PNR Book Blitz Event

Welcome to Novels and Necklaces and this amazing PNR Book Blitz Event!!  Whether you're new to our blog or one of our followers, we love having you here :) We hope you enjoy this awesome opportunity and are able to check out all of these great novels!  So without further ado, Novels and Necklaces is proud to present Highlander's Kiss by Joanne Wadsworth...

Hello everyone, Joanne Wadsworth here to tell you how SUPER excited I and some of my author friends are to bring you this MEGA giveaway! First place prize is a $2,000 Amazon Gift Card, but we also have 15 runner up ebook and paperback prizes. Entering will connect you with 21 paranormal romance and urban fantasy authors for more great deals, freebies, and giveaways, so in a way, everyone wins. I myself plan to connect all the entrants with an opportunity to get Highlander's Desire for FREE.

Before you enter the giveaway, I would love to share more with you about my inclusion in the feature deals associated with this promotion: Highlander's Kiss.

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Highlander's Kiss by Joanne Wadsworth

There can be only one…for both of them.

Fae-blooded Julia holds the ability to read another’s aura and determine their true intent. Her skill has only ever aided her in life, until the day when their neighboring enemy clan arrive to discuss a marriage of alliance between her and their chief’s son. She misjudges their enemy’s intent and all goes horribly wrong. Her parents are captured and imprisoned and now she must find a way to free them. Only now standing in her path is a fiercely protective warrior who has traveled from the future into the past, a man who insists they are soul bound, and a man whose aura shows no sign of such a bond. She is wary, yet still, she can’t deny how much he stirs her deep within. Highland warrior shifter Tavish Matheson has traveled through time to find the woman his soul demands is his, yet convincing her will be a mission all unto itself. When Julia is kidnapped by the enemy while on a mission to save her parents, he sets out in fierce pursuit. All he desires is to keep her close, rescue her parents, and most of all, to offer her his love. He’s a warrior who will not be denied. She’s a lass devoted to her kin. CLAN MATHESON SERIES Highlander’s Kiss, #1 Highlander’s Heart, #2 Highlander’s Sword, #3

FREE at Amazon May 15th-19th.

Also FREE for a limited time at Nook / iBooks / Kobo

Want more? Read an Excerpt Below.

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Excerpt of Highlander's Kiss

“I’m sorry, but Cherub’s here to collect me and I must go.” Julia wrapped one hand around Tavish’s forearm and the blue haze of frustration in his aura receded. “You must believe me when I say we’re no’ mated.” “A mated male knows when he meets his chosen one.” A look of longing flashed across his face as he lifted a lock of her hair and curled it around his finger. “Your hair is so soft and silky, and you look beautiful in your gown.” “And you are a charmer with your touching words.” She let go of him and walked from the bathroom, through his chamber and out his open bedroom door. The passageway, lit with bright overhead lighting led toward a stairwell at the far end. She strode along the burgundy and blue runner as Tavish jogged in beside her. “Julia, I don’t need the full moon to guide me to my chosen one, not when being near you tells me all I need to know. I’ve also no idea why our auras aren’t tugging toward each other’s as you’ve said, but that matters little to me.” He lifted a challenging brow. “Do you not feel anything toward me?” “I dinnae have the right to speak of it if I do.” He was taken, and she would never come between a soul bound pair. “That’s not what I asked.” He caught her hand, slowed her step then pressed her back against the wall. Head dipped, he touched his nose to hers, and murmured, “My desire for you is growing, in leaps and bounds. All I want to do is hold you, kiss you, to discover everything there is to learn about you.” “The only thing you need to learn is that I’m not yours.” She fluttered a hand over her racing heartbeat. Those words sounded wrong even as she uttered them and they clashed inside her, made her cringe. “Let me go, Tavish.” “That is still the wrong answer.” Smoothly, he slid his hand under her hair and palmed the bare skin of her nape, his gaze moving over the sensitive area where her shoulder and neck met. He rubbed one thumb over the spot. “I want to bite you, to mark you as mine, just as those mated pairs in my clan do.” “’Tis an anomaly for sure.” She touched his neck in return, right over his thumping pulse point. “It’s no anomaly, but the early stages of the bond taking form.” He eased closer, brushed his nose through her hair and nuzzled her neck. “Since the moment we met, I’ve struggled to let you out of my sight. When you walked into the bathroom and away from me, all I wanted to do was tear that door down so we were no longer separated. Now I’m about to take you downstairs to Cherub and Kirk when it’s the last thing I want to do. You are mine.”

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More Books Participating in this Promotion

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About the Giveaway

Welcome, fans of the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy genres. This one is just for you. And really, it is. We want true fans of the genre to win this one, so our totally bad ass team of paranormal-romance-writing detectives have devised the perfect plan for vetting winners and making sure these awesome prizes go to true fans of the genre, so if that’s you, don’t worry, we won’t let giveaway bots or cheaters steal your prize.

Our only rules for winning: 1 Entry Per Person (plus the additional entries you get for referring friends) and You Must LOVE Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy.

By entering this giveaway, you will be subscribed to the newsletters of our sponsoring authors for opportunities to snag more great deals, giveaways, and freebies, though you can unsubscribe at any time.

Not only will one grand prize winner snag a $2000 Gift Card, we also have a TON of fabulous runner up prizes (6 print books and 9 ebooks.)

• The Beast by J.R. Ward (any format)
• Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning (any format)
• Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (ebook or paperback)
• Charlaine Harris, Dead until Dark (ebook or paperback)
• Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh (ebook)
• Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep (ebook or paperback)
• Signed Copy of The Blackburne Legacy by Apryl Baker
• Magick After Midnight Boxed Set (ebook)
• Wolf Rampant Boxed Set (ebook)
• Mythean Arcana Boxed Set (ebook)
• Cursed by Lucy Leroux (ebook)
• Flower of Hell by Noree Cosper (ebook)
• Darkness Rising by Lisa Carlisle (ebook)
• Blood Warrior by H.D. Gordon (ebook)
• Winner’s Choice on any top 10 PR/UF book on Amazon at the time of the drawing

Good luck, and don’t forget to share this giveaway with your Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy loving friends for extra entries to win.

~Cassie

Enter the Giveaway

Book Review: The Power (Titan #2)

About the Book:
Title: The Power (Titan #2)
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Pub. Date: Feb. 23, 2016
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 344
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis:

With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.

Fate has other plans.

 The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve.  Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.

But the gods are sensing a greater threat. 

Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.

The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.

Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.

 And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation. 

Review:

I think it's pretty easy to guess that I'm addicted to Jennifer Armentrout's books, and the Titan series is definitely no exception! This book has all the feels and had me fangirling so hard!! This sequel is everything you could hope for in a novel, and is a definite must read for all fans of both this series as well as the Covenant series. All of our favorites return, and there is even the return of some old friends too. This book truly has it all, and is not to be missed!

“I had to prove that what he believed wasn't true. Prove that he was the total of everything he had done and not the dark things he was ashamed of, and I would do so because I loved him and accepted him for who he was, for all his faults. That was what love meant. Love fostered courage.” 

Jen's writing is simply incredible, but her characters are the true standout in this novel. There is so much character development that you can easily see how much these characters matter to Jen. It's clear that every time she sits down to write her next novel, she puts her heart and soul into the story to make it the best it possibly can be for every single fan. While not terribly much happens plot-wise, this book is incredible because of the characters. There is much more focus in this novel on Josie and Seth's relationship...and you know what that means?? Drama to the max! I adored their banter and both Josie and Seth's stubbornness. This book is definitely NA, and their steamy scenes (aka sexy times) will certainly leave you fanning yourself. 

Josie grows immensely over the course of this novel. She's always been feisty and reminded me of Alex, but as much as Josie wants to be Alex...she isn't. And obviously, Josie feels like she isn't as important in Seth's book because of this. But over the course of the story, she grows into herself. She becomes stronger, and realizes that she is her own person. She doesn't need to be exactly like Alex because she's amazing on her own. Josie might never be as bad-ass as Alex, but she can hold her own, and is awesome in her own ways that make everyone love her (Seth definitely included)! Seth, on the other hand, definitely has some issues in this book (but really when doesn't he have issues?). He had me cracking up so many times during this book, and I loved every time he graced us with his humor and sarcasm. But the thing I loved the most...we were able to see a much different side of him. We saw just how much he was struggling with his powers and how much he truly cares for Josie. How can he protect Josie when he's the one she needs protecting from?? There obviously is a lot of internal struggle for him, and he broke my heart sometimes with his inner thoughts. 

The rest of the gang is amazing as always. I will always adore Deacon, Luke, and Apollo (even though Apollo is a god-awful father haha). There is the return of a couple of old faces, which made me very happy and will definitely make fans happy as well. The two people that return are great additions to the direction the story is taking and I'm looking forward to them being in the next book. There is a new character featured in this book, are you ready for this...

He had me cracking up with his arrogant, narcissistic ways, and he added an extra element to the novel that I really enjoyed. The banter he had with Seth was priceless, and every reader will love every second of it!

This book was well worth the year wait, but the ending killed me! I seriously need to get my hands on the next book as soon as possible because I don't know how I'm going to survive another year before I can find out what happens! The ending is brutal, and Jen has set up for a great third novel in this series. This book is fast-paced, exciting, and unforgettable. You will never see where the story is heading, and in typical Jen Armentrout style...will rip your heart heart and do the Mexican Hat Dance on it! But you'll still love every single second of it. This book is hard to put down, and will definitely not disappoint any fans of the series. I can't wait to see where the story goes from here!!

Happy reading :)

~Cassie

Waiting on Wednesday #47

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Jocelyn's Waiting On: 

Places No One Knows: Brenna Yovanoff 
Publication Date: May 17th, 2016

Synopsis: 

A high-achieving girl falls for the most imperfect boy in school through a series of mysterious dreams, which change how she feels about herself, her future, and love.

Waverly Camdenmar doesn’t have friends, she has social assets. She doesn’t get sucked into drama, she makes tactical decisions. Her life is dominated by achievement, competition, and functioning as the power behind the throne in her school’s little kingdom of popularity. But even the most resilient mercenary has weaknesses. Perfection is exhausting, and her longstanding alliance with queen-bee Maribeth rests on a foundation of resentment, anxiety, and a nagging feeling that there must be something beyond student council. Waverly’s name might be at the top of every leader board, but she hasn’t slept in days.

In a last-ditch attempt at relaxation, she finds herself at the center of an inexplicable phenomenon when a harmless counting exercise ends with Waverly materializing in front of one of the school’s most dedicated burn-outs. Marshall is not someone Waverly would ever consider … well, she would just never consider him. His nights are spent indulging in the kind of self-destructive pastimes she can only roll her eyes at. But despite herself, her curiosity is piqued. He sees her—really sees her —and his earnestness and his empathy are strangely affecting.

In these ghostly dreams, Waverly can do what she wants and say what she thinks, without risk or repercussion. Without it meaning anything. As nights pass, however, she begins to understand the nature of relationships, and to question her own daytime machinations. Her encounters with Marshall are growing steadily more intimate. Every new interaction forces her to ask herself how close is too close, and her days are becoming restless, complicated by her silent anger at Maribeth, and her budding friendship with a raucous, enigmatic girl who was never supposed to be anything but Waverly’s latest pygmalion project.

The truth is, it’s hard to be cavalier about hurting people when you know them. When you love them. As her edges begin to fray, Waverly must confront the very real danger of losing Marshall to the rigid image she’s spent so long cultivating, and accept that the only way to keep the people who matter to her is to embrace what it means to be vulnerable.

This book is listed as paranormal which is so rare to see in YA anymore. And I must say, I do still love great paranormal even though fantasy is more popular right now. I hope I end up really loving this book! 

Cassie's Waiting On: 

The Lost Codex (The Collectors' Society #4) by Heather Lyons
Publication Date: July 19, 2016

Synopsis:
Allies, once inseparable, splinter until they break apart.

An insidiousness carves its way through Wonderland, challenging the land’s very existence.

Battle lines will be drawn as pages, long languishing in darkness, are finally illuminated. 

Swords will clash, blood will be spilled, and lives will be lost.

For what is written can still be erased.

I can't even begin to tell you how excited for this novel I am! This is one of my all time favorite series, and if you haven't checked this series out yet...well you have to check it out as soon as possible.  There is so much to love, but Alice and Finn are literally to die for.  I adore all of the characters and the world that Heather Lyons has created, and I can't wait to see what is in store for my favorite characters!

Book Blitz: A Criminal Magic

Novels and Necklaces is extremely excited to participate in the Book Blitz for Lee Kelly's A Criminal Magic! Today we have an interview and guest post with Lee Kelly, and an awesome giveaway!  This book sounds amazing, so definitely add it to your TBR asap :)

A Criminal Magic
Lee Kelly
Publication date: February 2nd 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult

THE NIGHT CIRCUS meets THE PEAKY BLINDERS in Lee Kelly’s new crossover fantasy novel.
Magic is powerful, dangerous and addictive – and after passage of the 18th Amendment, it is finally illegal.
It’s 1926 in Washington, DC, and while Anti-Sorcery activists have achieved the Prohibition of sorcery, the city’s magic underworld is booming. Sorcerers cast illusions to aid mobsters’ crime sprees. Smugglers funnel magic contraband in from overseas. Gangs have established secret performance venues where patrons can lose themselves in magic, and take a mind-bending, intoxicating elixir known as the sorcerer’s shine.
Joan Kendrick, a young sorcerer from Norfolk County, Virginia accepts an offer to work for DC’s most notorious crime syndicate, the Shaw Gang, when her family’s home is repossessed. Alex Danfrey, a first-year Federal Prohibition Unit trainee with a complicated past and talents of his own, becomes tapped to go undercover and infiltrate the Shaws.
Through different paths, Joan and Alex tread deep into the violent, dangerous world of criminal magic – and when their paths cross at the Shaws’ performance venue, despite their orders, and despite themselves, Joan and Alex become enchanted with one another. But when gang alliances begin to shift, the two sorcerers are forced to question their ultimate allegiances and motivations. And soon, Joan and Alex find themselves pitted against each other in a treacherous, heady game of cat-and-mouse.
A CRIMINAL MAGIC casts a spell of magic, high stakes and intrigue against the backdrop of a very different Roaring Twenties.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes

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GUEST POST by LEE KELLY:

GANGSTERS!
Real-Life Gangsters that Inspired the Tough Guys in A CRIMINAL MAGIC

The pitch for my latest book, A CRIMINAL MAGIC, is THE NIGHT CIRCUS meets THE PEAKY BLINDERS, and for anyone who’s seen that twisty, violent BBC drama, you’ll know this means there’s some pretty hardened criminals in this one. My story takes place during an alternative Prohibition-era America, but instead of alcohol, magic has been prohibited. And just like during real Prohibition, gangsters have created an extensive, lucrative underworld to make sure people still get what they want, despite the letter of the law.
Because the magic in this novel is tricky and dangerous by nature, I knew I needed gangsters that weren’t just ruthless – these wise guys had to be clever, driven, and one step ahead of the sorcerers they employ in all aspects of their illegal trade. For inspiration and ideas, I naturally turned to history. Here are some of the notorious, hardnosed gangsters that most inspired me while writing A CRIMINAL MAGIC:
Owen “Owney” Madden was a New York gangster nicknamed “the Killer,” and aptly so as he was known for his very public executions. Madden more than once gunned down his rival gang members in the streets, and he allegedly shot a man on a trolley for flirting with his date. Despite being a hothead, he was also a shrewd businessman, and ran The Cotton Club (as well as some other swanky speakeasies) in New York City. In my novel, Erwin McEvoy, the boss of the Irish Shaw Gang, is loosely based on Madden (with a little Boo Boo Hoff thrown in there too. Boo Boo’s up next).
I have to admit, I was first attracted to Max “Boo Boo” Hoff because of his name, but the more I read about this Philly-based crime boss, the more fascinated I became. Hoff was a boxer turned gangster, and his bootlegging operation was so successful during Prohibition, it’s claimed he had an office of operations with 175 phones and a weekly payroll of $30,000 (in the 1920s)! Also known for his partying and extravagant lifestyle, Hoff frequently rubbed shoulders with celebrity types at his lavish affairs.
Also intriguing was Guiseppe “Joe the Boss” Masseria, the head of the New York Italian-American mafia – the city’s powerful crime alliance known as the Five Families – during the later years of Prohibition. But Masseria was a bit of an underworld dictator: he even required monetary tributes from other Families as testaments of their loyalty. His reign naturally didn’t last: several families declared war on Masseria, which broke up the crime dynasty and led to his execution. I loosely based my novel’s Italian-American gang, the D Street Outfit, on Masseria’s New York operation.
And of course, no list of Prohibition-era gangsters would be complete without Al Capone. Though my novel’s young gangster-on-the-rise, Harrison Gunn, is actually nothing like media-hungry Capone was, I couldn’t believe that Capone was at the height of his power and became a Chicago crime boss in his mid-twenties. So I made Gunn younger (originally he was going to be middle-aged), to help rev up the tension between him and my female protagonist, Joan.

Author Bio:
Lee Kelly has wanted to write since she was old enough to hold a pencil, but it wasn’t until she began studying for the California Bar Exam that she conveniently started putting pen to paper. An entertainment lawyer by trade, Lee has practiced law in Los Angeles and New York. She lives with her husband and children in Millburn, New Jersey, though after a decade in Manhattan, she can’t help but still call herself a New Yorker. She is the author of A Criminal Magic and City of Savages. Visit her at www.NewWriteCity.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Author Interview:

What do you think is your lead character’s best trait?

I’d say Alex’s best trait is his ability to read people – he ends up being very good at undercover work because of his sensitivity to human interactions, emotions and experiences.  And Joan’s best trait is her relentless commitment and determination – to her family at the outset, and eventually, to her work within the Shaw Gang.  Ironically I guess both Joan’s and Alex’s “best traits” can also be “worst traits” given the context.

Are there any characters in your book based on a real person?

Not directly, I guess – though Harrison Gunn is actually named after my friend and old co-worker, who insisted that I name a character after him in this novel (so take the bad guy Harrison J)!  Most of the characters in the book are my own creations or some kind of combination of multiple people: like Alex is sort of a combination of me and my husband, while Joan is a combination of me and my sister.

What’s something your readers would be surprised to know about you?

I’m strangely superstitious, or at least I used to be.  I’ve stopped most of these superstitious “rituals,” but I used to have to turn the lights off three times before leaving my apartment or I’d think I’d have a bad day, or I’d have to wear a certain pair of earrings to an interview.

Where is your favorite place to write?

The place I always write is the office off my bedroom, so I guess that’s my default answer.  But I really enjoy writing on the second floor of my town library, Millburn Library, because of the views of the woods – and I love those moments when I’m away from my everyday life and actually get in some writing time… like my parents’ kitchen table during the holidays before anyone gets up, or on vacation while my husband and kids sleep in.  It feels like I’m sneaking out on a date with my characters.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer – though the answer briefly changed to archeologist after I watched the Indiana Jones trilogy.

 What is your favorite book of all time?

I’d have to say The Phantom Tollbooth.  I think the books you read as a child have a way of staying with you. 

Describe your writing style in three words.

Character-driven, otherworldly thrillers.

 What is your writing process?

It’s evolved, for sure.  Before City of Savages, I had a really hard time finishing anything: I was a perfectionist, and needed each chapter to read complete and final before I moved on to the next.  But sadly, after the first twenty pages of a manuscript, I'd clam up and start worrying that I’d make a mistake. 

Eventually, I realized that the only way to overcome the fear of imperfection was just to submit to it: my first drafts were going to be messy.  So now I write “with a spit and a polish.”  I'll initially draft a passage or a chapter really quick and messy – sometimes with just sketches of ideas – and then the next day, I usually polish the previous day's installment so it's a little more readable.  But after that quick one-two, I move forward with the story without any more second-guessing.

After I’ve completed a first draft, I step away from it completely for a couple weeks.  When I begin the second draft, I let that “perfectionist” sit down at the computer.  Draft two is more like rewriting than revising, but that's okay, as writing is less scary when I have 85,000 or so words under my belt (even if they're the wrong words).  My third draft involves input from beta readers and critique partners, followed by another fairly full-scale revision.

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~Cassie

Book Review: The Crown (The Selection #5)

About The Book:

  Title: The Crown (The Selection #5)

  Author: Kiera Cass
  Pub. Date: May 3rd, 2016 
  Publisher: HarperTeen
  Pages: 279

  Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

  Rate: 2/5 stars 

Synopsis :

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

Review:

I feel like this is the end of an era. This is the last Selection book, or at least I can hope anyway. This book disappointed me in comparison to the other The Selection books and I really only enjoyed the last maybe 50 pages. I still liked the process of The Selection, but I feel like the same magic and romance was absent in this book that made me fall in love with this series in the first place.

As far as characterization, there was a huge change in Eadlyn's attitude from The Heir to The Crown. In The Heir, she was entitled, materialistic, and pretentious. She wasn't really like this at all in The Crown, which really surprised me because I didn't see her go through any severe traumatic hardships to change her personality that severely? I'm sorry but personality traits don't change like that and especially not that quickly. I understand the intention behind it - Ms. Cass wanted to demonstrate the transformation that Eadlyn is going through. However, I wasn't a fan of the execution.


There were really only 2 members of Eadlyn's selection that I felt we got to know and I didn't like that. Did anyone who read this feel like that as well? I feel like we knew a lot of the members of America's selection very well and we knew their personalities! So when we didn't get to know these boys as well as them I was disappointed. And since you really only know 2 of them, it really wasn't hard to deduce who she was going to choose.

Truth be told, I never liked the story of Eadlyn as much as I liked America's story. And I was thinking about why this is. Honestly, I believe it's because America and Maxon's story was very angsty and while it was obvious to the readers that he loved America the best, it maybe didn't always seem obvious to them. So, there were times where I might have questioned who Maxon was going to pick and it had me worrying for America and his future together! Compared to The Heir and The Crown, where Eadlyn really never shows interest in any guys for the majority of the book. I'm sorry - if she doesn't show much interest in this then why should I? It also didn't help that this was in Eadlyn's perspective so we knew literally everything she was thinking - we were never 100% sure what was going through Maxon's mind during his selection. Also, I feel like this series has a lot of unnecessary material. It was nice to have a book about America and Maxon's daughter - it was. I just am not sure that it took two books for her entire story to be told especially because, as I said, she has an 'I don't care' attitude for the most part.

“Maybe it's not the first kisses that are supposed to be special. 
Maybe it's the last ones."

I fell in love with The Selection with the first book, and grew even more obsessed with the series with The Elite. While I found The One a tad repetitive, I still enjoyed that one as well. These last two books lacked the high-stakes romance that their predecessors had and I think that's why I found my interest lacking with them. The idea of The Selection is still something that I will always love and I will never quite look at the show The Bachelor in the same way again. Kiera Cass built an empire with this series and I really hope that she's going to work on something new next because I'm sure it'll be very unique!

- Jocelyn

Book Review: Archer's Voice (Sign of Love)

About The Book:

  Title: Archer's Voice

  Author: Mia Sheridan 
  Pub. Date: January 25th, 2014 
  Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform   
  Pages: 336  

  Genre: New Adult, Romance, Abuse, Contemporary 

  Rate: 2/5 stars

Synopsis :

When Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy, lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, she hopes against hope that this is the place where she will finally find the peace she so desperately seeks. On her first day there, her life collides with Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds a secret agony of his own. A man no one else sees.

Archer's Voice is the story of a woman chained to the memory of one horrifying night and the man whose love is the key to her freedom. It is the story of a silent man who lives with an excruciating wound and the woman who helps him find his voice. It is the story of suffering, fate, and the transformative power of love.

Review:

I wish I could start this review off saying that this was another New Adult book that was a home run for me, but unfortunately I cannot. Archer's Voice actually is a widely popular New Adult book that has been recommended to me numerous times by a ton of blogger friends that I really trust! While it had it's redeeming qualities like it's fast pacing and cute small town setting, I ended up really disliking it for more reasons than I did like it.

“Try to believe that maybe more light shines out of those who have the most cracks.” 

The thing with Archer's Voice is that both Archer and Bree started off as decent characters and the book started off extremely promising to me. The town that they lived in kept drawing me in and both characters had a great dynamic together for a good bit of the bit of the book. However, I think I just didn't like them TOGETHER. Do you know what I mean? Did you ever have this happen? Where you like both of the characters as people but together you're just like "ugggghhh staaaahhhpp already". That was me. I want to say they were toxic for each other, but I do see in ways that they were good for each other. I think it's just for the most part they were TOO much for each other. As for the plot, like I said it started out really strong. I was really interested in the backstory of everything and where everything was going but it ended up getting so ridiculously trope-y that I was very disappointed and only continued because I was waiting for some huge twist that never came.

“I want to be able to love you more than I fear losing you” 

So honestly I was just the odd one out with Archer's Voice. I was really in the mood for a good New Adult/Romance type book similar to the effect I get when reading CoHo, but this just didn't give it to me. Which honestly was super unfortunate because it was recommended to me by more than a few people who have great taste in books. So you may love this book, it's true. It has fantastic ratings on goodreads. I even recommended it to my best friend who just started reading more because I think it's a book she'll probably like. But it's just not a book for me. I'm still thinking of giving another Sign of Love book a chance. Have you read Archer's Voice or another book in the Sign of Love series? I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts!

- Jocelyn

Book Review: The Year We Fell Apart

About the Book:
Title: The Year We Fell Apart
Author: Emily Martin
Pub. Date: Jan. 26, 2016
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 316
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary 
Rating: 2/5 stars

Synopsis:

Few things come as naturally to Harper as epic mistakes. In the past year she was kicked off the swim team, earned a reputation as Carson High’s easiest hook-up, and officially became the black sheep of her family. But her worst mistake was destroying her relationship with her best friend, Declan.

Now, after two semesters of silence, Declan is home from boarding school for the summer. Everything about him is different—he’s taller, stronger…more handsome. Harper has changed, too, especially in the wake of her mom’s cancer diagnosis.

While Declan wants nothing to do with Harper, he’s still Declan, her Declan, and the only person she wants to talk to about what’s really going on. But he’s also the one person she’s lost the right to seek comfort from.

As their mutual friends and shared histories draw them together again, Harper and Declan must decide which parts of their past are still salvageable, and which parts they’ll have to let go of once and for all.

Review:

This is the type of book that just makes you sigh after you're finished reading. I knew going in this was going to be full of angst and drama, but this book went way overboard in those two categories. For almost this entire book, the drama that existed was literally pointless. I get it, communication between people isn't always the greatest, but when scenes end with, "Just forget about it...", what do the characters really expect to happen if a character ends a conversation like that? Nothing will come from anything, and it just further perpetuates the endless cycle of drama. 

I had multiple problems with this book, but one of the biggest was the main character. Harper was so unlikable (which was probably intentional to a certain extent). She was self-absorbed, incredibly selfish, and basically just a terrible lead character. There was nothing I liked about her. There's a line between making a character relatable and making a character so over-the-top that the character is basically unrealistic. I felt that Harper's character was taken to the extreme, especially with how she supposedly acted prior to Declan's departure. Furthermore, I didn't feel like Harper grew at all over the course of the novel. There were times where I thought, this is it, Harper will finally grow up and realize that she is the cause of all of this ridiculous drama, but alas...that didn't happen. In all honesty, I still don't get why Harper acted the way she did. Why she never apologized for mistakes and why she kept making the same mistakes. And personally, I don't think Harper even knew why she was acting the way she did. By the end, I was sick of the pity-party that was Harper's character, and didn't really care what happened between her and Declan. 

Another big problem I had was the whole romance between Declan and Harper. It was poorly done, and it felt extremely underdeveloped. The entire plot surrounding the reasons behind Declan and Harper's breakup didn't make one ounce of sense. And Harper's child-like behavior towards Declan throughout the story just reinforced everything I felt about her character. Yes, they had some sweet moments, but these were few and far between. Even the end of this book was very lackluster and almost anti-climactic. I didn't even really like Declan either while reading, and if I would have met those two characters in real life, I never would have guessed that they were best friends prior to Declan leaving, let alone dated. 

The last big problem I had was the subplot of Harper's mom and her cancer. From the description, I thought this aspect of the story would play a much larger role in the story. But it was relegated to the background, and barely talked about throughout the novel. I thought it was ultimately going to be what brought Declan and Harper back together, but spoiler alert....it didn't. I kept waiting and waiting for Harper's family to be explored more deeply, and if this happened, the book would have been much stronger. 

I can't say that I would recommend this novel because while the premise is good, it wasn't executed properly. There was way too much pointless drama that could have been resolved earlier on if these characters would have just opened their mouths and talked to each other. This book definitely let me down, but onto the next!

Happy reading :)

~Cassie