Guest Review: Fall With Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Summary:

Eleven months ago, bartender and weird-shirt-wearing extraordinaire Roxy and Officer Reece Anders had a one night stand. Well, kind of. She’s been in love with him since she was fifteen, and he wishes that night they shared never happened. She’s sworn him off forever, but the past and future collide, forcing her to rely on the one man who broke her heart not once, but twice.

Her best friend since birth has been in a long-term care facility since he became a victim of a hate crime years ago, and the person who put him in there is out of prison and wanting to make amends with him and Roxy. She’s not sure she has room for forgiveness in her and when she begins to receive frightening messages and is on the receiving end of escalating violence, she thinks she knows who is to blame. The man who already destroyed one life already.

But Reece isn’t convinced. The threats are too personal, and even if Roxy doesn’t believe him, he’s not willing to let anyone hurt her. Including himself. He’s already messed up more than once when it comes to Roxy and he’s not going to let history repeat itself.

Publication Date: March 31, 2015

Jessica's Review:

 I am a huge fan of Jennifer Armentrout and I have most of her books, but I had hard time getting into this one. The characters were great and the storyline was definitely there, but there was just something that fell flat for me. I was also able to guess the identity of the stalker pretty early on, so that might have been it. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

Review: White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Publication Date: February 25, 2014

White Hot Kiss turned out to be a fun and romantic ride! I liked the mythology of the Wardens and the demons and I thought the action scenes were very exciting. I didn’t love the book as much as the Lux series, but it was still a solid start to the series.

Layla was an interesting character since her heritage is half-Warden and half-demon. The Wardens are gargoyles that can shift into human form and they are appointed guardians of mankind against demons. Layla was taken in as a child by the Wardens and has to suppress her demon side. She is very conflicted about her heritage once she meets demon Roth.

I really liked both of the potential love interests Roth and Zayne, but I really wished there wasn’t a love triangle. Sometimes love triangles work for me, but this one just seemed unnecessary. I almost wished Zayne had been cast in a big brother role and have Roth as the sole love interest. Roth is a bad *ss demon, but I liked his protective side and also his funny little quirks like naming his snake Bambi.

The plot moved at a good clip as Layla and Roth try to figure out who is trying to release hell on earth. Layla also finds out more about her past with a few revelations that caught me by surprise. The author is a talented writer and I could feel the tension during the suspenseful scenes and the heat during the romantic parts.

I’m looking forward to the next installment especially after the surprise ending. I would highly recommend the book to fans of teen paranormal romance novels.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

  

Waiting on Wednesday #1

I'm trying a new meme out this week. Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and highlights an upcoming release we're eagerly awaiting.

Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: December 11, 2012

Goodreads Summary:
No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

If you're a fan of this series, then you're probably like me and can't wait to get your Daemon Black fix. What books are you waiting on?

Review: Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout

Goodreads Summary:

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

Publication Date: August 14, 2012
 
I was so excited to read this book that I almost didn’t want to finish it because then I would have to wait until the next one came out. The series is that good! Daemon and Katy have probably the best chemistry I’ve ever witnessed in any YA series.

As human girl Katy fights her attraction to alien Daemon, I found myself wanting to jump into the book and shake some sense into the girl. I get the reasoning behind some of her god-awful decisions in the first half of the book, but I still don’t get why she continued to see Blake. I thought she should have realized earlier on how much trouble would come from her friendship with him and how it hurt her relationships with Daemon and Dee.

Once I reached the mid-point of the book, I could not put it down! The action picked up and Katy stopped being such a head case over her connection to Daemon. A few twists surprised me and it was interesting to see some of the characters only mentioned in Obsidian make an appearance. The ending was equal parts hopeful and heartbreaking. It would be really nice to see everything work out for Katy and the Black family.

On to Daemon. Sigh. Armentrout should publish a book simply consisting of his quotes. They made me giggle at times and swoon at others. He is the ultimate book crush.

I ended up with a 4.5 rating. The first half of the book was four stars for me and then the second half boosted to a 5 star rating. Katy finally came into her own and became less angsty. I don’t know if I loved it as much as Obsidian, but I am definitely eagerly awaiting the third installment!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Mailbox Monday-July 9, 2012

As I moved my blog this weekend, it cut into both my reading and writing time. I did get some reading done poolside though yesterday and tonight I hope to work on book two of Second Sight. However, I did get a chance to buy a couple of new books and received several titles for review this week. Stop by Mrs. Q: Book Addict to take part in the meme this week.

Books I Purchased:

Requiem (Providence #2 by Jamie McGuire)- I read the first novel in this series a couple of months back. After not loving Beautiful Disaster, I was pleasantly surprised by this paranormal romance series about angels and demons.

The Selection by Kiera Cass-This is one of those books I've had mixed feelings about for awhile. A lot of drama involving the author and some harsh reviews on Goodreads. I'm curious enough to see what all the hoo-ha is about.

Shadows by Jennifer Armentrout-After reading Obsidian, I am anxious to check out this prequel about Daemon's brother and his relationship with a human girl.

Books for Review:

Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louise Rozett-A YA contemporary romance about a girl with family issues who gets involved with a bad boy who may or may not be dating a cheerleader.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry-Another contemporary YA romance and by the sound of the description about another angry girl. The bad boy/good girl attraction sounds intriguing. Happy reading!

Feature & Follow Friday Meme

The Parajunkee and Alison Can Read blogs host a weekly meme to help book bloggers get more followers for their site. If you're interested in participating, the rules are posted below and you can link up your blog on their sites. They also ask a weekly book themed question that I answered below.

RULES

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}

(Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers

Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.

Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.

If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed

Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”

If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers

If you’re new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Q: Jumping Genres: Ever pick up a book from a genre you usually don’t like and LOVE it? Tell us about it and why you picked it up in the first place.

I had heard fabulous things about several YA sci-fi books, but I'm normally a run of the mill paranormal romance or YA dystopian novel kind of girl. I had read the Host a few years back and thought it was complete awesomeness. But nothing else in that genre appealed to me. Well, after reading the reviews for Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout, I decided to give it a shot. Such an AMAZING book! I admit I'm sort of obsessed now and I'm counting down the days until the sequel comes out.

Review-Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer Armentrout

Goodreads Summary:

Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.

Publication Date: November 29, 2011

I have a complex relationship with science fiction themed novels. Whenever I hear aliens I either think of cheesy Star Trek episodes with ray guns and bad special effects or the hilarity of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. After I read The Host and absolutely LOVED it, I decided to give more sci-fi novels a chance. Someone recommended Across the Universe which I thought was okay, but I wasn't blown away. I was BLOWN away by Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout. I loved it so much that I'm seriously contemplating starting a Daemon Black fan club (if there isn't already one lol).

What I Liked: Daemon, duh! Seriously though, Armentrout created the perfect male hero (anti-hero?) with Daemon. He's arrogant, gorgeous and also happens to be an alien. I usually don't like jerky guys in books, but his guard is up with good reason. I loved his protectiveness about his sister (and later Katy) and this definitely helps endear him to readers. Plus, the chemistry between him and Katy was amazing!

Katy was a great protagonist for the story. She's tough and doesn't put up with his crap just because he is good-looking and has "issues" (I'm looking at you Anastasia Steele).

The plot was exciting and the pacing excellent. The Arum was a good choice as villains and the ending was the perfect set-up for the next book. The Kindle version I purchased also included bonus chapters from Daemon's POV which was also very enjoyable.

What I Didn't Like: That the book ended =)

Rating: Five out of five stars