Review: Game of Fear by Glede Browne Kabongo

Game of Fear by Glede Browne Kabongo

Release Date: February 24, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Suspense, Thriller

Pages: 398

Source: E-book Gifted by Author

Goodreads Description:

The sophistication of Gossip Girl meets the nail-biting suspense of James Patterson

A desperate act, an explosive secret, and a diabolical enemy—all part of a treacherous game with no limits.

Overachieving good girl Abbie Cooper has her future all planned out. As senior year at her elite private school kicks off, she has one simple goal: get into the Ivy League. But at St. Matthews Academy, nothing is ever simple. The pressure is overwhelming, the secrets are dirty, and the games are wicked. Abbie has a dirty secret—one that could destroy her chances of getting admitted into Princeton, and the lives of those closest to her.

One morning, she discovers a note in her locker with the warning, “I know what you did”. Then a photo arrives in the mail. It captures her most shameful deed—the shocking blunder she can never erase, in glorious detail. Someone is out to ruin her, but who and why? The answer lies with the sender of the photo, a mysterious girl known only as The Avenger. For a price, she assures Abbie her secret will remain safe. There’s only one problem: The Avenger may not exist at all. If Abbie doesn’t uncover her true identity before acceptance decisions are made, it’s game over…

Notes about the book:

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Quote:

“I never once thought it was going to be easy with you, Abbie. I knew you were amazing the first time I saw you. I had just transferred to Saint Matthews. We were at general assembly. You had this look on your face like you were ready to take on the world, yet there was something sad about you. Anastasia Cruz was still here. The way she and Callie and Frances rallied around you, I wanted to know more abut the girl who could inspire such fierce loyalty from her friends."

 

My Review

This book immediately reminded me of the Confessions series by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The suspense definitely had me from the very start. However, it just fell flat.

At the start of the book we are told about something that happened in Abbie's past, but we're not given all the details. We're eventually given the details of what was left out at the beginning. But I just felt like it could have been connected to present day better (and more completely). Throughout the rest of the book there is action that happens behind the scenes. We are not told directly about this action. It is mentioned as an afterthought. Sometimes this worked ok. But most times I felt cheated by how it was revealed.

I didn't connect well with the lead character Abbie. I just really didn't like her. I didn't like the boy she chose or the fact that she gave in to said boy when she was so adamant that she wouldn't go out with him. I do have to admit that the first kiss scene was good. I also have to say that Christian was a smooth talker. But I never liked Christian and wanted her to pick another boy.

I did like the suspense. I was a bit disappointed about what it was that the Avenger had against Abbie. But I suppose if it was anything worse Abbie would have been a hated character. I had my own theory about what was happening and I was wrong. So the author got me there.

However, I did not like the ending at all. I was disappointed that the Avenger just got away with everything. I also didn't feel that the events that took place after the graduation ceremony were realistic. I don't want to give away the details of the book. I felt like the author made an event happen in order to write another book.

This book had several moments where it could have been great (like the quote above), but it always seemed to fall short. The quote above is Christian professing his interest in Abbie. If he had continued in this vein, I would have fallen in love with Christian. However, he reverted to his old antics and became a player in my book even thought by this point Abbie was blind to it by this point in their relationship. I was really disappointed that they took their relationship to this level.

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes&Noble

Review: Cross the Stars by Venessa Kimball (writing as V. Angelika)

Cross the Stars (Crossing Stars #1) by Venessa Kimball writing as V. Angelika

Release Date: March 8, 2016

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Pages:312

Source: E-Book, Review Copy

Goodreads Description:

What would you risk for love? Would you cross the stars? Steal the moon?

A year shy of graduating from Georgetown University, Ella Wallace feels like she is losing direction. Having carved her own path through life, rejecting her family’s elitist influences, the last thing she wants is to waste time and prove her parents right. A happenstance summer-long program abroad offers the perfect opportunity to immerse herself in volunteer work, finding richness in family and purpose she has never experienced before.

Prince Rajaa bin Ammaar is returning home to Jordan from Georgetown University. His intent is to spearhead a refugee program meant to bring peace to his country. Amidst threats of civil war and revolt, Raj stands for his convictions, even when they challenge his family and the very culture he is preordained to uphold.

A chance encounter at a crowded party in D.C. brought Ella and Raj together for one fleeting moment – two people never thought to meet again. But it’s not until their diverse worlds collide in Jordan that they realize the power of their connection. With the refugee program as their reuniting bond, they must cross the stars and defy their clashing cultures to protect their forbidden love.

With the culturally rich Jordanian backdrop, Cross the Stars will take you on a journey into the  geographical and cultural Middle East, the resilience of people amidst turbulent civil unrest, the parallel unrest of two lovers’ clashing fates,  and the diversity they must challenge with every breath to keep their love alive.

Notes about the book:

This books is not meant for anyone under 18 as it does contain sex scenes.

Book Quote:

“My last memory of her is her asking me, "Is it worth the risk to cross the stars and steal the moon for something greater than yourself? Something greater for someone else? For love?"

"Always do something with purpose, Ella Marie. Something greater than yourself. Risk for love, risk for life. Cross the stars and steal the moon if you have to."

My Review

I was given a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I remember being intrigued by the setting of this book when I originally read the synopsis. It sounded a bit different than the routine romance book I usually read. I looked forward to reading it and it did not disappoint me.

As the book starts out you can see that Ella has many admirable characteristics. She has come from a privileged family. Yet she has refused help from her family to put her through school. She also has many of the reckless characteristics of a normal young adult namely when it comes to what she wants to do with the rest of her life. She sees the opportunity to travel abroad and do volunteer work and is briefly interested in the opportunity. However, what seals the deal for her is her parents making summer plans for her.

Before leaving Washington DC she attends the party of a prince. She lays eyes on the prince without knowing he's the prince and there's a strong force drawing them to each other. The two meet for the first time when they are miles away in Jordan.

Once in Jordan, Ella finds the family life she was missing in Washington and is quickly falls in love with her host family and the girls she teaches. It was a tear-inducing reading about her finding her something greater.

I was immediately drawn into the relationship between Ella and Prince Rajaa. Although I have to admit that I experienced some prudish moments and disliked the secrecy they kept as well as how quickly they got physical. Although, I can see the need for the secrecy and could "see" the obvious chemistry between the two that would lead to the quick physical nature of their relationship.

I also was worried about Prince Rajaa and his family relationships. There were some struggles there that I struggled with and wondered how the author would resolve them. I also wondered how Ella and the Prince's relationship would work. Unfortunately, we don't get all the answers in this book. I hope for a happily ever after for both Rajaa and Ella as well as for the royal family. I'm just not sure it's possible.

I'm anxiously awaiting book two.

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: The Midnight Sea by Kat Ross

Welcome to my stop on The Midnight Sea Blog Tour! I'm so excited to tell you about this book. I loved this book! I'm sad that I have to wait to continue the story. Be sure to check out my review and the giveaway below.

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The Midnight Sea by Kat Ross
(Fourth Element #1)
Publication date: May 10th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis:

They are the light against the darkness.

The steel against the necromancy of the Druj.

And they use demons to hunt demons….

Nazafareen lives for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King’s elite Water Dogs is that they bind wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead. But when scouts arrive to recruit young people with the gift, she leaps at the chance to join their ranks. To hunt the monsters that killed her sister.

Scarred by grief, she’s willing to pay any price, even if it requires linking with a daeva named Darius. Human in body, he’s possessed of a terrifying power, one that Nazafareen controls. But the golden cuffs that join them have an unwanted side effect. Each experiences the other’s emotions, and human and daeva start to grow dangerously close.

As they pursue a deadly foe across the arid waste of the Great Salt Plain to the glittering capital of Persepolae, unearthing the secrets of Darius’s past along the way, Nazafareen is forced to question his slavery—and her own loyalty to the empire. But with an ancient evil stirring in the north, and a young conqueror sweeping in from the west, the fate of an entire civilization may be at stake…

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MY REVIEW

I chose this book because by reading the synopsis I really couldn't tell exactly what it was about, but yet it intrigued me. The reason I couldn't understand what it was about was because it is about a made up world and situations. Oh to have this kind of imagination! I believe there are actually made up words in the book. At least they were unfamiliar to me and when I pressed down on them on my Kindle, it was not able to find a definition.

As I started to read the book I was concerned that I wouldn't understand what was happening in the book. It was so foreign to what I have read in the past. I can't help but compare it to The Hobbit. The Hobbit is a book I've heard so much about that I just really want to be able to read it and understand what is going on in the book. However, for some unknown reason I just can't grasp The Hobbit and have never made it very far in the book.

That wasn't a problem with The Midnight Sea. Sure there were bits that I didn't understand completely. But either those bits were explained more later or they just weren't a deal breaker with the story. Once we get beyond the preliminary bits of the story, the book moves quickly. It is so full of action!

I quickly fell in love with the main character Nazafareen. It didn't take me long to like Darius once we're introduced to him. The relationship between these two characters is beautiful! Nazafareen fights their bond to begin with, but eventually learns how strong they can be as a team. It appears as if they will be the "stars" of the Water Dogs so to say. Then a twist is thrown into the book and took me by surprise. 

I will warn you that this book ends on a cliff hanger of sorts. But it's one of the "good" cliff hangers. It's not one of those that leaves you hanging without knowing whether a character is alive or dead or something else big like that. We just have to wait for book 2 to see what the next stage of the rebellion is. I can't wait for book 2! I'm off to stalk (in a good way) the author to get clues about the next book.

Please note that I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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GIVEAWAY

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Tour hosted by:

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? May 16, 2016

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by The Book Date is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It's a great post to organise yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone.

Finished Reading

I enjoyed both of these books. But if I had to pick a favorite between the two, I'd have to pick The Midnight Sea. It was such a good story!

Currently Reading

 

It's been another few weeks since I've touched Game of Thrones, but it's still on my radar. I'm loving Cross the Stars! I find it difficult to put it down. It will rank pretty close to Midnight Sea. I love getting to learn about the culture of Jordan. Cross the Stars was one of the books I really looked forward to when I signed up for it. I'm glad it is living up to its potential!

What Will I Read Next?

 

I'm trying to work my way to the bottom of my ARC pile so that I can read some other things I've picked up. I definitely signed up for too many :) I've decided to limit myself to one or two ARCs a month from now on.

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

 

The Friday 56: Edge of Chaos by Molly E. Lee

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader

(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)

*Post it.

*It's that simple.

My post this week is from 56% of The Edge of Chaos by Molly E. Lee. I read this book in April and loved it. You can find my review here. I thought I would share a bit more about it.

SYNOPSIS

Blake Caster has been in an emotionally abusive relationship with Justin for so long, she can’t tell what is normal anymore, and so she clings to the one thing that is solidly hers—her passion for extreme weather.

Three years into her Meteorology degree, Blake meets professional storm chaser, Dash Lexington, who is as gorgeous as he is daring. Instantly recognizing her passion and skills in analyzing weather data, he makes a spot for her on his tight-knit storm chasing team. Dash and Blake form a fast friendship and it forces her to realize just how toxic her relationship with Justin is. She can’t deny the lightning-worthy chemistry she has with Dash or how her heart stalls every time he gets too close to a tornado.

With each chase and the cherished moments with Dash, Blake discovers her own self-worth and gains the strength to end things with Justin for good. But he won’t go easily. As Blake tries to sever ties with one man, she fears she’ll lose the other to his dangerous obsession—and she doesn't know if she’ll be enough to save him from the impending storm that could end them all.

 

FRIDAY 56
From 56% - "The warmth from his hand slid across my skin as he moved it to my neck. “Don’t think that. You deserve more, Blake. And you need to understand that you are so much more than how you see yourself and a hell of a lot more than how he treats you.”"

Review: Nepenthe by Lindsay Paige

Nepenthe (Bracing for Love #2) by Lindsay Paige

Release Date: January 24, 2015

Genres: New Adult, Romance

Pages: 308

Source: E-Book 

Please note that I read this book in September 2015. I'd posted my review on Goodreads, but not here on my blog.

Goodreads Description:

Corey Kennedy was once a star on the football team at Salem University with his two younger brothers, Jonathan and Patrick. He lived and breathed football, hoping to follow his father’s dream to make it in the NFL. His chance was stolen from him when he was injured and his future in the sport ended.

As did his long-time method of coping with depression, a battle only he knows about and one he refuses to acknowledge.

A year after moving an hour away from his siblings, Corey hits rock bottom. His life is falling apart piece by piece. He’s too lost in his mind to see a way out. Slowly, with the the help of Olivia, a pushy new neighbor, Corey begins to learn healthier ways of dealing with the problems in his life.

His ground is already shaky and unstable while he struggles to stand on his own two feet again. He must find the strength to withstand what life throws at him, or crumble and fall back into his bad, unhealthy habits, which could end the relationships Corey very much needs.

Book Quote:

“I'm not thinking, okay? About anything at all. My mind is clear, empty, and focused entirely on how you feel. That's how it's possible.”
“How do I feel?” she whispers.
“Like everything I've ever needed in this world wrapped up in one beautiful body.” “Sounds like I feel amazing.”
I laugh. I can't help it. “You do.”

My Review

I pre-ordered this book before it was released in January. So by the time I started reading it I had forgotten what it was about. I read the first paragraph and realized it was a spin off of Bracing the Blue Line which I had just finished last night. I was excited because I loved that book and really liked the characters.

This is a different type of book than Bracing the Blue Line. Bracing the Blue Line was more romance. Nepenthe is more a story of coping and healing with depression with a side story of love.

I loved getting to know Corey more. He’s a tough guy that has lost his ability to achieve his lifelong goals and can’t find new direction for his life. His goals have always centered around football. Now that he’s not able to play football, he can’t stand to be around football or anything connected with it including talking football.

He meets his new neighbor Olivia when he’s at one of the lowest points in his life and is not very nice to her. Olivia isn’t scared away. Instead she sees through Corey’s pain and reaches out to help him. Olivia is able to “see into his soul” as Corey put it and push him when he needs it or hold back when he’s had enough. Over time Corey comes to rely on Olivia to help him cope and learn to be happy again.

The ending was a bit abrupt to me. While I realized I was near the end because my Kindle told me so, I expected the story to keep going a bit longer. However, things were either resolved or you could see that they were on their way to being resolved. I would not let this keep you from reading this book. It was a great read and I often found it difficult to put it down.

Goodreads/Amazon/B&N

The Friday 56: Nepenthe by Lindsay Paige

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader

(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)

*Post it.

*It's that simple.

My post this week is from 56% of Nepenthe by Lindsay Paige. I read this last year and it was one of my favorite reads of 2015. I'm finally getting my review up on the blog next week. So I thought I'd feature it in this week's Friday 56.

SYNOPSIS
Corey Kennedy was once a star on the football team at Salem University with his two younger brothers, Jonathan and Patrick. He lived and breathed football, hoping to follow his father’s dream to make it in the NFL. His chance was stolen from him when he was injured and his future in the sport ended.

As did his long-time method of coping with depression, a battle only he knows about and one he refuses to acknowledge.

A year after moving an hour away from his siblings, Corey hits rock bottom. His life is falling apart piece by piece. He’s too lost in his mind to see a way out. Slowly, with the the help of Olivia, a pushy new neighbor, Corey begins to learn healthier ways of dealing with the problems in his life.

His ground is already shaky and unstable while he struggles to stand on his own two feet again. He must find the strength to withstand what life throws at him, or crumble and fall back into his bad, unhealthy habits, which could end the relationships Corey very much needs.

 

FRIDAY 56
From 56% - “I'M WALKING HOME,” I declare as we walk through the bleachers towards Chelsea. Olivia laughs. I almost died. Three times. First, she pulled out in front of an eighteen-wheeler. I saw my brief, sad life pass before my eyes as she gunned the gas. Then, she came within inches of rear-ending someone. Let's not forget she almost hit a pedestrian in the parking lot.

Review: The Lightning Luminary by RS McCoy

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the release of The Lightning Luminary by R S McCoy. Below you will find the synopsis and all the details about this book along with my review. I received an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The Lightning Luminary
by R.S. McCoy

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Release date: April 26th 2016

Summary from Goodreads: 

 Talia Stanley may look like the typical wealthy New Yorker, but she's hidden her secrets for more than a thousand years. One of the last surviving members of an ancient race called Luminaries, Talia has suppressed her ability to control lightning in exchange for safety. 

And for generations it worked. Talia's hermit lifestyle protected her from strong Luminaries that want her power. All that changed the day Mason Rathbone walked into her life.

A good-looking artist, Mason is just the guy to get Talia out of her penthouse apartment and show her what it means to live again. But just as she starts to get comfortable, Talia gets sucked right back into her vicious past.

A new paranormal romance novel by RS McCoy, author of the Sparks Saga. 

Add to Goodreads

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MY REVIEW

 This was a beautiful story interwoven with Greek mythology. There is so much going on in the book that it needs to be devoured slowly to take everything in. The story starts off by introducing the main character Talia. However, it quickly introduces you to a slew of other characters that can be difficult to keep track of. We don't see Talia again until nearly a quarter of the way into the book. That worried me some. However, each time we were taken back to a character, we were given just enough of a clue to remind us who this character was. Soon I was able to remember who everyone was. But I'm still full of questions about relationships, history of the characters, and much more. The book ends without a full resolution. However, you can see where the next story will go. This is the only reason I'll forgive the author for the cliffhanger. 

If you like mythology, I definitely recommend this book! I may have to reread it and take some notes before tackling book 2.

Buy Links:

Amazon│AmazonUK│Amazon CA│Kobo│Barnes & Noble│iTunes│Smashwords

                                               About the Author

Rachel McCoy is a Texan living in New Jersey. Between binge watching MTV reality shows and baking gluten free treats, she writes paranormal fantasy and science fiction novels. She is the self-published author of the Sparks Saga trilogy as well as numerous short stories, some of which now reside in anthologies. Back when she lived in the real world, Rachel earned a degree in marine biology, which contributed to her die-hard love of manta rays. 

To connect with RS McCoy (or swap recipes), visit her on her website (www.rsmccoyauthor.com) or check out her Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRSMcCoy). You can also join her newsletter to receive release updates, free stories, and bonus extras (http://eepurl.com/YItp1)

  Author Links:

Website│Twitter│Facebook│Goodreads

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