The Goddess Inheritance

The Goddess Inheritance 

by Aimee Carter 

Nine months after she was kidnapped by the queen of the gods, Kate Winters finally gives birth to the son that only a few even knew existed. 

Now she must find a way to get him back to his father, free herself in the process, and stop the most Titan to ever walk the Earth from getting free and destroying everything she loves and has sworn to protect.

Final thoughts:  Such a disappointment!  This one just doesn't live up to all the other books in the series.  I had high expectations walking into this one and just didn't get much from it.  Kate was whining and indecisive, seeming to have lost all her gumption from the first books.  The story shifts around far too quickly and moments are pushed through rather than savored.  The ending felt like a set-up for the next series Carter might be planning, rather than a true, meaningful end.  So very sad.

Rating: 3/5 (and only because the rest of the books helped this one)

House Rules

House Rules

by Chloe Neill

Even though she's been a vampire for less than a year, Merit has probably seen more, done more, and dealt with more problems than most other vamps combined.  

She's saved Chicago, and the vamps within its limits, multiple times, with the help of her boyfriend and House Master, Ethan, her partner in the secret vamp group, Jonah, and a number of other supernaturals and vampires everywhere.

Now, in the middle of the Cadogan House's most dangerous undertaking (separating from the Greenwich Presidium, the vampire governing agency), suddenly vampires are being murdered.

Once again, Merit has to track down a killer and save her House even as the House takes on its biggest challenge.

Final thoughts:  Yet another winner from Neill!  Now that Merit and Ethan seem to have finally gotten through most of their problems (but not all, as evidenced by a major issue in the book), the books can focus on other characters and mysteries.  I'm not sure how much more the story can stretch, though, and I really hope she doesn't push this too far and ruin what's been going so well so far.

Rating: 4/5

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop

This week's question:

What upcoming 2013 book are you most looking forward to reading?

My answer: anything urban supernatural lit.  I'm currently in love with the Chloe Neill Chicagoland Vamps, Darynda Jones and her Charley Davidson books AND her newest YA series including Death, Doom, and Destruction.  When Patricia Briggs' new book Frost Burned comes out, I will be downloading it to my Kindle and devouring the contents.

.

Thank goodness for NetGalley.com and all the ARCs I get to read from it!

The S-Word

The S-Word

by Chelsea Pitcher

Before her death, Lizzie had been invisible most of her life, until she got caught by her best friend in bed with her best friend's boyfriend.  Suddenly she became the most well-known face on campus and she had a new nickname: Slut.

After her death, she became Suicide Slut.

Now, someone is defacing her locker and passing around pages of her diary, sharing secrets no one knew before she jumped to her death at school.

Angie, her best friend and the person who should be angriest at Lizzie, is determined to find out the truth, even if that means destroying everyone around her in the process.

Final thoughts: What a mess!  This book is almost schizophrenic in its storytelling.  Angie seems to be having a psychological breakdown throughout the book and the final third is just a confusing mass of something indescribable.  There are pages that are almost completely dialogue with no description and it reads like a one-sided phone conversation.  A crucial piece of the puzzle goes undescribed for pages while the characters TALK about it, but take forever to say what it is they are talking about.  It's completely unbelievable and strange.  And the end is just weird.

Rating: 2/5

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality

Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality

by Elizabeth Eulberg

For years, Lexi has been helping her mom take her little sister to almost weekly Saturday pageants, even though her sister is now only seven years old.

Though Lexi is moderately popular, thought well of by her peers, and has a couple of amazing friends, she's never really been "pretty" and hasn't even tried to be since her mother told her at a young age that she had a great personality.

She's also got a crush on the cutest guy in school whose girlfriend just happens to compete in the same pageants as her sister, so she's gotten to know him well.

When her best friend dares her to glam up for a week, she takes that dare and then things change overnight.  Now she's popular, admired, and even has a date!

Are the perks that come from being pretty worth the challenges that come with it all?  And can Lexi keep her "great personality" and avoid losing everything that matters to her?

Final thoughts:  The first quarter of the book was great.  The second quarter was ok.  The whole second half was just "meh".  The end just kind of trailed off as if a chapter or two got cut off.  I didn't like Lexi's evolution very much and her constant obsession with Logan just got annoying over time.  Mac and her mother were offensive in many ways and the ending of their part was just unfinished.  Overall, it was ok.

Rating: 3/5

The Weird Girls / Sealed with a Curse (dual review)

The Weird Girls

by Cece Robson

When Celia's mom married the wrong man, a relative cursed all the unborn Wird sisters.  But the curse backfired, giving each girl certain magical powers that make them more than human and less than supernatural.

Celia can turn into a tigress and shift through anything solid.  Taran can manipulate electricity and people's memories. Shayna can make any metal or wood turn into a deadly weapon.  And Emme can heal most wounds and use telekinesis to move objects.

Between them, the sisters have been able to handle most of the things that have come their way.  And now that they've decided to settle down in Lake Tahoe, things finally seem to be going their way in the best way.

That is until they manage to tick off the top witch in town, along with her coven.

Now Celia has to take the witch down to protect her family, while also keeping herself alive.

Sealed with a Curse

by Cece Robson

Just moments after being cleared of murder, Celia and her sisters are called on to help destroy vampires who have become completely insane with bloodlust.  They are killing indiscriminately and in large numbers, which has caught the attention of the new werewolf pack in town.

Tensions between the Wird sisters and the pack run high to start and then become tense for whole new reasons as each of the girls find a were who makes her heart beat just a little bit faster.  Even Celia's found someone and she doesn't find guys easily.

And when it rains, it pours for Celia because one of the local vampire masters has also taken a fancy to her.

Between the vamp, the were, the bloodlusters, and her sisters, Celia's got more than she can handle.  May your life be interesting is always a dangerous thing to wish on others.

Final thoughts:  Overall, I'm a fan of supernatural urban lit and Robson definitely has some interesting stories to tell, but I found myself more than a little turned around at times.  Tracking the action was very difficult.  Every time there was a fight scene, it felt obvious that Robson knew what she was seeing, but she had trouble painting the picture for the reader.  I like Celia and her sisters and Aric was great, but I kept wondering about Celia's (literal) dream guy from the first book/novella.  Is that Aric or is that someone else who's going to show up later?  That interfered with me truly falling in love with the second book.

Rating: 4/5

Every Day

Every Day

by David Levithan

Every day is a new day.

Every day is a new opportunity.

Every day is a new body..?

"A" has never been in the same body for longer than 24 hours.

"A" has never understood why this happens or how to control it.

"A" has never thought of living any other way.

Until Rhiannon.

When he wakes one day as her boyfriend, he realizes that he wants to be with her forever.

But how can you be with someone forever when you can't even be in the same body for more than a day?

Final thoughts:  This is a deep, thought-provoking book about what really makes one person love another.  A's love for Rhiannon makes him break all the rules he's made for himself over the years as he's grown up traveling from body to body (never the same body twice).  Their relationship is both sweet and weird at the same time.  Reading this one was difficult because it always felt like A was playing with fire and pushing his luck.  The saddest part was the end, not because it was sad, but because it felt unfinished, like there's another story and we're left with an almost-cliffhanger.

Rating: 3/5

Speechless

Speechless

by Hannah Harrington

Chelsea Knot is horrible at keeping secrets.  She blabs everything she knows to pretty much everyone she knows.  No secret is safe.  Making out with your best friend's boyfriend? Wearing something hideous?  Shopping at the wrong store? Gay?

While drunk at a party, Chelsea reveals a secret and it leads to disastrous results.  

For the first time, she realizes that there are true consequences when she speaks.  After she reports what has happened to the police, she becomes the prime target of the very crowd who used to be her friends.  They begin a very deliberate campaign to punish her for telling the truth.

Because she can't trust her own words, she stops using them.  The school's biggest gossip takes a vow of silence.  And even though it upsets her parents and teachers, she is determined to keep her mouth shut.  She won't even defend herself from the slander and lies being thrown around about her.

Now Chelsea must fend off her former friends and try to find out who her real friends are, while also making peace with herself and her own past.

Final thoughts: Chelsea is familiar as a teen gossip who only does what she does because she hopes to keep her place with the "in crowd".  When she drunkenly outs a classmate and he is horribly beaten as a consequence, her personal path to redemption and forgiveness is interesting to follow.  While some of the moments seem forced and some things that happen seem a little too perfect, the overall story is done well and gives hope to readers who may be having difficulties speaking up and/or out.

Rating: 4/5

Mercedes Thompson Series

Mercedes Thompson Series

by Patricia Briggs

Born to a single mother and left to be raised by a werewolf pack, Mercedes "Mercy" Athena Thompson has always been able to get herself into trouble, even when she's trying to stay out of it. 

Being a woman who can instantly shift into a coyote and back again can lead to that kind of thing.

At 16, the Alpha of the pack (who happened to also be the Alpha of all Alphas), convinced her to run away for her own good, though it meant she learned of a betrayal of and by one she loved.  Almost 15 years later, she's the owner of her own garage, a decent mechanic, and the neighbor of the local Alpha.

But the world isn't just werewolves and a shapeshifter; it's full of vampires and magical creatures called "fae".  That doesn't much bother Mercy, since she's been around them for years, but their troubles begin to affect her when she's asked to help with one mystery and eventually owes everyone else around her and must help with their problems, too.

Coyote is the ultimate trickster and Mercy's got to use every trick in the book.

Final thoughts:  I didn't review or book talk each one individually because I just read one after the other.  I honestly just couldn't stop myself.  Thank goodness for the Amazon gift card I got over the holidays, which paid for all the instant downloads on my Kindle.  There are some issues in each book, but the overall series is amazing.  I'm glad it took me this long to start it because it meant I got to read 6 books straight through (in about 3 days), but now I have to sit and wait for book 7.  Luckily, Briggs has another series started in the same universe with some of the same characters, so I have more books to try out.  Mercy may not have extreme snark, but she has a sense of self and personality that makes her a great character to read and her world is well drawn and exciting.

Rating:  each book 4 or 4.5 out of 5... the series - 5/5

Parallel Visions

Parallel Visions

by Cheryl Rainfield

All her life, Kate has had asthma that's so bad it could kill her at any moment.

All her life, Kate has had visions about the people around her.

All her life, Kate has only had those visions when she's in the middle of an asthma attack.

All her life, no one has believed her.

Until now.

Now there's Gil and he believes her.

But will that matter as her attacks become more frequent, more painful, and more deadly?

Will that matter as she watches her sister be beaten and murdered in those visions?

Final thoughts: The premise is cool, but the writing is sloppy and choppy.  The characters around Kate, especially her parents, keep changing.  They are completely inconsistent.  The dialogue is poorly written and unbelievable.  Kate's relationship with Gil doesn't seem organic, but rather forced to forward the plot.  I really wish this was better because the idea is fascinating.  It's too bad the execution is so poor.

Rating: 2/5

Model Spy

Model Spy

by Shannon Greenland

Kelly James may have an IQ of 191, but she can still make stupid decisions.  Socially awkward (and what 16 year-old about to graduate from college wouldn't be?) and really lonely, when Kelly is asked by a super-cute boy to help him find out the truth about his dad, she jumps at the chance.

And wouldn't you know it!  The one time she breaks a law (and a pretty big one - hacking the government's main database is really, really bad), she gets caught.

But before she ends up in jail, she's recruited by The Specialists.  Now on Team Two, Kelly has joined an elite group of teens with special talents like linguistics, martial arts, theft, and more.

Nicknamed Gigi (for "genius girl"), Kelly knows she has a LOT to learn about being a secret agent.  And with her first mission coming up, she doesn't have time to lose.

Can she save her fave guy's dad and the day all at the same time?

Final thoughts: Complete and total cotton candy.  It's the first in a series of quick-print books that's more formulaic and less quality.  Too many questions pop up from time to time.  If you can relax and go with the flow, it's a quick read.  If you can't, it will set your teeth on edge.

Rating: 3/5

Also Known As

Also Known As

by Robin Benway

Margaret/Maggie/Marg/Meg/Peggy/Margo/Madge has been in the spy business since birth.  Her parents are spies for the Collective and Maggie's been a part of it since her first original birth certificate (and many subsequently forged ones) were written.

With a dozen passports for a dozen different identities, Maggie has spent her entire life helping her parents complete missions.  As a lock picking prodigy, she's finally become so highly respected that she's even given her own assignment.

High school.

In fact, her task is to befriend a fairly good looking boy whose father is about to run a story that will not only out the Collective, but will name names and print pictures of Maggie and her entire family.  If she can't stop the story, her life will be in danger and her job will be gone.

Unfortunately, not even 16 years of life spent entirely as a spy can prepare Maggie for the high school social structure, the boredom of class, and the trials of making friends.

Final thoughts: Total cotton candy book.  It's completely unrealistic and silly in the extreme, though her teen angst and problems fitting in are believable.  The only real struggle was the ending.  I kept expecting a twist of some sort.  The ending was rushed and happened abruptly.  There was no real explanation about why the person had chosen to reveal the Collective's secret or the reason for Maggie's danger.  I needed more closure on that, but it was decent up to that point.

Rating: 4/5

Greta and the Goblin King

Greta and the Goblin King

by Chloe Jacobs

Four years ago, Greta saved her brother from a witch's fire, but ended up getting thrown through the fire portal herself.

Now she's a human in a land that hates humans.  She must disguise what she is every minute of every day, while also making a living.  She's made a name for herself as one of the best bounty hunters in the land, but things are about to change.

The new king of the goblins knows what she is and he wants her for himself. 

There's a dreaded demon who also wants her.

And all of the natives are about to go completely to the dark side, if only for a few days.

Can Greta finally find a way home?  Or will she need all of her skills just to survive the coming bloodbath?

Final thoughts: A basic story with a few nice moments.  There were quite a few telling moments instead of showing, which was good in the beginning since the entire land was completely new, but later became annoying.  I didn't feel the chemistry with any of the characters and I think that's because I really wasn't wowed by Greta.  The land of Mylena was a little bare in its descriptions with no explanation about things like why they all speak English and how, if the land is so dang large, she takes a week to go one direction, but only a few hours to return later.  And, finally, the cover is annoying; it feels like a throwback to 80's fantasy titles rather than something reflecting current tastes and cover styles.  On the plus side, while this is the start of a series, the fact is that this book can stand alone.  There are no cliffhangers or dangling stories.

Rating: 3/5

Waking Up Married

Waking Up Married

by Mira Lyn Kelly

Megan had a plan and love was not part of it.

Connor wanted a wife without love complicating things.

Together, they make the perfect couple.

If only they hadn't figured this out on a drunken night in Vegas.  If only they hadn't gotten married that night.  If only Megan didn't remember a thing about it.  If only Connor wasn't refusing to grant her a divorce.

So now Megan needs to convince Connor to let her get back to her plan and Connor needs to convince Megan that she can have her plan and have a husband, too.

Final thoughts: Cotton candy book from Harlequin.  It's a new book in their new romance series that's formulaic and sometimes dull.  He's uber-handsome, yet business minded; love isn't in the picture even though it's right there in front of him.  She's super-pretty, yet lacks self-esteem and thinks that men will never be able to live up to her dreams even though Connor is everything she's ever wanted.  They have the same conversations over and over again, which is a problem, but there's still a certain chemistry.  This is a book to read when you don't want to have to use your brain much and just need a little escapism to make your day.

Rating: 3/5

A Shimmer of Angels

A Shimmer of Angels

by Lisa M. Basso

Since around the time of the death of her mother, Rayna has been able to see angels.  When she discovered that others were thinking she was nuts for seeing them, she tried to hide her ability, but it never quite worked out.

Now she's out of the mental health clinic again after multiple stints over the last three years and she thinks she finally has this beat.  Maybe now, with her meds and multiple therapy sessions, she'll finally stop seeing them.

But fate doesn't give Ray a break.

Not only is she seeing an angel in all his glory, with shining wings and stunning looks, now he's going to her school and he's figured out that she knows what he is.  As an added bonus, there's a second angel with black wings who seems to be stalking her at her new job.

Add in the apparent suicides and the threat of a Fallen angel and Rayna may be only seconds away from getting committed to the clinic forever.

Final thoughts:  Super fast read, but not well done.  My biggest problem is Rayna being committed at all, let alone repeatedly.  Committing someone against her will is usually only done when someone is a danger to herself or others, right?  Rayna admits that until now she's only seen about one angel a month and nothing has happened before this, so 3 years of being locked up?  And how can her dad have her committed with just a journal when she's keeping safe and maintaining a job (although she's extremely clumsy)?  It's completely unbelievable, so it makes the rest of the story kind of stupid.  There's also nothing to explain why the angels suddenly appeared to her and I'm wondering why no one is questioning her parentage.  People are talking about a love triangle, but I have the strange feeling that could get kind of gross in future books.  Does no one else suspect Kade, especially after he Fell from heaven for Ray's mother?  It's poorly written, Ray's extremely panicky and whiny, and her family is barely written, let alone caring.

Rating: 2/5

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

by Darynda Jones

For the past two months, Charley Davidson has had a deep and loving relationship with her living room.  She and her couch truly understand each other.  Her TV is her best friend.  And the people at the home shopping channels probably know her credit card numbers by heart.

For the past two months, Charley Davidson has done everything possible to avoid going out, to avoid being around people, and to avoid the chair in her living room with the stain below it.

For the past two months, Charley Davidson has been afraid.  Ever since she was attacked and tortured in her own apartment and her father had her arrested when she was in the hospital, Charley has shut everyone out.

But now a case has come to her.  Charley has bills to pay (and annoying friends and family who don't mind setting up annoying interventions), so she takes the case.

She also goes in search of the love of her existence because he's been avoiding her (for good reason).  And she avoids her father even when he's desperately trying to talk to her (also for good reason).

It's a busy few days for Charley.

And the demons who are trying to kill her definitely don't help.

Final thoughts:  I LOVE Charley!  She's sassy and always has the perfect comeback that's (usually) just short of rude.  Her attitude is only slightly diminished by the circumstances of the previous novel and her reactions are completely believable.  Sadly, this book seemed a little short, choppy, and "light" on the action.  I never miss reading a Grim Reaper novel, but I do hope the next book returns to form.

Rating: 4/5

Painted Blind

Painted Blind

by Michelle A. Hansen

Psyche has always been beautiful and has always hated that beauty.  It has caused her nothing but trouble.  After going away for the summer to model, she returns to find her image plastered on billboards and in magazines.

High school just became a whole lot more difficult.

With the paparazzi and fans following her everywhere, Psyche often finds herself surrounded by crowds of people.  When she's rescued one day by someone who can become invisible at will, she finds that she's fallen completely in love, even without seeing him.

Now she must prove her love to him by never looking at him.  If she can't follow that simple rule, she may lose everything.

Final thoughts:  This was a compelling read and retelling of the Eros/Psyche myth.  It was a fast read and drew me in.  However, upon finishing it, I found myself questioning a large number of things that happened.  Psyche's "friend" is a horrible person who seems to only hang out with Psyche because she wants to catch the boys around her.  She's fickle, selfish, and tricky, yet Psyche thinks only good things about her during most of the book.  The author doesn't explain enough about things like how Psyche got her name (her mother is a ditz and her father's in construction, so why "Psyche"?), why she hates crowds, or why she is so scared of heights.  It's also strange that the moment she has one ad campaign out, she's being followed everywhere to the point where she has to go into hiding.  There are also a couple of Twilight moments with her waiting in the forest after being rejected and having to be rescued, then falling into a deep depression.  Having read the myth after reading the book, a few more things make sense now, but it needs a little work.

Rating: 3/5

Death and the Girl Next Door

Death and the Girl Next Door

by Darynda Jones

It's the ten-year anniversary of the disappearance of Lorelai's parents and she's definitely not taking it well.  Her friends, Glitch and Brooklyn, are there to help her out with comfort and corny behavior.

However, things get complicated with the school recluse, Cameron, starts following Lor everywhere.

And it gets even weirder when Jared, the hottest guy ever to walk the earth, shows up and seems to have a strange connection to Lor, especially after he saves her life.

But Cameron and Jared have a history and connection of their own, and it definitely is not friendly.  Repeated drawn out battles leave both bruised and battered, though they seem to have a strange ability to heal very quickly.

Now all the odd things that have happened to Lorelei over the years may soon be explained; but does she really want them to be?

Final thoughts:  I'm a fan of Darynda Jones and her work with the Charley Davidson novels and her first foray into young adult novels doesn't disappoint.  I really like the bond between Lorelai and her friends.  They have great chemistry and a sense of humor that matches my own.  My only real issue is that this story is very similar to her other series.  It's actually VERY close with the lead female being magical on her own without knowing how or why and a supernatural (and extremely hunky) guy being completely captivated by her.  I think I'd like this much more if I wasn't already a big fan of the other series.  If I didn't know this story already, it would be a winner.

Rating: 4/5

Love Unscripted

Love Unscripted

by Tina Reber

Ryan Christensen, newest celebrity sensation and star of the hottest movie trilogy franchise in recent history, is in a tiny town in Rhode Island to film the second movie.  He never wanted stardom; he just wanted to act.

Taryn Mitchell is a pub owner in that tiny town who is probably the only woman in America who hasn't seen the first movie and has never read the books on which they are based.  She can't figure out what all the fuss is about, but doesn't mind the extra money that comes in from all the fans in the area.

When Ryan almost literally crashes into Taryn's life, the two find each other and discover they have more than just a little chemistry.

Now all they need is the patience and honesty to trust each other, while also keeping away from the paparazzi.

Final thoughts:  It's Twilight mixed with Notting Hill with a touch of Fifty Shades of Grey added... and it's not good.  It appears to be Reber's fantasy about meeting and falling in love with Robert Pattinson while he was filming the Twilight series.  "He doesn't really love his co-star!  All the tabloids are full of lies.  If he just met me, he'd fall instantly head over heels and we'd get married and live happily ever after."  Ironically, Reber has a character just like that IN the book.  On top of that serious problem is the fact that it goes on and on and on.  Did she not have an editor?  I read the ARC from NetGalley, so maybe the hundreds of errors, fragment sentences, typos, and repetitive statements will get fixed (though I doubt it).  Much of what she writes doesn't make sense.  Analogies don't work.  And the whining... OMG, the WHINING!!!  "You've got to trust me!" "I DO trust you."  "Are you sure you trust me, because it doesn't look like it." "I trust you. Geez!" "I've told you everything." "I believe you and trust you.... Hey!  What about this?!?!"  "Oops! Forgot about that.  But you still should trust me."  ACCCKKK!!!!  And, finally, the time issue.  Reber cannot convey the passage of time.  Sometimes a day takes pages and pages and sometimes you think it's the evening of one day and you suddenly discover that it's three weeks later.  Avoid.  Please avoid.

Rating: 1/5

Beta

Beta

by Rachel Cohn

Elysia has just emerged.  

She is the first truly successful teenaged clone.

She is a Beta.

She has been cloned from the body of a recently dead teen and created to serve the humans of the island of Demesne.  She is not meant to have feelings or want things for herself; she is meant to serve.

When her term of service is up, she will be terminated.  And, in the beginning, she's OK with that.  But as time passes, she develops more and more feelings, remembers more and more of her First's past, and wants more and more things (like mac and cheese, chocolate, and love).

She also realizes that there are few things that her owners want from her that she doesn't want to do.  But she's a clone; she is meant to serve.

However, not every human thinks that clones should be slaves and they are headed Elysia's way.

Final Thoughts: **SPOILER ALERT**

I tried and tried to feel something for Elysia, but I just couldn't.  Her evolution over the course of the book isn't believable and her relationships with others are confusing.  Things make sense in the beginning, but about 2/3 in, things get weird.  Personalities change.  Some of the things that really bother me are:

1) The only way Elysia's "love" feels anything is when he's high, so Elysia makes it her goal to get Tahir drugs as often as possible so that he'll feel something for her.  It bugs me that there's an implicit statement here about addicts and druggies. "If drugs make him love you, then drugs are ok."

2) She's raped and she murders her rapist in a strange set of events, but she gets pregnant from the rape (and pregnancy among clones is supposed to be impossible - I figured she had no eggs or uterus, but I guess that didn't occur to the greatest scientific minds?  They just assumed the clones couldn't get pregnant?).  And then, the same man who saves her life and is fighting to give equal rights to clones insists that she has to carry the rape-baby that she doesn't want.  She shouldn't have to serve others, but she must carry the baby she does not want, did not ask for, and that was conceived in violence?  There's a scary Pro-Life vibe there, especially troublesome in today's political climate.

3) Elysia comes off as kind of a slut near the end because, while she doesn't love Alex, but does love Tahir, she goes ahead and does the "mighty mighty" with Alex because he's there and Tahir isn't.

4) Even with the "surprise" ending (which wasn't much of a surprise), it's pretty easy to see where the other two books in the Annex Trilogy will go.  Having that much telegraphed is frustrating.

Rating: 2/5

Biting Cold

Biting Cold

by Chloe Neill

Merit has her favorite vampire back from the dead, so things should be pretty great!

Unfortunately, she has to chase after her best friend who is attempting to unlock a magical book that will release evil upon the world.

And even if that turns out ok, there's the diabolical ex-mayor of Chicago who also wants that book and all that's inside.

So much for a happy reunion with her favorite undead supernatural.

Final thoughts: Much better than the last book, which was depressing and confusing.  The initial problem was resolved fairly quickly and the second problem had some good moments.  I really hope Ethan gets over his need to overprotect Merit; she's proved again and again that she can handle herself... most of the time.

Rating: 4/5

Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls

Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls 

by Tellulah Darling

Sam Cruz has been a major player for a while now. He may just be a high school senior, but he's got all the moves. He has mastered the one-night stand. No sex at his place. No cuddles after. He's the "hit 'em and quit 'em" type all the way. 

If only the girls weren't always looking for something more...

When Sam's best friend, Ally, gets dumped, she begs Sam for help. She wants to be a player, too. Just a few one-night stands with no emotional attachments would really help boost her self-esteem and get over her ex.  So Sam becomes Dr. F@*kenstein and teaches Ally all his best techniques. 

And it works! Now Ally has guys falling at their feet for her... including Sam. 

It so was not meant to be like that. 

Final thoughts: It's cotton candy and it has its moments, but it's not great. The idea of promoting casual sex among high schoolers is a little disturbing and Sam's conversion from player to jealous guy is messy. It's a roller coaster for both him and Ally told in alternating viewpoints. I actually liked Sam's point of view more, but I still with there had been a little more development of his emotions. 

Rating: 3/5