Book: Five Ways To Fall by K.A. Tucker

Published June 2014 by Atria Books|343 pages

Where I Got It: the Nook store

Series: Ten Tiny Breaths #4

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

You can find Five Ways To Fall on goodreads & you can find K.A. Tucker on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…

What I Thought:

I’m really sad to see this series come to an end, because I’ve really loved this series!  But I am glad to see Ben’s story, and I liked it more than I expected.

I loved that characters from the previous books made appearances in this one, and while I vaguely remember Ben from their stories, I’m actually glad he got his own book.  I loved the first 2 books, and really liked the third- which didn’t have that special something the first two had.  Five Ways To Fall brought that something special back.

I just loved Ben and Reese together.  They really have an interesting relationship, and I just loved how their relationship developed over the course of the series.  I also loved that the book was narrated by both Ben and Reese, and I loved getting to know both of them.  I especially loved the relationship Ben had with his mom and the relationship that Reese had with her step-dad Jack.  Especially Reese and Jack, because he took care of her even though he was no longer married to her mom. But seeing Ben and his mom showed that he really is a good guy, and why he acts the way he does.

And I really wish that Reese and Kacey met more, because there’s something about Reese that really reminded me of Kacey. I like to think they’d be fabulous friends, and they really would get along quite nicely. I really felt for Reese, and she’s definitely a survivor.  You can’t help but get drawn into her story and I really wanted her to come out on top!  (And up with Ben, of course).

It did get me emotionally at the end, but there were some really funny moments too!  Reese and Ben together were hysterical at times, but it works.  I really couldn’t ask for a better couple to end this series with.

Let’s Rate It:

I really liked Five Ways To Fall- not as much as Ten Tiny Breaths or One Tiny Lie, but more than Four Seconds To Lose.  I loved Ben and Reese’s story,  but I do wish we got more of Ben’s story, since the main focus seemed to be Reese.  Which is fine, since I really love her, but I was expecting a bit more of Ben.  Five Ways To Fall gets 4 stars.

Book: Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike

Published July 2013 by Penguin|282 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Earthbound #1

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find Earthbound on goodreads & Aprilynne Pike on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told. Tavia will soon to discover that she’s an Earthbound—someone with the ability to create matter out of nothing—and that she alone holds the key to stopping the Reduciata, an evil society that manipulates global events for its own shadowy purposes. Tavia will ultimately have to make a choice: to come into her powers and save the world from the evil Reduciata or to choose free will and a love of her own.

What I Thought:

After reading Pike’s Wings series, I’ve been looking forward to reading anything new she had coming out, and so I started off with Earthbound.  Which is very different than Wings, but in a good way!

It’s a really interesting take on the paranormal, and I like the idea of people being Earthbound.  I liked the addition of the Reduciata and the good guys (I just wish I could remember who they were).  I liked that small details were added throughout the book, and that you had a fairly decent sense of the “mythology” of the world by the end of the book. Granted, I wanted to know more, but you learn things as Tavia learns things, so I’m sure there’s a lot more to come in terms of world-building.  I just wish the towns had more description to them, because I couldn’t get a good feel for them, and it was hard to picture.

There is quite the love triangle in Earthbound, which does make sense by the end of the book.  It definitely made the book more interesting, once things started unraveling.  But I also didn’t particularly care for either guy, and they really didn’t stand out a lot.  Still, I’m curious to see how things go with Logan, given what we know about this world.

Still, I felt like things were all over the place, and I felt like things were a tad uneven.  There were definitely some things I should have predicted, since they were pretty obvious.  But the plot is different enough that I’m willing to overlook the obviousness of some things.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked the mystery in Earthbound, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book to see where things go. I didn’t love it, but it’s definitely interesting.  Earthbound gets 3 stars.  

Book: Tirade by Cambria Hebert

Self-Published by Cambria Hebert in November 2012|396 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Heven & Hell #3

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find Tirade on goodreads & Cambria Hebert on Twitter, Facebook, and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Betrayal burns. Death hurts and the clock ticks…

Minutes and hours stretch into days. How long can Sam survive being confined in Hell? I have a plan… a plan with a lot of holes. I need someone who can make up for my weaknesses, someone who possesses the power that I lack. Riley is supposed to be off limits. He’s dangerous, he’s mean and he’s not to be trusted. But I do. 

Beelzebub is on a tirade, bent on revenge. I took what he wants and sent him into the flames. I will wear the scars of his punishments forever. But scars don’t scare me anymore.

On my way to free Sam I find my true path, a secret place and new allies. But in Hell nothing is easy… and everything is cruel. The only thing left to do is survive.

What I Thought:

One thing I’ve really liked about this series from the very beginning is how unique it is!  I liked Tirade, but not as much as I was hoping.  Still, it’s an interesting addition to the series, given everything that happens.

I’ve really come to care about Heven and Sam, and I just want Sam to be okay.  Same with Heven, and I think they’re such interesting characters, especially with everything that we’ve learned about Heven so far.  I didn’t see that coming but I knew there was something more to her character and the Supernatural Treasure angle. I’m glad we got to know Sam’s brother better, and I really felt for him in this book, mostly because we got to know the real Logan better.  And I just love how important Heven’s grandma is to her, because she really is more of a mother to Heven than Heven’s own mother.  And if there’s something I love, it’s grandparent-grandchild relationships.

I wasn’t expecting the possibility of a love triangle, but I don’t think it will turn into a full-blown love triangle. Which is good, because I can’t imagine Heven with anyone except Sam.  I’m still not sure what to think about Riley, but I do feel like I understand him a little bit better.  I’m actually curious as to how the end of the book will factor into the next book.

We spend quite a bit of the book in hell, and I really liked Hebert’s vision of hell- a dark, dreary barren place, and not the flames you’d expect.  Overall, this book is a bit darker than the previous two, and it makes me wonder if the next book will be darker, and how everything will turn out.

I didn’t like the dual narration as much as I did in the last book, but it still worked well for the book, given Sam’s in hell and Heven’s not.  It really does give you perspective on what’s going on with both Heven and Sam.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked Tirade, but it kind of seemed like it was bridging the gap between the first two books and the last book.  It’s definitely different than a lot of the other paranormal books I’ve read, and I’m looking forward to reading the next (and last) book. Tirade gets 3 stars.

Book: City Of Glass by Cassandra Clare

Published March 2009 by Margaret K. McElderberry Books|413 pages

Where I Got It: nook store

Series: Mortal Instruments #3

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find City Of Glass on goodreads & Cassandra Clare on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters — never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and her best friend, Simon, has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight. 

As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City — whatever the cost? 

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling The Mortal Instruments.

What I Thought:

I can’t believe I’m halfway through this series already!  So far, the series has been pretty constant, which is good, because I have a general idea of what to expect, but at the same time, I keep hoping for something unexpected to happen.

Jace and Clary finally learn they are not siblings after all (which isn’t that surprising), and who her real brother is.  And at least Jace and Clary can be together without the ick factor of being related.  Those two things were pretty predictable, and it was a matter of when they would be revealed.  And I can’t remember if we see Clary’s mother when she’s not in a coma or whatever (if we do, it’s totally not memorable).  I’m not sure how I feel about her, because I’ve gotten used to her not being around.

In order to save Clary’s mother, we finally get to go to the City Of Glass.  Sadly, I wasn’t impressed with this city that’s supposed to be amazing.  I’m not sure if it’s because of all of the build-up surrounding the City or it just wasn’t described very well (because it wasn’t, in my opinion) or if it’s just because we spent of the book in a couple places.  Or some combination of factors.

There’s a lot of action, and there is also quite the battle as Valentine continues his quest to take over the Shadowhunter world.  It doesn’t end well for him, of course, and I’m definitely glad he’s no longer around. Still, I’m not completely convinced that he’s truly dead, even though it seems pretty permanent.

Here’s what I’m wondering: I know that the summary above said that this book was the final installment of the series, and this book does seem to wrap up the entire series pretty well.  But there are three books after this one, so I’m wondering if maybe it’s a misprint and six books were intended all along, or if it was meant to be three and was later extended to six. Which I think is partly why I’m not entirely convinced that Valentine is actually dead.  And if he really is dead, what’s in store for the next three books?

Also: I find the timeline interesting, since the first three books take place over several weeks.  Which is hard to believe, and it feels like it should have happened over a longer period.  Things definitely move at a really fast pace, and there’s a lot going in.  Which makes it easy to read, and you want to keep going, but even with City Of Glass, it feels like things could have been slowed down.  At least a little.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked City Of Glass, and it was a fun read.  I’m definitely curious to see where things go, since City Of Glass resolved the events of the first half of the series pretty well.  City Of Glass gets 3 stars.

Book: Desire by P.T. Michelle

Published March 2014 by Limitless Ink Press|179 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Brightest Kind Of Darkness #4

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find Desire on goodreads & P.T. Michelle on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary:

Now that Nara and Ethan are working together to uncover the Corvus’ secrets, they’re confident nothing can stop them.

But while they’ve learned to anticipate dark outside forces gunning for them, neither is prepared for the insidious evil that slithers its way into their lives, nor the new challenges that surface so close to home.

Despite all the chaos and turmoil around them, the one constant they can depend on is their devotion and loyalty to each other. But as their relationship moves into deeper territory, sometimes the toughest battles are the ones waged within.

While the hunt for answers unravels more layers in the Corvus world, they also uncover new truths about themselves and their intricate connection to the powerful raven spirit.

When boundaries are suddenly redrawn and control shifts, Ethan and Nara will be forced to make choices that could bring them closer together or rip them apart forever.

What I Thought:

I’ve been intrigued with this series ever since I read the first book, and I’ve always love how unique the series is in comparison to most of the other paranormal books I’ve read.  I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the other books, but I still liked it.

I think part of why I didn’t like it as much as I was expected is the fact that it’s been a while since I’ve read the other books, so the series wasn’t as fresh in my mind.

I really like the relationship between Nara and Ethan, and they’ve been through a lot together.  It’s really changed and grown throughout the series, and I’m looking forward to seeing how their relationship grows/changes in the next book.  I did like seeing Ethan and his perspective, especially with all of the Master Corvus stuff going on.  Especially with how he came to accept it but the Corvus inside of him wasn’t accepting it.

And the ending!  I did not see that coming, and I can’t wait to see how that gets resolved.  I’m hoping it gets resolved in a good way, because I want it to turn out well.  I really do.  I also wish it were a little longer, because it seemed really short, and a bit like filler until we get to the next book (which I think is the last book, but I could be mistaken).

I just don’t have a lot of thoughts on Desire.  I’m not sure if it’s because I’m in need of a refresher on the entire series, or if I’m feeling a little blah about the series because I’m feeling a little burnt out on the series.  Or even if maybe I’m just anxious and looking forward to seeing how everything ends.

Let’s Rate It:

I don’t have a lot of thoughts on Desire, and I just couldn’t get into it like I did with the previous books.  It’s still a fantastic world, and one of the more unique paranormal books out there.  Desire gets 3 stars.