The Blood & Roses Series

The Blood & Roses Series
Callie Hart
Rating: 5 Bows!
Barnes and Noble Amazon

Zeth Mayfair's never been troubled by morals before. As one of Seattle's most dangerous, feared men, he's always carried out the jobs he's sent on without a second thought. Drugs? Guns? Dirty money? They're all fair game. But girls? Girls are another matter entirely. When Zeth's employer decides buying and selling kidnapped women is a lucrative sideline, Zeth's usually uncomplicated life suddenly becomes very complicated indeed. And his biggest complication goes by the name of Sloane Romera.

As a trauma doctor at St. Peter's Hospital, Sloane's finger is hardly on the pulse of Seattle's underground crime scene. Her sister is missing and she needs to find her, yet all doors leading into the seedy world of human trafficking are firmly closed in Sloane's face. She needs information. What she really needs is help...and help presents itself in the most unlikely of forms. Zeth Mayfair is terrifying, scandalously hot, and comes fully loaded with a terrible attitude and wicked smile. He also looks like he's Sloane's only hope. Can she work with the guy without getting herself killed, losing her job, or falling head over heels in love?

What happens in the dark never stays in the dark.

This book is hands down amazing. I actually bought this book to keep me busy while I waited for a new release on Tuesday and I am so glad I did. This is the first book I've read from Callie Hart and I am now a huge fan!

This book is dark and violent, yet erotic and sinfully beautiful. Pretty complex huh? It's so hard to put into words the many layers that this book has. The concepts are not the pretty cookie cutter types, they're violent and realistic, the characters are far from perfect and that's what makes this story so great.

The story is centered around Sloane trying to find her sister who was kidnapped two years ago. Sloane will do anything to get her sister back, and I do mean anything, and that's how we meet Zeth. I loved watching Sloane's personality grow through out the book. After everything she goes through she can no longer be the sweet naive woman, she has to become a strong willed person to survive.

Now to the best part: Zeth Mayfair. He is drop dead sexy as sin. Zeth is the definition of bad boy and he doesn't disappoint. What is so great about him is that even though he's a ruthless killer, he is protective, loyal and so honest. Zeth has a hard exterior and his emotions are as impenetrable as a steel wall. He loves kink. Yes you read it right, he loves his kink. He carries around a black duffle full of mysterious things and you know when he pulls that duffel out that it's gonna get pretty steamy. There is also a whole cast of side characters that play in important role in the story but the best one has to be Michael. This man, one word: LOYAL. I need my own personal Michael, and Zeth of course.

This story is a rollercoaster of emotions. There is violence and death and it's not all rays of sunshine. However the light in this book is Zeth and Sloane. Their relationship is one to aspire to. They complement each other so well and accept each other for who they are. So many books these days focus on one person trying to change the other but that's not the case here. I guess what makes this one of my favorite books is that even after finding solace and love with each other Zeth is still loves his kink and Sloane is still that strong woman.

It's my first book from Callie Hart but it won't be my last. I would recommend this book to anyone who's looking for some action, an alpha male lead and a strong willed woman who will knock him off his feet.  

Splintered

Splintered (Splintered, 1)
A.G. Howard
Rating: 5 Bows!

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

What can I say about this book? It's AMAZING, duh! This is the second book that I've read that takes on the story of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, the first being Alice in Zombieland. In my opinion, I liked this one more. Howard creates a world of fantasy and adventure and the writing style makes you believe what you're reading is real.

Alyssa is the perfect heroine. Her life is far from perfect but she finds a way to deal with it all. She doesn't sit in a corner and cry when things go wrong, instead she is more determined to make her life better. I loved Alyssa's personality, for a teenager she wasn't overly whinny, she's brave and determined and dealt with the situation of Jeb with maturity (honestly I yelled at Jeb more than she did). Alyssa is a true kick ass heroine.

Jeb. I like him and I hate him at the same time. At the beginning of the book he was not my favorite person, in the middle I respected him and at the end I liked him. He's brave and protective of Alyssa but has issues when it comes to that (especially at the beginning). Despite his faults at the beginning, Jeb truly has Alyssa's back and would do anything for her.

Jeb would be the perfect love interest if it wasn't for Morpheus. Oh dear baby Jesus. I could not stop smiling and fanning myself when Morpheus first turns up. WOW, he is sexy, mysterious, charming and dangerous. I can't not love him. Morpheus had my feelings going like a rollercoaster. When it comes to Morpheus I felt love, hate, pity and sadness all in one chapter. Despite everything, I truly want to see him with Alyssa...sorry Jeb.

Overall, I loved that Splintered has elements of the original story tale but with a dark twist. Howard paints a world of dark fantasy and makes me wish it was real. I can't wait to pick up the next book and see where Howard takes these characters, more specifically Morpheus.

Alice In Zombieland

Alice In Zombieland (The White Rabbit Chronicles, 1)
by Gena Showalter
Rating: 5 Bows!

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.

   So this was my very first zombie book. I won't lie, I was a little skeptical at first, I mean really, zombies? I'm glad I picked this book up! It was refreshing and full of action packed scenes and of course a slow building romance. 

   What I really enjoyed about this book is that Gena Showalter kept the zombies as zombies. Usually the creatures of then night turn out to be the love interest or they turn out to be good instead of evil but in Alice in Zombieland, zombies are bad, period. The originality of what zombies really are was a refreshing twist on the decaying walking corpse. 

   Now, to get into the characters. Alice: I liked how she was able to turn her grief into something useful, it gave her a purpose. She didn't wallow in self pity for long and that, in my opinion, was good because it gave us a more fast paced story. Her determination to avenge her family made her strong and nothing deterred her, and that in itself makes her stand out from the typical "I need saving" heroine. Cole: my oh my. Tall, dangerous, tattooed, bad tempered. What more can you ask for? Oh yeah, fiercely protective. *SWOON* He's a bit of a hard-ass at the beginning but he has reasons and to say he is fiercely loyal to his cause is an understatement. The only issue I had with Cole and his group of badasses was that the way they were described as reminded me of someone that was 22 or older when in reality they were 17. There are a lot of characters in this book and each one has their own personality. You'll love some and you'll hate some.

   Over all the book was fantastic and different. If other books about zombies are like this, then I'm diving straight into the zombie genre train asap! 

OH MY GOODNESS!

HELLO STRANGERS!!!

It has literally been a year...maybe less...maybe more? I don't know I've lost track of time. BUT it has been way too long since I've posted anything and I blame school for it all!

Luckily I've started my winter break and I'm hoping to start posting again!

So I've been wanting to do something a little different with this blog. It's still going to be a book review blog but I also wanted to blog about my life, what's going on around me just as much as I want to blog about books! Sounds good? Yes? Okay then!

Please hang in there with me, I'm trying to sort out my life since I will be graduating soon and heading to bigger things so I want to be able to still post and do all the things I love. I promise I will be posting new material up probably later tonight for starters and as the days pass I will add more things!!

Thank you lovelies! <3

City Of Heavenly Fire

City Of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, 6)
by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 5 Bows!

Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.

The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?

When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the word in the thrilling final installment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments!

I have followed this series from the very beginning and to have the final installment in my hands....it's indescribable. The wait was long, but it was so worth it!

The Mortal Instruments is by far my favorite series of all times. Each book was even better than the last so I was expecting great things from COHF, and I was not disappointed.
COHF starts off with instant action and it does not let down until the very end. We meet some new characters, yes I know, you would think we wouldn't since it's the last book but I feel it was Cassandra Clare's way of leading us to her new "Spin Off series" (I guess that's what you would call it?) and I grew to love these new characters just as I love the whole gang. 

I will say this, a lot of deaths occur. You can kind of foresee this since Clary is wearing white on the cover and white is the color of mourning for the Shadow Hunters. Their is loss, heartache, love, and even redemption and its mixed into a whirlwind of action. 

I was most excited to see Jace and Clary interact. I mean common we've been expecting something to happen between them for so long, it's just a matter of how it will happen. Jace is as imperfectly perfect as always and Clary is beyond the most amazing heroine I have ever read. The chemistry between them is phenomenal and the way that they balance each other makes my heart sing. My only problem with this book was that I wish there were more Jace and Clary time, I feel like they were pushed aside because of all the action. Don't get me wrong, there are scenes between them that will make you want to cry, laugh and even love them more. 

The book wraps up nicely in the end, with everyone getting closure to their problems (Magnus and Alec, Isabelle and Simon, Mia, Raphael...). The book was hands down amazing, and my favorite book from the whole series. I highly recommend you pick COHF up and if you haven't read the series... PLEASE DO SO! Cassandra Clare, you are amazing. Much love <3

All Is Silence

All is Silence
by Robert L. Slater
Rating: 4 Bows!

In a future that could be ours, Lizzie, a suicidal teen-age girl, barely navigates her own life. Then everything falls apart. In an apocalyptic land nearly deserted by disease, she lacks reasons to live until a shocking turn of events reveals a phone number. Her call pulls her dangerously cross-country to meet a stranger she thought was dead.

In a world where there is plenty of food, plenty of gas, plenty of space… fear, anger and a lust for power still control the patterns of human life.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*

Post-Apocalyptic novels make me tread with caution; I never know what to expect. Reading the blurb however, I was intrigued, and let me say that I was not disappointed at all! 

I went through a roller coaster of emotions with the main character: angst, anger, compassion, you name it! Lizzie is a troubled girl, we can expect that since it's in the blurb, but it is so much more than that. She is complex person, but given everything she went through, it wasn't hard to feel for her. At one point I felt like I could relate with her. 

What I loved most about All is Silence, is that it got down to the most basic concept, survival which I feel like now a days most post-apocayptic novels loose this concept over the course of the book. All is Silence made me question myself, it made me put myself in the characters shoes and see things from their perspective. It basically made me reevaluate my concepts of right and wrong.

There's a semblance of hope throughout the novel and you can't really help but hope that things will work out in the end. The first part of the book was awesome and the second part was just as good but I didn't like the cliffhanger. But I mean who does?! At least we know that there is a set up for a second book and I am looking forward to it!

Shatter Me

Shatter Me (Shatter Me, 1)
by Tahereh Mafi
Rating: 5 Bows!

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

If you follow my blog, you should know that I'm not a big fan of dystopian novels. I'll read them if they sound really interesting but other than that I tend to stay away from them. 

I waited a long time to read this book because I wasn't sure if I would like it...well I was right. I don't like it, I LOVE IT!

Tahereh Mafi created a spectacular novel full of action, despair, anguish, hope, and yes love. All the characters are not who they seem and that just adds a level of mystery to this novel!

Juliette is a great heroine. She is strong and all around good, despite everything she's been through. In the face of destruction and the world falling apart, she held it together pretty well. She's not perfect, which is why I love her so much. She get's shy, she feels angry, and even when she swoons for a boy who is evil, she knows he's not good. 

Adam was interesting. He's complicated yet he knows what he wants. The way he cared for Juliette and the reasons for it were heart warming. However, I found it really strange how he would do anything, and I do mean ANYTHING, for Juliette. I feel like their relationship, friendship wise, should have developed more.

Warner...I love and hate him. I hate how he gets a kick out of watching Juliette torture people. But at the same time, I love how he cares for her after. Kind of twisted I know but, hey I can't help it. I can see that Warner truly does care for Juliette. It may be because he thinks that they have a lot in common but that is just what started the development of his feelings for her. I'm hoping that as the story goes on, Warner will see that his way of showing Juliette he cares is wrong and he'll change. By the way, did I mention how gorgeous Warner is? Well he's stunning!

I'm definitely a team Warner girl, and just like Warner, I'm patient. I will wait patiently until Juliette sees Warner the way I do. 

Tahereh Mafi has made a unique and wonderful story. If you aren't hooked on this series yet, I suggest you go out and get it ASAP!