Sea of Stars by Amy A. Bartol

"This, Brothers, is our declaration of war." 

The war on Ethar has begun, and the only thing that Kricket Hollowell can do is fight to stay alive as every side guns for her powers. The second book in the Kricket series picks up right where the first left off, plunging the reader back into Ethar with a vengeance. This action packed sequel takes place in the first battle of the war, and sets the stage for a supernova of a series.

"'You killed Kenny,' I groan with my lips chattering, 'you bastard...'" 

Kricket has lost none of the rambunctious personality that enthralled readers in the first book. Her clever quips are paired perfectly with an emerging sensitivity as she allows people to grow closer to her. She's lost the ability to act without consequence, and has surrendered her heart of stone for one of paper, though not nearly as fragile. It's easy to see the conflict in her personality as she struggles with having people be dependent on her for the first time in her life, and the fear of losing them. But despite the slightly heavier plot in the second book, the depth of her personality is really shown as she fights for what and who she loves. Don't worry, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments timed perfectly to break the tension as well. In another review I read there was concern expressed that Kricket is too much like Evie from the Premonition series. After giving it some thought I've come to the conclusion that they do share similarities, but mostly it's the goodness in them that is alike, not necessarily their actions or their words. Therefore the similarities in the characters are not an issue because they are two story about good people, which is what people want to read about.

"I promise that it'll be you and me from this moment forward–whatever happens." 

The romance also expands much more in this book. While the first book in the series could easily pass for YA, this book definitely crosses into New Adult territory. I don't know that I would call it adult because of the youth (or appearance of youth) of the characters, but I wouldn't recommend this book for younger teens, because things do get pretty steamy. Despite this book being packed with nonstop action, that doesn't mean there's a lack of romance. In fact, being a reader who gets bored without romance, I was never able to put this down. Ingrained in every moment of the fighting there is something that anchors the character's actions and motivations, providing a perfect line to keep the reader hooked.

"There'll be no martyrs here, Kricket. I'll tear your heart off your sleeve and bury it deep in my chest. Your savage heart will beat for me. Run if you think you can–I'll hunt you down." 

There is no shortage of Kyon in this book either. While the first focused on Trey and Kricket coming together, this book begins to expand the politics of the world and some of the other characters. We are introduced to some of the other priestesses, and from just their few short scenes, it's clear there's a lot going on behind the scenes in the Alameeda clan. I was delighted with Kyon's character in this book, and I can tell that this was setting up for a lot more to come in the third.

"Stealing oxygen while being tethered to the sky, that's what it feels like to be loved by Trey." 

There are too many amazing quotes from this book to include in one short review. I'm pretty sure my kindle version is almost completely highlighted. I'm excited to read this again, because with the speed at which I devoured it, there's certain to be even more beneath the surface waiting to be found on the second pass. 

"You made me love you! You're not allowed to give up, do you understand? No surrender to death. Whatever happens, you have to survive it." 

As a fan of the Premonition series, I can honestly say I'm glad Miss Bartol wrote those first. They allowed her to hone her skills and practice literary techniques so that she could produce this incredible–and in my opinion, better–series. This is going to be a whirlwind of a series, and the only regret I have is that it's going to be a long wait for the rest of the story. 

Read it, you won't regret it. 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/996433574

Lost and Found by Nicole Williams

Rowen doesn't care what other people think about her. She doesn't care when mothers move their kids away from her on the street, or when people mutter, "Freak," as they take in her punk clothes. She's been on her own her entire life, with an absentee mother who couldn't care less and a father she doesn't even know the name of. The last stop she has to make on her way to college is a summer at Willow Springs Ranch, in Montana. What she doesn't expect to find is unconditional love and a family like she's only dreamed could exist. A summer of love, loss and acceptance, a summer that will change Rowen forever.

"We all want to open up to someone, Rowen. The hard part is finding someone we trust enough to open up to. That person we're not afraid to let into the darkest parts of our world."

Rowen was a great main character. We know she's had a rough past, but it isn't until the end of the book that her mystery is really revealed. While it's entirely possible to guess the big reveal, there are aspects of it that make it an original plot twist, and that much more tragic. She really doesn't let what people say to her get under her skin, and has lots of witty comebacks herself. Despite her damaged exterior and history of making bad decisions, she's real enough of a person to really like and relate to.

"I wasn't living with just the nicest family in existence; they were probably descendants of Aristotle."

The Walkers were a fantastic family, and have been born and raised in Montana, not far from the truth when it comes to how ranch families are. They have a great dynamic and their interactions always aid to the plot, they're not just filler. How they accept Rowen into their lives and family is wonderful, and every conversation with Rose left me beaming at me Kindle like a complete fool.

'"I will rise, but I do not shine," I croaked as I stood. "Even if I did, I sure as heck wouldn't this early."'

The ranch living was quite accurate, though an aspect that was never approached in this book is the farming. Most ranch families also have a subsistence farm that the women take care of while the men are out with the cattle. When you live that far from town, you can't drive in every time you run out of lettuce. Before I go any further I must put in however, that I think Ms. Williams chose the wrong side of the state. I live thirty minutes from a ranch called Willow Springs, and I live in the third largest town in Montana. We're not huge, but it's a college town and definitely not the stick that she was describing. Western Montana is dead set in the Rocky Mountains, the plains are out east, where most of the ranches and farms are. But other than that little location hiccup, I applaud the new territory.

'"Check those pancakes. I think they're smoking." His dimples set into his cheeks. "What can I say? I have that effect on things."

Jesse deserves to have that cocky attitude, and boy did I enjoy it. He's not a troubled bad boy who lashes out at people–that's Rowen's job. He's a boy with a dark past who overcame it to become a better person, and man was that a great change of pace. He's funny, smart, witty and kind. Men can't get much better than that. He sees in Rowen the girl she tries to hide from everyone else, and doesn't for a moment think that she's just a screw-up girl with no future. This isn't an abusive relationship, as many YA novels these days are. They are one hundred percent good for each other, and that's a breath of fresh air if I ever took one.

'"We don't deserve anything, Rowen. We don't deserve punishment, we don't deserve happiness, life owes us nothing. Realize that." His voice wasn't gentle anymore; it was as strong as I'd ever heard it. "So we have to take what we want because life sure as shit isn't going to freely hand it over." He kissed the skin just above my collar bone. "And I want you."' 

This book will drop some doozies on you, but it doesn't seem like it's trying too hard. It's just chalk full of wisdom that I'm highly tempted to paint in calligraphy on my wall. This isn't a heartbreaker, it's a book that will leave you grinning from ear to ear and completely satisfied once you put it down. There's a second book, but it's not a cliffhanger ending. It's bright, happy and resolves all the main conflicts. In fact, it's so great I'm scared of what the second might do to my heart.

So read on fellow Nicole Williams fans, and embrace the cowboy you never knew you wanted.

Five Stars

Rosalie Williams

Lost and Found on Goodreads

 

 

 

Beware of Bad Boy by April Brookshire

After her parent's messy divorce, Gianna's mom remarried a nice man three years ago. She's totally fine with Scott, but not his arrogant son whom she's never met. After refusing to meet his dad's new family for years, Caleb's mom finally reached her limit on his partying, and sent him to live with his father. Completely different people, Gianna and Caleb both immediately hate each other. But they both see in each other something that's missing from their own lives, and that might just be enough to overcome anything.

"'Nice to meet you, sis," he said with a chuckle. I felt his warm breath on my ear as he added in a whisper only I hear, 'Wanna sleep in my bed tonight?'"

I've never really delved much into the contemporary genre, because I didn't think I'd like it much. But after reading Perfect Chemistry, I was hooked, and downloaded every free kindle book in that same genre I could find. Some of them–not great. This one–fantastic.

"It was funny how people were always telling me how lucky I was. Lucky to be so beautiful. Lucky to do well in school. Lucky to be dating Josh. Right now, when it came to stepbrothers, I was feeling decidedly unlucky."

Gianna is the kind of character I like. She's beautiful, really beautiful, but doesn't care. A lot of the book focuses on the transition of her relying on her physical beauty to her inner beauty. People always judge her based on the way she looks–especially Caleb–but she's not at all what they expect on the inside. She's witty and I love the dialogue throughout the entire book. She's exciting and fun, and while she might be a little whiny at some parts, she's a teenage girl, let's be realistic. Her dancing was a really fun part of the book, and the club exposure was a nice touch.

"Getting jealous over a guy like Caleb would be like getting jealous over a swing at a public park. It was free for anyone to have a ride." 

Caleb is a huge player, and super flirty. I love the things he says, and he owns up to the things he's done. Especially when him and Gianna are dating, he admits that he doesn't know how to be romantic, and I appreciate that because not every guy does. He is who he is, and Gianna accepts him for that. However, his development in this book is nice because he does go from a huge player to someone who wants to change their lives for the better. Sure he corrupts Gianna some along the way, but he also changes into someone who cares more about other people than just himself.

"Before I met Gianna, I'd thought I was living life to the fullest, wild and carefree. Now that I had her in my life I understood what it really meant to feel alive."

Their relationship in this is really good. They don't fall in love at first sight. In fact, it all starts with Caleb hitting on her just like he would any hot girl, and then blackmailing her into spending time with him. Of course, she gets him back, and to avoid any spoilers I'll just say that I literally laughed out loud multiple times during this book. It's a little strange because they're supposed to be stepsiblings, but here's why I was okay with it: 1. They'd never met before and had been living together for a week before they started getting serious. 2. They're NOT blood related. 3. They never seem like siblings! So yeah, I loved it.

There's not a moment where the story gets boring, because things happen right after the other, without every feeling rushed. I'll say this, a lot happens in this book, and that's exactly what kept me engaged and interested. I even read it twice, which I hardly ever do!

I love this book, and I've already read the second, and am dying for the third to come out! For a cheap/free amazon book it has very few editing errors, and they weren't that bad, and the rest of the writing was pretty good, so it didn't really bother me that much. Unfortunately, this book has raised the standard for contemporary romance for me, which means I've already ruined a genre that I've just started!

Five Stars

Rosalie Williams

Beware of Bad Boy on Goodreads

 

 

 

Fall From Grace by Christine Zolendz

Grace has had her heart broken. Not by men, but by God. The people she loves have died endlessly as she is continuously shoved into the lived of dying women, as punishment for loving an angel. She doesn't feel anything for men, until Shane. A tattooed, guitar playing rock star, not to mention a man-whore (pardon my language), Grace doesn't know why she takes notice of him. She has to find her angel, because she'll never love another.

First of all, all that talk about witty heroines, wipe it from your mind. I thought I knew witty and strong heroines. False. Grace is level-minded and hilarious, two traits I love in a main character. She likes Shane, she doesn't deny it, but she also doesn't fall all over him to be used and abused. Unlike most girls in books these days, he falls in love with her first, and she remains funny and charming the whole time. I really liked Grace to be honest.

Shane is hot and intense. He doesn't always say the right things, but in the end he comes around. Most of the time he tries to deny his attraction to Grace, but everyone can see how he feels. There is another book that tells the story from his point of view, and I cannot wait to read it.

Grace is beautiful, and because I'm a sucker like that, I love it when guys hit on her. It's amusing, I know, shame on me, but I can't help it!

There are a few mistakes, as any amazon publisher will have, but all in all it was really good. The writing is much better than what I'd come to expect from amazon writers, and best yet–the books aren't expensive and don't raise in price further down the series (I loath that)!

I very much enjoyed this, and it should probably be on the top of the amazon free books list. It has some adult content, while no actual sex, things get pretty heated (wink wink) so evaluate your maturity before reading this, it's not a young adult book.

Bravo

Four Stars

Rosalie Williams

Fall From Grace on Goodreads