Review: On Every Street

When young con artist Ellie Watt decides to call herself Eden White and go after the drug lord who ruined her as a child, she never expects to fall for one of his henchmen.

But Javier Bernal is no ordinary man. Subtly dangerous and overwhelmingly seductive, Eden finds herself passionately in love with Javier, the very person she's set-up to betray.

With her body and heart in a heated battle against her deep need for revenge, no one will walk away from this con a winner.

Title: On Every Street (The Artists Trilogy ~ Book 0.5)
Author: Karina Halle | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Publication Date: March 9 2013
Publisher: Metal Blonde Books 
Length: 138 Pages
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Cover Love: Much love!
Point of View: 1st person, following Ellie

My Rating: 5 Stars

“You know,” he began, voice low and full, “if you were to ever leave me, I’d come looking for you, on every street.”

“You promise?”

“Always.”  And I knew he kept his promises.”

On Every Street is a novella that takes place six years before Sins & Needles.  Karina Halle has said it can be read before or after Sins & Needles.  I choose to read it after, and I am quite happy with that decision.  In Sins & Needles you meet Ellie but she keeps her past close to her, and only slowly does she start to share it.  You know that she is running from somebody, and that the somebody in question is very bad news.  I didn't want that suspense ruined.  I wanted to get to know Ellie and Camden first, then to know Javier.

“I’m scared of him.  I’m disgusted by the vile monster he becomes, this beast he lets out.  But I still love him.  I’d still do anything for him.  I can’t just turn off my heart.  I want to, I do, but I can’t.  I love him with everything I have and I hate myself for it.  Because it’s wrong to love him, I know. It’s so wrong.” 

Talk about being very bad news.  Javier frightens me.  There are several times when Ellie describes him as a lion and I can so understand why.  He commands respect in a subtle and smooth way.  It is rare you see him get really upset and he almost always appears calm.  It is that which makes him the most frightening.  A coiled snake, that is another way that Ellie describes him, and yet again it fits perfectly.

“Revenge has been my lover for too long," he said, breath hot on my neck.  He began sliding down my body, toward the floor, arms around me.  "Power, my savior.  I need to learn how to put you first, above those things.  I need you to help me, to teach me.  I don’t want to love anything more than you, Eden, so please, I’m begging you, show me how. You need to be my everything.”

Although, even with all of that said it is quite easy to see how Ellie fell so hard for him so quickly.  He is one smooth operator, and dare I say a romantic.  He is sweet, considerate, and lovely.  You just have to push the fact he is a murderer to the very back of our mind... if you can do that then maybe Javier is the man for you.

“Who is good and who is bad?  Life isn’t black and white, Javier.  You and I, we’re just trying to live in all the grey.  Isn’t that what you’ve done?  Isn’t that what you want?  To live?”

I enjoyed getting to know Ellie a bit more.  It was good learning more about what was driving her. I was surprised to see how green she was at the whole con artist thing.  It was interesting to see the whole learning of the ropes, her struggling with her decisions, and the thought processes that she goes through.  Giving her her heart away to Javier, and seeing him break it.  I am still a bit confused over why he did what he did... would love to get this from his point of view so that we can know what he was thinking.  Maybe he will explain it all in Shooting Scars.

“I want to hurt the man who hurt me.  I want to destroy him for destroying me.  And I won’t be happy, I won’t be free, until I do so.”

I strongly suggest this series, and again you can choose to read On Every Street before or after Sins & Needles.  I really don't think it will ruin anything for you either way, but I am glad I read it after.  I would also like to point out that my 'Team' hasn't changed... I am and always will be all about Camden McQueen.

“I do what I have to do to survive because that’s all I know.  I don’t make excuses, I own it.  This is me, this is who I am, this is my life. It shames me but not enough to stop.”

MORE QUOTES FROM ON EVERY STREET

Review: This Girl

There are two sides to every love story. Now hear Will’s.

Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from his point of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series.

Title: This Girl (Slammed ~ Book 3)
Author: Colleen Hoover | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Publication Date: April 30 2013
Publisher: Atria Books 
Length: 256 Pages
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Source: Purchased (Kindle Edition)
Cover Love: Love the new covers for this series, and this one is perfect.
Point of View: 1st person, following Will

My Rating: 5 Butterflyingly Perfect Stars

“If I took every romantic poem, every book, every song, and every movie I've ever read, heard or seen and extracted the breathtaking moments, somehow bottling them up, they would pale in comparison to this moment.

This moment is incomparable.”

Genius
     Exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability.
 Love
     An intense feeling of deep affection.
Gratitude
     The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Isn't it funny how impersonal the above definitions seem when written out on their own?  No feelings or emotions to help convey the words.  If I had my way, Colleen Hoover's photo would appear right next to Genius.  A picture of each one of her books would be shown along with Love, and a link to every single lovely review written about her books listed below Gratitude.

I will never be able to say this enough...  Colleen Hoover is amazing.  The emotion she is able to pack into a novel is at times overwhelming.  I freely admit that I am an emotional reader and I quite often shed tears of sadness and joy. But, even with that said, I don't think I have ever fallen so deeply in love with characters before.  Will and Lake are truly something special, and Colleen has managed to bring a much loved series to a beautiful and perfect ending.

“Layken Cooper, I love you.  I’ve loved you since the second I laid eyes on you and I haven’t stopped loving you for a second since.”

In the future, if anybody asks me to describe how an author can successfully re-write a story from an alternating point of view, I will direct them to This Girl.  This is how you re-write a story but still manage to make it seem new and wonderful.

At the beginning of This Girl we find Will and Lake exactly where we left them, happy and in love.  The retelling of pivotal moments from Slammed are told in the form of flashbacks.  This is genius.  This way we get the important scenes retold by Will but there doesn't have to be any filler.  The filler comes from the scenes where we flash back to the present.  In these scenes we get to see how Lake responds to what Will has shared and what she will ask him about next.

We are also treated to some very important moments from Will that we were not aware of from Lake's point of view during Slammed.  This is what kept everything so fresh and new.  I refuse to ruin anything for you but I can honestly say I found myself shocked several times.  This is very impressive for a retelling.

“She deserves to be kissed by someone who loves her.  Someone who spends every waking moment trying to do everything right by her.  Someone who would rather die than see her hurt.  She doesn't deserve to be kissed by anyone other than me.”

As if I thought going into This Girl that I could not fall more in love with Will Cooper.  oooOOOooohhh how wrong I was.  Will is one of the most kind, gentle, caring, and sexy characters I have ever read.  He is full of so much love, and that is never more evident than in this book.  It is amazing being in his head, and to see so many wonderful moments through his eyes.

“You want to know my sweet?"  I ask her.

She nods.

I kiss her on the forehead.  "You.  Always you.”

And, if you think all we get is a handful of flashbacks and a few present moments, you are wrong.  Folks we have an epilogue.  This is not just any epilogue either, this is the most perfect thing I have ever read.  It not only provides us with the perfect ending for our beloved characters but it also has a new slam that is simply outstanding.  To say I had tears in my eyes would be an understatement.  I could hardly see through the happy tears.

“She doesn't speak, but she doesn't have to. I know in these moments, when it's just her and me and nothing else, that she truly, soul-deep loves me.”

So please, I beg you... If you have not read the Slammed series to do so as soon as possible.  You will not be disappointed in the slightest.  And if you have started them but not yet picked up This Girl, what are you waiting for?  Get it, and start it now.  It is butterflying perfect.

“I press my forehead against hers.  "I'm so glad you showed up," I whisper.  "You changed my life forever that night.”

Colleen, if I am lucky enough to have you read this review, I want you to know that I bow down to your writing abilities.  You deserve every bit of success that is coming your way right now, and I promise you that I am a lifelong fan.  You can write whatever your heart desires and without question I, and I know I would not be be the only one, will buy it immediately.  I have no other way to say it other than, I love you for the characters you have brought into my life.  Honestly, thank you.

My suck: Having to say goodbye to characters I love.
My sweet: Colleen Hoover for making it as perfect and painless as possible.

“Sometimes two people need to fall apart to realize how much they need to fall back together."

I take her hand and rest it between us, then stroke the back of it with my thumb. "Let's not fall apart again," I whisper.

She looks me in the eyes. "Never.”

MORE QUOTES FROM THIS GIRL

Swoon Thursday #24

Who doesn't love a good swoon?
The ladies over at YA Bound have created this hot and fun meme!
If you want to join in here's all you need to do.
From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling and your stomach fluttering?

Then pick a smaller portion of your swoon and tweet it, just don't forget to add the #YABOUND Hashtag to your tweet!

This Girl was so butterflying amazing.  It was difficult for me to write a review that was worthy of such a spectacular book.

This weeks swoon is a long one but it is oooOOOooohhh so worth it.  This is Will and Lake's first kiss from Will's point of view, and I don't believe there has ever been a more swoonworthy a moment to share.  I have so much love for these characters.

My review for This Girl will be posted a little bit later today, so be sure to come back and check it out!


Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads

I suddenly don't care where we are or who might be watching us. I have to kiss her. I have to.

I take her face in my hands and lean in closer, ignoring the part of my conscience that is screaming for me to wait. She closes her eyes, inviting me in. I hesitate, but as soon as I feel her breath fall on my lips, I can't hold back. I close the gap between us, lightly pressing my lips against her bottom lip. It's even softer than it looks. Somehow the background noise has completly faded and all I can hear is the sound of my own heartbeat, pulsating throughout my entire body. I slowly move my lips up to her top lip, but as soon as I feel my mouth beging to part, I reluctantly pull away. As much as I want to kiss her with everything I've got, I'm also vaguely aware that we're in public, and I've got at least two students here tonight. I decide to save the better kiss for later, because if we do this right now, I know I won't want to stop.

"Patience," I whisper, mustering up all the self-control I've got. I stroke her cheek with my thumb and she smiles at me in understanding. Still holding her face in my hands, I close my eyes again and press my lips against her cheek. She sucks in a breath as I release my hold and slide my hands down her arms, trying to remember how to breathe again. I'm unable to pull away from her, so I press my forehead against hers and open my eyes. It's in this moment that I know she's feeling exactly what I'm feeling. I can see it in her eyes.

"Wow," she exhales.

"Yeah," I agree. "Wow."

What is your swoon worthy moment this week?

Feel free to leave your links below so that I can check them out and if you are a new follower be sure to let me know so that I can come and check out your blog in return!

Review: If I Should Die

I will not lose another person I love. I will not let history repeat itself.

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together was shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now our enemy is determined to rule over France s immortals, and willing to wage a war to get what they want.

It shouldn t be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is somewhere out there, I know he s not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.

After what we ve already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying - to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others - so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?

Title: If I Should Die (Revenants ~ Book 3)
Author: Amy Plum | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website
Publication Date: May 1 2013
Publisher: Atom
ISBN: 1907411046
Length: 408 Pages
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads
Buy It: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Source: Direct from Publisher (Paperback)
Cover Love: Beautiful.  This whole series is perfect.
Point of View: 1st person, following Kate

My Rating: 5 Stars

I am so very excited to be back into the world of the Revenants.  If I Should Die has not disappointed me in the slightest and I feel that this series has gotten better, book after book.

Amy Plum has again proved she is a master of setting a scene.  Never have I read a book or series and felt as though I was there with the characters as much as I do with Plum's work.  The sights and sounds of Paris truly come alive.  Her storytelling is equally enchanting and you do honestly feel as though you are not only there but that you really do know and love these characters, as if you are the best of friends.

“Kate, I want you to know that I awoke the first time I saw you.”

If I Should Die picks up exactly where Until I Die left off so there is absolutely no down time at all.  If you know this series then you know that book two ended on THE cliffhanger heard around the world.  There is even a picture of a broken Nook on Goodreads that was thrown by a fellow reader when she reached the end.  So yeah, needless to say there was a huge one.  But, I was very happy to see that everything picked right up so that we could carry on with the story.

“Don’t you see Kate?  I can’t be yours in any kind of real way.  But what I can promise you is that I will always be here for you, watching out for you, making sure you are safe.   And happy.”

Kate really grew up over the course of this series and Vincent of course is as lovely as ever.  I refuse to post spoilers as I do not want to ruin anything.  This makes it difficult to write a review about this book just because I feel if I mention anything specific it will either ruin the series for those that have not yet started it or for those that have but are waiting to see how everything plays out.  I will say however that we learn so much more about so many different characters in this final instalment.  There are so many secrets and surprises uncovered and it made for a very dramatic read.  I was pleased with how the story played out and quite happy with the ending.

“Kate, I’ll say it like this. Vincent is my best friend.  There’s not a person in this world I’m closer to.  But for the past year, I have betrayed him in my heart every single day because I want for myself what he loves the very most.”

The only part of If I Should Die that really let me down was it's lack of Jules Marchenoir.  I love Jules.  I love everything about him and I am a bit saddened that he does not play a more major role in this series finale.  Obviously the parts with Jules we get to see are wonderful but I have been left wanting more.  I am hoping and praying that he will get his own book or even series, because the more of him we get the better.  I have not seen any official news from Amy Plum about a possible spin-off but I will keep my fingers crossed.

“Whatever happens, remember that I will love you forever,” he says.   “Even if my spirit is dispersed and my consciousness released to the universe... whatever is left of me will never stop loving you.”

I would strongly recommend the Revenants series if you haven't already started them and if you have then I have no doubt that you will enjoy this third and final book in the series.  I will miss Kate, Vincent, and all of these other characters.  But again, I refuse to say goodbye to Jules.  I will live in hope for a spin-off...

MORE QUOTES FROM IF I SHOULD DIE

Waiting on Wednesday #26

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This is a perfect way to highlight books that we are waiting patiently to be released... it is also a sure-fire way to watch your TBR pile grow!

For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

Expected Publication: July 30 2013
Add it to your TBR Pile: Goodreads

Why am I so eagerly awaiting this release you ask?

I could just say I am excited about this book because of the author, and leave it at that.  Jennifer L. Armentrout (also writing as J. Lynn) is on my author auto-buy.  No questions ask I will buy the book in question, and I will read the book.  She is that good.

Even with all of that said, I think Frigid sounds great.  Kyler sounds hot and I can promise you that Jennifer knows how to write good male characters.  I know I won't be disappointed.

What is your Waiting on Wednesday?

Feel free to leave your links below so that I can check them out and if you are a new follower be sure to let me know!