Book Review: Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

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Format: Hardback

Publishers: Delacorte Press

Published: 23rd July 2013

Pages: 391

Genre: YA, Historical Romance, Retelling

Main Characters: Isra, Gem
Date Read: 8th January - 6th February 2017

Rating Given:

Synopsis:

In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...
In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.
Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.
As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

I have joined a challenge on Goodreads called Book Jar where I put in titles in a jar and read whichever book I pull out. When I pulled out this book I was pleased as I've had this sitting on my shelf for a while now, however I was a little disappointed when reading it as it wasn't as good as what I thought I would've.

I love this cover it's stunning and I especially love the colours that have been used although I feel like this particular cover wasn't in keeping with the story as it seems like a sci-fi novel but for me the book didn't feel that much of a sci-fi book.

This was a hard book to review as it was as if it was a tale of two halves as I couldn't get into pretty much most of the book but the last quarter of the book was gripping and I really enjoyed it. I think the reason why I couldn't get into most of this book was because it was so slow with hardly any action, I was pretty much bored throughout. With this being a Beauty and the Beast retelling I was expecting to fall in love with the characters and their romance, however I just couldn't warm to them or their romance until the very end. I really thought there would be more focus on the romance side of the story but it just seemed glossed over and then rushed once it got going. Towards the end when it really started to pick up was when there was more action going on with me on the edge of my seat. The ending was really sweet and in the end I found I was glad were things left off.

As I said above I wasn't overly keen on any of the characters but most of them had their moments when I liked them I just never had that 'I love these characters' moment.

Overall, I was expecting a lot more from this book than what I got but the end part of the story did improve things quite a bit but I just wish it was all as good as the ending.

Book Review: Winning It All (Hometown Players, #4) by Victoria Denault

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Format: Kindle

Publishers: Forever Yours

Published: 6th September 2016

Pages: 352

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance 

Main Characters: Shayne, Sebastian
Date Read: 1st October - 24th October 2016

Rating Given:

Synopsis:
All's fair in love and hockey. . .
As his team's enforcer on the ice, Sebastian Deveau is America's favorite fighting Frenchman. But he's just as likely to get into trouble off the ice--especially when it comes to women.
Shayne Beckford is so over hockey. It ruined her parents' marriage. It spoiled her brother's dreams. And let's not even talk about her college boyfriend . . . So when Sebastian Deveau walks into her brother's gym, she has no idea who he is. All she knows is that he's one gorgeous man with the sexiest accent she's ever heard. And since she never has to see him again, she lets him give her the best orgasm of her life right on top of the gym's dryer.
But Sebastian isn't going to let this one-night stand get away so easily. He fights for what he wants, even if it takes fighting a little dirty . . .

I have pretty much loved this series so when I received a Amazon voucher for my birthday this book was the first one I brought.

Out of all of the covers in this series so far this one is my favourite as it feels more real than the others as well as even though you can't see the guy's face in full I can still say he looks better than any of the other guys that where used and he actually reminds me of Sebastian as well.

I think that if the characters where different I believe it could've been a brilliant book but that wasn't the case and because of that I wasn't able to enjoy this book like I have done with the previous books in this series. When reading most of the other books in this series I always hated to put it down but this time round I didn't want to pick it back up, I just didn't get lost in this book. I didn't believe in the 'romance' for most of this book although there was moments that where enjoyable. I don't think there was much to the actual story it just kind of repeated itself throughout. I liked the ending as I felt there was closure there I just would've preferred if it went into the future to see how they're getting on because her issues can't be changed overnight and only time will tell.

Like I said it was the characters that brought this book down although not all were as bad as each other and for the most part it was mainly one character that that fell on. Shayne was the most annoying female character that I have ever read, in a way I could understand her in some ways with the Daddy issues but for her to say all ice hockey players are cheaters was quite annoying. Not only did she not want to get involved with a hockey player she also didn't want to be friends with anyone who is married/engaged to one which really wound me up. Sebastian was for the most part the best part of this book as he had humour and determination, although I didn't get why he grew to have feeling for someone who treated him the way Shayne did as he came across more shallow than anything else. It was nice to see the couple from the first book to see how they are getting on.

Overall, this book was a bit of a let down but that's not going to stop me from continuing with the rest of this series as hopefully it will go back to the winning formula as the others.

Book Review: Frozen by L.A. Casey

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Format: Kindle

Publishers: Montlake Romance

Published: 19th April 2016

Pages: 274

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, 

Main Characters: Neala, Darcy
Date Read: 26th June - 30th June 2016

Rating Given:

Synopsis:
There’s one must-have toy this Christmas, and Neala Clarke has told her niece Charli she’ll get it for her. Never mind that she’s got less than a week and it looks like everywhere is sold out. She’s promised Charli a Fire Princess doll—and Neala is a woman of her word.
Darcy Hart is a people-pleaser. So when his adorable six-year-old nephew, Dustin, asks for a particular doll at the last minute, he says yes. Luckily for Darcy, there’s one left in stock at the local toy store. Unluckily for Darcy, he’s not the only person who wants it—and his rival is the one woman who’s immune to his charms.
Neala and Darcy have loved to hate each other since they were kids, and they’re both willing to do whatever it takes to get that doll. This can’t possibly end well for both of them…can it?

I received a review copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I kind of like this cover as the body language could be from the story. Even though I like the colours used I would have preferred it if the girl was wearing a blue dress as Neala doesn't wear a red dress so then it would have felt even more in keeping with the actual story.

I was drawn to this book because of that blurb it sounded like something new and different to what I've read before so I was very excited about reading it and for parts of the book I really enjoyed it the rest not so much. The beginning was so funny and had me laughing out loud I just couldn't believe some of the things that those pair got up to. Once I got about halfway through I felt like it started to go down and I got bored at times plus I think they went a bit too far in some of the things they got up to before they where snowed in. They hated each other for most of the book and even though you could tell they both had hidden feelings for one another I felt everything changed for too quickly and was unrealistic. Neala and Darcy where never really together so I never really felt any kind of connection between the pair. The ending was cute but I felt as though there was no real ending as for me I wanted more from that ending.

I wasn't a huge fan of any of the characters as they all had there moments when I just wanted to slap them. For the most part I liked Neala as she was very funny and not just the things she said but also the things she did. There was one thing that she did that really annoyed me but by the end I felt so sorry for her. Where the things Neala did I found funny but with Darcy he annoyed me with the things that he did especially with how all the hate began with in the first place was just awful and she had every right to be angry with him. Both Neala and Darcy's family where funny at times but in the end they where very pushy and took things too far. The only characters that I liked throughout was Charli and Dustin they where so cute.

Overall, it was a funny book at times but then the other times it just annoyed me but it was an okay first book that I have read from L.A. Casey and I will most likely try more of her books.

Book Review: Edge of Glory (Friendship, Texas, #1) by Magan Vernon

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Format: Kindle

Publishers: Victory Editing

Published: 12th July 2016

Pages: 225

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Sport Romance 

Main Characters: Lia, Jay
Date Read: 1st June - 7th June 2016

Rating Given:

Synopsis:"Welcome to Conti's. I'm Lia and I'll nguhhhhhhhhhhhhh". 
I froze. Directly facing me was Olympic swimmer, Jay Morningstar… and I just made an idiot of myself. 
The rest of the table looked up to see me standing there with my mouth practically gaping. His coach, who I recognised from TV interviews, and even two other swimmers from the Olympic team... they didn't say anything, they didn't even blink. 
"Uh… I mean…" 
I couldn't even put together my words and Jay Morningstar was just staring at me with that Wheaties box smile and those icy blue eyes. 
What was I supposed to say? "Sorry I just made a weird noise, it's just that I have a poster of you on my wall where you are wearing nothing more than your gold medals, a smile, and a pair of man panties?"

 I received a review copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with this cover before I even read the synopsis as it just drew me in. I love the use of colours as the blues are in keeping with the swimming theme however, I feel as though it's a bit too dark as I didn't feel as though this was a dark story it was actually quite a light read.

It wasn't just the cover that made me need to read this as that synopsis made me want to read this book even more as I'm a huge fan of the Olympics and swimming. The beginning was okay as it was funny but I felt it didn't draw me in like I thought it would. The romance side of the story was cute for the first half of the book even if it happened far too quickly but then there was some moments in the last half that really annoyed me especially the things that Jay did. For me a lot of the book was a little too juvenile for my liking as I was expecting them to act more older than what they had done especially with this being a new adult book. The relationship between Lia's family and friends was a bit annoying as I feel as though this was what made the characters feel a lot younger than what they are supposed to be. I loved the very end of this book as I always prefer a book to end awhile in to the future so I can see how the characters are getting on.

All the characters was annoying at times especially the secondary characters whereas the two main characters had there moments where they annoyed me to no end. Lia was a bit of a pushover which annoyed me to no end at times as I just wanted her to stand up for herself. She did come across as a nice person though so I was kind of able to forgive her for the pushover moments. For the most part Jay was my favourite character as he was so sweet but then things went to pot when he took Lia away.

Overall, I was expecting a lot more from this book but in the end it wasn't too bad as it had it's moments when I was enjoying it.

Book Review: Talon (Talon, #1) by Julie Kagawa

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Format: Paperback

Publishers: MIRA Ink

Published: 15th January 2015

Pages: 445

Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy 

Main Characters: Ember, Garret
Date Read: 1st May - 1st June 2016

Rating Given:

Synopsis:‘There are a dozen soldiers hiding in that maze. All hunting you. All looking to kill you.’
To the outside world Ember Hill is an ordinary girl, but Ember has a deadly secret. A dragon hiding in human form, she is destined to fight the shadowy Order of St. George, a powerful society of dragonslayers.
St. George soldier Garret is determined to kill Ember and her kind. Until her bravery makes him question all he’s been taught about dragons.
Now a war is coming and Garret and Ember must choose their sides – fight to save their bond or fulfil their fate and destroy one another.
‘The first in a new series, Talon leaves readers perfectly balanced between satisfaction and anticipation’ – BookPage
‘Kagawa knows just how to end a first volume for maximum cliff-hanger drama’ – Booklist
‘A strong, promising start to the Talon Saga’ – Publishers Weekly

I received a copy from MIRA Ink in exchange for an honest review.

This cover is stunning it is so eye catching I just fell in love with it the moment I got my hands on my copy. The image of the cover is beautiful but let me tell you it still doesn't give the cover the justice that it deserves. The physical cover is matte and glossy in parts and then add to that the texture it gives off the look and feel of the dragons scales. There is nothing that I don't love about this cover.

I was a bit wary about reading this book as I haven't read one Julie Kagawa's books that I have loved yet but I was hopeful that this one would change that as it sounded so good however, it was another book of hers that I didn't love. Another thing that was putting me off reading this book was the length it was so long that it intimidated me. I was right to be intimidated as it was too long as a lot of the story dragged and not needed. The romance side of the story was a bit of a slow burner and I never quite got the connection between the characters but there was times when I thought they where cute together. I loved the dragon side of the story as I haven't read many books that have used them but this is different to the ones that I have read before and in some ways it was a good thing but other parts where too unbelievable. The ending was left on a huge cliff hanger that has left me wanting more.

I wasn't quite sure about most of the characters as a lot of them came across as untrustworthy. Ember was a sweet character for the most part but there was a couple of moments that she stood up for herself. Garret I wasn't too sure about for a lot of the book but because this book had alternating POV's it was a little easier to warm to him. Ember's brother Dante I liked for a part of the book but for the most part he wasn't as nice as what he came across. Riley, Embers other love interest I didn't really like but he did have his moments.

Overall, I was left disappointed as it just didn't live up to my expectations or the cover but because of the ending being left so open it has made me want to continue on with this series.

Book Review: The Natural History of Us (The Fine Art of Pretending, #2) by Rachel Harris

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Format: Kindle

Publishers: Spencer Hill Press

Published: 5th April 2016

Pages: 297

Genre: YA, Contemporary Romance

Main Characters: Peyton, Justin
Date Read: 24th May - 31st May 2016

Rating Given:

Synopsis:One class assignment. One second chance at love. The school player is all in. Now he needs to win back the sweet commitment girl who's forever owned his heart. 
Justin Carter has a secret. He's not the total player Fairfield Academy believes him to be. Not really. In fact, he used to be a one-woman guy...and his feelings for her never went away. Too bad he broke her heart three years ago and made sure to ruin any chance she'd ever forgive him. 
Peyton Williams is a liar. She pretends to be whole, counting down the days until graduation and helping her parents at the family ranch. But the truth is, she's done everything she can to get over Justin, and salvation is just around the corner. With graduation one short month away, she'll soon break free from the painful memories and start her life fresh. Of course, she has to get through working with him on one last assignment first. 
For Justin, nothing ever felt as right as being with Peyton, and now that fate's given him a shot at redemption, he's determined to make the most of it. And for Peyton...well, Justin Carter has always been her kryptonite.

I received a review copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I like the cute feeling for the cover as it matches the story but that's all it is as there's nothing that stands out and a bit plain. I love the font of the title as that's the only part of the cover that does stand out.

I was so excited about reading this book as I had read and adored the first book however this one fell flat as it didn't really capture my attention from the get go. It did take a long while to get going and really the only thing that kept me going was the hope in which something would actually happen. This book went back and forth in time so that we could understand what happened to the two main characters but it did take pretty much most of the book until everything was out in the open. The romance was cute in the past but a bit annoying at times as it all came across as a bit too secretive. Once everything was out in the open I liked this book a lot more than I had done in the beginning although not to the high standards of the previous book. I was a little bit disappointed with the ending as I felt yes it was cute but there wasn't much closure for my liking.

I liked the characters to a point but they all had they're annoying moments. Peyton was a nice enough character but I don't feel as though she was the best character I've ever read about I think that maybe she wasn't developed as much as what she could've been. I wasn't too sure about Justin in the previous book but for the most part he was a likeable character but then there was some moments when I felt like he needed slapping.

Overall, I was disappointed in this book but it wasn't all bad it was just okay.