Dark Breaks the Dawn: 4 Stars

Author: Sara B. Larson
Length: 320 pgs.

I really enjoyed this book, and didn’t want to put it down. It’s been a while since a fantasy novel grabbed me, but this did the trick. The writing is beautiful, and makes me want to go back and read that copy of Defy (also by Sara Larson) that’s been on my kindle for 3+ years and I haven’t gotten to. I loved reading about the differences between the Light and Dark Draiolon, their respective kingdoms and rulers, and how magic works in this world. With so many books in this genre sometimes they tend to blur together so I appreciate an author’s attempt to lend some uniqueness to their story.

The heroine, Evelayn, is immediately likeable. She’s determined, strong, and it’s easy to feel for her after she suffers the devastating loss of both her parents in a decade long war. Her magic doesn’t come easy to her but she has no choice but to take a crash course in order to take up the fight against the relentless King Bain.

The love story introduced in this book is charming and pleasant. Larson gives us the satisfaction of letting it play out naturally, not hindering it with the popular use of inner conflict that prevents so many book couples from ever getting together. Unfortunately this is only the first book of a duology, so while we get to see two likeable people fall in love, we’re not given the security of knowing they’ll have their happily ever after.

The story took a few turns that definitely gave me the creeps: a foreboding agreement of sorts between the Queen and a magical entity who will one day collect on an unnamed favor, a Dark prince who has something brewing behind the scenes, a general sense that danger is lurking just outside of our peripheral vision. Larson is excellent at propelling the story towards a disturbing and cliffhanger climax.

I’m glad I picked this up as I initially had brushed it off as yet another YA fantasy novel. Will definitely read the next one!

Scythe (Arc of a Sycthe #1): 4 Stars

Author: Neal Shusterman

Scythe tells the story of a far-off future, one in which nobody dies because they can undergo a procedure called “turning the corner” and become any age they want, virtually starting life over again to marry again, have more children, etc. As a result of this, Scythes are created to enforce population control. Scythes are the chosen few whose duty it is to, er, “remove” people from the living. Murder doesn’t exist in this world, so the word used to describe a Scythe’s duties is called “gleaning”. You can live forever in this world, or you can be one of the unlucky who is chosen for gleaning and find yourself face to face with a Scythe who will kill you, then maybe pick up some groceries and go home to eat their dinner. Understandably, most people fear and avoid Scythes like the plague.

Both Rowan and Citra are teenagers who find themselves face to face with a Scythe, but not to be gleaned. Their encounters with this Scythe send their lives in a much different direction than either of them anticipated, and they end up in a joint apprenticeship competing to be a “junior Scythe”. One of the benefits of becoming a Scythe is immunity from gleaning for your loved ones, so Rowan and Citra keep this in their heads as they struggle to accept the bizarre path they’ve both been set upon.

The premise itself is enough to keep you reading until things start to get REALLY interesting. Imagine rogue Scythes, who view their position as one of power, performing “mass gleanings” in shopping malls, on airplanes, in religious sanctuaries. Mass murder would be the word we’d use today, but in the Scythe’s world, it is entirely justified. Or is it?

An unexpected series of events puts Rowan and Citra at odds, and I have to admit I didn’t see about 80% of the following events coming at ALL. More than once I said aloud “oh shit!” while listening to the audiobook and its excellent narrator, in response to the shocking moments that pepper the story. Neal Shusterman is an absolute creative genius; giving very different emotions, feelings, memories, and opinions to many different colorful characters. And though this story is set in the far-off future, humans are very much the same, which made me feel unsure about what direction the storyline would take-since being technologically advanced obviously doesn’t guarantee that we’re any wiser or make better decisions.

I was guessing up until the end, which was both satisfying and a delicious cliffhanger of sorts, showing us what choices the characters might be making in the next chapter of their separate lives. It perfectly sets up the second book in the series, Thunderhead.

Definitely recommend and I can see why this one got all the stars from other readers!

Dark Pleasures (Pure/Dark Ones #4): 4 Stars

Author: Aja James

I was kindly given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Dark Pleasures tells Devlin Sinclair’s story. Devlin is the sexy, somewhat smart-alecky Dark One we’ve gotten glimpses of in the past 2 books. Half the fun of the Pure/Dark Ones series is that (unless you ruin it by reading the blurb) you don’t know whose story is going to be coming up next. The other half of the fun is reading the books, which continue to pique my interest and keep me ravenous for more information.

The female star of this book is Grace Darling, who’s an unlikely heroine as someone with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. She lives alone and abides by a strict schedule, with only her aunt to check in on her. She likes it that way, too, until she meets Devlin. Grace’s interaction with Devlin confuses her, because emotions aren’t second nature to Grace. She’s a hacker, and her mind works in scientific and mathematical ways. I won’t ruin it here but the way that Grace and Devlin first begin their “relationship” is hilarious. If only it could be so cut and dry for all of us as it is for Grace!

The story differs here from previous books because Ms. Aja James usually makes us wait for the male/female main characters to end up in bed together – this book starts out with a bang (badum-dum!) but that’s certainly not the end of it. And in addition to Grace & Devlin’s storyline we get a peek at some of our other favorite characters. In true Aja fashion we only get to see a little of this here, and little of that there-just enough to whet our appetite for more. It’s hard to say too much without giving spoilers, but know that some of your favorite side characters from recent books pop up just enough to drop a few more revelations. You think you have some things figured out but then a two minute conversation between certain characters can turn that completely upside down!

This has to truly be one of the most well thought-out and planned series as I’m just amazed how everything ties in together, even things that previously seemed disconnected or standalone. And the characters that Aja James creates are either loveable or you love-to-hate-them, there’s not too much in between. As usual, the ending leaves me only wanting more!!

Dark Desires (Pure/Dark Ones #3): 4 Stars

Author: Aja James
Length: 331 pgs.
Number three in the Pure/Dark Ones series, Dark Desires has one of my favorite heroines ever in Ava Monroe. The girl is hilarious: smart, curvy, self-effacing, turns to blubbering idiot around handsome men. Cue Ryu Takamura, assasin for the Dark Ones. We got a glimpse of Ryu in the second book, Dark Longing, and in learning more about him and his origins here, you can’t help but connect to him.

The budding relationship between Ava and Ryu was touching and funny – I loved the way Ava opened up to him, even in spite of her own embarrassment. She speaks before she thinks, charming both Ryu and the reader. When we meet her mother, we see where she gets that charm. My favorite part of this story, though, was the plot: Ava isn’t aware that she’s being used to further an inhumane experiment led by the mysterious “A. Medusa”. Ryu’s instructions are to end the experiment no matter what it takes – even if he must kill Ava in the process.

There’s explosions, a kidnapping, torturing of a mysterious prisoner, shadow assassins, two-faced tricksters, and a love story – what more could you want?

The book manages to answer some questions raised in the two previous installments while continuing to set up mysteries that won’t unfold until future books. None of the Pure/Dark Ones stories are completely self-contained, so even while we get to witness Ryu and Ava’s story, we also learn a bit more about things that are going on outside of their love bubble. Such is the genius of Aja James in that she rewards us with bits and pieces while at the same time keeping us wanting more. It’s cruel, really.

Buddy read with the Freebie chicks!

Darkfever (Fever, #1): 4 Stars

Author: Karen Marie Moning
Length: 342 pgs.
So I finally got around to reading Darkfever and finding out what all the fuss is about!

This is one of the smarter urban fantasies I’ve read. The writing is really good. Details and definitions of magical items and beings are meant to be catalogued in the reader’s mind and remembered. And, surprisingly (to me), it’s pretty freakin’ scary.

The main character, Mac, becomes introduced to the faerie world after her sister is murdered. We’re given information little by little as it’s learned firsthand by Mac, so we share in her strange fascination with all this new and overwhelming knowledge. I loved Mac and her uniqueness, the way her peppiness and style clashed with those around her. She may be in a completely new world with no idea what the hell was going on but she definitely stayed true to herself throughout the book.

I loved that she and Jericho weren’t insta-lovers. In fact they’re completely the opposite, but they both must use the other to get the information they’re seeking.

I loved the faerie history with its creepy Unseelies, the super freaky Gray Man and the unprecedented V’Lane. Basically the whole world that was created here. No wonder this book is so popular and the series so beloved. I was not expecting it to be so dark but that made me love it even more. I can’t wait to get to #2 and find out what happens next.

Fashionably Dead (Hot Damned #1): 4 Stars

Author: Robyn Peterman
Length: 323 pgs.
This book was a lot of fun and completely unexpected! When it started I was taking it seriously…then the character was turned into a vampire by a hypnotist, met her guardian angel who looks (and talks) like Oprah and a faerie physical trainer who is a replica of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and began getting drafted into sorority-like vampire houses with gift bags. Cut to her seeing demon-like creatures on her ceiling and her friend finding out she’s some sort of faerie royalty and I realized this is not the kind of book to take seriously. It made me laugh out loud throughout the story and the action moved along really quickly. Despite its bonkers character list the writer managed to bring me to tears at a few points and throw in some little twists throughout to remind you that it’s a continuing series and there’s more good stuff to come.

I got the first book as a freebie from Amazon and added narration which was awesome and probably made me love it 10x more. The next book is not free but definitely reasonably priced so this series will go on my TBR!

Good to read if you love paranormal but are in the mood for something lighter!

Mated in Treason (Kan Asma #1): 4 Stars

Length: 339 pgs.
Author: Christa Paige

This book was generously gifted to me by the author, Christa Paige, due to our longstanding friendship. Just kidding, I basically begged her for it and am so happy that she obliged!

With so many books out there in this genre, it's hard for a story stand out, but Mated in Treason is one of my favorite PNR books that I've ever read. The vampire world constructed here is unique to anything else I've come across for many reasons; one of them being that in this world (the world of Kan Asma) you can't choose your mate. Women must go through a horrific testing process followed by a goblet ceremony that ultimately binds them to their lifelong mate based on a DNA match and Council-selected applicants. Whether they love that person or not doesn't matter. They could be mated to someone and live a long, miserable life together, bound by resentment and unhappiness. Nadia's parents, for example, have been married most of their lives and share a child together, but not a bed-or even a bedroom.

Nadia is a female vampire who is nearing 40, works as a nurse in a vampire hospital and lives with her parents. Her mother anxiously awaits her goblet ceremony but Nadia feels otherwise when she meets Gunnar, who ends up in her hospital after being injured in an explosion. The attraction is instant as is their chemistry, but they both know there's no chance of them being mated by the Council due to their difference in social status.

That doesn't keep them from ultimately starting a secret relationship however. While this is going on Nadia's chosen for a Goblet ceremony and the archaic process she's put through during her DNA testing is disturbing to say the least. There's also an underground revolt brewing against the ruling members of Kan Asma, and Nadia and Gunnar soon find themselves among this faction.

I was on pins and needles throughout the book wondering how they were going to get themselves out of their mess, how Nadia was going to avoid a goblet ceremony-IF she managed to avoid it-and how they were both going to escape the faction without harm. Christa Paige is excellent at creating a tense environment - at about 75% I knew something wasn't right, and so did Nadia and Gunnar, but how exactly it was going to play out was anyone's guess.

I wish I could do the book justice with my review but there's so many aspects of the story that I loved from the writing to the origin of the Kan Asma, to Nadia & Gunnar together, to Nadia herself as a relatable character, to the Kan Asma hierarchy and traditions. I would recommend this book if you enjoy this genre because it will likely end up being a favorite. I will definitely be continuing this series.

Pestilence (The Four Horsemen #1): 4 Stars

Author: Laura Thalassa
Length: 382 pgs.
This book gave me all the feels.

I was able to read this via Kindle Unlimited. I started reading it mostly out of curiosity – a book about one of the four horseman bringing on the apocalypse? And he gets it on (supposedly) with a human female? And it has great ratings? How and why does all this come about?

Of course it was written much better than that. All my questions were answered and curiosities put to rest. I loved the main characters – Sara Burns and Pestilence (and let’s not forget Trixie Skillz). After Sara’s actions bring them irreversibly together, she and Pestilence journey through mostly evacuated cities as Pestilence spreads plague in his task to wipe out the human race. Along the way, the unlikely pair encounter drastically different members of the human race. They experience hostility, fear, hatred, and-most surprisingly of all-understanding and forgiveness. The author was great at bringing so many emotions to the page, emotions that are in turn seamlessly absorbed by the reader.

While reading this story I laughed, I cried, I felt alternately hopeful and saddened for the human race depicted by Laura Thalassa (which, let’s face it, isn’t so far off from reality). I really wasn’t sure how everything was going to wrap up and what kind of ending I had coming. Fortunately, the ending that we get is so much better than I could’ve hoped for. It was perfect and completely warmed my heart.

4 stars, definitely recommend reading for yourself because it’s hard to review without spoiling everything.

Black Annis: Demon Slayer (Revenge of the Witch #2): 4 Stars

Author: Aubrey Law
Length: 102 pgs.
This is the second installment in the Revenge of the Witch series, and I jumped right in to this after finishing up #1, not even moving from my spot on the couch between books. This is novella length so I tore through it in less than an hour.

This book is just as exciting as #1, even more so as Aubrey Law adds yet more fantastical creatures to the story (who would’ve thought frogs would be so deceitful?). Annis is somewhat in hiding due to the events that unfolded a the close of the first book and she finds herself in constant danger from one magical being or another. As I said in my review of book one, it’s so much fun being on this adventure with Annis. Her dark powers range from being able to explode hearts with the snap of a finger to imploding a body or causing all the blood in someone’s veins to drain from their orifices. She is an extremely powerful ancient Black Witch, but how long can her power and kill spells save her from the demons, Arch Demons, necromancers and vampires that are after her?

Short review here but this was a very short book, and ends on another giant cliffhanger. I’m dying to find out what happens and continue on with the series the but I don’t think #3, Demon Destroyer, is out yet although #4 already has a title (Demon Punisher). THIS IS VITAL INFORMATION so if anyone knows more about the release date of #3 PLEASE LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY. =) In the meantime I will check out Aubrey Law’s other series as I have become an instant fan!

Black Annis: Demon Hunter (Revenge of the Witch #1): 4 Stars

Author: Aubrey Law
Length: 206 pgs.
This was such a fun book!

I picked this up as a freebie on Amazon and I download a ton of freebies every few days, but this one stuck out to me and I made a point to get to it sooner than later. It begins with our main character Annis, a Black Witch, who was executed roughly 400 years ago. She’s been hanging out in the Lake of Fire ever since, just, you know, being tortured and stuff in Hell. One day a girl named Ashley, who’s being kept as a sex slave by members of the deranged Priesthood, is attempting to escape her prison and accidentally opens a Hellgate in her desperation. Annis is waiting behind the door – and immediately snatches up Ashley’s body as her own, thus returning to the land of the living.

From there, the adventure never stops. Annis tears through priests and demons alike, exacting her long-awaited revenge. She befriends Sonja, Ashley’s friend and fellow prisoner, though she explains that Ashley no longer really exists. Together they bust out of their prison and begin Annis’s mission of punishing everyone (or in some cases at least the descendants of everyone) who had a had in her torture and execution.

This was fun to read for many reasons, one of them being that Annis has so much power that we get to watch her destroy demons, kill supernatural beings and some humans with different spells and weapons in her magical arsenal. It’s fun being on the powerful end of things when we’re normally reading from the point of view of the character who has all the odds stacked against them. And while there are many odds stacked against Annis, she’s too powerful for them to stop her completely. Watching her get around the obstacles that are in her way is exciting. Aubrey Law’s creativity here makes the book a blast to read.

The world building with its many different supernatural creations is enthralling. We’ve got everything from the everyday vampires and werewolves to fallen angels, dark cherubs, goblins, demons and Archdemons, necromancers, Hellhounds, and many other beings, and pretty much every one of them is after Annis for one reason or another. The excitement doesn’t stop for a second which is great for the reader, not so much for Annis and Sonja.

Speaking of, Sonja was not really my favorite person. She became quite grating after a while, although I understand the purpose of her existence. She was just sort of unlikable and Annis is drawn to her, though she’s not sure if that’s due to the lingering remnants of Ashley’s soul or because Annis herself genuinely likes her.

This book ends on a giant cliffhanger and you can pick up the second for free, but fair warning that book ends on a cliffhanger as well. However you won’t be able to stop at just one, so make sure you have #2 downloaded before beginning this one! I am hooked and will be looking out for the third book as soon as it’s released!

Rolling in the Deep (Rolling in the Deep #.05): 4 Stars

Author: Mira Grant aka Seanan McGuire
Length: 128 pgs.
"They saw a great adventure. They saw a glorious and entertaining hoax. They saw profit, ratings, everything but the disaster that awaited them. The Atargatis sailed blithely on, out of the harbor, and into history."

Rolling in the Deep is a novella-length prequel to Mira Grant’s novel Into the Drowning Deep. It revolves around a network documentary crew and a group of scientists who sail via the Atargatis into the Mariana Trench to try to verify the existence of mermaids. They sail there, but they don’t ever come back, and they’re never seen alive again.

The Mariana Trench is something that truly fascinates me. If you aren’t familiar with it I’ll give you the basics. It’s the deepest part of the ocean in the world. Per Wikipedia, if Mount Everest were dropped into the deepest part of the Mariana Trench (called the Challenger Deep) its topmost peak would still be over 1 mile underwater. Its contents and depths are shrouded in mystery and darkness.

Maybe this doesn’t interest you. If that’s the case you definitely won’t be fascinated by the premise here as I was. Actually I purchased Into the Drowning Deep first, which follows another expedition seven years later. I haven’t read the novel yet as it’s been buried under several other titles on my TBR, so when I stumbled onto Rolling in the Deep on Goodreads and saw that it was a novella prequel, I purchased it so that I could get a taste of the story before attacking the novel.

Other reviewers say that the tone here differs from Into the Drowning Deep which I can’t attest to. I will say that Rolling in the Deep, once the danger becomes apparent to the unfortunate souls aboard the Atargatis, is satisfyingly creepy. I would’ve liked more detail, more graphic violence at some points, and I felt it was kind of a cop-out how the exact details of one big scene at the end were left to the reader’s imagination. But I understand that this is a prequel, and I hope that my desire for more gore is satisfied in the full-length book. This novella serves its purpose; I gobbled it up quickly and it definitely whet my appetite for what’s to come. Chill-inducing.

Pure Healing (Pure/ Dark Ones #1): 4 Stars

Author: Aja James
Length: 248 pgs.
Pure Healing is an elegantly written dark fantasy novel about a vampire-like race called the Pure Ones. They’re different from vampires in many ways however; there’s no feeding off humans in dark alleys or anything like that here. The Pure Ones are a more refined group of beings, and the tale of their origin is just one of the many unique elements that add to the book’s world building.

The world building is what I really enjoyed here. Even the ages-old vampires were given an interesting twist that sets them apart from other books in this genre, with a truly creepy genre-blurring villian in their midst. I loved reading about how everything came to be, how each character got to where they are now. Everyone has a story, a gift, and a specific purpose in the organization that serves their race.

The story alternates between viewpoints so we get a little bit of everyone’s perspectives, even the villain’s. I see other reviews comparing it to Black Dagger Brotherhood but for me, Pure Ones was better. I found that it just resonated more with me and elicited more of an emotional reaction than the three BDB books I’ve read, especially at one point towards the end when one of the characters tearfully begs another to stay. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t sobbing at that part.

There is action here, but there’s also foreshadowing and build-up to the next installment in the series, with a certain character giving me the heebie-jeebies so I just know something is going to happen there unless my instincts are way off. Must. Keep. Reading!

If you are looking for a superficial, quick urban fantasy read with a cross-species instalove storyline (so, like, any other vampire story), this is probably not the book for you. If you want a carefully thought out, layered fantasy novel with seamless prose, I would recommend Pure Ones.

When You Disappeared: 4 Stars

Author: John Marrs
Length: 350 pgs.
Wow, that was insane.

This book was a lot of fun to listen to -I downloaded the audio version from Kindle Unlimited – up until the last 2 hours or so. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t lose steam or go off track at the end. Rather, the story goes from mysterious to just plain depressing and torturous to hear. It was extremely hard to listen to the end of the story due to the events that are finally revealed at that point. I wish I could explain why but that would be spoiler-y and this book is best if you go into it blind.

Having just listened to another Marrs book, The One, I can say that When you Disappeared is not really a thriller per se, but more of a years-long mystery that is unraveled throughout the book. It’s still in the vein of psychological thriller as it does play with our heads but it’s not particularly fast-paced and doesn’t have that edge-of-your-seat vibe from Marrs’ other brilliant book Good Samaritan. However I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

The story centers around a woman, Catherine, who wakes up to find her husband Simon missing. Just gone. Was he killed in an accident? Did he run off? Did he leave her for another woman? Was he abducted? There’s a years-long search, but at its end Catherine accepts she’ll never know what happened to her husband.

25 years after he disappears, Simon shows up on Catherine’s door step. He needs to tell her the story of where he’s been, and in turn she tells him the story of how her life and the lives of their three kids fell apart after he left them.

Marrs has created a true monster in the character of Simon. Never have I had such a strong dislike for a character. His excuses as to why he left made me scoff. His proclivity for blaming Catherine for “making” him leave his whole family in the lurch is infuriating. And as the book goes on, he cements himself as a truly despicable person who has done despicable things.

On the other end of the spectrum is Catherine, whom I can’t help but feel for as we hear her struggle. And we soon learn that Simon disappearing may or may not actually be the worst thing that has ever happened to her.

Marrs has a definite way with both character- and mystery-building. He also has a talent for writing women: their inner voices, their unspoken anguish at experiencing loss or deceit, the day-to-day feelings of uncertainty, unworthiness and second-guessing. Catherine is as well-written a female character as I’ve ever read from a female author.

As I mentioned above, the last 1.5 – 2 hours of the book are incredibly hard to get through. I cried on my drive to work as I listened to the narrators reveal their biggest secret, the heartbreak from that day now coupled with regret as their truth is finally shared. It reminds us we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, and you can’t make life-changing decisions based on suspicion. It also makes me want to hug my kids tightly and never let them out of my sight.

If you’re like me you’ll find yourself struggling to come to terms with the story after it ends, in a state of shock and/or mental anguish. My recommendations are just to silently repeat the words these are not real people. These are not real people over and over.

Enthrall: 4 Stars

Author: Vanessa Fewings
Length: 277 pgs.
This book is FREE on Amazon.

I loved this story! I devoured it in about 48 hours.

It opens with our heroine, Mia, at a job interview for a secretarial position at a BDSM club called Enthrall. She bombs the interview but soon learns she actually go the job and her adventure begins. Mia’s 21 years old and a virgin, completely naïve to anything BDSM (she wanted the job for its awesome salary, to help pay off her stepmother’s medical bills). This can be annoying if you have read a lot of books in this genre and don’t feel like watching another naïve doe witness kinky sexual activity with bug-eyed shock but fortunately, Mia’s not like that. In fact when she’s fired from her job within the first few days she does something extreme to try to get it back. She learns quickly that she enjoys having her boundaries pushed and is up for many things she’s never experienced or even heard of. She may start off her journey as a virgin but her naivety is quickly replaced with a growing sense of sexual adventure.

The biggest reason I liked this book so much were the male leads- we have not one, but two captivating, interesting men who enhance the story tremendously. Readers of this genre know that the male characters are usually only there to say something cheeky or smartass to try to get the female character to jump into bed with them. In Enthrall, both men Richard and Cameron are fully developed with backstories and with dialogue to back it up. Additionally, Cameron is a psychiatrist and one of my favorite parts of the books is where he psychoanalyzes Mia to the point where he unlocks her secret childhood pain and helps her see herself in a new light. This was written so believably that I wonder what research Ms. Fewings did in the psychiatry field to make this scene so authentic. You won’t find any two-dimensional men as the main characters here and that is what made me love this book so much and be able to immerse myself in it.

I also loved the author’s writing style as everything seemed to flow seamlessly and it was effortless for me to get through page after page. It was the perfect combination of BDSM/erotica, drama, romance, coming of age (in a sense) and mystery (as we don’t know everyone’s secrets at first). It had much more depth than I anticipated.

Richard and Mia are quickly set up as the soon-to-be-couple which is a good match, but I also enjoyed the way that chemistry developed between Cameron and Mia even as Cameron encouraged her relationship with his best friend Richard. I have a sense that there is much more there to be explored and based on the summary of the second book, Enthrall Her, (which I cannot WAIT to read!!) this will soon be addressed.

Can’t wait to continue the series.

The One: 4 Stars

Author: John Marrs
Length: 416 pgs

I’m officially a John Marrs fan and will be adding him to my list of authors whose new releases go straight to my wishlist and/or kindle collection depending on how much money is in my bank account.

My book relationship with John Marrs began with his book The Good Samaritan late last year and reignited my love for psychological thrillers. There’s nothing quite like a GOOD thriller that messes with your head and throws you for a loop a handful of times. The Good Samaritan was thoroughly enjoyable for that reason, so I jumped at the change to listen to The One thanks to a Goodreads friend (hi Pam!) letting me hijack her library subscription.

The story here revolves around several people who have been “matched”. In the world Marrs has created, there exists a technology that uses DNA to match people to their soul mate. Of course everyone jumps at this chance to find their true love without thinking twice. The whole idea has its pros and cons that are explored throughout the book. But in true Marrs fashion he does so via some characters that may seem innocent or naïve at first glance but turn out to have many layers to them.

The book alternates POVs in each chapter and at first you wonder how you’re going to keep track of everyone but I adapted quickly to the revolving viewpoints. We have Ellie, who is a rich and powerful CEO – but of what, exactly? Mandy, whose husband left her for his DNA match and who wants to find her true own love and settle down to have a family. Nick, who’s perfectly happy with his fiancé Sally until she insists they test to see if they’re a match. Jade, whose match is halfway around the world in Australia and who will text her but won’t Skype or Facetime- what is he hiding? Christopher, a serial killer who’s just found his match – but will he fall for her or add her to his list of victims?

I thought I had certain storylines nailed down at some points in the book, but in typical Marrs fashion he caught me completely off-guard more than once (and of course the way the stories actually went was so much better than what I’d imagined). When I was finishing up the audiobook on my commute home yesterday I had a visceral reaction to some bombs that were dropped at the end. I was angry. I was upset at and with some of the characters. And others completely shocked and impressed me with the way they had handled some insane situations.

There were times when a characters’ narrative would start heading towards happily-ever-afterville and I’d wonder how Marrs would give it his “touch”, and again he’d add the perfect little twist or wrap it up in a way that didn’t feel forced or cheesy.

I have listened to the audio version for both of the Marrs books I’ve finished and they are as enjoyable as the actual story. The narrators each speak in a clear, soft British accent and intuit their character’s emotions perfectly.

I now have to add every book Marrs has ever written to my TBR. Up next is the audiobook for When You Disappeared which I downloaded via Kindle Unlimited and started almost immediately after finishing The One. If I love this book as much as the other two I really don’t know how I’m going to keep my own head from exploding at excitement from finding a new favorite suspense/thriller author. Why his name isn’t yet up there with Paula Hawkins and Ruth Ware I have no idea. Please, someone make this a movie.

The Wife Between Us: 4 Stars

Author: Greer Hendricks/Sarah Pekkanen
Length: 346 pgs.

OMG That ending! So many twists and turns that I honestly did not see coming! This book totally messes with your head and I loved every minute of it.

It starts off uneventful enough, taking us through the daily routine of both an ex-wife and a newly engaged young woman. There's only small indications that trouble might be brewing, but nothing to really set off any alarm bells. However, this book is like an onion, slowly peeling back layer by layer to reveal the truth at its center. There is a giant twist 2/3 of the way through the book, which concludes Part 1. Another twist concludes part 2. And at the end, there is yet another little nugget of a shocker thrown at us to wrap it all up.

The synopsis itself promises that we will be surprised:

"When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.

You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife. You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement – a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love. You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle.

Assume nothing.

And though I tried to keep an open mind and figure out what exactly I was assuming that might be incorrect, the first twist still caught me completely off-guard. And when I went back and checked certain parts after I had this new information, it all added up to the picture that was slowly being shown to me.

It's hard to really review this book without spoiling anything, so if you're interested in reading it stop here.

I loved that the authors fucked with my head; not once, not twice, but 3 or 4 BIG times-and also sprinkled a handful of small occurrences throughout the book that we view in a new light once we learn the truth.

They created a truly frightening, scheming, twisted, manipulative individual in Richard (not to mention his sister Maureen) and perfectly painted him as a somewhat controlling but non-threatening trophy husband, whose insane true self is only shown to us at first in bits and pieces.

It's no small feat to trick an audience, especially in written form when we can re-read passages and re-check things at our leisure. But The Wife Between Us really threw me for a loop. Even as I tried to stay ahead of the curve, I never really knew what I was in for.

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3): 4 Stars

Author: Sarah Maas
Length: 576 pgs.
Audiobook length: 20 hours 39 minutes

WOW. Wowee wow wow. This was SUCH an improvement on the second book - Crown of Midnight (review here.)

Whereas Crown of Midnight was almost like a history lesson on Celaena’s world (with a little action and a devastating loss thrown in), Heir of Fire is so chockfull of action, betrayal and mischief that there's hardly any room to breathe between chapters. It's also where we witness Celaena completely come into her own and transform from the emotionally disabled assassin into the woman she is meant to be. It was time for her to grow up and it seems like such a natural progression.


We’re introduced to many new characters, one of whom is Manon, heir to the powerful Blackbeak witch clan. It’s amazing to me the thought that goes into the creation of all these characters with their rich, realistic personal backstories and extended history, unique behaviors, traditions and beliefs. The addition of the witches to the story is an example of this, and it’s not just Manon’s clan we meet but the Yellowlegs and Bluebloods as well. And why they are all together is something I won’t spoil here but gives me chills thinking about how it will eventually all play out. This is a story well over 500 pages and yet there’s so much more to come on this front.

Another character who was introduced is Rowan. He’s unlikeable at first, and wants to be that way. Yet, the bond that slowly forms and changes and grows between him and Celaena throughout the book feels completely real. By the end of the book I was emotionally affected by their friendship and the way that they rescue each other from various situations. It’s also Rowan who helps to unlock Celaena’s heart.

Shit definitely hits the fan in this book. No one really feels safe (as in, not to be killed off) except for Celaena, and that’s only because I already know her story continues, otherwise I might question even that. At the end of the book, the ever-present danger shows itself in an oh-shit-now-it’s-going-down way, and we know from that point that things are going to be WAY different moving forward.

It’s a combination of the emotional character transformations, the new relationships that are formed (some of which are painfully extinguished), the solid new characters that are introduced, new information that shines a light on so many things we’ve already seen and learned in this series, and the events that unfold in Heir of Fire’s conclusion that make this book pack such a powerful punch. I think I need to take a break and listen to some lighter fare before moving on to the fourth book, but I definitely will be reading that soon because I can’t wait to find out how everyone comes out on the other side of this.

Enslaved By the Ocean: 4 Stars

Author: Bella Jewel
Length: 223 pgs.
Audiobook Length: 6 hours 55 minutes


This was another freebie I picked up and I added audible narration for $1.99. Pirates just fascinate me – adventures on the open seas, battles with other pirates, making captives walk the plank, forever wandering with no home other than their ship. I usually snatch up anything having to do with pirates when it’s free.

This was a delicious, naughty adventure I enjoyed despite the horrible audiobook narrator. She was such an off choice for this book. Despite that I still liked the story. It revolves around Indigo, a woman who decides to travel by boat with her best friend Eric from America to England to escape an abusive ex who’s being let out of prison. She’s the one who actually put him in prison, so she has reason to be fearful. On their way, their ship wrecks and their guide is killed. She and Eric float for days before being found by a ship of pirates.

Eric is imprisoned by their “rescuers” and Indigo is meant to be given to a different pirate to settle a debt between him and this ship’s captain, Hendrix. Hendrix and Indigo have sparks immediately, though he’s closed off because he’s, well, a pirate and doesn’t want any attachments. He can’t deny he’s attracted to her however, and things soon start to happen between them.

The erotic bits were so much fun. Hendrix and Indigo have such chemistry that I couldn’t wait for them to get together. And there’s just something about a bad boy that makes it that much more enjoyable, especially when they start opening up little by little. You can’t get much ‘badder’ than a pirate.

The plot goes a little wonky at times: Indigo has a run-in with her abusive ex, her best friend Eric is a limp noodle cockblocker (going so far as to SLAP her at one time which has NO repercussions for him!?), and a storyline about her father who abandoned her as a child comes back at the end in an unlikely way. But I can overlook all that. This is a book simply meant to give you those enjoyable tingles while weaving a tale of pirates and sea adventure, and it was a fun read for me. With this genre my requirements are usually simple – does it make me tingle? Is it fun? Is the dude schmexy? Is the girl likable enough not to make me want to tear my hair out (or hers)? If I can answer all those with a yes then it’s 4 stars from me.

Onto the next book in the series!

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1): 4 Stars

Author: Stephen King
Length: 327 pgs.

((I picked this book up for less than $2 on Goodwill books.))

I'll be honest, I never really understood the big deal about Stephen King. I've only read one of his books (Joyland) which was more coming of age with a bit of a ghost story than horror. Of course I saw The Shining like everyone else but I never read the actual book so that doesn't count. And I never was interested in reading this book or starting this series - every review I saw said that this book is boring, moves slow, etc. And it didn't seem like the typical King "horror" I keep hearing about-and it isn't. But it is a worthwhile book.

Then one day I started watching the movie The Dark Tower with my husband. We didn't finish it because I have four kids and can't last past 11 p.m. (it takes me like 2-3 days to finish a movie usually) but what I saw made me really interested in the story. So when I was browsing Goodwill online for some books and saw this listed for a super low price I figured what the hell. I'll try it.

So, the first part of the book - about 1/3 of it - moves pretty slow. I can see how people might call it "boring" if you don't hang in there for the rest of the story. What kept me going was the prose. This being only my second Stephen King book, it's a lot more intricately written than Joyland, which is told from the POV of a male teenager. Our main character here, Roland the gunslinger, has a deeper way of viewing and recounting things, and I found myself re-reading certain lines because there would be different layers to a single sentence. I guess that's King's talent which I can certainly appreciate more now having read this book.

We're introduced to Roland, who is moving through a seemingly endless desert trying to find The Man In Black, but we're not sure WHY or WHO the Man in Black is. And as I said, at first it's kind of slow. But I can pinpoint the exact chilling moment when it picked up the pace for me, and from then on it was pretty quick moving. We see glimpses of Roland's past: his parents, his childhood, his road to becoming a gunslinger. We don't quite understand his pursuit yet, but at least we become more invested in learning about it.

Last night when I sat down to read a bit more, I was on page 175. A few hours later I had finished the 327 page book. I never read 100+ pages in one sitting - I just don't have time for it. But from where I began reading last night, things only got more exciting and fast paced, and when I realized I only had 20 pages left I knew I would finish it.

The conversation with The Man In Black - the last chapter of the book - was the most exciting part for me. Inter-dimensional travel, multiple worlds, countless universes on top of one another but completely out of reach-all those things pique my interest like nothing else, because the possibilities are endless. So naturally when we finally learn who The Man In Black is and what The Dark Tower actually stands for, it is truly fascinating.

Four stars for the last 2/3 of the book and the climax, and for making me a Stephen King fan!

That Night: 4 Stars

Author: Chevy Stevens
Length: 400 pgs.
This is my second Chevy Stevens book in less than a month, and that is no accident. Coincidentally, I read both books while I was home sick from work and finished them in 2 days. Yes, I had extra time on my hands for being at home sick BUT her books are such consistent page turners!! That Night is no different. I picked up a used paperback copy from Goodwill books online and it was in great condition and cost less than $2.

This book was more of a mystery than the other two of hers I’ve read (Still Missing and Those Girls were more suspense/thrillers). This is still a definite thriller, but the main question-who really killed Nicole?-isn’t answered until the very end.

Nicole is the sister of the main character, Toni. When we first meet Toni she’s being released from prison after serving 15 years for her sister’s murder. The book goes back and forth between the events leading up to the night of the murder, and present day where Toni’s trying to get her life back together while out on parole. This book was especially stressful to read just hearing about everything Toni has gone through/is going through. What first stands out to me is her relationship with her mother. Pre-prison, she and her mother do not get along. Toni is the black sheep compared to Nicole’s role in the family as the sweet daughter. She can’t seem to do anything right, and when she meets and begins a long-term relationship with Ryan, things only go downhill. Her mom tends to blame everything negative on the relationship, which pushes Toni further into Ryan’s arms and farther away from the daughter her mother wishes she would be.

Her mom is realistically written in that she’s completely unlikable, short-tempered and flustered (I’m taking notes on how not to treat or talk to my girls when they reach the dreaded teen years). Toni doesn’t make it any easier on herself however, mouthing off and/or completely ignoring her mom when asked to do something. This is where Nicole knows how to play the game- she may be the “good” daughter in that she puts on a sweet face and does what’s asked of her, but she’s calculating in her own way. She knows what she’s doing and she knows how to play the innocent in the eyes of her parents. Toni acts solely on emotion, coming off as frustrated and annoyed in every conversation with her mother.

Unfortunately, outside of her relationship with Ryan, Toni doesn’t find much relief in her school/personal life. Chevy Stevens has created one of the most hateful villains ever with the heinous literal creation of Shauna McKinney. Man I hated that bitch! The sad thing is that I think so many of us know a Shauna McKinney in one form or another. She starts off initially as Toni’s friend-as these bitches often do-but unsurprisingly morphs into SuperBitch for one spiteful reason or another. Have I mentioned this chick’s a total beeyotch?

To say she’s a bitch is actually putting it mildly. Throughout the rest of her high school career Toni is tortured by Shauna and her pathetic group of hangers-on. Her life is made miserable and since her mother constantly pushes her away for one reason or another (her room’s not clean enough, she has a bad attitude), Toni can only go to Ryan for comfort. Things get worse when Shauna drafts Nicole as her newest friend, and then suddenly Nicole’s part of the group that’s making Toni’s life a living hell.

This part was a little bit of a stretch for me. I know that popularity rules all when you’re in school, but the idea that you’d abandon a sibling to the clutches of mean girls just to be categorized as “cool” yourself was somewhat unbelievable. With my kids we teach them that family is first and everyone else can suck it (at least that’s the abbreviated version) so it was super frustrating to see Nicole getting away with this type of behavior. When Toni tries to make her parents aware of what’s going on, all it takes is a little nice-girl act from Shauna for Toni’s mother to give her a lecture about forgiveness and getting along with everyone. No one believes Toni or takes her at her word and that’s exasperating.

This all serves to lead up to that fateful night in the book’s title where Nicole is brutally murdered. We learn the chain of events that put Toni and Ryan behind bars. We see Toni’s mother lose all trust for her surviving daughter and basically abandon her to the legal system. If I haven’t mentioned Toni’s father before now, it’s because his character is useless. He gives half-ass excuses for his wife’s behavior all while pushing Toni farther and farther away. It’s sad to learn that Toni’s most supportive relationships will be built with fellow prison inmates, instead of the friends and family who should’ve been there for her in the first place.

Found guilty of Nicole’s murder (thanks to some helpful testimony from Shauna and crew), Ryan and Toni are separated and sent to prison for their respective sentences. Even after Toni’s finally released, she can’t seem to find any peace. She’s an ex-con out on parole with nowhere to stay, no job, and the stigma of being known as a sister-murderer in her hometown. She quickly runs into one of the girls who testified against her, and later she runs into Shauna herself, who proves that she still has power to make Toni’s life a living hell. In fact the constant, lingering fear of Toni’s being sent back to prison sits like a knot in the reader’s stomach. Nothing is easy for this girl. You’d think finally getting out of jail after serving time on a bullshit murder charge would relieve some stress, but for Toni-when she decides once and for all that she’s going to solve her sister’s murder-it’s like the trouble’s just beginning.

The fast-paced nature of the book only added to the tension building. By the end of the book I was DYING to know what was going to happen, and if more bad things were going to happen to my sweet little ex-con Toni, if she was going to get her dog Captain back, and if anyone was ever going to punch Shauna and/or Toni’s mom in the face.

I won’t answer those questions for you, but I was happy with how everything went down in the end. This was another unputdownable read for me from Chevy Stevens.