Change of Plans

Okay, so I know I said I was reading Deerskin, but I was having trouble getting into the story, plus I really wanted to know Teresa and Jase's story.  So here is the review of Be with Me by J. Lynn part of the Wait for You series.

Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year- she's in love with her big brother's best friend, but hasn't spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss.  She got out of a terrible relationship.  And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good.  It's time for Plan B- college.  And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he's not telling anyone.  Especially not his best friend's incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority.  He certainly doesn't have time for a relationship.  But it doesn't help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they're thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can't keep denying their feelings for each other.  But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes.  As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they're willing to risk to be together, and what they're willing to lose if they're not..

The Breakdown:
1. I think I might have liked this story better than Wait for You. Teresa is fun and smart, and Jase is super sexy. The danger in this book is much more real that what was hinted at in Wait for You.

2. I really liked Teresa.  Despite set backs in her life, an abusive past relationship and injury possibly ending her dance career, she is up beat and strong.  She is a very vibrant character.

3. Jase has some serious baggage.  I did, however, figure out one of his secrets before he revealed it, but it is totally understandable why he has issue getting into a relationship.

4. I totally want Calla's story (Teresa's friend).  There were some definite hints dropped that she an interesting past. Figures crossed that the next book, Stay with Me, will be her book.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Currently Reading:
Let's try this again:
Deerskin
by Robin McKinley

Two for Tuesday

Wait for You and Trust in Me are the first two books in J. Lynn (a Jennifer L. Armentrout pen name) series Wait for You.  They are the same story but Wait for You is from Avery's perspective and Trust in Me is from Cam's.

Wait for You:
Traveling Thousands of miles from home to enter college was the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgensten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago- an event that forever changed her life.  All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe- please God- make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace.  The one thing she didn't need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she's building for herself.

Somethings are worth experiencing...
Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her.  She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that dimple that's just so...so lickable.  Getting involved with him is dangerous but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet...
But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she's has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurfaces this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for...

Trust in Me:
Cameron Hamilton is used to getting what he wants, especially when it comes to women.  But when Avery Morgansten comes crashing into his life- literally- he finally meets the one person who can resist his soulful baby blues.  But Cam's not ready to give up.  He can't get the feisty and intriguing girl out his head

Avery has secrets, secrets that keep her from admitting the feeling Cam knows she has for him.  Will persistence (and some delicious homemade cookies) help him break down her barriers and gain her trust? Or will he be shit out Avery's life, losing his first real shot at the kind of love that lasts forever?

The Breakdown:
1. So I read this two back to back, which I think worked out really well.  I just going to review them together since they are the same story from different perspectives.  I really love this concept once I started reading Trust in Me. It is nice to get both of the main characters thoughts and reactions to situations, and to know what they think about and talk about with their friends when they are apart.

2. Wow, Avery is one amazing young woman.  She has been through so much and survived. It is totally understandable her hesitancy with Cam in not only starting a relationship but in trusting him.

3. I want a Cam Hamilton! He is sweet, protective, patient, romantic, the boy can bake, and oh yeah, he is super hot. Okay, so his protective streak has gotten him in trouble in the past, but once you know the story it is totally understandable.

4. J. Lynn does an excellent job with her supporting characters in these two books. Avery and Cam's friends are fun and supportive, and I want of them. (Good thing the third book is Cam's best friend Jase.)  Cam's family is awesome, who wouldn't like them.  Avery's family on the other hand, not so much.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read (both)

Currently Reading:
Deerskin
by Robin McKinley

Don't Look Back

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and surprisingly for me, not part of a series.

Samantha is a stranger in her own life.  Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all- popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has not recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night.  As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of.  The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies.  Same is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery.  She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried of Sam's memory- someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet.  All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what is not remembering is only thing keeping Sam alive?

The Breakdown:
1. I am a big fan of JLA's Lux series, so naturally I had to try this book out. It is a very different from Lux, but still wonderfully written.  It is definitely a thriller that will keep you guessing on what really happened to Sam and Cassie.

2. Love that this book shows how complex the human brain is by the way Sam losses her memory, and the way things come back to her. It is really fascinating to see how the puzzle pieces of Sam's life come together, and how sometimes she has the piece but has no idea where it goes.

3. Like Sam's character.  She truly is a character that gets to right her wrongs because life before the incident, she was a real witch. She is amazingly strong and determined despite remembering nothing, she does not spend time going woe is me.

4. Liked Sam's brother Scott.  He was cute and protective of his sister, even though she had not always been very nice to him.

5. Loved Carson! He is kind, smart, and always looking out for Sam. He knows her so well, even when she was a horrible person, he knew she was better than the way she acted.

To Read or Not to Read:
Must Read

Currently Reading:
Wait for You
by J. Lynn

Three Little Stories

Bridge of Snow by Marie Rutkoski is a prequel of sorts to The Winner's Curse.

Ignore the stirrings of War.  Let the carriage to the royal ball wait.  There is a story to be told: of a starless night, a mother and her sick son, and a mortal who falls in love with the snow god, and will do anything to have her...

The Breakdown:
1. This is a wonderful short that gives a glimpse of Arin's childhood before his home was invaded.  The story he wanted to hear makes it easy to see why he fell for Kestrel. While the story is not necessay to understand The Winner's Curse, it definitely adds to the series.

To Read or Not to Read
Read



Homecoming by Richelle Mead takes place not long after the events of Last Sacrifice.

Rose and Dimitri are going back to Russia to see Dimitri's family, something that both of them sorely need.  Dimitri has finally been restored into a dhampir, after forcibly changed into Strigoi.  His family needs to see him for themselves, and Rose needs to go back to Russia and face her trauma from the trip she made before.

The Breakdown:
1. Liked getting to see who Dimitri interacted with his family. It as easy to see how much he loves them, and how happy they are to have him back.

2. Liked getting to see Rose and Dimitri happy in love with each other without anything standing between them. They work so well together.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read



Radiant by Cynthia Hand is a novella that comes between Hallowed and Boundless.

Clara is desperate to get away- from the memories that haunt her in Wyoming and the visions of the future she isn't ready to face- and spending the summer in Italy with her best friend, Angela, should be the perfect escape..

For as long as she can remember, Angela has been told that love is dangerous, that she must always guard her heart.  But when she met a mysterious guy in Italy two years ago she was determine to be with him, no matter the costs.  Now she must decide whether she can trust Clara with her secret, or if telling her the truth will risk everything she cares about.

The Breakdown:
1. The story switches between Clara and Angela perspective. It is interesting to see how each views situations differently.

2. I have to admit, I have not been a big fan of Angela in the novels.  She was too pushy, too intense, and at times didn't seem to care for Clara's feelings.  I think getting her perspective on life in this gives a better picture of why she is the way she is.

3. I have a feeling that Angel's  mysterious guy might end up playing an important role in Boundless, so it will interesting to see how the events in this novella effect the series.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Messenger

Messenger is the third book in Lois Lowry's The Giver series.

Trouble is brewing in Village.  Once a utopian community that welcomed strangers, Village will soon be cut off to all outsiders.  As one of the few able to traverse the forbidding Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village's closing and try to convince Seer's daughter Kira to return with him before it's too late.  But Forest is now hostile to Matty, too, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it.

The Breakdown:
1. So many dystopian society book show this society many years after the breakdown that lead to why society is the way it it, but this book takes a different approach.  In Messenger, Lowry shows what caused the breakdown in Village's way of life.  It really brings into focus how much fear and hatred can alter a society.

2. Matty's character showed fantastic progress as a character from Gathering Blue to this book.  He as grown up so much from the little tyke Matt, the Fiercest of the Fierce, to the young man he is in this book.  Honestly he appears much wiser than some of the adults in Village at times.

3. This book really ties the series together from The Giver and Gathering Blue, especially once you figure out who Leader is.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Currently Reading:
Don't Look Back
by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Last Adventure

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead is the final book in her Vampire Academy series.

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules.  She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladmir's Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa.  She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri.  And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose- for a crime she didn't even commit.  She's in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch.  She'll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the Clock on Rose's life is running out.  Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back.. and this time she is truly out of second chances.  The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will you save?

The Breakdown:
1. Mead keeps the action going in this book.  Between Rose and Dimitri's escape from Court and their quest to find Lissa sibling, and Lissa, Adrian, and Christian at Court working on who murder Titiana and set Rose up to take the fall. There is rarely a dull moment in this book.

2. Loved seeing Dimitri slowly become his old self again.  It is amazing to watch his transformation for being so guilt ridden about his time as Stragoi to learning to appreciate beauty again, and letting his feeling return to him.

3. Liked the way that Rose sorted out her feelings for Dimitri and Adrian. I felt she really has progressed in maturity through the books, and was able to see what she really needed out of a relationship.

4. Finally having finished this series, makes me understand the characters so much more in Bloodlines and the events that lead up to the start of that series. I would definitely read this series first and then start Bloodline, don't be like me and do it backwards.

5. Oh, and wow, Tatiana's murder came as quite the shock to me. Great job with that reveal Mead, I did not see that coming.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Currently Reading:
Messenger
by Lois Lowry

Evolution at Its Best

The Evolution  of Mara Dyer is the second book of the Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin.

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past, she can't.

She used to think her problems were all in her head, they aren't.

She couldn't imagine that after everything she's been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets, she's wrong.

The Breakdown:
1. Hodkin has written an amazing YA psychological thriller with her Mara Dyer books. This one keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering exactly what Jude is planning, and what he wants from Mara. Plus, even though I know Jude is alive, I can't help but to question Mara sanity at times.

2. I find Noah an intriguingly complex character, and even after two books Hodkin has more surprises in store for his story. The complex dynamic of his powers, family life, and love for Mara have me wanting so much more from him.  He is like an onion with all the layers he has, and Hodkin is doing a fantastic job of slowly peeling them away to reveal to the reader.

3. Hodkin adds an interesting component into this book with Mara's past life flashbacks/genetic memories. I am still unsure which she is going for whether flashbacks or genetic memories since the characters discussed both possibilities, but I am interested how this will play into the conclusion of the story.

4. I can't help to like Mara. Her love of her family is incredible, and she is strong in her love and loyalty to them despite the fact that don't believe that Jude is alive. I think my favorite scene in the book was between Mara and her brother Daniel when they did the I wish I could tell my family exercise at the treatment facility.

5. Dislike the fact that I have to wait until November for the final book in the trilogy. I am dying to know what is going to happen.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read

Currently Reading:
Last Sacrifice
by Richelle Mead