Friday Fling! New Titles from @EntangledPub!

 

During Friday Fling , I share with you a "just for fun" romance book or novella that I read and really enjoyed.  It will generally be a "mini review" instead of a full review and I'll often stray from my YA focus into the realm of adult romance (which, in case you're curious, is my not-so-guilty pleasure).  These are books that I think are fun, quick reads that are definitely worth checking out!

I have a new favorite romance publisher and it's not a secret at all!

It's really probably pretty obvious if you look at the majority of my Friday Fling! posts. Entangled Publishing has been featured more than any other publisher.  They really put out quality stories and they (in my opinion) price most of them at a very reasonable $2.99, which makes me pick almost all of them up the instant that they come out.  If you haven't read an Entangled romance...why not?!

Publisher: Ever Afters (Entangled Publishing)
Release Date: 25 April 2012
Get it! Amazon | B&N

Rebecca is not your typical angel, especially with hr penchant for swearing. But a dark and difficult past led her to accept the potential for redemption as an angel.  Her first assignment, however--the one to help her earn her wings--is proving more difficult than anticipated. Tony Weis and his adorable daughter tempt Rebecca with the possibilities of a life that she's given up. Will an accident, anmesia, and the devotion of a man weaken her resolve to accept her calling as an angel?

Diane Alberts has crafted a wonderful angel love story--and not the type of angel story that you'd generally think of first! Her wonderfully flawed characters will pull at your heartstrings and capture your imagination. Rebecca and Tony have this crazy-awesome relationship that begins pretty much with this: R-"Hey, I'm an angel and I'm here to save your soul." T-"F* off, crazy lady."  Makings of a great relationship, right?! The pages fly by as you fall in love with Miranda (Tony's daughter), watch her melt Rebecca's heart, and witness Tony falling in love for the first time since Miranda's mom left him. I adored the way that their romance developed throughout their time together. It was touching to see how each could make be influential in essentially thawing the heart of the other because both of them had some immense hurt in their past. It's a great, quick read that will have you waiting for more from Diane Alberts.

Publisher:  Ever Afters (Entangled Publishing)

Release Date: 25 April 2012

Get it!  Amazon | B&N

Samantha Bennett is finally going to get a solid job that will help her prove to her father that she's capable of succeeding on her own. Too bad it turns out her competition is none other than Dean Malloy, the boy her broke her heart 5 years ago and she's never gotten over.  While they wait to find out who will win the contract, the two spend an electric weekend together--but will they really be able to go their separate ways at the end?

Sam and Dean are both strong-willed people who are passionate about the work they do. I loved Sam's determination to find her own path in the world and walk away from her father's law firm when she found what truly inspired her. Dean's devotion to his family, despite his differences with his father, was also truly refreshing to read--I always appreciate a family that can try to resolve their issues. The professional tension between them as they battle for their desire to win the one thing that will make their individual careers dissolves in moments of pent-up passion that's been hidden away for years since their mutual heartbreak over each other. Worth the Risk is truly everything that Charlene Sands' blurb says it is: "smart, sexy, [and] delightfully sexy"

YA Book Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Release Date: 

Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Get a copy! Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Goodreads description:

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

My Thoughts...

YA Book Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Release Date: 

Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased from B&N

Get a copy! Amazon | Barnes & Noble
(currently only $0.99 for Kindle & Nook!!)

Goodreads description:

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side...

My Thoughts...

YA Book Review: On a Dark Wing by Jordan Dane

Release Date: 27 December 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: eARC
Source: Published via Netgalley

Goodreads description:

The choices I had made led to the moment when fate took over. I would learn a lesson I wasn't prepared for. And Death would be my willing teacher.

Five years ago, Abbey Chandler cheated Death. She survived a horrific car accident, but her "lucky" break came at the expense of her mother's life and changed everything. After she crossed paths with Death—by taking the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and sky—she would never be normal again.

Now she's the target of Death's ravens and an innocent boy's life is on the line. When Nate Holden—Abbey's secret crush—starts to climb Alaska's Denali, the Angel of Death stalks him because of her.

And Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.

My Thoughts...

In the final stretch of 2011, HarlequinTeen has brought readers a new angel story that provides enough unique twists to make it stand apart from its many predecessors of the year.  Wrought with emotion and intrigue, Jordan Dane has brought new life to the angel tale through a dark examination of life and death.  While I overall enjoyed this book, I will say that it didn't necessarily blow me away.  There were a few things that didn't really mesh for me and it wasn't the type of book where I found myself truly caring about and immersed in the characters and their world.

When her mother died in a car accident 5 years ago, Abby was left with the guilt and pain of surviving that same crash.  It changed her relationship with her father and those around her.  What she didn't realize at the time is that there were even bigger ramifications to her survival.  Abby finds out the hard way that Death never forgets a soul that he was meant to collect.

Abby isn't the type of MC that I'm typically drawn to, which made some of the story hard to get through.  She's a bit standoffish with her father, acquaintances and even her best friend, Tanner.  She struck me as a bit self-absorbed at times, and while some of that can be forgiven through her traumatic past, I would think that she would be willing at this point to let others into her life just a little.  Also, her crush on obsession with Nate Holden simply struck me as...odd.  I couldn't quite understand her fascination with this boy that she didn't know AT ALL.  I get that it's common to crush on the cute popular boy a little.  Heck, I did it too.  Abby just takes her crush to a whole new level that I really just didn't "get." Thankfully, Abby does develop a lot throughout this novel and make some good decisions--i.e. she grows up a bit.  I felt like by the end she was starting to see the good things that she did in fact have in her life that she had been missing/ignoring.

Tanner is awesome. The end.  He was easily my favorite character in this book.  He's a great friend and so dedicated to Abby.  I just wanted to scream at her for basically not noticing him. Seriously, so much boyfriend potential there.  And to top it off, he's got a fabulous sense of humor and the brains to go with it.  He really "got" Abby and he was always there for her.

While this was a good read, it was a GREAT read, at least not for me.  It lacked the character connection that I look for in a great novel.  Abby wasn't a character that made me excited to dive back into the story.  There were also a few oddities with this novel that I'm not sure how I felt about them, the the main thing was the changing point of view.  I understood having some from Abby and some from Tanner and even a little from Nate...but all of the sudden we were getting Bob Holden and snippets from Jackie Holden and it felt like too much. The sections jumped back and forth in small bursts and it interrupted the flow a little for me.  So, while I enjoyed this novel and would easily recommend it to fans of paranormal reads and "angel books," it wasn't my favorite this year.  The writing is really good, but the characters and pacing didn't work for me.

(ARC) YA Book Review: Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

Release Date: 1 February 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format: ARC
Source: Around the World ARC Tours


Pre-Order It! Amazon | B&N

Goodreads description:

Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined.
Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She’s been warned.
Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.

She’ll be betrayed.
Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.

My Thoughts...

I was going to wait until closer to the release date but I couldn't wait to share this one with you! I enjoyed Angelfire but if you read my review, then you know that it took me a good chunk of the book to really warm up to Ellie.  She bothered me for reasons I won't rehash, but Courtney Allison Moulton left me with a lot of hope for her character at the end of Angelfire, so of course I was excited when I got the chance to read this early!  Let me tell you--Ms. Moulton didn't disappoint me with Wings of the Wicked--not for one moment!

From page one, Ellie is kicking butt and taking names. Her personal growth from book one to book two is perfect.  She's totally coming into her power and it's awesome to watch.  She's a lot tougher than I think I gave her credit for in Angelfire.  She's still pining are Will, which is to be expected, but I liked that at the beginning we weren't bombarded with angsty teenager junk from her.  She was dealing the best she could with what she had learned about herself and trying to accept Will's reasons for staying away romantically, even though they are clearly into each other.

This book was also way more emotional for me than the previous.  On top of the forbidden love, Ellie is dealing even more with the struggle between being the Preliator and having a "normal" life with friends and family.  Things really hit home (um...literally) in this novel and the emotional and physical blow that's dealt Ellie is intense.  She has a lot to deal with and her grieving and pain is something that's relateable and real.  She is finally realizing just how much she really needs the support of her friends and family but how much danger she puts them in on a regular basis.  I can't imagine how torn she feels between her duty and her wants and desires.

Will is still the swoon-worth gentleman and kick-butt fighter that we experienced in Angelfire, but I felt like I learned a lot more about him and his history with Ellie in this book.  And when he finally got up the cajones to disobey Michael and follow this heart, well, I cheered. :)  There's too much violence and death and uncertainty in their world not to let yourself love.  (What's the saying? "It's better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all"? Yeah, that describes it pretty much perfectly.)

If you're not into this for the romance, then pick it up for the action! When I said that Ellie is kicking but and taking names...well, I mean that pretty darn literally.  Ms. Moulton has provided her readers with intense action scenes that the adreneline junkie in all of us will most definitely appreciate.  Between the action scenes, the emotional scenes, and the sexy scenes, Wings of the Wicked will keep you turning the pages up until the very end--and then it will leave you breathless and absolutely begging for more.

YA Book Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Release Date: 15 February 2011
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Won from Bewitched Bookworms

Buy this! B&N | Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads description:

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul. A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

My Thoughts...

I have been looking forward to reading this book for a long time...since February when it came out.  When I won a signed copy from The Bewitched Bookworms, I was in heaven.  The ideas in this book seemed so unique/original and I was really looking forward to it. (Do you see where this is going?)  I am really good at over-looking "angsty teen" syndrome and even insta-love, but this drove me crazy in this book: the "whiny rich girl" syndrome.

When the book starts out, Ellis seems like a normal teenager: good group of friends (incl. a BFF), some family issues at home, trouble in school, etc. I thought everything was just fine...until the whiny-rich-girl syndrome started to kick in full force. I almost couldn't get past it.  When Ellie has her 17th birthday party, all I could think about is that terrible reality television show, "My Sweet 16."  Ellie and her bestie do little besides drive around in expensive cars, go shopping at high end designer stores (with mommy and daddy's credit cards), and party.  At one point, Ellie decides she needs to change her clothes and when Will asks her why, she says this: "Because I don't like wearing the same outfit all day." I had to put the book down for a few minutes after that line.

Okay, I'm done ranting. I swear.  Because despite that ^, I really did like this book.  Actually, once you get into the fighting and more adventurous plot in the book, Ellie's whiny attitude fades into the background quite a bit. The concept of reapers was really unique and interesting.  I found them quite fascinating and well-developed.  The different types and their powers were interesting to learn about as the story unfolded.  It is also really interesting to watch Ellie slowly come into her memories and powers.  I liked her relationship with Will a lot.  While there is definitely the instant attraction there,  I thought that the time that it took to establish any kind of relationship was well-done.

Despite the above ranting, I am actually looking forward to the sequel, set to come out in February 2012.  I think that remembering her past lives is/will help Ellie to tone down her attitude and learn to take more responsibility.  There is also some wicked foreshadowing with some people in this book that left me knowing I must find out what happens.  I also can't wait to see how (if?) Will and Ellie's relationship will develop further and what new, dangerous adversaries they will encounter along the way.

This is my second "HarperTeen July" post! (3 of 5)

Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Candlewick Press; 24 May 2011; 464 pages 

Goodreads synopsis:

Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L..A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip — and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

Angel Burn was a refreshing addition to my reading shelf.  I have started to be a tad apprehensive about reading these types of books because at this point I've read so many and some are definitely disappointing.  This one, however, delivered!  The storyline started out a bit slow and I wasn't at all sure I was going to enjoy the book.  The prologue and first chapter left me wanting a little something more.  However, as soon as Willow and Alex team up, the story turns into a non-stop adventure that I couldn't put down.  I found myself turning page after page just to see what would happen next. 

Willow and Alex were unique characters with strong personalities.  Willow especially was a breath of fresh air in a genre where so many female leads are written as weak or flaky.  Willow was strong and independent (no Bella syndrome here--this girl can fix cars and everything!).  The romantic interest between the two develops throughout the story, which I really appreciated.  It wasn't an instant happening that came out of nowhere and I really appreciated that.


The one thing that bothered me with this one was the use of first-person narrative from Willow's perspective but third person for anyone else (e.g. Alex).  The switching back and forth caught me off-guard a couple of times but did not deter from my overall enjoyment of this book.

I think this is a great read for other who enjoy a little paranormal romance paired with a good amount of adventure. I'm really interested in the reading the next book in the trilogy (although sadly I don't think the US release is until December!!)

(Many thanks to Candlewick Press and NetGalley for providing this book for my review!) 

What do you think of the current angel/were/vampire craze in YA fiction?  What have you read lately that fits in this category? What did you think of it?