Audiobook #Review: The Book of Life (All Souls Trilogy Book 3) by Deborah Harkness

Book Title: The Book Of Life ( All Souls Trilogy #3)
Author: Deborah Harkness |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Viking Adult

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 3

Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda

Audio Service: Penguin Audio via RTB App
Hours in Book: 25

Cost: $38.95

Pages: 561

How I got it: BEA 2014/ Audio via RTB App

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: July 15th, 2014
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Synopsis:

The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night

Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.

Overall:
A fantastic end to the series and I can't wait to see how they adapt this one as well. This eas so explosive and good. I did have a few moments closer to the end where I was annoyed that we essentially got closed door on what I thought would have been major blow out scenes and yet sometimes way too many pages on the mundane.  The pacing was faster this time around and while we had moments of levity, there were a whole lot more unmasking moments within the book. So many things get revealed and I love the way in which Deborah takes the team on their search for the origin of the species. It's going to be hella interesting what they do with the results.  I had originally skipped the novella Time's Convert but apparently, I shouldn't have and after this, I'm going to remedy that, because apparently a good amount of things happened, not enough that you can't follow along but enough you know that things happened off scene and you are missing a few minor pieces.

Narrator:
Jennifer Ikeda.

This is my second story with Jennifer as a narrator and she is phenomenal. She manages to make the whole cast of characters unique and carry the story along without losing any of the different threads.  I loved how I could tell who the different characters were, including when she would switch languages and sing. Just amazing, she really brought the story alive.  Her voice was pleasing and her inflections really made the story fly by. I read at 1.5x speed and this helped to make the storytime go by faster. Even sped up Jenn's voice really hooked you. I didn't want to stop listening at all.

Story:

The time has come for Matthew and Diana to return home and bring with them the knowledge of the Book of Life and once again attempt to beat out the others making a play for the book.  There were so many good moments of reunions that Diana and Matthew both needed that brought them healing while giving them the necessary footing to be able to go into battle far more prepared than they were before.

Diana now knows the source of her magic and can control better than before, but she's come back with a few more gifts as well and now the clock is ticking on when and how she will be face the full wrath of the governing body of the species. She's sworn to get revenge for the battles that were waged when she wasn't there and she's coming for the witches who betrayed her and her mother. Before she can make good on that promise though she needs the pieces of the Book Of Life and she and Matthew need to decipher it before their enemies.

From the time they return to the end of the book Diana and her team were running against a clock. Beat their enemies to deciphering the unknown language of the book, get revenge for her mother an all the other witches; find out why the species is dying out, and prevent Matthew's older brother from fling Diana out of the clan. It's a whirlwind of unraveling secrets, learning new secrets and discovering something that will eventually turn their entire world upside down.  There are new mates and partnerships that have formed while Matthew and Diana were away and now that they have returned they have to find their place within the new family dynamics.

I love that we learn what happened to some of the people Diana left behind; people we counted on before come through and some betray us.  Relationships are fractured and the truth comes out in a big way.  I loved the weaving of politics and the mythology of the Knights Templar into the story. The history and as new puzzle pieces were laid I was so excited to see how it changed the landscape they were navigating.  I found myself angry at some characters, in love with others, laughing with Diana and weary with Matthew. The fledging sense of hope, the fear Diana felt as she made it past the loss and her fear about what the future meant for their people. Fighting the ingrained prejudice that many took as a precaution against being seen by humans, it's funny how even within the magical community it comes down to genetics.

I really want to go into more detail but this being the final book I won't spoil it for you. If you want to fangirl on twitter/ Instagram in the DMs then holler at me.

I'm hoping we're going to get more from the world because there are so many we need to learn about. When those final battle scenes were happening?? When they hunted for Matthew and the full-blown truth came out?? This is what happens when a person doesn't truly have faith but uses it to practice punishment. So many times others have pointed out that Matthew's piousness would come back to haunt him and it finally does. I was so hooked those final chapters and I was totally satisfied with the ending. I highly recommend it my loves.

 ★★★★1/2☆

Series In Order

1. A Discovery Of Witches ( All Souls Trilogy 1)
2. Shadow Of Night (All Souls Trilogy 2) 
3. The Book Of Life ( All Souls Trilogy 3) 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
• The Portal Series by Maggie Shayne

Happy Reading my loves, 

Audiobook #Reivew: A Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy Book 2) by Deborah Harkness .@DebHarkness

Book Title: A Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy Book 2)
Author: Deborah Harkness |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Viking Adult
Genre: Paranormal Historical Fiction
Series/Standalone: Book 2
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda

Audio Service: Penguin Audio via RTB App
Hours in Book: 25

Cost: $45.99

Pages: 834

How I got it: BEA 2012/ RTB App

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: July 10, 2012
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Synopsis:

Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.

Overall:
A great historical fiction that picked right up where the first book finished. The story was chuck full of historical figures as well as with historical facts.  I enjoyed seeing how she wove all the different threads of the characters and the time period together along with the future storylines.

Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda.
This is my first taste of Jennifer as a narrator and she is phenomenal. She manages to make the whole cast of characters unique and carry the story along without losing any of the different threads.  I loved how I could tell who the different characters were, including when she would switch languages and sing. Just amazing, she really brought the story alive.  Her voice was pleasing and her inflections really made the story fly by. I read at 1.5x speed and this helped to make the storytime go by faster. Even sped up Jenn's voice really hooked you. I didn't want to stop listening at all.

Story:
The story picks up right where the first book A Discovery of Witches  ended. I have to say for me this reading experience was phenomenal. Having seen the t.v. show (Review) and reading the book I have a clear picture of the two characters and even as it's lengthy due to including all the historical information it still flowed well and kept me hooked.  Seeing the characters as the people portrayed in the show helped to make this an easier book to digest as we get scant descriptions of the characters at times.

The narrator really was able to make this story flow and the characters come alive. From the get go we really got Diana's thoughts and motivations and I was totally excited with her about being back in history and her realizing it's one thing to read about history/ teach it and it's people it's another to interact with it. I loved the discussion of time and it's movements, as we saw the future where the impacts they were making and the changes being wrought because of them being in the past and at the same time we realize this had to happen for them to come together in the future.

I loved the interaction with historical characters and how the development of how they impacted Dianna and Matthew's life. It was interesting to see how and who knew about the existence of beings and how this created the world we live in now.

When reading the first book I kept saying how much Matthew was holding back from Diana and how that was going to come back to hurt her. And here in this story it really began to come out how much Matthew holds back from sharing with Diana & his family. It's especially telling when family members point out that Matthew has two moods and neither of them allow him to share with those around him. For him this was a journey about learning how his faith wasn't being truly enacted and how much his holding back hurts those around him. Diana for her part had to learn to blend the two halves of herself, the part that hadn't interacted with magic before but wants to learn everything and the part that still wanted nothing to do with magic, while here she was able to be free to be herself to be surrounded by those who knew and were accepting of magic, while trying to stay one step ahead of the beginning of the witch trials in Scotland.

This was a European history major's dream weaving of fact and fiction in a that created a great story. I loved the different journeys they had to go on and seeing the ripple effects in the future. The story shares the different timelines and as the action ramps up we see how the different timelines converge and how history is impacted and the future is changed.

I really loved the life they created while in the time period, the changes it brings to them as characters, the growth they both experience, and the knowledge of how this world works. I loved the little snippets of things that you know have to have an impact in the future then jumping to the future and seeing how it impacts the family then. There are so many good moments, especially when Matthew meets up with someone whom he thought he would never see again.  They went in thinking this was going to be a simple mission find the book, learn about her magic and come back but time and magic have their own rules and they begin to learn that when Diana meets a mentor who really brings it all home for them.

Matthew and his origin is told to Diana and they begin the hunt for the book that will tell them the origin of all creatures. I can't wait to see how the story completely unfolds as Diana learns more about herself and her magic, her history and the history of witches.  I highly recommend reading it in audiobook form while following along with the book.  I can't wait to see it all play out in the second season, the way everything is described it's going to be interesting to say the least.

 ★★★★1/2☆

Series In Order

1. A Discovery of Witches 
2. A Shadow of Night 
3. The Book Of Life

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Happy Reading my loves, 

ARC Book #Review: Boy In Luv (In Luv Duet # 2) by Jay Crownover & Rebecca Yarros

Book Title: Boy In Luv ( In Luv Duet)
Author:  Jay Crownover |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram
Author: Rebecca Yarros |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram
Publisher: Jay Crownover LLC

Genre: New Adult Romance

Series/Standalone: Book 2
Format: ebook, Trade paperback

Cost: $Free w/ Kindle Unlimited. 

Pages: 195

How I got it: ARC From Author

Purchase: Amazon |
Publication Date: October 21, 2019
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Synopsis:

Distance sure as hell made his heart grow fonder… But it shattered hers into a million pieces.

Langley Vaughn knows she's never going to make the same mistake again.

Who falls head over heels in love in a week? Langley did, and she's regretted it every day since she handed her heart to a boy with too many secrets and too much baggage. Iker doesn't fit into Langley's world, and he made it clear he doesn't want to. He left before she even got a chance to try and change his mind or to prove to him how good they could be together. Langley's spent the last nine months healing her heart and making big plans for the future. Plans that absolutely don't include Iker… even though he's back, looking better than ever, and saying all the right things.

Iker Alvarez knows he made the biggest mistake of his life.

At first, the pretty blonde in the red dress was nothing more than a means to an end. But, she quickly became so much more. As soon as Iker walked away from Langley, claiming it was for her own good, he knew he screwed up. He left her so she wouldn't worry about him when he deployed, so she wouldn't waste her time waiting around for a guy who was never going to be good enough for her. Only, nine months and a deployment later, Iker still can't get Langley out of his head… and he totally underestimated the hold she has on his hardened heart. He's a guy who's not sure how love should work, or how to go about winning his girl back…he's about to get a crash course in both.

This one picks up right where Girl In Luv left off. It's been a few months since Iker made his move and since that fateful weekend, now he's been rotated home from his assignment overseas and he had realized his mistake in making the choice for them but will Langley???

As this story picks up a few months after the events of Girl in Luv and is being told mainly from Iker's POV.   We learn that pushing people away is a special skill of his.  Learning to navigate this world with Langley in it but not really in it, is hard for him. He realized too late that he was being very much like the people in her life in making the decision for her instead of with her. When he gets back Langley has shown that she's moved on and the news devastates Iker. He's proud of all her recent accomplishments bit when he realizes one of the decisions she's made without him means leaving him behind he's willing to fight to get what he wants.  Hr's not sure how to do this as he's never been in love before and he wants to protect her as he plans to remain in the military and he's always believed it to be too much to ask someone to wait for you.

Langley was devastated the morning after the wedding and finding that letter. She's pushed her way through her studies and is graduating. She's found herself the perfect opportunity to use her degree and it takes her away from town and from all the memories, except now Iker is here and she doesn't know how to navigate this space. She's always been open and trusting and Iker's betrayal showed her she shouldn't trust as easily even if Iker is giving her everything she had wished for, it's too late or is it??

It's funny to see the roles reversed here, int he first one it was Iker with a secret and now it's Langley. I loved that even though she missed him, she moved on, she made some changes and focused in on school. While her time with Iker had been brief he had made some lasting impressions on her. I loved that Langley was such a badass like she didn't breakdown, she just kept going despite the blow he'd dealt her.  I loved that her life was just as full as before and she's made changes that enhance it even more. I enjoyed the back and forth between them and the way in which Iker tries to regain the ground he lost when he made his decision in book 1.

I loved seeing his family in here and learning more about him and the people he'd been willing to date a stranger for.  Due to his family history, Iker isn't used to relying on others, he's always been the one to step up and to be vulnerable with Langley lets him learn about the gaps he'd created with his family. I enjoyed seeing both sides of their families, especially Langley's. The changes form book 1 were pretty good and even if it for me it's eff them bitches for life, I'm glad that there was a good resolution to it.  I loved the tension and how it's eventually resolved because for me it was touch and go there for a few. I didn't know if Iker was going to make it.

There is so much I want to gush about but I don't want to spoil you. Definitely read it and come back my loves so we can talk about it. It's a fantastic romance that talks about so many real things without trying too hard and becoming bogged down. It's a well done interracial romance that doesn't *other* the person of color and finds ways to wind his culture in without it being a glaring 'see we have a person of color in here'.  I loved when they talked about the differences between them from culture to socio-economic classes and how it affected them personally and as a couple. I loved that Iker was career military so that would impact who they became and what they could do.  And that it was a part of the tension in the relationship. It was well done and I loved the discussions they had to have because of it. Of course, it's not a Jay Corwonover romance if the sexual tension doesn't leap off the page and singe you when they are together.  Smoking hot tatted man and just to die for sex scenes?? It's the Crownover brand and I loved every second of it.

 ★★★★☆ 

Series In Order

• Girl In Luv  # 1
• Boy In Luv # 2

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Monica Murphy's One Week Girlfriend
• Monica Murphy's Second Chance Boyfriend

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Claiming The Jackal ( Sons of Anubis 3) by Seressia Glass .@seressia

Book Title: Claiming The Jackal ( Sons of Anubis 3)
Author: Seressia Glass |Website| Twitter| Facebook|
Publisher: Harlequin Nocturne Cravings

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Romance
Series/Standalone: Finale (Book 3)
Format: ebook

Cost: $2.99

Pages: 99

How I got it: Borrowed From Library 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: November 01, 2013
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Synopsis:

Despite an end to two thousand years of conflict with the Daughters of Isis, jackal shifter Hector still distrusts the witches. But he cannot deny his growing hunger for Rana, a beautiful and gentle priestess who soothes his anger and awakens his passions as no other ever has.

As a healer, Rana is working tirelessly to find a way to protect the jackals from a deadly curse--and restore the honor of her bloodline. As a woman, she cannot resist surrendering to her desire for Hector, the powerful and virile second in command. But when her secret is revealed, will their new bond be strong enough to survive the truth?

Claiming the Jackal is the story of one of the Priestesses who came over with the truce between the Sons of Anubis and the Daughters of Isis. Once it was known they had a common enemy hell-bent on destroying both groups, they bonded together to take on the Lost Ones and their enemy.

As the newest member on the compound that the Jackals have Rana is trying to atone for the wrong done to the Jackals, she's got a secret that could have her thrown out of the budding community, she's hoping she can make herself an integral part of the community before her secret is found out. Hector is the second in command of the Jackals and he remembers the time before, he's angry (rightly so, but still Rana isn't the one he should be angry with) having to let go the thousands of years of anger when he discovers that what he thought he knew about the beginning of the war between the two groups . He's trying because Markus has asked him to but he's still angry about all the loss he's experienced. As he begins to fall for Rana, she helps to quiet that part of him that is angry, but when their common enemy strikes will he be able to let go of his anger and fight to protect Rana??

As the story advances, we learn more about the common enemy the two groups have and what their motivation was. We get to know just why this battle is so important to both Hector and Rana. Rana is running from her past and Hector's trying to learn to let go of the anger he's carried for all these years. When Hector's anger blinds him to Rana's need and he hurts her she still stands for the mission and in the throes of battle faces an enemy that was closer than she knew. I can't explain how much my heart ached when we got to the final chapters. Rana just wanted a home and acceptance and those final moments?? Just a kick in the gut, oh my gosh it was so good to read and almost made me cry as well.   I just fell in love with them and their world. Another amazing enemies to lovers romance with an amazing overall story that wraps up well, while leaving room for us to come back ( or at least I would love for us to go back in). 

Very erotic, fast paced romance. Loved the solutions to the bigger mysteries that the series laid out.

 ★★★★☆

Erotic Rating
 ★★★★★
5 ~ Extra Steamy: great story excellent plot, amazing sex scenes

Series in Order

• Seducing The Jackal (Sons of Anubis 1) 
• Hunting The Jackal (Sons of Anubis 2) 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• The Shadowchaser series
• LA Banks Vampire Huntress Series

Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Right Kind of Wrong (Finding Fate 3) by Chelsea Fine . @ChelseaFine . @GrandCentralPub

Book Title: Right Kind Of Wrong (Finding Fate 3)
Author: Chelsea Fine |Website| Twitter| Facebook|
Publisher: Forever Grand Publishing

Genre: New Adult Romance, Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 3
Format: Trade Paperback, Ebook

Cost: $3.99

Pages: 320

How I got it: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
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Synopsis:

"Tangled with friendship, history and heartbreak - not to mention a huge dose of humor - Chelsea Fine's New Adult novel is not to be missed! Beyond an incredibly HOT read, Pixie and Levi's longing for each other will have you rooting for them till the very end." --- Jay Crownover, New York Times bestselling author of Rule

"Chelsea Fine's style is witty, visceral and fresh. All I wanted to do was crawl inside this book and live with the characters. " ---Chelsea M. Cameron, New York Times bestselling author

Sometimes wrong can feel oh so right . . .

Jenna Lacombe needs complete control, whether it's in the streets . . . or between the sheets. So when she sets out on a solo road trip to visit her family in New Orleans, she's beyond annoyed that the infuriatingly sexy Jack Oliver wants to hitch a ride with her. Ever since they shared a wild night together last year, he's been trying to strip away her defenses one by one. He claims he's just coming along to keep her safe-but what's not safe for her is prolonged exposure to the tattooed hottie.

Jack can't get Jenna out from under his skin. She makes him feel alive again after his old life nearly destroyed him-and losing her is not an option. Now Jack's troubles are catching up to him, and he's forced to return to his hometown in Louisiana. But when his secrets put them both in harm's way, Jenna will have to figure out how far she's willing to let love in . . . and how much she already has.

Finally!! I took forever to read this one and I have loved the series since the first one. I can't wait until she writes a spin-off about Ellen because Aunt Ellen is awesome and deserves a second chance. She drops wisdom on the girls which allows them to see what happens when you take certain paths and I'm here for it.

In this one it's another companion novel about Pixie's roommate and best friend Jenna who doesn't believe a woman needs romantic love; this stems from her past and what she's seen happen to the women in her family. In defiance of what happened to them, she's created the perfect plan, she's decided her future won't include a man in it because they can derail a woman's dreams. While I understand where she's coming from she's not thinking about what happens when the men who love you leave without a choice, they die in some way and still your life is changed but she's only worried about them leaving by choice. She can see that her friends have found men who won't leave but she refuses to believe that can be the same for her.

Jack's family life was batshyt crazy. Being from a small town, there isn't much of a choice about what he's going to do and become. Yet given the chance, he runs away to better himself after doing his best to make sure his family would be ok. While he's gone the past returns to undo everything he's sacrificed for and his brother is left with a price on his head. Can Jack figure out what is going on before someone collects on his brother?? How will this impact his relationship with Jenna??

Jenna's Grandmother is having her annual she's dying moments and Jenna's not happy to have to travel back home due to the old woman's manipulations. Even though she won't say it, this is a great way for her to come home and see the family without feeling guilty about the money she has to spend.

They have a road trip that brings them closer and opens her eyes to who Jack is more than before but because she's not willing to have him in her life she doesn't notice the strain he's under until a big fight happens. I loved that Jack was emotionally stronger of the two. He saw in her what he wanted and even though it hurt he never pushed her into what he wanted because really he wanted her to be happy.  On the way there she and Jack spend time together trying to get past that moment last winter when their relationship changed. Jenna's got a life plan and Jack's not in it. Except for everytime, she thinks about leaving him behind she panics.

I'm not sure I could have dealt with his family issues as calmly as Jenna did, I probably would have had to take some time but this is how we knew she cared more than she was willing to admit. Realizing that Jack was more complex than she gave him credit for opened Jenna's eyes to the fact that she did have love in her life even if it wasn't the romantic love she believed no one needs. Watching her and her family interact and her realizing just how good she had it made her such a great character to read. Their growth was awesome to read, while she doesn't abandon her plans for love, she finally realizes that the right people in your life enhance it. 

I loved their moments together especially when they got intimate. The push and pull of them wanting to be together and Jenna being the one too scared to dive right it made when she did make love to him that much sweeter.  Their love was beautiful and painful and those last few chapters?? Whew it made my heart hurt.

A good conclusion to the friends' stories, I am however hoping for a story on Ellen who helps others realize their potential and is hurting because she came to the conclusion too late.

 

 ★★★★☆

Books In Seris

• Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate 1)
• Perfect Kind of Trouble (Finding Fate 2)

Happy Reading my loves, 

YA Book #Review: Rogue (Croak 3) by Gina Damico .@ginadamico

Book Title: Rogue (Croak 3)
Author:  Gina Damico |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher:  Graphia
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal, Mature YA
Series/Standalone: Book 3
Format: ebook, Trade Paperback

Cost: $9.99

Pages: 326

How I got it: Purchased 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: Sept 10, 2013
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Synopsis:

Lex is a teenage Grim Reaper with the power to Damn souls, and it’s getting out of control. She’s a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they’re joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: Fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it.

The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed…but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice.

Once again let's start with the amaze-balls covers, when they are all lined up together they are so pretty!!!  This has taken me several years to finish as I have placed it on like every TBR pile through the years. It's not because it wasn't engaging it's because I didn't want it to end and as much as I love it and can go back and re-read; there's nothing like reading the ending and finding the twists for the first time. I procrastinated reading this because I didn't want the series to end, I didn't want to let go of the amazing characters and I was scared she wouldn't do it justice. Man I'm an idiot!!

I have loved this group of ragtag Grim Reapers from the first and didn't want to part with them. Lex has been one of my favorite characters to read in a long time. As I have said a few times before she reminded me of Toilet seat Girl in Dead Like Me.

Lex is an angry sixteen-year-old, unfortunately, she has plenty of reason to be, so much has gone down since she came to Croak and it all seems to be going from bad to worse. In the last book, we were left with some heartbreaking news and given the choices she has to make I can understand why she's still so angry. Betrayed, angry, heartbroken Lex is on the run and keeping secrets. Her town of Croak was damaged when they went to war and now the Juniors and Uncle Mort are on the run trying to right the wrong done generations ago. While trying to stay one step ahead of the mob hellbent on making them pay for their transgressions.

Running, Crashing and Reaping as they go the Juniors are doing their best to undo the damage being done to the Grimsphere. Except they don't have the help they should because their enemies are moving faster than they are and have better PR. This is the book that holds the most amount of adventure, growth, and development for the Juniors. They each get their moment to shine and show that even with Lex as their leader they are fearless as well. They back her plans and she and Uncle Mort begin to rebuild their relationship. Even as they face the dangers of their mission they wouldn't be them without Fergus cracking a joke or Pip being dramatic. There are some sweet reunion moments for Lex and heartbreaking goodbyes as well.

I will say I started to cry when we go to the last few chapters as betrayals happened to the team, as each member began to step up and make a difference for the ultimate mission. As their enemies get savior and take the fight to another level, Lex, Uncle Mort, and the Juniors try to find a way to bring the townspeople around to their side.  As the battles continue, there are prices to pay and so many paid them, each taking a piece of Lex as it happened. Knowing that the Afterlife is in danger if they don't win the team keeps going even with the loses. New powers come into play, old enemies come back to *surprisingly* help when they realize they too will lose if the Grimsphere doesn't get the help it needs.

This is the darkest the books have gotten. And it's been the best adventure as well. I didn't see the ending coming and sobbed when I realized how far each town had to go to help right the wrongs. When you realize this is bigger than Lex and her quest for vengeance. When we learn all about Uncle Mort's past & some seriously surprising secrets about the history of Croak and the Grimsphere.  When the end comes it's bittersweet, heartbreaking and at the same time so perfect. When the Last does their job and then lays down their Scythe?? I just fell apart.

A fantastic end to a great series. I highly recommend it my loves, be ready for an adventure, for young love, for a great found family and be prepared for the loses that come with war.

 ★★★★★

Books In Series

• Croak (Book 1)
• Scorch (Book 2) 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Shows: Dead Like Me 
• Books: (Adult Grim Reaper) First Grave on the Right;  Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones
• Song: Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult

Happy Reaping Reading my loves, 

YA Book #Review: Return To Paradise by Simone Elkeles .@SimoneElkeles .@fluxbooks

Book Title: Return To Paradise (Paradise 2)
Author:  Simone Elkeles |Website| Twitter| Facebook| Instagram

Publisher: Flux

Genre: Romance, Young Adult, Social Situations
Series/Standalone: Final Book
Format: ebook, Trade paperback

Cost: $8.99

Pages: 291

How I got it: Borrowed Ebook from Library

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Thriftbooks
Publication Date: Sept 2010
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Synopsis:

Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything.

Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She's determined to make a new life for herself.

But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie's accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them.

I read this one right after reading the first of the duet which is Leaving Paradise because that book left so much unanswered. I absolutely loved the conclusion to the story.

We picked back up a few months after the events of Leaving Paradise, seeing how life is going for both our characters and it's not all good. Once again Caleb is caught up when someone he trusts gets busted he makes his one phone call and it's a call that puts him on a different path than he'd seen for himself. As a way to avoid jail time, he must take a road trip and share with teens like himself how drinking had adversely affected his life. We know his secret from the first book as it had been the explosive ending that ripped him and Maggie apart.

Maggie is trying to move on, it's been eight months and no word from Caleb. She's decided to find a way to live with what happened that night and with the knowledge of the secret she holds. She's learning to forgive and decides that if Caleb couldn't trust her then perhaps he didn't love her as much as he claimed.   Then she gets to her summer trip and discovers that Caleb will be there as well. She can't be near him, but she can't be away from him as well.

As they travel and share their stories with the group Caleb is struggling with being there and eventually everything comes to an explosive head.  As the other characters on the trip begin to tell their story and share who they are with Caleb & Maggie we see the many different ways it impacts them. I wanted to cry when we learned why one of the kids ended up in the group and at the same time I wanted to rage, how and why do people never protect their kids??? As the story progresses we return to their home town and they have to learn to live with what happened on the trip and each other. Caleb is back to trying to rebuild his family and this time he's not pulling his punches or keeping what he's feeling inside.

Secrets are revealed, relationships are impacted and finally, the one who should have told the truth from the beginning found a way to share the truth.  I loved how everything unfolded, and how the truth coming out made several people look at themselves and how their actions and beliefs aided in the confusion. I loved how Maggie's mom was with her daughter, how she wanted to protect her and how she wanted to make it all better at the same time wanted her daughter to never fail. I loved the developing relationship her mother had and totally understood her dilemma of trying to decide if rebuilding was better than starting over.

Maggie and Caleb are still awesome characters to read, their journey and growth were beautiful to read and I loved that we didn't get a perfect ending but a more realistic one. I loved the duet and hope Simone checks in on them a few years into the future so we can know just how they are doing.

 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• The Hard Truth About Sunshine  by Sawyer Bennet
• Did I Mention I Love You Series by Estelle Maskame

I will definitely be getting a copy to go on my shelves, I highly recommend you read the books my loves. 
Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Did I Mention I Miss You (DIMLY 3) by Estelle Maskame .@estellemaskame

Book Title: Did I Mention I Miss You (DIMLY 3)
Author:  Estelle Maskame |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher:  Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Mature YA, New Adult, Romance
Series/Standalone: Series Book 2
Format: ebook, Trade Paperback

Cost: $10.99

Pages: 352

How I got it: Purchased 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: Dec 2016
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Synopsis:

One last chance for love.

It’s been a year since Eden last spoke to Tyler. A year since he left her all alone after nearly destroying their family. But Eden picked herself up and headed to Chicago for college where she found a new boyfriend—someone who doesn’t run when things get tough. She’s finally moved on from Tyler…right?

Despite their breakup, Tyler’s determined to rekindle what they once had. He’s restarted his life in Eden’s hometown of Portland, and he wants her in it. But when a tragedy draws them together, Eden must search her heart and decide if Tyler is worth the risk once and for all. (

Even months later this book has been stuck in my head. I ended up ordering physical copies so I can re-read the series whenever I want to.  I loved this one especially.  We are back in the world of Eden who is back home for the summer from her first year of college. She's just bidding the time until it's August so she can go back to school, her life had imploded back home and she's been surviving by suppressing all the memories.  Tyler who is working on his recovery ended up breaking Eden's heart when he made the choice to pick himself instead of her because he needed to make sure his recovery hinged not only on her love and acceptance of him but on his own strength. Which is admirable, however that left Eden dealing with the fallout of their declaration to their families. 

I felt so many emotions reading this book. At the end of the story, I smiled.   I absolutely loved Eden & Tyler as well as their friends because they were amazing in this novel. Her friends were the first to really embrace them as a couple and they were the ones to push her to face her fears about Tyler and to confront him. And her biggest ally?? Man I didn't see that coming. I absolutely loved it.   Eden is afraid because she tried to go outside of society's norms and is now building herself back up despite the heart breaking failure. Most of this story happens back in Eden's hometown I loved how the cities played a part in the story & how each city brought it's own change to their relationship with it. In NYC they could be anyone they wished to be and that brought its own level of freedom.  LA was where it all began and that brings with it so much history.  Chicago is where she ran to recover and here in Oregon where she came from; they really could learn to be more.

Both characters have both broken each other's hearts in each book and Eden's left to face the fallout from their families.  In this third book, it takes a while for Tyler to gain her trust and they start again from scratch.  I loved that the characters learned that happily ever after is what you make it and that it may not look like what you originally thought you wanted.  There was so much growth from the characters int heir understanding of themselves, of what they would accept from their families and what they wanted the world to see.

My favorite part of the books came from their drive from LA to his new home.  Because it's how they begin to rebuild their friendship, which allows them to begin to learn each other from the ground up.  Both who they were before and who they have become since is shared in such a great way.  Once again Eden's dad's reaction is my least favorite part of the book. He's still mad at Eden and as an adult, you should be better at handling this when dealing with your child.  Especially because you haven't understood that she was too young to understand what was happening in your relationship with her mother.  Being angry at the child who once hero worshipped you for picking her mother makes you very childish. 

Once again the ending wasn't predictable because the author has lied to us before and kicked our teeth in from the previous books.  But omigawd I loved the ending just amazing, very sweet and totally worth the read.  I loved that the series came full circle and the place that Eden originally ran to California from became the place she could be her best self.  One of my favorite parts of the story was Eden learning what happened to Tyler when he was away from her, as they took their road trip it helped to unravel the story is such an amazing way and finally we get to hear from Tyler as well!!!

A great story about learning to love yourself and trust who you are. It's also an amazing story about the power of love, and how it makes a person want to not just be better for the person you love but for yourself. Tyler's journey was very admirable and he needed to learn who he was away from all that he thought he had to be.  He first had to confront the past in order to claim his future, and it was amazing to read. 

 ★★★★★

Series Order

• Did I Mention I Love You (1)
• Did I Mention I Need You (2) 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• The Rules Series Monica Murphy
• Shattered Past Series Cecy Robson

Happy Reading my loves, 

ARC Book #Review: Save Me by Cecy Robson #SaveMe #NetGalley

Book Title: Save Me ( O'Brien Book 5)
Author:   Cecy Robson |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Cece Robson LLC
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Series Finale
Format: ebook

Cost: $3.99

Pages: 349

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
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Synopsis:

RT Book Reviews proclaims that the O’Brien Family series from award-winning author Cecy Robson “has the hottest brothers ever!” And in SAVE ME, it's time for Seamus, the family’s most notorious bachelor, to find true love.

Three weddings. No date. What’s a hot stud to do when all the women on his speed dial are either serving dinner to their families or serving time?

Out of all the O’Briens, Seamus is the best-looking, most creative, and, did I mention, best-looking? Single at almost forty wasn’t a big deal until every sibling in his large and loud Irish family found “the one.” Now, he’s desperate for a wedding date, one he doesn’t have to worry will make out with the limo driver or rob the bride and groom blind.

Allie Mendes is the good daughter, who’s spent her life living in her perfect sister’s shadow. But when her sister steals the man Allie was supposed to marry, that shadow she’s lived in threatens to swallow her whole. Allie wants to believe a bright future awaits. But when she begs God to save her from this disastrous twist of fate, the last person she expects Him to send her is Seamus O’Brien.

Allie needs a stand-in boyfriend to avoid appearing as lonely as she feels. Seamus needs a decent woman without an ankle bracelet or a rap sheet as long as his muscular arms. The two make a deal to pose as each other’s perfect date. But weddings mean romance and a chance at forever neither had planned.

*sob* This feels like a final book in the series and I'm not ready to let them go.   This has been a fantastic series showing off the O'Brien siblings and their friends It has highlighted that family isn't always blood, love comes in many guises and that healing takes time.  I absolutely loved this story, it was a wonderful ending to a series, that has made me laugh, cry, rage at the injustice and still love the characters in all their complexities.

This is Seamus's story, he's the big brother who gave so much of himself to make sure his siblings didn't need to sacrifice as much. Stepping up after his father failed to be a better man Seamus left school to pursue a construction career that it turns out he's pretty darn good at. Creating customized homes for clients who ask for the unique Seamus and his brothers have gone from the poor kids to being pretty well set.  As all his siblings fall in love and get married Seamus finds himself in desperate need of a date for all the family events and he can't bring any of his "normal" women.
Allie's family is also celebrating a wedding and she can't wait to get out of it. However, her mother keeps insisting she makes an appearance and Allie is desperate to get away. When a chance encounter with a childhood crush leads to a misunderstanding that she now has to embrace to keep from being the only single woman at the wedding.

I totally fell in love with these characters. I absolutely loved that despite her family's input Allie has become a successful woman.  Seamus is a fantastic character even though to everyone else he appears to be the one left behind in the family he's a man comfortable with where he is and who he is.

I laughed so much when it came to this story, from the meet-cute to the final scenes. I loved the wit between Seamus and Allie. I loved how they were doing their best not to be single people at their families weddings and yet they found themselves slowly sliding towards coupledom. Seamus's antics when dealing with Allie made me love him so much. His internal monologue gave us such an insight into him and just made this story funny sweet and sexy.

Even though they appeared to be the most well adjusted of their family members Allie and Seamus had their own scars that they dealt with as well. Seamus had a good reason why he was still single and how he dealt with it.  Confronting it with Allie made him realize that he was holding himself back in a way that wasn't healthy. Allie's family??? My gawd they were definitely terrible. First of all, I can't even deal with her sister, her mother was trash and deserved everything she got at the end.  I never understood parents that treated their kids like that then expected loyalty, like no. When I was reading Allie's interactions with them I wanted to jump in a defend her so badly.  I loved that she shared this vulnerability with Seamus & that when it mattered she took his advice.

I laughed quite a bit with this novel because Seamus is hilarious. However, this novel still had its heart-stopping moments and even a few moments that brought tears to my eyes as we caught up with family members and got to see them as they headed towards their happy endings.  His sister's wedding was a tearjerker moment for sure.  I loved the talk about Catholic weddings and all the traditions that went into them as it definitely brought me back to my school days and reminded me of those moments with my family as well.

Although this novel didn't have as many of the sexy times moments as the others did, it was still sweetly passionate and I loved how they interacted with each other.  Some of my favorite moments were when Allie brought Seamus food because they took such good care of each other in those moments. They shared their vulnerabilities in a way that was sweet and funny and Seamus never allowed the moment to become too bogged down so they felt comfortable.  His lessons?? Absolutely hilarious.  I loved the ending scenes because you just know that they are all going to be alright.  Although I would have loved to have seen more from his other brother who was engaged the entire series, I loved the ending we did get. Maybe Cecy will revisit the family through their kids?? Who knows, even if she doesn't  the ending we got was still wonderful.

 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Marked Men Series by Jay Crownover
• The Reed Brothers by Tammy Faulkner

Happy Reading my loves,