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.

Lupus Awareness Month ~ Empower: Fight Like A Girl

Women of TV have united against lupus! 

Presenting Empower: Fight Like A Girl, a special collection of short stories by top women writers from some of your favorite shows, including: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Family Guy, Person of Interest, Grimm, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Law & Order: SVU, Star Trek: Voyager, Eureka, Twisted, The 100, Malcolm in the Middle, Millennium, Being Human, The Shield, Castle, Chuck, Gilmore Girls, and Game of Thrones. In this anthology, you'll discover supernatural thrillers, crime mysteries, horror, comedies, and more.

Authors contributing stories to this volume include:

Amy Berg

Cherry Chevapravatdumrong

Akela Cooper

Liz Edwards

Jane Espenson

Shalisha Francis & Nadine Knight

Lisa Klink

Pang-Ni Landrum

Lauren LeFranc

Kam Miller

Jess Pineda

Jennifer Quintenz

Lisa Randolph

Kay Reindl

Kira Snyder

Jeane Wong

All proceeds will be donated to the non-profit Lupus Foundation of America to help solve the cruel mystery of lupus.

Praise for 'Empower: Fight Like A Girl':

"Even non-girls will feel empowered by these stories about ordinary, flawed characters finding their own strengths. Highly entertaining and original." - Lee Goldberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Chase and King City, whose mother lost her hearing to lupus.

Links:

• Amazon
• Goodreads

Keen Cover Friday ~ Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Hosted by: Keepbooked

It's Keen Cover Friday and this week's must-see book cover belongs to Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Killer Instinct.

Killer Instinct is book #2 in The Naturals series and is to be released on November 4th 2014. 

Thief by C.L. Stone Review

Thief (The Scarab Beetle #1)
By C.L. Stone 

Rating: 4.4


'"We're the good guys, little thief. Stop talking like you're trying to figure out if we're not."

"Bad guys think they're good guys, too."

The corner of his mouth lifted. "Guess it depends on where your morals are, or which side of the law you're on. You've been on the bad guys' side too long."

"I'm not-" I stopped short, realising I was falling into what I was just telling him. "I had good reasons."

"There's always a reason."'


Kayli Winchester is a conundrum.

She's a thief with a conscience, picking her targets carefully. They're usually wealthy, confident, at ease in the world...people who wouldn't miss a few hundred dollar bills leaving their wallets. 

And they never do. Kayli's a natural pickpocket, stealing wallets with practised ease & disappearing into the crowd just as easily.

But she doesn't do it for thrills.

With a father whose only contribution to the family is stealing Kayli's hard-earned money so he can drink it all away at the nearest bar, Kayli pickpockets to keep a roof over the heads of her and her younger brother Wil - to allow Wil to stay in school and to secure a better future for him.

Pickpocketing is the easiest way...just as long as she's never seen.

But little does she know she's being watched.

Kayli's caught the attention of a team of young men living on the edge of the law. Marc, Raven, Corey, Brandon and Axel - each one gorgeous and each one equipped with a different set of talents. 

And all apart of The Academy, a mysterious organisation whose teams specialise in surveillance & espionage.

The boys offer Kayli a choice: to use her skills to help them with their latest job, or to face jail time. 

Intrigued despite her initial misgivings, Kayli agrees. The guys teach her a range of skills from shooting a gun to the art of playing video games. With the team beside her, Kayli has high hopes that their job will be successful and that her life is finally taking a turn for the better.

But danger lurks behind smiles and polite facades.

Who is the enemy? And what do they want? 

Kayli and the team must use every skill at their disposal in order to tell friend from foe before it's too late. But the further the team gets in their job, the more dangerous it is and the thicker the plot becomes. 

Their enemy has found a new target - Kayli. And not even a thief can stay hidden forever.

Get ready to fall head over heels for the Academy boys as they steal your heart as deftly as Kayli snatches wallets.

Thief is a brilliant addition to C.L. Stone's Academy world. With an addictive combination of reconnaissance, many-faceted characters and romance, this first book in The Scarab Beetle series is a YA novel you don't want to miss!

Thursday Quotables ~ Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Hosted by BookshelfFantasies

This Thursday's memorable quote comes from Nobody, a book by author Jennifer Lynn Barnes. 

The reason this quote stood out from the myriad of sentences I've read through during the week, is because of how easy it is to apply to our everyday lives. How often have we ever felt alone, unwanted or like we simply don't exist? Sixteen year-old Claire's wise words stuck with me and I'm excited to share them with you all.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson ~ ARC Review

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)
By Mary E. Pearson

Rating: 5+


'I drew in a deep breath, a new breath, one I had never taken before.

I am only Lia, now. From this day forward.

It felt like a baptism. A deeper kind of cleansing. Water trickled down my face and dripped from chin. Terravin wasn't just a new home. Dalbreck could have offered that, but there I'd have been only a curiosity in a foreign land, with still no voice in my own destiny.

Terravin offered a new life. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.'


Move aside Daenerys Targaryen...a new badass princess is coming!



Kings throw away your crowns. Queens start practising your curtsey. Because Princess Lia is here to show you how being royal is supposed to be done - going on a journey that will tear her apart & put her back together again as she becomes the woman she was always meant to be.

She doesn't accept lies or deception. She wants to make her own destiny. And she's so badass it's not even possible to describe the insane amounts of badass-ery this girl has. Especially that part when she faces down a bunch of barbarian assassins & tells them to basically screw themselves.


And not only does this book have a brilliantly constructed plot, a badass heroine & a fantastic world of myth & magic, but to top it all off it presents us with not one...but two gorgeous men. Although, I do think Rafe is the more attractive of the two!

So if you're ready for the adventure of a lifetime...be sure to grab yourself a copy of The Kiss of Deception when it's released! :)