BOOK REVIEWS | SNAPPED (#1) and SHADE (#2) by Ketley Allison

For the past few weeks, I’ve been really busy with real life that most of the blog posts that appear in my blog are actually scheduled posts. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I get to do a bit more reading and blogging these coming weeks. I need to tear down my ever growing to read (and review) list, especially with the young adult titles. However, today I’m going to be blogging and reviewing two ARCs that were sent to me a month ago. 

Thank you so much, Ms. Ketley Allison for sending in a review request over my email and giving me ARCs of the first two parts of The Snapped Series: Snapped and Shade. I really enjoyed reading both books and I'm patiently waiting for the third installment to be out already! I'm so stoked about it!

Title: SNAPPED (The Snapped Series, Part 1)

Author: Ketley Allison 

Publication Date: November 1, 2014

SYNOPSIS

This series contains feelings after sex, good girls staying good (unless they don’t want to), good boys turning bad, great friends flipping sides, close lovers falling backwards, sassy mouths, stubborn jackasses, and a fight for the one, all in the name of f*cked up love.

But whose love is twisted?

In nine weeks Charlie Miller's life goes from high-rolling perfection to a crypt of sin. All it takes is one night, one blade, and her boyfriend, best friend and new friends all either end up as suspects or dead. 

Nate Westcott, a pierced, tattooed, charismatic lawyer, is a man she can’t have—but a seductive danger she can’t ignore. He’s cocky, infuriating, brilliant and wrong, yet he makes her question whether she really is the good girl she wants to be or more like the selfish killer everyone thinks she is. 

And her body wants him in ways she’s not supposed to crave.

As the weeks close in, cracks start forming in her everyday world of pro football golden boys, law school domination and New York City nightlife. Everyone she cares about is at risk because one of them doesn’t love Charlie back. In fact, they want her out of the way. Disposed of. Set up.

One more step, and all Charlie has to do is fall through. 

Week 1 starts now.

WHO WILL SNAP?

Snapped is Ketley’s New Adult Contemporary series with all the romance you’d expect, but the killer—and lovers—that you don’t.

GOODREADS 
Purchase links: Amazon | KoBo

REVIEW

From the first page of the story, I was hooked and eager to continue flipping the pages of my eARC. It really intrigued me how Charlie Miller ended up in that kind of situation. My reaction upon reading the entire prologue was … “What the freakin’ hell happened here?” The prologue is set in Week 9 and just whoa, what a way to start a story. It has an effect that you know readers will be clamoring for more. Clamoring to know every-freakin’-thing that happened in the story!

I just noticed that Snapped’s synopsis in Goodreads seems to be the synopsis for the entire Snapped Series. Basically, Snapped was just an introduction of the characters, glimpse of how they are as characters and their possible intentions to Charlie. At the beginning of the story (Week 1), we read about Charlie’s and her best friend, Lara’s experience of moving in to New York City and settling in at her boyfriend’s (Jason “Slade” Sladerman) place. She planned to move there because of two things: to be with her boyfriend and to attend law school. Lara was just there to tag along with her and find something exciting that she could possibly do with her life.

ARC REVIEW | RIGHT KIND OF WRONG by Chelsea Fine

Title: RIGHT KIND OF WRONG (Finding Fate #3) 

Author: Chelsea Fine (Website | Twitter) 

Publisher: Forever

Publication Date: September 2, 2014

SYNOPSIS

Sometimes wrong can feel oh so right . . .

Jenna Lacombe needs complete control, whether it’s in the streets . . . or between the sheets. So when she sets out on a solo road trip to visit her family in New Orleans, she’s beyond annoyed that the infuriatingly sexy Jack Oliver wants to hitch a ride with her. Ever since they shared a wild night together last year, he’s been trying to strip away her defenses one by one. He claims he’s just coming along to keep her safe-but what’s not safe for her is prolonged exposure to the tattooed hottie.

Jack can’t get Jenna out from under his skin. She makes him feel alive again after his old life nearly destroyed him-and losing her is not an option. Now Jack’s troubles are catching up to him, and he’s forced to return to his hometown in Louisiana. But when his secrets put them both in harm’s way, Jenna will have to figure out how far she’s willing to let love in . . . and how much she already has.

Goodreads 

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | KoBo

Oh wow. This book is actually so much more than just a road trip journey kind of story. It surprised the hell out of me on how the storyline of this book turned out. It surprised me in a really good way, guys. In case you didn’t know, Right Kind of Wrong is the third book from Finding Fate series by Chelsea Fine but could also be read as a standalone. Although I enjoyed reading the other books of this series, I’d definitely pick this one over the others. Right Kind of Wrong has more content, depth, tension (including sexual tension between Jenna and Jack LOL) and element of surprise compared to the two.

BOOK REVIEW | RELUCTANTLY ROYAL by Nichole Chase

Title: RELUCTANTLY ROYAL (Suddenly #3)

Author: Nichole Chase (Website | Twitter) 

Publisher: Avon 

Publication Date: August 26, 2014

SYNOPSIS 

Maxwell Jameson Trevor, prince of Lilaria, hates his royal role. Despising the limelight, he takes solace in his art studio and steers clear of any drama. But when one of the newly discovered royals passes away, Maxwell's brother Alex asks him to break the news to the old man's granddaughter. Though he hates to be the bearer of doom and gloom, he doesn't want the poor girl to find out from the tabloids. For Maxwell knows all too well how devastating that could be.

Coming from a broken home and modest background, newly ordained Lady Meredith Thysmer has seized her chance to make a better life for herself and her son. She's not afraid to use her best assets to get what she wants. But when the unpretentious yet devastatingly handsome Max delivers his news, her plans for the future come crashing to a halt. In the challenging days ahead, Max's compassion, humor, and steadfast loyalty to Meredith and her son win her over. She quickly finds herself doing something she swore would never happen again: falling in love. And yet Maxwell still refuses to completely drop his guard. Somehow Meredith's got to find a way to seduce this reluctant royal.

GOODREADS

Purchase Links: AMAZON | B&N | iTunes | INDIEBOUND | KoBo

I can't believe that another great and fluffy series has ended, *sigh*. Bye bye, Suddenly Series! I'm sure that these stories and characters will always be dear to my heart, especially Chadwick! [HAHAHA! Seriously, I love him to death!] One of the things that I love the most about this series is of how realistic and detailed the characteristics and personalities of the characters are. You’ll be dreaming to be a part of their crew and just hang out with these royals. They aren’t the snobbish and “head held high” type of royalties but they’re just normal human beings who make fun of their siblings, who gets flustered, who fall in love and all that. And it’s fun reading and witnessing them in moments like that. *swoon*

Suddenly Royal, Recklessly Royal and now we have the last book to complete this series – Reluctantly Royal, which focuses on the story of Max (sibling to Alex and Cathy from the previous books.) I love the fact that Max get to have his own book because it feels like the series has now come to a full circle and readers get to read the stories for each sibling. Plus, Max is a very interesting character that we’ve met in the previous books because he shies away from the spotlight that comes along with him being a prince. That’s like inevitable when you’re a prince, right? Weird in a way but you’ll surely want to know more about the back story of his character.

BOOK REVIEW: THE MURDER COMPLEX by Lindsay Cummings

Title: THE MURDER COMPLEX

Author: Lindsay Cummings (Website | Twitter) 

Publication Date: June 10, 2014

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

SYNOPSIS

An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birthrate. For fans of Moira Young’s Dust Lands series, La Femme Nikita, and the movie Hanna.

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

Add THE MURDER COMPLEX on your TBR list in Goodreads using this link. 

The Murder Complex belongs to my “most anticipated 2014 releases” list and when HarperCollins emailed me the titles that are up for reviews, I immediately clicked on the request button for this one! I’ve been waiting for this book since last year, even before its book cover was revealed. So, I was really giddy to get my hands on that ARC. This book captured my attention because of its synopsis for it sounds really cool and interesting, “An action-packed, blood-soaked, futuristic debut thriller set in a world where the murder rate is higher than the birth rate.”  Well, I’m sure your curiosity easily spiked up once you’ve read that line. Now you add the book’s tagline which is, “She’s trained to survive. He’s programmed to kill.” and its book cover! Thumbs up and total win, right? But …

Okay, here we go. Better hold on tight ‘cause this review is going to be quite rocky. I agree with the “action-packed, blood-soaked” because there’s really a LOT of BLOOD involved in this book! The Murder Complex starts slow which is the normal pacing for the first books of the series. It slowly eases us in in its world and introduces us to the terminologies that we needed to know. Really, it was quite easy to follow and to grasp. Though, the narration could use a lil bit more punch so that it will really leave marks on the reader’s minds.

BOOK REVIEW: REBEL (Reboot #2) by Amy Tintera!

Title: REBEL (Reboot #2) 

Author: Amy Tintera (Website | Twitter)

Publisher: HarperTeen 

Publication Date: May 13, 2014

SYNOPSIS

The sequel to the action-packed Reboot is a can't-miss thrill ride, perfect for fans of James Patterson, Veronica Roth, and Marie Lu.

After coming back from death as Reboots and being trained by HARC as soldiers, Wren and Callum have finally escaped north, where they hope to find a life of freedom. But when they arrive at the Reboot Reservation, it isn't what they expected. Under the rule of a bloodthirsty leader, Micah, the Reboots are about to wage an all-out war on the humans. Although Wren's instincts are telling her to set off into the wilderness on their own and leave the battle far behind, Callum is unwilling to let his human family be murdered. When Micah commits the ultimate betrayal, the choice is made for them. But Micah has also made a fatal mistake . . . he's underestimated Wren and Callum.

The explosive finale to the Reboot duology is full of riveting action and steamy love scenes as Wren and Callum become rebels against their own kind.

Add Rebel on your "to read" list in Goodreads, using this link.

Ramblings. If you’re one of my fangirling buddies or one of my friends in Goodreads, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I was gushing about Reboot last year and was already dying to read the sequel as soon as possible. But that’s really not gonna happen because we’ve learned that “Rebel”, the sequel and the conclusion for this duology was set for release a year after the first book hit the markets. So, everything was just a waiting game for me and my hungry mind and eyes. If you want to check my review for Reboot, here you go.

When I received my first e-mail from HarperCollins of them listing the titles they’re going to offer to bloggers and professional readers for review, I immediately spotted REBEL and clicked it on for request! I just have to have a copy of REBEL in my hands! I was praying really hard that they’ll be able to grant my request and send me an ARC of it. While the other half of me was trying not to get my hopes up and thinking that maybe they’ll turn down my request for that book because duh that was my first time to have a publisher offering me books for review. Waiting game 2.0 began … with me being shitless scared and hoping for the worst. LOL!

Surprise, surprise … Last May 2, a guy from a delivery company dropped off a package for me. Me? My mouth was just hanging open because of the shock and surprise that was coursing through me at that time. Seriously, up until now I still can’t believe that thing happened but I have this box near my bedside table to remind that it certainly did. Inside it were ARCs of the books that I requested and among that pile was an ARC of Rebel. Mah baby! So, yep that’s the back story of why I have a copy of Rebel already!

It has taken me a few days before reading Rebel because I have to finish a few books first before I dive into this one and I have to re-read Reboot first to refresh myself. And I’m glad that I read Reboot and Rebel back-to-back.

Immediate thought after reading this book. I’m very pleased and satisfied with the way the Reboot-Rebel duology ended. With only two books, Amy Tintera really gave the readers with a well-built fictional world and presented us with characters who were able to develop so much through the course of it. I’m very happy with everything that happened in the book. It was jam-packed with events that cover the action, suspense, thrill-ride journey of the characters and a smidge of romance on the side. If you loved and adored Reboot, I’m quite sure that you’ll love Rebel even more!

RAMBLINGS: HarperCollins & ARCs ...

It's been a long time coming ... These are the ARCs that HarperCollins Publishers sent me!!! :)

I WAS UTTERLY SURPRISED when a package was dropped off of our house last Friday, May 2! I totally wasn't expecting it because in the previous email HC sent me, Ms. Megan (Hi!!!) said that she would be emailing us first if the ARCs are already in the mail. And I didn't have any clue if my request for the ARCs would be granted ASAP or not because THIS was my first time to be included in their list of bloggers that they would make an offer for ARCs. So, I'm such a clueless gal. 

Anyways, enough with that. I just want to THANK HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS AND MS. MEGAN again for being so accommodating from the very beginning and for giving me this opportunity of reading and writing reviews for these books way before it's publication dates. This is a really huge deal for me, guys. I cry. After 12374748949383 years (LMAO!), I finally feel that I've accomplished something for my blog. :) 

Here are the titles of the books that they've generously sent me together with their corresponding book covers and synopsis: 

Title: NASH (Marked Men #4) 

Author: Jay Crownover (Website | Twitter)

Publisher: William Morrow

Publication Date: April 29, 2014 

SYNOPSIS 

Will their past determine their future?

Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down... and now he’s trying to do it again.

Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.

When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again?

Add Nash on your "to read" list in Goodreads, using this link. 

BOOK REVIEW: LOVE SONGS FOR THE ROAD by by Farrah Taylor

Summary of Love Songs for the Road

The only thing rock star Marcus Troy loves more than making music is his kids. So finding just the right nanny to take on tour with them is important—as is proving to his ex he deserves joint custody. Falling for his employee wouldn’t just be fodder for the paparazzi: it could ruin everything. 

Too bad the perfect nanny turns out to be beautiful, vibrant Ryan Evans. Ryan’s never left her small Montana town before, so she jumps at the chance to see the country. And as much as accidental fame doesn’t gel with shy Ryan, what does is her relationship with her capricious, smoking-hot, shockingly good dad of a boss. Marcus is nothing like what she expected. But when the whole world’s watching them, will life in the spotlight be too hot to handle?


Ramblings. December 2013 has been a great month for me in terms of my relationship with Netgalley. Ha ha ha. It was in that month when most of my requests for ARCs got approved. Woot woot! But here's something that I did which may come across as hilarious. With several months already registered in that site and not a single request that I made got approved, I did this random clicking on loads of titles and just testing if they'll approve it. Then one day when I checked my email address ... I was quite shocked when a number of confirmation messages appeared on my inbox. That's what landed me in this current situation I'm in. Yep, I'm currently in this "eliminating ARCs that are January releases" phase. Love Songs for the Roar is one of those, this will be released in January 13th. 

Immediate thought after reading this book. Well, that was predictable. But I quite enjoyed it and the last part did bring some emotions out of me. 

My thoughts. Ooookay. Most of the books that I've been reading lately has this issue with time. I'm not against in reading a book which is fast paced but it just doesn't fit this genre. I believe that time is very essential from the exact moment the book's main characters meet until the moment they've realized that there's an attraction/compatibility between them or even the time they act on it already. Because during that specific time frame, readers will be treated on how they cultivated and build their relationship. It isn't something we can fast track and not necessarily prolong, but at least give the readers the sense that these two are really for each other and there's depth to their relationship. In this book, it seems like everything happened in a flash. I would love to have more content and juice to it. 

Tour Bubble. Noticing how fast their relationship escalated, I was quite afraid that everything will happen or their story will end upon the last show of Marcus. And here's the good thing about this book, it didn't. Why am I happy about that? Because in those tour days they've been living inside a bubble and maybe it was just that which might have caused their attraction. With always being around each other and closed off to the real world can certainly fuel something. In here, Farrah Taylor this time around gave us some scenes wherein these characters were apart, back to the real open world and taking in some time to reflect on their feelings towards each other. So, that's a plus to this book. 

Ryan Evans. I love her character. Why? Because she isn't this girl who was easily swayed and will drop everything she wanted to be in her life just because she's in a relationship with a celebrity. She stood her ground and showed that she valued her own person. 

Marcus Troy. I'm definitely in love with those scenes which involve Marcus and his kids. It's great that he's got this rock star image but still can be a cool dad. In this book, it truly shows how Marcus adores his kids and will fight to the ends of the Earth to be with them. And his kids are soooo adorable. Charlotte acting like an adult, busting Ryan and Marcus holding hands is just a precious and certainly a LOL moment! Miles just being Miles, who's always in a sugar rush with everything he eats or drinks ... yep jumping up and down or running around the tour bus. 

As a whole, I had a good time reading this book. It's a super short read which you can finish reading under two to three hours, I think. 

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review*   
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
This review is also posted on my Goodreads account. 

Bye x