Showing posts with label Dark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dark. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Recent Additions to the TBR

Hey guys!


It's Top Ten Tuesday by The Broke and The Bookish! This week's topic is 10 books from X genre you've recently added to your TBR. Since pretty much all I read is romance, that's what I'm going with. ;)


10.
Anthony Bear and Christy Chapman are from two completely different worlds.

Anthony's the leader of a motorcycle gang that terrorizes Florida’s West Coast. As a child, he ran away from his family and the Cherokee Indian Reservation to enter a life of crime. As an adult, he leads a multifaceted life managing his two businesses—his legitimate landscaping venture, and his loan shark and underworld dealings. Driven by anger and betrayal, Anthony begins the hunt for Christy’s father, Van Chapman, after he runs out on a loan.

Christy’s privileged life is not as it seems. She has kept painful family secrets and hidden some of her own. She’s determined to find out the truth and expose Van, but her search delivers her right into Anthony Bear’s hands, adding kidnapping to his list of crimes.

Their worlds are as contrasting as the color of their skin. The only thing they seem to have in common is their mutual disdain for Van Chapman…and each other.

They couldn’t be more wrong.
 


9.
In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.

Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora’s been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.

To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.

Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage. 

She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough. 

Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.


8.
From USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec comes an emotional, breathtakingly romantic new book about the power of first love and the promise of second chances.

How much can a man take before he breaks?

1,843 days. That's how long I survived in that hellhole. They tried to break me, but I resisted. And I owe it all to the memory of warm summer nights, the scent of peaches, and the one woman who loved me more than I ever deserved to be loved. Now, I'll do anything to get back to her. 

Only Shelby Eubanks isn't the girl I left behind all those years ago. She's someone else, a stranger. My Shelby-my little green-eyed firecracker-would never give up her dreams, would never disappear into her mother's ambitions. But I won't give up on her. On us. I may be broken, and scarred, and not the man I used to be, but I will do whatever it takes to remind her of the story of us.


7.
From the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of FULL PACKAGE and BIG ROCK, comes a hot & hilarious new standalone romantic comedy…

Let’s be honest, ladies. A good man is a lot like the perfect car. You want a hot body, an engine that purrs, and superior performance under the hood...for the best joy ride of your life.

I’m at your service. Ready to go all night long.

But then a wildly sexy brunette appears in my life and throws a wrench in all my plans. She’s fiery, she’s talented, she’s gorgeous, and I’d really like to know what makes her engine hum.

Henley also happens to be my biggest rival, and now we’re forced to work together every day on the most important custom car build of my career. The trouble is I can’t quite figure out if she wants to kick me in the lug nuts or beg me to give her a good, hard fuel injection. Until one night that question is answered on the hood of a sports car when she calls out my name three times. And we can’t seem to put on the brakes.

If sleeping with the enemy is a bad idea, how much more dangerous would it be to fall in love with her?


6.
Even salvation can be delivered through the love of the damned…

Beauty can be a curse.

Faith can be a cage.

Only love can set you free.

A few long weeks after being reluctantly ripped from the comforting embrace of her sacred prophet’s religious commune—the only life she has ever known—a terrified Delilah is thrust into a world enveloped by evil and swimming in sin. 

Steadfastly devout in her faith, and retaining the deep belief that her soul is innately tarnished as a branded ‘Cursed woman of Eve’, Delilah is determined to find her way home to her people in The Order and away from the corrupt and damned outlaw motorcycle club—The Hades Hangmen—who hold her at their secluded compound for her protection—a 'protection' she strongly resents. 

Delilah yearns to return home, convinced that only amongst her own people, and under the holy guidance of the Lord’s revealed prophet, can her Satan-spawned soul be truly saved. Conditioned her entire life to believe she is a witch... a life-long temptress… the devil’s whore... Delilah increasingly resents her beautiful face, her shapely body and her sensuous effect on men. But when a man of the motorcycle club—a deeply sinful yet stunningly beautiful man—is charged with her care, Delilah begins to see that this dangerous and moralless sinner from the 'outside' may offer her something she did not know could truly exist: unconditional love.

Kyler ‘Ky’ Willis loves his life: a daily abundance of brotherhood, liquor, the freedom of the open-road and—best of all—his pick of hot women. Raised a biker brat and now VP of the most notorious MC in the States, Ky has no shortage of club sluts warming his bed; a situation he takes full advantage of… until a certain blonde enters his life… a gorgeous pilgrim-blonde he can’t get out of his head… a pilgrim-blonde he and his club recently-rescued from some backward religious cult… and a pilgrim-blonde he’s been ordered to keep the hell away from and his whorish hands off.

When yet another in a lengthy line of drunken blunders forces Ky to reluctantly take charge of the pilgrim-blonde’s care, he realizes that there could be more to this woman than just supermodel looks and a stacked set of tits. He begins to see that she could be the woman who could do the impossible—tame his wild ways and capture his reluctant heart.

But the unyielding bonds of Lilah’s past are strong, her ‘people’ determined and, with a new Prophet in charge and hell bent on revenge, they are mightily reluctant to let her go...


5.
Sparrow Fisher is transforming. No longer dressed up in antiquated clothes and ideals, she is finally trying on her freedom.

Before she moves to New York City, she meets Ian Sterling, a musician Sparrow has dreamed about since she first saw him. The attraction is instant, but their relationship isn't so simple.

Over a five year span, Sparrow and Ian run into each other in unusual places. Each time, Sparrow has to decide if she can trust him, if he feels the same for her, and finally, if love is really enough.
 


4.
Sparks fly between a misunderstood New York socialite and a cynical divorce lawyer in this lively standalone rom-com from the USA Today bestselling author of Blurred Lines and Love Story.

Pampered heiress Georgianna Watkins has a party-girl image to maintain, but all the shopping and clubbing is starting to feel a little bit hollow—and a whole lot lonely. Though Georgie would never admit it, the highlights of her week are the mornings when she comes home at the same time as her uptight, workaholic neighbor is leaving to hit the gym and put in a long day at the office. Teasing him is the most fun Georgie’s had in years—and the fuel for all her naughtiest daydreams.

Celebrity divorce attorney Andrew Mulroney doesn’t have much time for women, especially spoiled tabloid princesses who spend more time on Page Six than at an actual job. Although Georgie’s drop-dead gorgeous, she’s also everything Andrew resents: the type of girl who inherited her penthouse instead of earning it. But after Andrew caps one of their predawn sparring sessions with a surprise kiss—a kiss that’s caught on camera—all of Manhattan is gossiping about whether they’re a real couple. And nobody’s more surprised than Andrew to find that the answer just might be yes.


3.
Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.
 



2.
When he left for a twelve-month deployment, she knew it would feel like forever before they saw each other again. She didn’t realize how right she was.

When Lance Corporal Brecken Connolly gets taken as a POW, Camryn hopes for the best but steels herself for the worst. In the end, steel was what she needed to survive when he didn’t. She moves on the only way she knows how—gilding herself in more steel.

Years go by.
She builds a new life.
She leaves the old one behind.

Until one day, she sees the face of a ghost on the news. Brecken seems to have risen from the dead, but she knows she can’t perform the same miracle for herself. While Brecken was held in a torture camp for the past five years, she’s been trapped in her own kind of prison. One she can't be saved from.

The man she mourned comes back to join the living, but the girl he wanted to spend his life with isn’t the same woman he comes back for. Brecken isn’t the same person either. The past five years have changed them both. While he’s determined to put the pieces back together, she’s resolved to let hers rot where they shattered.

Broken or not, Brecken wants her back. He’ll do anything to achieve that. Even if it means going against the warden of Camryn’s personal prison—her husband.
 



1.
How do you know when a fake relationship turns into a real one? #AskingForAFriend 

Claire is not:
- A natural athlete
- Very good with mornings
- Greyson Vaughn’s real girlfriend

But she pretends to be his girlfriend on television. And Twitter. And the gossip websites that question Every. Single. Thing. about his movie star existence. Including the question on everyone’s lips — #WhosThatGirl? 

Enlisted by her grandmother to act as Greyson’s “mysterious English girlfriend” during a weekend at Castle Calder, Claire agrees to help the Hollywood hottie combat rumors of stalking his pop-star ex. She needs a distraction — from grad school, bills and her dull-as-dishwater love life — and, well, it’s only for a weekend.

Until Greyson asks her to continue the ruse through his upcoming London premiere. And another trip to Castle Calder for a sexy weekend escape. Where there are no cameras and no reporters. Nothing but the two of them and a “fake” relationship that’s starting to feel very, very real.


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Sunday, May 28, 2017

The Sunday Post/It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Hey guys!



The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

I really suck with reading this month. Life is pretty busy lately and it was only yesterday that I actually sat down and read some. I'm trying to get back into the habit of doing that each day! Oh, and I did get a new Kindle this week! Even though I haven't been reading, it was really stressful to not have the option if I wanted to. #BookwormProblems
It is a newer version than the one I had and I freaking love it!




Fitness/Steps

Sunday - 12,358
Monday - 12,398
Tuesday - 11,750
Wednesday - 13,140
Thursday - 12,494
Friday - 16,657
Saturday - 11,004

Total - 89,801





This Week's Recap







Coming Up

Book Haul

Top Ten Tuesday: Books for the Second Half of 2017

Waiting on Wednesday 

TBR Thursday

Cover Lust, No. 65


Read This Week

Nothing. I fail so hard. 


Currently Reading

This series is such a guilty pleasure read. I can always rely on it for an easy, fun read with action, humor and romance!

I'm not too far into this one, but I'm strangely intrigued. It's quite a bit darker than I normally read and at 25% in, I'm already uncomfortable, but I can't seem to quit. 


What Will I Read Next?



Sunday, August 7, 2016

The Sunday Post/It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Hey, everyone!




The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next. 


This week was a working vacation spent around 40 minutes away from home, in a big, airy beach house. It was lovely, if a bit busy and very hot, but I'm so glad to be home! 







I did pretty well! Only missed two days of yoga, but the house was three stories and I more than made up for it. ;)

Sunday - 13,011
Monday - 14,143
Tuesday - 13,197
Wednesday - 11,039
Thursday - 11,039
Friday - 12,266
Saturday - 11,274

Total - 85,969





This Week's Recap









Coming Up

No clue for Monday!

Top Ten Tuesday

Waiting on Wednesday 

TBR Thursday

{Book Review} It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover



Read This Week

I seem to have my reading mojo back!

3 stars!
Very interesting world, surprisingly sexy, but with an obnoxious heroine.

2 stars!
Maybe I'm just a smut connoisseur, but this was not best erotica. 

4 stars!
Improved over the first, and left me wanting more. 

4.25 stars!
I love this series. The hero is a true bad boy! The story and couple are so screwed up, but it just adds to the appeal.



Currently Reading

Just started, but enjoying it so far!


Audiobooking this one. I've just started, but I have to say that this is the first book where I've genuinely liked Olivia Song's narration. 




What Will I Read Next?






Friday, August 5, 2016

{Book Review} Reliquary (Reliquary, #1) by Sarah Fine





From Goodreads

Mattie Carver’s engagement party should have marked the start of her own personal fairy tale. But when her fiancé, Ben, is violently abducted the next morning, her desperate quest to find him rips her away from small-town life and reveals a shattering truth: magic is real—and Ben is hooked. It’s not the stuff of storybooks. It’s wildly addictive, capable of producing everything from hellish anguish to sensual ecstasy almost beyond human endurance.
Determined to find out who took Ben and why, Mattie immerses herself in a shadowy underworld and comes face-to-face with the darkly alluring Asa Ward, a rogue magic dealer, infamous hustler…and her missing fiancé’s estranged brother. Asa has the power to sense magic, and he realizes Mattie is a reliquary, someone with the rare ability to carry magic within her own body, undetected. Asa agrees to help find Ben on one condition: Mattie must use her uncommon talent to assist his smuggling operations. Now, from magic-laced Vegas casinos to the netherworld clubs of Bangkok, Mattie is on a rescue mission. With Asa by her side, she’ll face not only the supernatural forces arrayed against her but the all-too-human temptation that she fears she can’t resist.


My Thoughts 

3 "Conflicted and Addicted" Stars



Reliquary is the first book in Sarah Fine's Reliquary trilogy, an adult urban fantasy that blends magic, lies, sex, and action into an addictive guilty pleasure read. The synopsis pretty much covers the premise of this story, so I'm going to jump right in with my thoughts.


At first, I'll admit to being rather unimpressed. While the world was fresh and intriguing, I was a little confused by the different classes of magical powers. There's sniffers, or sensors, that can ferret things out (magic, emotion, ect), conduits (no magic powers, but can funnel magic into objects or people), reliquaries (no magic powers, but can carry and store magic in their bodies), and then there's those naturally gifted with different kinds of magic, such as pain, manipulation, lust, and one or two others. That part I understood, but the names for the natural magic people had me confused, and struggling to remember which was which.

Then there was Mattie herself. Let me tell you, it's been a very long time since I'd read a heroine as naive, sheltered, and downright frustrating as Mattie was for the first 60% or so of this book. She reminded me of Mac during the first two books of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series; the same sheltered, immature, self-pitying and entitled traits that Mac had were prevalent in Mattie, and had me drawing quite the parallel to Fever. Mattie lacked Mac's stronger characteristics, such as confidence, fire, and adaptability, and for the majority of the book she read so damn young. If I didn't know better, I would've pegged her for a YA heroine, rather than an adult of at least 25. 
She did redeem herself a bit at the 60% mark and beyond, and I enjoyed her more so in the second book, so I'm glad to have kept going.

My next issue was with Ben, Mattie's fiancé. What a tool, seriously. He was so damn smarmy that it made my skin crawl. Every time he was on the page, I wanted to smack him upside the head. 



He's addicted to the high that magic brings him, and has used magically infused items of compulsion and lust on Mattie for the course of their relationship. And she wasn't hardly mad about that!!!! 




It sounds like I didn't like this book at all, but that wasn't the case! Let's talk about what I did enjoy.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but there is a love triangle, and I didn't mind it. Me, the queen of anti-love triangles! I thought it was done in a way so as not to be infuriating, and introduced early enough that the reader sort of follows along with Mattie, rather than growing attached to a specific love interest right off the bat. Mattie's chemistry with Asa was intriguing and sexy, and he was the total opposite of Ben. Despite my dislike of Ben, Mattie's commitment to him was admirable, and palpable throughout the book.



Then there was Asa. Initially, I was a little skeptical on him, but as the story wore on, I was more and more interested. He's definitely a bad boy, and I'm a sucker for them. He was ballsy, kind of a dick, talented, and I wanted to know more about him. Plus, he had a Pit Bull he absolutely adored, and there's few things sexier than a man that treats his dog that way. 
There were a few surprise bits of information about Asa that I did not see coming, and I was happy to be a bit blindsided by them. It definitely added some bold layers to his character.

The process of getting magic from an object into a reliquary was absolutely fascinating, and doubly so when it was Mattie and Asa together. Their chemistry during those scenes was off the charts, and the give and take of control was delightfully kinky and unexpected. It's not for everyone, but my dirty hussy mind was quite happy about that flying of the freak flag.

I personally think this would make an awesome TV series, haha. 


Like I said, it really started to pick up at the halfway point, and I couldn't put it down. I devoured this and the next book (4 star read) in the space of a day and a half, and I can't wait till the release of book 3 in December.  

Overall, I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a darkish, sexy, and guilty pleasure read. It's also a good one if you want urban fantasy that's still very much grounded in the real world.











Friday, February 5, 2016

{Book Review} Lux (Nocte, #3) by Courtney Cole



From Goodreads

LET THERE BE LIGHT. 


My name is Calla Price and I’m broken. 

My pieces are all around me, floating on the wind, even as I desperately try to grasp them. 

Who is dead? Alive? Insane?

What is the truth?

I don’t know. 

I do know this: The darkness is strangling me. With every breath, I choke on another lie. 

My mind has protected me, but that shield will soon be lowered. 

All will be revealed. 
Every answer to every question. 

It’s all been leading to this. 

Don’t be afraid. 
Be terrified.


My Thoughts 

4 "Twisted, Twisted, Twisted" Stars


Reading order: 
Nocte
Verum
Initium (novella that I highly recommend reading for a better grasp on the last book) 
Lux.


**** Spoiler free! *****

We're all prisoners. Prisoners of expectations, prisoners of reality, prisoners of life.



The Nocte series has been one of the most twisted, confusing, and fascinating mindfucks I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Despite its Young Adult (toes the very early new adult line) category, it's incredibly dark, violent, and downright disturbing at times. It kept me ensnared in the story and desperate for more, even as I shuddered at some of the things that happened. With a touch of romance and strong family bonds, this series is right up my alley. 

The almost simplistic and minimal writing style of the trilogy leaves so much up to the reader, allowing them to flesh the story out as they see fit. The flow of the story does a fantastic job of showcasing the heroine's struggle and confusion, leaving you just as twisted up as she is. You really do become Calla as you read the story.


Save me, and I'll save you.


Lux, the third and final novel, was the one I'd been waiting for. The dozens of questions accumulated after reading the previous books left me salivating for answers, and on most aspects, Lux was a satisfying read. 

With a fast paced plot filled with flashbacks and all kinds of odd things, Lux was a book I devoured in less than a day. This book was definitely the most twisted one of the three, and several times I found myself muttering "that's just wrong" as I frantically read the pages. These revelations raised more questions than they answered, but that didn't bother me too terribly much, and what info we are given was satisfying and starling in equal measures.
Lux is a riotous mixture of emotions, going from desperation to anger to sadness to guilt and back again in the blink of an eye. It gave me whiplash and had me dying to see what happened next.

The big reveal of sorts was a tad anti-climatic and confusing for me. It's a bit open-ended, and leaves the reader free to decide where they think the story went. While half of me appreciates fittingness of the not-quite- perfect-ending, the other, sappier part longed for a definite happily ever after. It did work for the story, however!
(It's not a not-happy ever after, but it's definitely not tied up with a bow all nice and neat)



May you always have the courage to live free, and the strength to do what is right. 



My favorite part had to be how this story played out in my head; each scene was so vivid that I felt like I was either living it, or watching a really well done movie. It was like I could reach out and touch something as it unfolded for me.
Lux was one of those books that just begs for a soundtrack. I like to listen to music as I read, and a few songs were so perfect for the story I had them on repeat.

Lux Mini-Playlist:

Running Up That Hill - Placebo
I'll Take Everything - James Blunt
Wherever You Will Go - The Calling
Ugly Love - Griffin Peterson
Take Me to Church - Hozier
Letters From The Sky - Civil Twilight
I Know You - Skylar Grey
Angel - Massive Attack


Overall, Lux was a mostly satisfying conclusion to a fantastic series. I highly recommend checking the trilogy out!


Stats:

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Young adult/new adult, mystery, suspense, dark, romance
Series: Nocte, #3
POV: 1st person
Warnings: Lots, but can't tell for spoilers!
Length: 274 pages
Published: October 26th, 2015
My own copy

- The Bibliophile Babe



Monday, October 26, 2015

Book Review: Nocte (Nocte, #1) by Courtney Cole

Hey, everyone!


Happy Monday. :D Can you believe we're on the last week of October? It's crazy to me! This year's flown by.

October has had some fabulous new releases, and one of my most anticipated releases of the year comes out on the 28th. That book is the conclusion of the Nocte trilogy by Courtney Cole, so I figured the first book would be a good one to review today! That way if you decide to read it, and get completely hooked like I did, you won't have to suffer through months of a killer cliffhanger.
Nocte was one of my favorite books of the year, so let's dive right into it!
I won't be doing any form of recap on this one, because I went into it blind and I truly think that's the best way to go into this story.





From Goodreads

My name is Calla Price. I'm eighteen years old, and I'm one half of a whole. My other half—my twin brother, my Finn—is crazy. 

I love him. More than life, more than anything. And even though I'm terrified he'll suck me down with him, no one can save him but me. 

I'm doing all I can to stay afloat in a sea of insanity, but I'm drowning more and more each day. So I reach out for a lifeline. Dare DuBray. 

He's my savior and my anti-Christ. His arms are where I feel safe, where I'm afraid, where I belong, where I'm lost. He will heal me, break me, love me and hate me. 

He has the power to destroy me. Maybe that's ok. Because I can't seem to save Finn and love Dare without everyone getting hurt. 

Why? Because of a secret. 
A secret I'm so busy trying to figure out, that I never see it coming. 
You won't either.




My Review



5 "Dark, Twisted, Sexy and Head Spinning" Stars!






Wow! Just. Freaking. Wow. This was my first Courtney Cole book, and it's been a while since I've read such a genuinely gifted author.
This book was beautifully crafted; full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat with racing thoughts and a pounding heart, the story was spectacular. It's the perfect blend of suspense, mystery, grief, family, romance, loss and insanity. It was creepy and weird, passionate and haunting, confusing and fascinating.



There is nothing quite so terrifying as the descension of the human mind into insanity.



The style of writing was a bit unusual for me, and I don't think I've read anything quite like it before. It's almost simplistic, without much detail given to allow the reader to flesh out the story within the confines of the author's image. Usually that would bother me, but it worked so well for this story, and I wound up loving it. Without the layer of details you're accustomed to, you can really bend the story to your own will, letting your mind run totally wild in an attempt to build this world to your specifications.



Save me, and I'll save you. 



The story is told in alternating perspectives between Calla and her twin brother, Finn.

Calla was an interesting heroine, one I wasn't sure I liked at first, but grew to love and be absolutely fascinated by. She was quietly brave, fiercely protective of her brother, intelligent and relatable. She seemed so much older than her 18 years.
The bond she had with her twin was both amazing and a bit creepy at times, and added such an intense layer to the story.





I want her to be happy, I do.
I do.
But...not yet. I just can't be without her yet.
Calla quiets the voices.





Finn is actually crazy. He's had mental issues his entire life. A brilliant boy, but definitely unhinged. His love for his twin sister is so fierce that it frequently felt a bit obsessive. It never quite reached the line of incest/romance, but it got a little close on more than one occasion, at least in my perspective.





I would plunge to the bottom of the ocean for you. I'd comb it for shells and make you a necklace, and then hang myself with it. Because if you aren't here, I don't want to be, either. 








The short chapters from Finn's point of view were fascinating to see, the snippets from his journal only adding to his madness and slowly unraveling loss of control. His mind was a dark and twisted place, and while I was glad to be back with Calla when his chapters were over, I was anxious to get back to him all the same.



He's kisses me with abandon, like he's not afraid of the consequences, like it's only him and me, and there's nothing else around us.



Dare...well, I honestly don't know how I feel about him, aside from swooning at his British accent (how can you not love those?!). I was suspicious about him from the get-go, and so was Calla. That wound up making slight sense by the end of the book, but I still couldn't get a good read on him even after the second book. He's definitely an interesting character, that's for damn sure!
He and Calla had great chemistry, and their scenes together were scorching. Romance wasn't the primary focus of the book, but it was integral to the plot and very well done.


I've got to do what is right.
What is right.
What is right.
ProtectYourSecret.
The other voices come back, hissing, reminding.
My secret.
That's what is comes back to now.
Always.
No matter what. 


It did take around 100 pages for me to really get into this, and to see it as something more than an average contemporary. That's something wound I liked about it, though: you're lulled into a false sense of security, and are then mercilessly thrust into a world of absolute darkness.


That ending....! Holy shitballs, I did not see that coming. At all. I had a million theories, and none came even close to what happened. The cliffhanger was wicked, and the second book just as good (also with a cliffhanger)!
I honestly don't know what the hell is going on. I'm not sure if it's a paranormal factor or mental illness, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book!





Overall, I highly recommend this dark and twisted tale. I was on the edge of my seat while reading this, cried more than once, and immediately bought the second one upon finishing Nocte. It's a mindfuck of epic proportions! One of my favorites for 2015! The first and second book are $0.99 on Amazon for a limited time right now.



Stats:

Rating: 5 stars
Genre: New adult, contemporary, romance, suspense, dark, mystery
Series: Nocte Trilogy, book 1
POV: 1st person, dual perspective
Steam/sexual content: Very steamy, one fairly clean sex scene
Warnings: Mental illness, sex, some violence, some language
Cliffhanger: YES!
HEA: Not a freaking clue
On My Goodreads Shelves: 2015, 5 Stars, Cliffhanger, WTF is Going On, Freaky and Scary, Heartbreaking, Great Characters, Kept Me On The Edge of My Seat, Holy Mind Fuck
Length: 319 pages (paperback)
My own copy



- The Bibliophile Babe