Review: The World Without A Future

Title: The World Without a Future
Author: Nazarea Andrews
Publication: 2013
Reviewed by: Stephanie
Rating: 4 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

She was born the day the world ended…

Nurrin has lived her entire life with zombies—trapped behind walls meant to keep them safe. She’s mostly happy there. But when a zombie horde breach the walls of her Haven, she has to trust her brother, Collin, and his best friend to keep her alive.

He just wants his past to die…

Finn O’Malley has given up on voicing warnings that are ignored. No one cares that the zombies are changing. Now all that matters is keeping Collin and Nurrin safe from what’s outside the walls of a Haven. But when Nurrin’s best friend picks up a contact infection, he agrees to get the medicine needed to save his life. Forced together, relying on each other in a strange Haven, zombies aren’t the most dangerous thing they’re facing.

In their world, only one thing remains true: everything ends in blood.

 

This New Adult Zombie Dystopian story had me at the edge of my seat page after page. There are so many emotions and thoughts running through my mind right now about what I just read. Just wow...where to start? This world that the author, Nazarea Andrews, created is extremely frightening with the infected hordes of zombies taking over most of the world except gated communities called Havens. One by one these Havens get breached by these zombie hordes and humans are either infected or slaughtered. The way these zombies are described, from the way they move and scream, paints such a vivid gruesome picture. Instantly, I was transformed within these pages walking along side the characters and so fearful of what would happen next.

Let’s talk about the two main characters Nurrin aka "Ren" and Finn O’Malley. Nurrin is a beautiful, sassy, tough, young woman who is considered one of the “first” as she was born the day the zombie apocalypse world started. This makes her extremely sought after by the Order which is an organization who believes that sacrificing the first borns as tribute will bring about less zombie attacks. Yeah, a twisted way of thinking, but in this world nothing seems moral anymore. On that note, enter the extremely handsome, cocky, hot tempered Finn O’ Malley. He oozes sex and mystery which is very intriguing especially to Nurrin. These two characters have such great, complicated chemistry with each other. It’s obvious they want to jump each others bones, but they just can’t stand each other. Definitely a lot of teasing going on in this story, lol.

After I read the whole book, I just sat there and let it all truly sink in. I had so many mixed emotions about how the story ended. I kept thinking to myself, hmmm, when will the author start wrapping this book up because I still have so many questions that need answering. The ending leaves you hanging from the cliff...literally! Do keep in mind that this is the first book in the series so answers should be revealed in the following books. *wink* With all that being said, I really enjoyed this page turning fright fest. The steamy sex scenes almost made me forget that flesh eating zombie hordes are hiding in the shadows. In all, a great read if you enjoy zombies, horror, action, drama, sex, and fast cars. I can’t wait for book two! I need book two!!! *already twitching with zombie withdrawals* No pressure Ms. Nazarea Andrews. Haha.

  

Review: The Cutting Room Floor

Title: The Cutting Room Floor
Author: Dawn Klehr
Publication:  October 8, 2013 by Flux
Reviewed by: Taryn
Rating: 4 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Behind-the-scenes secrets could turn deadly for Desmond and Riley

Life in the Heights has never been easy for seventeen-year-old Riley Frost, but when she's publicly dumped and outed at the same time, she becomes an immediate social outcast at her high school. So Riley swears off romance and throws herself into solving the shocking murder of her favorite teacher, Ms. Dunn.

Riley turns to her best friend, budding filmmaker Desmond Brandt, for help. What she doesn't know is that Dez has been secretly directing her life, blackmailing her friends, and hoping his manipulations will make her love him. When his schemes go too far, Dez's web of lies threatens to destroy both of their lives.

“If I knew then what I know now, I never would’ve sent that text. I wouldn’t have done a lot of things. Yeah, if my life were a movie, I’d go back and edit out all the bad stuff. Leave it all on the cutting room floor.

But I can’t. And now I will have to pay.

Big time.”
~Dez, p. 7 of The Cutting Room Floor

Dez and Riley grew up as next door neighbors in the Heights, and they’ve always been close friends. But Dez secretly loves Riley. In fact, it’s more like an obsession. Dez goes to great lengths to interfere with Riley’s love life behind the scenes in the hopes that they end up together. But the problem is that Riley only sees him as a friend. She still has feelings for her ex, Emma, even though Emma outed her to the school and sent her to “social death row”. Tori, mean girl and mayor’s daughter, makes Riley’s life miserable as much as possible and teachers ingore the verbal abuse she endures.

The only teacher that Riley has ever trusted and truly connected with, Mrs. Dunn, was brutally murdered inside the school. Riley starts investigating the circumstances surrounding Mrs. Dunn’s death and makes some shocking discoveries that make her start questioning who she can really trust. She also discovers how Mrs. Dunn was connected to the mayor, which causes her to dig even further for clues and attempt to be friendly with Tori in order to gather more evidence.

The Cutting Room Floor was an intriguing, suspenseful read that kept me entertained as the clues unraveled and multiple characters became suspects. I really enjoyed the interesting use of the filmmaking theme--many scenes were written as if you’re seeing through the eyes of a film director. Flashback sequences were included frequently to reveal characters’ backstories. Also, the point of view switched back and forth between Dez and Riley, which kept things interesting and moved the plot along. There were a lot of secondary characters to keep track of, but Stella really stood out as someone who was a great friend to Riley and who accepted her for who she was. While some of the characters seemed a bit over the top, Stella seemed pretty normal and believable.

As a librarian, I think it has high teen appeal with its themes of bullying, self-discovery, and pursuing your passion. But older readers looking for a suspenseful thriller will also find something to enjoy.

Blast: Ixeos (Darian's War)

After the decisive Battle of La Defense, Darian and the rebellion try to cope with the loss of Landon and with his warning: It won't be as easy as you think. With the transporter under outsider control, and all the slaves and rebels willing to fight, Darian should be able to win. But the Firsts seem to have eyes and ears everywhere, and they have weapons and capabilities no one dreamed of. How can Darian wrap up a global war without destroying the planet the humans will need to rebuild their lives?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Born and raised in Rockledge, Florida, Jennings spent her early years reading anything she could get her hands on, when she wasn’t spending time in and on the water. She won a prize in the 6th grade for her science fiction stories.

Jennings attended the University of the South and the University of Tampa, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science, and almost enough credits for B.A.s in both English and History. She spent time over the years doing various kinds of script doctoring, business writing, editing, and teaching writing, but mostly having and raising her family, homeschooling her children, owning and running a business with her husband, and starting a non-profit to Uganda.

Thanks to a crazy idea called NaNoWriMo Jennings got back into creative writing in 2011 and hasn’t stopped since. She’s written four novels and a screenplay in less than a year, with more ideas on the drawing board. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, also a writer, and two children, and travels extensively.

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Review: Gentlemen Prefer Mischief

Title: Gentlemen Prefer Mischief
Author:  Emily Greenwood
Publication:  December 3, 2013 by Sourcebooks Casablanca
Reviewed by: Taryn
Rating: 4 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

It's going to take a dash of mischief to bring these two together…

If it hadn’t been for the haunted woods, Lily Teagarden would never have spoken to her neighbor, Viscount Roxham. Known to the fashionable world as Lord Perfect, to Lily he’s a man she can never respect…and the careless rogue who broke her fledgling heart. But sightings of eerie lights among his trees are causing her trouble, and she needs his help.

Intrigued by this prim beauty who was once an ugly duckling, Roxham agrees to investigate, though hardly has he begun when she mysteriously undermines his efforts. The mischief she throws in his path awakens his sleeping heart, just as his touch stirs a passion she can’t accept. But Roxham is the last man to whom Lily would surrender, and it’s going to take everything he’s got to win her love.

Lily Teagarden is a serious, orderly, and restrained young lady. She has always been the responsible and dependable one in her family out of necessity. Her neighbor, Viscount Roxham (Hal), is quite the opposite. Known as “Lord Perfect,” Hal is charming and carefree with a scandalous reputation. Lily hasn’t seen Hal in a very long time. She’s still embarrassed that he caught her sneaking around in his bushes years ago, drawing pictures of him and writing about him in her journal. In fact, he stole her journal and she desperately wants to get it back now. When he returns home, she visits him to inform him of what’s happening in Mayfield Woods. Strange lights have been seen and now rumors are circulating about a Wood Fiend. Lily can’t selll her knitted shawls because people believe the sheeps have been possessed, and she needs the money in order to open up a school for girls in the village. She asks Hal to step in and clear up all this Wood Fiend nonsense.

Gentlemen Prefer Mischief is the second novel in Emily Greenwood’s Mischief series. I am actually somewhat new to reading historical romances set in Regency England, so I was excited to give this one a try. I was definitely not disappointed!

I really enjoyed the opposites-attract romance between two contrasting personalities. Hal was able to bring out Lily’s passionate side and get her to let loose a little. And once Lily got to know Hal a bit better, she realized that he wasn’t as shallow as she once thought. While their physical attraction was scorching hot, they also fell in love with each other more and more deeply, no matter how hard they tried to fight it. There were plenty of playful moments in which Hal and Lily stole the journal back and forth from one another. It was fun to read excerpts from the journal that Hal decoded.

My one minor complaint is that I think there was a little too much information included about the secondary characters and their relationships. I think it distracted a bit too much from the the main plot. But overall, I enjoyed the novel and raced through it.

If you like sexy and enchanting historical romances, look no further than Emily Greenwood’s novels. Gentlemen Prefer Mischief is a fun read, and I agree with Greenwood that “romance is the chocolate of literature”!

New Releases 12.10.13

Note: Click on the book image to be redirected to its page on Goodreads.

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Review: White Lie Christmas

Title: White Lie Christmas
Author: Christine Bell and Riley Murphy
Publication: Entangled Publishing, LLC, 2013
Reviewed by: Stephanie
Rating: 4 stars
Reason for Reviewing: Ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

The holidays are here, and Leah Latrelle has made a mess of them. When her out-of-town parents’ concern over her non-existent love life threatens to interfere with her father’s health, she invents a boyfriend who quickly turns into a fiancé. Her family is thrilled, and they change their Christmas plans last minute to meet their future son-in-law. Now Leah has no choice but to come up with the goods. She needs a man, fast. When her friend and business partner, Mick, offers himself up as a sacrifice, she’s all over it. He’s handsome, dependable and available for the job. What could go wrong?Tis the season, and Mick Kilpatrick can’t say no to a damsel in distress. Especially when that damsel is his luscious business partner who has been the object of his reluctant desire for the past year. He hasn’t pursued anything because being a dad is still priority number one. A sexy woman like Leah will only distract him from what’s really important and he can’t have that. He’ll pretend to be her fiancé, but when it’s over, everything will go back to normal. Sure, he’s fantasized about her once or...a million times but that doesn’t mean he’s in love with her. Does it?

What a cute sexy novella just in time for the holidays. This will be a Christmas to never forget. *chuckling* Leah Latrelle has really gotten herself into a pickle this time. How on earth is she going to pull this whole “I have a fiance and I’m madly in love” just within a few days of her parents visit?  I have two words for you, Mick Kilpatrick. *swoon* He is every mother-in-law’s dream son-in-law -- successful, fit, tall, extremely handsome, and what a smooth talker. Leah sure picked herself a winner, but with just one problem: will it work and if it does how will this affect their business relationship? All great questions which, believe me, I was asking myself this the whole time reading page after page.

The chemistry between Leah and Mick gets addictive really quickly. Mick who wants this whole fake engagement to be a success and tries so hard to make sure Leah’s parents have a great holiday. Leah on the other hand is a nervous train wreck which I can very much understand. She is lying to her parents and sister about having a fiance. This is a HUGE charade to pull off especially with people who know her all too well. This hot and cold, back and forth between Leah and Mick just pulls you into the story. I found myself saying “awwww” when Mick was extremely sweet then screamed “chill out” to Leah when she was blowing their cover. So many emotions going on while reading!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a steamy, sweet, short holiday read. It will evoke many emotions that you will find yourself talking to the pages as though the character’s will answer you back. *chuckling* I’m very vocal while I read so you can imagine when I ride on the bus. I’m not embarrassed! Well, I enjoyed reading White Lie Christmas very much, loved the romance, importance of family and sexy themes within the story. So if you have a day free, I say pick this book up and enjoy a little holiday cheer. If anything else you can just think of sexy Mick. *wink*

Mini Review: Holy Frigging Matrimony

Title:  Holy Frigging Matrimony (Tangled #1.5)
(A Tangled Short Story)
Author:  Emma Chase
Publication: December 5, 2013
Reviewed by:  Isalys
Rating:  4 Stars
Reason for Reviewing:  E-book provided in exchange for an honest review.

What does Drew Evans have to say next? Find out in this forty page short story, filled with his sexy charm, unique advice and hilarious one-liners.

Marriage: the final frontier. Steven went first. He was kind of our test subject. Like those monkeys that NASA sent off into space in the fifties, all the while knowing they’d never make it back.

And now another poor rocket is ready to launch.

But this isn’t just any posh New York wedding. You’ve seen my friends, you’ve met our families, you know you're in for a treat. Everyone wants their wedding to be memorable. This one’s going to be un-frigging-forgettable.

Holy Frigging Matrimony takes place about a year after Tangled’s end and is from Drew’s POV.

We met the unforgettable Drew Evans in Tangled and watched him win, lose, and win the seemingly indomitable Kate.  About a year later and it's now the big day. Kate is doing her best to be ready on time despite Drew's very distracting presence and several attempts to get her OUT of her dress, instead of into it ;)

At only approx 45 pages long, Holy Frigging Matrimony is a quick and sexy romp that somehow manages to include sexy times, a fist fight, and drama with the ex all told from Drew's POV with his signature wit and sarcasm.

Even though I wish the novella had been a bit longer, I really enjoyed my time with Drew and gang.  He never lacks for hotness with a liberal dose of humor and I can't wait for more from Emma Chase!