Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

                                            🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart. 

This book was filled with loss, grief, anger, and perseverance. I'm actually at a loss for words. I'm not sure I can adequately express how fantastic this book is. First of all, what a beautiful cover!!! I don't care what people say about not judging a book by its cover because let's me honest...we all do it.

I loved the main characters. Their pain leapt off the pages of this book. It was so raw and real. They were each individuals but were also able to show compassion and understanding for each other. They had different circumstances impacting them but were each angry and finding it hard to convey their feelings about it to those around them. Through their anonymity in letters they are able to help each other work through their emotions and issues.

I appreciated that the author didn't dumb things down and make the subject matter have less depth. Nothing was sugarcoated. I also love that the author broke away from the typical story lines in this type of book. There were a few times in the book where I thought I might see something that usually happens like a mistaken identity type thing due to the letters but was pleasantly surprised it was not the case.

The Wicked Within by Kelly Keaton

                                              🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Ancient lore leads to present danger in the final book of this dark and sexy paranormal romance trilogy about a descendent of Medusa, set in a richly reimagined New Orleans.

Her fate is not set in stone.

Having temporarily defeated Athena, Ari races to break the gorgon curse that has plagued the women in her family for centuries. Her one lead sends her on a quest for the Hands of Zeus, an ancient relic last seen in the charge of New 2’s ruling elite, the Novem. But if there is one thing that Athena desires as much as revenge, it’s the Hands of Zeus—and Athena always gets what she wants.

Before either can locate the Hands, the statue goes missing, and a trail of blood follows those who once protected the relic’s secrets. Ari knows that her city, her friends, Sebastian—her life—depend upon her finding the statue before Athena. And with rumors that an ancient power is on the rise, the statue may not be her only concern…

Wow! What a great addition to the series!

I had still had an issue with the author repeating things that had happened in the first two books but the rest of the book was much better. I feel like the author improved and amped up the action in this book. The relationship between Ari and Sebastian was better in my opinion. Things were not as awkward and the progression of the relationship made more sense.

That battle was amazing! I loved every second of the action between Athena's forces and the people that stood with Ari. There were some twists that I didn't expect which made for a more satisfying and surprising ending. The majority of the questions that I found myself asking throughout the books were answered. The author explains what Violet is and Athena's motives as well as that of others were explained and made sense. 

A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton

                                              🌟🌟🌟🌓 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
When Ari first arrived in the dilapidated city of New 2, all she wanted was to figure out who she was. But what she discovered was beyond her worst nightmare. Ari is a descendant of Medusa and can already sense the evil growing inside her—a power the goddess Athena will stop at nothing to possess.

Desperate to hold on to her humanity and protect her loved ones, Ari must fight back. But Athena’s playing mind games, not just with Ari, but with those she cares about most. And Athena has a very special plan for the brooding and sexy Sebastian.

Ari is determined to defeat Athena, but time is running out. With no other options, Ari must unleash the very thing she’s afraid of: herself.

I wish that the author wouldn't have treated readers as if they couldn't remember anything from the first book. For the first 50 pages or so I felt like I was being reminded about something that was learned in the first book.

The action picks up in this one as Ari's discovers more about her abilities and how to use them. She is a beast! We learn more about some the characters that were in the first book like some of the heads of the nine families and are also introduced to more characters. I particularly liked Henri and Ari's dad.

It seemed like the author fixed the awkwardness of the relationship between Ari and Sebastian in this book but reading further into the book I realized how wrong I was. I don't understand this relationship! There is a period where their relationship changes and the author never even explains it! It just goes back to the way that it was.

I wanted to rate this book higher but I just couldn't. I love the action scenes but the rest of the book tends to suffer. I don't really understand what Athena's end game is. I thought I had her plan nailed down but after this book I have no idea. I know that she enjoys using psychological torture on Ari and that is majorly ratcheted up in this book.

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

                                              🌟🌟🌟🌓 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers a message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed. 

I wasn't sure about how Kelly Keaton combined paranormal and mythological elements in this book. It seemed a bit odd to me. I think I need to read the next book to have more time to process it. I did love how different the idea was from other books within the paranormal genre. 

I enjoyed learning about Ari's backstory. It made the pieces of the story fit together well.I think that Ari is a great character and I hope to see her grow and develop even more as the books progress. I loved how she had a hard time believing that certain creatures existed even though she realized that she was different from everyone else while she was growing up. It made her seem more human to be so skeptical and it helped the story to progress more naturally. As a reader, I was able to learn about the world through her eyes in a believable way without the flow suffering.

The quick attraction and make out session was odd between Ari and a certain someone. I could understand feeling a connection with what they have in common but it seemed awkward to me. Hopefully, this will be explained or fixed in the sequel. I am excited to see and learn more about a few of characters that seem to have a stake in Ari's future and the progression of her power. There are few characters that definitely so not trust and I want to find out if I am right about them.

Montana Summer by Jeanette Miller

                                                   🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Life has never looked so promising for Shelby Hamlin. After weathering a lonely childhood, her father’s death, and her mother’s rejection for joining the Church, she is now engaged to someone who appears to be the ideal man: Brad Thompson, an ambitious BYU student who’s stalwart in the gospel. And when Shelby travels alone to Brad’s hometown in Montana while he’s in California, she’s warmly embraced by her future in-laws—with the exception of Cameron, Brad’s resentful brother whose own engagement recently ended in bitter scandal. But as Cameron becomes Shelby’s increasingly frequent companion in Brad’s absence, their initial sparks of irritation become the glowing beginnings of a complicated romance. And as the two explore the breathtaking scenery of Big Sky country, Shelby’s heart pulls her away from her carefully laid plans. Can she have the love she’s always wanted without destroying the family of her dreams? 



This book was okay. It was a cute romance with a bit of angst...well as angsty as a religious romance can have anyway. I would have liked it to have a bit more angst because the characters don't seem to get upset with each other at all. The only time that characters even get upset happens between the two brothers and it is resolved fairly quickly. It didn't seem very realistic in that respect. I would think that someone would be upset with Shelby at some point during the story. I also didn't understand how Cameron could go from thinking women are awful creatures to be okay being around his brother's fiance after a day or two. The bottom line is that if you want to read a cute, clean romance that is a short read than this is for you.

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

                                              🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Synopsis:
Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button.

Only he isn’t sure he wants to.

After all, life hasn’t been great for Henry. His mom is a struggling waitress held together by a thin layer of cigarette smoke. His brother is a jobless dropout who just knocked someone up. His grandmother is slowly losing herself to Alzheimer’s. And Henry is still dealing with the grief of his boyfriend’s suicide last year.

Wiping the slate clean sounds like a pretty good choice to him.

But Henry is a scientist first, and facing the question thoroughly and logically, he begins to look for pros and cons: in the bully who is his perpetual one-night stand, in the best friend who betrayed him, in the brilliant and mysterious boy who walked into the wrong class. Weighing the pain and the joy that surrounds him, Henry is left with the ultimate choice: push the button and save the planet and everyone on it…or let the world—and his pain—be destroyed forever.

This book was unlike any of the books that I have read before in this genre. I was impressed with the author's ability to combine a science fiction element with a realistic story line of a boy who is grieving the loss of his boyfriend as well as having to deal with a myriad of other issues in his life. The author managed to do this without having the story suffer and made it all seem realistic. I don't think anyone has ever been abducted in real life but I believed that Henry had been. I believe that it was the realism that truly made me enjoy this story along with the depth of character and the thought provoking plot.

I thought that the questions that this book presented were interesting. Is the Earth and the people that reside on it worth saving? What value do you place on your life? I also thought that the ideas that Henry had for how the world would end if he didn't push the button were intriguing. They helped to cut through the angst that the book presented. It was difficult at times to read what Henry was faced with because the author of the book seemed to throw everything at him. I'm not sure if Shaun David Hutchinson likes to torture his characters but he tortured Henry. I have to say that every trial that Henry went through made sense and wasn't just thrown in so that the author could move the story along.

The only aspect of the book that I found issue with was the length of the book. It seemed like it was a bit drawn out and I couldn't help thinking of the Japanese cartoons wherein it takes five or six episodes for five seconds to go by. I'm not sure if I would have shortened the book though. I wouldn't want to take away from the depth that the author was able to achieve over the course of the book.

 

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic

                                                   🌟🌟 out of 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis:

Austin Parker is on a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life.
Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go.
But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life. So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits every person in his life who touched him in a special way. He journeys to places he’s loved and those he’s never seen. And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin’s life.

I've been wanting to read this book for a while but I wanted to work up my courage first. I knew that this book was going to be difficult for me considering people I've been close to that have passed away due to cancer. 

I have to say that I was really disappointed. I wanted more from this book. The author wrote it in such a way that it felt like paint by numbers or like she was attempting to hit certain bullet points. Where was the emotion? The heartache? I wanted to connect to the story and feel something but I didn't. I did up crying when I finished because I'm not a robot. When something sad happens, I get upset like anyone else. 

I didn't connect emotionally with any if the characters...not even Austin. I don't feel like I knew enough about any of them to care because what the author did share about the characters was shallow facts. There were some difficult topics that were brought up in the book but it felt like they were just glossed over rather than delving more deeply.