Review: Breathless by Kelly Martin

    

Synopsis:
There's good.

There's evil.

Then there's her.

When Gracen Sullivan stabbed Hart Blackwell, she thought it was over. She thought the world was safe--safe from her. Stuck in the Abyss, watching as the evil inside her body takes over, she has to find some way to stop it.

Hart Blackwell expected to wake up in Hell. Instead, he woke up in his grave. With the world falling apart, he has to put the bad history with his brother in the past or there will be no future.

Armageddon has been set in motion. Enemies will have to work together or everything will end in fire and brimstone.

The Abomination is here. And she must be stopped no matter the consequences.


Review: Rating- 5+

There's no way I can write this review adequately enough: there aren't words for the emotions that this book will produce in you, I'm not an eloquent writer, and I haven't held this book in my heart long enough to give words to how amazing it is.

"Some of the most evil people in the world are the ones who hide behind righteousness. Who hide behind good and God and all that other stuff that makes them feel better than anybody else in the world. It makes them feel superior."

So, here's a review that doesn't give this book justice and some quotes that I loved from the book.

Breathless picks right up where Soulless left off. Let me tell you, those first two chapters do nothing short of put you straight into the characters life. You're thrown right into a world that is going to hell in a handbasket and no one has any idea of how to stop the Abomination.

"A part of me feels grateful that Seth did what he did. Without it, there would never have been a Gracen for me to love."

This is a journey of emotions, so many emotions, regret, guilt, sorrow, worry, happiness, helplessness, and love. There's Hart and Lucien together and Human and facing the past, what they did and didn't do.

"I just never thought it would be the kind of love that would destroy the world."

Kelly Martin is a brilliant writer. Can you imagine being a human who killed your own brother, died yourself, went to hell, was tortured by your mother, watched over a girl who was destined to be the Abomination, be killed by her, and come back alive to face the world you helped destroy? No? Kelly Martin is so brilliant that she's able to make you feel like you did that. That you can actually imagine going through it all. You can feel it. The pain, the regret, the worry, all the emotions that are drowning you.

"I just saw myself.
Me.
The real me.
The real me in the flesh.
The flesh that hurt Colleen.
The flesh that disappointed my father.
The flesh that killed my brother.
The flesh that can't forgive itself."

This story is intense and the emotions are real and strong, but there's that famous Kelly Martin humor sprinkled in the pain that I've come to love. Hart goes through so much in this story and he copes with snark and poor comebacks and reality that sometimes you need humor in the dark because it's the only way to keep the light going in you.

"That's what I need when the world ends. To be wearing high waters. Hell, then I might even be okay with it. If I must wear high waters, I might as well die."

As the story progresses and we come down to the final wire of the world ending and Lucien, Hart, and Seth come up with a plan to hopefully stop the Abomination we're left ragged. We've been through pain. We've lost everything. Lucien has his end goal. Seth has his. And Hart. His humanity, his soul is so beautiful and so stubborn.

"If we can't save Gracen, we aren't saving everybody. Let it burn. Let it all burn."

Hart is better than anyone I've ever known. Read this series. You wont regret it.

"I know."

Review: Betraying Ever After by Kelly Martin

    

Synopsis:

The first time Vaughan Wexley, Earl of Brighton, eyes the blonde beauty from atop the balcony, he is taken. Once he confronts her, he finds himself in love. The mysterious woman seems out of place in the regular sea of husband nabbing debutantes. She posses a gentle spirit, wide-eyed innocence, and-- his favorite quality-- cascading golden waves around her elegant shoulders. In need of a wife of noble blood, Vaughan believes his search has ended.

Emma Hartwell's only mission at the ball is to deliver a message to the host from her employer. In and out. That's the plan until she sees beautiful sights she's only dreamed of and hears wonderful music that touches her soul. Dressed up as a noble woman by the young housemaid Elizabeth and knowing she'll never get this opportunity again, Emma lingers longer than she intended. Her amazement with the grandeur allows the devilishly handsome Lord Brighton to steal her attention and sweep her off her feet. He is a charming man who is obviously taken with her. Emma's heart doesn't stand a chance. If only she could tell him the truth.

An earl in need of an honorable wife.

A servant in love with a man she can't have.

An evil plan that was set in motion years ago coming to fruition.

Can love conquer betrayal? Or will Emma's fairytale end at midnight?

A Cinderella re-telling.

Review: Rating- 5
Betraying Ever After was truly an enthralling, gripping retelling of Cinderella. Kelly Martin wrote this retelling in a way that made the story completely new. I was hooked from the very beginning, the more I read the more engrossed I became.

I loved Emma, this sweet innocent clueless girl with a wicked right hook. You cant help but feel bad for her and all the other characters that are paying for their sins or the sins of their parents. Sins... Good ol' Mr. Dodsworth, call me whatever you want, but I'm captivated by Mr. Dodsworth. The puppeteer, the punisher, the pathetic lonely man. I want to know more about him, his story, I want to see someone take him on and best him in a way that wipes his smile from his face and makes him cast his eyes down.

This was a fantastic romance with so much depth and feelings. By the time you get to that climax your heart will be left on the ballroom floor as secrets start coming out and every character learns their part in this master plan for Justice.

Review: Soulless by Kelly Martin

    

Synopsis:

Sometimes all the wishing in the world doesn't change the fact that in order to save everyone, you have to destroy yourself.
Sometimes good doesn't always win.
Sometimes choices suck.
Sometimes people don't break their promises.
Sometimes the thing we hate the most is the one thing that can save us.
Sometimes...
Sometimes love ruins everything.

Sequel to Heartless
Book 3: Breathless (September 4th, 2016)

Review: Rating- 5
I have done nothing but rave about Heartless (book one) and seriously thought it was going to be my favorite paranormal/supernatural book of the year, but Soulless has won that spot. I don't normally read horror books and I honestly wouldn't classify these as such. Heartless was slightly closer to the horror side of things, Soulless definitely isn't. There was suspense, a touch of romance, and a ton of feels.

Soulless can be broken down in three parts. The first 50% of the book Kelly Martin screws with your (Gracen's) mind, putting in doubts and insecurities and blowing everything up in front of you. Then for the next 30% it's just anxiety, anxiety to turn the page because you don't know if you're going to love it or hate and you're honestly going to flip flop the whole time. Finally that last 20% is all feels. All. The. Freaking. Feels. All of them.

Gracen was created to let Hell loose and finds out she has the capacity to be one scary creature. This is the story of Gracen fighting that scary creature inside of her. To keep her own humanity. To not have her destroy the world.

I'm a sucker for dual point of view. I love it, especially when the other point of view is from the male in the book. Hart is one interesting demon and has a ton of secrets. I loved seeing what his part in all of this truly is and I'm curious to see where it leads him in the next book.

 Soulless is book two in a trilogy. Breathless (book three) comes out in September. Soulless does leave on a cliffhanger, but it's not one of those evil cliffhangers. There is an epilogue that was hands down everything I ever hoped to have in these books. This book was worth the wait. Now the wait begins for Breathless.

Favorite quotes:
Hell was real. And if I'm not stopped, I'll make it look like Disneyland.

"Tell me why you stay Sam." I push.
Hart lowers his head, averting looking in my eyes. "Because you love him."

"You need blood. I have blood. And I'm heading to your mother's house. So if you want to follow your free buffet, come with me. If not, find your own damn Happy Meal. I'm done."

We all have darkness inside us. Everybody does.

Review: Violet's Story: The Faerie War by Rachel Morgan

         

Synopsis:

Violet Fairdale is in big trouble. Her home is gone, her beloved forest lies in ruins, the guy she gave her heart to has deserted her—and she doesn’t remember any of it. The powerful Lord Draven is taking over, brainwashing guardians into fighting for him. No one is safe from the evil spreading throughout the fae world.

As alliances are forged between the remaining free fae, Vi struggles to reclaim her identity and figure out where she belongs in this new world. When someone from her past shows up, life gets more complicated. He brings with him a long-forgotten weapon and an ancient prophecy that places Vi at the center of the fight against Draven. With the future of the fae world at stake, can Vi carry out the prophecy’s instructions before it’s too late?

Review: Rating- 5
Read this series! Hands down, one of my all time favorite! I have loved every moment with these characters, from the horrible moments to the sweet ones.

This book is the final book in Violet's Story and it doesn't let you down. It picks up just after we left off in the second books, The Faerie Prince. You'll be taken on a journey with Violet to get her memories back and to stop the war, but it's never like it seems.

I don't want to give anything away because these books were so enjoyable that when I finished it and I couldn't turn another page on my Kindle I just sat there staring at it for 15 minutes.
I. Didn't. Want. It. To. End.

Violet and Ryn are still very much part of this book and you even get dual point of view. I love Ryn's humor, it helps give light in an otherwise bleak world.

Overall, I can't get enough. I want more of Violet and Ryn! Really this book is full of joy and heartache and hope, you will love them.

:::Spoiler::: Why did it have to end with their parents kind of having a thing for each other?! Why? I wanted a better happy ever after for Vi and Ryn! I didn't want the awkwardness of their parents being together.

I received a copy to read and review in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Violet's Story: The Faerie Prince by Rachel Morgan

 

    

Synopsis:

Guardian trainee Violet Fairdale is just weeks away from one of the most important occasions of her life: graduation. After messing up big time by bringing a human into the fae realm, Vi needs to step up her game and forget about Nate if she hopes to graduate as the top guardian of her year. Everything would be fine if she wasn’t forced to partner with Ryn, her ex-friend, ex-enemy, current ‘sort of friend’. They might be trying to patch up their relationship, but does she really want to spend a week undercover with him for their final assignment? On top of that, the possibly insane Unseelie Prince is still on the loose, free to ‘collect’ as many specially talented faeries as he can find—and Vi is still at the top of his list. Add in faerie queens, enchanted storms, complicated not-just-friends feelings, and a murder within the Guild itself, and graduation is about to become the least of Vi’s problems.

Review: Rating- 5+
Yes! This is what I was waiting to read! It is a top favorite for me! It had it all: suspense, intrigue, action, friendship, family, wibbly-wobby-what-just-happened-twists, and scorching romance!

The Faerie Prince is book two in the Creepy Hollow series. It picks up right where we left on in The Faerie Guardian. I thought the first book was fairly predictable. I went into this book thinking the same thing, that it would be overly predictable until the end. Oh, how I was wrong. There are so many twists and turns and loop-the-loops with the plot that it's refreshing to have this blossoming hot romance taking place at the same time.

One more note for those of you that got attached to Nate for a bit, don't worry and just keep reading. Ryn makes Nate look like the wart on a trolls bum.

Beware of the cliffhanger. You're going to get to the last few pages and it's just going to





.... end. You will want to throw your book/kindle in frustration if you don't have book 3 ready. That ending is a doozy.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

     

Synopsis:

The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver—deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together. Then Avery meets the new boy in school—Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. When Ben reveals he's a werewolf, Avery still trusts him—at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.
Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, Low Red Moon is a must-read for teen paranormal fans.

Review by Rachel: Rating- 4
This book grabbed me and sucked me in from the very first sentence. It was well paced and it would not let me put it down. I loved how lyrical it was. I felt the emotions as if they were my own. The first few chapters were so melodic and I could tell the author put heart and thought and work into those.

Avery is such a relatable character for me. She reacted to everything like I would if I grew up in her shoes. I adored the fact that when she had a question she would go to the computer and search the internet for her answers... I mean that is exactly what I would have done, and what most people would do, too.

I loved this book. When I finished it I didn't think I liked it as much as I did because it wasn't what I was wanting to read. I love a good soul mate wolf shifter book, but this book wasn't like that. Yes, there's a soul mate. Yes, there are shifter-wolves. But this novel didn't focus on either of those things. They were side elements to the book. This was a young adult mystery thriller. From the very first page it's all about finding out who killed Avery's parents.

I picked up this book knowing very little about it. In fact, all I knew was that it had shifter-wolves in it. I've been in the mood for shifter-wolf books lately and searched and found this one. I have to say I was disappointed that we didn't get much of the wolf, in fact we never saw a wolf. We heard them and we knew they changed, but that's it. I was also under the impression this was a stand alone novel (it's not!) and when I got to the end I was going to be furious. It's not a cliff hanger ending, but there was a huge opening for a sequel. Let's just say, I'm relieved to know there's a book two... I gave a big squeal and hugged my laptop when I saw Moonrise, the sequel, on Goodreads.

I don't know if this is getting a rating of 4 because of how much I liked the story or because of how much I liked the style of the author's writing. Both, the answer is both. The story was fantastic and I can't wait to find out more about Avery and Ben... in fact... I need to go get Moonrise right now.

Oh, and I LOVED that every time the word, 'Moon' was written in the book it was in red... Low Red Moon. Fantastic.