Review: Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

Series: The Sweet Trilogy, #3

Release Date: April 29th 2014
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Format: egalley
Pages: 379
Genre: Young Adult – Paranormal Romance
Source: Edelweiss
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

It’s time.

Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous—especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

In the most sensual and fast-paced installment yet, Sweet Reckoning brings all the beloved Neph together one last time to fight for their freedom.

*This is a review of the second book and it may contain spoilers.*

This book was so so good. I marathoned this trilogy straight through and even bought this book on the day it came out just so I would be able to go back and re-read parts that I enjoyed. That’s how good I thought it was. THE FEELS! I have to say this review is probably not going to be one of my bests (I’m pretty much just gonna say how much I love the book) because I actually read the book a couple months ago and I was so excited to read it that I didn’t even take notes. I was just flying through it. That says a lot since I think this is one of the only paranormal books I have read. Paranormal is just not my genre. Angels and Demons I apparently like though.

Ok anyway, on to the sort of review. This was probably my favorite book out of the trilogy. Even though I thought they were all great. Kaidan and Anna’s relationship in this book is fantastic and man there are a couple of steamy scenes and the ending was wow. Wendy Higgins is a fantastic writer and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. There is actually going to be a fourth book to this trilogy, which is going to be a companion novel, in Kaidan’s POV. AHHH I’m dying right now. Make sure and check out the short stories that Wendy wrote on her website that have certain scenes from Kaidan’s POV. I loved those so I’m sure that will be great too.

I completely recommend this trilogy and if you haven’t checked it out you should do so now. If you are hesitant on paranormal books like I was then at least go check it out from the library. It will be totally worth it.

My Rating:

*This book was provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

Series: The Sweet Trilogy, #2
Release Date: April 30^th 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Paperback
Pages: 372
Genre: Young Adult – Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Source: My Collection
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

I really love this trilogy so far. It has blown way past my expectations. Which is awesome. It has been a while since I have wanted to pick one book up right after the other. The day after I finished reading the first book I went out and bought this one at full price! If you know me, then you know this is not the norm.

For those of you who did not go immediately on to the second book then there is something at the beginning that will be quiet helpful. There is a chart of the Auras and what all the colors are and what they mean. Then at the end of the book, which also happens in the first book, there is a list of all the Dukes and their sons, and what their jobs are.

The book starts off about six months after the last one ended. Anna has turned into a party girl, trying to show the demons that she is working like she is supposed to. Although she always feels bad for the people she persuades to do things. She hasn’t seen or heard from Kaidan since he left with his band to go to LA. Her friends Jay and Veronica have officially become a couple after making up for what happened at the New Year’s Eve party.

The book is broken up into seasons, starting with June the summer before senior year, then continues on to fall, winter, etc. Anna’s father sends her and her friend Kope to different assignments, recruiting people for “the good side”. They travel to many different places. There is a lot of sexual tension going on during their times together and one pretty big shocker. Because of their travels together we are introduced to some new characters. We also get to see Ginger and Marna from the first book again. I really like those girls and the relationship they have as sisters.

Kaidan is mentioned numerous times in the book but doesn’t actually show up until about half way through. This of course made their first encounter so much better. There is a lot of growing done between the two of them in this book.  There is one particular scene between the two of them that I have read more than once. Definitely written perfectly!

If you have read the first book then I highly recommend continuing on with the trilogy. It’s so worth it. I read this book in one day no problem. Can’t wait to buy the third book!

My Rating:

Review: Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy, #1) by Wendy Higgins

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Series: The Sweet Trilogy, #1
Release Date: May 1^st 2012
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Format: Paperback
Pages: 453
Genre: Young Adult – Paranormal, Fantasy
Source: My Collection
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

I will start off the review by saying that I both read the book and listened to the audiobook. I did not like the audiobook. It was definitely convient for my 3 ½ hour trip but the person reading it wasn’t really that good and didn’t really show much emotion through the characters. This was even worse with the male characters. So I just wanted to through that out there. The rest of the book will be based on the story and not the audiobook.

The main character is a southern girl named Anna Whit. She is a very nice girl, but she is very different from other people her age. She has enhanced senses, along with a sixth sense of being able to feel people’s emotions and see their auras. She can also remember back to the day of her birth and even her time in the womb. This is because Anna is half demon, half angel. She is being raised by an adoptive mother named Patti. Anna’s mother died during childbirth and her father is in jail for drug related activity.

Anna’s best friend is a boy named Jay. It was a major plus that Jay was in no way a love interest to Anna. This was made known right away. Jay is  musician who is obsessed with a band called Lacivious. The drummer of Lacivious is a half demon boy named Kaidan and Anna is instantly attracted to him. Kaidan is way more than anything Anna could have bargained for. Things really start to change for Anna when she has to take a cross country drive with him. Anna learns things about her life from both Patti and Kaidan and she knows that her life will never be the same. Her attraction to Kaidan, as a offspring of the demon of lust, doesn’t make it any easier.

I enjoyed all of the characters in the book but I would say that Patti and Kaidan were my favorite so far. Kaidan is frustrating because of some of the decisions he is forced to make regarding Anna. The one downfall to the story and the reason I bumped the rating down to a 4 instead of a 5 star, is because Anna is so bland. *The lady reading the audiobook did not help this situation at all.* The writing however flows nicely, and I read it pretty quickly considering it is over 400 pages. There is also a wrap up of all the Dukes and their children and what sins they are in control of. This could definitely be helpful if you get confused.

At the end of the book I really wanted to pick up the second book. So I did! If you are into demons and angels then I think you will enjoy this book. I am not a fan of the whole vampire or werewolf craze; even wizards are not that big on my radar. Angels and demons are fine with me though. So if you have similar taste as me then you should try this book out!

My Rating:

Review: Snitch (Bea Catcher Chronicles, #2) by Olivia Samms

Snitch by Olivia Samms

Series: Bea Catcher Chronicles, #2
Release Date: April 1^st 2014
Publisher:  Skyscape
Format: eArc
Pages: 246
Genre: Young Adult – mystery, fantasy, paranormal
Source: NetGalley
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Secrets. Lies. They smother. But the truth—sometimes the truth is worse. It kills. Leaves blood on your hands.

As the days count down to her eighteenth birthday, Bea feels trapped. Trapped by her dark past, by her parents’ expectations, even by her own dreams for the future. The road ahead is unclear, blurred with secrets and lies.

The only constant, sure thing in her life is Sergeant Dan Daniels. He’s faced with a gang-related murder case and asks Bea to use her “skill” to see and then draw the truth out of the suspect...literally. But when she does, it leaves her with more unanswered questions. And then another teen is shot—clinging for his life.

Time is running out. Can Bea find the killer before someone else gets hurt?

*This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Bea is only days away from turning 18. Ever since she convinced Willa, her now best friend, to turn in the serial killer that beat and raped her, she has been secretly working with the sheriff to solve some small cases. A new case has come up, involving a lot of weed and a dead 17 year old. The Sergeant thinks that the kid that has confessed to the killing is innocent and knows things that he isn’t saying. The sergeant asks Bea to draw what she sees from him.

Bea is starting to feel lonely. Her best friend Chris has been accepted to the college of his dreams and Willa is dating a bully that just happens to be Bea’s next door neighbor. Bea’s parents are also having problems of their own. Bea makes some mistakes interfering in her parent’s problems and she is just ready to leave and get some space of her own.

I love the relationship between the sergeant and Bea. Since there is an age difference they are obviously not allowed to be together. When the two of them are interacting it is probably my favorite parts. I found myself rooting for the Sergeant even though Bea has a boyfriend who is super friendly. I did feel sort of bad for him. She was sort of leading him on by not telling him her true feelings for him.

As with the first book, Bea has placed herself right in the middle of a murder case by trying to solve things without telling people. She has a tendency to put herself in the mist of drama with no regard to her own safety. Sometimes I wish she would think about what she was doing before just jumping into things.

The writing is nice and it is a pretty fast paced book so I didn’t have any problems reading it. I never found myself getting bored or wanting to put down the book. Because I enjoyed the first one, and it is a pretty short read, I knew this would be the perfect book to pick up to get over a reading slump.

I’m not sure if there is going to be a third book because this book has a pretty open ending but I would love to see what happens next. Especially with what happened at the end, there are many possibilities. I recommend picking this series up if it sounds interesting to you! This is definitely a pretty unknown series, as I haven’t heard anyone talk about it. I read the first one for review also so if you would like to read my review for it, check that out HERE! I would love to own physical copies of both of these books!

My Rating:

Wishlist Wednesday #79

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper Blog where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wish-list for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wish-list and onto our wonderful shelves.

Almost Dead by Rebecca A. Rogers

Series: Dead,#1
Release Date: September 15th 2013
Publisher: Createspace
Format: Paperback
Pages: 246
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy, Paranormal
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Flora Mackey is not exactly thrilled to wake up from a car accident and find out she’s a ghost. Making this lifelike hell even worse is being trapped with her arch enemy and collision partner, Laney Tipps. The two normally couldn’t get along if their lives depended on it, but now they have no choice.

After recovering from the initial shock of seeing their lifeless bodies—and that they can’t escape each other—Flora and Laney have to find a way out of the twisted, gray realm. But they quickly learn that the farther they stray from their motionless corpses, the weaker they become. Luckily Sara, a spirit guide, shows up to help. Sara informs them they’ll have to wait for someone in their city to die so they can take their place in the land of the living.

What’s scarier than waiting in purgatory? Time. If Flora and Laney don’t return to the physical world and leave clues for their families that they’re still alive, they’ll never be found. Which sucks, because once their bodies give out, their souls will be permanently stuck in the afterlife.

I’m not sure where I first saw this book but it sounds really good. There are good ratings on Goodreads and nobody I follow has read or reviewed it so I am pretty much going blind into this one. This is also a duology which I love. 

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?

Blog Tour Review & GIVEAWAY: Indigo Incite by Jacinda Buchmann

Indigo Incite by Jacinda Buchmann

Series: The Indigo Trilogy, #1
Release Date: September 7th 2013
Publisher:  Createspace
Format: Paperback
Pages: 272
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal
Source: Author
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

There are no secrets

Sixteen-year-old Tyler believed that his extra-sensory powers were a secret, but when his twin brother, Toby, is kidnapped by a covert government agency, he realizes that he has no secrets, and he has nowhere to hide.

He’s not alone

Now, to save himself and rescue his brother, Tyler must call upon the help of four strangers. Unknown to each other, Eddie, Liliana, Grace, and Sarah share a common bond. They are Indigo Children. With extra-sensory powers of their own, they must unite with Tyler to maintain their freedom.

Unexpected romance

They’re on the run. They’re on a mission. Romance is a distraction that Tyler can’t afford. But sometimes, the heart has a mind of its own.

Time is running out

Will they find Toby before the agency finds them first? Find out in Indigo Incite, Book One of the Indigo Trilogy.

This is a story that provides point of view from six different people. The first two are the main characters of the book, Tyler and Toby, sixteen year old twin brothers currently living with overbearing foster parents. Then we have Eddie, a college kid currently studying physics. Liliana, a Chinese American currently staying with her only Chinese speaking grandfather while her parents and grandmother are in China. Grace, a high school girl whose grandfather has passed away and she’s in a relationship she doesn’t really believe in. and finally Sarah, a pregnant waitress whose husband is currently away at war. All these characters have way more in common than you would think and it is Tyler’s job to locate them to save them from the same fate his brother is currently enduring. All of the characters are special in their own way and someone wants them bad enough to take them.

Tyler and his brother Toby have been extremely close their whole lives. They have always been able to communicate with each other telepathically, among other special traits they have. Their bond grew closer when their mother passed away and they were sent to live with their grandmother while their father was on business. One day their father just quit coming to see them. When their grandmother passes away they are forced into foster care and eventually end up with a couple that only wants them for the government’s money and the free labor. When Tyler gets involved in a shoplifting incident he is sent off to a military school and is away from his brother for the first time.  When he suddenly gets a message from his brother telling him he has been kidnapped and he needs to get away while he can and find these people.

Their adventure takes them from state to state trying to find this list of different people, all the while explaining to each one why they should leave everything and come with them. Only one of the characters really decides not to, even though she changes her mind late, all the others seem to pretty willing come right along. This all happens so easily. No phone calls from school or parents or anything. I’m really surprised that no adult asked them any questions.

There is a mild bit of suspense with this book because you are not sure if they are going to get caught or what is going to happen next but their aren’t really to many action scenes. I would have liked to see more running and close calls but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. It was interesting to learn who was after them and why.

The writing was decent although I did run into some grammar mistakes and some of the phrases used were a little repetitive.  The plot is interesting and held my attention through the entire book. There is also just enough romantic tension between some of the characters to add something different to the main plot.  

I recommend picking this book up if you are into reading about special abilities and secret government agencies. I look forward to checking out the next book in the trilogy.

My Rating:

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If you would like to check out other stops on the tour click HERE

{About the Author}

Jacinda Buchmann lives in Arizona with her husband and three children. She graduated from Carroll College, in Helena, Montana, with a B.A. in elementary education and later received a Master’s degree from Northern Arizona University, in school counseling. After spending several years as a teacher and later a school counselor, she now spends her time writing, any free chance she can get, that is, when she’s not spending time with her family or creating a new concoction in the kitchen.

2B Tuesday #67

Where I highlight a book from my endless to-be-read list. Those books need love too!

Possess by Gretchen McNeil

Release Date: August 23rd 2011
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 379
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

Rule #1: Do not show fear.

Rule #2: Do not show pity.

Rule #3: Do not engage.

Rule #4: Do not let your guard down.

Rule #5: They lie.

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.

I have a thing for books that start out with a list of rules as the synopsis. This has been on my wishlist forever but I actually owned McNeil’s novel Ten first. I loved it and decided that I had to get my hands on this book too. The cover makes it look creepy and I really enjoy a creepy book. It seems to have a good rating on Goodreads too. Hopefully I can get to this book this year. (It’s sad that I have to say ‘this year’).  

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?

Wishlist Wednesday #76

Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by Dani at Pen to Paper Blog where we will post about one book per week that has been on our wish-list for some time, or just added (it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wish-list and onto our wonderful shelves.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

Series: Miss Peregrine, #2
Release Date: January 14th 2014
Publisher: Quirk Books
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy, Paranormal
Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads

In 1940 after the first book ends, Jacob and his new Welsh island friends flee to London, the Peculiar capital of the world. Caul, a dangerous madman, is Miss Peregrine’s brother, and can steal Peculiar abilities for himself. The Peculiars must fight for survival, again.

I can’t believe I haven’t talked about this book yet. The first Miss Peregrine’s book is what got me into Young Adult books. I judged the book by its cover and I am so glad that I did. It’s being next week and I can’t wait!! I have been waiting so long!

Are you going to read this book? What are your thoughts?