Stone Prison, by H.M. Ward

Stone Prison by H.M. Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Looking for a quick read that is out of the ordinary? Looking for a helluva shocker? Well here ya go! Warning: it's a little horrific!

Stone Prison, by H.M. Ward is a short "Twisted Tales" story. It's a very dark version of Cinderella. "Twisted" is the correct term to describe this take on the fairytale classic. It's the sad tale of a girl, Ella, locked in a stone tower, held prisoner since she was a babe. I can't write too much about this book without spoiling anything for the future reader so I'll be brief and as vague as possible.

H.M Ward is known for her talent at making her readers feel very strong emotions in a short period of time through her serials and novellas as well as surprising her readers with shocking, unexpected endings. Stone Prison is DEFINITELY no exception to that!!! I had read comments about this book being "freaky" at times. Once I finished the book, I was in shock. I LOVED IT (once I was able to catch my breath and "digest" what had just happened)!!!

Technical stuff: A quick 1 hour read if you take your time. Keywords, tags & genres: Twisted Tales, Short Story, Dark, Gothic, Horror. Fantasy, Romance. NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! Although this book has no sexual content, it may be a lot handle for younger readers, especially if you don't like horror.

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Author's description:

By NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR H.M. Ward. This new series of novellas have a Gothic feel with a dark twist reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's famous stories. This dark tale is like the fables of old, with a twist...

While other seventeen-year-old girls are dreaming of marrying the prince, Ella is hoping that she doesn't get caught. Ella is a thief, forced to live that way by the witch who slaughtered her father fifteen years ago. Since that gruesome night, Ella has been locked in a stone prison—kidnapped—with no chance of freedom. No one can escape from the witch. Ever. But this year, everything changes.

Recommended for ages 15 & older. This short story may be too gruesome for younger fans.

Blue Ice, by Carolina Soto

Blue Ice by Carolina Soto

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book opening sentence: "This is not a love story"...
... and you soon realize why. Katherine is a young, headstrong, stubborn, workaholic, fashionista 25 year old woman living in NY. Dylan is a gorgeous, 28 year old arrogant Forbes billionaire business mogul who can't stand being told "No". Dylan is infatuated with Katie, who is left wondering if she is just a challenge for him to conquer. This is a fun collision of clashing personalities where sparks fly & no one seems to want to give in. This is book 1 of 2 so it ends in an intense cliffhanger.

Characters: 
Katie impressed me by holding her own & saying "No" to Dylan repeatedly. She sees past his beauty & recognizes his arrogance, which is far from pretty, at first. My 1st impression of Dylan: What an ass! What gives him the right to take over anyone's life? Dylan has slight Christian Grey-ish characteristics at times (minus the dom/sub fetish) but he's not a carbon-copy so it's all good. This is NOT a dom/sub story.

Keeping it real / steering through stereotypes:
I enjoy how Soto steers her way through unrealistic romance novel stereotypes by bringing more realism through Katie's thoughts & comments. Katie tries so hard to keep it real. The romance develops at a more realistic rate than what we are used to in romance novels. This is refreshing. There is a perfect balance of story vs sexual content (not too little, not too much). I appreciate that not every single sexual encounter is described in detail. Sometimes, leaving it up to the reader's imagination is good too! There's a gradual buildup to the story & when it hits it's crescendo... well, I'll leave that up to you to find out!

Technical stuff:
Narrated from Katie's POV. Tags & genres: Contemporary, romance, adult, fashion. Explicit sexual content. This is Carolina Soto's first work of fiction. It took me 8 hours to read this book.

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Author's description:

Everyone tells little girls to be themselves around boys, but let’s face it, that’s simply the worst piece of advice ever. What if “yourself” is not exactly an appealing woman? Katherine Bianchi was raised to be herself, a smart, posh, stylish girl from New York City; the problem is that “herself” also included eating like a truck driver and cursing like a sailor, with a genetic inability to take bullshit from anyone. Not necessarily an appealing description in her pretentious environment.  That’s why, at 25, she was predestinated to live a crazy cat lady life, or to be the overachiever workaholic she had become since college. But her perfect life plans got messed up when she met Dylan Berkeley, a handsome billionaire, owner of BKY Enterprises, who never learned the meaning of the word NO. With a Ben & Jerry’s lifestyle (lots of options, exciting flavors, and never repeating a scoop), Berkeley wasn’t intimidated by Katherine’s “ice heart bitch” reputation; the challenge of having her became a personal task he couldn’t forget. How to avoid a NO from a girl who has never said YES for an answer?  Mature audiences +18

Demon Kissed, by H.M Ward

Demon Kissed by H.M. Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Picture this, on your 17th birthday, not only are you mourning the anniversary of a tragic loss but you're new potential boyfriend tries to kill you by sucking out your soul & you then find out that you are, according to some religious prophecy, the person who will supposedly be responsible for the apocalypse. Yeah, that's how this story starts. Needless to say, Ivy's life is far from being all butterflies and roses. This is a young adult paranormal story but it has nothing glittery nor sparkly about it. It is dark, dramatic & tragic. If you are tired of fluffy & predictable "Happily Ever After", this is the book for you.

H.M. Ward has a knack for description, wether it be characters, places, events, emotions. Every little detail is palpable. The characters, main and secondary are very well described & have very distinctive personalities. You either love them or you love to hate them. As for the romance, it is typical for H.M. Ward to leave her readers anticipating more, leaving us on the edge. Nothing is ever given away, not even a kiss... the reader must wait, linger and anticipate just a bit more... always a bit more. Due to it's dark and tragic nature, I find myself having to read lighter books in between "Demon Kissed" books to lighten up my mood. They are fantastic books, just very dark.

Demon Kissed is book 1 of a total of 8 books (6 novels and 2 novellas) within H.M. Ward's world of Martis (angel warriors) & Valefar (demon minions) & an apocalyptic prophecy. This book is written from Ivy's point of view. I read at an average speed and it took me close to 10 hours to read it. This book is safe for teens, as it contains NO sexual content but there is violence and occasional course language.

Finding your way around the books in this series:

- Books 1-5 (Demon Kissed, Cursed, Torn, Satan's Stone & The 13th Prophecy) are about Ivy's story, told from her point of view. Every book in this series ends in a cliffhanger so you'll want to read them all to find out what happens.

- Valefar 1 & 2 are novellas from Collin Smith's point of view. They are add-ons to the original Demon Kissed novels

- Assassin, Fall of the Golden Valefar, is a book that comes after the events of books 1-5. They are told from Eric and Natalia's point of view. Assassin can be read independently from the other Demon Kissed novels since the backstory leading up to the events of Assassin are well described. However, if you are planning on reading Demon Kissed 1-5, I suggest you do so before reading Assassin to avoid any spoilers. Warning: Assassin ends in a cliffhanger but the sequel isn't out yet and the author hasn't mentioned if the conclusion to Eric's story will come anytime soon (she has multiple ongoing projects).

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Author's description:

Seventeenth birthdays aren't supposed to suck, but mine does. Literally. Before I know what's happened a guy knocks me to the ground and tries to suck out my soul. With a kiss. That's all it takes with his kind. This next part is embarrassing--I thought this guy was my boyfriend. Screw that, I thought he was human, but those creepy, blood red eyes suggest I was mistaken. This is it, the end of my sucktacularly short life--killed by a creature that's half vampire, half demon, and smokin' hot. Killed by a kiss. It sounds poetic until it happens to you. The world fades to black, but just as I accept my fate, someone saves me. At least I think he saved me, because I'm still alive. It isn't until much later that I learn what really happened and exactly what it cost me.

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 1 of 3 (with a couple of short stories available in e-format that fit in between the novels). A dystopian-type story set in a future (post war?) Chicago where society has been restructured into 5 factions based on human qualities in an attempt to remove corruption from the different facets of society. The story revolves around Beatrice, a teenager who must undergo initiation in the faction of her choosing (see author's description below for more detail). If you've read & liked books such as The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or Bane by H.M. Ward, then you will definitely love Divergent by Veronica Roth.

My appreciation: I couldn't put Divergent down. Whenever I'd end a chapter, I'd look at the time to see if I could sneak in another chapter. It's a gripping story. The story is fast paced and there is never a dull moment. There is a nice balance of action, friendship, lightness, deeper inner struggles, love, politics & war. Be forewarned, Veronica Roth is not afraid to kill off her characters for the sake of her story.

Constructive Criticism: The romance between the 2 main characters is wonderful but I didn't get butterflies in my stomach.

Technical stuff: Divergent is written in the first person, present tense, from Beatrice's point of view. I am an averaged-speed reader and it took me 12 hours to read it. Safe for younger teens: No sexual content (although there is reference to sex) BUT there is violence, blood, weapons & death. Genres and keywords: Dystopian, Teen, Science Fiction, Love/Romance, Politics, War.

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Author's description:

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the YA scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Peaches Monroe, by Mimi Strong

"Peaches Monroe" is a trilogy about a 22 year old plus sized woman, living an uneventful life in a small town in the state of Washington. Her tranquil life is turned upside down when Dalton Deangelo, a gorgeous famous tv star, walks into the book store she manages. From there, her story begins. Throughout the trilogy we witness the ups and downs of Peaches' life as she goes from being a total unknown person to the focus of Hollywood's media gossip. The main focus of the story is on her love life and the various gorgeous & wonderful men that come and go during these events (Peaches' suitors are absolutely amazing!). You don't know until the end of book 3 who she finally choses for her HEA. Book 1 is hilariously raunchy. Peaches gives off a very strong vibe of self confidence and assurance. While reading book 2 you get the feeling that first impressions may not be quite right because Peaches has the horrible habit of drowning her worries in alcohol & sex. These theories are confirmed in book 3 when she keeps on the same path, constantly jumping from one man to the next, drinking her way into oblivion anytime she encounters a bump in the road. I almost gave up on her character because I wasn't sure if the author was going to address this problem or not. Luckily, I stuck with the story and was very glad I did. I LOVED THE ENDING! What starts out as a light rom-com, ends up being a story about self-recognition, acceptance & fighting your inner weaknesses & demons.   There was a little too much descriptive sexual content for my taste. ***Pssssst! This is a spoiler free zone! If you are hoping to find out who Peaches ends up with at the end of the trilogy, you won't find the answer here! Sorry! You'll just have to read through until the end of book 3 to find out!***

Technical stuff: Narrated in the first person from Peaches POV. I'm an average reader and it took me 27 hours to read this trilogy. Genres and tags: Humour, Contemporary, Erotic, Romance. Warnings: sexually explicit content, 18+.

Here are my reviews for each individual book of the trilogy:

Stardust by Mimi Strong

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Peaches is wonderful! Hilarious, fun & sexy. It's Bridget Jones meets Sookie Stackhouse meets Carrie Bradshaw.

Stardust is the first book in Mimi Strong's "Peaches Monroe Trilogy". First word to describe this book: HILARIOUS! Peaches is funny as hell. She's a cross between Bridget Jones and Sookie Stackhouse and Carrie Bradshaw. A young, 22 year old, plus sized single woman, living in her small hometown, managing a bookstore & living an uneventful and "unsexful" life meets a gorgeous TV star who's in town for a movie contract & he turns her life upside down. Funny & Sexy! A story about self-esteem, inner strength, sexual appeal, personal growth and CHARM!

The characters are absolutely adorable and you can't help but get attached to all of them. There was never a dull moment. This series was recommended to me with a warning that this is a multi-suitor type trilogy and to not get attached to a specific suitor right off the bat :. Some of the critical reviews I've read were about the ending of book one because it ends in the middle of an unresolved situation for Peaches and suitor number 1. Luckily for today's reader, all 3 books of the trilogy are out, so you don't have to wait weeks or months to find out what happens to Peaches.

Technical stuff: Narrated in the first person from Peaches POV. I'm an average to slow reader and it took me 8.5 hours to read this book. Genres and tags: Humour, Contemporary, Erotic, Romance. Warnings: sexually explicit content, 18+.

Starlight by Mimi Strong

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Starlight" is the 2nd book in Mimi Strong's "Peaches Monroe" trilogy (all 3 books are currently available). Peaches, a 22 year old woman from a small town in Washington, is whisked off to LA for a plus sized lingerie modelling contract & gets a taste of Hollywood life. Very sexy, explicit, sassy and funny as hell.

Book 2 is very much a transitional book. "Starlight" is to "Peaches Monroe" what "New Moon" is to "Twilight". Dalton (hottie boyfriend from book 1) is fairly absent throughout most of book 2 (Boo! I love Dalton!) and another gorgeous suitor takes the spotlight (Keith, the gorgeous tree hugging male underwear model). I was reluctant to get attached to Keith's character at first ('cause he's not Dalton) but he grows on you after a while. During the course of events, you start to realize that Peaches has deep emotional issues that she needs to overcome and she's learning more and more about herself. If she is ever going to have a "Happy Ever After" she has to realize what she's doing & stop hiding from emotional attachement by using sex and alcohol.

Do you have to read book 1 first? Although it's not necessary because Peaches, the narrator of the story, gives little recaps of events in book 1, I highly recommend reading all 3 books in the proper order. There is a flow to the whole trilogy and book 2 is a transition from the introductory events of book 1 to the conclusion of the story in book 3.

Technical stuff: Narrated in the first person from Peaches POV. I'm an average to slow reader and it took me 8.5 hours to read this book. Genres and tags: Humour, Contemporary, Erotic, Romance. Warnings: sexually explicit content, 18+.

Starfire by Mimi Strong

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Starfire" is the 3rd & last book in the "Peaches Monroe" trilogy. A sexy, erotic, rom-com about a plus sized 22 year old living a boring life in a small town until a sexy actor walks in and turns her world upside down & starts a chain of events that leads her from one sexy adventure to the next. If I am to be honest, I was tempted to stop reading a couple times (see below) but I'm so glad I stuck with it to the end... This story wraps up beautifully & all the ups and downs experienced are all for a reason.

Oh, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches... where do I begin? Peaches' character went from being strong & hilarious in book 1 to "hmmm, this girl has issues" in book 2 all the way to "skank-diva-on-a-course-to-self-destruction" in book 3. I almost gave up on her character until she finally realized that she had MAJOR issues and she dealt with them, come hell or high water. It's not easy but her inner struggles pay off and she more than redeems herself in the end. There is a little too much sex for my taste but, then again, it's all part of Peaches' self-esteem, insecurity & emotional commitment issues that she has to deal with (she uses sex as a coping mechanism and a barrier). Since this is a multi-suitor series, book 3 means suitor #3. Throughout the trilogy, the reader is left wondering who she will end up with in the end. Who will be Peaches' HEA? All 3 men are extremely attractive, sexy and nice and all 3 seem to love her tremendously. I won't spoil it for you, but I AM SO HAPPY WITH THE ENDING!!! *SWOON*

Do you have to read books 1 & 2 first? Although Peaches, the narrator of the story, gives little recaps of events from books 1 & 2, I highly recommend reading all 3 books in the proper order. This trilogy is a process of self recognition and fighting inner demons. Taken out of context, the book could lose a lot of the characters' depth.

Technical stuff: Narrated in the first person from Peaches POV. I'm an average to slow reader and it took me 10 hours to read this book. Genres and tags: Humour, Contemporary, Erotic, Romance. Warnings: sexually explicit content, 18+.

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Too Far, by Abbi Glines

Welcome to Rosemary, a rich beach town in Florida where beautiful people are abundant and relationship drama is the rule, not the exception. To date, there are 3 series of books that happen in Rosemary Beach, each telling the love story of a different couple, all within the same group of friends. Too Far is the story of Rush and Blaire, Perfection is the story of Woods and Della & Chance is the story of Grant and Harlow. Each series is basically stand-alone and can be read in any order but I recommend reading them in the following order to avoid unwanted spoilers: Too Far, Perfection and Chance. All books from the Rosemary Beach collection are "young adult romance" with a lot of explicit sexual content. The characters in the books are mostly in their late teens (the girls) to mid-twenties (guys).

Too Far: A set of 3 books (soon to be 4 when Abbi Glines releases "Rush Too Far", which is "Fallen Too Far" from Rush's POV). The first book is told solely from Blaire's POV and the other 2 are from both Blaire and Rush's POV, in alternate fashion. Blaire is a sweet, innocent, young 19 year old from Alabama who's had a rough couple of years. Having buried loved ones and been abandoned by her only living parent, she is on her own, trying to get by. Desperate and broke, she uses up the last of her money to drive to Rosemary Beach, seeking out her father, who has remarried, only to bump into her new stepbrother, Rush, the gorgeous son of a famous rock star. Despite his deep attraction to Blaire, Rush has been led to believe that Blaire is the source of his sister's lifelong agony. Internal conflicts and family drama are plentiful. At first I thought it sounded a bit cheesy but I was totally surprised when I found myself crying like a little babe, not wanting to put the book down until I was finished. The beauty of the story isn't the storyline per se but it's the way it is told. Abbi Glines has a way to  make you feel the characters' emotions. Be forewarned though, the family ties in this book can get a bit confusing. Seems like everyone in this set of books is either a step-something or half-sibbling. There is slight repetitiveness of certain events throughout the series but it can easily be overlooked. It tends to go like this: Rush puts Nan (his sister) first, Blaire runs away, Rush promises to never put her last again, make up scene, repeat. There is an actual song that goes along with the events in book 3. The song, Fallen Too Far, can be purchased on iTunes.

Here are my reviews for the three Too Far books: Rush and Blaire's story.

Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I actually cried!!!

It was inexpensive and on Kobo's top 50 list so I bought this as light romantic reading in between more complexe novels...

What I wasn't ready for, was the tears that kept falling when reading about Blair's backstory and how it affected her in the present. The author has a nice way of describing character emotions and setting the scene.

After my 3rd re-read of this book, I felt the need to edit my original review and rating. I had originally rated the book 4 stars but changed it to 5 because a book that makes me go back for a 3rd read AND makes me cry from start to finish even though I know the story by heart deserves a 5 star rating!

Never Too Far by Abbi Glines
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good sequel to the first book. Since book 1 ends on a sad note, book 2 starts up that way. Poor Blaire just can't seem to get a break! Dealing with feelings of loss, betrayal, rejection, hate & confusion during a very fragile time of her life, Blaire is determined to take whatever steps necessary to make her future the best possible for herself, despite the overwhelming & unyielding attraction between herself and Rush. Some hot and sexy scenes are bound to get the reader hot and bothered. Nan is still wonderfully wicked and all the family ties and relations between the characters are more complex than an Celtic knot!

This books explores the story from both Blaire and Rush's points of view which is great. Seeing as Rush is going through some emotional turmoil himself, it's nice to know what's going on in his head. He's a wonderful main male character. It was great reading from his pov because he had more to say than just the typical alpha-male "you are mine" (although he does think and say it, there is a lot more depth to his character).

Nicely written!

Forever Too Far by Abbi Glines

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book, the 3rd in the "Too Far" series, is a crossroads in the Rosemary Beach novels. It continues and concludes the romantic story between Blaire and Rush but it also gives us a little taste of the Woods/Della/Angelina story as well as the Grant/Harlow/Nan story AND a teeny weeny bit of Tripp's backstory. According to blog posts from the author, all 3 of these storylines will have their own books (the "Perfection" books with Della and Woods are already out).

I enjoyed how this book played out, seeing Rush owning up to manhood in various important stages of his life. Blaire is always as determined to do the right thing, even though it may break her heart forever. Sexy scenes are to be expected (it's a Rosemary Beach story after all!) in just the right amount (not too little, not too much).

I LOVE the idea of having a song that goes along with the book. As far as I know, Abbi Glines has at least 5 songs that go along with her various books. Makes for an exciting little surprise and I get shivers when I hear the songs because I remember the story behind them. Nice touch!

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