Mark This Book Monday: The Power by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

Hiya guys!

A new week, a new Monday and not just any other day because today is our leap day: February 29th! I must confess February has passed quite fast but I was quite ready for it to end...

Today I have yet another Jennifer L Armentrout book in the blog as this week's Mark This Book Monday! This woman is a damned machine and there's no book of hers that I read that I don't absolutely devour and love!



The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Return totally managed to change my perception of Seth and to put me clearly on his side, and now The Power has managed to have a feelings overload, so much that I was teary for half the book (and nearly the other half I was fanning myself because hot damn!)! I also partly blame the book and its emotional upheaval for my crappy funk the next day.

Seth is still trying to deal with who he is and his actions of the past and despite his arrogance and attitude, he doesn't believe he deserves anything good to happen to him, and seeing him doubt himself and punish himself was absolutely heartbreaking!

I love that we get dual POVs here, with Seth's and Josie's because I love Josie's voice and her determination to do what's right but at the same time try and remain her human self even if she's way much more than that. I also love how clear she is about her feelings and how determined she is to be on Seth's team and to be there for him and show him he deserves good things too!

Aside from the overall arch of finding the other demigods to try and defeat the Titans there's also the fact that since the Breed order was abolished the tension between Pures and Half-Bloods have been increasing, and the authorities are unsure on how to deal with them in some cases, and in others, they don't want/can't deal with it.

We get Alex & Aiden back and I really loved how they reacted to Josie, not so much about their attitude with Seth sometimes, but I must say I would have been right on their side if I had not been on Seth's mind for a book & a half now. But no matter what, now they make quite an awesome fighting team, even if they have to deal with a new demigod to help them, one that is so full of himself that could fill two of him...

Plot wise the book was good, but oh boy, the emotional side of it is what really got to me and made me devour it and cry and gaaaah, that damned ending!! I just cannot wait for the next book and I'm gonna die waiting! Damned cliffhangers, they will surely be the death of me!! Very much deserved 4 stars for this one!

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Mark This Book Monday: The Return by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

Hello there!

Happy Monday guys! This week I'm quite excited because I'm finally seeing my apartment for the first time! And to start the week right I'm having the first entry for this week's Mark This Book Monday!

This first book is counted towards two of my challenges, its the very first book counted towards my 2015 Mythology Reading Challenge (finally!!) and also counted towards my 2015 Releases category in the 105 Challenge!

The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Covenant series was my first forey into the JLA books and given that they deal with Greek mythology and have great humour, amazing chemistry and romance and plenty of action and political intrigue!

Alex was a great main character and I was a Team Aiden through and through, so when I heard that we were getting a spin-off with Seth as a main character, I was both very excited to go back to the Covenant world and a bit wary wondering about what Seth we'll get to see.

We meet Seth still on a bit of a self-hate spiral, focusing only on doing what the Gods tell him and seem to revel on the bloodbath. Then he gets a different mission from our favourite and most irritating god, Apollo. He needs to protect a human and bring them to safety. And that becomes the biggest challenge he could have ever imagined!

I wasn't Seth's biggest fan on Covenant but I really become to appreciate him now that we get to see his POV. How broken he is after all his actions and how he feels like he deserves whatever torture comes his way and he fights and kills to ignore the pain. And his journey is quite an unexpected one!

We meet Josie in college, where she is trying to keep up with her school work while dealing with the news of her mother's relapse into her mental health issues, and then she's thrown head first into a world she never knew about, fighting for her life and getting her head to wrap around the fact that she really isn't going nuts and her mum really was not crazy.

Seth is not the only character we meet again, because of course Apollo is back, and I must confess I have a big soft post for him! Every interaction between Seth and Apollo ends up being hilarious one way or another, and Apollo always manages to make me smile/snort/giggle. We also meet Deacon and Luke again, and I'm so happy that they're there for both Seth and Josie, even if they might have not been Seth's biggest fans at some point.

Josie is such a trooper! She understandably freaks about her new life and does a few stupid things here and there, but nothing difficult to understand while she's still wrapping her head around about her new situation, and I love how she wants to take some control back into her own hands, and she decides to train and learn how to fit.

The interactions between Seth and Josie have a fantastic back and forth and amazing banter and oh boy, the chemistry those two have... scorching!! JLA knows how to write romp scenes for sure because oh boy!! *fans self*

This was a fantastic first book for the new series, and I'm quite looking forward to see what will come next, and hoping we'll meet a few more old friends along the way. Very well deserved 4 stars for this one!



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The Return by Jennifer L Armentrout Release Day Launch!!

Hey there guys!!

This Monday was release day for The Return, the spin-off series for the Covenant series, by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

As soon as it downloaded to my Kindle, I just had to read it, and you guys need to read it! Even if you haven't read the Covenant series, that I highly recommend!, you need to give this one a try! Seth is quite a character, he's both swoony, cocky and a bit annoying (or quite a bit, depending on who you ask!)!

The Return by Jennifer L Armentrout

The Fates are cackling their bony asses off...

It's been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they've given him have been violent and bloody--which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He's got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy's deal might be, but it's a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.

  

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Excerpt

 And just in case you guys need some help deciding if you want to get it, or if you ought to start it already and ignore the rest of the TBR pile as I did... I have an excerpt to share with you all!!


"Shaking my head, I pivoted around and walked down the long hall to my dorm room. As I reached the door, the shiver was at the base of my spine again, dancing its way up until it traveled across my shoulders. My heart turned over heavily and I closed my eyes.

Twice in one day.
Oh God.
I’d never felt this more than once in any span of several days.

Swallowing hard, I wrapped my fingers around the doorknob, battling the urge to turn and scan the hall, because I knew no one would be there.

Dragging in a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside the room. My brows flew up, and I forgot about the feeling as I closed the door behind me.

Erin was sprawled on the floor, palms pressed down on a mat, her spandex-covered behind jutting up toward the sky. She turned her head, peering at me from under her armpit.

Her armpit.

“How in the world do you get your neck to bend like that without killing yourself?” I asked.

“Skills, yo.”

Erin did yoga and meditation religiously, saying it helped merge her yin and yang together or something. She’d once told me she had a hell of a mean streak, and contorting herself into painful-looking positions helped keep “good vibrations” around her. Which was strange, because I’d never seen Erin lose her temper in the two years I’d known her.

Erin unfolded herself from some kind of downward dog or upward pony and grinned at me. “Check under the bed.”

Curious, I dropped my bag and stepped over her legs. Bending down, I lifted the bedspread and my eyes grew to the size of saucers when I spotted the bottle. I snatched it up and clutched it to my chest as I whipped toward her. “José!”

Her grin spread into a smile. “The best boyfriend ever.”"

About the Author:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Novel Goodreads | Author Goodreads

Giveaway

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Waiting On Wednesday #79!!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine  that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!

Soooo, what book am I jumping up and down and very (im)patiently awaiting this week??? The Return by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

Goodreads Summary:

"The Fates are cackling their bony asses off…

It’s been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they’ve given him have been violent and bloody–which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He’s got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy’s deal might be, but it’s a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.

Book 1 in the new adult paranormal TITAN series, spin-off to the best selling COVENANT series."


Why am I eagerly awaiting The Return? It is the start of a new spin-off series, the Titan series, that is based around Seth, the other Apollyon of the Covenant series! I am super excited to see what Seth will do now that the story focus is on him!

What are you all (im)patiently awaiting this week?

Mark This Book Monday: Wicked by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

Hey there guys.

The blog has been a little silent this past week, but my brain has been rather wacked since last Tuesday for family reasons. My favourite aunt was fighting cancer for the last few months and over the past week she took a turn for the worst and died on Friday. My days off work were spent grieving and with my family instead of reading and relaxing as I had planned.

But I need to get back to a somewhat regular schedule and getting the blog somewhat back in shape, so for today I have a new Mark This Book Monday review. This one was one of those new releases that I just had to read as soon as I got it!



Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another page turner from JLA! Steamy, full of awesome banter and a nice twist on Fae mythology!

I got to read the first 8 chapters early as the author were posting them on Wattpad and then as soon as my preorder downloaded at midnight, I started reading it and finished it that very same night!

Ivy is a great character and I loved how she was both kick arse and vulnerable, had some secrets in her past that shaped who she was but kept on trying to move forward and not settle only with the path of the Order.

Ren is one swoony character, he's part nice guy part, cocky bastard in the best of ways. He had his moments of being a lil irritating but never in a really angering way, and he had some really disarming cute moments. He was also extremely alluring and reading the chemistry between him and Ivy was fantastic to read!

Tink was an interesting character, since at first it seems more a comic relief than anything else, but by the end of the book we get the feeling there's more to him than just that, and I'm pretty sure that'll be expanded in the next book too.

I loved the idea of the Order being Fae hunters in secret and I found the idea of Fae myth and the way it was tweaked for the book very intriguing,it's basically the same but with some twists here and there that ended up being at the core of the whole book and the climax! There were some surprising revelations, some that I kinda saw coming, but we're still left with unexplained motivations, which I'm quite eager to learn about in the next book.

This book is NA give the fact that the characters are in college age, and Ivy is actually trying to get through college while being a Fae hunter and also because there are more mature scenes and situations and that includes sex. And boy, Jennifer L Armentrout does know how to write steamy scence!

Very well deserved 4 stars for this one, and once again JLA has managed to start another series I'm gonna be pinning after!



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Friday Reads: Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

Hello guys!

Welcome to yet another edition of Friday Reads and in this one I will continue to attempt to catch up, so this is the first entry of two for today.

The first book I read while on vacation, yes last month, I am trying to get through the backlog of books I read but didn't review back then! It was one of those awaited sequels and features one of those rare love triangles that don't make me want to bang my head against a wall!



Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Stone Cold Touch is one of those middle books in a trilogy that doesn't suffer from the middle book syndrome!

I will try my best of avoiding adding spoilers, but just in case... be warned that there might be some here and there!

White Hot Kiss was a book of self discovery for Layla and it was also more about her relationship with Roth, the prince of Hell, and it ended in a rather heartbreaking & cliffhanger-y way!

Now in Stone Cold Touch we discover even more things about Layla, and she is still living among the Wardens, even if they are even more suspicious of her and treat her like the guilty party for anything and everything.

And in this book Zayne, or Stoney as Roth would call him, gets his chance to show Layla why he should be considered seriously as part of this love triangle. Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and it is so well done here!

As far as the threat that we thought had been vanquished in WHK apparently wasn't really vanquished and we spend most of the book trying to figure out who is the bad guy and Layla spents the whole book thinking the worst of herself and torn between finally having a chance to something with Zayne, and her feelings for Roth!

I should have suspected who the real bad guy was because once it is revealed I sort of did a bit of a facepalm, but JLA did a great job at distracting us with Layla's guilt and self-deprecation to really focus on the crumbs she has been placing here and there.

The ending of this one is ONCE AGAIN another cruel and evil cliffhanger and dammit I cannot wait for the final book next year! I was clearly Team Roth in the first book and now I'm not suuuure!! Team Zayne? Team Roth?? Aaaahhhhh!

Well deserved 4 stars for this one!



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Friday Reads: Opposition by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

Hello guys! Happy Friday! Mine is not the start of a weekend off, but at least I'm back on 3 to 10 pm schedule, which means I can sleep in in the mornings!

I'm starting this week's Friday Reads with a review for yet another series finale and an August release. As such it is not one part of any of my various challenges, but one of those "ME" reads!



Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I started the Lux series on a whim, cause although I wasn't drawn to them, I was waiting for the next Covenant book and I thought "Why not?" and damn, I got totally addicted and ended up binge reading the first 3 books! Then the wait for Origin was quite awful cause of that evil cliffhanger and even if the cliffhanger wasn't as bad this time, it's always bad waiting for the final book of a series!

Given that it is the final book of the series some spoilers for previous books might be expected but I promise no spoilers for Opposition itself!

Opposition starts very much where Origin left us, with the Lux's arrival, Daemon disappearance (along with Dee and Dawson) and Katy left to worry and wonder. The beginning was a bit odd while you wait till working out what the heck is going on now. But never fret, things won't stay weird for long, and soon enough Katy and Daemon will be again the amazing team that they are, ready to face whatever comes together.

That is one of the strengths of these books I feel, the great relationship between Daemon and Katy, the chemistry, the banter, and the way they support each other! Daemon wants to protect Kary but also accepts that she is not going to want to be left behind or treated as useless and he actually really appreciates how kick ass she has become. They don't hold each other back and that is always a sign of a healthy relationship.

Daemon still got his sass and smartass attitude, even when it really wouldn't be a great idea to display, but that's the Daemon we all know and can't help but love. Katy has grown a lot and she's got very good at dealing as best as she can with all the crap that has been thrown her way, but she hasn't stopped being her nerdy bookish self, and I absolutely adore that!

Opposition has plenty of action, even if there's also a lot of planning and the final battle ends up being more personal than massive final showdown. There is conflict, heartbreak and also a lot of hope, some old friends from other books and plenty of humour here and there to lighten the tension a little bit.

The epilogue was a nice way to round it up, and even more after you read the extra epilogue that JLA wrote on her blog (the first line of that one made me giggle btw!) and this was a great final book for the series. Who would have thought I'd love a series of aliens in high school, huh? Very deserved 4 stars for this one!



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Waiting On Wednesday #52!!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine  that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!

So what book am I awaiting with bated breath this week? Opposition by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

Goodreads Summary:

"Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.

They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing."


Why am I eagerly awaiting Opposition? Well, I binge read the entire Lux series at the beginning of last year, a few months before Origin came out, and the wait with the horrible cliffhanger in Opal, till I could get my hands onto Origin was baaaad. There was a cliffhanger in Origin too, but at least not so bad! I cannot wait to see what will happen now that the Luxen are on Earth!!

What are you all (im)patiently waiting this week?

Mark This Book Monday: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

Hello everyone! This week the book I'm gonna be reviewing as the first entry for Mark This Book Monday is all about a book that is not part of any of my challenges, so it was what I call one of my "me" reads! One of those books I decided to read cause I wanted to, and that help me take a breather from focusing on reading ARCs or review copies, or series or older books from my TBR list or dystopians. Just a shiny new book I'm excited to read!



Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The first time I saw this book I wasn't feeling particularly keen on it. I skimmed the synopsis a bit and it seemed to me that it'd be high school drama with mean girls steamy romance JLA style. I thought of skipping this one. But then I started seeing some really positive reviews and in most of them they described the book as a YA thriller with a murder mystery, and that totally piqued my curiosity, so I ended up preordering it for my Kindle.

I wish I would have got the US version of the cover, cause even if the UK is also relevant to the story with the waterfall and red dress, the US one with the music box's ballerina is not only relevant but also quite creepy!

The story starts with Sam, our main character finding her way to a road where she's found by the police, she doesn't remember anything about her life, doesn't even recognize her face or know her own name. While in the hospital she discovers that she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, and that she's still missing. Sam's frustrated and scared of how much of a blank everything in her life is for her, and once she starts finding out about who she is, she discovers that she wasn't a very nice person at all.

I really liked how Sam started trying to discover who she was, and how her change came about. I never had any issues believing how she could be a mean girl but then be different with no memories of herself. Everyone kept talking about her change in attitude and demeanor when she became best friends with Cassie, and without any memories to make her bitter or jaded, she could just be a different person.  What I liked was how much she wanted to help find Cassie, trying to remember, even if she didn't have any memories of their friendship, even more when most people that had known Cassie weren't all that distraught about her disappearance.

JLA has proven with this book that she know how to write a mean thriller, with plenty of suspense, suspicion, red herrings and a big shock at the end. You will find cliches in this book, but the author manages to weave them into the story flawlessly in a way that they won't seem so cliched anymore. I kept suspecting this character and that character but never once did I suspect the real culprit until maybe one page before Sam herself figures it out! All the doubts thrown at Sam that make her doubt if she's getting her memories back or if she's just going insane with hallucinations are fantastic, and you get more than one twist along the way.

No book by JLA would be complete without some romance, and she does know a thing or two about writing romance. This one felt much more different than the previous ones I've read and Carson is quite a change from previous love interests in her books. He's a good guy through and through with a lil bit of mischiviousness thrown for good measure. There might be hints at a love triangle, but it never really is realized as such.

A real pager turner that kept me up late at night till I finished it, very well deserving of 4 stars!



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Friday Reads: ARC Review of White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L Armentrout!

For this final Friday Reads of this week I have a review of an ARC of a book that I got at the same time than the finished book. So it's as such part of my 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge and it'll be also another book off my NetGalley list! I'm really hoping I can reach my 80% ratio on NetGalley soon!

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I had White Hot Kiss preordered since it was announce and available for preorder, but when I saw it on NetGalley, I thought I'd request it and see if I could get lucky to read it before release day, but as fate would have it... I got approved for it on release day! So I had both copies to read, the ARC and the final book! Thank you Harlequin Teen for the approval!

I'm a bit of in two minds about this book, and that's because even though I liked it well enough as a whole, I kept on being meh about some things and enthusiastic about others. Hence the 3 star rating, that could be a 3.5, but I think will remain a 3 star.

As far as the plot and the originality of the paranormal creatures, the unexpected revelations and the twists in the story, this book would get a 4 to 4.5 stars no questions asked, but the characters seemed too formulaic to me, a bit too Armentrout typical if you may, so I'd give them a 2 to 2.5 stars.

Roth was a bit too much of the typical Armentrout bad boy, with a forward sexual presence and cheeky self bad boy. But it also felt a bit tame for a demon? I'm not sure. Layla was lacking a bit of the usual spunk female Armentrout characters usually have, and though I could see where her issues would come from and she wasn't entirely a whiner, she got on my nerves a bit. And then we got Zayne, good boy, fighter and friend-with-hints-at-more and apparently unrequited crush of Layla's aaaaand we get a maybe love triangle... And I'm so NOT a fan of love triangles!

The redeeming qualities of the plot and the mythology that the author presents us here was more than enough for me to want to continue reading and manage to enjoy the book and also look forward to the next book (I have actually already preordered it) and I have high hopes that the characters will continue to grow in the next book and won't be as cookie cutter as they seemed in this one.

I'd say if you really like Jennifer L Armentrout books and characters or if you are looking for a new twist on paranormal creatures (because gargoyles & demons, not seen very often out there!) with an interesting and engaging plot that leaves you wondering and hoping for more revelations, do give this one a chance. Even if it's only a 3 star for me, it was still a good enough read!



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Mark This Book Monday: Mini Reviews for Bitter Sweet Love and What to Buy The Shadowhunter Who Has Everything!

Hey guys! I'm starting the week with another edition of Mark This Book Monday's mini reviews for a pair of novellas.


What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This installment in the Bane Chronicles has to be my favourite so far. Not only it is contemporary with TMI, but also gives us a glimpse of what's happening outside of Clary & Jace's perspective. Not only that, it also gets into the more personal side of Magnus, the one that show us his human part more than his flamboyant warlock side.

Magnus is hired to summon a demon on Alec's birthday, and while he waits for the client to return, he analizes his relationship with Alec, relives a few memories, makes a pair of calls for help and manages to find the perfect gift for Alec.

Getting to see their relationship from a first person POV made me care even more for these two's relationship, and I'm so hoping they'll survive the last TMI book! To use the proper phrase for this... I so ship these two!



Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Bitter Sweet Love is our introduction to the new series by Jennifer L Armentrout about gargoyles, which made me quite excited since the books about gargoyles aren't really all that common!

This novella is our first introduction to the world of the Wardens, gargoyles that have a very patriarchal structure (that bothered me a bit) and their purpose is to fight demons to keep humanity safe.

All of that we find out through the story of Jasmine and Dez, two childhood inseparable friends that were going to be "mated" (get officially together according to Wardens' law) before Dez suddenly left and stayed away for 3 years. Then he returns and tries to win Jasmine back. We also get a peek at the main characters for White Hot Kiss, the first book proper on The Dark Elements series. I'm also hoping we'll get to see Jasmine and Dez again as the series progresses.

Bitter Sweet Love was a very much entertaining and sexy read, with the trademark swoons and humour I've come to expect from JLA, so I think this new series will be another I'll be following. A 3.5 to 4 stars read.



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Waiting On Wednesday #18!!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine  that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!

This week I'm gonna be having two books sharing the spotlight, one a novella, one a full size book and both part of the same series! They are Bitter Sweet Love & White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L Armentrout!

Goodreads summary:

 "In a sizzling prequel novella to her new series THE DARK ELEMENTS, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout draws readers into the extraordinary, irresistible world of Wardens and demons.

Dez wasn't just Jasmine's crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining balance between good and evil. He was her everything...right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn't help that Jas's father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.
And now he's back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn't taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again..."

Goodreads summary:

 "One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world."


 Why am I eagerly awaiting both Bitter Sweet Love & White Hot Kiss? Well, I really enjoy the way Jennifer L Armentrout writes her romance and the humour she always has in her books, and these two are about gargoyles! I love paranormal stuff and there's barely any books out there with gargoyles! (The only other book/series that comes to mind are the ParaWars series by Caitlin Greer!).

What are you all (im)patiently awaiting this week?

Friday Reads: Sentinel by Jennifer L Armentrout!

Well, Friday Reads do return to their more usual schedule, with a few posts again, trying to catch up on reviews I have pending after my vacation time!

I'm starting with the final book in the Covenant series. The final book of a series always has mixed feeling and this was no exception.


Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Sentinel was one of my very awaited books of the year since it is the final book in the Covenant series.

Somehow I am in two minds with this book, because I cannot say I didn't enjoy it, cause I did, but it just left me less emotionally affected than I expected. Deity and Apollyon did manage to grab me and shake much more than this one did, so I guess I felt a lil let down.

Fair word of warning, I cannot review Sentinel in a spoiler free way, be it for the series as a whole or for the book in itself. From here on, spoilers may ensue.


After the emotional and action avalanche that Deity, Elixir and Apollyon were, I had extremely high expectations for Sentinel and probably a bit unrealistic ones. The thing is, nothing really bothered me while reading the book, I loved Alex as always, Aiden was well... swoon-worthy and their relationship was great, they had to deal with tough stuff and they managed to keep the drama to a minimum and set a decent example of communication, most of the time. They found themselves outnumbered but with some unexpected allies and others not-really-so-unexpected.

But once the book was over I felt a little... "meh" I guess? I just don't know how to describe it, and a few days have passed. It's not that I'm not happy with the ending, since Jennifer L Armentrout was kind enough with her readers and gave us a pretty happy ending, even if it seemed it wasn't so for a while. I got a bit of a "is this it?" kind of a feeling once I closed the book.

Since I can't really define what made me not give this book 5 stars, or why I got that feeling of unease upon finishing it, I'm gonna tell you what I liked.

Alex, our dear Alexandria Andros. I absolutely love her crazy headstrong, resilient, snarky and sarcastic self. She is a great main character, with all her flaws and all her great qualities. I love how great her interactions with her uncle are, and how they progressed with each book and how that relationship has changed and how Alex has managed to grow from "foot-in-mouth-talk-first-act-later" to "think-first-kick-later-for-the-most-part".
Her relationship with Seth is an extremely complicated one that clearly got worse when Seth lost track of himself but in the this book we see them both trying to patch up their friendship at least.
But of course my favourite relationship has to be with Aiden, they have a fantastic chemistry, they support each other and despite some drama here and there, they understand they make each other stronger and also learn to trust and respect each other and their choices. They have to be one of my favourite YA couples for sure!
And of course Aiden is quite probably the only one I could feel like I'd really want to claim as book boyfriend! He's strong, supportive, considerate and despite his protectiveness he learns to trust and let Alex make her own choices. I think he's an Alfa without excesive macho attitude and that's just well... swoony!

Sentinel as action, has romance, has humour, has hard choices and has a quite satisfying ending. I'm sad to leave this characters and to say goodbye to Alex and Aiden, but it was a good journey and this is still a series I'd recommend. So with all my confused feelings, I'm still giving this final installment 4 stars.




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Waiting On Wednesday #13!!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted at Breaking The Spine  that spotlights those can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-them books that we are eagerly awaiting!

The book I'm absolutely going crazy waiting for this week is Sentinel by Jennifer L Armentrout, the fifth and final book on the Covenant series!

Goodreads summary:

"It's a beautiful day for a war.

As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.

And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.
In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself."

Why am I eagerly awaiting Sentinel? Are you kidding me? Aiden St Delphi? Alex vs Ares? That evil evil cliffhanger at the end of Apollyon? How can I not be bitting my nails in anticipation of the final book for this series? I can't wait to see how Alex and Aiden get through everything that will be thrown at them in this book!

What are you all (im)patiently awaiting this week?

Mark This Book Monday: Origin by Jennifer L Armentrout!!

For the next Mark This Book Monday one of the most awaited books in a series for this year, the one that as soon as it downloaded into my Kindle app, I just had to start reading!


Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Origin is the second to last book in the Lux series and it was so eagerly awaited after the awful cliffhanger from Opal, the previous book!

As always, since this book is part of a series it will be very difficult to avoid spoilers for the previous books, but I will try my best to avoid spoilers and key surprises from this one.

Katy was captured, Daemon is hell bent on getting her back. Daedalus want them both and whatever they have planned is not gonna be something Katy nor Daemon would want to endure.

One of the biggest changes is that we get a dual narrative, from both Katy's and Daemon's point of view. And Daemon's point of view is quite a treat to read: he's cocky, he's emotional, he's funny and he's quite swoony!

Katy continues to grow as a character and continues to show her strenght while dealing to all that Daedalus keep on throwing at her and refusing to bow down and do what they want.

We find out more information about the Luxen, about Daedalus and what they are trying to do and what lengths they'd go to achieve it. And we also get some really shocking and creepy revelations, and yes it involves an explanation of the book title. Power really gets to people's head, and there's nothing like some groups thinking they have the right to whatever they see fit in the name of what they think it's a worthy cause.

This book is full of action, running, plotting and unexpected twists and treasons. There's also plenty of steam, swoony-ness, snarky and witty comments and also what I'd call the Easter Egg mention of the Sweet Evil series by Wendy Higgins that made really laugh out loud while reading!

The ending was also quite a shocker, even if it is not the heartwrenching mess that the ending of Opal was, this is also a "you've got to be kidding me! Woah!" sort of an ending!

Very well deserved 4 stars!!



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Mark This Book Monday: Apollyon by Jennifer L Armentrout from the Covenant Series!

And back again!

This Mark This Book Monday post was due last Monday, but I was still so overwhelmed with the book & "ALL THE FEELS!" that I couldn't manage to grangle all of that into a somewhat coherent review. Today, I'm gonna atempt it, and bear with me if I still do ramble a bit, I tend to do just that!

Apollyon by Jennifer L Armentrout (Covenant #4)

Apollyon is the 4th book in the Covenant series by Jennifer L Armentrout, and after it, there's only one more book coming, Sentinel, due to be released in December. Apollyon was due to be released on April 9th, but I found out through Twitter that it was released two days early on Amazon (via Jennifer L Armentrout herself) so I went to my Kindle app and got it. I had worked night shift the previous day, so I spent the whole Saturday very happily reading the book!

The Covenant series is based on Greek mythology, which was the reason I decided to check the series in the first place. It follows the story of Alex, a Half-Blood descendant of the Greek gods. Half Bloods are the children of Pures and humans, and therefore considered inferior in the society of the Covenant. Not only fantasy, Greek gods, action, romance and witty sarcastic humour are present in these books, there's also a look at social issues along with tradition and stagnation.

Apollyon starts where Deity (book 3) and Elixir (novella 3.5) left us. Alex has come into her Apollyon powers and has connected with Seth, and not just connected, but she has lost herself to the connection, and Seth has taken over her. This makes the beginning of the book a painful one to read, since I love the headstrong, independent and witty, if a bit foot-in-mouth, Alex, but this possesed-by-Seth-Alex is frustrating, scary and slap-worthy, every time she said "My Seth" I wanted to slap her! Thankfully it is short-lived and once she manages to overcome it, set up her defenses and get her own mind back, we have our old Alex back, as witty and arse-kicking as ever, but a bit more mature than in previous books. She doesn't approach everything head first and leave a disaster behind like a bull in a china shop, but finally learns to think first, at least a little!

Aiden and Alex, their relationship keeps on growing, getting them through thick and thin, continuing to love each other with or without other's approval, respecting each other choices, and growing together... they have to be one of my favourite book couples ever! And of course, Aiden is very much one of the very few characters that I could call a book crush for me! Reading about their relationship just gives me that "all the happy feels!".

There's a lot of action on Apollyon, and a lot of gods involvement, and a lot of bad news all around... war has started in full, and all hell as broken loose! I guessed who the bad guy was, but not who he was posing as, that was quite a surprise, although I knew he really was up to no good!

The ending is a very unexpected one, and leaves you with a strange sense of peace, but also a big dread about what happens next... Being at war with the gods, and with Seth still being completely blind to anything that is not what he says... Things are going to get even tougher in Sentinel, I know, and December won't get here soon enough!