Faelorehn (Otherworld, #1) by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Faelorehn is currently available for free on iBooks and Kindle.

The cover definitely drew me to this story, but the plot of a Celtic lore fantasy really pulled me in -- it is few and far between that we see Celtic lore take the forefront of young adult novels, so I was interested to see how this story played out.

Almost right away, I could tell that the writings style was not one of my favorites -- told in first person, I often find myself wishing for a third person perspective, or at least a dual perspective if the story absolutely must be told in first person. It is just a little irk of mine that does not take away from the story, but does make it harder for me to get into the book. Meghan's thought processes throughout this first installment are certainly something... she deals with the stereotypical highs and lows of high school while also being plagued by nightmares and strange creatures in the woods.

Meghan's group of friends are certainly an interesting bunch, and provide just a touch of benefit to the plot of the story -- I felt as though their presence, for the most part, was only to sprinkle in details of Celtic lore that normally would not have flowed well into the plot otherwise. When Meghan is researching Celtic lore, it gave me a flashback of Bella googling vampires in Twilight in the best way possible. A majority of the time, her friends are used to move the plot forward in the sense that Meghan is noticed to be distant or hiding things from them. Thomas, Tulip, Robyn, and Will are just present enough that you learn a little about their personalities without them overtaking the story.

Every single time a new little creature spawned itself in front of Meghan, I could not help but laugh -- her survival skills are not the best, but she has the spirit and that is what counts. I wish the author spent more time going into detail about these creatures or have their scenes more action-packed instead of one-offing their presence once Cade would appear. Cade's introduction into the story was well-fit for his character, maintaining that mysterious aura while still having a presence in Meghan's development. He was honestly more interesting to read about than Meghan was, as her character felt two-dimensional at times and was always conflicted on what to do.

As someone who is not a fan of insta-love, especially after having only a handful of interactions with the male lead, Meghan falling in love with Cade after only knowing of him for a little over a month was not my cup of tea. Yes, he is a handsome, mysterious guy that shows up out of nowhere and starts to protect you, but girl stand up and process everything else that is going on with you before you decide you love someone after speaking to them three times.

I was excited to get into a new fantasy series, any this is a great selection for someone looking for a quick read that sets up the world for future conflict. Regarding the pacing of the book, it moves a touch too slow for my liking and does not have a ton of action compared to other young adult fantasy novels. Given that it is the first installment, I will give it a pass, but even towards the end of the story, I felt as though nothing truly groundbreaking was happening. I may revisit the series on a rainy day, but for now, I am content with this introduction.

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The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4) by Rick Riordan Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of The Son of Neptune here.

Did I read The Mark of Athena eight years ago? Yes. Do I remember which godly parent each of these characters has? Maybe only three of them. Not a review video was in sight when I decided to dive right back into this series in the hopes that everything would come back to me in the first five chapters, and I was not not wrong. As I make my way through the remaining young adult fantasy books on my shelf, The House of Hades has been unironically haunting me since I first acquired the series, and then-high school me would be speechless at adult me for taking this long to read it.

As we all know, Percy and Annabeth are really going through it during this book based off the ending from The Mark of Athena. Their respective perspective chapters were a lot more action packed compared to the other demigods, and while they were entertaining, I wish I would have seen more Percy chapters if it meant that the story would pick up the pace. I found myself needing to force myself to dedicate time to read this book at times, especially when it was a constant monologue of being in the same situation. However, the more Percy and Annabeth had to fight towards their goal, I was more invested in the story.

Leo's journey was so much fun to read and really added a lot to the story when the plot was looking grim. It was definitely a great comedic relief to the underlying dread that hovered over Percy and Annabeth's journey and seemingly constant suffering. There was just something about this book that had me wishing it was shorter -- there were a number of times where it felt as though the plot was just not moving fast enough for characters who were definitely in a hurry.

There was not nearly enough Nico di Angelo in this book for me... why was he basically absent for two thirds of this book? And why were there so many Hazel chapters? I am not sure if it is me no longer being the same age as these characters anymore, but boy oh boy I was not entertained during any chapter that was in Hazel's perspective, and Frank's chapters were a close second. Jason finally was given a bit of a spotlight towards the end of the book, but this installment really felt removed from the rest of the series in terms of pacing and development.

I will obviously be seeing this series through to the end, and may dabble in Riordan's other series if I ever need to jump back into this writing -- I have been reading his books since I was nine years old, so maybe I will always end up back where it all began.

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The Shadow Prince (Mortal Enchantment, #0.5) by Stacey O'Neale Review

This is a spoiler-free review! The Shadow Prince is currently available for free on iBooks and Kindle.

I have been trying to get back into the fantasy genre, and a quick novella seemed just the thing to light that fire. As an introduction to the Mortal Enchantment trilogy, this novella allows readers to get to know the main character, Rowan, and the impossible task given to him in order for him to claim his right to the throne. I loved the elemental aspect of this story -- I feel as though it is so rarely seen in young adult and adult fantasy novels, with the only one coming to mind is the Akasha series by Terra Harmony.

For being such a quick read, the author does a great job at world-building in the limited pages, and when it comes to character development, Rowan is quickly presented with a number of moral dilemmas and does a decent job navigating them. Along with his best friend, Marcus, he is set up to face the ultimate choice alongside a number of obstacles once he travels from the mortal world back to Avalon.

I am usually not a fan of fantasy books transitioning between the mortal world and their magical land, but the author only references a few specific real world items during the story, which allows the reader to maintain their presence in the elemental courts. While being categorized as young adult, I could see the story well-placed in an adult setting, especially when it comes to the shape-shifters introduced -- there is something sinister with their significance in the story.

Rowan spends a decent amount of this novella battling his inner thoughts regarding the task of killing the princess of the air court, and while it is always important for us to see the lead character experience challenges, his back and forth was starting to get a touch old for my liking. Hopefully in Storm Born, he will be more decisive as his story unfolds. The side characters provide conflict for Rowan as expected, and I look forward to seeing him gain some allies in the rest of the series.

I would definitely recommend this to fans of The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black -- it reminds me so much of the world if you swap out faeries for elemental beings, and the stakes are just as high. This was a great way to get readers interested in starting a new series, and I certainly plan on continuing with Rowan's story.

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Dracula by Bram Stoker Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Going into this book, I had a different idea of what the tone and focus of the story would be -- and I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed the formatting of this classic. Stoker utilizes diary entries, journaling, phonographs, and newspaper articles to string together Jonathan Harker's encounter with Count Dracula, and the consequences that followed. The use of multiple perspectives of side characters in addition to Jonathan allowed the story to unfold and the reader is able to see the true outcome of Jonathan's stay with the Count.

There were a few points in the story where I felt as though Stoker was losing his audience, and I found myself pushing through side plots that only aided the main story for a brief moment. The majority of the book, to my surprise, takes place in both England and in Transylvania, with a number of locations as the tale moves back and forth between Jonathan and his wife, Mira, as she waits for his return home. Rather than focus on the environment or surroundings in this story, it was more so the emotions that took precedence as the characters sought to protect themselves from tales of the undead.

Introducing a number of side characters to Jonathan's story, Stoker is able to give the reader a more enhanced understanding of the way society viewed the lore of the Count. With Mira's letters and diary entries, along with Dr. Van Helsing and numerous other individuals, readers are truly given the full perspective -- if only we were able to have a single chapter from Dracula's point of view. There were times where chapters from Mira's entries felt as though they were taking away from Jonathan's story, and I was frustrated with the focus being turned to her worrying about him for forty pages instead of actually seeing what was going on with him and Dracula at his estate.

Humor is sprinkled in throughout the story, and while sparse, it does make the characters more enjoyable and personable, especially for the characters that do not have nearly as many dedicated chapters to their thoughts and diary entries. Some of the reasoning of solutions that characters would come with in order to protect themselves were downright hilarious, especially when claiming a string of garlic was actually a flower necklace.

As far as pacing goes, it takes a minute to readjust yourself to the language of the story, but a few chapters in and you will have the hang of it in no time. When Jonathan was while Dracula, the story moves quickly and entices the reader, but I found myself losing a touch of interest when we abandoned Dracula and moved to a new subplot. Once Dracula was no longer the main event, the story began to drag on and the last 15% of the book was tough to push through, but I was determined to see this classic to the end. I wish Stoker had expanded more on Jonathan's experience with Dracula, rather than only showing their interactions briefly compared to the aftermath.

An excellent piece of gothic literature that explores the horrors of men and monsters while remaining open to interpretation regarding the true nature of violence and society. A true classic and essential piece to truly understand the genre as a whole as well as one of the most popular characters in horror.

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The Boss (Managing the Bosses, #1) by Lexy Timms Review

This is a spoiler-free review! 

I have read a few books by Timms, including Banking on Him and Gambler.

Our female lead has one of the nastiest book families that I have come across. Jamie's sister is engaged to her ex-boyfriend... need I say more? Her mother and sister are essentially vultures, circling and hovering over her at every second of the day, complaining that she has a new job when her sister is getting married in six months. Absolutely insane to see them hound on her and treat her new job as an inconvenience to them, as they expect Jamie to drop everything to help out with the wedding, and by help out, I mean organize the entire celebration.

Jamie's ex, Stephen, is a little rat, plain and simple. He was dating Jamie and then hopped right on over to Christine without a second thought, and now every time he comes in contact with Jamie, he acts like a total creep. Christine is too lost in her own ego to see that Stephen does not care about her, and is so obsessed with insulting Jamie at every chance, that she completely deprives herself of a personality. Stephen lurks around like a snake and pops up at every event like someone said his name three times in a mirror.

When Jamie is introduced to Stephen's old friend Alex, she has the chance to get away from her toxic family and be independent. Alex being a billionaire and a decent human being... now those are just the perks. Becoming Alex's personal assistant that is at his beck and call twenty-four hours a day may take a toll on her, but it is definitely the best thing to happen to Jamie that lets her get away from her horrible family members. Alex is kind and understanding, while still being able to put his foot down and defend people when the time calls for it -- which unfortunately for Jamie, tends to be a lot.

There is just a touch of spice in this book and the author clearly states that it is not erotica, which is certainly the case. Clocking in at just under two hundred pages, this short introduction to the series allows readers to get to know Jamie and Alex without throwing them together in the first chapter. I wish Jamie was able to stand up for herself more, because it became increasingly more difficult to defend her train of thought as she let her family members berate her every single chapter.

Not a super big fan of the ending -- I understand that books end on cliffhangers, but when the chapter ended, I was sure that my copy must be missing pages. The book basically cuts off after one event and readers are expected to pick up the next installment, when book one and book two could probably be fused together to make one typical-length romance novel. I finished this book in about thirty-five minutes... that should give you enough context on how short the story is, and it left me feeling unsatisfied.

If you are looking for a quick chic lit book to read in between lengthier books, this book may be the fun filler you need to get you back on track with your reading goal. It was entertaining for about thirty pages, but the constant harassment from Jamie's family members had me praying for this book to be over. I may return to this series if the second installment is available for free, but for now, this chapter is closed.

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Coming Home (Boston Billionaires, #1) by Samantha Sky Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I am a sucker for interconnected standalone books, so when I saw the first two books in the Boston Billionaire series available for free on iBooks, I knew I had to download them. It has been awhile since I have dived into an interconnected standalone, but the premise of this first installment had me intrigued -- what is so mysterious about Scarlett's past? Why is Shaun so drawn to her?

Shaun and Scarlett's age gap is slightly larger than Christian and Ana's from Fifty Shades of Grey, but nonetheless is okay with me since Scarlett is twenty-three years old. Scarlett is put off by their age difference at first, but lasts about two chapters before throwing that train of thought out the window and throwing herself into his arms. Shaun is immediately infatuated with Scarlett when he notices her on a flight to Boston, and as fate has it, they continue to run into each other and Shaun becomes even more desperate to learn more about her.

The chapters move pretty quickly and with dual perspectives, the plot moves just as fast. Scarlett's chapters seems to focus mostly on her trying to overcome her traumatic past as she finds herself in a new country, and Shaun's chapters are full of him batting off women as he basically stalks Scarlett every chance that he gets.

I enjoyed the romantic thriller aspect to this book -- it reminded me a lot of the plot of Fifty Shades Darker in the sense that there was more to the story than Shaun and Scarlett's relationship and occasional spicy chapter. It definitely picks up plot-wise about two thirds of the way through the book, and I found that the story was more cohesive once the plot became more thrilling. As interesting as Scarlett and Shaun's relationship was becoming, I was starting to get a little bored after reaching the halfway mark.

The side characters made Shaun's character a touch more interesting, but after finishing the book, I still feel as though we did not get to learn about him or his past. He mentioned a few details to Scarlett here and there, but his character could have used some more development. Shaun's character felt a little one-dimensional, not to mention the fact that he basically was stalking Scarlett until he could actually have a conversation with her. I am all for a dark romance stalking plot line, but this was not the book or the genre for it. 

On the other hand, Scarlett had a decent amount of character development and was more intriguing to read about compared to her leading man. However, her thought process continues to slightly irritate me as the story moved on -- she did not sound like a twenty-three year old, but rather still sounded like a high schooler at many points during the book. Shaun is no better, as a man in his mid-thirties, he still thinks like a frat boy when it comes to women, and of course the second he sees Scarlett, he matures ten years.

This book definitely had potential to be really intriguing, and if Shaun had been more mysterious, I think it could have been a very exciting read. Coming Home falls short to make me fall in love with its leading characters, which is unfortunate because the book has a lot of promise, it could just use some touching up. The spicier scenes were short and felt as though they were thrown in there to make the story more romantic, but it just felt like a more PG-13 rated Hallmark movie. 

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Escort by Skye Warren Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

My enjoyment of browsing the free book section on iBooks will continue to make me put off my own TBR pile for a new read at least once a month, and Escort is no exception. Told from Hugo's point of view, we see the perspective of a male escort as he comes in contact with Bea, a young woman who is not the typical clientele to hire an escort.

If you watched Toy Boy or Diary of a Giglio on Netflix, this quick standalone will be right up your alley. This book would make such a fun Passionflix adaptation, especially since it is few and far between that we get to see the male escort perspective in romance novels. I am not a super big fan of first-person perspective, but I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed reading Hugo's story. The way he views himself and the way he slowly allows Bea to become a presence in his life was well-incorporated throughout the book.

Bea is a shy twenty-something that lives alone in a very large penthouse when she hires Hugo for the night -- she is not the typical penthouse resident, with a quiet personality and well-lived in furniture, Hugo is immediately intrigued. Warren does a pretty decent job of giving us a look inside Hugo's thoughts as he begins to meet with Bea over time, especially when it comes to linking his present job to his childhood past. While we are only given Hugo's point of view, the author was able to capture a lot of Bea's emotions through Hugo's eyes.

Hugo's past was interesting to get into and certainly moved the story forward regarding why he does what he does, but it came to the point where I no longer wanted to read about his past, and wanted the story to move on with him and Bea. Their mutual connection provided somewhat of a plot point to the story and a wedge in their relationship, but it was resolved so quickly I thought I imagined it myself.

Both of the leads are gentle in their own ways, and even though they are very much opposites of each other, they compliment one another very well, and it was a couple that I was rooting for from the beginning. I enjoyed how their dynamic slowly began to form and emerge the longer they knew each other, and their characters each had their own development that was not just for their partner, but for themselves.

There were a few things here and there that could have been left out of the book to make more room for Bea and Hugo's growing relationship, but overall the story pieced together nicely. I do wish it was a touch longer, especially as a standalone, because I felt like I was left hanging at the end. A few more chapters would have done their story well, especially because we only saw some glances of Bea and Hugo's relationship. I would have loved to see more of Hugo's friends to be quite honest -- they seemed interesting enough that I would read books about them if this was an interconnected standalone series, but alas it is not.

I would not go as far to say that this qualifies as erotica -- it is pretty tame spice compared to other romance books, and has just enough scenes to make it interesting but not push it over the edge. This was a fun and quick read, but I expected a little more from the story than what was given. If you are looking for a somewhat spicy fluff romance, then this is definitely the read for you.

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