Sweet Evil By: Wendy Higgins

Overview: Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns? (From Barns and Noble)

I loved this book. It was AH-MAZ-ING!!! Higgins twist on nephilim and the fallen angels was great. I really liked how these characters were on the opposite spectrum of a normal angel book. Looking into the evil side of things and the temptation we as humans are plagued with everyday had me drawn in immediately. But I have to admit I was skeptical at first. The book introduces bad boy drummer Kaidan (Kai like thi) and like most paranormal romance books Anna immediately falls for him. Which who can blame her? That boy is H.O.T. Hot!! But something I did not like was how hurt Anna was every time her and Kaidan would fight or pull away from each other. She would become depressed and in my opinion way over emotional and over the top. (But after reading the 2nd book in the series I actually found myself thinking the opposite as the story grew. So definitely keep reading to get a better feel for the story) 

Something that Higgins did that I really liked was how she addressed the passing of time. For once the book took place over a huge span of time rather than just a few days or a week. Sometimes paranormal romances have a bad way of keeping everything in such a few amount of days that when they try to expand the time frame for sequel they have to make huge crazy jumps where you feel like you miss a lot of details. Higgins was able to spread the story line out and I never felt like I lost any detail, and it made the story much more realistic. 

Like I was saying before I absolutely adored Higgins view of fallen angels and the nephilim. They aren't looked on as fallen angels, but as daemons. And not just any daemons but the ones that represent the 7 deadly sins along with a few other things. Bad-A. And then there's the neph, the half children of the daemons, who inherit their parents sins or specialties. Meaning that the nephs aren't considered the good guys for once. Or so they think...  It is a great twist and I totally give it a thumbs up.

And on to my favorite part. Kaidan. Oh mamma he is one HOT boy. My total love for a bad boy might make me a bit bias but I am almost for sure that when you start reading you will agree. The drummer of a hot new band Kaidan is the epitome of sexy. And Anna will find out that means in more ways than one. Kaidan comes off as the slick player and draws Anna in immediately.  He is curious about Anna and wants to know more about her, while also fighting a deeper attraction he's afraid of and can't even begin to explain. I love his attitude and compassion though. He helps Anna and you can see he truly cares about her even though there are a million reasons to stay away. His demonic dad being the first. 

I give Sweet Evil 5 stars and encourage you to read the first two books that are out already.

TEARDROP by Lauren Kate Official Teaser Trailer #1

Look what came in the mail

Squeeee!!!!!! My signed copy of Obsidian came in the mail. So excited I have been waiting a couple weeks for this baby.
Thanks Jennifer L. Armentrout for the signature :)
-Kayla :)

Attention all lovers of Vampire Academy!!!!

Guess what comes out in theaters February 14th?! Super excited!

Book Review: Starters by Lissa Price

   

 Starters, an entertaining dystopian novel that lovers of the Hunger Games will enjoy, follows our protagonist, sixteen- year old Callie, as she handles a world where only Starters (children and teens) and Enders (seniors over the age of sixty) have survived after the Spore Wars. Filled with mystery, romance, and action, this book will make it difficult to get any work done.

     After the Spore Wars wipes out everyone between the ages twenty and sixty, sixteen-year old Callie and her younger brother ,Tyler, are left on their own to defend themselves from renegades and squat in homes for survival.Worried about the safety and health of her brother, Callie seeks out her only hope, Prime Destinations, a company that secretly hires teens to rent their bodies to seniors, otherwise known as Enders. Through this company, Callie is given the opportunity to make enough money to purchase a home for her and her brother to live in. While being rented, the neurochip that Prime Destinations implanted in her head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter only to find that her renter plans to use her for more than just a chance to feel young again.

     Starters turned out to be a very entertaining read. I found it impossible to stop thinking about. The plot of the story is filled with many twists and turns that eradicate any chance of a dull moment. The author did a wonderful job at creating a believable character. Callie is a strong, brazen protagonist that does whatever it takes to provide for her younger brother. I have read countless novels where the women protagonist ends up relying on her love interest to save her from any problem that comes her way. Callie is a character that uses her brains and skills to get the job done on her own.

     If you’re looking for a book that’s not filled with a sappy, cliché love story, this is the one for you. The romance was kept at a tolerable level, but it’s still enough to make you swoon over her handsome love interest. If you’re more attracted to mystery, don’t worry, there’s a slice in here for you. The biggest overshadowing mystery that was constantly swirling through my mind was “What exactly does the renter want to use her body to do?” Slowly piecing the clues together became my newest hobby. I would stay up until the wee hours of the morning trying to figure it out before I reached the end of the novel.

     To close, I’d like to say that this is a great read. There are just so many different elements in it that readers of romance, mystery, and action can all be drawn to it. The characters are lovable and the plot is entrancing. Just beware, when you pick this up, be prepared to be hooked.

New Book Cover Release

So yesterday on MTV's Hollywood Crush blog a new book cover for a brand new series was released. 

  

Aimee Carter author of The Goddess Test series has a new one coming out. The first book Pawn in The Blackcoat Rebellion officially has a cover now. WHOO!!!

The book is scheduled to release on November 19th so mark your calenders. Will have a new countdown clock up soon for it hopefully.  :)

Book Overview:

YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed…and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand. (From Barns and Noble)

A Beautiful Dark By: Jocelyn Davies

Overview: On the night of Skye's seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers whose sudden appearance sends her life into a tailspin. Complete opposites, Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Skye has no idea what they want or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

Then, in the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye discovers an impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can't help falling for, and Devin, who she can't stay away from, the consequences of Skye's choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine. (from Barns and Noble)

So I finally found a new angel series to become enthralled with. I have been missing my angel fix ever sense Hush Hush, Fallen, and Nightwatchers ended. Well lets get into it. I love the contrast between Asher and Devin, the dark vs. light. It adds that air of mystery and intrigue that I crave so much with a good old love triangle. I actually had a hard time trying to decide just which boy I liked the best. Personally I love me a bad boy, so I was drawn directly to Asher. But as the book keeps going the more romantic side of me was pulled to Devin. He is sweet, caring, and a bit awkward. Which is absolutely ADORABLE. Something I didn't like in particular with this book though was that after Skye meets the two boys and gets drawn into their world she starts to completely ignoring her friends. Poor Ian who has a mondo crush on Skye just kinda gets pushed to the back burner and is hardly even mentioned. It would have added more drama to keep his character in the story instead of just in the beginning, end, and maybe one or two other parts. Skye's other friend Cassie is at least in more of the story which always adds that "normal" person into the mix, and makes everything Skye is going through much more secretive and harder to keep hiding. Which adds to the drama of course. Something that I also liked was the twist on the angel part. It isn't your typical angel vs. demon or even fallen angel against regular angels. (Although I do think that it is a small version of fallen vs. regular) Davies presents both sides so well though that i found it quite refreshing and new. But I am almost for sure I would like anything about angels, because I am a SUCKER for them. Just saying *shrug*. And just so everyone knows. I want super cool angel powers. The stuff Skye can do even if it isn't controlled is pretty freaking cool. My just last complaint is that Skye would have really believed that what was happening to her was actually something inside her. For a good while every time something weird happened that she couldn't explain she kind of just wrote it off until the next incident. And yes I know that you don't want to reveal everything real quick in a book, but i wish Davies would have got the ball rolling a little quicker. It just seemed like all the crazy stuff came real fast at the end. Like Wham! Bam! Thank you mam! But hey I am not an author so it is not my decision. 

Well I don't want to give too much away so I'll stop there. But definitely giving A Beautiful Dark 5 stars. Can't wait to get started on the second book in the series A Fractured Light.

Frigid By: J Lynn E-Book Release and Trailer Reveal!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH it's finally out!!!!! So excited! The new teaser trailer for Frigid is finally here (bottom of page). Oh yeah and the book is now available on digital copy too. So super psyched!!!! :)

Go order it today on one of the two links listed on this page.

Quick disclosure. This book is not for the younger age group. 18+ content. 

                                                                     
Frigid Description

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.

To Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Frigid-ebook/dp/B00CONW5I6/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373884777&sr=1-1&keywords=Frigid

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/frigid-j-lynn/1114986686?ean=9781939392749&itm=1&usri=frigid

A Little About Jennifer L Armentrout (J Lynn)

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


Frigid Trailer Link:
http://youtu.be/KFjHtnm03_0

Follow the link to enter Jennifer's next Frigid contest
http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/frigid-is-out-winners-contest/

Lux Series: Obsidian, Onyx, And Opal By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Whoo! Finally my first real review. Well just to start, this book series is by far one of my favorites right now. It took me a whole three days to read all three. Yeah I know I'm obsessed lol. These novels offer an exiting look into the lives of Katy a normal seventeen year old girl obsessed with books. She recently moved to Podunk Ketterman, West Virginia with her widowed mother to escape the life they had in Florida, before her father passed away. Daemon is the sexy and mysterious guy who lives next door to her. Daemon's younger sister Dee, befriends Katy and begins hanging out with her. Snarky and rude, Daemon doesn't want Katy close to either of them and will do anything possible to keep her at a distance, while fighting the growing attraction between them. Katy accidentally discovers that not only are her new neighbors not human, but are from a whole different galaxy. She will discover the paranormal books she blogs may not be as far away from the truth as she once thought. As she is pulled deeper and deeper into the world of aliens and government officials, she realizes that things can go from complicated, to bad, and even worse still. Between evil aliens bent on sucking the life from Daemon and Dee, to the Department of Defense (DOD) sticking its nose where it doesn't belong, Katy and Daemon will have to put up the fight of their lives to not only save each other but to protect everyone around them. Unsure of Daemons real feelings for her, Katy must decide between giving into the feelings she's been hiding, or walking away completely from the infuriating boy next door who throws every sense in her body into overdrive just from a single touch. 

Obsidian: Daemon, the HOT, sarcastic, enraging male lead may just about be one of my new fav book crushes. With his snarky personality and the witty banter between he and Katy, I am in love. The dynamics between these two characters is great. Katy comes off as your typical reserved book worm. Daemon is much more assertive and for lack of a better word, rude! Katy quickly learns to stand her ground with him, and to not take any crap from her annoying new neighbor who is hell bent on keeping she and his sister from becoming friends. As summer ends and the new school year starts, Katy starts to discover the strange things that she might be imagining about Dee and Daemon are just the tip of the iceberg. I mean hey it's not everyday you find out your swoon worthy neighbor is an Alien. This book was a great intro to the series. It offered all my favorite things; a blooming romance, witty sarcastic banter, danger, and mystery. I was drawn in instantly and could not wait to find out just how close Katy was willing to get to Daemon.

Onyx: In the second book of the series, Armentrout does a beautiful job of developing the relationships of all the characters. Daemon and Katy are joined by their freaky alien bond, as Katy struggles with her growing feelings for him wondering if they are true or just the workings of their connection. Armentrout throws a wrench into their already complicated lives. A new character Blake, or as Daemon calls him, Flake shows up in town and seems to have all the answers Katy has been looking for. The addition to Blake at first had me a bit ticked. I am all the way team Daemon and adding a second guy to start interfering with all the progress he was making with Katy had me peeved. Yes I know a good love triangle is always a good addition to a story but I am totally against it in these books. Actually, I'm not even sure you could consider it a love triangle. More like a squiggly line where Katy just kinda deviates at times. Compared to the first book, Onyx has way more drama. With insane plot twists and growing secrets it makes for an edge of your seat, can't put it down kinda book. Which is the exact kinda book I like the best. 

Opal: The exciting third book in the Lux series, which I originally assumed was the last book in the series until I finished reading it. Heck was I mad when I realized that there was gonna be at least one more book coming out and I was gonna have to wait to find out what happens. I absolutely despise having to wait for books to come out. I know it takes time to write them but if things went my way the books would just come out as soon as I was ready to read them. But back to this book. Katy and Daemon have overcome so much. Finding out some of the motives of the DOD, and dealing with the hurt of losing someone close has shattered their small group and now Katy and Daemon are left to own up to the lies and secrets they have been keeping. While certain parts of this book will leave you sad and feeling for the characters, there are also times that will leave you all mushy and gooey feeling and begging to turn the page faster. Already being betrayed once, trusting friends becomes hard for not only Daemon and Katy but Dee and the rest of their small patchwork alien family.But with no other choice what are you supposed to do. The whole book I was left wondering what was going to happen. And every time you think you know what direction the book will take you wind up WRONG WRONG WRONG. And don't get me started on the ending. Let's just say holey freaking cow! I almost threw my nook across the room I was so shocked. So just be prepared for it. But just a small freak out moment here. Go team Daemon! Everything is finally in place relationship wise just the way I like. It took two books but their finally there, and I am talking some very intimate gush worthy moments too.

So just in case you didn't pick up on it, I LOVE these books. I would suggest to anyone to go out and get them. I can almost guarantee that you will love them and won't be able to finish them fast enough. Definitely 5 stars. I have to say Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my new favorite authors and I can not wait for the next 2 books in the Lux series to come out. So excited! SQUEAL!!!!

-Kayla :)

Welcome!

Welcome In-Betweeners,

My name is Melissa Mondesir and I am excited to begin posting reviews, thoughts, and suggestions on this blog. Kayla and I are hoping that this can be an area where everyone can come together to have discussions, make suggestions, and just enjoy the YA Fiction world. A little about myself, I'm a college student pursuing a degree in Editing, Writing and Media. I am absolutely in love with the color purple. My favorite movie of all time is Love & Basketball. My favorite artist at the moment is Ne-Yo. I have an unhealthy addiction to reality TV and "ratchet" television and I am "unconditionally and irrevocably in love with"...books!

I plan on writing a review for the book Starters by Lissa Price as soon as I get done with it. I'm halfway through and I'm loving it. It's such a different concept to me! Anyone here already read it? I'd love to hear what you thought about it. Obviously, no spoilers are wanted. Just comment below and tell me what you thought. 

Sincerely,

Melissa