I promise, you will not be left disappointed!

I have extremely high hopes for this whole series and am so looking forward to the next book, and I hope I am fortunate enough to be part of that blog tour if there is one, it is so much fun! I give this book a 5/5.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M. Lathan lives in San Antonio with her husband and mini-schnauzer. She enjoys writing and has a B.S. in Psych and a Masters in Counseling. Her passion is a blend of two interests - creating new worlds and stocking them with crazy people. She enjoys reading anything with interesting characters and writing in front of a window and asking rhetorical questions.....like her idol Carrie Bradshaw.

Where to find her:

http://mlathan.blogspot.ca/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6582213.M_Lathan

https://twitter.com/hiddenseries

Playing The Part by Robin Covington

Published: June 10 2013 by Entangled Brazen

Pages: 250

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17884761-playing-the-part

Source: Provided an eARC for honest review

Where to buy:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Playing-Part-Entangled-Brazen-ebook/dp/B00CNTTUWA

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/playing-the-part-robin-covington/1115250855?ean=9781622667833

Kobo http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Playing-the-Part/book-uNZPlvPOAkGupT4jhNTJDw/page1.html?s=JmpaBJCFXk29rkI_YqsXiA&r=1

MY REVIEW

Playing the part follows novelist Piper James as she travels from her home in New York to Los Angeles to assist hollywood playboy Mick Blackwell connect better with the character that he is playing based on her book. This is the first dramatic role that he has played, he usually plays in a series of action films that has propelled him to the top of the "celebrity" line.

As soon as they meet they each feel an instant attraction to one another, and together they try to decide what to do about it. Based on a situation in Piper's past, she is very reluctant to be seen dating anyone from hollywood, so she decides that what she can offer Mick is a friends with benefits relationship while she is there for a few weeks, and nothing more.

It turns out that there is someone behind the scenes that thinks that it is a better idea to put the two of them in the lime light and have photos taken of them during very private occasions. While Mick is investigating to see who is behind this, Piper closes up and forces herself away from him, but will this be the end of them?

I enjoyed this book, it was enjoyable to read all about the fun times that Piper and Mick were having, and also trying to piece it all together along with the characters to see who was trying to sabotage the relationship from the beginning, and throw Piper under the bus, and I have to say, after learning the truth, it was not a great surprise, there were a couple of characters that I had it down to.

There was good character building with Piper and Mick, with each of them opening up to what their insecurities were, and learning to grow with each other along the way. I think the character that I related to the most was Chris (Piper's assistant) as he is very protective of her, and makes that well known, and that is how I am with my friends. 

I enjoyed this book, it was a nice Saturday read for me, I would give it a 4/5 because there was a lot of little twists and turns in the plot to go along with the romance that was building between Mick and Piper.

No Strings Attached by Nicolette Day

Published: June 10 2013 by Entangled Flirt

Pages: 62

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17910372-no-strings-attached

Source: Was provided an eARC for honest review

Where to buy:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/No-Strings-Attached-ebook/dp/B00CQYAVRK

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-strings-attached-nicolette-day/1115290486

MY REVIEW

At first I did not realize that no strings attached was a novella, I was really getting in to the book, and then it was over, now normally I don't like short stories, usually I really feel left wanting more to the story and having a lot of questions that are not answered, however, this was not the case this time.

No strings attached follows the story of Hayden, who is a professional photographer, and is leaving the next day for a year long assignment with Time magazine, and has decided (with the help of a friend) that she is going to make the most of her last night in town, and have her very first one night stand. She decides that she is going to go to her best friend Jace's bar and meet someone there. Well, things do not go exactly as planned for Hayden, and she is in for some major life changes that she never saw coming.

This is the perfect book if you are looking for a quick (about an hour or less) fun read on the beach, or if you are a commuter on the train or something. I would give this a 4/5.

Extinguish by J.M. Darhower

Published: June 1 2013

Pages: ebook 127

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17834122-extinguish

Source: eARC provided by author for honest review

Where to buy:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Extinguish-ebook/dp/B00D614EUW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370679263&sr=8-2&keywords=extinguish

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/extinguish-jm-darhower/1115476657?ean=9781484162224

SYNOPSIS

(This is listed as young adult, however, due to mature content I would have to disagree and put it in the New Adult or even Adult category) 

One… Two… Three… Four…

I Declare War

Serah always believed the world around her was perfect. As a Power, one of the warrior angels, she has spent her existence defending the innocent from evil. After tragedy strikes, tearing Serah's brother from her life, she's given the task of stopping the approaching apocalypse before it's too late.

Only one thing, though: she has to venture to Hell to do it.

Lucifer—or Luce, as he prefers to be called—has been biding his time in Hell, longing for revenge against those who oh-so-easily cast him into the pit. When the heavenly beauty shows up at his gate, he's just as captivated by her presence as she becomes of him. The attraction between them is palpable, and Serah's willpower slowly slips. How can this charming creature, this scarred Archangel, be the one annihilating the world she so loves?

As the war wages on, the world entwined in chaos, Serah starts questioning everything she ever knew. When the light and dark, hot and cold, finally collide, she has to make a choice—a choice that sets her world on fire, black and white exploding into colorful flames.


Serah has questions. She wants answers.
Luce just wants to play a game.

MY REVIEW

This was a totally new kind of book for me as it is a take on angels and demons, and not just any angel and demon, the main character Serah is in a relationship with Archangel Michael, and suddenly receives a new assignment where she has to negotiate with his brother a fallen Angel known as Lucifer (or Satan as he is not fond of being called).

One of my favourite things about this book is how heaven and hell area described. What Serah expects to see when she gets to the gates of hell to negotiate with Lucifer is nothing like what is there to greet her. I don't think that she was expecting him to look the way he did either, I think we all picture him as this monster with a long tail and horns or something.

During the novel we get to see all of the characters grow from what they have believed for so long. Even though this book is about angels and demons and heaven and hell, it is not a religious book (at least to me it was not), for me it was more about how we portray things in the world, and how we are (mostly) so quick to judge without knowing the full situation, or the person at all.

Also a lot of this book had me thinking about how people behave, and why they behave that way, and one of my favourite quotes from this book pretty much sums it up for me, it is from Serah "I've spent my entire existence watching over children, trying to keep the evil from tainting them. I look at the kids and see their inherent goodness, their innocence, and their compassion. They are born that way. They only change, only turn their backs on the world, when the world turns their back on them." 

This was a shorter book, but it had me thinking more than any book has in a long time, if you are looking for a book that will leave you pondering for a long time to come, and possibly second guess things that you have always thought about or felt a certain way about before, this is the book for you. I give it 5/5.