Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

 

Title: Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry (Pushing The Limits #1)

Publication Date:August 3 2012 (UK)

Publisher:Harlequin UK

Book Summary
          Echo was a popular girl with a jock boyfriend but, that all changed after an incident she can't remember. Her friends try to find ways to get her back into the popular group. Noah Hutchins in the school's hot loner.When Noah comes into her life, She can't fight the crazy attraction between them.  

Echo-At times I found her character quite annoying. I'm not really a fan of the name Echo. Her character seems weak to me as she lets her friends push her around and doesn't really stand up for herself. Even towards the end of the book she doesn't really get much better. 

Noah- I enjoyed his character at times because even though he made bad choices he tried to do the right thing. He showed that he cared for more than himself. 

Aires-I enjoyed learning about his character because he seemed to be a great character compared to almost everyone in the book. I loved how he was always there for his sister.

Mrs.Collins- I enjoyed her character because she seemed to be so helpful towards both Noah and Echo. 

Ashley-She is my least favorite character throughout the book. Even towards the end I couldn't connect with her. 

+/- or Dislikes/likes

+Echo/Noah's relationship 

-The relationship between Echo's father and step mother.

-Most of the characters throughout the book 

+Writing style

-Point of view switch... (It didn't fit well with this story.) 

+Noah's relationship with his brothers
-Echo's step-mother,Ashley

Romance between Noah/Echo- I really loved how the author included this romance between the ex-popular girl and the not so popular/troubled kid. I think the chemistry between the characters was written well. 

Aires/Echo's relationship- I enjoyed reading about their relationship as Aires seemed like a really great brother and a role model to Echo. I think if he would of still been alive he would have been inspiring to his sister. 

I really wanted to love this book because the synopsis pulled me in and looked like a great book. The book started off great but, it eventually dragged on and made me skip around a bit to try to get back to into the book. I think I would of enjoyed the book a lot more if I could relate more with the main characters. I did enjoy parts of the book but, most of the time I just couldn't enjoy it. Even when the main character grows towards the end of the book it didn't feel right to me. 

Rating:2/5

Cover:3/5

Spartan Frost (Mythos Academy#4.5) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Spartan Frost (Mythos Academy #4.5) by Jennifer Estep

Publication Date: June 25,2013

Publisher:

Book Summary

                   Logan Quinn almost kills Gwen Frost and decides he has to leave the academy. Logan isn't in the hold of Loki and the reapers anymore but, he still can't risk hurting Gwen again. Spartan Frost is his story.

Logan Quinn- I have been fond of his character since I read the first book. I love how in Spartan Frost, it is in his point of view. It shows more of his characteristics.

Linus Quinn- Even though in this short novella, Linus is attempting to be a better father to Logan however, I am still not warming up to his character.

+/- or Dislikes/likes

+ I love that it is in Logan's POV 
+Seeing Logan's emotions after what happened in Crimson Frost
-Logan's father 
-The cover.. (I think it should of had Logan on the front)
+Driven by revenge 

Spartan Frost is a good short novella for the Mythos Academy series. I loved how it shows Logan's story after the events that happened in Crimson Frost. I think Jennifer Estep did an amazing job with Logan's Point of View and portraying his emotions. Spartan Frost is a great addition to have with the rest of the Mytho's Academy books. It isn't necessary to read this before book five. 

Rating:3/4

Cover:3/4

Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines

Title: Fallen Too Far (Too Far #1) by Abbi Glines

Publication Date: December 14, 2012

Publisher:
Genre: New Adult Romance

Book Summary
                 Blaire is nineteen years old and for the last three years, she had to take care of her sick mother. When her mother ends up dying Blaire finds her father to find a place to live until she can go out on her own. She ends up meeting her new step-brother, Rush. Rush is the son of a famous rock star.

Blaire-She is my favorite character in the book. I have an interest in strong female characters. I hated her moments of weakness because she has been through but, it made her character more real. 

Rush-I wasn't a big fan of Rush in this book. He is a player who could careless about the female population. I hated how he treated Blaire. I didn't fall too deeply in love with his character and he disappointed me a lot throughout this book. 

Grant- I was secretly hoping for a Blaire/Grant romance! I loved the entrance of Grant, he seemed really sweet to Blaire. I was disappointed when he ended up behaving a bit like Rush did. I hope that Grant will someday find a sweet girl like Blaire. 

Nannette(Nan)-She was a real witch when she showed up in the story and she was one throughout the book. Thankfully, she wasn't in the book to much. 

LIKES

Blaire's strength that she has mostly throughtout the book

Abbi Gline's writing style
The book cover <3 

DISLIKES

Rush

Rush's possessiveness 

Nannette (Rush's sister)

The Ending

I have read Abbi Glines other series and I enjoy her writing style. Fallen Too Far didn't have the same appeal to me as her Existence trilogy had. I did enjoy this book but, I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I will read the rest of the books in the series to see how it all turns out.

Rating: 3/5

Cover: 4/5

Book Blitz: Lash by L.G. Castillo

Lash by L.G. Castillo (Broken Angel #1)

Publication date: May 6,2013
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance   

Decades after being banished from Heaven for saving a life he shouldn’t have, Lash is given a chance to redeem himself. His mission: protect Naomi Duran, a young woman who has lost her faith. The assignment proves to be anything but simple when his superiors, the Archangels, withhold key information about Naomi and refuse to restore Lash’s powers. When an unexpected source reveals centuries-old secrets, his trust is shaken to the core, and he begins to doubt those whom he had once considered to be his greatest allies.

Determined to avoid anything that would risk his chances of returning to Heaven, Lash struggles with the greatest obstacle of all—his growing feelings for Naomi. But when her life is threatened by an unknown source, Lash questions the wisdom of the Archangels and his ability to keep her safe.

Soon, Lash will have to choose where to place his faith—in the home he has fought so hard to regain or in the forbidden love he can’t bear to lose
.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17306455-lash?ac=1

Purchase:

The direct purchase links will not be available until release day on May 6th, but it will be found here: http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=lash+castillo&rh=n%3A916520%2Ck%3Alash+castillo

AUTHOR BIO

L.G Castillo

L.G. (Linda) Castillo wrote her first story when she was ten and has been writing ever since. She took a break from writing fiction and poetry to focus on obtaining her Ph.D. in counseling psychology. She is now a licensed psychologist and currently works as a professor at a Texas university. Although she has published her psychological research in several professional journals and books, her dream has always been to publish a novel. Lash is her debut novel and was written during the 2012 National Novel Writing Month event.

Author Links:

Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

Title: If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

Publication Date: March 26,2013

Publisher:St.Martin's Griffin

ARC from NetGalley 

Book Summary
Carey and her younger sister, Jenessa have been living in the woods ever since they can remember with their mother. Often abandoned by their mother for long periods of time. Eventually, Carey's father finds them and they are brought into a new world with shopping malls, new clothes and tasty food. Jenessa has stopped talking after an incident happened in the woods that haunts Carey. 

Carey-At the start I wasn't to sure if I would like her character but, A few pages in she grew on me. She is very mature for her age as she has been keeping her sister and her alive whenever, her mother isn't around. 

Jenessa-In the start of the book it is learned that she doesn't talk. We don't learn the reason until the end of the book. Since her character is only six, she is adored by the family and doesn't struggle to adapted to this new life unlike her older sister. 

Ryan Shipley- I loved his character! He was the first person to talk to Carey when she entered the high school and showed her to her class. I found his character to be sweet but, I wish we could of seen more of him towards the end. 

Delaney-I wasn't a big fan of her character and thought she was selfish. Even though she gets better towards the end of the story, I still couldn't relate to her. I understood why she acted selfish but, it seemed still wrong after knowing what Jenessa and Carey went through. 

Mrs. Haskell-At first, I didn't like her character because she seemed to act in a rude way. She isn't a big character so we don't get to learn to much about her. I could tell after awhile she cared for the girls and wanted the best for them. 

+/- or Dislikes/likes

+The writing style
+How the author tackled a hard subject and did it beautifully.
+Ryan/Carey's friendship
-The ending seemed to end leaving me a bit left out on what happens to Carey at the end.
-Carey's mother
+I love how the cover has a dark tone to it
+Powerful scenes/moments throughout the book

I was nervous about starting this book as sometimes harsh topic are hard to portray in a book but, Emily Murdoch knew what she was doing  I felt like her characters were real people and I felt sad for what they went through. I thought the book was going to drag on during the first few pages but, that changed, I couldn't put the book down and finished it all in one day. If Emily Murdoch ends up writing another book like "If You Find Me", I will be reading it. While reading, I realized I really enjoy Emily's writing style. 

Rating:4/5 

Cover:3/5 

Passion by Lauren Kate (Fallen #3)

Title: Passion By Lauren Kate

Publication Date: May 8 2012

Publisher:

Book Summary
       Luce is reincarnated over and over with no clue, how long this will go on for. As she reaches the age of Seventeen, her life seems to end. Luce goes back through her past lives to try to figure out how to save the love both her and Daniel share. 

Luce- I enjoyed her character when I first read "Fallen". I felt at times her character could use a more mature approach. I admire characters who have a kick ass attitude and can fight for themselves. I really loved learning about her past lives because each of them left her with a trace of what she is today. 

Daniel- I love his character and find his character to be the one who is the strongest. After all he has went through, witnessing his love die over and over again, has to be horrible. His character almost has moments when he is thinking about giving up but, the thought of the love he shares with Luce pushes him to stay strong.

Cam- I enjoy his character and love his bad boy side. We don't get to see a lot of him in this book but, I love when he does come in. We see a bit of the past Cam but, not enough to really understand him. I think the author should make a Daniel/Cam short story. 

Bill-I always thought his character was how he turned out in the end. I did enjoy the moments between Luce and him. 

+/- or Dislikes/likes

+Daniel/Luce's epic love throughout time 
+Cam's sexiness :3
+Reincarnation story-line 
+The writing style 

Out of all the books in the Fallen series, Passion is my favorite. I think Passion shows the relationship between Daniel and Luce, the best. When I started reading this I couldn't put it down and was sadden when I lost my hardback copy on the airplane, so I had to wait to finish it until I could get a new copy.  

         “I’ll love you with all my heart, in every life, through every death. I

will not be bound by anything but my love for you.” 

Rating: 4/5

Cover: 4.5/5

Book Blitz: Radiant by Christina Daley (Promo)

Radiant by Christina Daley

Publication date: February 12th 2013

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Mary is part Vietnamese. Carter is a complete jerk. Normally, they don't talk much.

But when Mary's in an accident on the way to school one morning, Carter nearly dies saving her life. The doctors say his chances of living are slim, and Mary's feeling the full weight of survivor's guilt.

However, Carter's back at school in a matter of days, as if nothing had happened. Although, he is a little "glitchy," and he's developed a sudden and intense interest in Mary. She thinks he's suffering from major brain trauma from the accident. Or that he's been possessed.

As it so happens, Carter really is possessed. And the thing controlling him is having the time of its life learning to be human.

Featuring a diverse cast of characters, RADIANT is a funny "paranormal-lite" story about being human, being in love, and being healed.

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Radiant-ebook/dp/B00BE52DR8/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360643487&sr=1-5&keywords=radiant

B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/radiant-christina-daley/1114499975?ean=2940016338200

Smashwords - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/274942

AUTHOR BIO

Christina Daley

Christina Daley made her first book with neighborhood friends when she was four years old. They "wrote" out some semblance of lettering with crayons, cut up a cardboard box for the cover, and bound it all together with clear adhesive tape. It was brilliant.

Quite a few years later, Christina is trying her hand at writing "real" books. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with a pet plant named Herb.

Author Links:

Website: http://christinadaley.blogspot.ca/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4854333.Christina_Daley

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooksbyChristinaDaley

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdaleywrite