The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Summary:
I wanted the role of Juliet more than anything. I studied hard. I gave a great reading for it, even with Bobby checking me out the whole time. I deserved the part.

I didn't get it. So I decided to level the playing field, though I actually might have leveled the whole play. You see, since there aren't any Success in Getting to Be Juliet in Your High School Play spells, I thought I'd cast the next best; a Fame spell. Good idea, right?

Yeah. Instead of bringing me a little fame, it brought me someone a little famous. Shakespeare. Well, Edmund Shakespeare. William's younger brother.

Good thing he's sweet and enthusiastic about helping me with the play...and, ahem, maybe a little bit hot. But he's from the past. Way past. Cars amaze him - cars! And cell phones? Ugh.

Still, there's something about him that's making my eyes go star-crossed...

My Thoughts:
Um.....so far, VERY light & fluffy. I mean VERY. Not sure if this book is me. I do like the premise, so I will keep reading :)

**Update: Yes, it remained light & fluffy & cute. The writing was choppy and the pace was way off. The way some of the characters reacted to certain things that, in real life, would need days to wrap your head around, was entirely unrealistic. And the mom, she's perfectly fine with everything that is happening with her teenage daughter. What?!? I mean, why would she have any questions or concerns about the guy from Elizabethan England staying with them? And Edmund, I think he adjusted to the whole situation far too quickly. It was all too easy. I think the writer could have done SO much more with the premise.

I'm sure there will be loads of readers that will love this book. There are some sweet moments, I'll admit, but not enough to carry the whole story or make up for the pacing problems.

Format: Kindle eARC provided by Netgalley

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A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Summary:
On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites—like fire and ice—Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

My Thoughts:
So far, this book is just "ok". Nothing to write home about. I'm having a difficult time connecting or relating to any of the characters, they all seem kind of flat. I'm almost halfway through and not sure if I even care what happens to these characters, not a good sign for me. The writing is not bad, it just has an overall generic feel to it.

**Update: Finished the book and my feelings about it have not changed. It didn't get much better, in my opinion. It took half the book to get to the actual gist of it and when it got there, I was left wanting more. Flat, one dimensional characters. The mythology was interesting, but not enough to make me love the story. It just wasn't for me. I'm sure some people will love this, though.

The writing is fine, I just didn't connect with it. The artwork on the cover is beautiful. The book definitely ended in a way that pretty much guarantees this will be a series. I don't think I'll be reading the next book, if there is one, I just can't muster up enough feeling to care about what happens to Skye, sorry.

Format: Kindle eARC provided by Netgalley

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Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary:
It was a beautiful, warm summer day, the day Danny died.

Suddenly Wren was alone and shattered. In a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, Wren decides that what she wants--what she must do--is to bring Danny back.

But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy Wren fell in love with. His touch is icy; his skin, smooth and stiff as marble; his chest, cruelly silent when Wren rests her head against it.

Wren must keep Danny a secret, hiding him away, visiting him at night, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school, and Wren realizes that somehow, inexplicably, he can sense the powers that lie within her--and that he knows what she has done. And now Gabriel wants to help make things right.

But Wren alone has to undo what she has wrought--even if it means breaking her heart all over again.

My Thoughts:
The premise of this book definitely has the creepy factor and going into it I knew it had the potential to be disturbing. Boy, was I wrong! I'm so glad I read it. From the first page, I was drawn in to this story. When Danny, the boy she loves with all her heart, dies in a terrible car accident, Wren is devastated and lost and ends up doing something that will change her to the core. See, Wren is different and she's always known that but not to what extent. She comes from a line of women who have "powers" but she's just learning the extent of that and what she can really do.

When she loses Danny, her first love, she performs a ritual that she hopes will bring him back from the dead. It works, much to her surprise, and what follows is such a beautiful story of heartbreak, longing, and love and the lengths that some will go to hold on to what they love most.

I was never creeped out by undead Danny, even though he's basically a walking corpse. It all gets to be too much for her, though, hiding Danny away from the world, especially when undead Danny starts remembering things. Eventually, Wren realizes she needs to right what she has done...this is a character that definitely matures through the course of the story. With help from the new guy at school, Gabriel (who also has some powers of his own) she's able to finally say goodbye to Danny and start to mend her broken heart.

Wren is such a real, fleshed-out character, it was easy to see why these two guys would fall for her. I loved all of the flashbacks to the time before the accident, little glimpses into this young relationship. I never once thought any of it was far-fetched. The ONLY thing that bothered me, and I mean literally only one thing, was not having the issue with her father resolved. Why didn't we find out where the father was and why he'd left? All in all, a beautiful, sad, and lovely book. If you're the emotional type, I'd recommend having a few tissues handy :)

Format: Kindle eARC provided by Netgalley

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