Unrequited by Emma Grey

Unrequited
by Emma Grey
Release Date: 05/26/14
Series: No
Genrre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: Four Trees

Summary from Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Kat Hartland loathes Unrequited, the world's biggest boy band. Is she the only girl in Sydney who can't be bothered with perfect-looking Angus Marsden?

Give her 5 Seconds of Summer. Now.

Or maybe the seriously-hot med student who rescued her on a train—and who could be Douglas Booth's twin! Perfect formal partner, much?

But when Kat comes face to face with Angus Marsden himself, things start to get complicated. Very. Throw in a deranged female popstar, final exams, a part in the musical and a mum who just doesn't get it—and where is her best friend?

When did life get so crazy? Kat's just an ordinary schoolgirl.

Isn't she?

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MY THOUGHTS

To start off this review, I feel like I should get this out of the way, the idea for the book is so crazy and unrealistic. I mean lets face it, this would never happen in real life, yet the author manages to completely convince me that it's possible and draw me into the Unrequited world. 

One of the things I enjoyed the most about the book was the fact that you really didn't know who Kat would end up with. Was it going to be the hot med student or would it be the world famous singer? I thought the author did a fantastic job at keeping the reader guessing.

Another aspect of the novel that I loved was the fact that Kat was just a regular student struggling through school. As a current senior in high school trying to balance a million other things I really related to her and thought she was a great example of a normal person (or as normal as you get knowing a superstar). I also liked Kat as a character. She knew who she was and didn't want to change it and conform to other people's ideas. I appreciated how she didn't care what people thought of her and loved her attitude about everything. Kat was a character that really made the book for me.

While the idea for Unrequited isn't new I truly enjoyed all the twists and turns the author employed that made her book really stick out.  I think that the author had several unique ideas that set her book apart from the other girl meets boy band books out there.

For me the book was a fast paced, fun novel that took my mind off school and the work that I was supposed to be doing. I would definitely check out anything else this author writes! 

MY RATING

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books

Read the first three chapters at: www.unrequited.com.au

Book Trailer:


About the Author
Emma Grey has two teenage girls, a three-year-old boy, a couple of businesses and another teen novel in the pipeline. Her first book, 'Wits' End Before Breakfast! Confessions of a Working Mum' was published in 2005.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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Summer in New York Anthology Review and excerpt

Title: Summer in New York
Authors: Janette Rallison, Heather B. Moore, Luisa Perkins, Sarah M. Eden, Annette Lyon, and Lisa Mangum

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Anthology

Series: None

Rating: Four and a half trees

Going into this anthology I had no idea who any of the authors were which meant that I had absolutely no idea what stories might become one of my favorites. I skipped around a bit depending on the mood I was in, and I have to say that overall I was extremely impressed by all the stories and I definitely am planning to check out some of the other books written by the authors.
This review is going to be broken down into individual sections for each short story. I will be giving each story an individual rating and then an overall rating for the collection as a whole.

Job Hazards by Janette Rallison
Rating: Five trees
The Premise: In USA Today bestselling author Janette Rallison’s delightful novella, JOB HAZARDS, Lydia Robinson is posing as a prostitute. Undercover of course. Lydia’s job as a police officer hasn’t reeled in her prince charming yet. That is, until Harrison Aldridge, old high school flame, pulls up to the corner to rescue the fallen damsel. Lydia can’t exactly give Harrison the truth without blowing her cover, and it takes a series of mishaps and another whole set of misunderstandings before Lydia will even consider letting Harrison back into her life
If there is one story in this entire anthology that is a must read, it would have to be this one. This is the first story in the book and it immediately pulled me in. I love short stories and I know that a lot of people hate them but the fact that they are short, yet still manage to tell an entire story is the reason as to why I love them. With that said, after reading this short story I WANTED MORE! The story was so fun and I loved the main character. I hated coming to the end and realizing that the story was over! (Although I do think the story was told perfectly and any more might have ruined it for me! But still...) I think that this was probably the strongest story in the collection and definitely worth it!

A Taste of Sun by Heather
Rating: Three and a half Trees
The Premise: In Heather B. Moore’s enchanting novella, A TASTE OF SUN, Winona Grant embarks on a summer-long visit to NYC to house-sit for her great-aunt after a nasty break-up with her boyfriend Paul. But when her aunt commissions neighbor Steve Monti to tour Winona around, they strike a deal. Winona has too many deadlines to play tourist, and Steve is looking for a distraction from his looming gallery opening. So Steve goes on the tours by himself, and Winona reports back to her aunt as if she’d gone too. The longer this happens, the more Winona wants to change her mind. Seeing the city with Steve might be the perfect solution to forgetting about Paul.

While I did find this story to be adorable, I also thought it was extremely unrealistic and a bit too insta-lovey for my taste. I felt like the characters barely knew each other and then all of a sudden they were willing to anger Winona's aunt because they rapidly developed feelings for each other? I don't know... It just didn't mesh well with me. The other aspect I found completely unbelievable is a bit of a spoiler. It has to do with Steve's gallery though and I felt like that was all too convenient and perfect.... This one had a lot of potential and while still highly adorable, was a bit lacking for me.

Dulce de Leche by Luisa Perkins

Rating: Three Trees

The Premise: In Luisa Perkins’s sweet romance novella, DULCE DE LECHE, Marisol is desperate for another nanny job after being unfairly fired from her previous position. She has only two more semesters of college, but she’s too proud to ask her wealthy parents for financial help. When her potential new employer, a single father working long hours as an anesthesiologist, decides she’s too young and pretty to hire, she practically begs him for the job. Darius finally agrees, and as he watches her work miracles with his Asperger’s son, he realizes there is much more to Marisol than he first believed

This was definitely my least favorite short story from the collection. I had recently watched the Nanny Diaries and I felt like there were so many parallels between that movie and this story. While it was enjoyable I never really connected to the characters or understood their motivations. I did love the diversity in this short story though and I thought that it was a great aspect.


Take a Chance by Sarah M. Eden
Rating: Four Trees
The Premise: In TAKE A CHANCE, a captivating story by Sarah M. Eden, Miguel Santos has a stopover in New York. When the announcement of delayed flights comes over the PA system, Miguel is looking at spending several hours at the airport. Determined to get comfortable for the long wait, he’s surprised when he spies a familiar face amongst the stranded passengers: Jane Schoonenburg, the last person he expected to see. Three months have passed since he asked Jane to marry him—three months of misery. And now he knows that he must talk to her, if only to find out why she broke his heart
I thought this story was so incredibly adorable! This was one that I found to be realistic and just cute! I loved Miguel and the entire idea was great. I love how the author chose to have everything play out and there were several smaller parts in the story that made it even better than I thought possible. This is an author that is now definitely on my radar and I can't wait to read some of her other stuff!


Firsts and Lasts
Rating: Four Trees
The Premise: Annette Lyon’s entrancing novella, FIRSTS AND LASTS, begins with Dani’s last week in New York. She’s failed in her dreams to catch a break as an actress and is now ready to return home and dust herself off. As she visits the places on her final to-see list, she meets Mark, another New York City transplant with big dreams. Except Mark hasn’t given up on his. As they spend the day together, Dani realizes that even though she hasn’t hit the “big time” she might be living her dream after all. Only problem: she has a one-way ticket back home.

This is a story that I don't really have a lot to say about. I thought it was really good and a great addition to the collection. It's definitely one with the message to never give up and I really liked how the author pointed out that struggling is part of the journey. Overall really enjoyable!

& by Lisa Mangum
Rating: Five Trees
The Premise: In Lisa Mangum’s whimsically titled story: &, Lucy is riding a wave of success at having found a bestselling novel in the slush pile at an exclusive New York publishing house. If only her personal life was storybook perfect as well. Her relationship with Devon is on the rocks, and even though she's been put in charge of the house while her boss is gone on business, Lucy isn't sure she's up to the task. It will take a chance encounter with a handsome wordsmith to help Lucy claim the courage that has always been a part of her heart
Last, but certainly not least is &. (And yes & is the title.... It may have taken me a minute to figure that out..) I think the authors of the collection definitely picked great stories to begin and end the collection. This book was not only fun, but also a story that book lovers will love. The romance was sweet and I loved watching it play out. I also loved watching Lucy figure out who she was and have confidence in herself! A fabulous read!

IN CONCLUSION
Overall this was a fantastic anthology and has become one of my favorites! There were so many cute stories and it truly was the perfect summer read. I found out about so many new authors and I am so excited to to read more of their works! (I've already picked up more Janette Rallison! WOO-HOO!) I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of short stories and adorable romances!

OVERALL RATING

Purchase links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo

EXCERPT

Job Hazards

Janette Rallison

Chapter One

Fighting crime wasn’t supposed to involve wearing a leopard-print miniskirt, a silky halter top, and stiletto heels. Not once while Lydia Robinson was in the police academy a year ago had she envisioned that the job would land her on a seedy New York street posing as a hooker. But as Lieutenant Miner had told her a week ago after he called her into his office, “You’re a natural.”

A natural hooker? “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” she asked.

He held up his hands to stop her protest and nodded at the glass window of his office. Outside, two other female officers were talking about a case. Officer Loomis was fifty-two and had more wrinkles than a pile of forgotten laundry. Officer Dustin was seven months pregnant. “I just meant,” Lieutenant Miner said, “that you’re the best one in the department for the sting.”

So now Lydia stood on a dimly lit corner next to a row of bars and strip clubs. She wore so much makeup that she looked like she was part of a Broadway play. Her usually long, brown hair had been curled, teased and poofed. It was magazine-girl, notice-me hair. Half-a-bottle-of-hairspray hair.

Rival Love by Natalie Decker

Title: Rival Love
Author: Natalie Decker
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Series: ? (I think so...)
Rating: Four Trees
THE PREMISE
Skylar Fletcher is a proud Harris Academy Bulldog! She has everything she’s ever wanted: a perfect boyfriend, great friends, and her dream college waiting for her in the fall. But nothing lasts forever. Skylar's world shatters when her mom decides it is time to move and drags Skylar, kicking and screaming, into Bobcat territory.

At Delmont High School, home of the Bobcats, Skylar has no friends and is often bullied. To make matters worse, her home life sucks thanks to all-star quarterback Caleb Morgan, nephew of her mom's live-in boyfriend.

At first Skylar and Caleb want nothing to do with one another. But they soon discover they're not that different after all--and each is harboring a secret attraction to the other. But can a Bulldog and a Bobcat ever really be more than friends? And are Skylar and Caleb willing to risk everything to find out? Rival Love is a debut young adult contemporary romance from Natalie Decker.


MY THOUGHTS
Rival Love is definitely one of those cute books that's a quick, fun read, perfect for when you need something on the fluffier side. 

The book starts out with our main character moving into her new home in the enemies territory.... *DUN, DUN, DUUUUNNNN*

As a teenager I can sympathize with Skylar and the fact that her mom is forcing her to move her SENIOR YEAR! I completely understand Skylar's point of view and why this would be such a traumatic experience for her. I'm pretty sure most people would have that problem. 

On the the hand, I completely didn't understand Skylar's mom. The fact that she moved in with her boyfriend and forced Skylar to switch schools and never understood why this was such a big deal bugged me. I didn't like how oblivious her mom was and it really brought the book down for me. 

The one other negative thing I have to say is the fact that the secondary characters are kind of unrealistic. Skylar loses all of her friends from her old school because they are so mad that she switched to the rival school, like huh?! That was waaaayyyy too extreme. I also thought the  bullying Skylar underwent was over the top. I've never known any school to be so competitive and mean especially when they could be gaining a huge asset to help out their own teams. 

I did really like Skylar's and Caleb's relationship. I love the whole enemies to friends trope and I love how it played out on this book. 

I also thought that the author did a fantastic job with the switching POV. I felt that the voices were recognizable and unique so I didn't feel confused when I was reading. 

I also loved the sports aspect and how Skylar was a swimmer. That was definitely fun to see how it played into the book. 

I did find the ending to be a bit rushed. All of a sudden all of this stuff is going down and it feels kind of like WHAT?! 

I will definitely be checking oh the next book because I am so curious as to what might happen next. 

I would recommend this book to people looking for something light and fun. It was definitely perfect for the mood I was in!
MY RATING:

Natalie Decker is the Author of Rival Love. She loves oceans, sunsets, sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going, which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn’t her favorite time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books. She’s a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and her awesome dog infinity times infinity. If she’s not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out with her family and friends, then she’s off having an adventure. Because Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it amazing!

Author Links:
http://adayintothewriter.blogspot.it/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7487891.Natalie_Decker
http://www.twitter.com/NatalieDecker07
https://www.facebook.com/natalie.decker.716




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Mafia Girl: Review

Title: Mafia Girl
Author: Deborah Blumenthal
Genre: YA, Crime, Contemporary, Romance
Series: None
Rating: 2 trees

THE PREMISE
Gia's father is the head of a powerful mob in New York City. Since Gia is the "don's daughter", as she feels the need to consistently remind the reader, she is living the high life. After Gia and her BEST FRIEND Ro get pulled over for speeding, being drunk, and potentially being high, Gia falls in love with the cop. *DUN, DUN, DUN*
Gia also has to deal with everyday matters like running for class president and being featured in Vogue! Yet she juggles it all using her awesome connections and friends.




MY THOUGHTS
I don't know if you can tell from the summary of the book that I wrote, but my thoughts on Mafia Girl are not all that positive.
I picked this up hoping it was going to be a light, fun read, maybe even something that could pull me out of my reading slump. Instead I got a book where I was forced to reread passages in order to understand what the heck was going on. There were several times when Gia was doing something and then BOOM something completely different was happening at a different place and I didn't even realize the setting changed. So then I would go back and reread the passsage two or three times trying to make sense of it all.
For example:

So when he grabs my hand, I follow him into the laundry room.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

The door to my room flings open and me dad x-rays me so hard I can practically feel the burn.

Do you see my point? At first s'hes in the laundry room and then BAM it's her bedroom. I was feeling so confused...

Another thing about this book that I hated was Gia 's need to label every single person in the entire school with some type of derogatory term.

...what I'll say to the a**holes at Morgan to get the to vote for me...

Man, I would totally vote for her if she was at my school she doesn't seem stuck up or nasty at all! Gia truly believes that she is better than every single person in her school... BUT then at the same time she hates herself a little bit. She was constantly calling herself a slut and her friends also referred to her as such.... (which confused me even more because she didn't seem the least bit slutty....)

Basically in Gia's perfect the world, EVERYTHING revolves around her. Her friends think she is so amazing! When she first tells them about running for class president the response she gets is is immediate. The tell her how freaking amazing she is and how she will win. Which I mean is cool and everthing, except for the fact that she's a  absolute jerk towards the entire school. How could you possibly win with that kind of reputation?

I would also like to point out that Gia is a stalker. After being puller over by a cop, who she refers to as Officer Hottie, she proceeds to have her friends hack things in order to find out where he lives, where he goes when he's off work, and even his entire back story. Because ya know, that's not creepy at all!!!

When she meets up with him at this bar (after sneaking out of her house) she proceeds to give him her number and tells him that he should call her... (Can we also please note that she went to a bar that was full of cops and managed to use her fake ID to buy beer and wasn't caught...)

It's been one week, sixteen hours, and thirty seven minutes or so since I've last seen Michael. I check my phone every time I inhale to see if he might have broken down and called.

So after he still hasn't called her she finds him again, where she once again completely freaks both him and the reader out.

I wake up at night thinking about you, Michael.

(There is one point where he calls her and they jusr sit there silently and listen to each other breath... How creepy can it get?)

 There were several other places where there were inconsistencies in the writing and with the characters. At one point Gia complains about not having Michael's number where only pages before he had just texted her asking to meet up and she had replied. Gia also kept talking about how Ro was her absolute best friend with Clive at a close second, yet I can barely remember any sections focusing on Ro. It was all about Clive and his terrible life where his parents don't love him. (I also found this hard to believe. I can't believe his parents would just leave him around like that and act as though he was inconsequential... The author tried to make a valid reason for there actions, but it didn't make much sense to me.)

I also completely don't understand how Gia can constantly talk about being a straight A student and then do what she does. I also thought her dream seemed a bit out of place... ***Highlight this next part to see a spoiler*** I don't get why she wants to go to law school. I completely don't see her motivations or why her dad would be so happy about it. I also don't understand how she'll be able to get into law school with her arrest record.... I don't understand her plan....

Mafia Girl had potential, yet I found it to be lacking in so many aspects. The characters were weak and the plot was basically about Gia and Michael's epic romance. There were other events (like Vogue and the school election along the way) but in the big picture it didn't really matter.

I really wish that before picking up the book I had read reviews for it so that I wasn't so surprised. Mafia Girl just wasn't the book for me.

MY RATING:

Prisoner of Night and Fog~ Blog Tour

Prisoner of Night and Fog (Prisoner of Night and Fog #1)

by Anne Blankman

416 pages

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Release Date: April 22nd 2014

Rate: FIVE TREES ALL THE WAY

Synopsis:

In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet.

Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler.

And Gretchen follows his every command.

Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews.

As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed?

From debut author Anne Blankman comes this harrowing and evocative story about an ordinary girl faced with the extraordinary decision to give up everything she's ever believed . . . and to trust her own heart instead.

There are some important things you should know before reading this review.
First of all, Prisoner of Night and Fog was my most highly anticipated release in 2014, which I think we can all say really means something in the world of book blogging.
Second of all, I had doubts that the author could live up to my expectations that I have found in other books set in this time period. Most notably, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.
And finally going into this novel I was in a major reading slump. (Major as in, in the past few weeks I read next to nothing!)
Somehow Prisoner of Night and Fog managed to surpass my expectations and become one of my favorite books of the year as well as one of my all time favorite books set in the pre to post World War Two era.
It is a tale of romance and adventure and of hope in a dark time and it is one that I won't be forgetting any time soon.

Going in I didn't realize that the book was set prior to the outbreak of WW2 when Hitler was still gaining power. And truthfully I was sort of glad about that. I thought that I might not like the main character if she could be so oblivious and ignore the mass slaughtering of Jews. What was happening was bad enough and from the first page I could tell that I was going to like Gretchen.

Within the first few pages I love how the author showed Gretchen as someone who wouldn't just take what was happening because she was scared. Gretchen stood up to her brother, even though she knew that he would hate it and that small act of rebellion is where I first really began to look forward to her character growth.

Another important aspect of the novel was the romance. (I mean duh, there is always a romance) And as much as I hate saying it, the romance was one of my favorite parts of the book. The author did a great job in making sure that the romance aided with other aspects of the book. It wasn't just a romance thrown in because, hey all other YA has it. The romance aided in Gretchen's character growth and gave the reader an idea of exactly how much she had changed from nearly the first page to the last. 

The romance was also just kind of perfect and personally I enjoyed it. Normally I really do hate it when the romance it my favorite part of the book, I mean, there are so many other things that should shine through besides the romance. But here I felt like it was extremely well done and perfectly incorporated into the story. It made me laugh and smile and just grin like an idiot and I loved that.

I also liked the "mystery" of the book. I mean it's obvious to the reader what happened. Not the specifics but the general idea of who killed Gretchen's father, but watching Gretchen come to the same realization definitely made me sympathize and better understand her situation. I loved the incorporation of the history into that mystery that made it all the more realistic.

That's another of the amazing aspects about the book. The history. This was clearly not a story that the author just threw together using the basic facts. It was carefully researched and yet the author still put her own twists and turns into the book. Learning about Hitler and his life beyond the evil figure we now see today added a complexity to the story. It showed that there are different views on the same person.

Another reason I loved the story was the fact that the author also examined Hitler's followers and Hitler's personality. Looking back we all question, How could this have happened? Why did everyone go along with it? Why couldn't he be stopped? Within the book several different types of his followers are analyzed. Some may be scared, and some show the same charismatic traits Hitlers showed. I think the author choosing to take that route and her effort to show the reader why Hitler had the following he did, only made me love the book even more. 

One of the other biggest things in the book for me was the writing style and POV. If you know me at all, you might know that I'm not a big fan of third person POV. For some reason, that POV feels almost forced to me instead of it flowing easily. SO when I flipped to the first page I was slightly hesitant. Thankfully though, the author's beautiful writing style and easy voice made me fall right into the story with absolutely no problems. 

And finally I would like to end my review with this:

"Just because I'm Jewish doesn't mean I'm rich."

Throughout the book there were little parts that made me smile. When I came to this point in the story I was already deeply in love with all the characters and I immediately began to laugh at this. This may seem like some small inconsequential part, and truthfully it is. But the other day in my chem class, a student got in a massive argument with my teacher about the fact that clearly all Jewish people were rich. Coming upon this part made me laugh just because it really showed how well thought out the entire book was. There were several moment where I saw things that other readers wouldn't have and I think that really shows a lot about the author and how she managed to interweave so many different things into the book that then allowed each reader to come out with a different, and perhaps more personal experience with her book.

There is a lot more I could say about Prisoner of Night and Fog. I could say it's gorgeous. It's beautiful. It's thought provoking. It's amazing. But at this point I am convinced you should find out for yourself. The author manages to take one of the most hated people the world has ever known and turn him into a figure that you could meet on the street. She made something so impossible seem possible. And in this time of mayhem she managed to write a beautiful story of a girl realizing who she is and what her values are. Gretchen is a character that will stick with me for a long time. I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series and I can't wait to see what else the author does! 

One last thing I have to say about the book. As amazing as it is, it has made me want to curl up in a ball in bed and stick to my introverted ways. I mean who knows what people are really like beneath the surface.

Easily five stars. A book I shall read over and over again and recommend to as many people as possible.

"I'm in awed envy of the daring with which Anne Blankman plunges into her difficult and sensitive subject matter. To read Prisoner of Night and Fog is to be immersed in a breathtaking evocation of Munich in the 1930s, where life is ordinary and skin-crawling by turns, and in the painful, hopeful story of one young girl's awakening conscience. It’s terrifying and incredible to think how much of this story is true."

-- Elizabeth Wein, award-winning author of Code Name Verity

Anne Blankman may have been meant to be a writer because her parents named her for Anne of Green Gables. She grew up in an old house with gables (gray, unfortunately) in upstate New York. When she wasn't writing or reading, she was rowing on the crew team, taking ballet lessons, fencing and swimming. She graduated from Union College with degrees in English and history, which comes in handy when she writes historical fiction.

After earning a master's degree in information science, Anne began working as a youth services librarian. Currently, she lives in southeastern Virginia with her family. When she's not writing young adult fiction, she's playing with her daughter, training for races with her husband, working at her amazing library branch, learning to knit (badly), and reading.

Anne Blankman is the author of PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG, the first in a three-book deal slated for publication in spring 2014 from Balzer + Bray | HarperCollins. She is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary.

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My Question of the day: What is one thing from this time period and setting you wouldn't mind experiencing? (Like the jazz clubs....)

Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen

Title: Lady Thief

Author: A.C. Gaughen

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Retelling, Romance

Series: Scarlet #2

Rating: 5 trees

***Warning: This review might contain spoilers for Scarlet so consider yourselves forewarned....***

The Premise

Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.
(Summary via Goodreads)

My Thoughts
STORY TIME! Yesterday I was in Barnes and Noble and I was contemplating buying a few different books. Lady Thief was one of them. For me Scarlet was nearly perfect. I completely adored the book, but I wasn't sure about Lady Thief. I am not a person who likes series that much and as much as I was anticipating Lady Thief, I wasn't sure I was ready, as I was so sure I was about to be disappointed.

I really should have more faith in the author.

There is so much I could say about Lady Thief. So many extremely spoilerly things, like: OMG THAT ENDING?! But since I don't want to ruin it I shall refrain from saying anything that could potentially ruin it for you... (But on a side note: OMG THAT ENDING?!)

One of the things that I really enjoyed about the book was Robin and Scarlet. Robin and Scarlet are my OTP. I love the two of them together and watching their relationship grow and change throughout the book made me become an emotional mess. Robin was always there for Scar whenever she needed him. She went through so much and suffered so much more than anyone ever should. Rob was also suffering from some MAJOR PTSD from the Crusades. He slowly opened up to Scar about his fears and slowly began to get over his insane nightmares. 
The two of them would always run to each other when they needed comfort and help. The two of them have gone through so much and I desperately wanted them to just get that happy ending so that they could run off into the sunset together. 

I think that the fact that they were willing to put so much effort and risk their lives just so they could end up together was beyond amazing. In the first book, for all that I loved them and shipped them together, I never really saw that they trusted each other beyond all else. I mean they clearly loved each other a ton, and they trusted each other with their lies, but they never seemed to develop a strong emotional trust. I could see that they really loved each other, but in this book their devotion and growth as a couple was both believable and just... perfect.

The characters of Lady Thief made me remember one of the reasons why Scarlet happened to be one of my all tie favorite books. I loved Much and his devotion to the band. I love how he fought through so much even though he was at a disadvantage so often. I loved his devotion and love to Scar. I pretty much love everything about Much. And then there was John Little, his character growth and the change that the reader saw made me fall that much more in love with him. He made choices that I fully supported and I just adore him.And then there were all the people that Scar was forced to deal with in the castle. They each had their distinct personalities and I loved the layers and depth to each of them. 

Gaughen is the master of twists and turns. In Scarlet, I had guessed the twist pretty early on and was completely prepared, but in Lady Thief I figured it out the page before it was actually stated. Looking back it was completely obvious with all of Gaughen's subtly placed clues and hints, and personally it completely made the book for me. There is no doubt in my mind that Gaughen is a masterful author and I am so excited to see what she does with the last book.

I think the author has managed to stay remarkably close to the legend of Robin Hood, but at the same time has put her own twists and turns on the legend and made the story unique and completely her own. She has once again left the book at a complete cliff hanger, one that makes me desperately NEED the next book. The ending left me heartbroken and a complete emotional mess. What makes it worse is I finished it at 1:30 in the morning and I could not fall asleep for forever just because the entire thing was just TOO BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT. 

In Conclusion
Lady Thief was an emotional roller coaster. It was dark with bits of happiness shining through leaving you rooting for the success of Scar and Rob. Each page had happy and sad and hope and despair and it seem so... possible. You know when you read a book and it's just sunshine and daisies and everything works out and everyone gets a happy ending, but you know that it's not possible? Lady Thief is not that book. There is pain, but there is hope and it is all so beautifully interwoven that it gives you hope in the darkest of times. For me, I found no fault in Lady Thief. It was beautiful. It was a journey. It was perfect. And it gave me hope. 
At the end I cried.... I never ever, ever cry when I read books and even right now I'm tearing up a bit. Because this book was beautiful. I don't think there is anything more I can say to try and convince you that you need to read it even more. There was so much that I never even touched upon in this review, but for me this was the perfect next installment to one of my favorite series based on my all time favorite legend. I am highly anticipating the final book and I think that fans of Scarlet will be extremely pleased with this fast paced, gripping sequel.

Two of my favorite quotes:

He broke it off with a heavy sighing. "I love you Scarlet. Go on, now, before you steal my sanity too," he said.
"Too?" I questioned
His grin by the moon were wicked and handsome. "Thief of my heart." 

"Scarlet," he murmured. His hands squeezed my waist. "I've told you all along, I knew who you were from the first. I know your heart. Names, titles, hair, odd clothing choices, none of that changes who you are. And I am madly in love with who you are."

My Rating

Chasing Forever Down: Interview with Nikki Godwin

Title: Chasing Forever Down
Author: Nikki Godwin
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Series: Drenaline Surf #1
Blog tour Schedule

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Nikki Godwin about her book, Chasing Forever Down.
Not only is she beyong amazing, the book is too! And I was so happy to get to ask her some of my burning questions!

Below my questions are in black, while her answers are in blue, but first here's a bit about the book!

After seventeen-year-old Haley Sullivan meets a mysterious stranger who plays by his own rules, she's more than determined to learn every trick of the trade from the master himself. But her dream-chasing mentor disappears after that night, and according to the local newspapers, he's been dead for years. Knowing he's very much alive, Haley enlists best friend Linzi to join her on a scavenger-hunt-style road trip that ultimately lands them in the surf town of Crescent Cove, California. Mystery guy is no mystery here, though – he's Colby Taylor, the west coast's biggest professional surfer. 

If Haley wants to talk to the wave rider again, she'll have to get past his four intimidating bodyguards who are highly skilled in the business of sending starstruck fangirls back to where they belong. Haley is up for the challenge if it means chasing her dreams and escaping the perfectly corporate future that's been planned for her. But dealing with these bodyguards isn't exactly what Haley imagined it'd be. Sure, being thrown off a jet ski sucks, but falling in love with one of them might just be worse.

1.) What was it that made you want to write a book about surfing?Honestly, I'd never really read anything about surfing or set in surf towns around surf culture, and I knew it wasn't a big thing in YA books. I wasn't sure how it'd turn out, but I like to be different. I wanted to give it a try, and I fell in love with the sport/culture. Also, living in Mississippi, far away from any ocean or good waves, it really is a personal escape for me.

2.) So… This next question is extremely important. What made you decide to make lime green the color of Drenaline Surf as well as Haley’s favorite color? I've always seen Haley liking bright colors. Orange is my favorite, so I wanted her to have something different. Pink was more fitting for her BFF Linzi. Lime green just felt like a Haley color to me. Plus it's just a great color in general. It feels beachy.

3.) When writing Chasing Forever Down did you already know exactly how it was going to end and who Haley would end up with? Or did you come to it as you wrote it all?
Honestly, in the original outline, this was going to be a romance between Haley & Colby Taylor. Halfway through writing the book, I just wasn't feeling it. I absolutely hate forcing something in a book that doesn't feel natural, so I went back, deleted all romantic elements, revamped what I had written, and re-plotted. I'd always known in the back of my mind that she'd end up with who she ended up with, at least for book 1. ;)

4.) Out of every character in the book, who was your favorite to write? Was there any that stuck out for you? Or any that you would consider giving a spin off novel to?
A.J. Gonzalez was my favorite to write. He's a character who had been in my head for a very long time, and he was just waiting for the right book to work his way into. I was so crazy excited to get to his chapter and introduce him during the writing process. As far as spin offs go, I only have one spin off in my plans as of right now. It's technically a stand-alone NA novel, but it's set in the surf world, so obviously Drenaline Surf is part of it. Plus, the characters from it will be in the final DS book, but readers could read it or skip it - it won't make a difference to the DS plot line, aside from already knowing the characters when they show up.

5.) For the book, did you have to do a lot of research? Or did you have a lot of prior knowledge?

I knew absolutely nothing about surfing when I set out to write this book. I watched some YouTube clips, read up on surf lingo, and read about the history of surf culture. It never really felt like research because it was so fascinating. I didn't start following professional surfing until a few months after CFD was published.

6.) Chasing Forever Down was the first book you published, right? How did that feel? What was it like knowing that people were actually reading your book?
Yes, CFD was my debut, although a lot of people seem to think American Girl on Saturn was. CFD's release was a very different experience because I did zero promo (hence why I'm touring now). I was still learning the basics of formatting and uploading and all the technical stuff, so the book was pretty invisible to the world for a very long time. It was a bit disheartening to go through all that work and see the book just sit there, but after I got my first reader e-mail, I felt like it was worth it. Plus, sales have definitely increased since AGOS's release. I've had a lot of readers tell me they searched my name to see what else was out there and then loved CFD too, if not more.

7.) If you could be one character out of this book, who would it be and why?
Haley - We're a lot alike already. When my mom read CFD, she said that she could see a lot of my personality traits in Haley. I think it's hard not to let some of yourself into a character. BUT she is waaaay braver than me. I could've never pulled off the journey she did, and I definitely wouldn't have been brave enough to stand up to everyone like she did at that age. (And she gets to hang out with awesome people on the beach all the time - who wouldn't want to be her?)

8.) What was your favorite scene to write from Chasing Forever Down? Are there any that have really stuck with you?
My favorite scene is the "jet skiing with A.J." scene. I knew from the outline that this scene would be so much fun, and it definitely was. I love to reread chapter nine just because I love A.J.'s intro. The other scenes that stick with me are 1) the scene where Haley meets Miles and Topher for the first time and Topher pops up on the pool table, and 2) the scene where Haley says goodbye to A.J. and uses the line about The Wizard of Oz. That goodbye scene nearly killed me.

Purchase Links!

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Nikki Godwin is a Young Adult/New Adult author from the southern USA. She is a city girl who can't live without Mountain Dew, black eyeliner, Hawthorne Heights, and candles from Bath & Body Works. When not writing, she's not-so-secretly internet-stalking her favorite bands. She may or may not completely love One Direction.

Blog: http://nikkigodwin.blogspot.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NikGodwin 

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

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