Review - Boys of Summer by Jessica Brody

Title: Boys of Summer

Author: Jessica Brody
Series: N/A
Pages: 352
Release Date: April 5th 2016

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher:
Source: Amazon
Format: Paperback

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: Choose your own boyfriend in this breezy beach read about love, family, and the true meaning of friendship.

Meet the Boys of Winlock Harbor…

Grayson Cartwright: Golden Boy. Football Prodigy. Troublemaker.

Mike Metzler: Local Heartthrob. Surfer Boy. Hopeless Romantic.

Ian Handler: Army Brat. Musician. King of Sarcasm.

Best friends since they were kids, Grayson, Mike, and Ian were hoping for another epic summer on “The Locks”, filled with clambakes, bonfires, and late-night swims in the ocean.

But that was before Ian’s dad never returned home from his last deployment. Before Mike had to take on more responsibility in order to help provide for his family. Before Grayson’s accident left him with an injured throwing arm and an uncertain future.

It’s clear this summer on the island is shaping up to be very different from those Grayson, Mike, and Ian had come to rely on. And when the sacred code of dating a friend’s sister or ex is broken, it will push their friendship to the absolute limit, testing their loyalties in a way that could either break them—or save them.

My Review: I loved this story it was an excellent read that I just couldn't put down it was a page turner and I was up until gone 2 am one day reading. Boys of Summer is told in 3 points of view, the boys are reunited for the summer but all is not right between them and they all keep secrets from one another where as before they were so close.

Ian and Grayson go to Winlock Harbor for the summer while Mike lives there, they met each other when they were children and have spend every summer hanging out together and making fun of the tourists. This summer tho is different.

All the boys are very different status and personality wise.

My favourite character in the story was Ian, the brooding musician, it seems like that he doesn't want to be on the Locks which is understandable, but when he lands himself a new girlfriend he seems a lot happier.

Mike was cool, at the beginning of the book he is getting prepared to leave the Locks once summer is over and go to Hollywood with his on-off (mostly off) girlfriend Harper so that she can become famous. Mike spends all summer working to help keep his family afloat due to his father being injured and not being able to work. After a big break-up with Harper Mike meets a girl on the beach after she tried to save him from not drowning. I liked that he finally came to his senses and realized that staying on Winlock Harbor is where he needs to be and that he was happy in the end.

I wasn't a fan of Grayson as I thought he was a spoiled brat but I did relate with him though and I felt sorry for him not being able to do football after his accident because I know how it feels to be in that much pain due to a broken arm and not be able to do the things you used to be able to do. Grayson does something stupid which hurts one of his friends but in the end it turns out okay.

At the end of the book there a chapter about how the boys have turned their troubled lives around which I think was great and I can see a potential Boys of Summer series maybe 3 new books one on each one of the boys after that summer and what they get up to. Do they get into college? Do there new relationships last? Who know what will happen next.

Review - Druhall of the Seven Uniters by Alicia J. Love

Title: Druhall of the Seven Uniters

Author: Alicia J. Love
Series: The Seven Uniters: The Originals
Pages: 19
Release Date: October 16th 2013

Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Smashword
Source: Amazon
Format: Kindle

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: Druhall has always been afraid. Orphaned on an alien planet, he has always relied on his twin brother, Dreemad, to protect him. But, their lives have completely changed, gifted with the powers of the universe and expected to fight in the intergalactic war. Can Druhall find the strength to fight? And can he learn to let go of his fear and stop relying on his brother to protect him?

My Review: This was a quick read and quite sad at the start, Druhall is a twin, he is also an alien brought up on a different planet than his home planet where he and his brother lived in a foster home and were picked on by other kids. Druhall is scared and doesn't want to leave his brother but he picks up the courage to do so and he manages to take down an army by himself.

Review - Jakkob of the Seven Uniters by Alicia J. Love

Title: Jakkob of the Seven Uniters

Author: Alicia J. Love
Series: The Seven Uniters: The Originals
Pages: 20
Release Date: June 26th 2013

Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services Inc
Source: Amazon
Format: Kindle

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: Jakkob finds out he is one of the Seven Uniters, blessed with the powers of the universe in order to bring peace to the universe that has been engulfed in intergalactic war since before he was born. His new found power comes at a terrible cost, though.

My Review: Another quick and easy read, Jakkob was born on a planet that was destroying other planets and killing thousands of people, he didn't want to leave his mum and join the fight but he was being forced to, luckily for Jakkob he managed to escape due to him being special and receiving his powers.

Review - Aaria of the Seven Uniters by Alicia J. Love

Title: Aaria of the Seven Uniters

Author: Alicia J. Love
Series: The Seven Uniters: The Originals
Pages: 20
Release Date: April 13th 2013

Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Smashwords
Source: Amazon
Format: Kindle

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: Aaria, a member of the Seven Uniters, fights the ruthless forces of Alasarr to win back her conquered home planet. They are powerful and determined, but one thing they didn't realize is that this isn't just some planet, this was her home. This was personal. And they were going to pay.

The Seven Uniters: The Originals

In the midst of a terrible intergalactic war, the holy people of all the planets came together and prayed. Their homes were being destroyed, the universe ravaged by the destructive forces of the war. They prayed and prayed, and then they were born. There were seven of them. Seven to unite them. Seven to end the war.

My Review: This book was a nice quick read. We meet Aaria who seemed to be a nice character who just wanted to get her planet Alasarr back, the short story introduces the other six characters.  Aaria leads the group of Seven Uniters into battle where she using her special powers to save the planet.

Review - Die Once More by Amy Plum

Title: Die Once More

Author: Amy Plum
Series: Revenants
Pages: 100
Release Date: February 3rd 2015

Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Epic Reads Impulse
Source: Amazon
Format: Kindle

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: This one-hundred-page novella picks up where the international bestselling Die for Me trilogy ended and follows the eternally irresistible Jules Marchenoir as he leaves Paris behind for a fresh start in New York City.

Jules is a Revenant—an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save human lives. He's spent the last century flirting his way through Paris and, most recently, falling in love with his best friend's girlfriend. Loyalty and heartbreak have led him to choose a new life in NYC.

Separated from his friends and his home, Jules is adrift in this dangerous new world, facing unknown enemies . . . until he meets a Revenant named Ava. Though the battle for France has been won, an epic war between good and evil has just begun in the Big Apple, and Ava needs Jules's help to uncover the key to an American victory. Jules finds himself in the same position he crossed an ocean to escape: at risk of losing his immortal existence as well as his heart.

My Review: This short novella tells us about Jule's life after he has joined the NYC Barda. at first he is still pining after Kate who he knows that he cannot have and living in her hometown isn't helping him as much as he thought it would.

He decides to go on his first walk with the NYC Barda and while he is on his first walk looking for Numa he realizes how different it is to France because there are more Barda walking the streets at one time than there is in France but there are many more Barda in NYC compared to those in France.

While he is on his walk he meets Ava and he forgets all about Kate and is now only interested in her, the only problem is there is a war coming and he needs Kate's help to keep Ava save so that he doesn't lose her too because she is just as special as Kate.

The Revenant series have gotten better with each book and I am really going to miss the characters.

Review - If I Should Die by Amy Plum

Title: If I Should Die

Author: Amy Plum
Series: Revenants
Pages: 408
Release Date: May 1st 2013

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Atom
Source: Amazon
Format: Paperback

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: An enthralling and unique paranormal romance, Amy Plum's DIE FOR ME series introduces a new version of the undead with revenants, beings who are fated to sacrifice themselves over and over again to save others' lives.

The final thrilling installment of Amy Plum's DIE FOR ME series.

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

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

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

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

My Review: If I Should Die was the 3rd and final installment in Amy Plum's Revenants series. It was jam packed with anger, sadness and loads of action.

The story starts where the last one ended, Kate distraught, Vincent dead and in the hands of Violette a girl whom the Barda believed and treated as one of their own because they believed that Vincent was the Champion.

Throughout the story we see Kate grieving for her lost love, somehow Kate manages to be able to hear Vincent. Kate's grandmother finds out all about the Revenants and like her husband she wants Kate to stay away from Frances Barda, until Kate and her sister go off wandering and almost get killed by Violette's men, forcing Kate's grandmother to make a deal with JB so that Kate and her family will have around the clock Revenant guards to keep them safe from the Numa.

During this final book - without revealing everything - Kate, her grandfather and Jules travel to America to try and get Vincent back and after they manage that something BIG happens to Kate which means that she gets to meet many new Revenats from across the world as well as some old Revenants that come back into her life and one leaving her life.

Forgotten Origins Book Trailer

The Forgotten Origins is a young adult scifi trilogy about a young girl who fights to save the world from a mind - altering infection and they’re smarter, faster and emotionless.

See below to watch the trailer.

Review - Haven: A Stranger Magic by D. K. Akers

Title: The Stranger Magic

Author: D. K. Akers
Series: Haven
Pages: 172
Release Date: March 5th 2013

Publisher: Vanquisher Publishing

Source: Amazon
Format: Kindle

Buy it: Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Synopsis: Sam Dalcome thinks he is so completely average that no one ever notices him. Until he discovers a mysterious stranger outside his home. Bewildered, he tries to uncover the stranger’s intentions. But Sam is sidetracked when he and his friend Travis discover a secret passageway deep in the town’s quarry that leads to a hidden cavern. What they uncover next will not only change their lives forever, but will uncover the first clue to a deadly Dalcome family secret. Sam finds himself drawn into a world of mystery and magic he never knew existed, which brings him closer to a destiny he never knew was possible.

HAVEN SERIES: Known as a place of refuge, Haven is a sanctuary for those with supernatural abilities. Decades of peace between the Witches, Vampires, Goblins, Elves, and Orcs is coming to an end. Now the once tranquil world is shrouded in deception and corruption. Dark secrets tear at the very fabric of their alliance giving way to an evil that stirs in the shadows. Exhilarating and utterly gripping, the HAVEN series is an action-packed journey full of suspense, magic, mystery, and intrigue.

My Review: A Strangers Magic was about a teenage boy named Sam who lives with his mother who works a lot to pay the bills and sister who is always mean to him.

Sam has been having nightmares and one night he thinks he sees someone hiding in the shadows of a neighboring house across the street, so Sam goes outside but there is no one there but there are sweet wrappers where the person was standing so Sam takes one of the wrappers to show his friend.

Sam's friend Trent talks Sam into going to the quarry and when they do they discover a secret tunnel that is new, the tunnel goes deep into the quarry and leads to a hidden cavern. While exploring the cavern Sam finds the first clue to his family secret.

D.C Akers did a good job at keeping me entertained by using a lot of descriptions to keep the images flowing in my head while reading. I love stories with magic so I enjoyed getting my head stuck in this world of magic.

This was an easy read that I managed to get through it with no trouble and it is easy to get lost in the story and it finishes before you know it.