Almost Night Blog Tour and Review

 

Author: Emily White

Publication Date: May 5, 2013
Publisher: Emily White
Genre:  Young Adult, Fantasy
Age Recommendation: 13 and up
Rating: 3.5 stars
Book Description:

Fourteen-year-old Lilly Grey exists in two worlds at the same time. She just doesn't know it.  As the only albino in a million mile radius, Lilly is used to being different. Pink eyes and white hair aren't exactly the best camouflage in the harrowing jungles formally known as high school. And yeah, she's used to being an outcast and seeing the world in a slightly different way, but she never guessed how literally "different" applied to her.  Not until a clan of shape-shifting dragons tell her she's not just albino. She's a unicorn and the only mortal alive who can live on both Earth and its antithesis, Morcah. Now all those times she thought she saw a floating brown blotch in the sky or eyes peering out at her from the bark of trees make sense. She's been seeing Morcah, a land that exists in the exact same spot as Earth, just in a different phase. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows for this unicorn. As the only one who can live in both phases, she's also the only one who can bring Morcah--and all its inhabitants--to Earth. And creatures who've been trapped on Earth since the Dark Ages are willing to do worse things than kill to make that happen.  Again.

My Review:

Human, Dragons, Tree Sprites, Hags, one lonely Unicorn, and world about to change forever.  Lily Grey's life has never been easy, has never been normal, but the life she's struggled to live for the past fourteen years is about to get turned on it's axis and the past will look simple compared to her future.

I've never been much of a fantasy reader, but I can say that with every one of Emily White's books I read I become more and more interested in this genre.  She is able to weave vivid worlds and write characters that have an undeniable substance to them.

Case in point, this book is so much more than simply a fantasy novel.  It's a book that brings some truly painful aspects of teen life to the surface.

"Okay, so, I hated high school.  And I really wanted to know who was the genius who came up with the concept in the first place.  If I'd wanted to spend my day watching the finer details of the teenage mating ritual or barely clad bimbos throwing themselves at the current 'hot guy'. I would have watched National Geographic.  
   The whole institution ran on barely controlled chaos.  And the only unbreakable law I could see was 'walk down the right side of the hallway or be annihilated'  Everything else was every man (or woman) for himself.  Oh, and if you didn't fit in with the "norm", you were sport for the leaders of the animal pack." - Lily

A glimpse into Lily Grey's life brought me to tears.  The pain and suffering she deals with from being 'different' in her short years of life made me ache for her.  Yet while she struggles she's amazingly strong, fighting to carry on.  Everything changes for her though when she enters high school.  back to being face to face with her middle school tormentors, dealing with her best friend, Maggie, slipping away from her as Maggie works to climb the social ladder (to say I wanted to have a stern talking to with Maggie would be an understatement.) leaving Lily to struggle through each day with no support.  But as the world she's known (her one safety net, Maggie) crumbles around her a (pretty kick butt, if I do say so myself) goth girl Nat, and a reluctant boy, Ian,  storm into her life and truly change everything forever.

"He stood up and grabbed me by the wrist.  The dark, burning look was back in his eyes as his face hovered just inches from mine.  His warm breath played across my face.  "Life is about to get a whole lot worse for you.  I might be willing to help.  Might"" -Ian

Nat gives her an easy friendship that she needs so desperately, a place to belong.  While Ian turns her world upside down with the truth of who her father is, who he is, who she is and what she means to...everyone.

"A whole new world laid out before me.  A world of magic, of new possibilities.  And dangers.  Suddenly I wondered if I'd really been losing my mind, or if the truth had been slowly leaking in.  I wasn't scared of Ian anymore.  Disturbed, maybe, by some of his actions.  But not scared.  I wasn't scared of any of them.  Ian looked at me sideways and I stared at him head on.  He smiled, understanding pulling at the corners of his mouth.  "You're a dragon," I said.  He nodded.  "Yes, we're all dragons.  And you, Lily are a unicorn.""

I am quite looking forward to the next book in the series.  The conclusion while not exactly a cliff hanger, leaves so much more to be discovered.  More about Morcah, more about Delegor, more of Lily, Ian, Nat and Ever!  There is so much more of this story to be told and I'll be anxiously waiting to read the rest of the tale. 

I think this is a lovely read for all YA fans, but I really think it is a great read for the younger teens out there!   I hope you will all give it a try! 

Amazon | Goodreads

May 5^th – Chelsea's Reading Adventures  – Review

May 5^th – A Diary of A Book Addict  – Review

May 6^th – The Happy Booker – Review

May 7^th – Books and Bling  – Review

May 8^th – Like A Bump on A Blog – Review

May 9^th – I Am A Reader – Interview/Guest Post

May 14^th – Karin Baker – LRB Guest Post – Review

May 19^th – DanaSquare – Review

May 21^st – Painted Words – Review/Guest Post

May 22^nd – Bookish – Review

May 23^rd – Books Complete Me – Review/Playlist

May 26^th – Booksniffer Book Reviews – Review

May 26^th – wicked Readings by Tawania – Playlist/Spotlight

May 27^th – Live To Read – Review

May 27^th – The Cover Contessa – Interview/GP

May 29^th – Curling Up With A Good Book – Guest Post/Interview

May 29^th – Offbeat Vagabond – Review

Emily White is a nerd. 

She prefers her men fully clothed and donning bow-ties, her commas British, her books cheesy with big, overly-dramatic explosions, her characters awkward and endearingly real,* and watching her movies in authentic turn-of-the-century theaters. When not exposing her nerdy self to the world, she's creating her own friends and putting them in horrible, yet sometimes humorous situations.

Check out her YA Space Opera series starting with Elemental (Spencer Hill Press, 2012), continuing with FAE (February 2014), and ending sometime in the near future with a book she has yet to write. She's also authored a collection of Steampunk (zombie, werebot romance) flash fiction, if you're into those kinds of things, titled "To Love or Die in a Steamy-Reamy World."

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All Lined Up - Release Day Launch and Review!

YES!  Cora Carmack's new book ALL LINED UP is finally here!! 

ALL LINED UP is a New Adult contemporary romance novel being published by HarperCollins’ William Morrow Impulse imprint and is a part of Cora Carmack’s Rusk University Series!! 

 

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Author: Cora Carmack

Publication Date: May 13, 2014
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre:  New Adult, Contemporary
Age Recommendation: 17 and up
Rating: 5 stars

 Book Description:

  In Texas, two things are cherished above all else—football and gossip. My life has always been ruled by both. Dallas Cole loathes football. That's what happens when you spend your whole childhood coming in second to a sport. College is her time to step out of the bleachers, and put the playing field (and the players) in her past. But life doesn't always go as planned. As if going to the same college as her football star ex wasn’t bad enough, her father, a Texas high school coaching phenom, has decided to make the jump to college ball… as the new head coach at Rusk University. Dallas finds herself in the shadows of her father and football all over again. Carson McClain is determined to go from second-string quarterback to the starting line-up. He needs the scholarship and the future that football provides. But when a beautiful redhead literally falls into his life, his focus is more than tested. It's obliterated. Dallas doesn't know Carson is on the team. Carson doesn't know that Dallas is his new coach's daughter. And neither of them know how to walk away from the attraction they feel.  

Excerpt: 

There’s only one thing in the world I despise more than football, and he’s making his way down the stairs toward me. My eyes flit around me like I’m scanning a battlefield instead of a blowout:fraternity banners, litter of red Solo cups, and a freshman pledge dragging around a trash bag playing reluctant maid. Part of me wants to keep doing that, to pretend like I didn’t hear him. But I can’t. If I ignore him, it will only prove to him that he still bothers me. I face him as he steps off the last stair, crossing his arms over his broad chest and grinning at me. Levi. My ex. He leans his hip against the banister of the grand staircase, and I spy not one but two girls sitting halfway up the stairs, obviously upset that they’ve lost his attention. Behind me I hear someone shout, “Ready. Aim. Fire!” and I know the beer guns are back in play. “Alcohol and bad decisions, Levi? Can’t say I’m surprised to find you smack-dab in the middle of that.” He kicks off from the banister, swaggering a few steps closer. His dark hair and eyes are as striking as always. I’d fallen for him so hard my freshman year of high school: doodling our names together in my spiral, watching him play from the bleachers, wearing that monstrous mum he gave me for homecoming, beaming on his elbow at his junior prom. The memory of all that just makes me nauseated now. But as Stella always says, hindsight is a pretentious, know-it-all bitch. “You come here to make some bad decisions?” He moves closer, his voice pitching lower. Intimate. His gaze drifts down my body with an arrogant familiarity. “Because you know I can help you with that.” Levi Abrams has been the cause of enough bad decisions for a lifetime. Stella steps in, her voice colder than I’ve ever heard it. “I’m fairly certain she’d rather sandpaper her own skin off.” I nod and plaster on the fakest smile in my arsenal. “And then take a bath in lemon juice.” Levi smiles back, and I’m pretty sure the bastard is enjoying this. He’s bigger than when I last saw him. Bulked up. I guess that’s the difference between high school and college ball. But it’s not just muscles… he reaches out a hand like he’s going to touch my hair, and as I jerk back, even his hands seem bigger than I remember. A man’s hands, rather than those of the boy I knew. Or maybe his head got so big that his inflated ego overflowed to other parts of his body. Also a possibility. I knew Levi was here when I chose Rusk University—hard not to when he’s the starting quarterback—but I didn’t think I’d ever have to see him. Since Dad wouldn’t let me leave Texas, and only a handful of universities here actually have a true dance major, Rusk was the best option out of the schools to which I was allowed to apply. Levi lets his hand fall away and turns to leave, but then stops to say over his shoulder, “You don’t have to pretend to hate me so much, you know. I’m here. You’re here. We could start fresh, D.” Why does no one get that it’s impossible to have a fresh start when nothing has really changed? God, I knew that better than anybody because no matter how many new coaching jobs Dad took, every school ended up the same. Levi is still a douche-bag who only cares about himself. Dad still approaches parenting like I’m a member of his team. And I… I’m still stuck. In my father’s shadow. In Texas. In this lame state school with a joke of a dance program. And now I’m stuck at my first frat party with the ex who broke my heart. Yay college. 

My Review:

This is Cora Carmack's best book yet in my opinion.  All Lined Up is just a great story.  The characters are straight forward, there isn't too much drama or angst like you get in many NA's.  Don't get me wrong there is some, I mean we are talking about young college aged kids, but it's not so overwhelming that you find yourself wanting to simultaneously roll your eyes while choking the snot out of one of the characters.  *winks*

The Book is a dual POV from Dallas and Carson and seriously I loved them both.  

"God, I just thought the word debauchery.  Stella's right.  I am going to end up a lame cat lady, probably yelling at people from my front porch and waving my cane around like a madwoman." -Dallas

Dallas, man did her character ever hit home with me.  She's just a young woman trying to figure out how to live her life on her own terms while still forming to the mold of Coach's daughter.  Terrified in a way to deal with the outcome of failing to live up to what she believes are her father's and societies expectations of her.  Her tense relationship with her father (her only parent), her devastating relationship with her high school boyfriend (the quarterback and star of the football team), her drive to be perfect for everyone except herself...you can feel the weight that sits solidly on her chest as you read and also you feel every little moment when one of those weights lifts.

"I don't know if I always hate myself this much and I never think about it, or if it's a product of the reflection that's inherent in church and religion and being wildly unsuccessful at growing up.  Feeling like every one around me can see the failure written across my forehead certainly doesn't help either." -Dallas

 Carson,  well now...Carson he's just perfect.  Not in an eyes sparkling, teeth throwing off shafts of light when he smiles at you and rainbows shooting out his backside kind of perfect.  No, Carson is perfect because he is imperfect (and his quarterback physique doesn't hurt *wink*), he is perfect because he does and is willing to fight for what he wants.  He is willing to give everything he can to fight for his dreams and that is my favorite thing about Carson, he is never willing to give up, never willing to take the easy way out.  

 "...I'm surprised there are this many players here and at how wasted they all are.  They take shit for granted...things I would kill for.  But I'm used to feeling that way.  Growing up poor makes you hyperaware of all the other things people take for granted" -Carson

Funnily enough I think that Dallas's wild best friend, Stella (isn't their always one and aren't they always surprisingly the wisest of the bunch?),  sums everything that this book is about up in a few sentences. 

"Oh, Sweetheart.  You're going to be just fine.  You're nowhere near as screwed up as you think you are.....This is just what it feels like to get older.  It won't be the last time you look back at your life and realize just how stupid or naive or terrible you've been.  I'm pretty sure that is a reoccurring thing until death due us part.  The truth is...we're all a little screwed up.   If humans were capable of being perfect there would be no such thing as Jerry Springer, and the world would be filled with unicorns and fairies....The only thing we can do is try to find people whose scars compliment our own." -Stella

 All Lined Up is a funny, witty, sweet, emotional, sexy (but not over the top, another aspect I really enjoyed) book.  It will settle down on your heart in a most comfortable sort of way and leave you wanting more from all the characters from Rusk University! 

So warm up that one click finger and go get this awesome book, I promise you won't be disappointed!  Oh and keep on scrolling down, there just might be a give away down there.  *grins*

  Cora Carmack Bio: Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.        

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Author Goodreads ** Novel Goodreads

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Tempting The Bodyguard Release Day Launch

I am super excited to help celebrate the release of J. Lynn's TEMPTING THE BODYGUARD!!! I totally loved the first two books in the Gamble Brother's series, Tempting the Best Man and Tempting the Player.  There is just something about these Gamble boys you can't help but love and Jennifer does an equally amazing job writing the books heroines, don't go in expecting to see weak females.  These girls can and do hold their own against those boys!  I've been most excited about this particular book because Chandler has been such a mystery, we've only been given small peeks at him through the other two books, finally knowing all his secrets (you know he's got them) as me all excited to get reading and after Tempting the Player, I can not wait to see how things play out for Alana.  She is going to need someone strong to get past her gruffness!  

So here is to good reading and let me know what you think!  

 TEMPTING THE BODYGUARD is an Adult category romance novel being published by Entangled Publishing’s Brazen imprint

 

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout (Writing as J. Lynn)

Publication Date: May 12, 2014
Publisher: Entangled Brazen
Genre:  New Adult, Contemporary
Age Recommendation: 18 and up
Rating: TBR


Book Description:

 He can protect her from everyone except himself. Alana Gore is in danger. A take-no-prisoners publicist, her way with people has made her more than a few enemies over the years, but a creepy stalker is an entirely different matter. She needs a bodyguard, and the only man she can ask is not only ridiculously hot, but reputed to have taste for women that goes beyond adventurous. Chandler Gamble has one rule: don't protect anyone you want to screw. But with Alana, he's caught between his job and his increasingly hard libido. On one hand, Alana needs his help. On the other, Chandler wants nothing more than to take the hot volcano of a woman in hand. To make her writhe in pleasure, until she's at his complete mercy. She needs protection. He needs satisfaction. And the moment the line is crossed, all hell will break loose...  

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 Jennifer L. Armentrout/J. Lynn Bio: # 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.  

Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Jennifer L. ArmentroutGoodreads

Novel Goodreads ** J.LynnGoodreads

 

 

The Professional by Kresley Cole

Author: Kresley Cole

Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre:  Adult Romance, Contemporary Thriller
Age Recommendation: 18 and up
Rating: 4 stars

Book Description:

He makes the rules…

Mafiya enforcer Aleksei “The Siberian” Sevastyan’s loyalty to his boss knows no bounds, until he meets the boss’s long-lost daughter, a curvy, feisty redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Aleksei will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.

Rules are made to be broken…

Grad student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the dark and breathtaking Sevastyan before the professional enforcer whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. Every day under his protection leads her deeper under his masterful spell.

Are you ready to play?

Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true…

How exactly did I feel about this book you might ask?  I think RDJ can sum this up quite nicely for me.   

a

Yeah, that about says it.  

This book is sexy and intriguing and full of action, all the action.  *winks*

Natalie I will admit is not my favorite heroine. Although clearly a trademark Kresley Cole female character, which I typically love.  She is funny and witty, quick on her feet, and thoughtful.  She doesn't need a man to save her, fighting her desire to make her own path and learning when to let people in.  However,  I felt like she never truly comes into her own.  I wanted to really love her, but in the end I just like her fine, her challenge is that she is totally over-shadowed by Sevastyan!  

Don't get me wrong, there is amazing chemistry between Natalie and Sevastyan, there are some heart wrenching and some heart palpitating scenes between the two of them.  It's just that Sevastyan is such a dynamic character that at times it feels like all you can do is see him. 

"I am an enforcer, a contract killer, and I pity you for piquing the lusts of a man like me."

and seriously who could blame us for getting sucked in to his orbit?  He's the type of character you just want to hug for his underlying sweetness and difficult life, but beat the tar out of for his Russian machismo and secrets.  And when he finally let's himself go, allows himself to be the man that he is and not hold back from Natalie...Wow!  He isn't the kinda guy everyone is going to like, go into this knowing he has certain predilections when it comes to his romantic life, he is a Dom (with extreme possessive tendencies) through and through.  He is bigger than life and that I loved about him.

  

 I'd love to see a book done from his POV (hint hint Ms. Cole)

The Professional left me wanting to read it over and over, something that I don't typically do (I'm pretty much a one date girl when it comes to books), the bad and good of that is it left me wanting more.  Bad...I think that Ms. Cole could have really delved into the two characters more, could have gotten down to the nitty gritty with this story and would have likely left me wanting more.  It just feels like there is so much left to uncover.  Good...I'm going to get the chance to have more with this being a series and I truly can't want to find out more about the mafiya, about Sevastyan and his family, and get more of Ms. Cole's amazing story telling.  

*Side Note: I have seen a lot of people complaining about this in comparison to Kresely Cole's Immortals After Dark (IAD) series.  This is NOT IAD, don't go into this thinking you are going to get the same kind of story, the same type of characters.  While there are similarities in Natalie to many of the female characters from IAD (Witty, snarky, strong), she is not a Valkaryie and Sevastyn is no Vampire or Lyka!* 

Here are your links, woot!  

 

Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the electrifying Immortals After Dark paranormal series and the young adult Arcana Chronicles. She has also written five award-winning historical romances.

Since her first novel was released in 2003, Kresley has published twenty-two books with Simon & Schuster and has seen her releases translated into more than eighteen foreign languages. She has traveled over much of the world and draws from those experiences to create her memorable characters and settings. Two of her favorite places to visit include the rain forests of Central America and the Queensland area of Australia.

Cole’s trademark action, sensuality, and humor are exemplified in her popular Immortals After Dark Series, which revolves around the Lore, a secret stratum of hundreds of immortal creatures--ranging from Vampires to Lykae, Furies to Shifters, and Fey to Valkyrie--that each have their strengths, weaknesses, and age old prejudices against the others. Though they secretly live among humans, they constantly war among themselves, which gives her a lot of material.

In 2007, Kresley won the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA award for best paranormal for her novel A Hunger Like No Other, and in January 2009, she became a #1 New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller with her sixth IAD installment, Kiss of a Demon King. In 2010, Kiss of a Demon King earned Kresley her second RITA award. 2011 brought Cole her second #1 NYT bestseller with Dreams of a Dark Warrior. In 2013, Kresley won a third RITA for Shadow's Claim and was inducted as only the 14th member of the RWA Hall of Fame.

She lives in Florida with her husband and far too many animals. She spends any free time traveling and enjoys all things related to boats and water. 
  
~You can contact/follow her here~
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Wicked Persuasion Cover Reveal

 Me after seeing the cover for Lila Bell's sequel to A Wicked Hunger:

I have been anxious to get my hands on Dax's....Book ladies, his book *winks*, since before I even had A Wicked Hunger finished and had caught my breath.   Yes I have a little longer to wait, but I have to say that this cover sure does help with that. 

Hello, ladies, look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me.  *grins*

 

(Oh Dax!)

 

Author: Lila Bell

Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Age Recommendation: 18 and up
Rating: TBR

Book Description:

To the casual observer, Dax Becker is a very sexy beach bum with an uncomplicated life. In reality, Dax is an immortal halfbreed--part incubus, part siren. Feeding off sexual energy from female tourists is a win-win. He gives them unforgettable vacations secure in the knowledge that the ladies will return to their real lives soon, not repeating the tragedy that occurred when a human in his past grew too attached. But Dax's simple existence gets far more complex when the powerful Tribunal demands a favor.

The future of two dimensions rests on Dax playing bodyguard to a rebellious princess. Normally, Dax has no trouble coaxing cooperation from females. But he meets his match in a royal seductress determined to lose her innocence (finally!) so that her parents can't barter her virginity as part of an interdimensional treaty. As the sexual tension between guardian and princess escalates, Dax realizes the evil mage and vengeance-seeking vampire hunting them are the least of his problems...

Yeah, I totally wondered if he'd let me borrow his towel to dab at the drool too, it's okay, I am confident enough to admit it.  

In honor of today's cover reveal Lila has made A Wicked Hunger, the first in the series, 

FREE for THIS WEEK ONLY!  

                    Yeah, I know...I think I need Dax's towel again too.

  
 

Author: Lila Bell

Publication Date: August 12, 2013
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Age Recommendation: 18 and up
Rating: 5 Stars

Book Description:

Wealthy, seductive Nik Becker is an acclaimed artist. He's also a half-human, half-incubus assassin for the immortal Tribune. To stay strong, Nik must Feed off sexual energy, and he'll need his lethal skills sharper than ever to stop his psychotic brother.

Blake Corvin may be the only woman on earth who's not only immune to Nik's supernatural incubus charisma but is also seemingly allergic to it. The beautiful Ms. Corvin wants nothing to do with him--when she's awake, anyway. In a series of hot, steamy dreams, her subconscious tells a different story.

Now Nik's sadistic brother has a new target: Blake. She has no choice but to stay close to Nik. And the closer she gets, the more tempted she is to indulge in his wicked Hunger.

Lila's Books are exclusively available on Kindle so here's your link and don't forget to pop by an add it to your Goodreads.  

About the Author:

Lila Bell is the pseudonym of an award-winning author who wanted to write outside her usual genre without confusing readers or diluting her brand. She lives in the south with a wonderful husband who loves her despite her multiple personalities and the many voices in her head.
  

Reach out to Lila on Twitter I know she would love to hear from you.  

 

Review - Sweet Reckoning

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Author: Wendy Higgins

Publication Date: April 29, 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre:  Young Adult, Pranormal Romance
Age Recommendation: 16 and up
Rating: 5 stars

Book Description:

Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous—especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

In the most sensual and fast-paced installment yet, Sweet Reckoning brings all the beloved Neph together one last time to fight for their freedom.

I don't even know where to really start with this review.  I am so sad to see Anna and Kaidan's journey come to an end.  It was a truly bitter sweet moment.  

"Life was often so cruel, so ugly.  And then, in the midst of all the madness, a precious gift would be placed in your lap.  Because life could also be so sweet."

And that is the truth of it.  This book has its moments of cruelty, sadness (Wendy, I still forgive you for that one thing, it's okay, it makes sense...you made it okay.), regrets, fear, hurt, but mostly love.  If there is one thing that Wendy Higgins does and does very well is she knows how to write a sweet story. One that tugs at every emotion, wraps your heart in sadness wrapped in joy (almost like taking anything and wrapping it in bacon  *winks*), sets you on your way knowing that everything, even through the worst, everything is going to be okay.  

The transofrmation of our sweet Anna through the series and especially in this last book is inspiring.  While shy, uncertain at times, she never gave up or gave in.  She loved her friends and family, she loved Kaidan, never wavering from that one truth.  

"We, the Nephilim, were going to rid the earth of demons, and I was slated to lead the way.  This knowledge sparked, caught fire, and spread through my veins.  Despite all the unknowns, I'd never felt stronger or more focused.  And love was to blame...that very essence of life believed to be a weakness." 

She is a strong heroic female character.  One who while she leads with her heart considers all outcomes to her actions.  She doesn't go through her life lightly, believes in a strong foundation, knows that she can take care of herself, but also knows that she can lean on her family and friends and when to do it.  I think Anna sets a wonderful example for our girls.  I have two myself and would be overly proud to know that they had Anna's characteristics.

""Oho, so it's like that, huh?"   I hopped off the stool, surprised by my own ability to feel lighthearted at the moment, but sometimes boys needed to be taught lessons about underestimating girls."

Kaidan,  Kaidan, Kaidan.  What can be said about this boy.  I've wanted to smack him, shake him, hug him, cry for him, and jump for joy for him.  What a jumble of emotions.  We finally see Kaidan become his own man in this last book and I just can't even describe the happiness that caused for me.  Yes, he was the ultimate bad boy, but always there lurked a quiet loving soul underneath and while he will never be a simple man (who wants that anyway) we are allowed to see him at his most gentle.  

"As I drifted to sleep from a state of semiconsciousness I heard him whisper, "You're my dream.  My only dream.""

You can't tell me that doesn't tug at your heart.  This bad boy grows into an amazing man.  I just, I have no words.  The end of the book...the end, oh my that end...it says it all!  

To Patti, Blake, Ginger, Marna, Kope, Duke Belial, Jay...my sweet dear Jay.  What an amazing cast of characters.  I just loved them all.  Each one brought so much to this series and I am going to miss them as if they were my own real life friends.  

All in all I guess what I am trying to tell you is...You will love this book, if you haven't read the prior two books I am telling you...You will love this series!  To help you out I am having a giveaway (woot) 

A signed set of the Sweet Evil Trilogy, with a Kaidan Rowe button, book marks, and some Sweet/Evil gumballs 

Also a signed copy of Sweet Reckoning, with a Kaidan Rowe button, a signed (by Kaidan Rowe and artist and creator Jennifer Munswami from J.M. Rising Horse Creations Facebook) Lascivious ticket as well as a Backstage pass created by Jennifer, and of course some Sweet/Evil gumballs.

  *US and Canadian Residents only*

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Bio:
After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, I taught high school English until becoming a mommy. I've always had a heart for teens, and writing YA stories gives me the opportunity to delve into the ambiguities of those pivotal years before adulthood.
I live in Virginia with my husband, daughter, son and doggie Rue.

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