Idol
Written by: Kristen Callihan
Reviewed by: Heidi
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Recommended for: Anyone with a secret rockstar fetish
Rating: 4 Hot guitar solos
I’m a fan of author Kristen Callihan. She writes smart, believable, and undeniably attractive characters. Idol is the first in her new series about rockstars who, of course, find the love of their lives in between being ridiculous sweet and sexy. I’m not complaining. In Idol, Killian James is the lead guitarist in the biggest rockband in the world. I know, just go with it. After a tragedy hits close to home he’s taking some time off on a remote North Carolina island where he meets Liberty Bell, a recluse with hidden talents (and not just in the bedroom). The rest probably seems obvious, and in a way it is, but Kristen Callihan is a romance writing genius, so it never feels formulaic. I thoroughly enjoyed Idol and look forward to finding out what happens to the rest of the members in the next book. Buy it.
Shallow Graves
Written by: Kali Wallace
Reviewed by: Danelle
Genre: YA Horror
Recommended for: Anyone who likes supernatural elements
Rating: 4 stars
I got this book from TN as an uncorrected proof, and it took me forever to actually pick it up. But once I started reading it, I was done in two days. I don’t know that I agree with the “Horror” description given by the publisher, but I guess we will go with it.
This book opens up with a girl (Breezy Lin) digging herself out of a shallow grave and killing a man just by touching him. She has no idea what has happened to her, or why she is there. She vaguely remembers being at a party the summer before her senior year of high school, but remembers nothing about what happened after she left. She also doesn’t know what she needs to do or where she is supposed to go after she finds out she has been dead an entire year. The story is about her journey to get answers about what she is, and why she can sense anyone who is a murderer – and how she has the ability to kill them with a touch. Along the way, she gains insight into a world of monsters that she never knew existed.
Overall, it was a really good book, but I felt that it did jump around a few times, making me think that maybe I had missed something. I also felt that it didn’t quite provide the answers I was looking for to the questions in the story, but it did make me want to read more. I do not know if there will be a sequel or not, although I hope there is – because I will definitely read it! I probably would never have picked up the book had I seen the “YA Horror” description, since I don’t do scary stuff, but it wasn’t really scary at all. I would describe it as suspense, more than anything else. Buy it.
Chasing Lady Amelia
Written by: Maya Rodale
Reviewed by: Bekah
Genre: Historical Romance
Recommended for: You, before you head out on vacation and want a straight-forward duke meets heiress hook up story.
Rating: A solid 4 breast augmenting corsets
You know me, I love a good historical romance. This author, Maya Rodale, is new to me, and I’m excited to add a new name to my list of favorite romance writers. Chasing Lady Amelia follows the youngest of the Cavendishes sisters in their Keeping Up with the Cavendishes Series (Regency Kardashians anyone?) as she is just fed up with the London ton life. Originally from America, Lady Amelia is not the proper english well-bred woman and hates the dresses, the shoes and the pomp and ceremony of life on the ton. She would rather be riding her horses, wearing trousers and never wants to get married.
Enter Alistair Finlay-Jones, a drifter just back from the Continent, recently ordered by his uncle to marry one of the Cavendish sisters. How convenient then that that very evening Lady Amelia stumbles, seemingly drunk, into Alistair’s arms setting off a whirlwind romance and day of adventure and scandal between the two budding lovebirds. Alistair and Amelia fall hard for each other, but complications arise when Amelia finds out Alistair was ordered to take a wife. Are his feelings true love? Or is he just a hungry fortune-hunter, like all the men before. You’ll have to read it to find out! Buy it.
The Crown’s Game
Written by: Evelyn Skye
Reviewed by: Anne
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended for: Anyone that liked The Night Circus, or magic/fantasy in general.
Rating: 4 magical stars
This book involved 2 of my favorite things, young adult love story + magic / fantasy. The general premise is that Russia can only have one magical enchanter for the country, however 2 (a boy and girl, obvs) who are coming of age to be able to be the enchanter at the same time and must magically duel until one either kills the other, or the czar selects a winner and the other is killed. According to Goodreads there is a sequel but this could be a stand alone book, so you definitely won’t be left hanging waiting for book 2. Buy It.
The Drafter
Written by: Kim Harrison
Reviewed by: Danelle
Genre: Thriller/Spy
Recommended for: Intriguing on a scale of meh to stellar…if that means anything to you!
Rating: Intriguing on a scale of meh to stellar…if that means anything to you!
In this first installment of the Peri Reed Chronicles by Kim Harrison (author of The Hollows Series), we meet Peri Reed, who is a drafter in the year 2030. She can change the immediate past by drafting back and making something different happen. Every draft causes a memory loss, and because of that, each drafter needs an anchor to rebuild the memories. Sometimes, there are anchors who are corrupt who are creating false memories in order to cover up their lies. There are two factions which direct drafters that are fighting each other for control, and Peri is trying to figure out who she really is and which one she actually belongs to. She isn’t sure who she is supposed to trust, or what to believe.
This is a good first installment, if a little wordy in some places. I am anticipating the next book in the series, so I can see where this broken heroine ends up. I think she is pretty interesting, and as a plus, she kicks a lot of ass…and there’s a love interest from her past/future that looks to be promising. Buy it.
There you have it! Real quick reviews for books we loved … real quick because we lazy. Hope you find something new to read. But in the meantime, tell us what you are reading in the comments or on twitter using #TNReads.
