Dark, raw, and just as gripping as the first two!
It’s been two years since Emma left Evan alone and broken and time has not healed her wounds. Despite putting on a brave face for her supportive roommates and Sara, she knows she hanging on by a thread. The hate, anger, hurt, and guilt, are drowning her and although she continues to fight, she knows that soon enough, she’s going to let it pull her under.
… I was feeling again. Way too much. And I was afraid. So very afraid of what might happen next if I wasn’t able to tuck everything back into the darkness, where it all belonged.
I loved Rebecca Donovan’s writing. She just ensnared me and no matter how painful it was to read, I couldn’t put the book down.
Emma is one of the most complex characters I’ve ever read about. There were so many layers and she was completely unpredictable. I was almost afraid of reading and finding out what she would do next.
If you thought she was damaged before, then gear up. This is a whole new level of damaged.
She’s broken.
I just wished she could have tried harder in the beginning. She had a great support group who would have been there for her.
Emma
Then enters Evan.
This was the girl I knew. This was the girl I’d loved. And although I didn’t know what happened to her, I knew I had to find out.
Evan is, pretty much, the best character ever. I got to hand it to him, he was still angry and heartbroken over what Emma put him through, but once he knew how far gone she was, Evan instantly put his feeling aside to help her.
I have nothing bad to say about Evan. He was my favorite character during the whole series.
“… the truth is, you love her. You have always loved her. You will always love her. You're here because you can't walk away. You saw how broken and empty she was back in Weslyn, and you had to follow her. You'll never be able to let her go. You're here because... it's where you belong, with her.”
Evan
If your expecting Evan and Emma to see each other and instantly get together again, you have another thing coming. It’s a long journey and Rebecca Donovan drew it out.
This story was big on forgiveness and Emma had to learn how let go of things that were, ultimately, not her fault and out of her control to be able to move on.
“I’m not supposed to live without you. And you’re not supposed to live without me. We’re in this life together. Without each other, we’re not really living.”
Out of Breath could have been a 5 star book for me, but the ending ruined it. I heard a lot about it, so my expectations were low and at first I didn’t see much wrong with it. But then I thought, my feels have been put through the shredder, torched, then spread all over the damn place, the least I could have had was an epic epilogue.
And I have no doubt it could have been delivered. It was extremely short. After everything, I just wanted something more concrete. Is that so much to ask?
So, that was a disappointment.
Other than that, it was a great read.
This is my song for Out of Breath: Broken
Hot! Sizzling, scorching, set-you-on-fire hot. I think that adequately descirbes Edible.
Prepare yourself.
Rachel’s parents have past away, her brother Mason has moved on with Lana, her friend Josh has moved on with Shelley, and Rachel has moved on with… no one.
Each day that passes, Rachel notices how lonely she really is and decides she needs a break from her family and find something, anything.
The moment Cole saw Rachel at Whipped, he knew he had to have her. He can’t stop craving the colorful-haired women and doesn’t try to.
Rachel does her best to avoid Cole but he wants her, and what he wants, he will have.
It took me a while to connect with the story. It was interesting and held my attention, but I wasn’t compelled to drop everything I needed to do so I could read. However, as Edible progressed, I slowly but surely fell in love with the characters and the story.
Rachel was a great character, but I wish I could have seen a bit more attitude from her. In the previous books she was more vibrant and alive that here, it felt like she was a bit… watered down.
But I still loved her. She was strong, independent and didn’t need to depend on anybody.
At any given moment, you have the power to say this is not how the story is going to end.
Rachel
Cole was just… delicious. I would have loved to take a bite out of that *smirk*.
Patience of a saint. The mind of a sinner.
I loved that his character went beyond the sexy alpha-ness and had another caring and vulnerable side, too. He could instantly see through Rachel and knew how to handle her.
This women–with the loud hair and the even livelier clothes–was sad.
He also had a playful side that just melted my heart.
“I can’t ever imagine hating you, but if you get sick of me and decide next week that you want nothing to do with me–”
“Yes?”
“Tell me, so I can change your mind.”
Cole
And there was a spectacular epilogue that left me grinning all day.
“You’re so much more than I ever expected. How did I not see that coming?” he asked, mystified.
Her lips tipped into a shy smile. “Because I was hiding,” she confessed.
“And now?”
“And now I want you to see me.”
***************
YESSSS!!! IT'S HERE!!
***************
When the f**k is July 9th getting here. Can the days go by any slower?!
And all those updates!
I just... I want to read about Cole and his hotness and the damn caramel scene.
*sigh*
Just 9 more days...
“I don’t know how I ever survived without this. I existed, Ava. I didn’t live. Now I live. And it’s only for you.”
What an amazing conclusion to the series!! It’s sad to leave Jesse and Ava but I’m more than thrilled with their HEA.
The fights, the women, the secrets, the lies… they’ve faced practically everything to get to where they’re standing: their wedding day. Their love has conquered everything, but this man is not done confessing and once everything is out in the open, will it continue to do so?
What a journey!! Jesse and Ava don’t do anything half-assed. They had their problems, obstacles to overcome, and in Jesse & Ava fashion, it was dramatic. And let me tell you, I ate it up.
“You’ve made me want to live a worthy existence–a life with you. All I need is you–to look at you; to listen to you; to feel you.” He drops his hands and smoothes his palms over my thighs. “To love you.”
I didn’t love Ava in the beginning but towards the end, she grew on me. One thing that always made me smile was how she would defy Jesse. She was more independent in This Man Confessed but not in an irritating way.
One thing I didn’t like at all was how she handled being pregnant, at first. I mean, she would have to be stupid not to know Jesse was taking her pills, and even admitted that she knew he’d taken her pills and that she was pregnant. It was her choice to be in denial. So once everything is out in the open she makes the f**king rash decision of getting an abortion without telling Jesse.
Girl, do you think Jesse is a f**king idiot? How is he not going to find out that you pretty much killed his child? Now, I totally understand why women have abortions, and so on. I mean, to each his own, right? But it’s something you think about. Like, really consider what your doing. You don’t just find out your pregnant and jump into getting an abortion.
Ava
Jesse was just…
Can you ever go wrong with a sexy as hell alpa-male?
Everything you loved about him is back… and more. He never fails to make my heart ache (in the best way).
Jesse excited to be a daddy was the best… thing… EVER. It was the most adorable thing I’ve ever read. And if possible, it made me love him more.
Jesse
Their relationship took a few hits but they were unbreakable. Despite everything I never doubted their love for each other. Not Ava’s and definitely not Jesse’s.
“Tell me why the fucking hell you did this to me!”
“Because I wanted to keep you forever.” he whispers
The story took quite a few turns I wasn’t expecting and really made me understand everything in the end. I don’t want to spoil anything, but once it was out in the open, it just clicked.
Overall, it was a wonderful way to end the series. Still had drama and obstacles, but with a sweet HEA.
“We’re not conventional, baby. But we’re special. What we have is really special. You belong to me, and I belong to you. It just is. It’s not natural for us to be apart, Ava.”
“I am not your hero. I am not the other half of your soul who could never let anything bad ever happen to you. Trust your instincts first, always and me, if you choose, last.” 
Victor
Sarai
Wow!! What a freakin’ read. I haven’t been this surprised and on edge since I read [b:Consequences|12368985|Consequences (Consequences, #1)|Aleatha Romig|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350233855s/12368985.jpg|17349258].
An American slave.
An American assassin.
“It is not my business to interfere.”
“Then what is your business?” I ask with a trace of distaste. “To murder people in cold blood?”
“Yes.”
Sarai knows Victor is her only hope for escaping the compound she’s been forced to live in for nine years. But he’s a cold-blooded killer, and as they say, out of the fire and into the frying pan.
Despite his emotionless mask, Sarai knows there’s something more to Victor and she slowly gets him to open up.
They begin to trust each other and with that comes attraction.
But Victor may not be able to keep her alive.
I was a tad annoyed by Sarai in the beginning. She was reckless and at times I just wanted to throttle her. She was trying so hard to stay alive but she was constantly putting herself in danger.
There were times I understood because she didn’t want anybody to die for her or be harmed because of her actions, but when Victor says "stay in the bathroom"… you stay in the freakin’ bathroom!! He left you in there for a reason!
I started to like her more towards the end, especially when she when she decided to go with Victor to his next “job”.
I liked how confident and sure of herself she was. You could see she had a tougher skin than most because of what she went through, but she didn’t let it turn her into a monster.
I loved Victor!! He was described as cold-blooded, but I didn’t really get that vibe. There was something different in the way he would talk and act with Sarai.
One thing I admired was how he was with his brother, and vice versa. They were loyal and always protecting each other.
Their relationship progressed slowly, but there was always an underlying current of attraction between them. They were such an odd pair but I loved how they were together.
“… you did something else that no one else ever could.” His features soften and my heart is slowly melting. “You made me feel real emotions. You unlocked me.”
After reading about 53% of the book, I gave up trying to guess what would happen because there were so many twists and turns I didn’t know which way was up and which way was down.
One of the things that really made me like this book was the unpredictable storyline.
There was a cliffhanger that wasn’t a bomb to my brain but definitely leaves you wanting more.
“This goes against everything that I am, Sarai,” he says then kisses me.
“No, it doesn’t,” I whisper and kiss him back. “It’s you becoming more of who you really are.”
… although I loved you, my beautiful girl, this is not a romance novel. And it wasn’t. But it was such a beautiful story. It was about love, loss, forgiveness, friendship and most of all, pain.
This song reminded me a little of The Siren: The Only One
Nora Sutherlin is famous for her works of erotica and each book sells more than the last. But this time it’s different.
Her new book is more personal and she needs the best of the best to help her perfect it.
Zachary Easton is one tough-ass editor and without his signature, Nora’s book will never see the light of day. She has six weeks to rewrite the whole book to his standards, or it’s no deal.
Each session leaves them both wanting, but there are others at work here. A dangerous ex-lover has kept his eye on Nora, and he wants her back.
She has a choice to make…
Hold on to her freedom or fall into his bed again.
“I do as Martin Luther instructed–I sin boldly.”
Nora was an amazing character. I loved her attitude and the way she looked at life, but I also liked her depth. There were a lot of great things she said that got me thinking a little differently.
“There are only two reasons why you leave someone you’re still in love with–either it’s the right thing to do, or it’s the only thing to do.”
She was a very complex character and I loved peeling back the layers and discovering what made her the way she is.
Nora
Wes was like the light in all the darkness. I love that kid. He was so innocent and just a breath of fresh air… it was endearing. It was like, in the midst of all the pain, physical and emotional, and secrets you have Wes, and he makes it all better.
I’m so glad Tiffany Reisz decided to put him in the story because it really wouldn’t have been the same without him.
Wesley
Zach just broke my heart. He was living without being alive. You could just feel how much he missed his wife. I swear, being in his head depressed me. All that longing tore my heart out. Hell, I was starting to miss her after a while.
And although he loved his wife, he developed a great connection with Nora that wasn’t only physical, but ran deeper. He learned to trust again and let his control slip a little.
“You know, you’re still young, Easton, and too handsome for your own good. You should try it sometime.”
“What? Madness?”
“No. Happiness.”
Zachary
Now onto one of my favorites: Søren. What a mysterious character. Everything he said just led to more and more questions. The only thing I was sure of was his love for Nora (which I will get to in a moment). I’m really torn on what to feel about him. I know I love him (I didn’t stand a chance), but he was so complex. There were things that didn’t sit right with me, but once I heard his reasoning behind it, it made me look at everything in a whole new light.
Søren
“Owning her, dominating her, training her to react to the slightest command, the merest crook of my finger, the barest change in my tone, and to love someone so much that anything less than complete and utter possession is unacceptable… that is the purest joy.”
I slowly began to understand the relationship between Nora and Søren. It’s not something I would fantasize about, but I grew to see things differently.
“If you’re a masochist, pain feels like love to you. Not being hurt is what hurts.”
Some people believe that beating someone is a way of expressing their love and vice versa.
One thing I did have a problem with, and that’s only because of my personal beliefs was the sharing. It never really sat right with me how they would loan each other out or tag team. I totally understand that it’s part of the D/s relationship and exercising control and whatnot, but it bothered me. Maybe it’s just ‘cause I’m greedy and wouldn’t want to share.
“If you come back to me,” he said, “will you run or will you crawl?”
“I’ll fly.”
The ending… I don’t even know what to say about that. All I know, is that is was believable, realistic, and fit the story perfectly.
“We can only sacrifice so much of ourselves in a relationship before there’s nothing left to love of be loved.”
___________________________________________
My Original Sinners Reviews:
The Angel (The Original Sinners, #2)
_______________________________________
Say my name again. I need you to say it in your sleep. When you touch yourself. To no one in particular. Just say it, say it, say it.Looking for an orgasm-inducing read?
Look no further! Tessa Bailey knows her sh*t.
Story
Daniel
Story Brooks is having a bad week. Fourteen days before their wedding, her fiancé decides to call off the wedding and, as if that wasn’t enough, her father, a NYPD hostage negotiator she barely knows, suffers a heart attack. She instantly drops everything and flies over to her father in hopes she can make up for lost time.
Hostage negotiator, Daniel Chase, has a way with women and has never been refused. That is, until he meets Story. From the beginning he knows she’s different and sets out to seduce. Too bad she’s the daughter of his mentor, the one who specifically warned him away from her.
He meets a woman who knocks him on his ass, makes him crazy for the sight and taste of her, only to find out she’s his friend and mentor’s only daughter.
But he’s not giving up, with her ex fiancé and father in the way, he sets out to take what’s his.
Officer Off Limits was on fire. I was just one giant ball of lust reading this.
“Fuck yeah. Bite me, gorgeous. Mark up my whole body. I want everyone to know who I belong to. Who I get hard for. Just you, Story. Just you.”
Story was THE BEST. She was strong, funny, and had one hell of an attitude.
“He’s leaving me for someone with a bob. A fucking bob!”
I loved the way she thought and I was always looking forward to what she would do next.
She was my favorite character and I wish we could have seen more of her.
Tessa Bailey knows how to create the best alpha males and I think Daniel has to be my favorite in the whole series. I loved how much he cared for Story and protective he was of her.
“Don’t send me back out into the darkness, sunshine. Please.”
One thing I don’t like was how fast their relationship developed.
Usually, I like it when things start up quickly but this was a little too fast for me.
Everything in the story happened in a span of a week and they were trading ‘I love yous’ and she was going to move closer to him.
Especially since Officer Off Limits was really short, it made me feel like things were being rushed.
However, you could definitely feel how deep their feelings went for each other and I never doubted that.
“Belong to me, Story. Even if it’s just for a little while.”
3.5/4 stars
“I love you, I’ve loved you from the very start. And… sometimes I think I can’t possibly love you more. And then I do.”
Dex
Perry
Awesome buddy read with the girls:
Kristalia ❄Vilda ❄Georgia ❄Debra ❄Catarina ❄Fathima
Let me know if I forgot someone!!
Karina Halle totally outdid herself! Amazing, spectacular, out of this world read. She completely blew this one out of the park. 
Awesome book + awesome buddy read= 
Dex finally got a whole book and it was 
He was just so… Dex. You know?
“What did the candles smell like?” she asked.
Was she kidding me?
“Like Eau du Zombie. I don't know.”
“Dex, get the hell off me,” Maximus grunted in my ear.
“Oh yeah, you like that don’t you, baby,” I said with a grin.
Dex and Perry’s relationship was such a joy to read. There was humor
“We can go steady and you can wear my letterman jacket.”
“Ooooh, maybe,” she said playfully. “What letter is on it?”
“No letter, just a picture of a cock.”
She snorted. “Of course there is.”
“It's a rooster, you pervert.”
She eyed me dryly. “Oh yeah? Why a rooster?”
“It symbolizes my cock. Can't love me without loving cock.”
and definitely a lot of panty incinerating moments
“Baby, the first chance I get, I'm going to fuck the shit out of you,” I growled.
She smiled coyly, her eyes twinkling. “I think it's called making love now.”
“Then I'm fucking making love the shit out of you.”
but Dex also knew how to bring tears to my eyes.
I had trouble even looking at her face without getting lost in the beauty, lost in the feelings, the love I had for her.
I realized it didn’t mean anything without Perry by my side. She was my reason for living. She was the reason I’d come alive in the first place.
However, Karina Halle didn’t make it easy for them. As in, prepare yourself. She really put them, and me, through hell. Soul-crushing hell. 
And Dex and the whole thing with his mom broke my heart. You could see how broken and lost he was.
Really, you got to see how lost and broken everyone was. 
… all I wanted was for both of us to live. With each other. Until we were old and grey.
Max: I was still really pissed off at him for being an asshole, but once I saw Dex getting to work on him, I just couldn’t stay mad.
The insults thrown at him were hilarious!! We got fuck face, ginger balls, fire pubes, and one of my favorites, Vegetable Lasagna
You also learn a little more about him and part of me even sympathized with him a little. Now, that doesn’t mean that I like him, because the jury’s still out on that one.
And, I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT, I EFFING KNEW IT!! I mean, it was a little ‘in your face’ obvious. You can’t go through the whole series and just be, like “Wow, look at how practically half the characters in the book have some form of Jacob in their name. That isn’t odd it all, it must be a coincidence. Maximus Jacobs. Purely coincidental. “
As for the actual story, prepare yourself for that too because I practically peed myself. It was creepy and scary. There were haunted houses, ghost, and… ZOMBIES!!!! 
Yayyy!!
Isn’t it awesome? Just fabulous?
…
No one… okay then.
“You’re mine. And you’re mine alone. From now until the end of time.
And the ending!! How PERFECT!! Rebecca joining and making the “threesome”, Perry staying, and the RING
Karin Halle, 
And for those of you who haven’t read the series, you must. You have no idea what your missing out one because
** I just had to add this gif 'cause it reminded me of Dex ♥
Never did I imagine they’d come for me. Never did I imagine all those nights I heard them dragging someone else away that I’d join them.
Casting:
Branded was fast paced, raw and gritty, with a heart wrenching romance and a captivating story. One of my absolute favorites of this year!
It’s post WWV, where the privileged live in fear of being accused and the unlucky one’s fight for their life in the Hole.
With a twisted, unyielding Commander as their leader, those who oppose him are murdered and the sinners are sent to the Hole where they can be contained.
He controls our depraved society and believes sinners make the human race unforgivable. His power is a crushing fist, rendering all beneath him helpless. So much so, even family members turn on each other when an accusation surfaces. Just an accusation. No trial, no evidence, nothing but an accusation.
Lexi has been accused so, she is sent to the Hole with LUST wrapped around her neck. In the Hole she finds violence, rapes, and death awaiting her but she’s stronger than all that. She’s a survivor.
He thinks he can destroy me by stripping away my possessions. But he can’t and I won’t let them take my memories, my ambition, and my pride.
I have a soft stop for Dystopian books but Branded completely exceeded my expectations. There was a forbidden romance that had my stomach in knots (and I mean forbidden, like Eve eating the apple forbidden) and a wonderful storyline.
They’re chosen from a young age and trained in combat. They kept order of society by using violent methods of intimidation. No one befriends a guard. Relationships with them are forbidden inside the Hole.
But even with the romance, there was an actual story too. I loved that I was equally enthralled with the romance as I was with the storyline. There were twists and turns I didn’t see coming and I was kept at the edge of my seat the whole time.
He can strip me naked, but he’ll never reach my soul.
Lexi is one of the strongest, most courageous characters I've read about and definitely makes it to my favorites. I’m pretty sure I have a girl crush on her, that’s how much I liked her. I loved her drive and determination, her ability to help others, and the way she held on to her humanity in one of the darkest places.
Every day, I witness the ugliness of humanity and it diminishes my faith in the goodness of people.
And then there was Cole, who had me stuck in a permanent swoon.
“I’ll fight for us because nothing else brings me joy except loving you,” he whispers in my ear.
Holy hotness, that man has my heart, body, and soul. Right from the beginning you could tell he was different.
“The last thing I want is for you to be afraid of me. But I want you to trust me. I need you to trust me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know why and it scares the hell out of me.”
He wasn’t as mean, cold, wraped and absolutely repulsive as the other guards. You could see that he had a heart.
“Just leave me,” I whisper into his ear.
“Never.”
Even with it being forbidden, Cole and Lexi’s relationship was beautiful. Not everything was filled with death and despair and they were able to escape into each other, whether it was with some steamy lip locking or bantering around.
“I love you,” I say.
He’s breathing faster, leaning into me, kissing my forehead, my temples, and my cheeks. He runs his lips down to my ear and whispers. “I love you too.”
I understand that this story isn’t for everybody because, despite it being YA, there were some gritty, dark, and gruesome scenes that had me cringing.
However, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants and steamy romance, unpredictable turns, and an action packed story.
Be strong for the times ahead. Stand up for those who cannot. And remember, you can overcome anything short of death.
**ARC courtesy of Victory Editing via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review**
When the Disaster series finished:
But now we get the Maddox brothers' stories!!
My brain can't handle this amount of goodness. I just... Oh My God, this is like literary heaven!!
This made my 10 "Best Things I've Heard This Year" list.
Jamie McGuire, I could just kiss you!
I'm so looking forward to this release!!
“Tell me not to kiss you,” he said.“Don’t kiss me.”
“Mean it.”
“I can’t.”
Sassy heroine, witty dialogue, dysfunctional couple… it was like my book soulmate.
Tristan:
Danika:
Danika’s life has been anything but easy and now with her feet under her, she’s determined to keep it that way.
I needed stability. I clung to it.
And then, Tristan comes barreling into her life and she learns how to let go and live in the moment. Even with the Don’t List they created, she falls hard and deep for him.
Of course, that only made her impact with the ground that much more devastating.
Danika was great and very realistic character. I love how sassy she was and her no bullsh*t personality was refreshing. She was strong when she needed to be but also very vulnerable.
“I've been cut
I've been opened up
I've been shattered by the ones I thought I loved.”
-Chalk Outline, Three Days Grace
Who was I? Who was somebody like me even supposed to be? Nobody loved me. It didn’t feel like anyone ever had. So where did that leave me?
Tristan was broody and mean, but his soft moments melted my heart. You could see the differences between how he was with Danika and how he was with someone else. He’s definitely a favorite of mine but I’m not seeing good things in the future for him…
Bad Things is told from Danika’s POV and Tristan’s. I felt everything in this book. Every happy, sad, frustrating, angry moment, I felt right along with them. The dual POV just made it stronger because, even though seeing everything through Danika’s eyes affected me, Tristan was like a freight train of emotions.
“I need you. I’ve never needed anyone or anything the way I need you. I need you in a way that would break me if I lost you.”
Their relationship was… a beautiful train wreck. They’re not good for each other but there’s no doubt in my mind that they’re meant to be together. When it’s good, it’s great but when it’s bad, it’s horrendous.
Yet, I still can’t help but root for them.
“When it’s right, like it is with us, it doesn’t make your life harder, it makes it better, even when it’s hard. I’ve never been so happy as I’ve been with you, and I don’t begin to know how to get past that.”
I read the Up In The Air series before Bad Things so I know where Danika and Tristan are headed. I just want to know… HOW THE HELL DO THEY END UP THERE?
They’re obsessed with each other, their neediness practically bordering on crazy.
Tristan must have done something beyond stupid and I’m dying to know what it was.
“… you were my strength , when I was too weak to even stand.”
There’s only one thing I’m feeling at the moment and that’s crushing disappointment. I really, really wanted to love this story. I absolutely love KA and her books but I came really close to just throwing in the towel.
Was this horrible?
Not really.
Was it everything I hoped it was going to be?
It honestly hurts me to say this but Fire Inside my least favorite KA story.
Lanie:
Up to the 80% mark all I could think was:
She had problems, on top of problems, on top of more problems, and most of them could have been avoided. I understand what she went through but even when solutions presented themselves, it was like she didn’t was to get better.
It got a point where I just said:
Hop:
I liked him. He could be nice and caring, just like he could be a d*ck sometimes. He also put up with a lot and was a great father.
The writing:
It was still KA perfection. There were a few errors here and there, but nothing you can’t look past. Lanie and Hop’s story had potential, and with KA’s writing, it could have been a hit for me.
All in all, Fire Inside was underwhelming.
Caleb/James:
I am the man who kidnapped Livvie. I am the man who held her in a dark room for weeks. I’m the one who tied her to a bedpost and beat her. I’m the one who nearly sold her into sexual slavery. But, most importantly, I am the man she loves.
That was absolutely incredible. One of the best this year!!
Your reading this because you want to know about the rest of the story. You want to know what happened that warm summer night in September 0f 2010, the night I met Livvie at The Paseo. It was the night my life changed all over again
One again, C. J. Roberts tells another beautiful story about love, loss, and forgiveness. [b:Captive in the Dark|12513614|Captive in the Dark (The Dark Duet, #1)|C.J. Roberts|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1315343569s/12513614.jpg|17499464] and [b:Seduced in the Dark|13612739|Seduced in the Dark (The Dark Duet, #2)|C.J. Roberts|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1335114363s/13612739.jpg|19212100] were very raw and gritty reads but Epilogue, while still raw and had its fare share of dark moments, was more upbeat than the previous two.
Livvie/ Sophia was a very pleasant surprise. She wasn’t the weak and frightened girl anymore. She was strong and confident and matched Caleb well. Her personality shined when she wasn’t always on survival mode.
Caleb/ James was another surprise. Who knew he had such a good sense of humor? He went through a major change but I felt that we were just seeing the best of Caleb instead of a completely new man, which made everything more realistic.
There was only one thing the void wanted. Greedily tearing me apart. It asked for Livvie. It wanted my hopes, my dreams. It wanted my memories of her face. It wanted the laughter we had shared. “Mine,” the void had decreed. Only Livvie could make me whole, and as soon as I had realized it, I couldn’t stop looking for her.
I loved that, despite Livvie’s HEA, things weren’t all peachy. They didn’t ride off into the sunset on butterflies and into world peace. They had some major things to work out and also had to find a way to be in a functional relationship.
“No, Kitten, I’m not okay,” I whispered. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take for be to be okay. I just know that as long as you’re with me, there’s a chance that one day… I might be.”
But even with all that heavy stuff they were able to banter, hang out, and make some friends (those were the best scenes).
All in all, The Dark Duet is a must read.
Livvie/Sophia:
“We chase away the shadows around each other. Our backgrounds don’t matter. What we have is bigger than that. I love you, and beneath all that logic, calculation, and superstition, I know you love me too.”Richelle Mead, I bow down to you.
I’m picky when it comes to reading YA books, especially paranormal ones, but the Bloodlines series is out of this world.
Adrian:
Sydney:
Sydney's world is spinning out of control and the only life she’s every known is turning out to be a lie. Her mind and her heart are fighting for control and things get worse when an evil magic user is going after young witches, and now her.
Amidst all this she meets Marcus Finch, who she believes holds all the answers. Sydney begins to get pulled in two different directions– staying with the Alchemist and the only life she has known or rebelling against them and joining Marcus’ ranks.
“The Alchemist’ beliefs are my beliefs,” I said quickly.
She arched an eyebrow. “Are they? I would hope that your beliefs would be your beliefs.”
You definitely sympathize with Sydney in The Indigo Spell. She had so many things going on– solving other peoples problems and her own. She was a great heroine and I loved that despite all her Alchemist beliefs, training, and logic, she used her heart for most things.
Another thing I loved was there was a lot of focus on the actually story. I love romance (and there wasn’t any shortage of that) but the actual story held my attention too.
Richelle Mead puts a very interesting twist on the whole ‘vampire’ concept and it makes for a truly entertaining story.
Adrian was THE BEST. He was funny and completely unwavering in his love for Sydney. He just melted my heart.
My favorite quotes:
“… We are not posing as a couple again.”
Are you sure?’ he said. His tone was lighter now, turning him back into the Adrian I knew. “Because I’ve got a lot more terms of endearments to use. Honey pie. Sugarplum. Bread pudding.”
“Why are they all high-calorie foods?” I asked. “And bread pudding isn’t really that romantic.”
“Do you want me to call you celery stick instead?” he asked. “It just doesn’t inspire the same warm and fuzzy feelings.”
(Adrian could have called me a damn eggplant if that’s what he wanted. Just saying.)
“Well, you can think what you want , so long as you remember– no matter how ordinary things seem between us– I’m still here, still in love with you, and care about you more than any other guy, evil or otherwise, ever will.”
“I don’t think your evil.”
“See? Things are already looking promising.”
Adrina & Syndey: IT’S HAPPENING!!!
I was a little worried at first, but my girl Sydney came through.
Now, there is a cliffhanger but it isn’t a relationship one. It’s pretty big, but in a way that makes you think where they hell Richelle Mead is going with the story.
I didn’t answer to anyone, no matter the cause.
“When you find your reason for living, hold on to it. Never let it go. Even if it means burning other bridges along the way.” Rush:
Blaire:
I fell right back into the story as if I’d never put the books down. The writing was engaging, you could easily relate to the characters, the story kept you turning the pages, and there was that promised HEA.
When you first looked at me
I forgot to breathe
that moment marked my hardened heart
I vowed never to leave
Rush promised her forever... but promises can be broken.
Torn between his love for his family and his love for Blaire, Rush has to find a way to save one without losing the other. In the end one has to be more important. Letting go isn’t easy.
Blaire believed in her fairytale... but no one can live in a fantasy.
Her love for Rush and desire to have a family keep her believing that they can find a way for this to work. Until she has to make the right decision for her and the baby. Even if it breaks her heart.
Can they find the forever that they both want or has it all just gone... too far?
My first reaction:
Like, what else can you freaking put them through? Never fear, Abbi Glines got creative.
**Warning: rant ahead**
You’ve been warned…
Onto Nan.
You’d think, after everything that has happened she would FINALLY stop being a raging bitch…
Shocking right? With all that sparkling personality we've seen, how could she not turn her life around?
She manipulates people
And doesn’t care about anybody but herself.
I mean, holy hell Nan is psycho. I was so frustrated with her! I only have a few surviving strands of hair left on my head after all that hair pulling.
Blaire is a freaking angel sent down from heaven with the patience of a saint because one look at Nanette, te lo juro por dios, this would have been me:
*deep breaths* okay, I think I got it all out.
Moving on, Rush was still as delectable as ever. Rush and Blaire have both come a long way since that first meeting at his house and you can just feel how strong their bond is.
“I’ll do whatever needs to be done to make her happy. But I’ll be the one making her happy. Always. Just me.”
I never felt like they had things to resolve, and Forever Too Far really wasn't about that. It was more that everybody was getting in their way and they had to learn how to prioritize, especially Rush.
“You’re afraid you and the baby won’t come first. You don’t want him to have to choose.”
I also felt that Forever Too Far dealt a lot with family. It was about forgiving and opening up your heart once again and letting go of those who were holding you back.
Nothing in life was as precious as this woman. It never would be. I’d found my happiness.”
They had some rough times but it was nice to see them finally get their HEA.
“How far is too far?” I asked.
“It’s all too far. I want you right her beside me… forever.”
