The Devil's Daughter ~ The Morning Star Review

The Morning Star
By Tania Penn

Rating: 4.5

'There's an old saying, "I know they say that first love is the sweetest but that first cut is the deepest." Whomever came up with that, must have been a sadistic idiot. After the first cut, why would you want to punish yourself with additional cuts? You keep going down that road, eventually you'll get dismembered.'

Some people's dads fight fires. Dawn's dad starts them.

Dawn Belial's father, the one and only Lucifer, is a businessman or art collector at first glance- with his nine hundred dollar shoes, designer suits and love of fine wine. But underneath the cultured facade is a burning rage and a broken heart that yearns to be united with the love of his life, the Archangel Michaela...who is also Dawn's mother. And who Lucifer has held captive for centuries, because she refused to reciprocate his ardent love - already in love with another, Ramiel.

Some kids' chores consist of taking out the trash. Dawn's consist of recruiting souls.

When she's not thinking up ways to rescue her mother, Dawn has the life of a typical teenager - attending high school, drinking extremely hot, peppery coffee and hanging out with her incredibly wicked half-sister Venus. But unlike Venus, to whom the party-nightlife-scene never tires or loses its shine, Dawn longs for something more. Centuries have passed, scenes have changed, fads come and gone, souls recruited and fires set and left to burn...the same thing, time after time. Maybe it's her angel side, but Dawn can't help but wonder if she's doing the right thing.

Most guys fall into a succubus' traps. But not this one.

Her sister Venus - a succubus, lurer of unsuspecting men - can snag any guy she chooses to sink her perfectly manicured nails into. But when the very cute, and very British, Gabriel crosses the sisters' path, he is unaffected by Venus' powers and seems intent on pursuing Dawn. Getting to know him, Dawn finds herself feeling emotions she's never felt before...some of them way too human.

Lucifer's daughter doesn't do love...or does she?

Gabriel is a human; it can never end well. Keeping her identity a secret, Dawn steadily falls in love with him and he with her - but not everything is as it seems. Ramiel is intent on rescuing Michaela from her prison, no matter the cost. And as his plan is uncovered, piece by piece, Dawn's heart may just be shattered in the process as well as her perception of who she is and her role in the war between Heaven and Hell.

A story of love unrequited, lost, given and found, 'The Morning Star' is sure to entrap you in a battle of the heart that is as captivating as it is timeless.

Soul Mates ~ Significance by Shelly Crane Review

Significance (Significance #1)
By Shelly Crane

Rating: 5+


“I saw something in you that I couldn't live without. I chose you, inside of me, and you chose me. It's not one sided, it only works when both people choose the other. 

You are perfect for me in every way.”


A love like this comes once in a lifetime.


A love like this can consume you.

Graduation is a time for celebration for most teenagers.

There's the cap and gown.
The receiving of that paper scroll.
The flashes of cameras, the smiles of proud parents, the cheering of friends.
The future bright and full of opportunities.

But for Maggie, graduation is a reminder of everything she's lost. 

Her mother got up one day, taking everything - clothes, bedding, Maggie's college money - and leaving for California, breaking Maggie's dad's heart and sending him into an almost catatonic state. Bish, her adopted brother, lives away from home. Her boyfriend of almost three years, Chad, dumped her to get his college football scholarship, three days after her mother left.

Love at first sight is just a myth. Or is it?

In a freak moment of destiny, Maggie saves the life of Caleb - stopping him from crossing the road, and from being hit by a truck. From the moment his eyes meet hers, urgent, as he asks her whether she's alright, something flares up between them. Drawing her to him. Intriguing her. Making her long to know him, to be by his side.

All it takes is one touch.

One touch - one simple touch - and Maggie and Caleb 'imprint' with each other. Visions whirl, their future together playing out before her in flashes. Confused and incredulous, Maggie discovers that Caleb is an Ace. Otherwise known as Virtuoso, or Charmed, they're not completely human - gaining abilities once they reach a certain age after they imprint. Imprinting is when an Ace finds his or her soul mate - they can feel each other's heartbeat in their chests, read each other's minds, find each other and even heal each other.

And Maggie and Caleb are soul mates. She is his significant and only death can keep them apart.

Imprinting, for Aces, has become rare. But to imprint with a human is even rarer.

Caleb's big family - quirky, motley and talented - welcome Maggie with open arms. They explain to her that she'll soon be experiencing supernatural changes of her own. That her soul, and Caleb's, chose each other. That she needs the touch of his skin to survive.

But not everyone is thrilled by this development. Aces are divided into clans, and a rival clan appears - enemies of Caleb and his family due to a centuries-long grudge - intent on putting a stop to Caleb and Maggie's 'ascension'. Because when the ascension completes itself, Caleb and Maggie's abilities will appear and bloom and will threaten the rival clan - not to mention that Maggie presents an enigma to them. Why her? Why a human? What is it about her that caused an imprint to occur after such a long time?

But love is worth fighting for. No matter the cost

A cross between Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout and Stephanie Perkins' Anna and the French Kiss, Significance is funny, full of adventure and with a cast of characters that will steal your heart.


Booknut's Playlist Choice: Falling For You by Nick Howard. 

Sever by Lauren DeStefano Review

Sever (The Chemical Garden #3)

By Lauren DeStefano

Rating: 4.4

"Someday I'll tell you all of it," I say.
"I'd like that," he says.
"No," I say. "I promise you won't."

You can run away from the past, but what do you do if it refuses to stop chasing?

The virus is like an invisible bomb - the tension hangs in the air, on the tip of each person's tongue, swirling in the depths of their minds. No one knows when it will go off. No one knows who is next to succumb to it. It haunts Cecily. It haunts Linden. And it haunts Rhine.

Rhine, eager for answers and to get away from Vaughn's clutches, decides to go on a search for her twin brother, Rowan - to find him, let him know she's alive and to maybe even find some of the answers she is searching for. But Rowan isn't easy to find. Linden suggests that Rhine should stay with Vaughn's brother, Linden's kind and eccentric uncle Reed. She'll be away from Vaughn there. Safe. And away from Linden as well.

The truth will set you free, but those blind to it will break your heart.

Rhine and Cecily insist that Vaughn's supposed 'medical research' is evil and misguided, harming rather than curing. But Linden refuses to hear a bad word about his father; claiming that Rhine is lying. That she always lies to him. Hurt, Rhine tries to put distance between her and Linden, but Cecily refuses to leave Rhine's side. Caught between Cecily and Rhine, Linden slowly begins to waver in his convictions, his feelings in turmoil as the only life he's ever known may just turn out to be the biggest lie of them all.

Whilst some struggle with heartbreak and memories, others fight for change.

Word reaches Rhine that Rowan - still convinced of her death - is a leader of a resistance movement...violence, angry crowds and passionate speeches left in his wake wherever he goes. The news only cements Rhine's resolve to find her brother before he makes a terrible mistake. But is the resistance all that it seems? 

If you want something done, do it yourself - if they let you.

But though Rhine wishes to be set free, not everyone is willing to open the cage door. Despite the peril to their own persons, Linden and Cecily accompany Rhine on her dangerous mission - Cecily, to find a cure and to save her son Bowen, and Linden, to find the truth and to sort out his feelings for Rhine; the girl who used to be his wife, with the unusual eyes who could be Rose's ghost. But Vaughn is never far behind, and he's not the only one. Ghosts from the past can inflict pain too, and Rhine is about to discover a secret about her parents that may just change everything.

But hope cannot be severed. Even in the darkest times.

Rhine will continue to hope for some kind of happiness, for some kind of cure and to find a way for all of them - Linden, Gabriel, Cecily and Rowan - to live and have a future free of fear. 

No matter what it takes.

The Hunters Become the Hunted - My Heart Be Damned Review

My Heart Be Damned (Damned #1)

By C. Gray

Rating: 4.7

'Marshall perched hesitantly beside me. "They asked me to protect you."

My eyes widened. "What? Who did? The Sisterhood?"
"No, the Teletubbies did. Of course, the Sisterhood." 

Marshall rolled his eyes at me, and it took all of my will power not to shove him off the bench.' 


Some girls hang out at the mall. Others at cafes. Amerie Carter hangs out at the local graveyard.

It's dangerous.
It brings back memories she'd rather forget.
But it's her job.

Amerie was born a Hunter - a race of strong (somewhat feisty) women created by an entity named The Sisterhood. The Hunters hunt the Damned; escaped souls from Hell who take up residence in human bodies. 

Living a double life, Amerie's a highschool student by day and an ex-Hunter at night. Why ex? 

Because she's decided to quite whilst she's ahead...and whilst she's still breathing.

Amerie's mother was a Hunter and it was that job that cost her her life. But there's more to Amerie's mother's death than a freak accident. Blood loss may be the official cause of death, but it turns out Amerie's mother was drained of blood. 

Combined with freak Damned attacks and a thirst for revenge, Amerie decides to take matters into her own hands.

But she isn't alone

Dane Marshall is wicked, handsome and a pain in the ass...but when his 'stalkerism' saves Amerie's life, she discovers that there's more to this bad boy than meets the eye. 

Marshall offers to help Amerie train. She refuses; her prejudices against him too numerous to count. But then he makes her an offer she can't refuse. 

He'll help her track down and kill her mother's murderer. He'll give her the revenge she's been seeking.

Revenge is best served cold - but at what cost?

Amerie struggles to keep her two worlds from colliding - her family falling apart and her friends, Chuck, Mercy and Sam, bemused and a little hurt over her constant excuses and indifference to the many bruises and cuts that she turns up with every day. 

But to tell everyone the truth could mean a fate worse than death...telling the truth could damn everyone she cares about. The Sisterhood don't care for mistakes or rulebreakers. 

But as Amerie always says: "Rules were made to be broken."

Just Breathe ~ Ten Tiny Breaths Review

Ten Tiny Breaths (Ten Tiny Breaths #1)
By K.A. Tucker

Rating: 4.2


“I want to make you smile. For real. Always. We're going to go for dinners, and see movies, and walk on the beach. We'll go hang-gliding, or bungee jumping, or whatever you want to do. Whatever makes you smile and laugh more. Let me make you smile.”


Just breathe. Ten tiny breaths...Seize them...


Feel them...


Love them.

Kacey's running away from home.
From her past.
And from herself.

Miami means a fresh start for Kacey and her sister Livie. Whilst Livie embraces the chance to have a normal life, going to school and mingling with their new neighbours Storm and Mia (a single mother and her adorable little daughter), Kacey does what she does best.

Shutting everyone out.

It's easier than it sounds. Avoid eye contact. Don't get attached. Knock down any repeat offenders with sarcastic comments. Slam doors. Refuse invitations. Scowl. Kacey's gotten very good at erecting titanium walls around her, shutting everyone out in order to hide the mess she's become.

Because although she may have physically recovered from the tragic event that ruined her life - and her family - emotionally, Kacey's a wreck. Missing a family that's gone, friends that she'll never talk to again and a life free of defensiveness and isolation, Kacey makes a fatal slip when she stumbles across Trent...the very good-looking, charismatic and sweet guy with a wicked sense of humour who lives across the way from her and Livie. 

Her biggest slip? Laughing with him. Losing herself in his eyes. Talking to him. Having anything to with him...falling for him.

Can Trent truly love someone as broken as Kacey? Can Kacey put her past behind her and find happiness?

Or will both their pasts catch up with them and send them both spiralling under?

Hold your breath...and take the plunge.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi Review!!

Unravel Me (Shatter Me#2)
By Tahereh Mafi

Rating: 5

'“We’re running out of time," he said.

As if time were the kind of thing you could run out of, as if it were measured into bowls that were handed to us at birth and if we ate too much or too fast or right before jumping into the water then our time would be lost, wasted, already spent.

But time is beyond our finite comprehension. It’s endless, it exists outside of us; we cannot run out of it or lose track of it or find a way to hold on to it. Time goes on even when we do not.'


Welcome to the world of Tahereh Mafi - author, expert torturer and heart ripper. Once you enter you can never turn back. Your heart will break, your emotions will explode, your brain will melt and you will have grey hair by the time you're in your early 20's.

So Juliette is part of our lovely band of merry rebels. But tragedy strikes when she finds out a horrible secret (which has something to do with Adam...!) that sends her spiralling into a world of guilt, heartbreak and despair:


Poor baby.

War is going on.
Kenji is being devilish, smart-ass and amazing (as per usual)
Adam is seriously too hot for his own good.
Castle is like an over-zealous and cuddly version of Dr. Frankenstein.
James makes you sob and wish he was your brother.

And as for the famous Chapter 62...
"I want to be the friend you fall hopelessly in love with. The one you take into your arms and into your bed and into the private world you keep trapped in your head. I want to be that kind of friend," he says. "The one who will memorise the things you say as well as the shape of your lips when you say them. I want to know every curve, every freckle, every shiver of your body, Juliette-"








Who is saying this to Juliette?
What happens after he says this?

All I'll say is that it is:
- hot
- hot
- hot
- hot
- fangirl worthy
- hot
- squeal worthy
- hot
- hot
- hot, hot, hot, HOT

A few random points:
- Juliette uses a gun. She shoots a VIP
- Adam resorts to begging
- Warner likes puppies and his actual name isn't Warner
- Adam and Warner have something in common besides liking Juliette
- Juliette makes friends!
- Kenji has a serious side *shock*
- Many people get maimed/shot in this book
- Hearts will be broken
- People will kiss
- New powers will be discovered
- You will die from the emotional torment

So grab the book today and enjoy the Rollercoaster of YA Death which is Tahereh's amazing storytelling!! :D

Tantalising Teaser Tuesday - Kill Me Softly

It's time for this week's Tuesday's Tantalising Teaser! 

***

This week's pick is Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross. A wickedly addictive tale of one girl's race to escape the clutches of a curse and to unravel the secrets of a town where endings are bittersweet indeed and fairytales don't always have happy endings.

Teaser:

Birthdays were wretched, delicious things when you lived in Beau Rivage. The clock stuck midnight, and presents gave way to magic.

Curses bloomed.

Girls bit into sharp apples instead of birthday cake, chocked on the ruby-and-white slivers, and collapsed into enchanted sleep. Unconscious beneath cobweb canopies, frozen in coffins of glass, they waited for their princes to come. Or they tricked ogres, traded their voices for love, danced until their glass slippers cracked.

A prince would awaken, roused by the promise of true love, and find he had a witch to destroy. A heart to steal. To tear from the rib cage, where it was cushioned by bloody velvet, and deliver it to the queen who demanded the princess's death.

Girls became victims and heroines.

Boys became lovers and murderers.

And sometimes... they became both.

For more on Kill Me Softly, check out the Goodreads page here

To purchase the book on Amazon, go here