REVIEW: The Keep by Veronica Wolff

The Keep by Veronica Wolff
Published: June 4th, 2013 | NAL Trade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Paranormal
Overall: ½
Series: The Watchers book #4
Reviews: Isle of Night, Vampires Kiss, Blood Fever
Goodreads | Amazon

Drew has just started her second year on the Isle of Night, and the weather isn’t the only thing changing drastically. She has ascended to the rank of Initiate. She’s also found an intimate love in the handsome vampire, Carden. But most of all, she no longer dreams of escape. She dreams of vengeance.
Her friend, Emma, was brutally wounded by the savage vampire Alcántara, and may have been taken to the dreaded castle, from which none of the living return. But there are so many different stories from so many people with so many of their own deceits and machinations, Drew can’t be sure of anything—except that she must find a way into the castle to discover the truth and take down Alcántara once and for all.
But Drew isn’t the only one out for revenge. Someone very dangerous on the island is also out for blood…
Hers…

My thoughts:
In my opinion, the summaries for these books are always a bit dramatic and misleading, but I honestly don't care. Because I love this series. It is probably my favourite series involving vampires!

In this book we get more of Carden--which I didn't necessarily love--and more of Ronan--which I did love!!
After Carden and Drew becoming "blood bonded" their attraction to each other is palpable and, unfortunately very very hard to break. I don't know what it is about him, but I just do not care for him. I liked him when she first met him in the castle, but his presence has otherwise irked a nerve. Whenever she is with Ronan, I get super interested, even if they're just having swimming lessons or talking about their friends who have died on the island. I just love Ronan!
Speaking of death, when Drew learns that the death of her best friend, Emma may not be... meaning she may very well still be alive.. it is her mission to get into the castle and figure out exactly what happened to her. But along the way, she has Yasuo (Emma's ex and transitioning vampire/trainee) after her trying to avenge Emma's death; despite the fact that he too used to be a best friend.

Through all of this and Carden's random disappearance, she's given an assignment by Master Alcantara that she just doesn't want to carry out, and she learns that the trainees have the same assignment. But with Ronan by her side, she's able to push through as much as possible.
There weren't many twists that I didn't see coming, but it was the story that kept me interested. I loved every moment (okay, I didn't love the scenes with Carden), and was so excited for whatever dangerous adventure Drew would put herself in next.

I love this series, as I've said before, and though the paper that came with my copy said it would be the final book, the way it ends just leaves way  too much open to be the end. So I asked Veronica Wolff if there would be another one, and she responded with a tweet, that there would be another and that she would be self publishing from now on. I just have to wait until it's released, whenever that will be. :)

Have you been reading this series? What do you think about it?

Plot:
Characters:
Ending:
Writing:
Cover: (Because that's Ronan!)

Author Info:
Veronica Wolff is an award-winning, bestselling author with a soft spot for kilts, mountains, beaches, and vampires. Not necessarily at the same time. She lived everywhere from Texas, to Hawaii, to India, before finally settling in Northern California, where she lives with her husband, two kids, one insane rescue dog, one angelic rescue dog, the gentlest cat ever, and a snake whose days are numbered.
Find more on her: website | twitter | facebook | goodreads

This Week in Books (009)

1. The Keep (#4 The Watchers) by Veronica Wolff (YA Paranormal | publisher; review | 4th June 2013)
2. The Evolution of Mara Dyer (#2 Mara Dyer) by Michelle Hodkin (YA Paranormal | library)

So excited for both of these books! I will be reading The Keep first so I can get the review up before or around the release date! I'm almost done with the book I'm currently reading (Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt) and can't wait to dive into these.

REVIEW: Connected by Kim Karr

Connected by Kim Karr
Published: 22nd March 2013
Format: Kindle
Genre: New Adult
Overall: [DNF]
Goodreads | Amazon

What if a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ could happen twice?

Suffering from a past full of tragedy, Dahlia London's soul has been left completely shattered. Happily ever after is a far cry from reality in her world. But, when she is reconnected with her past, the bonds that form are irrefutable.
When River Wilde, lead singer of The Wilde Ones, comes back into Dahlia’s life, the intensity that fires their relationship combined with underlying feelings that have never died lead her to believe she has met her soulmate.

Struggling with confusion as old connections fade and new ones begin, Dahlia's grief begins to lift--but guilt remains. River wants to be the one to mend all that is torn within her.

But with a past that is never really gone, can their future survive?

My thoughts:
To be fair, I give this book about a 2½ to 3 star rating because it started off really really good.  But somewhere in the middle it slowed down to almost a crashing hault and I was bored to tears!

You first meet Dahlia who is a happy relationship with her long time boyfriend Ben, when she decides to go to a club and there she meets River. There is insta-love that she doesn't want to admit to and for the next 4 years she pushes him out of her mind and ends up getting engaged to Ben. And then Ben dies. [spoiler? get over it. It's better to crush your soul now if you actually plan on reading it.] I could handle Ben's death, and I thought she did a proper [if there is a such thing] amount of grieving and self loathing before decided to get back into the world and take a job offered by her best friend to interview....River Wilde. [Anyone else hear the ominous dun-dun-dunnn?]

The way River takes control of the situation and let's her know from the beginning how he feels, made me love him. The fact that Dahlia  let herself feel something she didn't want to be real because she felt it betrayed or lessen Ben's love; proved to me that she was stronger than she let on.

Ohh folks, this is where I have to stop with the lovey dovey-ness towards this book.

After Dahlia decides that she can't live in this fantasy any longer and must go home and deal with real life thus begins the back and forth and even when they finally DTR [determine the relationship], it still just feels like random, pointless scenes to fill the book until either the climax--or what I hoped would happen soon--the ending.

I gave up half way through the chapters that were from River's POV. He thought too much about how he loves her & her pouting and how he wants her body. I didn't get a real sense of his life and therefore, I was done, 80% through.

This may be the book for some, but it just wasn't for me.

Plot:
Characters: ½
Ending: --
Writing:
Cover: (The girl looks brunette though Dahlia is supposed to be blonde.)

Author Info:
Kim karr lives in Florida with her husband and four kids. She’s always had a love for reading books and writing. Being an English major in college, she wanted to teach at the college level but that was not to be. She went on to receive an MBA and became a project manager until quitting to raise her family. Kim currently works part-time with her husband and recently decided to embrace one of her biggest passions—writing.
Learn more on her: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

REVIEW: Rush Me by Allison Parr

Rush Me by Allison Parr
Published: 8th April 2013 | Carina Pres
Format: Kindle
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Overall: ½
Goodreads | Amazon

When post-grad Rachael Hamilton accidentally gatecrashes a pro-athlete party, she ends up face-to-face with Ryan Carter, the NFL’s most beloved quarterback.
While most girls would be thrilled to meet the attractive young millionaire, Rachael would rather spend time with books than at sporting events, and she has more important things to worry about than romance. Like her parents pressuring her to leave her unpaid publishing internship for law school. Or her brother, who’s obliviously dating Rachael’s high school bully. Or that same high school’s upcoming reunion.

Still, when Ryan’s rookie teammate attaches himself to Rachael, she ends up cohosting Friday night dinners for half a dozen football players.
Over pancake brunches, charity galas, and Alexander the Great Rachael realizes all the judgments she’d made about Ryan are wrong. But how can a Midwestern Irish-Catholic jock with commitment problems and an artsy, gun-shy Jewish New Englander ever forge a partnership? Rachael must let down her barriers if she wants real love–even if that opens her up to pain that could send her back into her emotional shell forever.

My thoughts:
I started this book with no hopes--that's been my recent philosophy--and though I didn't love this book, I did enjoy it. So I was pleasantly surprised.

I will admit that the summary is a bit misleading. Specifically; Still, when Ryan’s rookie teammate attaches himself to Rachael, she ends up cohosting Friday night dinners for half a dozen football players. This teammate doesn't really attach himself so much as just find a friendship and want to keep it. Rachael is the one that feels obligated to do the dinners and anything else he invites her to.
--But let's start at the beginning.--

Rachael accidentally walks into a house party and the deeper she gets into the apartment the faster she realizes this is the wrong party. While she tries to leave, the swarm of bodies packed together block her path and she heads upstairs (though there is a sign that tells her not to, first thing that bothered me about her. Does what she wants without thinking.) and decides to wait it out. There she meets Ryan, who is dumbfounded at the fact that she doesn't even know who he is (first thing that bothered me about him. Cocky ass hole.) After having a bit of a tift he manages to get her out of the apartment. But the next day she realizes she left her scarf in the apartment and goes back where she meets Ryan and the rest of his football buddies who happen to be playing poker. For some reason they all invite her to sit down and play... because that's totally normal... and she accepts. My thought? Why...?

I liked the book after the beginning, I felt like any interaction with Ryan and his football teammates seemed too "natural." No one, especially a girl, is just invited into a game of poker with professional football players and then invited to stay and enjoy pizza. And when she  feels awkward, she stays and stews in the awkward tension with Ryan.

Moving past all of that and getting past the friendships and developing relationship, I did enjoy whenever she did hang out with Ryan and his friends because then it seemed more natural and less forced. I felt like she didn't stick up for herself when she needed to and said things she shouldn't have when she felt she was being a strong woman.

Ryan was a bit of a pushover, but he was an ass who had a sweet side and he confused the hell out of me. Yet I found myself loving his character, and any scene with his football buddies more than anything else. I wished that he had his own chapters so I could get in his head. I just wanted to know what he really thought about Rachael.

The writing flowed nicely and I the transition between chapters was smooth. I enjoyed Parr's words and story and would like to read more from her. If there is a sequel, I'd most likely read it if it was written from Ryan's POV. But I hope she continues with the New Adult genre. :)

Plot:
Characters: ½
Ending:
Writing:
Cover:

Author info:

Allison Parr is a twenty-something nomadic writer. She's a chocolate lover & now a coffee lover, too, though she avoided drinking it for twenty-two years (She caved while bartending late nights in Paris).

She grew up in New England and has an incurable case of wanderlust.

Sometimes she is such a city person that she can’t imagine living somewhere that doesn’t have an affectionate name for its subway system, while other months she ends up in villages so small there isn’t even mail delivery, and going to the post office is a social occasion.

Parr currently has a three book deal with Carina Press.
Learn more on her: Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook