Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

December 27, 2015

Don’t Look Back is a thriller/suspense/murder mystery book. You start biting your nails as soon as you start reading. The first sentences introduces you to a shivering, disoriented girl who is walking out of a wooded area (It was like watching a suspenseful movie in a windy, rainy night. Kind of creepy. Aaahhh…). This story is told from the POV of the girl, whose name is Samantha. She has amnesia, but that’s not the worst part, that frightful day two girls went missing, but only Samantha returned. As she starts to have hallucinations and they seem to point that she might be the main key to solving the mystery of the disappearance of Cassie, she realizes that she needs to start looking for clues. However, within days people are calling her crazy, and soon after, they start becoming suspicious of her, including the police. But she won’t stop her search, and soon finds an ally in Carson Ortiz (Whoa, he was totally cute and so patient with Samantha :). From there on, she searches for the truth, and what she finds out about herself and the people she used to surround herself with in school, is not good at all. Will she be able to redeem herself? What a book! I hope Ms. Armentrout writes another YA, murder mystery soon. :)

*high pg-13 level 

5 out of 5. :)

Going Rogue (Also Known As #2) by Robin Benway

December 27, 2015

Maggie finally feels like she’s really home. Her parents are happy, Roux is her BFF, and Jesse (He’s so cute. Love him. Not afraid to show his emotions. :) is her boyfriend. However, in an unexpected turn of events, her parents are framed. Their hard-earned, peaceful life might get destroyed. Without thinking it twice, Maggie goes undercover to prove her parents’ innocence, and to stop the corrupt Collective from harming others as they have done with her family. This was such a cute and funny, action/adventure book. Also, I really liked that this story took place in more than one country. :)

4 out of 5. :)

Wicked Little Secrets (Prep School Confidential #2) by Kara Taylor

December 26, 2015

In this book, the story revolves around a thirty year old cold case. What Anne finds as she searches for what really happened to Matthew are disturbing secrets that put her in greater danger than her first case. She’s not just dealing with the school, she’s also investigating a politician, a lawyer, and wealthy business men that had once attended the school. What she finds, disheartens her because it seems that Brent’s father is part of whatever happened to Matthew, and not just Matthew, but another person that disappeared during that time. Double murder? What was really going on with that close group of friends? While this is happening, she’s also having to deal with Brent’s way of reacting when she finds out that he’s part of a ritual, which he knows might have caused the death of Matthew that night long ago. A lot of serious, gritty issues were raised in this book, and I was like whoa, even though this group of friends came from the best schools and families, they were totally messed up, and in many different ways. Yikes!

Also, in this story, even though Anne was good at finding the clues pertaining to the case (I liked the way she did not back down, even when many people told her to stop. Even Brent. Come on Brent! :), the way she acted with both Anthony and Brent when it came to their feelings was sometimes a little bit awkward. She even told the guys, she had feelings for both (I was like, oh noooo…, couldn’t she had kept those unresolved feelings until she knew for sure. I’m still rooting for Anthony, but I have a feeling it might not end up that way...). Overall, though, Wicked Little Secrets, was a good read with its more complex mystery because Anne was not dealing with just a murder, it was also a cold case with many, many unanswered questions.

*high pg-13 level

4 out of 5. :)

Prep School Confidential (Prep School Confidential #1) by Kara Taylor

December 25, 2015

Loved the way the story evolved from beginning to end. As it progressed, there were so many ideas to who might have murdered Isabella that it kept you glued to the pages until the last chapter to find out who really committed the horrible act. Anne, the main character, although she’s also part of the privileged world, doesn’t shy away from doing the right thing no matter how powerful her enemies are, even risking a few friendships among new friends and faculty, if it means finding out what’s really going on behind closed doors of the Wheatley School. And, what she uncovers as she delves deeper, are not only the many unsettling, mysterious clues surrounding Isabella, but also the disappearance of another boy a few decades ago, who was never found (Whoa, kind of creepy….). I can’t wait to see what happens next (Especially, between Anne and Anthony). :)

*pg-13 level

4 out of 5. :)

Guys, Lies & Alibis: Langdon Prep #4 (Langdon Prep #4) by Kimberly Reid

December 25, 2015

Wow, it was really serious this time in the mystery that Chanti was involved in. She was facing quite a few obstacles, and the biggest one, Marco. Finally, it seems they are okay as a couple, and bam! After a game, they are in a freak accident. Chanti notices a few things and mentions it to Marco, but Marco acts as if nothing happened, and that’s when Chanti goes into detective mode. Something is terribly wrong, and Marco knows more than he is letting on. From then on, weird things start to happen around Chanti and Marco, but Marco tells Chanti to let it go. But she won’t, not when it seems Marco is in serious trouble, like life and death serious. Yikes!

This mystery as Chanti comes to realize is not just one layer, it’s even larger than what Marco is facing. So big, that even Cisco (He’s a mystery in itself. But Chanti is beginning to suspect something about him. Ooo… :) wants her help. Reluctantly, she agrees, and that’s when she comes to realize if Marco is as trustworthy/a good guy as she believes he is. I can’t wait to read the next book. A few questions were still left unanswered, especially when it came to Marco (What he did was something serious). I don’t know, but for some reason, I really didn’t like the way Marco acted a few times in this book. I got that he was in serious trouble, but still, some decisions he made, and the way he was always telling Chanti to leave him alone, I was like, really? She was like his best chance to get real help since the beginning. Oh, Marco... What will happen next...?

4 out of 5. :)

Sweet 16 to Life (Langdon Prep #3) by Kimberly Reid

December 24, 2015

The mysteries Chanti is solving are getting quite complicated as she gets more involved as an amateur sleuth. In this book, one of her friends, MJ, needs her help, and there’s no way Chanti won't help her friend. Even though, this means less time with Marco. Although, they are not "boyfriend and girlfriend" anymore, they are trying to keep their friendship alive (They are totally in love with each other. I hope Marco wakes up soon and acts before someone else does. Reginald, perhaps? Oh, oh... :), and even that is difficult to do while trying to figure out who's trying to send MJ to prison. Is it Lux? As always, Tasha, Michelle, and even Marco end up helping in Chanti’s pursuit to find the truth. I can't wait to read Guys, Lies, and Alibis, the fourth book in the series. Yay!

5 out of 5. :)

Hurricane Force (Miss Fortune Mystery #7) by Jana Deleon

December 23, 2015

Loved reading this book from beginning to end. As the summary states, a hurricane comes upon Sinful, however, because we are not reading about any small town, but about Sinful :), it not only leaves destruction in its path, it leaves lots of money behind. But as Fortune soon finds out, it's not only counterfeit money, it also traces back to Ahmad, the dangerous man that is after her. From there on, it's like reading two small mysteries that intertwine into the big finale, and what an ending it was. This book had quite a few surprising twists and turns, and of course, as always, the hilarious moments throughout the book that only Fortune, Gertie, and Ida Belle can be found in.

Even though, the way Carter and Fortune handled the revelation of her true identity at the end was an unexpected twist in itself, I thought it was quite an interesting turn in the Fortune mystery series. Since the beginning of the series, the way Fortune was portrayed as a young woman that does not wait to be saved, but does the saving herself, I kind of had a feeling it wasn't going to be that easy (or realistic, really) for Fortune to leave behind, just like that, without looking back, her career (Honestly, I don't think it would have really been a happy ending for Fortune if that had occurred at this time). During the progression of the story, she gave a few hints, as she stated a few times that she came to realize that she loved her job, because she knew in the end she was leaving a small dent of goodness behind. I can't wait to read the next book. Probably, Fortune and Carter will both reach a compromise that will make them both happy, or Carter will come to realize Fortune is just not made for "regular life", and he will have to accept her as she is. :)

5 out of 5. :)

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

November 13, 2015

Ohhhh, wow! I literally didn’t sleep until I finished this book (I was so tired the next day, yikes), and now I’m going to start reading the last book of this amazing YA SF series. The story continues with Cinder trying to prevail to save the world, including Luna, from Queen Levana (Go Cinder! Still my favorite character in the series :), however, it also adds Cress and Carswell Thorne’s perspectives into this very suspenseful adventure from outer space to Africa, and back to New Beijing (Cress was such a positive person and Thorne, of course, funny as always). Totally recommend this book.

5 out of 5. :)

Shucked by Megg Jensen

November 10, 2015

This is the story of Tabitha, a fifteen-year-old who used to travel the world with her mom, but now has to adjust to a completely new way of life. A life with her grandparents on their farm. But that's not all, she also starts to look for clues on a mystery that she finds herself in when she receives a package from her mom. The only slight issues with the story were with the sometimes confusing small gaps in the plot, especially surrounding the mystery and her parents, and when it came to the ending. It just stopped abruptly. But, Shucked was still a funny and original story to read.

pg-13 level

*kindle unlimited

3 out of 5. :)

The Ugly Stepsister (Unfinished Fairy Tales, #1) by Aya Ling

October 29, 2015

A Cinderella Story With A Twist

Kat, a modern day teenager, wakes up in the Cinderella fairytale as the ugly stepsister. And, the only way to get back to her mom and little sister is by literally having to solve a mystery so that the Prince meets and falls in love with Cinderella. But, what happens when Cinderella is interested in someone else, and Kat herself is falling in love with the Prince? Oh, oh...

This story was a fun read with unique twists. I liked the light mystery found within the story, and the way Kat stood up to the injustices that were going on around her (Sometimes, I thought she had been transported instead to North and South by Gaskell, but in a YA setting). I see that a novella is coming out with Kat, but it's before she returns to reality, and so I hope that there is a second book after she returns to her family, especially with the ending in book one. It was quite a bit surprising. Nooooo….. :)

pg-13 level

*Kindle Unlimited

4 out of 5. :)

May Contain Spies (Meet Abby Banks #1) by J.A. Cipriano

October 26, 2015

Abby's adventure starts with her being shot at by unknown men, and a guy that she has met a few times at her mother's restaurant becoming her protector. However, things around her, as she runs for her life, including people, are not what they seem, and some are quite dangerous (and really, really unstable. You'll see). This YA adventure/thriller was a good read, even though, sometimes, it was a little over the top. But as the author has stated, this is a story set in an almost science fiction world that looks like ours. There were a few questions left unanswered, but the story continues with book 2, The Spy Within. What will happen next?!

3 out of 5. :)

Invasion: A Sequel to The Last Princess (Last Princess #2) by Galaxy Craze

October 18, 2015

Invasion was the long awaited sequel to The Last Princess, which I totally loved. This story again grabbed your attention from the first chapter, and it kept that suspenseful feel throughout the story. It starts with Eliza not having a good feeling about the ship that everyone thinks brings good news, and from that moment, I was trying not to go and read the last page to see how everything ended. It was that eventful (There were a few all of a sudden sad moments. Why?! ). However, it did seem just a bit too fast-paced for such a short story. One moment Eliza was trying to figure out the conspiracy surrounding the invasion, and then, the story was ending. Yes, it did have an epilogue, but, some questions were left unanswered. For example, like in regards to Portia, what happened to her? She was mentioned at the beginning, and afterwards, she was no longer mentioned (She's still out there. Aahhh!). And, what about the rebuilding of England? Will it prevail this time? And, what about the love triangle? Wow, at the end I was rooting for the new guy, and then, that too, was just kind of left open-ended. Noooo... I hope there is another book in this series, and with more pages, please.

4 out of 5. :)

Soldiers of Fortune (Miss Fortune Mystery #6) by Jana Deleon

September 29, 2015

Yay! Another great Fortune adventure. Whoa, the way it started, you knew it was going to be another funny, unpredictable light mystery. All the great characters are back, including of course, Ida Belle, Gertie, Carter, and yes… Celia (The new mayor in town). The mystery revolves around an explosion, and the issue is that the person that is in charge of solving the case is Celia’s cousin, the new sheriff (Who’s kind of iffy). Oh my, how will the story end… :)

4 out of 5. :)

Striking Mars (Saving Mars #5) by Cidney Swanson

September 24, 2015

The Saving Mars Adventure Continues

Jess and her friends (Which includes Pavel. Woo-hoo) have made it to the Moon with some escaping scrapes on them, but are alive. But, then they come upon The Ghost. He's a mystery that will soon reveal himself. However, during that time they also focus on finding ways to make sure that the Terran Chancellor is unable to try again to harm the colony in Mars, and to stay one step ahead of her to stay alive. Old friends and foes return. There were a few suspenseful moments that left you wondering about the survival of both Jess and Mars. This is a story in which the main characters are giving you a feeling that the end is near, either good or bad, and it's coming soon. I can't wait to read the next book.

4 out of 5! :)

All the King's Men (The Kings of Charleston #2) by Kat H. Clayton

June 27, 2015

This book is the second book in The Kings of Charleston series, and Casper and Cal are trying to escape Kythera. But, in the process of trying to run away, a murder happens within the society. Who did it? At first, Casper thinks Kythera had something to do with it because of how evil it is, but then clues leads her to another mysterious and powerful society. Casper feels like she's between a mob fight with the members of each group killing each other only for retaliation. While this is happening around her, her mother starts disappearing. With help from her friend Marcus, they start to unravel this new mystery surrounding her mother (oh-oh)...

I really wanted to like this book because the first book was so good. However, this was just an okay YA mystery. Casper's indecisive decisions that she was sometimes making as she was looking for the truth regarding the murder, made the mystery less serious and intensive. Instead of secretly making a strong case against Kythera and discussing it only with her friends that she trusted, and of course, then going directly to the police, most of the time she was going to Kythera with all of her findings (Yes, I know she had a promise to keep, but she didn't have to say everything to them), and when bad things happened because of what she had said, she was like, oops. And the thing is she didn't do that same mistake just once, but like many times... I just hope that in the third and final book of the series, The Kingdom's Revolt, Casper and her friends are finally able to escape from that creepy society.

*pg-13 level

3 out of 5! :)

Uninvited (Uninvited #1) by Sophie Jordan

May 8, 2015

Uninvited was quite interesting at the beginning. It starts off with a society that is starting to become obsessed with this so called "kill gene" that even the government is joining in the campaign against all the carriers of the gene, no matter who you are or how young you are. It's a society on the verge of becoming dystopian. And that's where Davy story begins. Even though, she's aware of HTS, Davy doesn't really pay attention to it because her life is perfect at the moment, but once she becomes part of the oppressed HTS carriers, everything changes, and for the worse. She starts to have doubts about herself and others and doesn't trust or want help from anybody, including from her family (Throughout the book, it seemed that sometimes she had difficulty standing up against wrongdoings and choosing to do what was right). However, that's where the SF aspect of the story kind of ends because once she meets Sean (I have to admit, he sounds very cute :) it becomes more of a romance story. Yes, her adventure continues as she's taken into a camp to become a train assassin or something like that, but after that, the story just seemed to move too fast. We really don't see more of what's going on outside of the camp regarding the gene or of creepy Dr. Wainwright, we just hear about them through short written reports between the chapters. Also, as Davy starts to finally overcome her negative feelings towards herself and for other carriers, and to realize that not all the carriers are evil as the society is making them to be, and the story becomes more mysterious, bam... it ends..... ahhhhhh... I hope in the second book we see more of the society in which Davy lives in, and if all the hype against the so-called HTS gene is really true....

*Loved Davy's friendship with Gil. :)

*high pg-13 level

3 out of 5! :)

Numbers Game (Numbers Game #1) by Rebecca Rode

April 29, 2015

Numbers Game, book one of a dystopian series, starts off as the main heroine goes towards a rating ceremony that the society in which she lives rules by. And, of course, it doesn't go as Treena expected at all. And that's where her story begins. And, wow! It's full of twists and suspenseful moments. From chapter one, you see what Treena is facing and you really don't know how her story is going to end until the last page, in which it ends in a cliffhanger, no!!!!

*Loved Tali and Vance, but Dresden seems creepy to me, he's too perfect in the wrong way. Also, I hope in the next books Treena finds the answers she's looking for when it comes to her mysterious father and his family. Probably the answers will help her in her mission to change the oppressing society that she lives in. :)

*high pg-13 level due to violence

4 out of 5! :)

Gator Bait (Miss Fortune Mystery #5) by Jana Deleon

April 10, 2015

Someone wants to kill Deputy Carter, and the team returns to investigate before the murder happens. Fortune, with the help from Ida and Gertie, and also from a few unexpected characters, tries to figure out what Carter saw before he was found unconscious, and who is currently at the hospital trying to regain his memory of that mysterious day. With only a small clue in the form of a note left behind in Carter's home, she starts digging, and grudgingly admits that it's not a simple open-and-shut case. And once more, she has to be as secretive as possible so she won't catch the attention of not only the two inquisitive Federal ATF agents on the case, but Deputy Carter, who once again :), has warned her to stay away from the investigation. This light mystery book contains lots of humor, and quite a few twists. I can't wait to read book six!!! Woo-hoo!!!

P.S. I hope that when it comes to finally solving Fortune's own mystery, Fortune and the team get to show off all their great spying skills by chasing after the bad guys into other states, and maybe, around the world. That would be so cool... :)

*pg-13 level

4 out of 5! :)

Creeping With the Enemy (Langdon Prep #2) by Kimberly Reid

March 31, 2015

Oh no... secrets are exposed...

Chanti is back. Woo-hoo! Creeping With The Enemy is the second book in the Langdon Prep series. In this book, Chanti starts to wonder about all the secrecy that surrounds Bethanie and her family, and her suspicions grow when this cute boy, Cole, seems to fall hopelessly in love with Bethanie, literally within seconds of meeting her. As Chanti starts to dig deeper, she finds out that not only is Bethanie hiding quite a few secrets, but Cole is too. When Bethanie starts to disappear from school, Chanti starts to wonder if Bethanie might be in danger from a predator. What is he after? That's when, with the help from MJ, they start checking Cole's background, and that leads to other questions. The case suddenly becomes more complicated and serious than Chanti realized. (Love their friendship. MJ is totally different from Chanti, but I think that's why they make such great partners :). Loved this light YA mystery! I can't wait to read book 3. :)

P.S. Totally love that finally the love interest of the heroine, in this case Marco, respects her sleuthing skills (In some books, some of the guys become kind of frustrated with the heroine for her unique ways of handling problems, especially when it involves mysteries). Yes, they seem to be in a rough spot in their relationship right now, but I think it will all end well. I hope so. Yikes...

*pg-13 level

4 out of 5! :)

Adventures of a Graveyard Girl (Funeral Crashing #2) by Milda Harris

March 20, 2015

In book two, Kait has to solve a murder, wait, two murders (Yikes) of girls who were members of the Pep Club of the high school she attends, and it seems that the next victim might be Ariel, her ex best friend. In her attempt to find out the truth behind the pep club murders, she starts to investigate, and Ethan, Suzie, Kyle, Dave, and Mike join her (Love her friends :). This is a light YA mystery book with a heroine who always tries to be her true self no matter the circumstances. I hope in book three, we get to see more of her detective skills, get to know more about her father, and find out what really happened between Kait and Ariel (In both books, Ariel has been quite mean to Kait). I can't wait to read Adventures In Murder Chasing. :)

4 out of 5! :)

The Acquisition (The Classified Series, #1) by Emily Mitchell

February 26, 2015

I really liked this book. It’s set in the future, where Emma, the heroine, grows up. In this dystopian society, during the Acquisition, the children are either classified as Endorsed or not. And, if you are not chosen to be an Endorsed, you are ripped apart, literally kidnapped, from what you’ve known your entire life, from your family and friends, and moved to live in the Barren, where you will be trained to be a servant of the elite in the Assembly. What I liked about Emma was her strong relationship with her friends. Beckett and Carter were great characters, especially Beckett. He’s so cute :). And her relationship with Finn, even though it seemed to progress a little too fast, it was still a cute love story. Emma’s story is mostly about trying to find out why her life seems to be in danger since she arrived in the Barren, and what happened emotionally between her family and herself, while trying to be an individual in the Harvest, a severe society where self-expression is very dangerous. I can’t wait to read where Emma goes next... :)

*pg-13 level

3 out of 5! :)

Sovereign (Sovereign, #1) by E.R. Arroyo

February 19, 2015

This is the first book in the Sovereign series, and it's about Corinne/the heroine, or 1206 as she is known in the compound that she grows up in a post-apocalyptic world. At the beginning of the book, it was a little confusing at times to follow what was going on around Corinne. It went from the impression that she was trying to escape, to just playing around, back to trying to escape. And, then all these characters appeared all at once, some good, some bad, and I became kind of worried at first. But a few chapters in, Corinne's story picked up momentum, and wow, the action and suspense were definitely there. The scenes from her training as an elite soldier to traveling through a destroyed world were quite detailed and held your attention, and it made you want to know how it all ended. However, the story ends with a cliffhanger, and this is where once again I have a tiny bit of fear of reading what happens next, especially when it comes to Cori and Dylan (Cori+Dylan! :). I'm kind of apprehensive when it comes to love triangles, but I have a feeling..., oh oh. And then, why is Cori so unique..., and what about the mysterious City people (who seem normal, but dangerously wild at the same time)..., and what happened to Antius? So many questions... I hope book two, The Offering, answers some questions that were left pending in book one. :)

*high pg-13 level due to violence

3 out of 5! :)

The Eve (The Eden Trilogy Book 3) by Keary Taylor

February 18, 2015

An Outstanding Post-Apocalyptic YA Series!

With the book The Eve, the Eden series concludes. And, wow, what a series it was! From the beginning, Eve's mission starts with a bang, and it literally keeps you wide awake and reading until the last, I mean, last word in her story. It is that good. This book has it all; drama, romance (Eve and Avian Forever :), mystery, and so many suspenseful moments, especially as the story comes to its end, that I had to stop reading for a while to control my emotions before I finished the book (At one point in time in the story, I wanted to scream and cry at the same time- oh, oh...). I totally recommend this post-apocalyptic YA series to anyone who loves to read dystopian/SF setting books.

*high pg-13 level

5 out of 5! :)

Caste (The Corporation Book 1) by RaeLynn fry

February 15, 2015

Caste is the first book in a dystopian setting series where Karis, the heroine, lives. The story is from her POV. She grew up in Neech, an impoverished city, with her father and baby brother, however, she's trying to get into Dahn, the wealthy "corporation" city, to get medicine to save her brother Ajna from a mysterious illness. In her quest, she meets Ethan, and even though, you kind of realize who he really is early on, their journey together through the cities is quite captivating. Yes, she did make some obvious mistakes, but let's remember, she's only seventeen, and has quite a few things in her mind, including keeping her sickness a secret. Oh, oh! I can't wait to read book two and find out what happens next to Karis. Will she ever reunite with Kavin again? Ooooooh.....

*pg-13 level

**If you liked reading this book, you might also like Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien. :)

4 out of 5! :)