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!

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!

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.

The Gilded Cuff

I was gifted a copy of The Gilded Cuff by author Lauren Smith in exchange for reading it and doing an honest review of it.  The book took me about a day to read and was fast paced.  I must admit, upon reading the synopsis and examining the cover, I was not necessarily looking forward to reading this book.  Quite honestly, I didn't think I would care for it at all.  I was, however, pleasantly surprised almost from the beginning of reading with how well Smith lured me in with her sweet, semi-naive character of Sophie.

Sophie is an investigative journalist who is doing  a story about a man that kidnapped as a child, along with his twin brother.  In order to get close to this recluse of a man, she must enter the world of BDSM at the hottest club in town, The Gilded Cuff.  

Sophie has no idea that the man she's been wanting to help for so long would have such an effect on her, but Emery Lockwood is powerful...and very dominant.  Though this story could literally make Sophie's journalistic career, she has her own reasons for wanting to help. Can she help solve the mystery and exorcise her own problems of the past?  Then there's Emery who had never let anyone into his life...ever...but he just can't stop thinking about Sophie. She does something to him that makes him feel things he hasn't felt in twenty-five years. The two decide to make a deal:  she submits to him and learns all about being in a dominant/submissive relationship in exchange for an interview.

“Rule number one, relax into my touch. Unless I’m punishing you. Then you may anticipate me all you like. Now…relax.” He curled long, elegant fingers around her throat, not squeezing, merely holding her in place as he flicked his tongue into the shell of her ear. Sophie jolted up, only to be jerked back down by his arm around her stomach, to be held down, pinned helpless for his exploration of her sensitive spots… It was too much. She liked it far more than she should: the helpless feeling, the surrender to even so small a domination.

Although this book has some elements of BDSM, don't let it be a deal breaker in whether you read the book or not.  It's mild and tame and basically just gives some information about the world, rather than long winded descriptions of how things go down.  If you're thinking Fifty Shades, it's far more tame than that, but still highly entertaining.  

I really liked this book despite my initial beliefs.  It had romantic elements, mystery elements, and some excitement and danger mixed in there too.  There was just enough of everything to keep me glued to each page and wanting to read more.  I was quite pleased to see that this is not just a stand alone novel either, as two more will be released including The Gilded Cage,expected out in April of 2015, and The Gilded Chain, due out in June of 2015.  I am so happy to have discovered a new author that I enjoyed reading and would definitely recommend this book.

Love Struck Out

I was gifted this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.  Love Struck, the third in author Patrice Wilton's Serendipity Falls series and was released at the end of December.

Since I had not previously read the first two books in the series, I wasn't really sure what I was getting into upon beginning this story. I also was new to reading Wilton's work. These factors had both pros and cons for me in reading Love Struck.  The pro is that I had no preconceived notions as to the style of the writer or books so I went in completely open minded.  The con is that I had NO idea what I was in for upon opening the book and finding out that I was reading about a "cupid" in a town called Serendipity Falls that is giving everyone the "love bug."  No joke.

The story begins from Cupid's perspective and talks about the how the town has found gold and now people from all over are flocking there to get rich and fall in love.  The towns people begin feeling feverish and ill and before they know it, they're falling in love and getting married.  Women are coming to Serendipity by the droves to find Mr. Right, fall in love, and get married now.

Kyle owns a bar with his brother and in walks sweet Samantha, looking for a place to stay while she figures out where she's going to live and work.  Kyle helps her out but then can't get her out of his mind.  Samantha just wants to start her life over in Serendipity with her son, but can't stop thinking about Kyle.  Guess why?  Yep, it's that love bug!  Duh!

The story line is very predictable and unfortunately the love making scene was less than hot.  In fact, it was one paragraph of very chaste kissing, exploring, and then boom, it was on to the next chapter.  I guess we were supposed to use our imagination.

I didn't hate the story but it definitely was not my cup of tea.  The premise, from the start, threw me off because it was a ridiculous idea and unbelievable to me.  It was cute and sweet but....that's about all.

LBD4

Lucky me, I was able to obtain an ARC of Life Before Damaged, Vol. 4, by H.M. Ward in exchange for this review of mine.  Unfortunately, it wasn't actually all that "advanced" of a copy, as it was sent sometime in the middle of the night and it was released this morning.  Anyhow...I'll overlook it as I still got to read it for free.  :)

First, before diving too far into this one, I just want to rant a second about the end of this book.  Can you say worst-cliffhanger-ever?  I mean, c'mon Holly!  That was just evil...evil genius but still!  I swiped to the next page -because I read on my iPad- and literally cursed.  I was like, "WTH?!?!" I couldn't believe that she left me hanging like that, left all of us hanging like that.  

This fourth volume of learning more about Pete Ferro and Gina Granz was yet another quick read, but again very good. We find out even more about Gina's perfect, well managed, very controlled life.  Her parents control her, her almost-fiance controls her, but she doesn't feel very in control of her life at all.  She wants to be a little less than perfect.  She wants to be able to make mistakes and not do everything exactly like her mother tells her.  Gina wants desperately to break free and find her inner bad ass.  Cue hot Ferro man, Pete.  Pete has ladies hanging all over him every night of the week and can have any of them, yet he continues to play this mind game with Gina.  His eyes show her lustful thoughts, she feels passion coming from him, and even sees a man who cares...but then in an instant he's back to his selfish, asshat self.  What is a girl to do?

Once again, Ward creates another magnificent dance scene in the club between the two characters and the heat between them is insane.  I'm surprised my iPad didn't go up in flames!  It's so sultry and erotic, without it being blatant sex.  It's hot and I am hoping the next volume has more of these two characters dancing like that.

This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites of Ward's.  As much as I want to dislike Pete for the total mind-fucking he's doing to Gina, I don't.  I keep seeing what's underneath all of that Ferro facade (think Peter Granz in Damaged) and can't help but root for him and Gina. 

Where's the Fire?

I'm so excited to review a new release by a spunky, quirky author, Amanda Hocking.  This book is Frostfire, the first in the Kanin Chronicles Trilogy.  This is her first release since wrapping up her Watersong series with Elegy in August of 2013.  That's more than a year and a half that we've been waiting.  That's forever in book-lover land so to say that this has been greatly anticipated by this reader is a serious understatement!

Frostfire is a clever story that has some familiar characters in it, from Hocking's previous Trylle trilogy and takes place in the same far northern/Canadian land of fantasy.  This story has a "tracker" named Bryn whose job it is to find changlings and bring them back to her home in Doldastam.  She is also very determined to avenge the man who stabbed her father years before.  The sub story is basically about the political unrest in each of the four tribes that live in the area. The tribes are all very different and play to their various strengths.  It reminds me a lot of the Divergent trilogy in how they were separated, but whether that was Hocking's inspiration, I'm not sure.  Either way, there is clearly discord among the tribes and alliances are being made "just in case."  I have a feeling a lot of this series deals with political agendas and things hidden among the royalty of the Kanin.  However, I may be wrong.

There is of course a little romance in the story too. Bryn is beginning to feel differently about her friend and boss, Ridley.  He clearly has feelings for her too, even if he pretends otherwise by dating someone else.  I noticed also that even though Bryn initially had a crush on another character Konstantin, but then it went away that there still seems to be a little bit of sexual tension between them.  He is kind to her in a strange way and wants to protect her for some reason, though it's not really revealed why just yet.

Overall, this was an easy, totally fantasy based read.  It was light (well mostly...except for the boiling of babies!) fun read.  I do question the title a bit because I am still unsure what it had to do with the book other than that they live in a very cold desolate area.  I am looking forward to the next one Ice Kissed, due out in May.