Release Day Launch: Torn by Jennifer L. Armentrout

   

The highly anticipated second book in New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Wicked Trilogy is available today! Be sure to grab your copy of TORN!

   

Torn between duty and survival, nothing can be the same.

Everything Ivy Morgan thought she knew has been turned on its head. After being betrayed and then nearly killed by the Prince of the Fae, she’s left bruised and devastated—and with an earth-shattering secret that she must keep at all costs. And if the Order finds out her secret, they’ll kill her.

Then there’s Ren Owens, the sexy, tattooed Elite member of the Order who has been sharing Ivy’s bed and claiming her heart. Their chemistry is smoking hot, but Ivy knows that Ren has always valued his duty to the Order above all else—he could never touch her if he knew the truth. That is, if he let her live at all. Yet how can she live with herself if she lies to him?

But as the Fae Prince begins to close in on Ivy, intent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld, Ivy is running out of options. If she doesn’t figure out who she can trust—and fast—it’s not only her heart that will be torn apart, but civilization itself.

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"You need this book. You need this series. It's paranormal at its best. It's New Adult at its best...Can I give this book more than 5 stars? I would if I could." ~Valerie, Stuck in Books

    

EXCERPT:

              I lifted my right hand, reaching for my iron stake out of instinct, even though I knew it would do no good against the prince.
              “You shouldn’t do that.” His voice was deep with what reminded me of an English accent. “I know you want to, but it would be very, very unwise of you, Ivy.”
              My hand twitched.
              Creepy Prince smiled slightly. “Your friend has been very helpful.”
              That got my hackles up. I slid my sunglasses onto my forehead and forced my tone to stay calm and level. “I’m sure she has. Speaking of Val, happen to know where I can find her?”
              His lips curled in a semblance of a smile as he stepped closer. The prince was tall, taller than Ren, who was pushing six foot two. My entire back stiffened as I forced myself to hold my ground, even though every instinct demanded that I run and run super fast, because he had almost killed me once before. Correction. He would have definitely killed me if he hadn’t realized what I was and had, I guessed, healed me.
              “I’ve been waiting for you,” he said, instead of answering my question, his pale blue eyes fixed on mine.
              My hand curled into a useless fist. “That is extremely creepy to hear.”
              That cold smile returned. “Why don’t we talk? There are seats across the way.”
              “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”
              The slow smile increased but never reached his eyes. “Oh, I know it is.”
              Fine hairs rose on my arms.
              “What exactly can you do right now?” he said in the same coldly polite voice. “Refuse me?” Creepy Prince laughed, and it wasn’t a bad sound. Again, it was something that was just cold, as if he were mimicking what a human would do. “You can’t.”
              “I can.” My palm itched to grab the thorn stake secured under my pant leg, but I held still. I might be reckless, but I wasn’t stupid.
              “Really? I will have to beg to differ on that. You see, humans surround us. So many of them, and I have an extraordinary appetite.” His eyes appeared to glimmer as his gaze slithered from the top of my curly head down to my toes. “A rather impressive appetite for many, many things.”
              “Okay. First off, ew.” My lip curled. “Secondly, I don’t want to hear about any of your appetites.”
              One dark eyebrow rose. “Oh, but you should know that I could kill twenty of these humans in less than five seconds and feed on the rest, leaving them to believe that it was this little red-headed girl who murdered these innocent people.” His voice dropped even lower as he leaned in and icy air brushed my cheek. “You deny me this, those lives will be on your hands, little bird.”
              Anger flushed hotly as my eyes met his. There wasn’t a single part of me that doubted anything he said. He had me. God, I hated to admit it, but he had me.

"Drama! Action! Romance! Twists! Torn had it all...Torn was a perfect continuation of the Wicked Saga." ~Kim, Kimberlyfaye Reads

       

Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans…

Don’t miss the first title in the series, WICKED!

   

 

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About Jennifer L. Armentrout: #1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.  

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Book Review: A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Author: Sarah J Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Audience: New Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: May 5th 2015
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Personal Copy
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

I've had my eye on this series for a while now, ever since my Twitter feed basically exploded with talks about Rhysand and Feyre and Tamlin, and since the gorgeous covers flooded the world of bookstagram. I am glad I decided to read this book, I do however regret not having A Court Of Mist and Fury to pick up immediately after finishing this one.

I'll be completely honest and say that I didn't know what to expect. Aside from the aforementioned Twitter convos I've seen, I've managed to stay away from any and all spoilers, so aside from the fact that this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, I knew nothing about this book.

Feyre is such a great heroine. I like that she's a strong, independent, "I-can-take-care-of-myself-and-my-family" young woman. I hated her family and how they treated her, but I loved her. She was stronger than anyone else would have been, and in those first pages of the book, when she's with her family and she describes how they treated her and how basically she was the only one keeping her sisters and her dad alive, I would not have blamed her for giving up, for saying "I'm done". Mad respect for her for not doing just that.

Given how Feyre was raised, to hate and fear all faeries, I feel like this book was a mirroring of the old fairytale, with "Beast" taming the Beauty. I liked that aspect, I like reading about people learning the truth about something or someone, despite the fear and hate they've been taught to feel from when they were infants.

Tamlin....My dear Tamlin. See, there were moments where I didn't like the guy as much as I should have, because he was always quiet and not talking about stuff, and then the ending happened and I understood it all, his silence, the half-answers, everything made sense.

My favorite character, though, was Lucien. I kept wishing he'd get more page-time. I keep hoping that the future books will focus on him more, because I need more Lucien! He was funny, he was awesome. Although he wasn't as kind with Feyre as I wanted at first, the ending, like with Tamlin, made it all make so much more sense.

Mad props for Maas for making Amarantha a true villain. That woman scared the crap outta me. She was just as evil as a villain should be, and just as deranged. I wonder if the next books will have a villain each.

Another reason for me to like this book is that, despite my misgivings with certain characters, like Nesta and Rhysand (I know, I know!), I got to understand the reasons of each character for behaving a certain way. It makes complete sense, now that I've finished the book, for Rhysand to act like he did, just like I completely understand Nesta for hating their dad. And I know I said on Twitter that I hope I never get to read about her again, I wonder if Nesta managed to escape and live a better life. I want to learn about her and how she's going to deal with.... something that happened at the end of the book.

If there's one thing I'd love to see, and if you guys know any fan art with this, let me know, is the Prythian map, as described by Feyre. There's this scene where she's describing a mural with the map, and the imagery is so gorgeous, that I'd love to see that in real life, with how the various Courts are painted and how the map is colored. Also, the cover makes complete sense now!

All in all, I'm super happy I read this book and I cannot wait to get my hands on ACOMAF and then the long wait for the next book starts. Also, I cannot wait for the coloring book!

Book Review: 1001 Dark Nights Bundle Five by Julie Kenner, Lexi Blake, Larissa Ione, Elisabeth Naughton, Angel Payne, Michelle St. James

Author: Julie Kenner, Lexi Blake, Larissa Ione, Elisabeth Naughton, Angel Payne, Michelle St. James
Series: 1001 Dark Nights
Audience: + 18
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Release Date: July 12th 2016
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors Julie Kenner, Lexi Blake, Larissa Ione, Elisabeth Naughton, and introducing Angel Payne and Michelle St. James.

Six Dark Tales. Six Sensual Stories. Six Page Turners.

CARESS OF PLEASURE: I'd thought that he was mine, the dark, arresting man who commanded not only my body but my heart. Dante had swept into my life, and I'd succumbed to the burn of passion in his arms. I'd believed we had a love that would last forever, but he'd shattered my dreams and broken me into pieces when he'd walked away.

ADORED: Mitch Bradford knows he’s not good for any woman—especially not his best friend’s sister. Laurel Daley knows what she wants, and her sights are set on Mitch. She knows he just needs a little polish to make some woman the perfect lover. She intends to be that woman, but first she has to show him how good it could be.

HADES: Cataclysm was kicked out of Heaven and is now a fallen angel. All she wants is to redeem herself and get back where she belongs. When she gets trapped in Hades’s Underworld prison domain with only Hades to help her, Cat finds that where she belongs might be in the place she least expected…

RAVAGED: Ari has one singular focus: revenge. His guardian brothers all think he’s dead, but he is alive and chipping away at Zeus’s Sirens every chance he can. When he abducts the wrong female and his identity is finally exposed, it will take the courage of one woman willing to stand up to a warrior who’s become a savage to rein Ari in.

NAUGHTY LITTLE GIFT: From the moment Mishella Santelle locks eyes with Cassian Court, she can see the man beneath the power…the bruised soul for whom hers has been destined. When six months of her life are bargained to Cassian in a multimillion dollar contract, Mishella is helpless against the reaction of her body and soul to this man.

THE SENTINEL: Determined to maintain the friendship that has been her rock since childhood, Diana Barrett resigns herself to keeping her distance from Leo Gage. Leo has worshipped Diana Barrett since they were kids, but she can never know that. When Diana witnesses a murder, she goes to the only person who has ever made her feel safe. Now Leo and Diana are on the run.

Every Dark Nights tale is breathtakingly sexy and magically romantic.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from InkSlinger PR and Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or my opinion of this book.

Unless you're really not into adult romance books, you've probably already heard of the 1001 Dark Nights series. I adore the series and the idea of putting all of these authors together in what seems like a never-ending series. Another good thing is that, in some cases (I'm looking at you, Larissa Ione!), the stories continue some of my favorite series. Awesome, right?

Caress Of Pleasure by Julie Kenner

Second chance stories are nice to read about. I'm a sucker for redemption stories, mostly because everyone needs a second chance.

Dante was awesome! I really liked him. His sense of right and wrong was infuriating at times, but I understand what he tried to do all those years before, with Brenna. I would love to read how his relationship with Brenna started, to see how they evolved or how their relationship grew from what it was initially.

I also liked that both of them were exposed to the other's version of the story. There's this cool scene where Brenna learns how her actions hurt Dante too, so it was really interesting to read that.

This story also made me curious to see if it was part of a series (YES IT IS!), because I need to read more about these men and women that are basically phoenixes. The series is called Dark Pleasures and I cannot wait to read it.

Rating: 4 cups

Adored by Lexi Blake

I've had Lexi Blake's Masters and Mercenaries series on my TBR for a very long time now, but I never got around to start reading it. I was super happy when I realized that Adored was part of that world. 

Mitch is a very reluctant hero, and it is a miracle Laurel put up with him. I had a moment when I actually contemplated screeching, he was so infuriating. I understood him in a way, but that didn't make it easy for me to accept his behavior. 

I liked Laurel. She was funny and basically a smart-ass. What I loved most about her was her ability to have an answer for anything, a retort of some sort always ready. There were times when I didn't understand her willingness to stand by Mitch's side, though. 

I did consider Mitch to be a bit cold at times, which isn't something I liked all that much. I felt like he let his past influence his decisions too much, but in the end it all worked out.

Can I just say, HOLY MOTHER OF CLIFFHANGERS? Now I just have to read the series because of a certain something that happened at the end of this story. Anyway, it was a good novella and I really enjoyed my introduction to Lexi Blake's M&M series

Rating: 3.5 cups

Hades by Larissa Ione

How do I even start? Any story within the Demonica world is going to get glowing reviews from me, because Larissa Ione is still my queen. It's just a fact.

Hades, the guy who pissed off Azagoth, the guy who basically pisses off everyone just because he can, finally gets his own story and his own HEA. I like that he found his match, because he needed that, but also because he needed to find something worth losing. I feel like Cat is that something, and she helped him do one of the things that I think scared him the most. I'm not going to say what it is, because of spoilers, but let's just say she helped him grow up a bit.

Cat... It's been a while since I read Reaver, and so my memory might play tricks on me, but I like that she got redeemed in this novella. Maybe redeemed is not the right word, maybe she got a second chance is better. She is a funny Unfallen, I'll give you that. I liked her inner monologue, and how she seemed to panic and babble, even to herself. I found that amusing. 

I think that, in the end, Cat and Hades are two peas in a pod and I'm so, so happy they found each other.

Rating: 5 cups

Ravaged by Elizabeth Naughton

I was hooked on this story at the mention of Zeus. The fact that this novella tells the story of so many awesome, mythological creatures had me insanely happy. 

Ari was a great hero to read about. I always love to read about the outcasts, the people who are reluctant heroes, the ones who get a chance, despite what people think about them. His story broke my heart, but in the end I loved seeing that he got answers for what happened to him. I love that he got a HEA. 

Daphne was a great heroine. I liked how she eventually didn't let Zeus's evilness corrupt her, how she saw Ari for what he really was, and for basically giving the guy a chance. Her childhood was harsh and I'd love to go back in the series and see if there's any mention of a certain event from her life in the earlier books.

Speaking of earlier books, this is another series to add to your TBRs if you're a fan or paranormal. The series is called Eternal Guardians and I am definitely planning on reading it. 

Rating: 5 cups

Naughty Little Gift by Angel Payne

Another new-to-me author that I got to find out about with this bundle was Angel Payne. 

This novella tells the story of a young woman born and raised in a very oppressive, closed off environment, that was basically stuck somewhere in the late eighteenth century, with age-old customs that defy the passing of time. I really liked seeing the modern world through Mishella's eyes. It was an interesting experience, and I feel like the author did a good job writing that confusion of Mishella, without making her seem stupid.

Cassian was a confusing hero. I got the impression he hid a lot of things, and I didn't feel that by the end of the story he got to reveal all of his secrets. I think he still has some dark secrets that he's hold on to. Even though his way of helping Mishella out of her family's clutches wasn't as... let's say conventional, I do like that he got her out of that situation. I hated Mishella's parents, and I wanted to punch them a few times.

I did however have a slightly harder time reading this novella, because at times I got frustrated with Mishella. This was a me thing, but I would have wanted her to be harder on Cassian, and not as forgiving.

From what I understand, this book is set in the same world as The Cimarron series, and there's going to be two more installments about Cass and Mishella in the future. I am curious to see if Cassian ends up revealing all of his secrets, and if Mishella will ever go back home.

Rating: 3.5 cups

The Sentinel by Michelle St. James

I like reading about antiheroes. That's what Leo Gage is. He's not a good guy, he's actually a very scary dude. I liked reading about him, just as much as I liked reading about his story with Diana. I also felt bad for Leo, because he had some really dark moments of self-doubt and I just wanted to hug him until it passed. 

Diana gets a glimpse at the life of criminals, and I can't blame her for not freaking out more, considering that she was being hunted by really bad people. I'm curious to see if Leo's actions has consequences later in the series. 

When it comes to childhood-best-friends-turned-lovers, it's kind of hard to get it right, in my opinion. I'm happy that the relationship between them didn't feel forced, nor did it feel like they didn't make sense together, because they did. I also loved the differences between them. It's easy to spot those differences, but I think that's what made their relationship make sense. 

Speaking of series, I saw that this novella is set in the same world as the London Mob series. I'm actually curious to read it, to see if some of the events mentioned in this novella are shown in the series, as well as if the next books will be affected by the events in this story.

Rating: 4 cups

OVERALL RATING

What can I say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading these stories, and I love that I got introduced to new series, new authors, as well as revisit an old favorite series of mine.