Thursday, February 26, 2015

Nocte Liber Sum

I feel like I haven't been on here in forever!  I've read a half dozen books since my last review and I swear, if I don't get on here and review them right away, everything just flies right outta my head!  Ugh, I hate that.  Really truly I do.  So....I decided immediately upon finishing my latest that I HAD to get on here and do something.

I just finished reading Courtney Cole's Nocte, which is part 1 in the Nocte Trilogy. To start out, the cover on this novel is gorgeous.  I mean, seriously, can you see that?  It's beautiful! Kudos for the cover work.

Reviewing this novel is really hard to do without spoilers, so I am trying very hard to choose my words wisely.  Literally, from the first page I was hooked and needed more.  The author's note at the beginning was enough to read and think, "well, now I HAVE to read this!"  because it was just that intense, that deep, that intriguing.  

There is so much going on throughout this story, so much under the surface that it kept my rapt attention and I couldn't put it down.  I HAD to find out what was going to happen. I'm a fan of Cole's, so I was excited to begin this book, even if I was a bit perplexed by the synopsis of it on Amazon.  It reads:  

SAVE ME AND I'LL SAVE YOU.... 

My name is Calla Price. I’m eighteen years old, and I’m one half of a whole. 
My other half-- my twin brother, my Finn-- is crazy. 

I love him. More than life, more than anything. And even though I’m terrified he’ll suck me down with him, no one can save him but me. 

I’m doing all I can to stay afloat in a sea of insanity, but I’m drowning more and more each day. So I reach out for a lifeline. 

Dare DuBray. 

He’s my savior and my anti-Christ. His arms are where I feel safe, where I’m afraid, where I belong, where I’m lost. He will heal me, break me, love me and hate me. 
He has the power to destroy me. 

Maybe that’s ok. Because I can’t seem to save Finn and love Dare without everyone getting hurt. 

Why? Because of a secret. 

A secret I’m so busy trying to figure out, that I never see it coming. 

You won’t either. 



So I'm really not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this, but it's not led to anything I even imagined.  At every turn of the page, more mystery surfaced and I had more questions about Calla, the main female character.  More confusion came about in regards to Calla's twin brother, Finn.  The most confusing, yet intriguing, character of all is Dare, who seems to show up at just the right time.

Calla has her life turned upside down, following her mother's death, which she feels very responsible for.  In addition to that responsibility, she also feels that she must watch out for her twin brother because he's crazy.  She worries about him and feels like they can't be separated because he needs her.  Suddenly, a mysterious stranger, Dare DuBray, shows up and rents out the family cottage.  Only, something about him is so familiar and safe.


The deeper her relationship with Dare gets, the more and more Calla fears something terrible is going to happen to Finn, or rather, Finn will do something terrible either to himself or even maybe to her.  And then something happens...

This thriller of a novel weaves you through such a tangled tale of mental instability, mystery, and tons and tons of secrets...because everyone has 'em.  Just when you think you know what's going on or what's going to happen, Cole masterfully  pulls the proverbial rug out from under you and leaves you literally hanging with your mouth open.  She leaves you with the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers too.  Normally I hate that.  I would've hated it here too, except that the second book in the trilogy, Verum, is already out so I was able to start it immediately.  I have a feeling I'll be pretty mad at the end of that one though since the last is yet to be released.

This novel is powerful, intense, and suspenseful.  It's everything I didn't think it would be after reading Cole's other works.  She's quite successfully made an awesome transition from light-hearted sweet romance novels to a gripping, thrilling, page turner and I am really looking forward to finishing the entire trilogy.  I have another feeling that this artful writer is going to leave me begging for more!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Breaking the Law

There are good books and there are good books.  I've been so lucky in the past couple of months to come across some amazingly wonderful books.  One such book is The Law of Moses by author, Amy Harmon.  This isn't her first publication, however, it is the first from her that I have read and I have to say it's an excellent one to begin with because now I'm really interested in reading more by this talented writer.


I decided to read this book for several reasons.  First, it was highly recommended in a Facebook group that I'm in.  Everyone kept going on and on and on about how wonderful it is and how everyone else "had to read it."  Second, just look at that cover! It's gorgeous!  I love the way that cover looks, all mysterious and full of secrets.  I love the color and the beauty of it all.  My third reason for wanting to read this book is simply because it would fulfill a reading challenge I'm doing for the year, so that was as good of reason as any, quite honestly.

I really knew nothing about the book except that it was highly acclaimed and had phenomenal reviews from readers.  I didn't really know the story, other than that I'd read a small excerpt which just happens to also be the very beginning of the book, in the prologue.

"If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear.  You will know it's coming, and it will hurt.  It will still make your chest ache and your stomach flip with dread.  But you'll know, and you'll be able to prepare.  And that's my gift to you.  I wasn't given that same courtesy.  I wasn't prepared."

How can you not read a book after that??

The Law of Moses is a beautiful love story that begins when the main characters, Georgia and Moses, are a mere seventeen and lasts years beyond that.  Despite time, distance and major life changes, one thing doesn't really change and that is the deep connection and love between Georgia and Moses.  Their relationship, however, isn't the typical romantic joining. There is a spiritual bonding between them, something so much deeper than the physical attraction that we usually see in novels. Harmon has a way of pulling the reader into this somewhat unusual plot and making the reader (or at least me) begging for more at the turn of each page, while still cautiously waiting for the other shoe to drop.

This book was simply amazing and I am honestly having a hard time putting into words how touching and moving this tale truly is.  It is full of so many lessons, so many truths, so much pure love.  I absolutely, without hesitation recommend it to anyone looking for a good read, but beware of tears because they will come.  And it will be so worth it!






Monday, February 2, 2015

More Peter, More Gina

Once again, I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Life Before Damaged, Vol. 5 by H.M. Ward in exchange for a review of this book.  First off, I wanted to say that I feel quite honored to receive three ARCs in a row from this serial, especially since I know there are many readers and bloggers out there that want them.

This fifth installment shows us a much more relaxed Gina. Then again, throwing back drink after drink at the club probably had a lot to do with that.  Regardless, she lets down her guard a bit and lets loose with the goal to finally have some fun, only hours after her world fell apart.  Gina has only one thing on her mind and is determined that something is going to happen that night.  She has no idea that she'll run into Pete once again.  

For a second time Pete has the opportunity to have whatever he wants from Gina but he proves once again that there's more to him than the fact that he's a Ferro.  In fact, he is starting to, more often than not, show Gina that he's really nothing like she originally thought he was.  There's far more to Pete than Gina ever imagined.

LBD 5 gives us more of an inside understanding of just how evil and wicked the Ferro family and their matriarch really are as well.  We learn that she will do just about anything to protect her family name and get what she wants.  This could really benefit Gina too, or so it seems.  You never know what's in store when the Ferro family is involved though.

I can't wait for this serial to continue (hopefully only a couple more though) and finally wrap up.