A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
5 out of 5 stars

Summary:
Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

My Thoughts: 
I have the worst book hangover!! That was incredible, exceeded my expectations by 1000%. This book gave me a raging case of the swoons, but that ending?!? Way to obliterate my heart! Needless to say, I went to sleep with thoughts of murdering a certain High Lord.

This book was EVERYTHING.

I don't know what to do with my life now...help! More to come....

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
5 out of 5 stars

Summary:
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

My Thoughts: 
Wow. I don't think any other book I read this year will even come close to how insanely fantastic this book is. It's a shout-it-from-the-rooftops, buy-a-copy-for-everyone-you-know, re-read-it-constantly, sleep-with-it-under-your-pillow, carry-it-everywhere-you-go kind of fantastic. Just read it. That is all.

Dissonance by Erica O'Rourke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary:
Delancy Sullivan has always known there’s more to reality than what people see. Every time someone makes a choice, a new, parallel world branches off from the existing one. Eating breakfast or skipping it, turning left instead of right, sneaking out instead of staying in bed ~ all of these choices create an alternate universe in which an echo self takes the road not travelled and makes the opposite decision. As a Walker, someone who can navigate between these worlds, Del’s job is to keep all of the dimensions in harmony.

Normally, Del can hear the dissonant frequency that each world emits as clear as a bell. But when a training session in an off-key world goes horribly wrong, she is forbidden from Walking by the Council. But Del’s not big on following the rules and she secretly starts to investigate these other worlds. Something strange is connecting them and it’s not just her random encounters with echo versions of the guy she likes, Simon Lane.

But Del’s decisions have unimaginable consequences and, as she begins to fall for the Echo Simons in each world, she draws closer to a truth that the Council of Walkers is trying to hide ~ a secret that threatens the fate of the entire multiverse.

My Thoughts:

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Eversea by Natasha Boyd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary:
Keri Ann is a small town, independent girl, who has had quite a bit of tragedy in her life. She and her brother are just scraping by, trying to keep their historical family home in the family. She spends her free time trying to bring her home back to it's former glory, while also working as a waitress in the local diner. Everything seems to be going fine until an A-list movie star walks into the diner...and into her life, changing her forever.

My Thoughts:
First off, this book was a total guilty pleasure read for me, 100%. I read the sample on Amazon and liked the main character enough in the small amount provided. Also, I think it was $.99, so I figured what the hell! I wasn't disappointed.

I'll start out with some of the not so good stuff: it's very predictable (which I kinda figured it would be going into it), it has a lot of the typical romance tropes, and there wasn't really anything new or different about the overall story. Having said that, none of those things bothered me at all. Remember? Total guilty pleasure :)

Now, the good stuff...where do I begin?? How about Jack Eversea? I guess you could say Jack is your typical romance novel love interest, and you wouldn't be wrong. But somehow, Jack just worked for me. When it comes to book boyfriends, I'm typically not drawn to complete physical perfection, although there's nothing wrong with that! I like flaws, physical & character wise. But call it wish-fulfillment or whatever, Jack just did it for me. And can I just say, the first actor who came to mind when I pictured Jack when I started reading this was Henry Cavill...pre-Man of Steel, before he bulked up so much. Yum. My. Oh my.

Ok, I also really enjoyed Keri Ann. She was a little snarky, not as much as I usually like my female protagonists to be. But she also had a lot of heart. She was kind & she truly cared for the people she loved in her life, as was shown in her actions throughout the book. I appreciated that. There's nothing wrong with attitude & snark, but if there isn't any heart or goodness to back it up, it rubs me the wrong way. Her indecisiveness in regards to her relationship with Jack got on my nerves sometimes. She flip-flopped so much at times, I felt the whiplash from here! But, all-in-all, most of her decisions were sound.

Now, the steamy stuff! And boy there was some hot, steamy stuff here! The sex scenes were well-written and just how I like them. It's all about how it's worded for me, if the author is vulgar, it just doesn't do anything for me. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it just makes me want to skip it. But, here, the scenes were exactly how I like them :) And there were a lot of smexy scenes. I did roll my eyes quite a few times, namely because of how many times Keri Ann, who isn't the type of girl to fawn all over a guy because he's gorgeous, did exactly that. The amount of times she was speechless or tongue-tied because of his godly physique was a LOT. But then I thought, if Henry Cavill showed up at my door, I'd probably do the same thing, even though I'm not one of those girls either!

Ok, the secondary characters. I liked her best friend Jazz. Her brother Joey was ok. They served their purpose. Jazz was the most fleshed out of all of them. Look, this isn't a deep story, it's sweet & fun & sometimes sad, but it's not going to change your life or anything.

I also loved the setting...something about the South always gives me warm, happy feelings. This was set in South Carolina, a state I lurve to pieces! The whole feel of the book just made me want to curl up on a hammock in the shade, drinking lemonade, while reading.

All in all, it was a fun, romantic read, predictable, but still worth reading. And it highlights some of the ridiculousness of our celebrity-obsessed culture. I'd recommend this to anyone who needs a quick, guilty pleasure read for the summer :)

Book Format: Kindle Edition

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Reckoning by Lili St. Crow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary:
Nobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She's battled killer zombies, jealous djamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a full-fledged svetocha - rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires - the worst is yet to come.

Because getting out alive is going to cost more than she's ever imagined. And in the end, is survival really worth the sacrifice?

DRU ANDERSON'S NOT AFRAID OF THE DARK.
BUT SHE SHOULD BE.


My Thoughts:
I just don't like it when a series I love ends, not at all. And although I'm not ecstatic about the way this series ended, I get it. And it will not detract any stars from my rating. I do wish, however, that there were more books in the series to delve into this new element in the story.

It was mentioned in the other books but really became a part of the story in this last book. Also, this new revelation about Dru's heritage needs to be explored further. AND, of course, I NEED to find out what happens with Dru & Graves!

That's why I think there will be a new series, not exactly a spinoff, but something else with these characters. Maybe a continuation from Graves' perspective?? Do I sound desperately hopeful?? I am :)

Anyway, loved the book and really sad it's the end of the series.

Format: Paperback

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