Good afternoon, adored ones! I’m back with another edition of the mini reviews, but this time for Dystopian books! I received all of today’s titles in exchange for honest reviews, so A BIG THANK YOU! I have read them all last year, but a reason or another or several, I never got around to review them. NOT ANYMORE. I’m honestly tired of being so behind in reviews, so I’ll work harder to not get overflowed in read books anymore!
Just remembering that the mini reviews deal is a combination of inspirations from Cait, of The Paper Fury, and from Lindsey, of @thepagemistress, and that I do those with books that: a) I really liked, but the book didn’t change my life; b) regardless of my feelings, were too short for a complete review; c) regardless of my feelings, weren’t unforgettable.
Hello, world! Today we’ll talk about the most perfect gay romance of the year – and, as always, the competition is heavy, so this is a huge compliment, haha! I’m talking about Single Malt, from Layla Rene! This book is the first in which promises to be one of the best gay romance thriller series I’ve ever heard of, Agents Irish and Whiskey! I have received my review copy from Barclay Publicity in exchange for an honest review. THANKS SO MUCH, GUYS!
The heart’s a resilient beast
Eight months after the car crash that changed everything, FBI agent Aidan Talley is back at work. New department, new case and a new partner. Smart, athletic and handsome, Jameson Walker is twelve years his junior. Even if Aidan was ready to move on—and he’s not—Jamie is off-limits.
Jamie’s lusted after Aidan for three years, and the chance to work with San Francisco’s top agent directly is too good to pass up. Aidan is prickly—to put it mildly—but a growing cyber threat soon proves Jamie’s skills invaluable.
Jamie’s talents paint a target on his back, and Aidan is determined to protect him. But with hack after hack threatening a high-security biocontainment facility, time is running out to thwart a deadly terrorist attack. They’ll have to filter out distractions, on the case and in their partnership, to identify the real enemy, solve the case and save thousands of lives, including their own.
Good day, dearies! Welcome to my review for Future Leaders of Nowhere, from Emily O’Beirne ❤ One of my reading challenges for this year was reading more lesbian themed books, as everyone on all galaxies knows how I love me some gay romance and I’m so happy to be finding good romances in the field *–*
I received my review copy from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review and here we go!
“Finn’s solid. Not in body, but in being. She’s gravity and kindness and all those good things that anchor.”
“Willa’s confusing. Sometimes she’s this sweet, sensitive soul. Other times she’s like a flaming arrow you hope isn’t coming for you.”
Finn and Willa have been picked as team leaders in the future leader camp game. The usually-confident Finn doesn’t know what’s thrown her more, the fact she’s found herself leading a team of highly unenthusiastic over-achievers, or coming up against fierce, competitive Willa. And Willa doesn’t know which is harder, leaving her responsibilities behind to pursue her goals, or opening up to someone.
Soon they both realise that the hardest thing of all is balancing their clashing ideals with their unexpected connection. And finding a way to win, of course.
Future Leaders of Nowhere is a contemporary LGBT YA story for older readers about what happens when two natural leaders are pitted against each other in a leadership game while on camp in the Australian bush. Future Leaders is about friendship and romance, and about learning when to take charge and when to let go.
Hello, guys! It’s me again, haha! Welcome to the book blitz for The Animal Under The Fur, by E. J. Mellow! If the author’s name rings a bell, you may have heard of her The Dreamland series 😉 In this post, you’ll find overall info about book and author, my cover analysis, a link for my review of The Dreamer, the first book in The Dreamland series, and a mind blowing giveaway!
The Animal Under The Fur
by E.J. Mellow
Publication date: March 30th, 2017
Genres: Action, Adult, Romance
Orphaned on the streets as a baby, Nashville Brown, a.k.a Kill Operative 3, knows better than to rely on anyone. With heightened senses and superhuman strength to survive, she’s been raised as the perfect assassin.
The trick to her success? Keeping everyone, even her best friend, at arm’s length.
Losing his entire family in the span of a year, Carter Smith left his ability to love buried deep in their graves. His only concerns now are completing his missions and effortlessly charming the next temptress to warm his bed.
The key to his accomplishments? Working alone mixed with a Casanova smile.
But when a deadly weapon needs to be stopped from falling into the wrong hands, the lone wolves find themselves thrown into an explosive partnership. Can Carter and 3 lower their guns aimed at one another long enough to succeed, or will their unwillingness to compromise end up destroying more than their perfect records? Whatever their differences, both agree on one thing—in the game of lies and deceit, the line between friend and foe is often blurred by blood splatter.
The Animal Under The Fur is a hate-to-loath-to-love standalone novel filled with savagery, secrets, and enough angst to wrinkle the pages you’ll find gripped in your hands.
Hello, there! Welcome to my review for the second book in the Isolation series, from Taylor Brooke: ECHO Campaign! I’ve received my copy from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for na honest review. Thank you guys sooo much! The time is now ❤
Brooklyn Harper’s worst nightmare has become her reality. She has been captured by Isolation…
Trapped in a white-walled labyrinth by Juneau Malloy, Brooklyn is faced with the horrors of Isolation’s finest training yet. The skills she learned as an Omen Operative in Camp Number Eleven are put to the test in the form of brutal assessments of her strength, skills, and fortitude. Confused and disheartened, Brooklyn and the group of renegade Omens prepare for whatever trials Isolation has in store for them.
Juneau has caged her once again, but Brooklyn is far from broken…
When Brooklyn finds out her best friend Gabriel is alive, she goes on a violent rampage in search of her, but instead earns herself a stint in solitary confinement. Juneau attempts to tame Brooklyn through grueling exercises before offering her one radical choice. Brooklyn must hand over her freedom in order to spare her friends. She’ll become a showpiece Juneau will auction off to the highest bidder for her skills in assassination, defense, and combat.
There must be a way out, and the renegade Omens have to find it…
Brooklyn has no intention of becoming Juneau’s latest achievement. During a mind-warping training simulation, Brooklyn uncovers Isolation’s greatest secret and their darkest mistake. Juneau Malloy has created something far more sinister than the Omens, and it’s ready to eat the world alive.
As the battle with Isolation intensifies, Brooklyn is faced with her most dangerous choice yet…
Goood Sunday to all lovely readers out there! Welcome to my TBR of the Week actually, my TBR for the past three weeks that seems to be stopped at every ARC I remember I forgot I should be reading: The Son of Neptune, second book in the series The Heroes of Olympus, by Rick Riordan ❤
(alternative title: Mr. Fine INDEED, where do I find myself one of those to keep guarded in my room? *–*)
Good night, everyone! Welcome to a very special moment in the form of my review for the third book in the Tough Love series, by goddess HelenKay Dimon: Guarding Mr. Fine! ❤
You see, this book holds a special place in my heart because the first volume of the series was my first ever spies gay romance ❤ I looooove action/adventure books and sadly is still hard to find good ones in the diverse shelves, aka my favorites, so it was a huuuge moment for me to have virtually met HelenKay’s work *–* I’ve read and reviewed all books so far and since I had finished The Talented Mr. Rivers I knew I just had to have Guarding Mr. Fine ❤
Now that I’m done with all the raving, let’s go to the particulars: I have received this book from Loveswept, the publisher, in exchange for an honest review and this is the moment of truth! [haha]
As an agent with the CIA’s special activities division, Seth Lang lives for risk—and yet he’s stuck playing bodyguard to the U.S. consul general in Munich. Although Seth’s last assignment nearly killed him, babysitting some desk jockey in a suit sounds way too easy. But when he lays eyes on the new top man, tactical expert Rick Fine, Seth’s thrilled to see just how hard this job is going to get. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Quiet has a body worth guarding—and he requires hands-on attention day and night.
Dispatched to a German consulate to expose the murder of his predecessor, Rick finds himself in an extremely vulnerable position. He needs a man like Seth—in so many ways. This mission will inevitably plunge them both into jeopardy, but each new threat only brings them closer. Rick just hopes that he can keep his deepest, darkest secret hidden—or else risk imperiling a relationship they’re both fighting for their lives to protect.
(Alternative title: the OH-SO-INDEED-talented and absolutely HOT Mr. Rivers teaches a lesson to his OH-MORE-THAN-GORGEOUS bodyguard and leaves me drooling on the floor)
Hi, once again! No, you’re not hallucinating. I am here again that soon. And I’m writing a review!
I know, shocking! I had received The Talented Mr. Rivers, second volume of the End of The Line series, from HelenKay Dimon, right before my life decided it would be cool to live 24/7 on a rollercoaster from the publisher ❤ Thanks so much and I can’t believe that I actually am delivering this review on time! *–*
Again, thank you Loveswept for being awesome and sending me this in exchange for an honest review! You guys rock hard ❤ Oh, but before you start reading this review, why don’t you go take a look on the first book review? 😀
Will Rivers should be the poster guy for “flight of fight”. Born into a family of bloodthirsty and murderous people, all he ever wanted was to escape his family and his fate. After the CIA exploded his brother’s house on England, Will knows that his time is up and he must make a choice: to finally engage on The Pentasus, one of the most dangerous criminal organizations of the world, as one of the rightful heirs or to kill his own identify and never look back. It seems a pretty easy choice if you remove Hunter, his bodyguard, of the equation. Will can’t see his happily ever after without Hunter on it, but which side is he on? Will knows that he can trust Hunter with his life, but what about his heart…?
Hunter should be the poster guy for “the most fucked up person of the year”. After agreeing to help Fisher, Zach, Seth and other agents of the CIA to bring down the Pentasus, his life as an undercover bodyguard at the Rivers’ state turned upside down. He lost the good graces of the German intelligence – his actual employer – and is almost sure that his cover was blown with the Rivers. To make things worse, the only person that could help him to finish his mission and bury the Pentasus is missing: Will, the younger River’s sibling and his charge. Hunter won’t rest until Will is safe and sound again, no matter what CIA, BSD or anyone says. The question is: Hunter is doing this for the sake of the mission or for the sake of his heart?
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
WHERE DO I BEGIN?! This book was even better than the first! I loved Will and Hunter to the core, they were a great couple! I also love that Will has this nerdy face, but in reality he is a killing machine *–* Oh dear, I always fall for the bad guys… ANYWAY. This book had all the elements that make me love a story. I do have some complaints about it, but nothing that made it less than a 5 stars reading for me ❤
The narrative is third person with switching points of view between Hunter and Will. This is my favorite style, as we can detach ourselves of the less dear protagonist if needed. Not the case on this book, as I loved Hunter from the first book, in which he has an important role, but wasn’t a main character, and Will grew on me instantly. On the end, I was totally team Will, haha! The writing style also is very good, as Dimon writes each character with such a strong will and mind that you can know whose side of the story you are reading way before names appear. Also, Hunter and Will’s story had a very different vibe from Fisher and Zach’s story and that is pretty amazing! ❤ Also, Dimon’s humor is very natural and easy to follow along, as both men say stupid things without realizing and then make fun of each other for that – just like you and me! I feel like anything from her that I put my hands on will work greatly ❤
The plot was a bit obvious, but I have to admit that I didn’t start my read engrossed on the mystery, haha! I wanted a good action/adventure/romance book with great chances of a sort of happy ending. Also, both Hunter and Will overthink a lot. Like, seriously, it was tiresome in several parts. I get it, they both needed to build trust and blah blah blah, but I felt that Dimon overdramatized several parts without necessity. I would have been happier if they had argued more, talked more. ANYTHING BUT OVERTHINKING. You don’t need to keep repeating why you can’t be together, guys!
The characters are the most brilliant point of this book. Not only Hunter and Will, but everyone that makes an appearance is so well constructed, so real ❤ Seriously, Dimon is one of those authors who manages to build a character in your head without you realizing it. When you look, there they are, waving at you as if they had been there the whole time! But my favorite is Will. EVERYONE underestimates him.
And then Will goes and kicks everybody’s ass, Hunter included. He is very reasonable, but don’t step on this toes. Will may not be bloodthirsty, but he wouldn’t even blink before breaking a few bones ;D
As it goes for Hunter, his name should be incarved on the dictionary, to define “trust issues”. No matter how many times Will proved himself, Hunter always had a suspicion. Needless to say, it got old, hahaha!
Now let’s talk about stuff I didn’t really like, haha!
We didn’t have enough time to understand Peter, Will’s older brother. The guy was sick on a whole new level, haha! I kind of wished we had known more of him before the end 😦 I think it would have been a good “woow” material, haha! I also wished that we had seen more jealous scenes between Fisher and Will, haha! Zach, Fisher’s boyfriend, slept hard with Hunter in the past and this had so much potential to generate fun scenes… Almost totally overlooked 😦 And the last thing: a freaking open end. I don’t really know what will become of Will and Hunter, how they will manage their future! I HATE OPEN ENDS OMG!
The good thing is that I have many reasons to hope for another book in this series, thanks to all this openness, haha! Now we will take a moment to appreciate this beautiful cover that The Talented Mr. Rivers possesses, haha! ❤
I guess that now it’s all said and done, guys. You may be wondering only why I only used The Emperor’s New Grove gifs. The answer is because I needed a true diva to express all my feelings for this book.
Kuzco is the best Disney princess ever, HAHAHAHAHA! Just don’t tell Yzma, she’ll be upset that she’s second place both on the kingdom and on being a diva ;D
Allright, just to wrap this: do you like Action? Adventure? Hot guys? Hot guys with a very active sexual life? Geeks that can kill? TONS OF BEAUTIFUL MEN? THEN STOP READING THIS AND GO READ THE END OF THE LINE SERIES!
Once again, thanks to Loveswept for sending me my review copy and to you, for being so patient and reading this whole review! You are the true hero here ❤
Hello, there! I’m feeling like a winner at the moment because I managed to put up two reviews today, haha!
In March, the lovely Jess from Mud and Stars agreed to start a book club with me and our first read was Red Queen. You can read her review here and if you don’t know her, please take a moment to stalk her blog. She’s one of the most kind and sweet human beings ever!
I’m already late in my own chronogram, so let’s go, haha!
The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.
That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.
Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.
But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart…
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
I simply have to say that I don’t understand all the hype around this book. I admit I’m not a hardcore fan of dystopian books, but Red Queen got my attention. The premise had potential, everybody seemed to be speaking only good things about it and the cover is gorgeous. What I actually got was a blanket made with a piece of every famous recent dystopian book series that reached the stars. I was constantly thinking of The Hunger Games (and I only saw the second movie!), The Selection, Star Wars, Pokémon and so on. Yes, you read it right, Pokémon. We’ll get there. What I’m trying to say is that Red Queen is not an awful book by any means, but it isn’t original or brilliant either. I’m happy that the author got famous and the book sold well, as deep inside we want all authors to succeed, but I just don’t understand the circus, you know? After some epic scenes, tons of eye rolls, a couple of clichés and almost zero emotion, I think Red Queen is only a three stars book: enjoyable, but not brilliant by any means.
I’ll keep this review short because I have more complaints than compliments.
The narrative style was first person styled from Mare’s point of view only. Then the problem started. By the end of the book, I couldn’t stand Mare. I felt she was too shallow, our personalities didn’t matched 😦 She was too indecisive, hotheaded and really selfish. Also, I’ve never been attracted to character with deep existential doubts or that have a strong need for self-categorization to keep breathing. I guess I took my mom’s speech of “you are not everybody to have this or that too” a bit too serious while growing up, I don’t know. Or maybe I just hate labels and can’t respect people that need them to establish themselves as someone.
The plot was the strongest point of this book. Although I was able to predict the twist, I still liked to see things changing and happening. Mare is the ranting kind of narrator, so it was incredibly difficult for me to get past some parts in the book. Thank God Jess was there for me, haha! Also, I suffered with an unique problem that I don’t hold against Red Queen or Victoria Aveyard at all: I’ve read the Brazilian Portuguese edition for Red Queen and it was so bad. The translation was rough and often too literal, without any care in it for the sentences to make sense. I’ll give a simple example.
In Brazilian Portuguese, we only need one word to say that we are sorry and it is “desculpe”. So when Mare apologizes to Cal more to the end, she thinks something like this: “I hated saying these three words, but I felt that was all I had to say”. Something like this, right? Well, the Brazilian Portuguese sentence was like this:
“Desculpe.” I hated to say these THREE WORDS…” [in BP, of course]
I mean, seriously? THERE ARE NO THREE WORDS! No adaptation at all. I can only imagine the confusion that a non-English speaker from my country felt on this part. But, as I said, I don’t hold this against the book in any way or against the author, it’s not their fault. I hold it against the Brazilian publisher. Moving on.
I discussed this book with several people along my read and I have to quote what an offline friend said about Red Queen: “Mare is not a likeable character. You’ll keep reading Red Queen not because you like Mare; you’ll do so because she is surrounded by a highly interesting world and awesome people.” (M, Jenny – love you, doll!). She is right, of course. Cal and Maven’s relationship were a breath of fresh air in the middle of Mare’s ranting and I also loved Julian to the core. Also, I loved to hate the queen, haha! ❤
Oh, and I’m so sorry for all the fangirling you had to endure on my part, Jess! I know you’ll never think of Cal and Maven together on the same way again, sorry LOL
Also, I’d love to compliment Aveyard on the blood system. It was incredibly cool and one of the things that most excited me on this book ❤ Also, the gifts were cool. It made me think that I’d be the top student on the Silver elite class, as I’ve been a Pokémon fan since 1998 and a hardcore gamer since 2003, but they were cool. Oh, and the fighting scenes! THEY WERE EPIC AND SO GOOD! [I’m talking about the arena ones, okay? Nothing that happened in a ball, because that was the epitome of lame]. Those are the things that make me say that I want to continue on this series.
there, there, Red Queen. I shall read Glass Sword.
Overall, it was an easy book to read despite the large and constant eye rollings. If you like dystopian, don’t mind instalove, lack of originality and clichés, and love epic battle scenes, Red Queen should suit you 🙂
That’s it and thanks for reading! Also, I’m sorry if anything that I said may have sounded offensive, that wasn’t my intention at all. And, of course, thanks so much to Jess, that put up with my endless ranting and gay fangirling during March ❤ (And will be doing it again in April, haha! This girl is a fighter, honestly ;D)
For those who still haven’t read Red Queen: that you may love it more than I did. For those who read it and loved it to the core: I hope you can keep loving it for the both of us.
Hi, there! Good morning and welcome to a very different book review 🙂 Today’s star, Eternal Wars: Armies of Saints, from Livio Gambarini, was received from the publisher in exchange of an honest review 😀 A special thanks to Samuel Marolla, who contacted me on behalf of Acheron Books ❤
The moment arrived, so let’s go!
The Story
(Goodreads’ blurb)
In 13th century Florence, the war between the Guelphs and Ghibellines is destroying entire families. Every corner of Tuscany has been drawn into the conflict, but little do the two sides realise their war is but a pale reflection of a battle between the mysterious inhabitants of the spirit world, lasting a thousand years.
The spirit that guides the Cavalcanti family, Kabal, uses every any means at his disposal to make sure his family is not torn to shreds and eventually comes out on top. The true ace up his sleeve is the new head of his family, the warrior and poet Guido Cavalcanti. Guido is driven to seek an impossible peace as he strives to save his city and marry the girl he loves. He is helped by a young, exceptionally shy poet known as Dante Alighieri…
It is a story of war, betrayal, intrigue and magic that is woven skilfully together to create a wondrous combination of historical accuracy and the fantastic world that lies behind human endeavour. “The Eternal War – Armies of Saints” is an innovative historical fantasy set against the backdrop of the Florence of the Divine Comedy. It has already conquered Italy and now, with the English translation, it is set to take the world.
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
I was highly intrigued by this novel when Samuel contacted me. I have a weakness for Italy – in special, Florence, as I mentioned on this post – and I couldn’t wait to see what Eternal Wars was about. The thing is that it wasn’t exactly what I expected. It was a really different and enchanting story (so much that I read it on a single sitting), but I got highly confused in the beginning thanks to the narrative style and I couldn’t really relate to any of the characters. That’s why it is a three stars book for me: satisfactory and entertaining, but my heart ended the book intact.
The narrative style was my biggest in the book – and no, it wasn’t first person styled. Stop haunting me. It was third person styled with switching point of views. So far, so good? Wonderful, this is my favorite kind. The problem is that there are too many main characters and two distinct sets of narrative points of view: the “real” world and the spiritual world. I personally am really bad with names – I have to take notes in books like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter (judge me) and Game of Thrones. I wasn’t expecting to have to take notes on Eternal Wars as well, but oh well.
The switching between worlds and main characters and time passages drove me nuts, as I was always lots and didn’t really like Kabal, the spirit that protected the main-main-main family.
The plot was very complex and developed, full of action and mystery, on both worlds. It was interesting to see Gambarini’s descriptions of war, cities and of the spiritual ways. How the saints manipulated everything, for good and bad. Usually, I don’t like books that contain too much religion and are not didactic (for example, a book telling the history of an x religion), but this worked to Gambarini’s advantage, as it was an interesting historical fiction 🙂
I really liked how the characters were built, but I couldn’t relate to any of them. I mean, Cavalcante had an awesome quote in the beginning that had me laughing out loud and I made a point of writing it down on my quote notebook:
“ (…) life is like disease. As long as you have it, at least enjoy the bed!”
HONESTLY, THIS IS JUST BRILLIANT!
Ahem, back to the characters.
I liked Guido and Bice, they were a cute couple. Also, it was cool that Guido was a poet – if a good-looking guy said that I looked like an angel, I would be taken just as Bice was, haha! I can’t deny that all Gambarini’s characters are really real (haha), but I just couldn’t connect, I don’t know. Oh, and I enjoyed far more the “real” world than the spiritual parts. I felt them massively unnecessary on the big picture 😦
Bonus point: Cavalcante. Yes, you read it correctly. He was brilliantly built and positioned. His ways made his son Guido decide to not be a typical middle-aged man in 13th century Italy. All the vices, the traumas, fornication and sodomy YASSSS and drugs. It was fairly common for men from certain social positions on that time to overindulge in all the pleasures of life. As if many things had changed.
Overall, I really enjoyed the battle scenes and Guido’s adulthood, as he was an interesting man. If you like medieval set stories, specially Italian ones, full of action and mind-blowing ends, you should pick up Eternal Wars!
That’s it, thank you for reading! And, once again, thanks to Acheron Books for sending me this book 😀
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The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange 