BURNED by Karen Marie Moning:

Burned (Fever #7)

by Karen Marie Moning

It’s easy to walk away from lies. Power is another thing.

MacKayla Lane would do anything to save the home she loves. A gifted sidhe-seer, she’s already fought and defeated the deadly Sinsar Dubh—an ancient book of terrible evil—yet its hold on her has never been stronger.

When the wall that protected humans from the seductive, insatiable Fae was destroyed on Halloween, long-imprisoned immortals ravaged the planet. Now Dublin is a war zone with factions battling for control. As the city heats up and the ice left by the Hoar Frost King melts, tempers flare, passions run red-hot, and dangerous lines get crossed. 

Seelie and Unseelie vie for power against nine ancient immortals who have governed Dublin for millennia; a rival band of sidhe-seers invades the city, determined to claim it for their own; Mac’s former protégé and best friend, Dani “Mega” O’Malley, is now her fierce enemy; and even more urgent, Highland druid Christian MacKeltar has been captured by the Crimson Hag and is being driven deeper into Unseelie madness with each passing day. The only one Mac can depend on is the powerful, dangerous immortal Jericho Barrons, but even their fiery bond is tested by betrayal.

It’s a world where staying alive is a constant struggle, the line between good and evil gets blurred, and every alliance comes at a price. In an epic battle against dark forces, Mac must decide who she can trust, and what her survival is ultimately worth.

What I thought: 

The Fever Series is hands-down my favorite series. Period. Barrons is probably the most-perfectly written alpha male in all of forever.

Ms. Moning has mastered the art of delving deep into the layers of a character and making them come alive on the page. They're so real that I freaking dream about them. I've been dying to read this book for two years. In the meantime, there's been so much speculation as to where the series was going.

Reading some of the reviews for book #6 ICED, I see some people were unhappy where Ms. Moning took the series--making Dani the main POV character. Everyone is, of course, entitled to their own opinion, but I didn't see the problem. Yes Dani was 14, yes all the other characters (i.e. the men in the series) are college age or older, but I didn't get the inappropriate vibe at all. I really enjoyed Dani's voice, her spirit, and, let's face it, she's not exactly sheltered, right? But, to me, it didn't feel like a bunch of old dudes were lusting after a teenager.

Onto book #7, BURNED:

Ms. Moning managed to do something here that, I think, most authors struggle with after the two main characters reach their Happily Ever After: there is still tension between Mac and Barrons. A lot of it. Tension is good; it makes the reader want to keep reading. I did.

Some reviewers have raked this book, and its author, over the coals, saying making Mac the main POV character was a sell-out--caving into the almighty dollar. I couldn't disagree more. Is Mac the same ass-kicking girl from book 5? No. Did I expect her to be? No. She's facing the same problem on a different front. If she acted exactly the same, where's the story in that? Could someone else have narrated this book? Good question. I don't see how.

With the exception of one--which I can't give away--none of the story lines are neatly tied with a bow. Because the story isn't over. I like the additional POVs here. They add to the complexity of the narrative and I think they're absolutely necessary for the reader to get the big picture. Did I want more? Yes. I would've like a little more of Dani toward the beginning (no spoilers) and I'm not sure how I feel about the twist at the end, because I saw it coming and was only surprised that Ms. Moning didn't leave it hanging until the next book.

As a whole, I loved this book. I will re-read it, probably multiple times before the next book is released.

I rate it 5 STARS and highly recommend it. If you haven't read books #1 through #6, definitely read them first.

Check it out on Goodreads or BUY IT at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.


Have you read it? I'd love to know what you thought about it?

Happy Reading!
Chelly

SWAY by Kat Spears

Sway

by Kat Spears

In Kat Spears’s hilarious and often poignant debut, high school senior Jesse Alderman, or "Sway," as he’s known, could sell hell to a bishop. He also specializes in getting things people want---term papers, a date with the prom queen, fake IDs. He has few close friends and he never EVER lets emotions get in the way. For Jesse, life is simply a series of business transactions.

But when Ken Foster, captain of the football team, leading candidate for homecoming king, and all-around jerk, hires Jesse to help him win the heart of the angelic Bridget Smalley, Jesse finds himself feeling all sorts of things. While following Bridget and learning the intimate details of her life, he falls helplessly in love for the very first time. He also finds himself in an accidental friendship with Bridget’s belligerent and self-pitying younger brother who has cerebral palsy. Suddenly, Jesse is visiting old folks at a nursing home in order to run into Bridget, and offering his time to help the less fortunate, all the while developing a bond with this young man who idolizes him. Could the tin man really have a heart after all?

A Cyrano de Bergerac story with a modern twist, Sway is told from Jesse’s point of view with unapologetic truth and biting humor, his observations about the world around him untempered by empathy or compassion---until Bridget’s presence in his life forces him to confront his quiet devastation over a life-changing event a year earlier and maybe, just maybe, feel something again.

What I thought:

In the spirit of full disclosure, I did not buy this book. A literary agent--the always lovely and extremely funny Ms. Barbara Poelle--did a quick giveaway via twitter and I called dibs. I've been venturing into YA slowly, just dipping my toe in the water so to speak, and I figured what better way to find a great read than to have one hand-picked by someone who reads for a living?

I was not wrong.

The MC is the anti-hero in every sense of the word. Jesse was so unlikeable at the beginning that I fell in love. He is the center of his universe and I was happy to be sucked right into it. I love a bad boy--what girl doesn't--but Jesse isn't your typical womanizing sleaze. Oh no, he's so much worse. I don't want to get too spoiler-y, (is that a word?) so I'll just say that there is a romantic aspect here, and it is marvelous.

The only stumbling block for me, which I think stems from this being a YA read and my brain resting in a very adult place, was there were a couple of places where the telling was a little too telling for me, but, again, that's probably just my hang-up. The ending was...well no spoilers, but I loved it. LOVED IT. This book pushed all my happy buttons and the ending pulled everything together perfectly.

I rate this book 4 1/2 golden, glittering stars, and highly recommend it to YA and adult readers alike.

I love an anti-hero and this book delivers that in spades. The MC was so unlikable at the beginning that I fell in love. The only stumbling block I hit here probably stems from the fact that I am not a big YA reader (though I am trying to remedy that) but I did feel that a few scenes dragged a little toward the middle. Due to this, and my short attention span, it took me a while to get to the end, but I'm so glad I did. I loved the ending. LOVED IT. No spoilers, but I highly recommend this book.

Buy it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble and let me know what you think.

Do you love an anti-hero? Got any amazing reads to recommend? Leave a comment and let me know. If you include your twitter handle, if you have one, I'll be sure to follow you. :)

Have a great weekend and take care,
Chelly

My Review of OPERATION CINDERELLA by Hope Tarr

My Review of OPERATION CINDERELLA by Hope Tarr;

First let me say that I haven't read contemporary romance in ages. Many ages. These days I read mostly speculative fiction, but I'm trying to branch out into other areas to see what's out there. I found OPERATION CINDERELLA as a free read when it popped up in my twitter feed. I am very skeptical of free books, but I read the first pages, was pleasantly surprised, and added it to my bookshelf.

With romance comes third person narrative; I knew what I was getting into. I do prefer first person, so I wasn't too shocked when the story had a little more telling (as opposed to showing) than I like. Since I'm used to the extra close perspective that comes with a first person narrative, obviously I'm biased. 

That aside, I really liked the story here. I found the set- up believable and the characters engaging. The left versus right issue was fun, because, really all couples have some areas where they disagree, so their opposing party lines worked as a good obstacle.

Overall, OPERATION CINDERELLA was a fun, fast read. Macie's underlying relationship issues were handled well and the ending was so very satisfying.

I rate this a solid 4 stars and will definitely pick up the next one.  :)

I'm not sure how long it will be free but you can find it at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Amazon has it as a bundle, which I recommend.

Thanks for reading. Comments are welcome.

Have you read it? Did you love it? Hate it? What is your favorite romance novel? Or any genre, really.

Take care!

THE DEVIL'S INTERN by Donna Hosie

The Devil's Intern (The Devil's #1)

by Donna Hosie 

"How did you die?"

It's the most popular question in Hell, and Mitchell Johnson has been answering it ever since he was hit by a bus at age seventeen and inexplicably ended up in the Underworld. Now Mitchell is The Devil's intern in Hell's accounting office. Lately, he's noticed a disturbing trend: the volume of new arrivals is straining Hell's limited resources. Then Mitchell overhears his boss discussing plans to limit newcomers with a legendary time travel mechanism. With a device like that, Mitchell realizes, he could change history and prevent his own death. 

Mitchell's plot goes awry when his three closest friends—Alfarin, the Viking prince; Elinor, from 17th-century London; and Melissa, from 1960s San Francisco—insert themselves into his plans. It soon becomes clear that the fates of all four are entwined in dangerous and unpredictable ways. With unforgettable characters and a thrilling premise, this original novel is by turns funny, poignant, and thought-provoking.

What I thought:

First let me say that this book wasn't even on my radar until my Twitter feed was peppered with tweets when it was a free book on Amazon. I certainly don't mind getting a free book, but I tend to be hyper critical of them. Call me skeptical, but I always read a few pages before I add a freebie to my library.

Here, I read more than a few pages. A then a few more.

Present tense usually throws me off. After a while, it starts to feel tedious, but the execution here is so well done that I stopped noticing it. Yay. The premise drew me in from the start and the story kept me glued to the page. The characters are fully fleshed and perfectly flawed, so much so that they crawl off the page and remind you to pick up your reader and sprint to the end. I am easily distracted and tend to read multiple books at once, jumping from one to the other when I lose interest. That didn't happen here. I didn't want this book to end, but I loved the ending.

I rate THE DEVIL'S INTERN 5 stars!

I think this book is considered YA, but I don't read a lot of YA and I loved it, so I'd recommend it to lovers of YA and Adult books. Donna Hosier is going on my list of must-read authors.

BUY it at   Amazon  or Barnes & Noble

Or check it out on Goodreads

So what should I read next?