NEW ADULT MONDAYS: Down To You (Bad Boys #1)

The New Adult genre - their bad boys and big problems and epic loves make them engrossing tales that are so easy to lose yourself in. What's not to love about that? And, now, thanks to the cool chicks at Bewitched Bookworms, we can show these books the love they deserve in a weekly feature - New Adult Mondays.

Down To You (Bad Boys #1), by M. Leighton
Published September 21, 2012
Publisher:  Smashwords
Format: e-book - I own
Genre:  New Adult Contemporary Romance
To Buy:  Amazon  * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) The scorching tale of one girl, two brothers and a love triangle…that’s not. Olivia Townsend is nothing special. She’s just a girl working her way through college so she can return home to help her father run his business. She’s determined not to be the second woman in his life to abandon him, even if it means putting her own life on hold. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. Plain and simple. Black and white. But clear becomes complicated when she meets Cash and Nash Davenport. They’re brothers. Twins.

Cash is everything she’s always wanted in a guy. He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who wants her in his bed at any cost. He turns her insides to mush and, with just one kiss, makes her forget why he’s no good for her. Nash is everything she’s ever needed in a guy. He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate. But he’s taken. Very taken, by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich, beautiful cousin. That doesn’t stop Olivia from melting every time he looks at her, though. With just one touch, he makes her forget why they can never be together.

Black and white turns to shades of gray when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something that should make her run as far and as fast as she can. But it’s too late to run. Olivia’s already involved. And in love. With both of them. Both brothers make her heart tremble. Both brothers set her body on fire. She wants them both. And they want her. How will she ever choose between them?

Have you ever read a book and seen it playing out in your head like a movie, rather than reading the words like a book? Maybe I'm not describing what I mean very well. It's like, as you read the words, you can hear the background music (whether it be light or playful or sinister or sexy), see the sets clear as day, picture the actors as they go through the scene... like a movie in your head. I think Down To You was one of the clearest mind movies I've ever pictured. 

It really does have all the makings of a great silver screen picture. You have your quiet girl - Olivia - who is keeping her head down and just trying to get through life without attracting attention. Especially the wrong (or what she perceives as wrong) kind of attention. She has a mean girl for a roommate, an "aw shucks" kind of dad, and a wicked witch of a mother. 

Then she meets Cash - the aforementioned wrong kind of guy - and instantly wants him. But, then she meets his twin brother Nash, who is exactly the kind of guy she should be with, but doesn't seem to elicit the same kind of spark that Cash does. Both guys are obviously into her in a big way. Which one should she choose - the right guy for the wrong reason or the wrong guy for the right reason?

Throw in an upscale bar, a sheep farm, a college campus and the mob, and you have yourself one helluva movie! Are you seeing it like I'm seeing it? 

This was the first book I've ever read by M. Leighton, and I really loved it. There were so many atypical aspects to Down To You that made this book so special. You get the feel from pretty early on that not everything is as it seems, but Leighton's pacing and character development help draw out the big reveal in just the right way so that I didn't see the big WHAAA??? moment coming until it almost smacked me in the face. I love it when that happens! 

The chemistry between Olivia and both boys was palpable and totally believable. The way Olivia got on every last one of my nerves was totally believable too. I mean, she was stringing along two amazing guys - I found myself yelling at her more than once.  And, the end was awesome. The big reveal, Olivia's choice and the results from both all happen in rapid succession. It made me want more and more. 

Luckily, there's two more books in the series -  Up To Me (Bad Boys #2) and Everything For Us (Bad Boys #3), which is due out in September of this year. So, "more" we shall have. 

REVIEW: This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress #5)

This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress #5), by Jeaniene Frost
Published February 22, 2011
Publisher:  Avon
Format: audiobook - borrowed from the library
Genre:  Adult Paranormal Romance
To Buy:  Amazon  * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

Rating:  4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Danger waits on both sides of the grave.
  Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"; the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

After the emotional roller coaster that Jeaniene Frost took us on in Destined For An Early Grave (Night Huntress #4), I was ready for a more comfortable Cat and Bones. Comfortable with each other - yes. I did get that. But, in true fashion, comfortable is most definitely NOT the word to describe their situation. And, I don't actually think I'd have it any other way.

While things seem to be calming down on the home front, at least as far as Cat and Bones' relationship goes, the pot is getting stirred elsewhere. A very nasty ghoul has his designs on eliminating Cat - permanently - as a means to stop a species war between vampires and ghouls. Of course, Bones is most definitely not down with that plan, war be damned. So, he, Cat, Mencheres, Kira, Vlad, Spade and Denise set about trying to formulate a plan B.

Meanwhile, Cat is trying to get the hang of being fully undead - well, as undead as her nuances will allow her to be, anyway. She's got all these powers she can't fully handle yet. Then, after a meeting with Marie, the Queen of the Ghouls, that problem is amplified ten-fold.

I have to tell you, as much as I love Cat and Bones, This Side of the Grave was one of my favorites because of a different character. VLAD TEPESH. 

"Much slower, I turned around to see Vlad examining his fingernails, as if his hands weren't still ablaze in the flames that had blasted the ghoul's head off moments before.
'What the hell was THAT?' I gasped.
'Premature inflamulation,' he replied. 'Happens sometimes. Very embarrassing. I don't like to talk about it.'"

While Bones is off playing his part in the plan to take down the ghoul nasty, Cat, Vlad and Mencheres work on trying to get her powers under control. Vlad's method of "teaching" involves poking her and antagonizing her and outright beating the crap out of her. I frikkin' love that guy. And, his methods work. Cat not only figures out her unique powers, but I get the feeling that she gained a very good friend and ally in Vlad. Not that he wasn't already those things, but their relationship seemed strengthened by their time together.

Bones and Cat seem to have entered a very comfortable stage in their relationship. There are less hot and sexy moments between these two, and I definitely miss those. Those moments just seem so... right... between these two warriors. There was one in This Side of the Grave, but one is just not enough for me. I must insist on more Russell married sex moments in the future.

Despite the lack of physicality, the love between Cat and Bones is till very palpable. It's the best part of the story - Bones' adoration and protectiveness for his wife is what has made him one of my most favorite male book characters of all time. That has not changed, and thank goodness for that.

There is tons of action, laughter, excitement and fear in This Side of the Grave. Once again, Frost has outdone herself. The Night Huntress series continues to be one of the best series out there.

REVIEW: The Awakening (The Darkest Powers #2)

The Awakening (The Darkest Powers #2), by Kelley Armstrong
Published April 28, 2009
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Format: audiobook - borrowed from the library
Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal
To Buy:  Amazon  * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

Check out my review for The Summoning (The Darkest Powers #1).

Rating:  3 STARS

(From Goodreads) If you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl — someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I’m as far away from normal as it gets. I’m a living science experiment — not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization call the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters. I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control: I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I’m running for my life with three of my supernatural friends - a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch - and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

I liken The Awakening to showing up to a big picnic with fried chicken and corn on the cob and homemade desserts aplenty, yet when you look at all that awesome food, you realize that all you wanted was steak and decide to go play corn hole instead. It's not that the food is bad - it's just not what you want.

The Awakening picks up right where The Summoning left off - with Chloe and Tori back in the custody of the baddies from The Edison Group that they had escaped from for a short time. After escaping from their clutches yet again, they, along with Simon and Derek, find themselves on the run trying to get to someone they can trust.

Chloe now knows that she is a necromancer. She also has an inkling of what she can do with her abilities. She learns that, not only can she talk to ghosts, but she can raise and control the dead. That is such an incredible power with such potential. Yet, for the length of the entire book, Chloe bemoans her "useless" power and stands around helplessly when trouble arises, waiting for one of the others with a more active power to save her.

If you've been reading this blog for even a short time, you will know that the one thing I need in a good book is a strong female main character. And, our little Chloe Saunders is anything but. She questions all her decisions, she timidly shies away from conflict, and refuses to tap into her power to help her friends because it makes her feel bad.

Despite her shortcomings, for a portion of the book, Chloe does exhibit some strength of character when she decides to help Derek with a big problem of his instead of remaining comfortable. That section of the book was the best part of the whole thing. We get a lot of insight into Derek and what makes him tick. He is, without a doubt, my favorite character in this series. And, Chloe makes some very mature decisions, too, that gave me hope for the future.

Most of The Awakening is spent in dirty warehouses and alleys. There isn't a lot of forward movement in the story. It does seem as if this is a bridging book, bringing the events of the first and the third book in the trilogy together. As such, there isn't much action or opportunities to see our characters' powers in action.

Yet, knowing this, and seeing the cracks in Chloe's benign personality, I have high hopes for the final book in the series. I look forward to seeing Chloe's relationship with Derek and with the rest of her friends develop.