Review: Bad Boy Rock Star by Candy J. Star

Bad Boy Rock Star by Candy J. Starr
Series: Bad Boy Rock Star #1
Genre: New Adult / Romance
Length: 197 pages
Published on 18th November 2013
Free: Amazon / B&N
Candy J Starr: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Received from Xpresso Book Tours

Synopsis:
Hannah Sorrento never planned to be a band manager. She’s a princess and the toughest obstacle she's had in life is finding shoes to match her outfit.

Then her father disappears leaves her with only the money in her purse and a management contract for hot, indie band, STORM. She plans to sell the contract, one way or another, then pack up her designer wardrobe and head back to law school.

But lead singer, Jack Colt, has other ideas. She's never met a man like him before. His raw sexuality is messing with her head and her heart... and a lot of other body parts.

With the help of crazy rock chick, Angie, Hannah sets the band on their first steps to the big time and learns to survive on her own.

But this isn’t some game - soon the threat that Hannah fears most becomes reality.

Jack Colt - he’s arrogant and infuriating but he’s the one that’s there for Hannah when her world comes crashing down. With secrets of his own, will Jack Colt save Hannah or destroy her?

Bad Boy Rock Star is the first book in a series of three. Rock Star vs Millionaire, the second book, is due for release in early 2014.

Nope. Big fat NOPE.

I shelved this as DNF so quickly it should be a sin. I'd read 1% and warning signs were flashing everywhere.
 
After reading 1 and a half pages I was under the impression that they weren't supposed to be kissing because of a friendship or work related relationship which is why the female protagnist was worrying about it.

Then the next half calmly presented itself with the quote below, and wanted me to be happy about it.

"I didn't want him kissing me. I didn't want his flesh against mine."

Surely she's kissing someone that isn't the main love interst, right? No I double checked and its the same guy on the blurb.

But I chose to ignore these warning signs and pushed forth, until I had read 4 pages.

4 pages to provide me with

"But he's not even given me the chance to say no.
I wanted to slap his face for daring to pounce on me like that."

"Eyes that mocked me with a look that said he could take what he wanted from me any time."

and that is the moment I tried my very hardest to suceed in angrily shutting the kindle app on my phone, which turns out isn't really possible so I added in a huff and slammed my phone on the bed too.

I understand the title is "Bad Boy Rock Star" but being a rapist/sexual abuser is not the kind of bad boy I'm willing to read further about and supposed to be thinking dreamily of. No can do. Sorry.

Please Note: I did recieve this for part of a book tour when I first started university but I had to pull out due to being overwhelmed with how busy university was, I guess that worked out well considering how strongly I didn't like four pages.

Did not finish - 1 star / 5 stars

DNF Review: All He Saw Was The Girl by Peter Leonard

All He Saw Was The Girl by Peter Leonard

Published: 15th May 2012 by The Story Plant
Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Page Count: 290
Format: eBook
Source: Book Tour

Synopsis: Rome:
McCabe and Chip, two American exchange students, are about to become embroiled with a violent street gang, a beautiful Italian girl, and a flawed kidnapping plan.

Detroit:
Sharon Vanelli’s affair with Joey Palermo, a Mafia enforcer, is about to be discovered by her husband, Ray, a secret service agent.

Brilliantly plotted and shot through with wry humor, ALL HE SAW WAS THE GIRL sees these two narratives collide in the backstreets of Italy’s oldest city.

Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon* / TBD* / B&N / Kobo

Peter Leonard: Website | Facebook | Goodreads
*When purchasing through these links, I will receive a small amount, I will put any money earned towards hosting a giveaway.

Review:
Did Not Finish
1 / 5 Stars
I first received this book two years ago, it was the first book I ever agreed to review as part of a book tour and I felt terrible that I just couldn't get into it that I promised I'd give it ago at a later date.

Well this year was the later date and yet again it just didn't grip me, back then I should've known I wouldn't finish it even after time had passed but I also was very stubborn and refused to acknowledge "did not finish" could be a thing.

The reason I agreed to this tour was because I was still very much in love with Rome, I always will be, I had a great time being there and I wanted to read a book set there to see how they'd portray the two cities and whether they'd connect.

After reading two chapters and then finding myself skimming the words I realised I just couldn't do it, nothing grabbed my attention and hooked me, it was simply a chore.

I've seen the book have some good reviews and I'm upset that I didn't get to see this part of the book, but alas I just couldn't connect.

Review: With Zombies by Michael F. Stewart

Assured Destruction: With Zombies by Michael F. Stewart

Published: 31st March 2014 
Genre: Young Adult / MysterySeries: Assured Destruction #3
Page Count: ?
Format: eBook
Source: Michael F Stewart via Xpresso Book Tours

Synopsis: The final book in the Assured Destruction series!

Jan Rose may already be expunged from the police department's High Tech Crime Unit. Her mother's hospitalized, and Assured Destruction's on the cusp of bankruptcy. But Jan doesn't wait on anything, she seeks out the customers who used to keep the family business afloat. That's when everything starts to go wrong.

A computer virus--aka the Zombie Worm--threatens not only her school and Shadownet, but the entire city. A skull with a chain running through its socket links a powerful gang to her former customers, and holds the secrets to why her father left and the identity of her mother's boyfriend.

To save her family and the business, Jan must determine who is friend and who is foe. And decide what type of hacker she wishes to become: Gray, white, or black. Not only her life hangs in the balance.

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon UK* / Amazon US / Smashwords / TBD / B&N / Kobo

Michael F. Stewart: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

*When purchasing through this link, I will receive a small amount, once I have enough saved up I will put it towards a giveaway.

Review of books one and two can be found here.

Review:
4 / 5 stars

So here we go, third and final book of the Assured Destruction series. Did you see that? I started and finished a series in the same year, now to tackle all the others on my list ha.

With Zombies is a strong finale to the series, which only backs up the points I've made about the other books. 

It continued to wrap up loose ends, develop characters that would have otherwise been in the shadows and provided a well told story even with Jan's unbalanced emotions.

And whilst I really enjoyed this series I do also believe it could have worked as one larger standalone. But having it as three doesn't diminish my love for it.

A lot happens within this last book and of course anything I talk about here on forth will be a spoiler for its predecessors.

With Zombies doesn't waste a moment and dives in where it left off, Jan back home, fuzzy on medicine, Mum in hospital and waiting on Jonny.

Something that I really liked about this was that things didn't just magically start getting better or easier for Janus, they got more difficult in fact and she ended up suffering rather badly for it - nothing that a few weeks in hospital couldn't solve. 

But it was there. It was real. Showing how a real person in every day life would have reacted too all the pressure Jan had been under lately.

I really liked it. Something so simple but just so right.

Whilst dealing with her own and her mum's not-so-good health, she also has to become a seller for a cure for a current zombie virus, findi out the truth about her Dad leaving, find out the secrets her Mum's current interest may have, possibly infiltrate a hacker gang and well you know, on top of all this, attend school accordingly.

Oh and find out what to do now she lost her home.

So as I said a lot happens but the best thing is, everything is tied up. 

There are sad moments and happy moments and over all a very pleasing end to the trilogy.

In my opinion, this series is definitely worth reading, especially seeing as though they're fairly short and are easy to dive in and out whilst schooling is coming to an end.

Series Review: Assured Destruction by Michael F. Stewart & Giveaway

Assured Destruction by Michael F. Stewart

Published: 22nd March 2013 by Non Sequltur Press
Genre: Young Adult / Mystery
Series: Assured Destruction #1
Page Count: 185
Format: eBook
Source: Xpresso Book Tours

Synopsis: You can learn a lot about someone looking through their hard drive...

Sixteen-year-old Jan Rose knows that nothing is ever truly deleted. At least, not from the hard drives she scours to create the online identities she calls the Shadownet.

Hobby? Art form? Sad, pathetic plea to garner friendship, even virtually? Sure, Jan is guilty on all counts. Maybe she’s even addicted to it. It’s an exploration. Everyone has something to hide. The Shadownet’s hard drives are Jan’s secrets. They're stolen from her family’s computer recycling business Assured Destruction. If the police found out, Jan’s family would lose its livelihood. 

When the real people behind Shadownet’s hard drives endure vicious cyber attacks, Jan realizes she is responsible. She doesn’t know who is targeting these people or why but as her life collapses Jan must use all her tech savvy to bring the perpetrators to justice before she becomes the next victim.

"Stewart seamlessly incorporates the fast-paced world of social media into a unique writing style that perfectly captures the world of a modern teen. Janus’ complicated web of computer networks is intricate enough to leave readers thoroughly engrossed by her hacking acumen while remaining accessible to even the least tech-savvy readers. Many teenage girl readers will find unconventional, strong Janus to be an intriguing role model, but as a clever, talented and often slightly dark hacker, she transcends gender stereotypes and will find fans among teen boy readers as well.

Goodreads

Free: Amazon UK* / Amazon US / Smashwords / B&N / Kobo

*When purchasing through this link, I will receive a small amount, once I have enough saved up I will put it towards a giveaway.

Review: 

4 / 5 stars

I've been lucky enough to receive all three books of the Assured Destruction series in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours, this will in no way effect my opinion of the book.

The opening to this book really hooked me, the introduction to Janus, her computer identities and her mum was great and as I was reading it on my kindle it also provided links to all the correct sites and twitter accounts which I found to be a great added bonus.

The computers represent different sides of Janus in a way, though its not as extreme as her having multiple personalities, just that she enjoys to fabricate personalities/friends to tell her opinions from different point of views whilst having a conversation with herself/them via twitter.

The whole thing is brilliant, I enjoyed it so much.

Of course she also has to attend school which  is never easy for anyone, especially when there seems to be drama following two of your classmates who's hard drive are now part of your computer network... that were supposed to be destroyed. Ooops.

Janus finds herself being targeted by a fellow hacker who takes down her network with a virus and reveals the secrets hidden in her recycled hard drives.

But who? and why?

Things get troublesome very quickly especially when she notices there could be more than one suspect in this mystery.

Once my own university work wasn't keeping me up late not reading, I was hooked to this book and couldn't put it down, I really enjoyed Janus' voice throughout - her personality was clear and never slipped up.

The development between herself and a few key characters were enjoyable too which leave you wandering how things will progress in the next book but also what other trouble will she land herself in, given how this book ends too.

What's even better is that I didn't find the book predictable, it told the story great and gave away just enough detail to keep you guessing all the possibilities without ever being right.

Please keep in mind that the book is only 185 pages and I like to keep my reviews spoiler free, there is a lot I want to talk about because the author only uses those 185 pages to benefit the story, everything is tidied up well and you're not left with any huge cliff hangers.

Script Kiddie by Michael F. Stewart

Published: 31st August 2013 by Non Sequitur Press

Genre: Young Adult / Mystery

Series: Assured Destruction #2

Page Count: 212
Format: eBook
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Synopsis: Jan Rose no longer steals data from the old computers she recycles. She doesn't need to. As the newest member of the police department’s High Tech Crime Unit, the laptop of a murderer has landed on her desk. Her job: to profile and expose a killer.

But that’s not all.

A creep lurks in the shadows, stalking a friend, and Jan must stop him before the hunt turns deadly. The clock counts down for Jan to save her friend, her job, her boyfriend--maybe even her life.

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon UK* / Amazon US / Smashwords / B&N / Kobo

*When purchasing through this link, I will receive a small amount, once I have enough saved up I will put it towards a giveaway.

Review: 

4 / 5 stars

*spoilers likely for first books*

As mentioned I received all three books of the Assured Destruction series in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours, this will in no way effect my opinion of the book.

Ever worry about taking a break from a series and worrying about not remembering what happened?

Fear not, Script Kiddie picks up shortly after where Assured Destruction finished and if that is not good enough well as this story progresses it drops a few reminders about key events from the previous. This is so helpful especially after long hours painting.

Janus' introduction to becoming a police sidekick doesn't quiet go as smoothly as planned, one of the officers has already taken to her badly and well the other, whilst she supports her, Janus just finds herself doing everything but what they wanted, even with all her good intentions.

Upon returning to school she's faced with a surprise science test, which can only go so well when you've been in hospital for a few weeks, and Hannah wanting her help with a very secretive and delicate subject matter than only Janus could handle.

Only can Janus handle tracking down a paedophile, removing the evidence he has of Hannah and shutting him down for good on her own?

Not to mention realising just how much money troubles her mums having back home, surely this is too much for one kid to handle, especially when she starts to have doubts about her own hacking skills, is she at best a Script Kiddie?

Initially everything seems downhill for Janus and I think that is why I keep coming back to this book and enjoying it so much, she is real life person and can only handle so much at once much like everyone else. She isn't a Superhero or Princess, she doesn't posses magical abilities - just knows her way around coding more than others around her.

Yet she doesn't give up, she keeps going until she manages to solve as much as she's able. Even if she leaves a bit of destruction in her path.

Like joining an online hacker forum that may be more dangerous than she realises. Even if she is only there to ask for advice.

Anyhow Janus does end up finding herself in more trouble than last time, if that is even possible, but the development of her character continues and I loved every page of it.

I only hope we get more of a development on Jonny (her boyfriend) and Peter (her mums boyfriend) because I now find that after two books they're not touched upon as much as I'd like them to be considering how much is unknown about one of them.

I look forward to the third, such a great and easy to read series.

Author Bio

Michael F. Stewart

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

After crewing ships in the Antarctic and the Baltic Sea and some fun in venture capital, Michael anchored himself (happily) to a marriage and a boatload of kids. Now he injects his adventurous spirit into his writing with brief respites for research into the jungles of Sumatra and Guatemala, the ruins of Egypt and Tik’al, paddling the Zambezi and diving whatever cave or ocean reef will have him. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers and SF Canada, and the author of the Assured Destruction series, 24 Bones, The Sand Dragon, Hurakan, Ruination and several award winning graphic novels for young adults. His most recent project, The Terminals, has been optioned for television by Sudden Storm Entertainment.

Michael lives in Ottawa, Canada with his wife and four daughters. He tries very hard to keep life an adventure both on and off the page. Please come find me on Goodreads.

Giveaway

Open INTL

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to follow the tour by clicking this link!
Please note my review of the third book will be up by the end of this week, university moved forward deadlines leaving me less time than I had planned to read the last book in time, apologise.

Reap by Christina Channelle - Book Tour Review + Giveaway

Reap by Christina Channelle

Published: 11th October by Christina Channelle
Genre: Fantasy / Paranormal Romance / Young Adult
Page Count: 92
Format: eBook
Source: Girls Heart Books Tours

Synopsis: Foreign, or rather unfamiliar, would be the word I would use to describe how I felt.

Faintly, I could hear the glimmer of voices surrounding me in this dark haze, caressing my ears like skin against silk. I felt like I was in a cocoon of sorts, protectively enveloped, quietly drifting in some far-off place. I wanted to stay that way forever.

But we all know that what you want never really seems to happen in the real world.

Something’s not right in Mia’s head.

The first thing is that her name isn’t Mia. In fact, she has no clue what her name is—who she is. All that she knows is that she’s not like the ones who found her: Dante with his kind blue eyes, Amy with her child-like demeanor, James with his questioning gaze.

And Briggs.

The one she cannot decipher no matter how hard she tries.

As Mia tries to fit in with these people, a strange occurrence is amidst outside. And as she finally remembers who she is …

Well, let’s just say that things get a little more complicated.

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon UK* / Amazon US / B&N / Smashwords / iTunes

Review: 

4.5 / 5 stars

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Reap for part of a book tour hosted by Girls Heart Books Tours, this will in no way effect my opinion on the book.

I really couldn't pass up the opportunity to join this tour seeing as though I've read almost all of her other books already, and I'm glad that I didn't.

Reap is a novella, a story of only 92 pages, which of course makes it difficult for me to say too much without spoiling anything. Don't worry I shall try my best.

As Reap is split into parts, I shall split my review too. Hopefully this'll make things a little clearer.

Part One.

Lying on the floor. Dazed. No memory. No name. No sense of familiarity. 

This is how Mia awakes, how we awake, how the book starts. 

I really like this because the world and characters are getting introduced to both Mia and yourself at the same time, which makes it very easy to follow and relate because as she finds her ground, you too find yours.

Aside from Mia there are four other characters. Dante, Amy, James and Briggs. 

These become her unconventional family, and as the story progresses we see how her relationships with them develop. 

Particularly Dante. Whether or not you want to class this as insta-love or not is up to you, I'm leaning more towards the not because with it being a novella the time can jump quickly so whilst you can see them growing to like each other quickly (as in pages), at the same time it can be seen as weeks passing because obviously we're not getting a day to day account of Mia adjusting to her new lifestyle.

Oh and theres a few things I've not pointed out either, that are particularly important.

One, Mia can't speak.

Two, there is an unknown danger outside. (Okay it's not unknown to me any more, and you do find out what it is after about ...30 pages? but spoilers).

Due to this "unknown danger" and Briggs' very strange and off behaviour there is a lot of tension on questioning throughout the first, but of course also reading this from the point of view of a character with a lack of memory leads to this too!

Part Two.

This part is called remembering.

But it's not just about our Mia remembering her life from before waking up on the floor, it's actually set during that time.

So we are thrown back.

It's actually a little confusing because whilst we recognise it's Mia's life,  there is a lot of new things happening that don't quite knit neatly part one.

But it's great to see how strongly she has felt for certain people, to realise how deep love can run.

I really enjoyed this part. It seemed so full of life. (Ironically, I guess?) Probably due to how emotions are a very lively aspect. No matter how the effect us.

But luckily it does all get explained and linked up in part three.

Part Three.

Part three of which I can't review. It's the shortest part and it's where everything falls into place.

It would be far too spoiler worthy for me to utter a word from it, maybe even deathly.

Who knows what's out there. 

Excerpt:

I could hear the waves of the ocean crashing behind us, our feet buried in the warm sand, the grains getting between our toes. We held each other firmly, as if either one of us would instantly drop to the ground without the support of the other. His large hands gripped my waist, then loosened oh so slightly. He trailed his fingers up and down my sides, my body shivering in response. In return, I clutched the back of his neck and smiled against his skin. Showering tiny kisses along the column of his neck, I breathed in his intoxicating, familiar scent.

“You know, you’re eventually going to have to let me go,” his low voice rumbled over my head. 

Author Bio 
Christina Channelle
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

A dreamer, Christina Channelle holds two degrees in health sciences but has always had a passion for writing. You will find her reading other young adult novels, or typing up a new story on her computer. When not writing, Christina spends her free time at the movies, listening to music, or eating sushi. She’s a reality TV junkie and has a close relationship with many characters on TV that have been a topic of many heated discussions among friends. She resides in Ontario, Canada.

Giveaway
Print Copy of Reap + 4 Bookmarks - US ONLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*When purchasing through these link, Northern Plunder will receive a small amount, once I have enough saved up I will put it towards a giveaway.
Don't forget to follow the tour by clicking this link!

Burn Out by Ruthi Kight - Giveaway & Book Tour Review

Burn Out by Ruthi Kight

Published: 10th August by Ruthi Kight
Genre: New Adult
Page Count: 176
Format: eBook
Source: Girls Heart Books Tours

Synopsis: Pyromaniac. Murderer. Burn Out.

Ten years ago Delia's life went up in smoke. Literally. After a decade of hiding, she is forced back into the world. With only her wits to guide her, she must now figure out how to live in a town that knows her only as a murderer. Her family is gone. The people all hear her. She has nothing holding her in Sunny Shores... until she meets Liam. He's heard the stories. He knows he should stay away from her, but he's drawin to her like a moth to a flame.

Life seems to be looking up from them... until her past comes back like a bitch slap to the face.

Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon UK* / Amazon US

Review: 

4 / 5 stars

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of Burn Out for part of a book tour hosted by Girls Heart Books Tours, this will in no way effect my opinion on the book!

Surprisingly it was the cover that drew me into this book when I saw it needed more hosts (update: truly sorry for being a terrible one and missing my day!). I say surprisingly because I really do not like the colour pink and try my hardest to steer clear from it. However it works great in this cover and really pulled me in.

After reading the synopsis I was sold. I had questions and needed to know how and why a known murderer was forced to return to their old life.

I absolutely love that this book is not what it seems.

Burn Out introduces us to Delia during her last session with her therapist, and her last night in the mental asylum she has been locked away in for the last ten years.

A little different to what I expected from the synopsis but it was a nice surprise.

Delia leaves her prison, and returns to the only place she knows. Home. Sunny Shores.

Upon arriving she meets this drop dead gorgeous guy, Liam, who doesn't seem to care who she is or what she is supposed to have done. (The excerpt below is part of the scene where they first meet)

Liam welcomes her into his home after a day of somewhat getting to know each other, and the sparks between the continue to fly.

But this isn't what the story is about. Nope.

Its main focus is about Delia as she adjusts to this new life, the freedom, the lack of medication and trust from the town around her. But luckily she lands herself a job at the Surf shop and starts to piece herself back together.

Including some memories from that night long ago, memories she thought she wanted to keep buried with guilt. But is that so? Is there more she has forgotten about that night.

The chemistry between Liam and Delia continues throughout and I really like the growth of their not-quite relationship.

However they do have a tricky patch pretty early on about Liam's friend with benefits girl he has round and whilst he and Delia weren't exactly an item it was a bit of an odd thing to do and didn't really make sense, but this was pretty much the only flaw the book had for me.

But was it the only flaw Liam had? Maybe, hehe.

Maybe not.

As Delia comes closer to solving the puzzle that left her in a psych ward for ten years, things get tough and she has to face some demons from her past.

Do not expect a happily ever after though and whilst some have griped about this and been upset, I was actually really pleased with the ending and it seemed right to me.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and so far since moving to this new city, its the only book I've managed to get through. Kudos to you Ruthi.

Excerpt:

With my thoughts running amok, my cheeks began to feel warm, betraying me. The heat spread from one side to the other quickly, giving my face a nice rosy glow. He chuckled and I almost came apart. Did this man have any idea what that one small sound did to a girl? I bet he did, he had to, given his current shit-eating grin. There was no way that he couldn’t know. Guys like him knew they were walking fuck-me advertisements. 

“Careful. It’s a little too soon to fall for me.” He smiled, dimples and all, and I nearly lost it again. Dimples! I was in serious trouble already and I hadn’t been out of the loony bin for an hour yet. 

“Not likely,” I replied. I righted myself and leaned back casually. “Are you planning on being here long?” 

He quickly scanned my face, and then returned his focus to the book in his hands. “Not sure. Ask me again in an hour.” 

Argh! Infuriating and sexy as hell? Great combo. My head told me to walk away, but my traitorous body was trying to convince me to inch closer to him. With a quick scoot, I was mere inches from him, our legs nearly touching. 

“Whatcha reading?” I tried to get a look at the book, but he closed it before I could figure out what it was. 

“Homer.” 

“Simpson?” 

A slow grin spread across his face. “As in The Odyssey. Greek epic poem…ring any bells?” 

“No. The only Homer I know is married to a woman with a giant blue beehive.” 

With a shake of his head, he opened his book once again. “Sheltered?” 

His attitude was really starting to piss me off. “No. Unless you consider ten years in the wacky shack as sheltered.” I had expected my words to have some sort of impact. Nothing. He didn’t even flinch.

Author Bio 

Ruthi Kight

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Ruthi Kight currently lives in her home town of Columbia, SC, with her fiancée and five year old daughter. She has an unhealthy addiction to books, music, and chocolate, but not necessarily in that order. When her dream of being a rock star didn't work out, she focused on her other passion: writing. She is the author of Knotted Roots, a YA Coming of Age story, and is currently working on two other novels that are due out this year.

Giveaway!

Lots and lots, so enter below

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*When purchasing through these link, Northern Plunder will receive a small amount, once I have enough saved up I will put it towards a giveaway.

Don't forget to follow the tour by clicking this link!

My Ex From Hell by Tellulah Darling - Book Tour Review

My Ex From Hell by Tellulah Darling

Published: 1st April by Te Da Media
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Mytholog
Page Count: 272
Format: eBook
Source: Xpresso Book Tours

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Sophie Bloom wishes she’d been taught the following:
a) Bad boy’s presence (TrOuBlE) + teen girl’s brain (DraMa) = TrAuMa (Highly unstable and very volatile.)
b) The Genus Greekulum Godissimus is notable for three traits: 1) awesome abilities, 2) grudges, and 3) hook-ups, break-ups, and in-fighting that puts cable to shame.

Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie figures her worst problems involve adolescent theatrics, bitchy teen yoga girls, and being on probation at her boarding school for mouthy behaviour. Then she meets bad boy Kai and gets the kiss that rocks her world.

Literally.

This breath stealing lip lock reawakens Sophie’s true identity: Persephone, Goddess of Spring. She’s key to saving humanity in the war between the Underworld and Olympus, target numero uno of Hades and Zeus, and totally screwed.

Plus there’s also the little issue that Sophie’s last memory as Persephone was just before someone tried to murder her.

Big picture: master her powers, get her memories back, defeat Persephone’s would be assassin, and save the world. Also, sneak into the Underworld to retrieve stolen property, battle the minions of Hades and Zeus, outwit psycho nymphs, slay a dragon, rescue a classmate, keep from getting her butt expelled from the one place designed to keep her safe …

… and stop kissing Kai, Prince of the Underworld.

My Ex From Hell is a YA romantic comedy/Greek mythology smackdown. Love meets comedy with a whole lot of sass in book one of this teen fantasy romance series. Compared to Kai and Sophie, Romeo and Juliet had it easy.

Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon UK* / Amazon US / B&N / Kobo / TBD

Review: 

3 / 5 stars

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of My Ex From Hell for part of a book tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours, this will in no way effect my opinion on the book!

My Ex From Hell is about plain ol' regular Sophie Bloom at boarding school, with her best friends Hannah and Theo, and has the best Halloween prank planned to take down Queen Bee Bethany a notch or two.

This is where Sophie's regular life comes to a quick end.

On Halloween night she sneaks out to corrupt Bethany's current cute boys' opinion of her, only things don't exactly go to plan.

The boy in question is Kai, he's dreamy and giving off all kinds of bad boy vibes and gives Sophie a breathtaking kiss.

For real.

The kiss wakes up all kinds of memories that Sophie shouldn't have, but she does because uh-oh secrets loose now. She's actually Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Kai is the son of Hades. Recipe for disaster?

Well actually more like the recipe for ending Hades and Zeus' war against each other, but whilst Sophie starts regaining some of her memories from her life as Persephone, she doesn't remember everything and is fuzzy on some vital information - like who tried to kill her and what was the plan to stop Zeus and Hades all out war on Earth.

On her route to remembering she has some tricky obstacles to pass - including a Dragon - and of course school to study for (I'm super happy we actually got to see Sophie try and balance a normal life whilst trying to deal with being a Goddess, it made it more believable).

I really enjoyed the storyline, and the regaining of Sophie's previous memories, plus the whole dealing with a Dragon chapters were great. However there are a few things I didn't like which is why its stuck at three stars.

The sarcasm and humour that comes across in the beginning was light and great, but because every important character seemed to have some kind of sarcastic joke to say it became a little overbearing, however I think the sequel could potentionally loose some of the snark when Sophie has full memory, I'm hoping she will become  a whole new character you know? We'll get to see the Persephone side of her but that will create a new Sophie who is all Sophie and all Persephone, rather than just a bit of Persephone.

I also didn't really get Kai's fascination of Bethany but I'm thinking thats probably more to do with the fact we're seeing Bethany from Sophies point of view, and as she hates her then of course so do the readers.

I'm looking forward to the sequel a lot though, because it definitely has some lovely loose ends to tie up. I need questions answering so I'm hooked and I want to know more about the Kai that Persephone loved, not the mystery we've been dealing with.


Author Bio
Tellulah Darling
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

noun.

1. YA Novelist

2. Alter ego of former screenwriter and instructor

3. Sassy minx

Geeks out over: cool tech.

Squees for: great storytelling.

Delights in: fabulous conversation.

Writes about: where love meets comedy, awkwardness ensuses.

Giveaway!
1 x eBook copy of My Ex from Hell (INT)
All you need to do to enter is follow Northern Plunder (any method of your choice), leave a comment telling me how, a way to contact you and answer the following question:

If you could be any of the Gods from Greek Mythology, who would you be and why?
Giveaway closes on October 18th

*When purchasing through these link, Northern Plunder will receive a small amount, once I have enough saved up I will put it towards a giveaway.
Don't forget to follow the tour by clicking this link!

No One's Angels by Kelly Walker - Book Tour Review

No One's Angel by Kelly Walker

Published: 6th (or 17th) September by Kelly Walker
Genre: New Adult / Contemporary / Romance
Page Count: 390
Format: eBook
Source: Xpresso Book Tours

Synopsis: Tess used to spend more hours than she'd care to admit playing her favorite computer game, using the nickname Angel. She could pretend her life was different, and she could pretend Arion was just a friend. But a girl needs more to keep her warm at night than pixels, and she traded her virtual heaven for a real-life hell. Now she's on the run from a past she won't talk about, and the only place she has to go is the doorstep of the friend she's never actually met.

When Angel disappeared from their nightly games, it nearly destroyed Arion. He threw himself into work and women, but he can't help knowing the one-night stands will never compare to the angel who haunts his dreams. At first, when she shows up soaking wet and scared-shitless on his doorstep, he thinks his prayers have been answered.

But the more Arion tries to keep Angel close, the more her fear drives her away. If they are ever going to have a chance for a future, they'll first have to deal with the past that hasn't forgotten her any more than she's forgotten it--and Arion will have to learn how to let her go.

Content Warning: Due to adult sexual situations and language, this novel may not be appropriate for readers under 18. 

Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon UK* / Amazon US / B&N / Kobo

Review: 

5 / 5 stars

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of No One's Angel for part of a book tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours, this will in no way effect my opinion on the book!

First up I want to point out that not only does this have strong language and scenes of a sexual nature, but I guess it may also need trigger warnings. So heads up before I start the review.

Trigger Warnings: Refers to past rape and domestic abuse / contains attempted rape / contains abuse

I'm sorry if any of that comes off spoilery but I'm not going to start reviewing the book without giving my readers specific trigger warnings.

No One's Angel is about Tess (ign: Angel) as she runs away from her past to her gaming friend Axel (ign: Arion) for help. I picked up pretty much straight away that something terrible had happened to Tess from the way she was acting and behaving but I was glad she was seeking help, well, escaping from it all.

Seeking help and safety from Axel didn't just turn out to be a good idea, but it also opened up a rather large can of worms of their old friendship and feeling, and what they both had to deal with during their year apart. I think what I enjoyed most is that as a gamer I understand how easy it is to form strong friendships with people like this (though there is very different from any of mine) and that the information and back story of both the main characters is dished out slowly, which kept me invested deeply.

Whilst their friend/relationship isn't perfect, its truly a heart warming tale. Both characters have their faults, and both of their faults boil down to the same thing - not being able too or willing to talk - and its understanding why neither of them were an open book to begin with. It was nice seeing they had faults because it made them even more human.

Basically I loved reading this book from open to close and I really recommend it to anyone willing to battle through the trigger warnings mentioned earlier, what Tess has had to go through and eventually deal with again really tore my heart out but it was great to see just how strong she became during her time with Axel.

What moved me the most is each chapter is underlined by who is speaking, we get some from Angel and some from Arion, but at the end we get chapters from Tess and I loved how it symbolised her healing and moving on in life. How she was ready to be herself and not hide behind a game character, or think she has to live up to said game characters strengths, that she found her own strength.

*gushes* I really really loved this okay? Okay.

Author Bio
Kelly Walker
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Kelly Walker is a YA and NA author of several romantic titles, including the Souls of the Stones series. She has an unhealthy appreciation for chocolate, and a soft spot for rescued animals. Her best lessons on writing came from a lifetime of reading. She loves the fantastical, and the magical, and believes a captivating romance can be the most realistic magic of all. Kelly, her husband and her two children share their Virginia home with three dogs who walk her, and two cats who permit her to occasionally share their couch.

Giveaway!
Grand Prize: Mug, Magnet, Bookmark and Signed Paperback
Smaller Prizes: 3 x Small Swag Packs (Bookmark, Magnet, Signed Cover Prints)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*When purchasing through these link, Northern Plunder will receive a small amount, once I have enough saved up I will put it towards a giveaway.
Don't forget to follow the tour by clicking this link and No One's Angel is on sale until the tour ends!