Waiting on Wednesday (81)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to reading.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:
WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE BY HUNTLEY FITZPATRICK

From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony, summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and had questions.

Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she fails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past--or the island--Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true--about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself--with what really is.

A magnetic, push-me-pull-me romance with depth, this is for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Deb Caletti.

This book has "Emilie" written all over it. I'll admit that I still haven't read Huntley Fitzpatrick's My LIfe Next Door, but I plan to get to it in the very near future. Regardless, I can't wait to read What I Thought Was True. I'm a sucker for summer stories that are more than just about people enjoying their time in the sun. So yeah, I will be reading this one as soon as I can. Or at least I'll try.

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick will be published April 15, 2014 by Dial Books for Young Readers.

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: White Hot Kiss (The Dark Elements #1)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: HarlquinTEEN

Release Date: February 25, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens--a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe--Layla tries to fit it, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth--a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to--especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

Once again, Jennifer L. Armentrout has made me fall in love with a story she wrote and characters she brought to life. I loved every moment of White Hot Kiss and I honestly can't wait to find out more about this world.

Despite having grown up among the Wardens, Layla has never really felt like she fit in. Sure, she's half-Warden, but Layla's other half is demon, the very thing Wardens were created to destroy. And that xeon half is what's preventing Layla from ever being able to kiss a boy, because to do so would result in said boy losing his soul. At least Zayne has always treated Layla like a Warden, making Layla crush on him even harder. Too bad Zayne only sees Layla as a sister. When Roth, a gorgeous demon, shows up in Layla's school, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him. Roth claims he knows the secrets of Layla's demon half, drawing her in even further. Layla knows she should stay away and tell the Wardens about Roth, but the attraction is undeniable. Trusting Roth could mean losing everything, but with Roth, Layla feels stronger than she's ever felt.

There's not much left that I haven't said in praise of Jennifer L. Armentrout. I have yet to read anything she has written that I haven't loved. And that streak continues with White Hot Kiss. What was there not to love? For starters, it was different from other paranormal YAs out there. Unless I'm mistaken, gargoyles haven't been done before in YA. The mythology and the world of Wardens was interesting to read about and made for a compelling story. I got sucked into the story and the world right from the start. It helped that there was a lot going on in the story and it kept me guessing. The nature of some of the characters made it so it was difficult to trust them. But at the same time, my need to know the truth made it so I would just keep reading. And the ending pretty much guaranteed that I would be begging for the sequel. Oh, and of course there was plenty of the romance Jennifer L. Armentrout has come to be known for.

I loved Layla. It was really fun to read her story and find out everything at the same time as she did. But I also really felt for her because it seemed like people were always holding something back from her because of what she was. And it must have been quite the challenge, balancing Zayne and Roth. Usually, I can say that I like one boy better than the other, but don't ask me to choose between Zayne and Roth because I really can't. The whole time I was reading White Hot Kiss I kept going back and forth between the two. Zayne had always been there for Layla and treated her like a Warden. Around Roth, Layla was able to be who she really was and not worry about her demon half. But both also did things that made me question their motives. And then I got to the end of the story and both Roth and Zayne were causing me to yell at the book because STUFF was going down. And made me love BOTH boys very much.

Once again, Jennifer L. Armentrout did not disappoint. White Hot Kiss is an engrossing story filled with swoon-worthy guys, romance, twists, and did I mention swoon-worthy guys? Needless to say, I am now desperate to read the sequel, Stone Cold Touch. 

Endless by Jessica Shirvington

Title: Endless (The Violet Eden Chapters #4)

Author: Jessica Shirvington

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: October 1, 2013

Source: Purchased

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Love will kill us all.

Angels are real. They aren't always kind. Violet Eden is certain of all this because she is Grigori--part angle, part human. She has felt the influence of both light and dark.

When Hell unleashes its worst, Violet must embrace every facet of her angle self to save the people she cares about and the world as she knows it. But death is not the worst thing that Violet will face. For her, the endless question "Can love conquer all?" will faintly be answered.

I love Jessica Shirvington's Violet Eden series. As excited as people were about the first book, Embrace, it sometimes feels like it's become really underrated. In my opinion, it just keeps getting better and better with every book, and it was no different with Endless. To put it simply: I loved every moment.

With Lilith freed from Hell, the Grigori have a lot to deal with. But Violet is more concerned with what came out of the volcano with Lilith: her mother. The mother who's been dead for seventeen years. As if she didn't already have enough on her plate. But if Violet has any hope of ever having some kind of relationship with her mother, she first has to stop Lilith before she destroys the Grigori. With the help of the people she cares about, Violet might just have a chance to send Lilith back to Hell. But along the way, Violet has to sacrifice so much. There's one thing Violet isn't willing to sacrifice, though. But doing so might be her only chance at beating Lilith once and for all.

I remember when Embrace, the first book in this series, was coming out and everyone was excited about it. Since then, it feels like the level of excitement has gone down even though, to me, the series just keeps on getting better with each book. So Endless? I loved it. Every time I pick up one of her books, Jessica Shirvington manages to completely draw me back in to the world she has crafted in these books. And with everything going on in Endless, it didn't take long for me to get sucked back in. Endless took me on an absolutely crazy ride. It was one of those books where I couldn't seem to turn the pages fast enough while at the same time yelling at my Kindle and wanting to chuck it across the room. But the yelling doesn't mean I didn't love the story. Everything that happened did so for a reason. Or at least it better have, otherwise there will be some angry yelling at the next book. And with that ending, you can bet that I am dying to read Empower, the next book. But I'm also a little afraid of everything that has the potential to happen in Empower.

I feel like every time I review the books in this series, I say pretty much the same thing about Violet in each of those reviews. But I can't help it, I love Violet. She's such a strong person, and even four books in, she still surprises me. But as strong as she is, Violet also has this incredibly vulnerable side that makes me love her even more. And if I'm talking about Violet's vulnerability, I have to talk about Lincoln and Phoenix. I love Lincoln and Endless made me love him even more. Lincoln was also one of the reasons I yelled at my Kindle a lot. But Phoenix is actually the one who surprised me this time around. As much as I was starting to really strongly dislike him, he really comes around in Endless. The character I can't get enough of, though, is Spence. He just always manages to put a smile on my face. But there always seemed to be more going on with Spence. At this point, I would totally read a story all about Spence.

I loved Jessica Shirvington's Endless. This is story that took me on an absolutely crazy ride, but I loved every moment of it. Now I'm just counting down the days until I can read Empower and see how it all ends.

Waiting on Wednesday (80)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to reading.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:
LET'S GET LOST BY ADI ALSAID

Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes ever Tuesday--and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth--sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

I'm a sucker for a good road trip story and Let's Get Lost sounds like just that. Plus it's contemporary and we all know I'm a sucker for that too (and apparently that's all I'll be reading this spring/summer). This story sounds like it has so much potential and I can only hope that it can live up to what I have built it up to. Either way, I'm really looking forward to reading Let's Get Lost.

Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid will be published July 29, 2014 by Harlequin Teen.

Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor

Title: Maybe One Day

Author: Melissa Kantor

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: February 18, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Critically acclaimed author Melissa Kantor masterfully captures the joy of friendship, the agony of loss, and the unique experience of being a teenager in this poignant new novel about a girl grappling with her best friend's life-threatening illness.

Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plants for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.

Even when she isn't sure what to say.

Even when Olivia misses months of school.

Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.

The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine. 

In this incandescent page-turner, which follows in the tradition of The Fault in Our Stars, Melissa Kantor artfully explores the idea that the worst thing to happen to you might not be something that is actually happening to you. Raw, irreverent, and honest, Zoe's unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the late page is turned.

Before I even started reading Melissa Kantor's Maybe One Day, I had been warned that it was a story that would pull at my heart strings. And it did. By the time I reached the end, I was a complete mess. But it was completely worth it.

Olivia and Zoe have been friends for as long as they can remember. They've always known what their future would look like. But that future started changing when Olivia and Zoe were cut from NYBC the summer before their sophomore year of high school. Now juniors, Olivia and Zoe have re-imagined their future, but that future never included Olivia being diagnosed with leukaemia. Zoe does everything she can to stay positive and put on a brave face for Olivia. But the sicker Olivia gets, the more trouble Zoe has staying positive. Without Olivia around, Zoe doesn't know who to turn to for support. When she starts falling for Olivia's crush, Calvin, Zoe thinks she's found a way to deal with it all, even if she feels guilty about it all. And even though the odds are against her, Zoe knows Olivia will make it through this. She just has to.

When I got Melissa Kantor's Maybe One Day in the mail, it came with a note saying I should keep ice cream or cake close by as I read. I really should have followed that advice. By the time I reached the end of the story, I was a complete mess of tears. This was a truly moving story, looking at how something like leukaemia doesn't just affect the person with the diagnosis, but also their friends and family. Because first and foremost, this was a story not about romance or dance, but about Zoe and Olivia's friendship. And as sad as they story could be, I loved that it was focused on the girls' friendship. So often in YA, friendships fall by the way side once romance comes in. Maybe One Day showed just how strong friendship can be, how important it can be, to the point where friends become family. In a way, reading about the friendship made me miss my own best friend. And of course, that ending brought me to tears, but also made me smile through those tears, because that's just who Olivia and Zoe are.

I loved Olivia and Zoe, and I loved their friendship. They were so different, yet similar in so many ways. But they were perfect for each other. As cliché as it might be to say, Olivia and Zoe balanced each other out perfectly. Seeing them together made me smile, despite everything else that was going on in their lives. And like I already mentioned, seeing Zoe and Olivia together made me miss my own best friend and the fact that university made it so we're so far away from each other. Beyond the friendship, there was also romance, but in an understated way. I liked that Calvin didn't push Zoe to do anything she didn't want to do. He was just there for Zoe, in as much as she allowed him to be. My only wish is that I could have seen a little more of that story, no matter how much I loved the story's focus on friendship.

Melissa Kantor's Maybe One Day was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. This story about two best friends is one that will make you want to pick up the phone and call your own best friend. You don't want to miss out on this one.

Waiting on Wednesday (79)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to reading.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:

SAY WHAT YOU WILL BY CAMMIE MCGOVERN

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel. Cammie McGovern's insightful young adult debut is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about how we can all feel lost until we find someone who loves us because of our faults, not in spite of them.

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

I have been wanting to read Say What You Will ever since I first heard about it. The premise sounds so interesting and unlike anything I've read before. At the same time, the synopsis doesn't really give much away so it's hard to tell exactly what is going to be happening in this book. Regardless, I can't wait to read it. And it's contemporary and we all know how I feel about contemporary. 

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern will be published June 3, 2014 by HarperTeen.

Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

Title: Landry Park (Landry Park #1)

Author: Bethany Hagen

Publisher: Dial

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

Downton Abbey meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal.

In a fragmented future United States rules by the lavish gentry, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dress of going to the university. Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won't allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty--her family and the estate she loves dearly--and desire.

You compare something to Downton Abbey, you can be sure I will want to read it. I'm not going to lie, that's mainly what made me want to read Bethany Hagen's Landry Park. And though I wasn't convinced at first, I still really enjoyed this story.

Madeline Landry has always known what her future would look like: she would marry by the time she was 21, and when the time came, she would take over the running of Landry Park. But that's not the future Madeline wants; she wants to go to the university, despite what her father says. When she gets a glimpse into the life of those below her in society, Madeline begins to question everything she has ever been told about her family and her world. The more she questions, the more Madeline finds herself drawn to the mysterious David Dana, until the two find themselves getting involved in a revolution. Through it all, Madeline has to decide if she wants to continue to protect her family, or finally allow herself to follow her heart.

I'm not going to lie, I wasn't convinced at all when I first started reading Bethany Hagen's Landry Park. In hindsight, that probably had to do with the fact that a lot had to be explained before we could get to the good part of the story. And it's true, once all the explaining was done, I found myself enjoying the story a lot more. The concept as a whole really intrigued me. This was a story about a futuristic society, but at the same time there were many times when I felt like I was reading a story set in the early 20th century. If it wasn't for mentions of technology, I would actually forget that this was taking place in the future and not the past. At the same time, this really made me think. What happened that eventually led to Madeline's society sounded like something that could happen to us in the not-too-distant future. Ultimately, that was a large part of what kept me reading. That, and the mystery that Madeline was working to solve over the course of the story. So really, my curiosity kind of got the best of me when it comes to Landry Park.

As much as I had trouble getting into the story, I connected with Madeline right away. I saw a lot of myself in her and for that reason, I was rooting for her from page one onwards. I was hoping she would get to go to the university, I was hoping she would get what she wanted and deserved when it came to David. And I wasted Madeline to find a way to break out of the life she was stuck in, even if, on the surface, that life looked pretty good. As much as I connected with madeline and wanted her to get the guy, I found David to be a little infuriating. Sure, in the long run his behaviour all made sense, but at first he really annoyed me. I just couldn't figure him out and didn't know what to make of him. One minute he acted like there was nothing he wanted more than Madeline, and the next he acted like a complete and total jerk. Now that I know what it was all about, though, I'm willing to forgive David for some of his behaviour, and I actually really liked him. I'll have to read the next book in order to see if David continues to be the David I actually like and want Madeline to be with.

Once I got past the initial explanation of the world, I really enjoyed Bethany Hagen's Landry Park. This is a story that really made me think about what our future could become and I loved that aspect of the story. I can't wait to see where Bethany Hagen will take the story next.

Something Real by Heather Demetrios (Giveaway)

Title: Something Real

Author: Heather Demetrios

Publisher: Henry Holt BYR

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

There's nothing real about reality TV.

Seventeen-year-old Bonnie™ Baker has grown up on TV--she and her twelve siblings are the stars of the one-time hit reality show Baker's Dozen. Since the show's cancellation and the scandal surrounding it, Bonnie™ has tried to live a normal life, under the radar and out of the spotlight. But it's about to fall apart…because Baker's Dozen is going back on the air. Bonnie™'s mom and the show's producers won't let her quit and soon the life she has so carefully built for herself, with real friends (and maybe even a real boyfriend), is in danger of being destroyed by the show. Bonnie™ needs to do something drastic if her life is ever going to be her own--even if it means being more exposed than ever before. 

All you really need to know about Something Real by Heather Demetrios is that you should read it, because it's awesome. In case it wasn't clear, I absolutely loved it. And hopefully, by the time you finish reading this review, you'll be convinced you should read Something Real. Also, I apologize in advance if this turns into me just gushing about the book.

Chloe Baker thought she wouldn't have to be Bonnie Baker ever again. At least that's what her parents promised when their hit reality show, Baker's Dozen, was taken off the air. But now, her mother has decided the family should be back on the air. Just when she thought she was finally having a normal life with normal friends, the cameras are back to capture every moment of Chloe's and her twelve siblings' lives. With the cameras around, Chloe is afraid everything she has worked so hard for is going to fall apart. But in the middle of all this comes Chloe's chance at a real relationship with the boy she's always wanted. How can she have something real, though, when everything about reality TV is fake.

Guys, I loved this book. Like hugging-it-and-babbling-incoherently-about-it-to-my-roommate loved this book. Contemporary is always a safe bet for me so I knew I would enjoy Heather Demetrios' Something Real, I just didn't know I would love it quite as much as I did. Once I started reading, I just couldn't seem to stop. There was just something so compelling about the story. The concept as a whole is what initially drew me in: seeing how reality TV affects the people who are behind the camera. And as expected, that made for a very heavy and dramatic story, which I loved. But there was also a good amount of humour thrown in, which I loved even more. But what really made me love Something Real was the characters.

Right from page one, I loved Chloe. She was flawed and damaged and perfect. And she was real. More than anything I wanted her to find a way to escape everything her crazy family was putting her through. And I adored her relationship with her brother Benton. So often, good sibling relationships aren't really portrayed in YA. Here, you could tell that Benton and Chloe really needed and relied on each other when the rest of their family just turned a blind eye on their struggles. In general, though, I loved the whole support system Chloe built for herself. I loved seeing her with Mer and Tessa, her two best friends, or with Benton and his boyfriend Matt. And when they finally clued in to the fact they both liked each other, I adored her relationship with Patrick .Because Patrick was perfect. he was there for Chloe and didn't try to make her do anything she didn't want or be anything she wasn't. Be he also didn't just sit back and let Chloe jerk him around; he made her fight for what she really wanted (hint: him). And so Patrick was perfect and adorable, and him and Chloe were perfect and adorable together. And I would also like to take this moment to claim Patrick as my new book boyfriend. I'm pretty sure if you read the book, you'll be doing the same thing.

In case it wasn't clear enough, I more than loved Heather Demetrios' Something Real. Believe me when I say that this is a book you won't want to miss out on. And don't be surprised if you find yourself unable to put the book down once you start reading it. 

Giveaway

Because I loved Something Real so much and want to share the love, I'm giving away a copy of the book. All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open internationally, wherever the Book Depository ships.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (78)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers devote a post to an upcoming book release they are particularly looking forward to reading.

THIS WEEK'S PICK:
SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE BY MORGAN MATSON

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend--the one who yanks you out of your shell. But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There's just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try…unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple picking at night? Ok, easy enough. Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a stranger? Wait…what?

Getting through Sloane's list would me a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she'll find?

Go skinny dipping? Um...

Morgan Matson's Second Chance Summer broke me when I read it two years ago and I can't wait to read more from her. Since You've Been Gone sounds like it has so much potential both when it comes to making me smile and breaking my heart. And the premise makes it sound like it will be lots of fun. I honestly cannot wait to read it. 

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson will be published May 6, 2014 by Simon & Schuster.

Cover Reveal: Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker

As you may know, I absolutely loved K.A. Tucker's Ten Tiny Breaths and One Tiny Lie, and I can't wait to read the copy of Four Seconds to Lose that's sitting on my nightstand. So I'm incredibly excited to be taking part in the cover reveal for the next book in this series, Five Ways to Fall. Keep reading to see the piece of the puzzle I'm revealing, and be sure to visit K.A. Tucker's website tomorrow to see the whole cover.

About the book:

Sometimes you can't change--and sometimes you just don't want to. Discover Ben's side of the story in this fourth novel by the beloved, top-selling indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths, One Tiny Lie, and Four Seconds to Lose.

Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she's made plenty of them in her twenty-odd years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it's time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well..aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parries with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris's plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has the brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny's Palace, he's ready to lead a more mature life--until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn't stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he'd stay clear of Reese. She's the boss's stepdaughter and it's been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she's trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it's so good looking...

Pre-order Five Ways to Fall: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

About the author: 

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farther thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brook of four legged creatures.

Find K.A. Tucker: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

Title: Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman's Daughter #2)

Author: Megan Shepherd

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: January 28, 2014

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository / Indigo

To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island--and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebidding the life she once knew and trying to forget. Dr. Moreau's horrific legacy--though someone, or something, hasn't forgotten her.

As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father's creations may have also escaped the island She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer--Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we'll go to save them from themselves. 

Unlike when I was reading the first book, I knew what I was getting myself into when I picked up Megan Shepherd's Her Dark Curiosity. And though I had some trouble getting into the story at first, I still found myself loving it by the time I finished. 

Despite having been back in London for a few months, Juliet can't seem to stop thinking about everything that happened on her father's island…especially the moment Montgomery pushed her away on that dinghy and chose to stay behind and hunt down her father's creatures. Juliet is trying to move on and stop thinking about her father's experimentation, but it's difficult to do when she still has to find a way to cure herself of her illness. And when people who have wronged her in the past start getting murdered, Juliet can't help but think some of her father's creatures could be involved. Determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard, Juliet has to decide just how far she'll go to save herself and those she cares about. 

Her Dark Curiosity was quite different from the first book, The Madman's Daughter. Where the first book was more focused on Juliet's quest to find out the truth about her father and discovering what he had been doing on the island for all that time, this one was more introspective, in a way. Her Dark Curiosity was alpa bout Juliet coming to terms with who she was, and thanks to her father's experiments, what she was. Because of that, there were many moments when the story felt darker, sometimes going further and darker than I thought Megan Shepherd would take it. But in a way, I really enjoyed reading the darker parts of the story because it allowed me to see a different side of the characters. It will be interesting to see where the story will go in the next book, especially since it's supposed to be inspired by the story of Frankenstein.

For better or for worse, Juliet is her father's daughter and that's something she struggled with all through Her Dark Curiosity. It was interesting to see her inner battler, watching her come to terms with the fact that she had darkness in her, and accepting that "darkness." The character that surprised me the most, though, was Lucy. I had only briefly seen Lucy in the beginning of the first book, but I got to now her more this time around. I didn't think she would end up being such an important part of this story, but I'm glad she did. It's hard to talk about the other characters that play an important part in the story without giving some of it away, but I will say there were parts that made me really happy, and others that broke my heart a little. So make of that what you will. Again, it will be interesting to see what will happen to everyone in the final book.

Though I may not have been completely convinced I would enjoy it when I first picked it up, the more I read, the more I loved Megan Shepherd's Her Dark Curiosity. And like with any series, I'm excited to see how it will all come together in the third and final book.