Review: Shadow of Time by Jen Minkman

Title: Shadow of Time

Author: Jen Minkman

Pages: 400

ISBN: 9781480242234

Genre: Paranormal/Young Adult

First Published: December 2012

Buy It: Bookdepository

All Hannah needs is a nice and quiet vacation after her first year of teaching French at a high school. She joins her brother Ben for the summer in their mom’s log cabin in Arizona. There, she meets Josh again, Ben’s childhood friend from the Navajo reservation. The little boy from the rez has grown up fast, and Hannah can’t help but feeling more for him than just friendship.

But fate apparently has something else in store for her. And it’s not peace and quiet. Night after night, Hannah is plagued by strange nightmares about the past of Navajo Nation and terrifying shadows chasing her. They seem to come closer – and why is Josh always present in her dreams?

Sometimes, the past has a way of catching up with you.

First of all, my compliments to Jen Minkman for the way she wrote this book. There's no way to tell that a dutchie wrote and translated this book herself. Great job!

So, the story. It's very intriguing and definitely original. I've never read anything like it. The characters in the book are all very likable. Hannah doesn't come off as a 23-year old, but that didn't really bother me. I also adored Josh. He’s such a sweet guy, it’s impossible not to like him.

The reasons I can't give this book 5 stars is because even though I enjoyed the story, I think it was a bit too long. The part when you read about Josh' past two lives actually bored me a little bit. That's why Shadow of Time is getting 4 stars from me. It's a great book and I loved how Minkman makes you really feel like you are actually there at the Navajo reservation even though she hasn't even been in the United States herself. I'm looking forward to Jen Minkmans next books!

Just a small note for all the dutch readers: Jen Minkmans boek Back to School is nu ook hier te verkrijgen als ebook. Ook de moeite waard om te lezen!

Review: Deeper We Fall by Chelsea M. Cameron

Title: Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise #1)

Author: Chelsea M. Cameron

Pages: 446

ISBN: 9781481100922

Genre: New Adult

First Published: January 2013

Buy It: Bookdepository

Two years after her best friend was involved in a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, Lottie Anders is ready to start her freshman year of college. Ready to move on. Ready to start forgetting the night that ripped her life apart. Her plans come to a screeching halt when not one, but both brothers responsible for the accident end up back in her life again.

Zack is cruel, selfish and constantly rubbing what happened to her friend in Lottie's face. Zan is different. He listens to her awkward ramblings. He loves "To Kill a Mockingbird" as much as she does, and his dark eyes are irresistible. His words are few and far between, but when he does speak, she can't help but listen.

The trouble is, Zan was the driver in the accident, and now Lottie's discovered he lied to her about what happened that night. Now she must decide if trusting him again will lead to real forgiveness, or deeper heartache.

I got this book from Netgalley and wasn't quite sure what to expect. Now, after finishing it, I am definitely a Chelsea M. Cameron fan! This was a wonderful and lovely book. It was sad, but also funny and sexy. It has the best pillow talk I've ever come across in a book. The fact that Lottie wasn't able to shut up made me enjoy it even more. 

Most of the characters in this book were great, except for Zack, he's just a major douche. Thankfully, Zan makes up for that. He's so sweet and nice. And even though Zan and Zack were responsible for the accident, Lottie starts to fall for Zan. Obviously, you can't choose who you love..

There are only two small things; I wished we would've been able to read about Lottie meeting Miss Carole. And in the end I felt like the book was a teeny tiny bit too long. But I still loved and enjoyed it a lot. So I'm giving it 4,5 stars.

Review: Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Title: Goddess (Starcrossed #3)

Author: Josephine Angelini

Pages: 448

ISBN: 9780330529761

Genre: Young Adult

First Published: May 2013

Buy It: Bookdepository

She must rise, or they will fall ...Helen's powers are increasing--and so is the distance between her and her mortal friends. To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a dangerous traitor is lurking among them, and all fingers point to Orion. Still unsure whether she loves him or Lucas, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, or risk all-out war.

I always saw the Greek gods as good, but after reading this trilogy, I'm seeing them in a completely different way. My favorite god was Hades, surprisingly. This book was a good ending to the series, although after reading it I kind of feel like Angelini is keeping her options open, she can easily write a fourth book if she wants too.  

What I didn't like was that it took so damn long for Daphne to finally admit the truth to Helen about her and Lucas and I was sad that there wasn't much time for romance because of the big war. But there were still some cute moments. I especially liked Orion's HEA. The whole Matt thing was a bit confusing for me and I didn't really like that twist. But it was still a very cool book. It made me want to read more books with Greek mythology in it! 

4 stars for Goddess.

Review: Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Title: Dreamless (Starcrossed #2)

Author: Josephine Angelini

Pages: 503

ISBN: 9780330529747

Genre: Young Adult

First Published: May 2012

Buy It: Bookdepository

As the only Scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies’ cry for blood is growing louder.

As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen’s sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos.

The day after I finished Starcrossed, I rushed to the store to buy Dreamless. I was completely addicted to this series. My mistake, is that I didn't buy Goddess, because boy do I want to read that book now! 

Dreamless is a very awesome book. I love the Greek mythology that's going on in the story. I felt like there was less of Lucas and Helen's family, which is too bad because Jerry cracks me up. The whole underworld thing was kind of scary, especially the consequences it had for Helen, but the presence of new hottie Orion made up for that. What I also still adore about these books is Helen. She's such a badass and she's not even at her full strength yet. 

The thing that makes me not give the book 5 stars is the fact that Daphne has the whole book to tell Lucas and Helen they're not related, but she just doesn't tell them. What kind of a mother does that?? It's really annoying and Angelini better make up for it in the third and final book.  

Review: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Title: Starcrossed (#1)
Author: Josephine Angelini
Pages: 518
ISBN: 9780330529730
Genre: Young Adult
First Published: April 2011
Buy It: Bookdepository

Destiny brought them together.

The gods will keep them apart.

When shy, awkward Helen Hamilton meets Lucas Delos for the first time, she thinks two things: the first, that he is the most ridiculously beautiful boy she has seen in her life; the second, that she wants to kill him with her bare hands.

An ancient curse means Lucas and Helen are destined to loathe one another. But sometimes love is stronger than hate, and not even the gods themselves can prevent what will happen next...

I absolutely love YA's with greek mythology. When I started this book I had no idea what it was about so I was pleasantly surprised. The first time Helen and Lucas meet was so awesome. I love how badass Helen was in that moment. But I've got to say, those furies really scared the crap out of me..

Starcrossed is a very original book. I can't compare it to anything, and I don't even want to. It's an amazing book and you will be completely absorbed in it from the start. I read it for the read-a-thon so I finished it within a day, but even if I would've read it at any other time, I still would have been so addicted that couldn't do anything but read.  In the beginning I didn't like that Helen was so incredibly shy that she even got cramps when people looked at her, so I'm glad that eventually you find out the reason for that. Lucas and his family are great. I loved all of them.

At the end of the book, a few devastating things happen, some of which really bothered me, that's why it's getting 4,5 stars instead of 5. The day after I finished Starcrossed, I bought the sequel: Dreamless. I can't wait to see how this story will continue. Josephine Angeline has turned me into an addict.

Review: Stripped by H.M. Ward

Title: Stripped (#1)

Author: H.M. Ward

Pages: 250

ASIN: B00CXFU2S0

Genre: New Adult/Romance

First Published: September 2013

Buy It: Amazon

The V Card. Virgin. Most of us want to punch that sucker ASAP, and hide the fact until then, but not Cassie Hale. Three years ago she frickin' covered hers in glitter and laminated the thing, proudly telling me that she's waiting for the perfect guy.

So when I see her half naked, tangled together, rolling around on the floor with another stripper, I'm kind of shocked. Okay, that's an understatement. I'm enthralled. I have to know what cracked her picture perfect world and landed her here, and I hope it's something horrible-an event that broke her the way she broke me. Because, that's who Cassie Hale is--the woman who stole my heart and crushed it in her hand.

This book started off strong. The flashbacks to how Cassie and Jon met and how their relationship ended, I think that was my favorite part of the book. When we came back to the present it wasn't what I expected. I wasn't drawn into the book anymore but kept reading because I hoped it would get better. For me, not enough happened in the present part of the book. I kept waiting for that Mark to show up or something else exciting. And then all of a sudden the book ended. It wasn't even an ending, it felt like I was in the middle of a chapter and then boom. The end. Maybe Ward did this so you just have to buy the second book, which worked on me, because now I have to read it, but I would have been happier if she made an ending that makes more sense. 

Of course there are some positive things too, Cassie for example. I love how she stayed true to her beliefs and didn't let Jon turn her into mush and forget everything that's important to her. And Jon, another hot Ferro brother, but still, I can't give this book more than 3,5 stars. Which I absolutely don't like to do, because I adored Damaged 1 and 2.

Review: Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy #5)

Author: Jennifer Estep

Pages: 372

ISBN: 9780758281494

Genre: Young Adult

First Published: July 2013

Buy It: Bookdepository

Just when it seems life at Mythos Academy can’t get any more dangerous, the Reapers of Chaos manage to prove me wrong. It was just a typical night at the Library of Antiquities — until a Reaper tried to poison me. The good news is I’m still alive and kicking. The bad news is the Reaper poisoned someone else instead.

As Nike’s Champion, everyone expects me to lead the charge against the Reapers, even though I’m still hurting over what happened with Spartan warrior Logan Quinn. I’ve got to get my hands on the antidote fast — otherwise, an innocent person will die. But the only known cure is hidden in some creepy ruins — and the Reapers are sure to be waiting for me there …

A few months ago, I came across this series and because anything supernatural that involves an academy draws my attention, so I started reading. And I kept on reading until I finished the first four of the books. Then, a little while ago, I saw that the fifth book was out and I tried my luck on Netgalley. I was very very happy when I was approved for Midnight Frost.

Just like the other four books, it's action packed and has lots of humor. There wasn't much Loki in this books, for which I'm glad, because in these books he's much scarier than Tom Hiddleston in Thor. Something I didn't like about this book is that it took forever until Logan finally came back into the story. Other than that, this is a great book. I loved the Gryphons and Eir. Also, I hope we will see more of Rory. I always love badass female characters. 

Review: Tall, Dork and Handsome by Remy Richard

Title: Tall, Dork and Handsome (#1)
Author: Remy Richard
ASIN: B00D0H7RW4
Genre: Romance
First Published: May 2013
Buy it: Amazon

Holden is working on the biggest coding problem of his life, and that’s saying something for a man who’s been coding since he was ten years old. The problem is all of these distractions: threats against his sister’s life, break-ins, and the sexiest, most contrary con artist imaginable. How is a guy supposed to keep his mind on math when there’s a man-eater in the room?

Sabrina is just minding her own business, breaking into Holden’s home, when his head of security catches her in the act. She barters information about her accomplices (who are working on much more dangerous schemes than she is comfortable with) for her freedom. But after a few days with Holden, his sister and friends, she’s not sure that she wants her freedom anymore.

I got this book as a freebie on Amazon, and I thought it would be a nice change between a few more serious books. It was a very light and easy read. After the first 10% of the book I thought it was gonna be one of those books where they meet, have sex and instantly fall in love. All in a couple of days. Fortunately, it was more than a couple of days and they didn't fall in love instantly. They were attracted to each other obviously, but didn't act on it at first. 

I liked the story, Sabrina being a con artist who breaks into Holden's home and then gets kidnapped by Holden and his head of security, Sam. They promise her to not call the police if she tells them who hired her. She's a bit reluctant to give names at first, but after there is another break in, she finally opens up. After all, Sabrina's in this with them now, the burglars saw her face and think she changed sides. But has she?

Holden is a cute guy, kind of dorky (he can't stop working) but with a smoking hot body. How is that even possible if he works day and night? There's another thing that didn't make sense. In the beginning, Sabrina tells Holden everything she knows about him, including what she knows about his parents. And then later on she asks why Holden's mom wasn't around when he was a kid, and what happened to his dad. A sloppy mistake if you ask me, because Sabrina already told Holden that she knew that.

I know this book is about Holden and Sabrina, but I would've loved to read more about Sam and Holden's sister, Lila. But maybe they will be in a future book? I hope so. This book, Tall, Dork and Handsome, is getting 3 stars from me. If you want to relax and don't think too much, this is a fun read.

Review: Head Over Wheels by January Valentine

Title: Head Over Wheels

Author: January Valentine

Pages: 398

ISBN: 9780615750273

Genre: New Adult

First Published: January 2013

Buy It: Amazon

Being a member of the NYPD has been Jewelia's lifelong dream. Things are going as planned until she meets Indigo, the hot med student who sends her flying head over heels. Which is not to be confused with Head Over Wheels.

It's love at first sight, but there's a lot of inward and outward struggling going on, as well as sexual tension. So many problems to contend with, like Vanessa Whitehall who has loved Indigo since they were kids. Then there's his wealthy family complete with skeletons in every closet in their mansion.

I can sum this book up in one word: DRAMA! There is so much of it, that it gets a little annoying at one point. Head Over Wheels is a roller coaster of emotions. One moment Jewel is deliriously happy, then she's depressed, then she's mad and then she's happy again. Every little thing that happens upsets her. Of course I can understand that Vanessa pisses her off, but Jewel's thoughts and reactions were kind of extreme sometimes.

Indigo seemed like a great guy at first, but a someone who can't even send one text message during his work week because apparently he is too busy all of the time, pisses me off. Eventually you get an explanation about why he acts like that, which is actually really sad, but I'm not sure if that just makes everything okay.

Something I noticed about this book is that the writer keeps using the word groovy. Isn't that a word from the sixties and seventies or something? It felt kind of silly to me.

Overall, Head Over Heels is a nice story, but it didn't live up to my expectations. What I did love was the beautiful epilogue. Great ending of the book.

Review: Crave by J.R. Ward

Title: Crave (Fallen Angels #2)
Author: J.R. Ward
Pages: 454
ISBN: 9780349400198
Genre: Paranormal Romance
First Published: October 2010
Buy It: Bookdepository

The battle between good and evil has left the future of humanity in the hands of a reluctant saviour and his band of fallen angels. Seven deadly sins that must be righted. Seven souls that must be saved. While his first task was success, Jim Heron is battling a demon that can take any form for the soul of someone he must identify on his own. If that weren't enough, his old boss Matthias wants Jim to assassinate an AWOL member of The Firm - Isaac, the man Jim is pretty sure he is supposed to save. Jim knows first hand that once you're in The Firm, there's no getting out. But when Jim finds Isaac to warn him, he has been picked up by the police for illegal street fighting, and it is clear that Isaac is falling for his gorgeous public defender. Is their love the redemption that will save Isaac's soul? Or has the demon Devina set an elaborate trap?

It took me awhile to get into, but eventually I got hooked. Jim is trying to save Isaac, someone he knows from his past. Isaac, another tortured hero is in jail and falls for his DA, Grier. Of course you knew how it was going to end between those two, but the biggest question was, would Jim be able to save Isaac's soul, so he wins from Devina again.

I wasn't really able to connect with Jim in this book, although I did love Dog. The one who I'm most intrigued by, is actually Adrian. I want to know and read more about him. Maybe in one of the next books? Some parts of the book were a bit too long, but the surprising twist near the ending made sure I just had to keep reading. Oh and by the way, a corpse sending a text message? That was super creepy.

I hate comparing books from the same writer that basically have nothing to do with each other, but for BDB fans: I've found that this series is much darker and has less humor. If you just finished one of the BDB books, don't read this right after, because your expectations are going to be too high. 

Review: Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Conrad

Title: Sweet Little Lies (L.A. Candy #2)
Author: Lauren Conrad
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780061767616
Genre: Young Adult/Chick lit
First Published: February 2010
Buy It: Bookdepository

Jane Roberts was the average girl next door until she and her best friend, Scarlett Harp, landed their own hit reality show, L.A. Candy. But life on camera is getting complicated. . . .When racy photos of Jane are leaked to the press, she becomes the center of a tabloid scandal. She turns to costar Madison Parker for help, but does Madison really have Jane's back?

Scarlett's got a scandal of her own. She's fallen for a guy who's strictly off-limits--which means Scarlett has a big secret to keep. But nothing stays secret for long in Hollywood.In television star Lauren Conrad's dishy, entertaining novel about young Hollywood, the lies are only as sweet as the people telling them.

It's an okay story but nothing special. I feel like the book was too long, even though it only has 336 pages. There aren't that many exciting things happening. And it's crazy predictable.

The fact that Jane could only see the good in Madison and Jesse really annoyed me. How can someone be so dense?

I liked Scarlett the most in this book and I was definitely rooting for her and Liam. But with an ending like this, I can see a love triangle in the future for both Jane and Scarlett. That would be too much, but who knows, maybe I'm wrong.

I'm giving it 3 stars, because it's a cute story but not that great. Maybe it's more interesting for people who are a few years younger than me.

Review: The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Title: The Last Little Blue Envelope (Little Blue Envelope #2)

Author: Maureen Johnson

Pages: 288

ISBN: 9780061976810

Genre: Young Adult

First Published: April 2011

Buy It: Bookdepository

Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.

During the book I never really liked Keith that much. The fact that he was dating Ellis, when Ginny thought she was still kind of together with him and Keith's habit of making fun of Oliver made me wish he would disappear. I really didn’t get what Ginny saw in him.

Even though I didn't like what Oliver did in the beginning of the book, I'm kind of bummed that it took so long for Ginny to realize how much she actually liked Oliver. I would have loved to read more about them together. The ending was rushed. I don't get why everything was so rushed like that. Why couldn’t Johnson take a few more pages to write a nice ending?

Overall a nice book and I'm glad Ginny got the last envelope, eventually, but the first book was much, much better. So I'm giving 3,5 stars to The Last Little Blue Envelope.

Review: S.E.C.R.E.T. by L. Marie Adeline

Title: S.E.C.R.E.T. (Secret #1)

Author: L. Marie Adeline

Pages: 288

ISBN: 9780385346436

Genre: Adult Fiction

First Published: February 2013

Buy It: Bookdepository

Cassie Robichaud’s life is filled with regret and loneliness after the sudden death of her husband. She waits tables at the rundown Café Rose in New Orleans, and every night she heads home to her solitary one-bedroom apartment. But when she discovers a notebook left behind by a mysterious woman at the café, Cassie’s world is forever changed. The notebook’s stunningly explicit confessions shock and fascinate Cassie, and eventually lead her to S∙E∙C∙R∙E∙T, an underground society dedicated to helping women realize their wildest, most intimate sexual fantasies. Cassie soon immerses herself in an electrifying journey through a series of ten rapturous fantasies with gorgeous men who awaken and satisfy her like never before. As she is set free from her inhibitions, she discovers a new confidence that transforms her, giving her the courage to live passionately. Equal parts enticing, liberating and emotionally powerful, S∙E∙C∙R∙E∙T is a world where fantasy becomes reality.

I'm just going to go ahead and say it: This book is just about sex. Cassie is trying to find her courage, confidence etc, by having sex with a bunch of different guys. I hate to compare, but I'd hoped that, just like in Fifty Shades, sex would only be part of the book, but not the most important part. I wanted some romance, but there wasn't much of that unfortunately. 

What I also didn't like about this book is that Cassie has no self-confidence at all, but when some guy who was sent to her to please her, tells her how beautiful she is, she believes it without a second thought. That's not how it works. Very unrealistic. Actually, I think most of this book is unrealistic. It's just too much. Things like this just don't happen. Now, I know it's fiction, but still.. Adeline could have made it a little bit more believable.

The worst part for me was the ending. What the heck was that? I haven't read a book with such a crappy ending in a long time. The only reason I'm giving this book 2 stars instead of 1 is that part of why I didn't like this book was because of the vocabulary that was used, and I read the dutch version so I'm blaming the translators for that. I'm just going to assume the english version would have been slightly better. 

Review: Stardust by Mimi Strong

Title: Stardust (Peaches Monroe #1)
Author: Mimi Strong
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781484968048
Genre: New Adult
First Published: June 2013
Buy it: Amazon

There I was, minding my own business at Peachtree Books when this lunatic comes racing in the door and knocks me into his arms. I would have ripped him a new one, but he was hot. Like I-want-to-have-your-babies-now hot.

I feel like I know him, because I stare at his gorgeous face on TV every week. Dalton Deangelo. In the firm, sculpted flesh. Have I mentioned how hot he is? My panties practically flew right off.

Now he wants to get to know me. I can't say no to that face ... or those captivating green eyes.

I'm just a regular girl, and he's rich and famous with no body fat. So, why is he chasing me? And what is this secret of his the reporters are trying to uncover?

I try to keep my eyes wide open. I've made terrible, stupid mistakes in the past. But Dalton Deangelo's touch turns me to Jell-O.

Stardust started off strong. There was a quote on the first page that cracked me up and made me like the book instantly. What followed was a lot more hilarity and I loved it. Peaches Monroe isn't your typical size zero, pretty girl. Oh she's pretty, but she has curves. Lots of them. That's why it's so hard for her to understand that Dalton really likes her, but he won't leave her alone and she can't resist him. That's the start of a hot and steamy relationship. The thing is, Dalton is an actor, and once he finishes shooting a movie in Peaches' town, he'll be gone. Is there even any future for them?

I read this book with a constant grin on my face. Peaches isn't exactly shy and says whatever she's thinking. Because of this there were so many funny quotes in the book, if I had written them all down, I would basically have the whole book on my Favorite Quotes blogpost. 

There were two things that bothered me a teeny tiny bit. First, Dalton pretending to be the character he plays in the vampire TV show. Peaches liked it, but I thought it was kind of silly. Wouldn't you rather get to know his true personality? Second, even though it was hilarious most of the time, in the end all of the different words Peaches could think of, to call a 'vagina' got a little bit annoying. But despite those two little things, I still really enjoyed this book. And I definitely recommend it to all the romance lovers out there.

Review: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Title: Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4) 

Author: Richelle Mead

Pages: 503

ISBN: 9781595143105

Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal

First Published: August 2009

Buy it: Bookdepository

MAJOR spoilers ahead!

DIMITRI'S HEART HAS GONE DARK.

Now Rose must journey to the ends of the earth to find - and kill - her one true love....

Or has the time come to join him?

My heart shattered. My world shattered.

You will lose what you value most....

It wasn't my life.... It wasn't even Dimitri's life.

What you value most.

It was his soul.

If you haven't read the VA series yet, you shouldn't be reading this review! So go buy the books right now, read them, and then come back. It'll be worth it, I promise!

For those of you who don't know me that well, I should tell you that Vampire Academy is my favorite series. I like it so much, that if I could choose one book series to bring with me to a desert island, it would be this one. I would keep reading these books for the rest of my life and never get sick of them, that's how much I like them.

Anyway, I reread Blood Promise for the July Sequel Month, because it's my favorite book in the series. It's beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, because Dimitri is a Strigoi and Rose sets out to kill him. Kill the love of her life. Not an easy task, and maybe even an impossible task. Because Dimitri was already stronger than Rose when he was still a Dhampir, now that he's a Strigoi? Rose could very well lose her life to Dimitri. 

My favorite part of the book is when Dimitri has Rose captured. There's still some of the old Dimitri inside and that made me wish there was a chance for them to somehow be together. Impossible of course, a Strigoi can't leave a Dhampir like that. So Dimitri gives Rose a choice: Either she let's Dimitri change her willingly, or he'll do it by force...

Blood Promise ended way too fast. After I finished it, I wanted to reread the rest of the series too, I could have foreseen that, but I don't have time to reread all of them, unfortunately. In a few months I will definitely make time! I don't think it's a surprise that I gave Blood Promise 5 stars. This book is what made Richelle Mead on of my favorite writers. It's well written, keeps you hooked from page one, makes you laugh and cry and has the perfect mix of suspense, romance and action. I absolutely adore it.

Review: Seizure by Kathy Reichs & Brendan Reichs

Title: Seizure (Virals #2)

Authors: Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs

Pages: 512

ISBN: 9781595144867

Genre: Young Adult

First Published: January 2011

Buy it: Bookdepository

Ever since Tory Brennan and her friends rescued Cooper, a kidnapped wolf pup with a rare strain of canine parvovirus, they've turned from regular kids into a crime-solving pack! But now the very place that brought them together - the Loggerhead Island Research Institute - is out of funding and will have to shut down. That is, unless the Virals can figure out a way to save it!

So when Tory learns of an old Charleston legend about a famous she-pirate, Anne Bonney, whose fortune was never found, she can't believe her luck - buried treasure is exactly what she needs to save the Institute on Loggerhead! Trouble is, she and her friends aren't the only ones looking for it. And this time, the Virals' special powers may not be enough to dig them out of trouble..

If I'm being completely honest, I have to say that I wasn't pulled into the book immediately. Maybe that's because it has been a while since I read the first book. But eventually the story got so good that I couldn't stop reading anymore. What's so great about this book, (and if I remember correctly, the first book had it too) is that almost every chapter ends with a cliffhanger. My compliments to the writers for that, because normally I always want to finish the chapter before I stop reading but now I just had to keep reading. I don't think anybody can stop reading after those cliffhangers.

The thing I still find a little unbelievable is Tory's age. I just can't wrap my brain around the fact that she's supposed to be only fourteen. But despite that fact, I was kind of hoping for a little bit of romance. Maybe in the next book? We have Ben, Jason and Chance so there enough guys for Tory to choose from. 

Seizure is getting 4,5 stars from me. I recommend this series to all of you YA lovers out there. It has mystery, adventure, action, humor and sci-fi, which is a great combination, believe me!

Review: Don't Want To Miss a Thing by Jill Mansell

Title: Don't Want To Miss a Thing
Author: Jill Mansell
Pages: 448
ISBN: 9780755355891
Genre: Chick lit
First Published: January 2013
Buy It: Bookdepository

Dexter Yates loves his fun, care-free London life; he has money, looks and girlfriends galore. But everything changes overnight when his sister dies, leaving him in charge of her eight-month-old daughter Delphi. How is he ever going to cope?

Comic-strip artist Molly Hayes lives in the beautiful Cotswold village of Briarwood. When it comes to relationships, she has a history of choosing all the wrong men. Leaving the city behind, Dex moves to Briarwood - a much better place to work on his parenting skills - and he and Molly become neighbours. There's an undeniable connection between them. But if Dexter's going to adapt, he first has a lot to learn about Molly, about other people's secrets...and about himself.

When I started reading this book, I wasn't sure what to think about Dex, the handsome playboy who has girls fighting over him. But when he went to visit his sister and her new baby in the hospital, I already melted a little. But after  disaster struck, and his sister died, leaving Delphi for Dex to take care of, I started to like Dex more and more. It's not easy to leave your normal life behind to be a dad when you know nothing about babies. 

Thankfully, his new neighbor Molly is there to help him. She's very sweet and funny. I almost felt sorry for her when she was dancing to YMCA and Dex was looking through the window, but it was too hilarious. Speaking about hilarious, this book is filled with moments that make you laugh, that's the power of Jill Mansell. I also love how she is able to intertwine all those storylines and not make it too confusing. Normally I'm not a fan of books that have that many storylines, but in Don't Want To Miss a Thing it's all perfectly done.

Of course you know from the start how it's going to end between Dex and Molly, but that doesn't make the book any less likeable. It does have some unexpected twists concerning the other characters which males the book even more entertaining. I'm giving it 4,5 stars. Already looking forward to Mansell's next book!

Review: Damaged 2 by H.M. Ward

Title: Damaged 2
Author: H.M. Ward
Pages: 302 
ISBN: 9780985547349
Genre: New Adult
First Published: Juni 2013
Buy it: Amazon

Home isn't supposed to be dangerous, but for Sidney it is. Returning home means that she has to face her past. It's not just the man who hurt Sidney that makes it horrible, but the family that didn't believe her. They were dead to her, but now that her mom is really dying things seem different. It's a chance to set things right.

What Sidney doesn't realize is that she's dragging Peter into a collision course with his past. Peter must deal with the demons haunting him if he wants to move forward with Sidney. He's willing to give up everything for her, even wade deeper into his past life to help her move forward. But, Peter isn't sure if he can get over what happened to him in New York.

In the second and final Damaged book, Sydney travels back home to visit her dying mother. She's dreading it enormously because she doesn't want to see her brother and her ex-boyfriend. Even though Sydney doesn't want him to, Peter accompanies her on her trip. She found out who he really his and that he lied to her all this time, but Peter has his reasons why he wanted to keep his identity a secret. In Damaged 2 we see a completely different side of Peter, now that we know who his family is. I had to get used to this new Peter. You all know I love bad boys, but with Peter it was such a switch that it took me a while to like the new him.

One of my favorite characters in this book has to be Mr. Turkey. I'm kind of wondering how Ward came up with the hilarious bird. Someone I didn't instantly like, was Sean Ferro. I didn't realise he's the same guy from the Arrangement series until after I finished Damaged 2. I've read the first book of the Arrangement and I like him way better there, than in Damaged. He's a real jerk now, maybe that's why I didn't realise I already knew him. 

I received an ARC of Damaged 2 when I was about to board a plane to Turkey. (The country, not the bird. Obviously.) Luckily I had a few minutes left so I could download it to my phone. I've never read a book on my phone before, but Damaged 2 had me hooked from page one, so I didn't even care what I was reading it on. I'm sad Sydney and Peter's story ends with this book, but we still have The Arrangement and Stripped to read about the other Ferro brothers. YAY! Damaged 2 is getting 4 stars from me.