Breaking Angelina by T.J. and Rita Webb

Publisher: Robot Playground Inc
Date Published: November 2013
Genre: YA / NA Paranormal Romance
Series: Paranormal Investigations #1.5
Source: Author
Rating: Crazy Good 4 out of 5 stars

She's the Beauty. Can the Beast break her curse before the monsters break her?

I never told anyone my darkest secret.

Something evil whispers in my mind. It threatens to destroy everything I care about, and now it wants me to kidnap and murder a mythical creature. Refusal means excruciating pain or sleepwalking into oncoming traffic ... again.

I don’t dare refuse, even if I have to steal from my friends, sell my body, or ruin my college career. Anything to stop the feeling of its claws scraping the insides of my skull.

That’s when I hired the Hunter, a wolf-man from a magical world, to help me. A tracker for hire, an honorable man who has misplaced his honor, a twisted soul with no heart left to care.

But he has secrets of his own, and I don’t think anyone can save me from the trouble I’m in.

Angelina has heard the voices in her head since she was twelve years old. She's now nineteen and attending college in Alaska when odd and mysterious things begin to happen. The voices are taking control of her life more than ever, making Angelina do things and hurting her when she resists. Angelina is now on a quest for a love potion to get her sisters' best friend to fall in love with Angelina so the voices will stop torturing her. Will she make it before they break her?

Hunter is a chimera, part wolf, hawk, and man. Hunting is what he does best. He tracks and finds people and objects. With his family slaughtered by the Usurper he is cold and empty inside. But when a client double-crosses him and nearly gets him killed, Hunter is out for revenge. Along the way he discovers a bracelet that everyone seems to want and happens across a human girl in need of his services. A girl who recently had been in contact with the bracelet. How is it all connected? And should he care?

I don't know how to feel about Angelina. She seems a little on the weak side, but honestly? She's up against these voices in her head. So maybe she isn't so weak. I go back and forth on liking her in this. I can safely say that in the first few pages I most definitely did not like her. Angelina was... I don't know, almost, childish, I guess. No. That's not exactly right. It's like she's so naive and young, disgustingly so, on a lot of her opinions in the beginning of the book.

By the end of the book my opinion changes. You learn more about the voices and their hold on her. I don't like a lot of what Angelina does in the book, but most of what she does is controlled by the voices. Especially that scene where she goes psycho. By the end of the book I realized I didn't really know Angelina. She may be one of the two main protagonists (dual POV), but she did what anyone would do in her situation; she tried to stop the pain.

The places where her personality shined through and pushed past the voices was when she stood up for Brianna. And that one scene with Hunter where the voices left them alone. For the rest of the book her personality was suppressed. So I'll be interested to see what she is like in the future.

Hunter I liked. Well, for the most part. I empathize with him and feel a bucketload of sympathy for his loss and the crap he went through. To have your entire family slaughtered? I'm amazed he's kept going. He has his own brand of courage and determination. The entire book you can tell he's fighting, and, other than his alcohol problem, he's kind of winning. Sort of.

The one time I don't like him is the 'romantic' scene between him and Angelina. Maybe for some people having sex for a one night to help with a payment is okay, but it rubs me the wrong way. It's too close to prostitution. Even if it's only once. I get that he actually cared about Angelina, and her about him, but I just don't like it. I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone else. It's the one time in the book that I just really don't like. Everything else is okay. And he redeems himself in the end, kind of.

There are a few other secondary and minor characters in the book. I suppose you can count the voices as a character, though you don't figure them out until the end. Of course you have Jason and Emma from Playing Hooky, the first book. I think you can read Breaking Angelina as a standalone without having read Playing Hooky. There are some nemesis' of Angelina's you see, like Cyndi and Tyler (who totally gets what's coming to him). Spyder is a bit of a ghost in the book, you don't see much of him. Mostly just minor characters in this one. Of course there's the blue lady who has yet to be named. She's part dragon, part fae, I think. Hunter has a few enemies you run into, but again, they seem kind of minor to me.

I mostly liked Hunter, and I went back and worth with liking and disliking Angelina. I think most of the characters were static, unchanging, with the exceptions of Hunter and Angelina who were very dynamic and changed a lot throughout the story. Especially Angelina.

I liked the fast-paced story. I am so easily bored with having to wait for the author to set the scene, it was such a delight to jump right into the story. For those that like their slow build-ups, sorry, but I like jumping in head first. And it didn't really get dull. There were some small lulls in the story, but for the most part the story was great.

I already mentioned the one instance where I didn't like Hunter. And I place the blame mainly on Hunter because he allowed it to happen even knowing that Angelina was young and couldn't be that experienced. I don't really blame Angelina because of the voices, but she didn't really seem to mind all that much, considering it was her first time. It really irked me.

The writing was pretty great. The flow of the story went well, I liked the pace that was set, it all came together nicely. It was fairly short in length, but I do believe this series is made up of novellas. So not that short. Just not too long either. It was a pleasantly light read (as far as the length goes, the material was medium-heavy as far as content).

The book was pretty upbeat even though at times it was depressing. That sounds like a contradiction, but it makes sense if you read it. It was like even though the characters were going through a hard time, the writing still had an upbeat spin to it.

I would also label this as a young adult / new adult crossover. I would say it's NA because of the ages of the characters, but content wise its really just upper YA. I think it's a good thing, because you get a bigger audience. There's no racy bedroom scenes if that's what you're looking for in NA. It's pretty tame there. All behind closed doors. And it only happens once, so I definitely would label this as a YA / NA crossover. Minor violence.

I thought it was a wonderful read. Relatively short, but long enough to curl up and chill on the couch. The story was fascinating. I missed the world of fantasy that I saw in the first book and I cannot wait to read the second book (this 1.5, if you didn't know). I would definitely recommend it, even if you just read it as a standalone.

   

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Taking Chances (Paranormal Investigations Book 3) is now out as well! It'll be the next book on my reading list. I can't wait to see how things go with all of the characters. I hope to see Angelina and Hunter again! What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Happy reading!

No Apologies by Sybil Bartel

Publisher: Carina Press

Date Published: June 23rd 2014

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Never apologize. 

Hard-edged rocker Graham Allen has it all. He's flush with cash from playing bass in a band by night and restoring classic cars by day. And there are plenty of women willing to share his bed for a night, complication-free.

Perfect, because if there's anything he learned from his past, it was to never get attached—to anything. So when bartender Carly Sullivan flashes her innocent smile, Graham isn't prepared for what happens next.

Never fall in love.

Two rules, that's all Graham has—never apologize and never fall in love. He knows Carly is everything he should avoid. Cheerful and sweet, she has "relationship" written all over her. But Graham can't stay away from her probing questions and concerned blue eyes.

When Graham discovers Carly is hiding a crushing secret, he's prepared to risk it all. Until in one single moment, everything changes and Graham's past threatens to collide with his future. His life is crumbling down around him, and soon no apology in the world can save him.

He should've known to walk away.

Graham has two rules; never apologize and never fall in love. So far its been working out for him. He plays bass in a band, works on muscle cars, and owns part of a club. More money than he knows what to do with. But lately he's been hanging around a bar, just waiting for his day to end on the gorgeous bartender's smile.

Carly is cheerful, all the time. Even when Graham is a total ass. How she puts up with his B.S. and still keeps up that gorgeous smile is a mystery to him. Soon Graham realizes that Carly isn't just another girl, she has scars, scars that he can't fix. And he's falling for her hard. But with his screwed up childhood and mommy issues, he's broken. And Carly has her own issues to deal with. Will Graham break his rules for Carly? Or will he continue not living, in a hope that he can just deal with life?

I was enticed by the cover of this book before the story, if I'm honest. The cover is amazing, I love it. And then of course I love womanizing broken bad boys. They make for the best love stories.

Graham. He's a complicated character. Not everything he does in this book I liked. He acted like a real ass sometimes. And not in a hot, 'oh he's being a playboy' kind of way. I understand he was afraid of what he was feeling a lot of the time, but he didn't respect boundaries and he did some screwed up things. I don't know if I would have been as forgiving as Carly. THERE WAS NO CHEATING! Thank god for that small miracle. I hate books with cheaters. Cheating is inexcusable. End of story.

Carly. She was like a ray of sunshine compared to Graham. Yes, she has a past that will make you want to punch a bunch of scumbags, but she isn't jaded. She still sees the world in the light, not the dark. I love that about her. Graham is jaded enough without Carly being jaded. They balance each other out.

I think the characters were believable and I connected to them on a basic level. I can't say that I felt the characters, exactly. I don't really have anything in common with the characters. I thought Graham was cool because of the muscle cars and playing bass, and Carly was a writer, but personality wise I didn't mesh with them. I did love Carly though. I mean, how many girls know cars, ride motorcycles, can actually hold their alcohol, fight MMA, and are still super nice and sunny? She's great.

Carly didn't grow that much in the story. I mean, she grew a bit there from the middle to end, but most of the character growth came from Graham. If you read the first few pages and then the last few, you'd find an almost completely different person. I mean, Graham wasn't a bad person, per se, at the beginning, but he was a player and his morals on sleeping with lots of women and getting drunk were pretty low. At the end he understood why some people wanted monogamy.

The romance in the story was a little slow going. There was an attraction from the first few pages, but it didn't turn into more until later. It felt like a real romance because of that. They had to build it up. It wasn't insta-love or anything, which was nice.

I'm not really sure whether the romance was the main focus or a subplot. I mean, it was definitely there, but there was a whole lot of other things going on too. I think it would probably be somewhere between the two. It wasn't really the main focus, because that wasn't the first thing that happened. They became friends before lovers. But it wasn't really secondary to anything in the story.

The story was detailed, you weren't left with any questions. That's always nice. I hate it when there are holes in the plot or the story. It felt real, I imagine there are similar couples out there everywhere who have issues akin to the ones in the book. The writing was done well, it was like watching a movie in your head rather than reading the script.

Unlike with some books, I think the middle was the best part of the story. There was so much anticipation and waiting to see what Graham did, how he would handle all of the hurdles thrown at him. And whenever he screwed up you could just roll your eyes and mutter 'men' under your breath. Thats what I did, anywho.

This story was in 1st person, told from Graham's point of view. I thought it was interesting, because we got complete access to his thoughts. And a lot of the time his thoughts didn't match his words. It was an interesting perspective.

I would recommend this book to all of the girls who love the broken bad boys. In real life, they suck. In books, though? They rock your socks off. And other clothing items :)

 

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Snake in the Grass by Staci Hart

Publisher: Promise Socks Publishing

Date Published: June 8th 2013

Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance

Series: Good Gods #2
Source: Author

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

 

The truth changes everything.

It’s round two of high stakes Love Connection on Olympus, and this time, everything has changed. 

Ares is on deck, and Aphrodite is nervous, because as much as she loves to hook up with him, she doesn’t trust him as far as she could throw him, which isn’t very far. She never could resist him, not even when every part of her screamed that he was a liar, but after the last game, she’s seeing things in a new light, light that has cast shadows across her entire life.

Ares has a plan to keep Aphrodite, for good this time. He wants to win the game, but he’ll hold back, if that’s what it takes. He’s sitting on a chance that was thousands of years in the making, and he’ll do what he has to do to convince her to stay forever. The only thing that could stop him is the secret that he’s been keeping for eons. If she finds out, it will destroy everything.

Aphrodite picks Kat, a gun toting drag racer, and Ares decides on Dillon, a badass boxer who never loses. Both of their lives revolve around keeping their siblings safe, and they’ve sacrificed everything to make sure things stay that way. They are tough and loyal, fierce and determined, but they become each other’s weakness, even though they fight it, and even though it means danger for Kat and her sister.

What an amazing sequel!

This round of the game Aphrodite is up against Ares, after defeating Apollo in the first game. Dita is struggling to keep Ares at arms length though, no longer having Adonis as a buffer. Since Adonis decided to throw a tantrum Dita gives up to her attraction to Ares. Meanwhile, Ares is being sneaky, trying to keep Dita forever now that Adonis is gone. His chance to have Dita after losing her so long ago makes him giddy with how close he is to getting what he wants. But if Dita finds out the secret he hid and lied about for thousands of years... he could lose more than the game. He could lose Aphrodite indefinitely.

Dita's player in this round is Kat, a kick-ass drag racing daughter of the leader of the Japanese mafia. She has a fiery attitude and doesn't take crap from anyone. But Kat will always protect her sister. And even though Kiki doesn't think her abusing ex will come after them, Kat isn't so sure, so the last thing she wants is to let someone in and keep her distracted. Ares chooses Dillion, a cage fighter with a dark childhood. Dillion is broken inside, having to protect his younger brother Owen from their father and his powerful fists. With meddling siblings trying to play matchmaker and the similarities between the two, Kat and Dillion are obviously made for each other. But will they look past their issues and see each other?

LOVED this book. The players were so different in this one. I think I liked the first one better, but that's probably because I can relate more to the characters in that one. I still think that the characters in this one are super cool, of course.

Kat's fiery attitude is awesome. I love how she can point a gun at someone and stand up for herself. Her 'I don't give a shit' attitude is great. She isn't a doormat and she stands her ground. It's a wonderful example that I think some girls should definitely take to heart. She has such a strong personality.

Kiki, Kat's little sister, is the sweet one. She doesn't worry enough, whereas Kat worries too much. They're almost like light and day in their personalities, but they balance each other out.

Dillon is a bit of a tricky character. I mean, he's a cage fighter, and his dad beat him as a child. So from the outside you may just want to say hell to the no for him, because there's no way you'd want to put yourself at risk. But the more we learn about Dillion in the story, the more we see he does care and is trying to control his anger so he doesn't turn out like his dad.

Owen is soft. There's no better way to put it. He's not soft like a wimp, I wouldn't say that, but I think from what he's dealt with and what he's seen he is gentle with the world. The opposite reaction from Dillion

And that's something I really loved. How each set of siblings was just perfect for each other. They fit so well. It was like in the last book, where you got the feels real bad at the end. Yeah, well, you'll get them when encountering these two couples in the book.

And the Olympus side of things. I still think that Adonis is a spoiled child. He throws a tantrum because he disagrees with Dita. It's just so... infantile. Highly dislike him. And Ares. I can't believe him. You would think he'd know that karma would come back to bite him in the butt. He deserves what he gets.

Dita, gosh, it's a sad day when the goddess of love is struggling with her own love life. I am hoping, crossing my finger as tight as they will go, that Heff ends up with Dita. I know she said she would never be with him because she was forced into marriage with Heff, but from what we've seen in the books so far he seems kind and gentle, like he'd treat Dita the way she deserves. It seems like there is a slim to no chance of that happening, but a girl can hope.

Overall, another spectacular read by Staci Hart. I really cannot wait for Doe Eyes to come out! This was a must-read for me, just like the first. I imagine the next one will be even better :)

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What are you reading? Sick of mythology yet? I thought I was. But so far I have LOVED this series.

The Devil's Flower by Lisa Collicutt

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Date Published: November 19th 2013

Genre: New Adult Supernatural Romance

Series: The Eternal Beings #1
Source: Publisher

Rating: Quirky 3 out of 5 stars

Killing isn’t exactly on Rosalie Lockwood’s list of things to do when she runs away from home. But despite her search for peace; guns and motorcycles become her latest fashion accessories as Divine interference leads her to Steele, co-leader of the Fallen Paladins motorcycle club.

Leathered and tattooed, Steele’s presence scares off most people he comes in contact with — but not Rosalie. She’s immediately drawn into the dangers of his biker world—and into his heart.

But Steele guards a secret that if Rosalie knew, could shatter their new love — along with destroy the human race. And the truth comes at a price.

Will Rosalie risks her soul to prove her loyalty to Steele?

The Dark and Light Realms collide as Rosalie chooses between life, death, and the ever-after to become that which she is fated to destroy.

This book did not grab my attention. I mean, when I saw the synopsis it did, but when I tried to actually read it I got bored and kept switching to other books. I think that was a me problem rather than a book problem, for some of it.

The book started off good. And it was kind of interesting. I just didn't get into it, you know? I kept falling out of place with the book. I do seem to be boring in the paranormal NA genre. It's getting tedious.

I do think that the writing started off well and it did seem to be interesting, it just didn't stay interesting. Maybe that was all me, though. It's hard to tell with books like these, the ones that have been clichéd a lot and you don't know if its the author or the reader.

Maybe if this book had been released a few years earlier before this genre became full I would have been more enthusiastic about this. I feel that it's just worn on me.

Hope someone else has better luck with it.

  

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White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Date Published: February 25th 2014
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Supernatural Romance
Series: The Dark Elements #1
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

Does JLA ever write anything less than extraordinary?

I fell in love with the Lux series. I became an addict over the Covenant series. And now I am falling, spiraling into crazy book-addiction over JLA's Dark Elements Series.

Layla wants to be a normal, regular teenage girl. But she half gargoyle, or Warden as their called. And that's not the weirdest bit. She's also half demon. Oh, and she can suck out your soul by kissing you.

Then there's Roth. He's sin personified, with tattoos that jump off his skin, literally, and an attitude to boot.

The best thing about Roth? He has no soul, so Layla can kiss away.

Loved this book. I have always loved gargoyles, especially the ones in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the real ones on the cathedral in Paris. I also have a toy one that I've had since before I was born. So yeah, gargoyles rock!

I loved Roth. Of course, who didn't? He was dreamy in the total bad-boy way. And Layla. Her, shall we say, 'powers', were kind of freaky, but in a way that entices you. Though the character herself was sweet. I liked her.

Favorite thing? Besides Roth, I mean. Bambi. Who knew such an innocent name could work for something so deadly it eats other demons? Then again, I think I've heard it's a popular stripper’s name.

Another hit by JLA. She can never do wrong in her writing. Unless she kills an awesome character. Then of course all of us readers will be upset. I can think of several writers that killed off the main characters and were bombarded by messed up readers. Don't torture us, JLA, please. I'd like to come out with my heart intact.

 

   

This book is a new favorite of mine, as all of JLA's are. It's mature young adult, so it can be read by pretty much anyone. Of course, it's a romance. And it's a fantasy/supernatural story too. I think of gargoyles as fantasy and demons as supernatural, but a lot of people just count it as paranormal. It all depends on your own views, really. There's no concrete description for those.

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