Mortal Enchantment by Stacey O'Neale ~ Review

Mortal Enchantment (Mortal Enchantment #1) 
By Stacey O'Neale 

Rating: 5


'"You're ready. This is the only way we can unlock your power. Don't break your concentration; you've come so far already." 

"All right, but if I die, I'm haunting you for eternity." 

He chuckled under his breath. "I look forward to that."'


Turning sixteen for normal girls means throwing parties & battling boy problems. For Kalin Matthew it means accepting her supernatural birthright. 

As far as Kalin's friends know, she's moving to Paris. But the Avalon she's going to definitely isn't the Avalon Hotel. She's going to the Avalon of myths and legends...the home of the four elemental courts: air, woodland, fire, and water. 

Kalin's father is the elemental king of the air court. Both he and her mortal mother agreed when Kalin was born that when she turned sixteen she was to move to Avalon to help rule with her father. There, she would learn how to control air element and weather magic. 

But an unexpected attack by a fire court assassin - and a surprise rescue - throws all their plans into upheaval. 

Kalin's father is missing. And it's Kalin's duty to find him. 

Upon discovering that her father is missing, Kalin tries to launch a search party for him - struggling to control the air council and the peoples who are supposedly her loyal subjects, as they argue amongst themselves. Any attempts at establishing order quickly fail, with any suggestion on Kalin's part being politely ignored. 

Being half-mortal doesn't help. In order to fulfil her duties as the princess of the air court, Kalin must embrace her elemental side...a side she barely knows anything about. 

There to train her is the one who rescued her from the assassin, a striking elemental named Rowan. Warring between feelings of mistrust and attraction, Kalin must decide whether Rowan's motives are as spotless as they appear...and where his loyalties truly lie. 

Corrupt councils. Raging elements. Impending war. 

Kalin will have to battle with all these trials and more, as she tries to unravel the web of secrets and mysteries surrounding her father's disappearance. 

But will she be able to uphold the balance of control in the elemental world? And can she stop the outbreak of a brutal war between the courts? 

Immerse yourself in a mythological maze of romance, magic and mayhem, as Stacey O'Neale's Mortal Enchantment takes you on an unforgettable journey.


To see the 'Swoon Worthy Saturday' post on Rowan, click here

Quick Picks ~ Flat-Out of Control

It's time for this week's 'Quick Picks'! The two books I've found particularly intriguing & addictive are Sarah Alderson's Out Of Control and Jessica Park's Flat-Out Celeste.

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#1: Out of Control
By Sarah Alderson

Rating: 5

'For a moment it's hard to tell what's real and what's not. It's like watching a television show. But I can't tell which side of the screen I'm on any more.'

My thoughts on the book:

Sarah Alderson works her story-telling magic again, in Out of Control - a novel that is fast-paced and super-duper addictive. Get caught in the mystery and prepare yourself for the chase of your life!

WARNING: this book features a guy character that is hotter than a habanero chilli. Ladies, prepare to swoon.


#2: Flat-Out Celeste (Flat-Out Love #2)
By Jessica Park

Rating: 5

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island & could only have one book with you, which would it be? 

Besides the obvious answer (The Raft-Building Guide For Dummies or How To Survive Life On A Desert Island) my choice would have to be Flat-Out Celeste - a rip-your-heart-out-make-you-laugh-and-cry tale that I could read over and over again without ever getting bored.

What makes this book so addictive is:
- The humour (nerd humour - the best kind!)
- The intensity of the emotions (I sobbed like a baby & laughed like a crazy woman)
- The level of adorable-ness (featuring first dates that are to die for)
- Coffee art (three cheers for the Mad Hatter!)
- Geek saying t-shirts (three cheers for Matt's wardrobe!)

And of course the a-ma-zing characters that have been brought to life by Jessica Park.

It's one of those books where you just can't pick a favourite character. You love them all equally, from Matt & Julie, to Justin & Celeste. But...if I had to pick one...I'd probably pick Justin. Just because not every guy greets girls with a Victorian-esque bow, accepts that not all people are able to deal with social situations, or takes his girlfriend on a date to a Christmas tree lot. And guys that do totally deserve a medal!

The 'Best Boyfriend Of The Year' Award is probably somewhere in Justin's future :)

Definitely one of my favourite reads of 2014, Flat-Out Celeste should most certainly be on your TBR lists (& your bookshelves!), so you can experience this 'violently perfect' (to quote Celeste) story & its deeper message.

The message being that the acceptance of diversity is so important in today's society. And that what is perceived as normal is just that - something that is 'perceived'. It's just a bunch of standards set by someone else. No one should be made to feel inadequate, or isolated.

There's a little bit of 'crazy' and a little bit of 'weird' in everyone. Embrace it! And let out your inner Celeste <3

Swoon Worthy Saturday ~ Stacey O'Neale's Rowan

Hosted by: Stay Bookish

It's Swoon Worthy Saturday and time to choose a fictional-icious male who has swept me off my feet this week! 

This Saturday's pick is the gorgeous Rowan from author Stacey O'Neale's Mortal Enchantment (Mortal Enchantment #1). 

Mortal Enchantment will be released May 20th 2014.

Keen Cover Friday ~ Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke

Hosted by: Keepbooked

It's Keen Cover Friday and this week's amazing book cover belongs to April Genevieve Tucholke's Between The Spark And The Burn.

Between The Spark And The Burn is book #2 in The Between series and is to be released on August 14th 2014. 

Check out the fiery cover here:

Thursday Quotables ~ All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

Hosted by BookshelfFantasies

This Thursday's memorable quote comes from All Lined Up (Rusk University #1), a book by author Cora Carmack.

The reason this quote stood out was because I'm a sucker for romantic monologues! I've re-watched the balcony end scene of Letters To Juliet more times than I can count. So when Dallas Cole spilled her feelings for Carson McClain, I knew that I had to bookmark that quote. 

Waiting On Wednesday ~ Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Hosted by: Breaking the Spine

Like many other bookworms, I suffer from OTBRL - Overflowing To Be Read List. 

My TBR list grows by the day (currently standing at 2105 books) as I discover more new and exciting books to read. There are just so many to choose from! 

Waiting On Wednesday gives me the chance to showcase some of these books...so you can add them to your steadily growing TBR lists! 

This week's pick is Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White. Illusions of Fate will be released September 9th 2014 by HarperTeen.

Teaser Tuesday ~ Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

Hosted by: MizB at Should Be Reading

It's Teaser Tuesday - so strap on your seat-belts & prepare yourself for teasers that are sure to blow you away!

This week's teasers come from Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins (The Sweet Trilogy #3).

Music Monday ~ Banished by Liz de Jager

Hosted by: Total Book Geek

It's Music Monday! Time to pick a book & pair it with some winning tunes...

This Monday's pick is Liz de Jager's Banished (The Blackhart Legacy #1). 

Banished is an incredible YA novel which inspired me to create a playlist for it almost immediately after I finished reading it. Today I will be sharing two songs from my playlist.

The Sunday Post ~ Courtship & Crooners

Hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer

This past week has been filled with news to share! Where I want to begin, is in introducing a magnificent book that I stumbled across at my local library.

See, for anyone who doesn't know, I'm an Austen nut. A Darcy fangirl. A diehard fan of BBC films where men wear top hats & women wear bonnets. 

So it was love at first sight when I saw Susannah Fullerton's Happily Ever After ~ Celebrating Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. 

Swoon Worthy Saturday ~ Kristen Callihan's Ian Ranulf

Hosted by: Stay Bookish

Today's Swoon Worthy Saturday, which means it's time to choose a fictional male who has swept me off my feet (and made me sob into a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream) this week! 

This Saturday's pick is none other than the gorgeous Ian Ranulf from author Kristen Calliahn's Moonglow (Darkest London #2). As much as I'd like to list every single one of Callihan's fictional men on here, Ian stood out the most for me this week.