Bad Boys
Soul Oath is book two is Juliana Haygert's awesome paranormal, dystopian, mythology romance series, Everlast. And now, read from Micah's point of view, with the release of Cup of Life, both Out 25th November, 2013.
It’s been three months since Nadine last heard from Victor, Micah or Ceris, allowing her to concentrate on her own life. But until Victor and Micah find the scepters that will restore them as true gods, their human bodies will require her healing touch and it’s only a matter of time until they wreak havoc on her life again.
As if to prove that, Victor shows up at the hospital dragging along with him a swarm of demons. Nadine is forced to flee to safety. Despite her attempts to keep her loved ones protected, the demons find her, and they bring her to Imha, the goddess of Chaos.
Now, confronted by her greatest fear, Nadine finds a new motivation. Vengeance. And when seeking revenge, no risk is too great, including her own life.
While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting, but equally gratifying, life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.
You can find Juliana via her Website Blog Twitter Facebook and Goodreads
To nineteen year old high school dropout Travis Walker, women are like snowflakes, each one different, but beautiful in her own way.
He can charm any girl he meets, and yet down deep he fears he'll always be a loser like his jailbird father. As the landlady threatens to evict him and his sick mother, Travis takes a job he hates and spends his evenings picking up girls at a nearby night spot.
When he enlists in a teen program at the local fire station, he finds out he’s amazing at it. Then he meets the smoking hot Kat Summers, enlists Kat’s friend Zoey to help him woo her, and falls in love for the first time ever.
But he keeps the details of his life secret. His girl will never love him back if she knows the truth about him.
Travis loves women. He has a body made for worship and just his smile can bring women to their knees. While he can have his pick of women, Travis barely has a roof over his head. He can't afford the rent and eviction is looming. He is a nineteen year old high school student, repeating his senior year... And failing. His father is in prison and his mother won't leave the comfort of her bed. Life is hard being Travis Walker.
Needing to find full time work, Travis temporarily leaves school to start a meaningless heavy labor position, but it isn't enough. On his break between shifts, a stroke of luck brings Travis to the local community center, housing day care for children, and a soup kitchen for the homeless, or those down on their luck. Entering a weekend voluntary junior firefighters training position, Travis is starting to feel that maybe his life is worth something after all.
Kind hearted and effervescent Zoey doesn't want to change the world, just to brighten the lives of her local guests, seeking a warm meal and a friendly ear. Travis is undeniably sexy, but his warm, sensitive side lured her in. Currently in a one sided, unfulfilled relationship, Zoey is torn between taking a chance and protecting herself from the likes of Travis. Travis is slowly falling for her, while his world is crumbling.
Things have never looked so bleak, when Travis is evicted, he moves heaven and earth to secure his mentally ill mother a bed at the women's homeless shelter. Living on his car, with no job, no future and eating from dumpsters, will he inevitably lose Zoey as well?
Girls Love Travis Walker begins where most typical, bad boy themed contemporary romances start... But that is where the similarities end. Travis isn't a bad boy, he loves women but wont allow himself to become attached, it's an escape, a chance to forget and experience a deluded form of love for those few moments.
He is only nineteen, but has the weight of the world on his shoulders, his mother being ill, two months behind on their rental payments, some days he can't afford to eat. But Zoey quickly becomes the bright spark in his life, and what begins as a fragile, intense friendship, soon turns into a tender love, something Travis has never felt before.
Well written, entertaining and tragically beautiful.
Girls Love Travis Walker
Written By Anne Pfeffer
Published 15 / 03 / 2013
323 Pages
Written By Anne Pfeffer
Published 15 / 03 / 2013
323 Pages
Purchase now from Amazon and Barnes And Noble
Anne Pfeffer lives in Los Angeles, California. She likes to write, walk her dog, play poker,and work as a library volunteer at a local school. Her book Any Other Night has been named a Finalist in both the 2012 Indie Reader Discovery Awards and the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards.
You can visit Anne via Facebook Twitter Her Website and Goodreads
How much is too much to love?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.
In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. Just when he thought he was invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.
Every story has two sides. In Jamie McGuire's New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster Abby had her say. Now it's time to see the story through Travis's eyes.
Travis 'Mad Dog' Maddox is a whore. He spends his free time drinking, cage fighting and screwing down any female with a heartbeat that crosses his path. Travis is broken, self loathing and thinks he deserves this lifestyle that he's become accustomed to. Until he meets Abby.
Immediately Travis sees Abby as a challenge, she despises him with an open honesty that Travis isn't used to. She's one of a only a few that remain unimpressed by the legendary walking one night stand that is Travis. But he's been told she's off limits, he isn't even Abby's type.
The two form a strange, destructive and volatile friendship. Abby is emotionally unstable, and Travis is violent and possessive, but together they seem like just what the other one needs.
This is the companion novel to Beautiful Disaster, as told from the viewpoint of Travis, the male protagonist. I wasn't particularly thrilled when Reading Beautiful Disaster, as I couldn't see past the behavior of Travis, setting back women's rights by decades. For a fleeting moment when reading the opening chapter about Travis as a boy losing his mother, left me feeling slightly guilty, that perhaps the story from his point of view might give readers a better understanding of what makes Travis tick... But no.
Once you start reliving his relentless pursuit of Abby, his violent and possessive outbursts, I can't understand how any woman could find that remotely attractive. Any man who insists on owning you like a possession, treating you as if you were a plaything or an conquest, should have his testicles sliced from his body. It is not endearing, it's not romantic, it's psychotic.
I like Jamie McGuire's style of writing, it flows easily and the characters dialogue is realistic, but I loathe Travis Maddox with a passion that I typically reserve for people who are cruel to animals, door knockers trying to convince me to switch power providers and North Korean dictators.
Walking Disaster
(Beautiful: Book Two)
Written By Jamie McGuire
Published: 02 / 04 / 2013
He makes good girls...bad.
Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best - a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag - and - tag.
Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:
Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.
Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector… And uncover emotions deeply buried.
Dante Walker isn't hot, he's sex on two legs and boy will he make you want to be bad.
Dante is The Collector. He works for the devil himself, nicknamed the Boss Man. He encourages mortals to sin, to blemish their soul. When you've been naughty, he collects your soul to take downstairs, and you're left living an empty life. He's good at what he does, he has a body built for sin, but he has one last assignment before the Boss Man will promote him.
Charlie.
Charlie is a mouse of a girl. She's not popular, she's socially awkward and physically plain, but she is pure of heart and her soul is virtually untouched. So what does Boss man want with her soul? Dante quickly establishes himself as a fixture in Charlie's life, he has only 10 days to collect her soul, but it's not as easy as he expected it to be.
Charlie signs a soul contract under false pretenses, she thinks her soul will be obtained by the big guy upstairs. She's entitled to several wishes that result in sinful seals being added to her pure soul, as she wishes for beauty, Dante starts to realise that Charlie is more than just the natural and socially awkward girl.
This girl is destined to change the world, and Dante. But will she want to when she learns who Dante really is?
Dante is easily one if the hottest young adult characters to date, in the same category as Kaiden from the Sweet Evil series, and Daemon from the Lux series. He's obnoxious, he's overconfident and he'll set your pages on fire. Easily the most anticipated new series of 2013, you'll fall in love with Charlie, she's a beautiful young lady who has a sweet and naive innocence.
The next in the series just can't be released soon enough!
The Collector
(Dante Walker: Book One)
Written By Victoria Scott
Published: 25 / 03 / 2013
269 Pages
269 Pages
If seventeen-year old Seth Bradson were to describe his life in two words, those would be the two he’d choose. Seth prefers to cope with his crappy existence by spending his days in a drug induced haze. But when Ali Carson steps into his life, Seth finds something he’s subconsciously been seeking - a new drug, one that consumes his mind unlike any other.
Love.
In a moment of unforgivable weakness, Seth allows Ali to try crystal meth, his most addictive temptation. This single event begins the unraveling of both their lives and forces Seth to learn the definition of regret the hard way
Shattered Soul is the story of Seth, high school student and drug user. Seth is bright, charismatic an am addict. He uses to numb the pain in his life. His mother is an alcoholic, when she isn't drunk or has passed out, she's only a few drinks shy of being unconscious. Seth's older brother is a drug dealer, taking after their father who left them when Seth was only seven years old.
Seth lives his life at home trying to blend into the shadows, he knows that one wrong move could mean the difference between living the meager life he has, or his brother beating him to within an inch of his life, so he chooses to take the abuse, for the fear of the repercussions otherwise.
The only bright light in his life is the beautiful Ali. Ali represents purity in Seth's dark world, but the night when she tries Crystal Meth for the first time, neither Seth or Ali understand the true significance, or where it will end.
I was shocked reading Shattered Soul. It's like no young adult novel I've ever read before, and are unlikely to again. It's emotionally draining and Jennifer Snyder is a storyteller not interested in sugar coating her characters. It's confronting, to the point of making you feel uncomfortable, but it's gripping and that's exactly what you expect from a plot that contains heavy drug usage, alcoholism and abuse. I assumed that this was just another book with a bad boy as the main character, meeting the neglected and troubled girl from the wealthy family, who ultimately sets him on the straight and narrow... Oh heavens, was I wrong!
Not for the faint of heart.
Shattered Soul
Written By Jennifer Synder
Published: 14 / 02 / 2012
269 Pages
269 Pages
Jennifer Snyder lives in North Carolina were she spends most of her time writing young adult fiction, reading, and struggling to stay on top of housework. She is an instant coffee lover with an obsession for spiral bound notebooks and smooth writing pens. Jennifer lives with her husband and two children, who endure listening to songs that spur inspiration on repeat and tolerate her love for all paranormal, teenage-targeted TV shows. Read more about Jen at:
Cami Wimberley has a plan, and that plan includes no room for boys - especially the big time party animal, Hunter Wilder, no matter how handsome and charismatic he is. She’s beautiful, a senior, extremely talented, gets good grades, and is working her way toward her dream college to be a musical theater major. Everything is perfect.
Hunter Wilder does not want a girlfriend - that would complicate his life way too much right now. He especially doesn’t want this girl, Miss Goody Two Shoes, so how come he can’t keep his eyes off her? He tries to keep her at arms length, but fate seems to keep pushing them together. Before long, it’s obvious to everyone they’re crushing on each other.
As sparks begin to fly, Hunter finds himself sinking deeper and deeper into hot water. Soon he’s scrambling to keep Cami from discovering his dark secret - one that can destroy their entire relationship
Cami is a seventeen year old nerd by association. She's beautiful, intelligent and the new kid at school, Hunter, is flirting with her. She's heard about his womanising, party boy lifestyle, who's supposedly heavily into the local drug scene. Her best friend Clay is always handy to point out Hunter's reputation if need be.
It's love at first sight, the moment Hunter sees Cami on school grounds. Like a moth to a flame, he knows he needs to keep his distance. She isn't part of his plan. So when the two find themselves thrown together during classes, he is mesmerised by her. Cami knows Hunter is keeping secrets, but understands that he needs time. It doesn't help that Clay is determined to undermine their relationship, reminding her that Hunter is a user of both women and drugs.
Cami is scared that Hunter will share the fate of the last popular school jock. She'll never forget that fateful night, when he died at the dance of an overdose, being the sole person he staggered towards for help, before collapsing. That night still haunts her.
Something isn't right. Cami is oblivious, but Hunter knows more than he's letting on. He cant tell her... Yet, but when he finally does, will she ever trust him again?
I thought this was simply another contemporary teen romance, it wasn't until I reached halfway through that it became apparent that this story was anything but. It went from mediocre to intriguing and I simply had to finish it.
A shocking twist that you can sense, but you won't know what to expect. If only the plot picked up earlier than in the second half, it could have been drawn out more. Surprising and entertaining.
Crush
(Crush: Book One)
Written By Lacey Weatherford
Published 20 / 10 / 2012
332 Pages
Written By Kelly Oram
Contemporary, Young Adult
Published December 11th 2012
360 Pages
Add to Goodreads
★★★
When Val Jensen gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.
After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.
As if becoming nationally recognised as Virgin Val isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.
How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?
Val is a virgin. Born to a teen mother who gave her up for adoption at the chance of a better life, leaves her with only a letter and a necklace with the letter V. Eighteen year old Val is a popular girl, not so much with the in crowd, but she had her best friend Cara and boyfriend Zach. Zach and Val have been dating for a few months, and have never discussed sex. He clearly assumed that, like most couples, the time would come where they would make the decision to take their relationship further, but Val is a virgin for a reason. She wont have sex until she is married. Once Val explains to Zach that she is waiting until marriage, he dramatically breaks off their relationship, and that's where the real story begins.
The rumours are spreading through the school like wildfire. Zach, with his male pride in tatters, implies that he and Val did indeed have sex, and the experience was horrible, hence the breakup. Usually polite and quiet Val would push her feelings aside, but decides that she has had enough of being mocked and makes a brash announcement. Standing on a table top, shouting to the students that Zach is a liar, she is a virgin and proud to be waiting until marriage. If that wasn't mortifying enough, someone has filmed her outburst and posted it on Youtube... Where she is fast becoming known as Virgin Val.
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Kyle! Kyle is a so called Bad Boy rock star. More of a smart mouthed flirt than the bad boy cliche. Kyle takes an interest in Val, which in turn increases Val's popularity. Before she knows it, she's known as the 'V for Virgin' ambassador, has her own jewellery line and supports both the right to retain your virginity and abstinence. Kyle isn't making her life easy, he writes songs about her, blogs about her and confesses that he would do just about anything for a chance to have her V card.
When Val's world starts to crumble, overwhelmed, overworked and on the verge of being friendless, can Kyle show her that he is interested in more than Val's purity and that she's worth waiting for
Fresh and funny in parts but I was lost somewhere within the true meaning of the story. Was that it is better to wait until your in love or care about the person? Well, yes, that goes without saying. But there was no opposing voice, that it is alright to have sex, the world wont end. As long as it's your decision and your not coerced. Zach's character was supposedly the voice of reason towards the end, but it wasn't a very strong point at all. A bit too one sided for me.
Val was likable in the beginning, but her virgin crusade became more of a constant lecture of not supporting the cause. If that's your prerogative to wait until your married, more power to you, you go girl and other various cliched motivational sayings, but it's not for everyone. I just found her annoying by the end.
Everneath Book Two
Written By Brodi Ashton
Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Published January 22nd 2013
384 Pages
Add to Goodreads
★★★☆
Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity, a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.
Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.
Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack, even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.
In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.
Two months ago, the Tunnels of the underworld came for Nikki Beckett. That night, Nikki's boyfriend, Jack, made the ultimate sacrifice. All Nikki wants is to save Jack before it's too late. All Cole wants is to find his queen - and he thinks Nikki is the one. Both determined, both desperate, Nikki and Cole form a tense alliance, leading them on a dangerous journey to The Heart of The Everneath.
Everbound continues after the Everneath cliffhanger, where Jack is still in the tunnels after sacrificing himself to save Nikki from the same fate. Through connected dreams, Nikki can feel Jack starting to slip away and knows she needs to return to the Everneath to find him... Before It's too late.
Her father has her in therapy, and Jack's mother is livid and blames Nikki for her son's disappearance. After attempting Jack's rescue by herself, she needs to enlist the help of Cole. He reluctantly agrees, and along with Max, they navigate the Everneath 'rings', with only her tether to Jack to guide them. To maintain their connection, Nikki must remember memories of Jack and there are flashbacks to Nikki and Jack's relationship, in which Cole doesn't seem too fond of.
Everbound ends with a shocking twist that I didn't see coming, so fans will have to wait in agony for the final book. It's a good read, not great though. I blame the dreaded 'middle book syndrome'. What I did notice was how often the characters would remark, you should know this or you know this, it felt as though they were talking in broken English at times and became annoying. All up, a good read and a significant ending that will leave you shell shocked.
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