Review: Vicious by V. E. Schwab

Vicious
V. E. Schwab
Release: September 24, 2013
Goodreads Amazon

A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

Review by Rose Red:
Vicious was the first adult novel by V.E. (Victoria) Schwab I've read and it was awesome! I’ve read all of her YA books and I loved them all! She has definitely earned a spot on my autobuy list. Schwab is one of those authors I completely trust.

You know those books that suck you into the story and keep you thinking about them long after you finish them. Vicious was that for me. It met my high expectations and then proceeded to blow them out of the water.

“There are no good men in this game.”

Vicious is about superheroes and super villains, but it’s not your normal superhero story. It really explores the question about what kind of person you would become if you had super powers. The characters are complex. The writing is intelligent and very quotable. The story is fascinating and not predictable.

“Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”

Her characters are so complexly fantastic you love and hate the characters at the same time. The multiple points-of-view were perfect and didn't take away from our main character. In my mind, Victor and Eli are like Tony Stark and Bruce Banner from The Avengers but if they had had a falling out. They are those friends that are similar yet opposite in so many ways but are joined together by the unifying bands of science and the pursuit of knowledge. They are perfectly imperfect characters that had me hooked from the first page. I loved both Victor and Eli, but I'm totally Team Victor. Eli wasn't as loveable as Victor is. Not only were they great but all the side characters are wonderfully complex as well.

The pacing of the story was spot on. I loved how it switched back and forth between the present and the past. The flashbacks really added to depth to the characters and the plot and provided a way for us to see why Eli and Victor are now enemies and not friends. The truly great thing about this novel is that it makes you think. It makes you wonder about special abilities and what lengths humans would go to become ExtraOrdinary. Some of the characters suffer a loss of self, and taking that journey with them was such an experience.

Vicious was my favorite book of last year and it quickly became one of my favorite books ever. Words really can't do the awesomeness contained in this book justice. All I can say is GO READ IT! You will not be disappointed!

    

5 / 5  stars

Audio Review: How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back by Diana Rowland

How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back
(White Trash Zombie #4)
Author: Diana Rowland
Narrator: Allison McLemore
Release: July 1, 2014
Goodreads  Amazon
Audible

It’s zombie versus zombie as the Saberton Corporation declares war against the Zombie Mafia, kidnapping several of their party. It falls to Angel to lead the remnants of her gang halfway across the country to claw their way through corporate intrigue, zombie drugs, and undead trafficking to rescue her friends—and expose the traitor responsible for their abduction...

Review:

How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back is another fun, exciting, hilarious book in the White Trash Zombie series! Before beginning the audio, I read in a few reviews that this installment is very different from the previous three and some readers found themselves not as entertained. After listening to the audio I can agree that the plot in this book is a little different from the previous books. In this one, Angel travels with some of the side characters we haven't gotten to know that well yet in order to rescue some of the group's friends that have been taken by the Saberton Corp. Its true that this is definitely different because we don't get to see Angel in her normal environment working at the morgue and interacting with the characters that work there. But I enjoyed getting to know characters like Naomi, Kyle, Brian, and even Piedro - especially Piedro! What a story line he has coming! I was certainly entertained!

Phillip also played a larger role in HTWTZGHGB as well. I don't know what is going on between him and Angel. I sometimes think the author is taking us down a path toward them being romantic, but other times I think their relationship is just because of the whole zombie momma/zombie baby thing. I don't quite get a lot of what happened in this book between Angel and all the men in her life. All I know is Marcus and I are not friends and I hope he takes on a different role in future books because I don't like him for Angel. And she's got this strange relationship with Phillip, plus Nick!!! Rowland gives us a couple very mysterious glimpses into Nick (guy that works at the morgue and has been tutoring Angel) and his *possible* feelings for Angel. I don't even think Nick knows how Nick feels yet so we readers certainly don't either.

My two favorite aspects of this series are always Angel's character growth and Angel's unique personality. Often I like my screwed up heroine to stay messed up for a while, but I find myself really loving that Angel grows a little more in each book. She is becoming more self confident and independent and I love it. But, she doesn't lose any of her great personality in the process. The quotes that fly out of her mouth are honest and genuine and freaking hilarious. I often giggle snort when listening to this series on audio.

Notes on the Narrator: I just love Allison's southern twang for Angel. It's a very believable Louisiana accent in my opinion, set apart from other southern accents. And she nails Angel's one-liners with just the right amount of humor. I highly recommend these on audio, but be prepared for the accent!

Recommended for fans of: humorous urban fantasy, white trash zombies, main characters who grow, and Piedro.

    

  4 / 5 stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
My Life As A White Trash Zombie (White Trash Zombie #1)
Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues (White Trash Zombie #2)
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse (White Trash Zombie #3)

Read This F@!%ing Book (19)

Welcome to a feature I'm going to post on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for me to push my favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention! 

I'm also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play it deserves? Email me to let me know and I'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if it's something I haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email me:

Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com

This week's post comes from our very own: 
Gretl

 

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 19: Sin City Collectors Series



(Click cover for Goodreads)

(click titles for Amazon)

Aces Wild by Amanda Carlson

Queen of Hearts by Kristen Painter 

 

 

 

 

Why I Love It:

First of all, I just love the concept. Sin City Collectors is a multi-author series of paranormal romance novellas. It’s not the only multi-author series out there, but as far as I know it’s the only one that works like this. The series centers on a group of paranormal bounty hunters, or Collectors, in Las Vegas working for the mysterious “Boss.” They receive playing cards with the name and location of their assignment and go retrieve their Collection. Each novella is a stand-alone with its own HEA, though some characters do cross over.

And I love what the authors are doing within that framework so far. Amanda Carlson and Kristen Painter have each released one novella and have a second coming in the next few months. They have both featured paranormal creatures that we just don’t see very often in UF/PNR. Carlson’s first installment featured a dhampir and a hellhound working together against a powerful vampire. Painter’s first was about a gargoyle and a grimalkin, and her upcoming release pairs a wraith and a demi-goddess. It’s so refreshing to see something a little different than the vampires and werewolves that dominate the genre. Each novella builds the world a little bit more, adding a new creature or a new location. So far we’ve been to a supernatural bar, a hotel/casino, and a magic show. As much as I want to know everything about this world right now, I’m having a great time seeing each novella build on the last.

 

 

Why I'm Pushing It:
Additional authors are planning to participate in 2015. So far Sara Humphreys, Angie Fox and Shawntelle Madison have been announced. More sales now may attract more authors to keep the series going. It could also lead to a print anthology or full-length novels or Sin City Collectors t-shirts (and they’d have to send me one because it was my idea, right?) The authors are really keeping the options open.

The novella format is also a great way to get to know new authors. If you haven’t read Amanda Carlson’s Jessica McClain series, Aces Wild will give you a pretty good idea of her style. It’s a small commitment of time – you can easily read one in a day - and money – they’re priced at $2.99. I haven’t read all of the authors who are planning to contribute to the series, but I’m looking forward to seeing what they add to the Collectors’ world.



Vegas Baby!
Sin City is a great setting for the supernatural. The world has an anything-can-happen atmosphere built in. Sofia, the witch heroine in Amanda Carlson's novella Ante Up, explains it like this: "There's definitely something magical about this place, like a mirage in the desert that shouldn't actually exist. The moment I landed, I felt a magical vibe here." It also welcomes over the top luxury and outrageous characters. I can't wait to see what crazy creatures and magical misadventures this series will bring next.

 

I reviewed the first 2 novellas on Goodreads. Links below. And watch for my review of Amanda Carlson’s next Sin City Collectors novella, Ante Up releasing 8/18.

Aces Wild Review
Queen of Hearts Review

Have you read this book?
Did we persuade you to add it to your TBR mountain?
 Let us know in the comments below!

 

 

Review Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper

Better Homes and Hauntings
by Molly Harper
Release: June 24, 2014
Links:
Goodreads  Amazon

Summary:
Author of the beloved Half Moon Hollow series of vampire romances (Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs), Molly Harper has created a standalone paranormal romance in which a dilapidated haunted house could bring star-crossed lovers together—if it doesn’t kill them first!

When Nina Linden is hired to landscape a private island off the New England coast, she sees it as her chance to rebuild her failing business after being cheated by her unscrupulous ex. She never expects that her new client, software mogul Deacon Whitney, would see more in her than just a talented gardener. Deacon has paid top dollar to the crews he’s hired to renovate the desolate Whitney estate—he had to, because the bumps, thumps, and unexplained sightings of ghostly figures in nineteenth-century dress are driving workers away faster than he can say “Boo.”

But Nina shows no signs of being scared away, even as she experiences some unnerving apparitions herself. And as the two of them work closely together to restore the mansion’s faded glory, Deacon realizes that he’s found someone who doesn’t seem to like his fortune more than himself—while Nina may have finally found the one man she can trust with her bruised and battered heart.

But something on the island doesn’t believe in true love…and if Nina and Deacon can’t figure out how to put these angry spirits to rest, their own love doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.

Review by Gretl:

Molly Harper is an author that pops up a lot in my recommendations on Amazon and Goodreads, but I’ve never actually read her before. Now I think there may be some naked werewolves in my future. She had me at the very first line, “Beware all enterprises that start with the purchase of Crocs.” I hate those things!

Better Homes and Hauntings is . . . let’s call it a haunted romantic comedy. It’s definitely not a typical romance. There are two potential couples. The second is Jake, the architect and Deacon’s best friend, and Cindy the professional cleaner and organizer. The two of them dated years ago when he was home from college. He never called and now doesn’t even remember her. She is understandably upset with him but he has no idea why, so their interactions are kind of a train wreck you can’t help but watch. Plus there’s Dotty, Deacon’s eccentric cousin who’s determined to discover the house’s secrets and break the family’s supposed curse. She’s a flake at first, but seems to find her strength by being part of this group. And there’s even a ghostly love triangle.

The story is full of pop culture references, with Nina and Deacon bonding over sci-fi movies and superheroes. And I love that the characters acknowledge the inherent Scooby Doo-ness of their situation and reference the cartoon a few times. It all makes for a charmingly quirky narrative with some creepy ghost encounters throughout. There are also some non-ghostly adversaries to keep their lives interesting. I thought Regina, Deacon’s former friend and interior designer, was delightfully bitchy in the way of all good rom-com villains.

The heart of the ghost story is the quest to solve Catherine Whitney’s murder. The friends find clues throughout the house, which I love, by the way. The details are wonderfully vivid from the ceiling tiles to the parquet floors. And they get (mostly confusing) glimpses of Catherine’s life from their encounters with the ghosts. My only real issue with the book was that I solved the mystery about halfway through and got frustrated with the characters for not seeing it too.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this book. I can almost see Better Homes and Hauntings as a movie – it would make a great girls’ night out. Definitely a fun summer read!

Recommended for fans of: Light paranormal romance, Molly Harper, Dakota Cassidy’s Accidentals series

This review is based on a finished copy that I won from Goodreads.

    

4  stars

Read This F@!%ing Book (18)

Welcome to a feature I'm going to post on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for me to push my favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention! 

I'm also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play it deserves? Email me to let me know and I'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something I haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email me:

Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com

This week's post comes from our very own: 
Rose Red!

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 18: The Iron Druid Chronicles

(Click book cover to go to Goodreads page)

        

    

Why I love it!

The Iron Druid Chronicles premise revolves around the shenanigans of Atticus O’Sullivan, a 2100-year old druid hiding out in present day Tempe, Arizona with his Irish wolfhound, Oberon. The mythology in this series is amazing and diverse! Kevin Hearne doesn’t just bring in the Celtic mythos of the Tuatha Dé Danann; he includes many mythologies ranging from the Greek to the Navajo to the Norse. Do you know of any other series where within the space of a couple books you can meet Jesus, Coyote, Thor, and The Morrigan? If that wasn’t amazing enough, he also incorporates all types of paranormal creatures such as witches, werewolves, vampires, skinwalkers, and kitsune. And the dialogue is funny and peppered with pop culture and literary references galore! Each book is like a breath of fresh air in the urban fantasy genre.

The Dialogue!

This series will make you grin like an idiot while reading! The dialogue is awesome and hilarious! Kevin Hearne deals out banter that one minute is full of Shakespeare quotes and the next, he is referencing Star Wars or The Princess Bride. It is done so deftly that it is amazing! When Atticus’ dry humor is combined with Oberon’s zaniness, you have the perfect recipe for sore sides. Seriously. Prepare yourself to laugh out loud multiple times. In my opinion, Atticus and Oberon are urban fantasy’s brave version of Shaggy and Scooby.

The Audiobooks!

If you like audiobooks, then you have to listen to this series! The narrator, Luke Daniels, does an outstanding job! He not only gave Atticus the perfect voice, but also Oberon! I’d recommend reading the books first and then listening to them to get the maximum enjoyment from them. The audiobooks are awesome and I frequently find myself listening to them at work. Which may not be the best idea because I tend to get funny looks from my office mates because Oberon’s antics have me laughing a lot.

If you're a fan of fun urban fantasy romps that feature lots of mythology, I'd highly recommend picking this series up if you haven't yet!

Have you read this book?

Did we persuade you to add it to your TBR mountain?

Let us know in the comments below!

Coastal Magic Author Spotlight and Giveaway - J.A. Souders!

J.A. Souders

Check out J.A. Souders awesome insight into Evie and Gavin below, then enter to WIN in the Rafflecopter form!!!

 

Yay! I’m so excited to be here on Goldilox’s blog! We met at the Coastal Magic conference when it was just in it’s infancy and called Olde City, New Blood and I just love her to pieces. :) She asked me as part of her part as a featured blogger at Coastal Magic, if I could write a post for her about things readers should know about Gavin and Evie.

As any author can tell you, we spend so much time with our characters that we know so much about them. So much more than we could ever put on the paper. And a lot of times it can be detrimental to the story line and we don’t even know it, because we are so close to our characters. Decisions that those characters make, can make no sense to the readers, but perfect sense to us because we know everything about them, so I’m glad to answer some questions and shed some light on the Evie and Gavin that I just couldn’t fit into the book without slogging it down with too many details.

Please be forewarned that if you haven’t read the books, there will be spoilers here. I’ll try to keep them to a minimum but continue at your own risk. :D
When I first started writing RENEGADE, Evelyn knew exactly what she was. She hid it from Mother, of course, but she knew and when Gavin came into the picture she told him, too. Of course, when my editor and I decided it would actually be more awesome if she didn’t actually know what/who she was and the readers found out when she did, it changed a lot of the beginning and the end. And like I said earlier, a lot of her and Gavin’s decisions were originally based on that knowledge, and now that Evie doesn’t know it, some of her actions seem strange to the reader. And maybe downright wrong.

However, that being said, I decided to keep a lot of that in still, because I had to think like a Citizen, not to mention there had to be character growth. A questioning of what they know and think they want to something different and hopefully better. Here’s where the spoiler comes in. Evelyn is an Enforcer, she was born, bred, and trained to be a killer.

And even though she doesn’t know that, she is The Daughter of the People. She grew up in a world where killing was just a cost of the comfort and peace she thought she had. In fact, all of the citizens think the same. Her world and thinking is strange and scary and possibly horrible to us. That was on purpose. I wanted to show a world that made us feel that way. I wanted to show a character who made us question our own decisions and choices. To make us ask ourselves the hard questions, like if we lived in this world, what would we do? What is right? What is wrong? To some she may be irredeemable for what she does in RENEGADE and REVELATIONS and maybe even book 3 when it comes out, and I understand it, but I hope that people will see her for what she is, which is a product of her environment and upbringing, not to mention lots and lots of brainwashing, but in the end her true self keeps shining through and that one person can make a difference. And can change who and what they are no matter where they’ve come from, if they choose to. Of course, the question still remains if she’ll make that choice, or if she’ll make a choice we don’t even know she had.

As far as Gavin…well, let’s start with the fact that he’s a guy. A teenage guy. He’s had to grow up in an unforgiving environment, where he had to grow up faster than he should have, but he’s still a teenage guy. Hormones sometimes take the place of braincells when it comes to it. In RENEGADE he kind of takes a back seat to Evie, because of how strong of a character she is and the fact that he was out of his element. A lot of people felt he made a lot of stupid choices with Evie. I agree. :) But, again, this was intentional. He was held captive. Someone was willing to save him. Possibly. And while he was intrigued by Evie, and attracted, of course, he didn’t trust her right away. He took the only option he thought he had. One where he had the possibility of living. He was sure he was going to die one way or another, he might as well try as opposed to just sitting and waiting for death.

And even though he lets some of his hormones make some of his decisions (like when he kisses her the first time) he doesn’t trust her until she basically takes a bullet for him. Another thing that people have questioned as to why he’s so “forgiving” of her conditioned responses. The simple answer to that is, that he knows (or at least hopes) that she’s not the monster she’s been trained to be. That everything she’s done is because of her conditioning and had she not had her brain messed with, being a murderer wouldn’t even be in her wheelhouse. And lastly, when Gavin says he loves her. A lot of people have expressed they felt this was insta-love. In a way, they’re right. Of course, research shows that certain circumstances can draw people together faster, but in this particular circumstance, I don’t feel he really loved her (at that point anyway.). Yes, he was attracted. Yes, he like, liked her (LOL). But love wasn’t quite there yet. He was just smart enough to realize that certain things turned on her Enforcer side, while other things turned them off.

Most of this pertains to RENEGADE and I know a lot of people really question a lot of the motives for both characters in REVELATIONS, but I can’t answer most of those without giving away a lot of book 3, so you’ll just have to wait for those answers. ;) Besides, this post is long enough. :) LOL.

J.A. Souders was born in the heartland with an overactive imagination and an over abundance of curiosity that was always getting her into trouble. She first began writing at the age of 13, when she moved to Florida and not only befriended the monsters under the bed, but created worlds for them to play together.

Because she never grew up, she decided she’d put her imaginary friends to work and started writing. She still lives in the land of sunshine and palm trees and is an active member of the RWA, CFRW, YARWA, SFWA, and SCBWI.

She is represented by Natalie Lakosil of the Bradford Literary Agency.

Website: http://www.jasouders.com/

Twitter: JASouders

Come see J.A. Souders along with 49 other authors at Coastal Magic in February!

Enter to win signed copies of RENEGADE and REVELATIONS if in North America or e-copies if International. 

(Winner must be 13 or older)

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Review: Be With Me by J. Lynn

Be With Me
(Wait For You #2)
J. Lynn
Release: February 4, 2014
Goodreads Amazon

Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year—she’s in love with her big brother’s best friend, but he hasn’t spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It’s time for Plan B – college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he’s not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend’s incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn’t have time for a relationship. But it doesn’t help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they’re thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can’t keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they’re willing to risk to be together, and what they’re willing to lose if they’re not…

Review by Rose Red:

Be With Me is the second book in J. Lynn’s Wait For You series and is the story of Jase, Cam’s best friend, and Teresa (aka Tess), Cam’s little sister. This is a classic girl falls in love with her older brother’s best friend story. Like the first book in this series, I loved this one! Wait For You, I think, was a better story overall, but this one was golden too. There was something about it that really resonated with me even though I have not had to deal with any of the same issues that Tess and Jase do.

One of the things, I adore about J. Lynn/Jennifer Armentrout is how she portrays her characters and how she has them deal with some real life issues. And this book is a great example of that. Tess's dream of dancing has been put on hold because of a knee injury.  So she proceeds with Plan B, which is to attend college.  Going to school somewhere other than a major dance school is not what she wanted so she’s only attending classes at the same college as her brother until she recovers enough to get back to ballet. Stuff like this happen all the time in real life and most people find themselves in her shoes trying to figure out who they are and where they want their lives to go. There are some other pretty heavy-hitting issues presented in this book but I won’t get into those so I don’t spoil anyone who hasn’t read Wait For You.

I loved Tess as a character and I connected with her almost immediately. She is so much fun! I literally laughed out loud at so many of the things she said and thought. Not only is she hilarious, she has a temper while still being sweet and she doesn’t take crap from anybody. I liked that she still had insecurities, but they didn’t immobilize her or keep her from knowing what she wants. She is emotionally strong and stable which is good because the same thing can’t be said for Jase.

Jase can be described as slightly damaged, which causes some of drama in the book. And let’s be honest, J. Lynn set the bar pretty high with Cam and those damn cookies of his, so Jase had a lot to live up to. And he does, but in his own way. Jase is definitely not Cam and they really shouldn’t be compared. One ingenious similarity between the two is that Jase has a baked good addiction like Cam does but it is not cookies. Jase has to work through some pretty serious issues and, for me, his big reveal was pretty predictable. But that did not take anything away from the story for me. I still loved him even when he annoyed me at times.

I can totally see why some of the drama with Jase happened due to his emotional baggage, but him freaking out every time things took a turn towards a serious relationship between him and Tess, kind of pissed me off. Although, I’ll give Tess huge props for not becoming a weepy, clingy mess every time he had a freak out. In a way, Jase was very similar to Avery with his inability to deal with the emotions he was feeling for Tess.

I don’t know what it is about this series but it leaves me grinning and all warm and fuzzy inside. This is what J. Lynn/Jennifer Armentrout’s books do to me. What can I say? I’m a romantic at heart.

The romance was intense and there was significant character growth for both Tess and Jase. I really enjoyed the chemistry they had and the witty banter that was exchanged between them. The whole book was a roller coaster of emotions and that's a good thing. The only reason I dropped the rating to 4.5 stars is due to some issues I had with how Jase and Tess approached protection before one of the times they had sex. But what is an issue for me; may be a non-issue for most people in how it was presented. I just didn’t like it.

Overall, this book was awesome and I’d highly recommend it! It’s packed with witty lines, heart pounding suspense, and romance! I like that this book can be read as a stand alone, but you'll get more of a complete picture if you read the prior books in the series. I can't wait for September to be here so I can finally read Stay With Me!
 

Recommended for fans of: 
Easy by Tammara Webber
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

    1/2

  4.5 / 5 stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
Wait For You by J. Lynn

Review: Wait For You by J. Lynn

Wait For You
(Wait For You #1)
J. Lynn
Release:
Goodreads Amazon

Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for…

Review by Rose Red:

-->

I picked up Wait for You on a kindle deal* because I have enjoyed every book of Jennifer Armentrout’s that I have read so far. And this one didn’t disappoint! It was super adorable and it had me laughing out loud at several parts! If you’re looking at starting Wait for You make sure you plan enough time to read it in one sitting because, believe me, you will not want to put it down. I’d also recommend having the other two books in the series, Trust in Me and Be With Me, on stand-by because you’re going to want to start them immediately after finishing.

Wait for You is a typical new adult story but it is extremely well written. The characters are complex and the pacing is spot on. I’m kind of a sucker for romance novels that approach serious issues and this is definitely one of those stories. The book focuses on Avery Morganstern and Cameron Hamilton and how their relationship came to be. They have to conquer some serious hurdles with each of their respective pasts to help each other move on and realize that they are capable of being loved.

Cam is freaking fantastic! He's one of those guys that is so damn likable that you wish you had him for your own. He’s not a broody, alpha male, but is kind and respectful to everyone around him. He has great relationships with his family and his friends and I loved that about his character. Cam does have a dark spot in his past that is alluded to in the first few chapters. We later find out the whole story, but it only makes you love him more. According to Avery’s description, he’s very good looking which is always a plus. I found myself shaking my head each time Avery turned him down when he asked her out. Just say yes already!

Avery, poor girl, is pretty messed up. It's evident within the first few pages that Avery has had some huge traumatic event happen to her in her past. However, what actually happened is only revealed in bits and pieces for a long portion of the story. This event has clearly affected her in a in such a way that she felt the need to leave her family and all of her old friends behind. She wants nothing to do with her old life. Whatever happened to her changed her and how she views everything around her. Throughout the story, it is obvious time and time again that the way she relates to people, places, and well, everything is related to her secret.

I kind of figured out Avery’s secret early on in the story. Well, sort of. I got most of it right. But I don’t think it was suppose to be some big mystery. I think the reader is meant have an idea of what her secret is to explain some of her actions, but not all of it so we can be outraged when all is revealed. It’s like we’re given an almost completed puzzle, but the important pieces are still missing.

The pacing and development of the relationship was perfect! The buildup, the tension, and the wait: it all felt real and natural! It was one of my favorite aspects of the book. It was intense, slow building, and contained lots of snark. I seriously enjoyed the banter between Avery and Cam a lot! But their relationship is not all sunshine and rainbows. They have some serious issues to deal with. I liked that they had to work at their relationship and that it wasn’t an immediate “OMG! I love you and let’s get married!”

If you are looking for a perfect summer read and you love university-centered New Adult romance novels, I highly recommend Wait for You. It will have you grinning like a fool the whole time you’re reading it. J. Lynn has rewritten this story from Cam’s perspective in Trust in Me and I highly recommend that you read it immediately after Wait For You. I didn’t think I could love Cam more but that book certainly made me love him more.

*The Kindle Deal is still going on so you can get all the books that are out in this series for less than $10! Click HERE to go to the series page.

Recommended for fans of: 

Easy by Tammara Webber

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Losing it by Cora Carmack

    

 5 / 5 stars