The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father’s extreme faith and very public fall from grace.

He and his fellow outcast friends must try to make it through their senior year of high school without letting the small-town culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self. Graduation will lead to new beginnings for Lydia, whose edgy fashion blog is her ticket out of their rural Tennessee town. And Travis is content where he is thanks to his obsession with an epic book series and the fangirl turning his reality into real-life fantasy.

Their diverging paths could mean the end of their friendship. But not before Dill confronts his dark legacy to attempt to find a way into the light of a future worth living. 

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/1QCUE98

MY THOUGHTS:
5/5 Stars

*Thank you for the ARC Penguin Random House*

It's like a game of Jenga... With each word you pull out a block and slowly feel the build up of something big about to happen. The tower starts leaning and eventually it comes crumbling down. More words rebuild the tower and the story finds a beginning from an end. That sums up The Serpent King. It is felt deep within the soul and opens your heart in ways you never knew possible. 

The story is about three friends. Three different individuals, with three different home lives. One is privileged and popular on the internet.  One is abused by his drunk father and one has a tainted name. Together they work through their insecurities and push each other to reach for the stars. It's not always easy though. To be honest, it's punch in the gut. Some of the scenes will grasp your heart and have you gasping for air. I couldn't believe the ups and downs and how real each vivid scene felt. In some twisted way I felt connected to the characters. I could feel their personalities seep from the pages and I could just picture their stance and attitude with each word exchanged. Friendship is the theme, but trust, love, honesty, grief, hope, and anger all play a part in the story of Lydia, Dil, and Travis. 

I applaud the Author because the subjects (bullying, abuse, tough home life, suicide, death, first love) in this story are done a lot, but he took them and made them his own. Each one is thoroughly exposed and touched on with grit and pose. Nothing is sugar coated and for that I am thankful. To say I enjoyed this story is an understatement. I feel like this should be a mandated high school read. It's a book that opens your eyes to the bad and pushes you to find good.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir Review

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/1VMxIZj

 

MY THOUGHTS:

5/5 Stars

 

"Her eyes are a dark jolt. I should look away. I should leave. She'll figure out who I am if she stares long enough. But I can't bring myself to move. For a heavy, heated moment, we are immobile, content to watch each other. Skies, she's beautiful. I smile at her, and the blush that rises on her face makes me feel oddly triumphant."

 

I think every book I've rated 5 stars has been able to pull deep emotion from my soul... This one did just that. I felt hopeless and at the mercy of the words. One page my heart was filled with heartwarming joy and others it was wracked with deep rooted sorrow. The character's stories were able to touch my heart like no other. As I fell deeper into the magical, dark world, I became more detached from reality.

 

An Ember in the Ashes was similar to other books, but in a league of it's own. It brought fantasy, magic, and romance. There was suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat and twists that I never saw coming. The vividness of each word captured my attention and made me more invested in the outcome of the trials. Speaking of which... If you think the Hunger Games was brutal, you have seen nothing yet. These trials were gut wrenching and quite difficult to read. The little cliffhangers at the end of each chapter were genius. They kept the story fresh in my mind and had me begging for more.

 

Elias is a mask... He should be thrilled with his status, but instead is tormented by his past and his present. Laia is a slave, but she was just a scholar that escaped a raid that captured her loved ones. She sets her sights on rescuing her brother and ends up in the pits of her own hell. She is beat by the Commander and gets caught up in a web of secrets. Elias and her have things in common and hesitantly become fond of one another. They are the reason for each other's undoing and in the end, the reason for each other's new beginning.

 

Overall, I couldn't be more impressed by this read. It was able to pull raw emotion from me and for that I am thankful. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book...

 

A Pound of Flesh by Sophie Jackson

Orange Is the New Black meets Jennifer Probst’s New York Times bestselling Marriage to a Billionaire trilogy, featuring a strong-minded prison tutor who discovers that her sexy bad-boy student is far more than he appears to be.

Haunted by nightmares of her father’s street murder fifteen years ago, Kat Lane decides to face her fears and uphold his legacy of helping others by teaching inmates at a New York prison. There she meets arrogant Wesley Carter, who’s as handsome as he is dangerous, as mysterious as he is quick-witted, and with a reputation that ensures people will keep their distance.

As teacher and student, Kat and Carter are forced to leave their animosities at the door and learn that one should never judge a book by its cover. As Carter’s barriers begin to crumble, Kat realizes there’s much more to her angry student than she thought, leaving them to face a new, perilous obstacle: their undeniable attraction to one another.

When Carter is released and Kat continues to tutor him on the outside, the obstacles mount. Can they fight the odds to make their relationship work? Will Kat’s family and friends ever accept her being with someone of his background? And will Kat’s discovery of Carter’s role on the night her father died force them apart forever...or unite them?

 

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/1LlJ9h7

 

MY THOUGHTS:
4/5 Stars

 

I just finished this one last night and overall I really liked it. There were some great scenes and of course a few filler parts I could have done without. To describe it with one sentence... I'd say it was a unique romance with bland moments. ...

 

The storyline was well developed and the romance between the characters was great. The theme though... being that the lead male was in prison... was lacking for me. The prison parts were intense and captivating in the beginning, but there wasn't enough of them. I definitely think the Author should have played up those scenes and kept Carter there longer. He was in his element. The bad boy persona was shining and I craved his unexpected outbursts. When he got parole his character dimmed a bit. He became softer and it threw me for a loop. I think there definitely could have been more suspense that brought out the prison persona in a non prison atmosphere. I also thought that once the big sex scene took place the story kind of got lost in intimate scenes. It felt like there was too much sex and not enough story in the final chapters. With that all being said I LOVED Carter and I even had mad love for Kat. Them together was a whirlwind of deep rooted emotion and undeniable passion. Their romance made my mind race and my heart swoon for sure.

 

I highly recommend it to readers that like edgy romances with hints of mystery. The writing was captivating and the romance seeped from the pages. Can't wait for the next read by this Author!

Hearts of Fire (Hearts #2) by L.H. Cosway

The Circus Spektakulär is proud to present Jack McCabe: Fire-breather, knife-thrower, risk-taker. My house burned down when I was just a boy, robbing me of both my parents.

Now I breathe fire, eat the poison that almost killed me.

Crowds come to see me night after night. Men for the spectacle, women for the thrill. I’m an oddity to be stared at and desired. With each flame I spit, I risk my life.

I wear scars on my body that will never go away, but the scars inside my head are far more difficult to overlook.

My brother doesn’t know me, and if I have it my way he never will.

Life was going exactly the way I’d planned until Lille came along. She wanted to run away with the circus, have an adventure, but this world was never meant for her.

I try to keep her safe, because she doesn’t know the dangers that are out here on the road. She doesn’t know the monsters that lurk behind the bright lights of the ring. In truth, I could be considered one of them.

We were fashioned from different cloths, never intended to mix. So I watch her. I try not to touch, even when her eyes invite me.

Join us in the Spiegeltent and let us give you a show. Allow my Lille to draw a picture for you in paint and sweat and skin.

The truest love is always the hardest to let in.

This is a standalone romance that tells the story of Jack McCabe, Jay Fields’ long lost, presumed dead brother. It is not necessary to have read Six of Hearts in order to enjoy Hearts of Fire.  

AMAZON LINK -> http://amzn.to/1HFsV2E

MY THOUGHTS:
4/5 Stars
Lately, I've been coming across so many books with similar premises, but Hearts of Fire was outside the box and in a league of it's own. It was captivating, magical, suspenseful, and romantic. I instantly found myself wrapped up in the storyline and consumed by the characters.

Jack was quite the book boyfriend... He was sexy in an emotionally damaged, fire breathing way. I loved him! At first I thought he was just a hot guy with lots of talent, but as the book progressed I started to realize that there was more to him than meets the eye. When he finally revealed his secrets, I felt pain and empathy in the deepest parts of my soul. My heart ached for him and I was so glad that in the end Lille helped him find a bit of peace.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read... I think I would have enjoyed it even more if there weren't as many sexual scenes in the second half, but I still enjoyed the other parts enough to rate this one a solid 4 stars.

If you like risqué, one of a kind reads... Hurry and one click this one! You won't be disappointed.

This one can be read as a standalone....

*I DID NOT READ BOOK #1 FIRST*

Beautiful Addictions by Season Vining

The past can be hidden, but never truly forgotten...

Josie Banks is a girl without a past.  After being found unconscious with no memory, she was shuffled in and out of foster homes where she suffered years of abuse. An experience that left her broken, damaged, and clinging to drugs and meaningless hook-ups to numb her pain.

When Josie disappeared years ago, she took a piece of Tristan with her.  She’s the girl he thought he lost forever—the one he’s never been able to forget.  Now a twist of fate has brought them back together, and he never wants to let her out of his inked arms again.  But Tristan is haunted by a dark past of his own.  On the run from ruthless criminals that shattered Josie’s world years ago, reentering her life puts them both in danger.

As Josie and Tristan’s lives become tangled once again, they find themselves unwilling and unable to escape the relentless pull that draws them together.  But will the past leave their love in ruins—or bind them together for a lifetime?

"Beautiful Addictions is a dark and lyrical masterpiece!" –Sara Fawkes, New York Times bestselling author
AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/1wTJAGt

My Thoughts:
3/5 Stars

An enjoyable read with lots of twists and turns...

The story line was on the darker side with hints of romance. It was about a girl who is taken into witness protection and sent across the country with a new identity and a new name. She has amnesia and everyone from her previous life thinks she is dead. When she meets Tristan though her world turns upside down. He helps her to regain memory and open her eyes to a better life. Together they must trust in one another to face past demons and get their second chance at love. 

I enjoyed this book, but didn't become addicted. I found myself losing interest at certain parts and at times I felt like I didn't want to continue reading. Yes, the story was enjoyable, but many parts seemed repeated or under done. I wish I could say this was an amazing read, but for me, it was just okay. 

The best part was the ending when everything came down to that one moment. It made my heart race and gave me that overwhelming good book feel. I wish I could have connected with the characters like that throughout the entire book, but I just didn't. 

I still recommend this book to readers that like dark reads. The suspense is what kept me reading.

Sempre Redemption by JM Darhower Review

In this thrilling and sexy follow-up to Sempre, two young lovers struggle to keep their relationship intact after they become deeply enmeshed in the dangerous mafia-run crime ring they once tried to overthrow.

Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco have been through a lot. Haven was taken in by Carmine’s father, and with his family’s help, she escaped a gruesome fate. However, saving Haven from the dark intentions of a mafia family cost Carmine a steep price: he was forced to swear loyalty to them.

Now, still passionately in love, Carmine and Haven must face the fall-out of Carmine’s forced service, as Haven discovers terrifying secrets about the family that enslaved both her and her mother—and why she matters so much in this intricate web of lies.

 

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/VKYPpX 

 

My Thoughts:

3.5/5 Stars

 

I enjoyed this book, but Sempre is still my favorite!

 

Even though this book follows the same characters, Haven & Carmine, they are separated for most of the book. We got to see Haven follow her dreams and Carmine live out his promise. All in all it was a suspenseful, emotional book packed with lots of twists and turns.

 

When Haven and Carmine reunited my heart filled with love and envy. I have always found their relationship intriguing and to see them back together made the book that much better.

 

Sempre captivated me, where this book fell short in that area. I would have liked to see more of the Haven/Carmine relationship and less of the dark suspense. 

 

I recommend this book to all readers, but for those who fell in love with timid Haven, be prepared... She is in the real world now. Her and Carmine are not together in this book and as much as I wanted to connect to it like I did book 1, I didn't.

Inked Armor by Helena Hunting Review

In this follow-up to Clipped Wings, the emotional love story continues between Hayden and Tenley; two young people who desperately want to love and be loved but are afraid to completely let go of their pasts.

In the wake of losing Tenley Page, tattooist Hayden Stryker's tumultuous past is haunting him. Plagued by nightmares about the murder of his parents, Hayden reaches out again to Tenley. Having run from the man she doesn't believe she deserves, Tenley finally lays her guilt to rest. Despite their intense physical attraction, Hayden and Tenley struggle to repair their fragile emotional connection. As Hayden gets closer to the truth, he must find a way to reconcile his guilt over his parents' death in order to keep the woman who finally cracked his armor, and found her way into his heart.

 

AMAZON LINK-http://amzn.to/WLQkvY

 

My Thoughts:
5/5 Stars

 

I loved Clipped Wings, but this book was even better!

We got to see Tenley deal with her past, while Hayden struggled with being left behind.

 

 When they reunite it is a back and forth struggle. Tenley wants Hayden to understand her motives behind leaving, but Hayden is hurting. Sexual tension is thick and emotions run high.

 

The intense feels you get from this book are one of a kind. When Tenley and Hayden told more about their pasts... my heart ached for them. The passion between them is real and it's almost as if they need one another to be able to live.

 

While the book is focused on dark pasts and new beginnings, it also brings family and friendships into the picture. It shows that with loved ones around you can survive the darkest of days.

 

I loved the ending. Everyone got what they deserved and in mind I was screaming WOOOHOOO!

 

Definitely recommend this read.

One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker Review

Livie Cleary has always been Miss Perfect—but she soon learns that perfection isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and finding out who she really is might mean making some mistakes along the way.
“Make me proud.” These were the last words Livie’s father ever spoke to her. In the seven years since her parents’ tragic death, Livie has done her best to live up to this standard through her every choice, word, and action, while looking after her sister with strength and maturity. But with college right around the corner, unexpected challenges will test her resilience—and her heart.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes; set herself up for medical school; and meet a good, respectable guy to someday marry. Her plan definitely does not include Jell-O shots; a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say “no” to; or Ashton, the arrogant—and extremely attractive—captain of the men’s rowing team who makes Livie’s usually nonexistent temper flare. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fit Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father, and, with it, the only identity she’s ever known.

 

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/U1JLUh

 

My Thoughts:

4/5 Stars

 

K.A. has done it again....
Fantastic read packed with romance, mystery, and emotions.

 

Livie thinks she has her life all figured out. She gets good grades, keeps her thoughts in check, and is headed to pursue her dream career. However, when she gets to college and starts experiencing college life, her priorities and life goals change.

She meets Ashton, sexy athlete, with a playboy attitude and can't forget the night they share. Even though she is dating someone, she meet ups with Ashton and their connection grows deeper on an emotional/sexual level.

Together they let their guards down and learn to expose their inner most secrets.

 

This book was fantastic. I loved Livie in Ten Tiny Breaths and to see the vulnerable side in this book, made me love her even more. She learns to let go and express her true feelings. Her tough persona is put to the side as her softer, more emotional side is exposed.

 

Ashton was amazing. He is a book boyfriend in every way possible. He has a controlling, cocky attitude, but also a kind, compassionate personality. My heart hurt for him and what he went through. When Livie saw his scars, my mind raced with possibilities, but the truth was even more shocking.

 

The storyline is the college girl with a bad boy theme, but the Author took it to a whole new level. Emotions run high and a twisted kind of therapy is thrown in.

 

I highly recommend this book to all readers!