Book Review: Flutter (My Blood Approves #3) by Amanda Hocking

Title: Flutter
Author: Amanda Hocking
Series: My Blood Approves Book 3
Pages: 307
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Being undead doesn't make life any easier for Alice Bonham.

Her younger brother's love life is heating up, while hers is... more complicated. Mae is falling apart, her best friend Jane is addicted to vampire bites, and if Alice doesn't get her bloodlust under control, someone will end up dead.

Alice volunteers for a rescue mission with Ezra. But going up against a pack of rabid vampires might be too much, even for him.

Minneapolis, MN is not your normal town. There is a vampire subculture just brewing beneath the surface. For the world Hocking has created, towns like these are completely normal. There are not only vampire clubs, but there are also blood banks for vampires. Obviously, not everyone is kept in the loop about all of this though.

But, after being bitten, Alice's best friend Jane now frequents the vampire clubs, hoping for a fix. She now craves being bitten, which is killing her. Can she be helped?

In addition to Jane being an addict, Peter has once again ran away. Only this time he does not plan to return...ever. After hearing about what Peter plans to do, Alice and Ezra fly off to find him and save him from the vicious Lycans, and...himself.

This may all be just too much for Alice to handle, but with the help of Jack, she may just be able to make it through.

This third installment had a lot more to offer for me than the second. This time, Alice was only moping around miserably for about three days! Jack is probably my favorite character in the whole series and it is great that in this book, you get to see more to him than just the fun, go-lucky side of him. He receives some news that shakes his world and he has to learn to cope with it, in his own time.

Book Review: Storm (Elemental Series Book 1) by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Storm
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Elemental #1
Pages: 432
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream.

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn't want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming...

Becca Chandler has a reputation, and not by choice. As a result, she is thought to be "easy" and is constantly harassed. This doesn't stop her from being her kind sweet self though. She, a small girl, saves Chris from being beaten to death by not just one, but a group of guys!

Chris goes to Becca's school and the two have virtually never even talked to each other. After she rescues him, things start to change. The two start actually acknowledging each other, and soon they find themselves in the middle of a huge mess. You could say a storm is brewing (yes I am a dork and went there!).

There are so many questions that the book brings up. Why does Becca have a reputation? Why does Chris have this thing for water? Who would put a pentagram on someone's door?

This book has twists, turns, and a whole lot of action. There were times I thought "What is happening?" Now, when I say there is action, I don't just mean a little bit, I mean just about the whole book is packed with action. The last quarter of the book was especially intense and I could not put it down until I finished it!

The writing style made me feel as if I was watching a movie instead of reading a book, if that makes sense. Instead of being in a characters head (first person) we were instead an outside observer (third person). This is different than most of the books I usually read, but I was still able to picture the characters and what was going on.

I have already looked at the descriptions for the rest of the books in the series, and it seems like each book focuses on a different male character and his love interest. I honestly don't know if I would like that or not. I just want to see more of Becca and Chris!

Book Review: Becoming Alpha (Alpha Girl Volume 1) by Aileen Erin

Title: Becoming Alpha
Author: Aileen Erin
Series: Alpha Girl #1
Pages: 267
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

One stupid party. One stupid boy. One stupid kiss. And my life was virtually over.

Tessa McCaide has a unique talent for getting into trouble. Then again, it isn’t easy for a girl with visions to ignore what she sees. Luckily Tessa and her family are leaving California and moving halfway across the country, giving her the perfect opportunity to leave her reputation as “Freaky Tessa” behind.

But Tessa doesn’t realize that kissing the wrong guy in her new Texas town could land her in far more trouble than she ever imagined. Like being forced to attend St. Ailbe’s Academy, a secret boarding school for werewolves.

Even if the wrong guy did accidentally turn her into one of “them” and doom her to attending the weirdest high school ever, Tessa can’t help her growing attraction to the mysterious Dastien Laurent.

When vampires attack St. Alibe’s and her visions pinpoint an enemy in their midst, Tessa realizes that boy drama and her newfound canine tendencies might just be the least of her problems.

For her whole life, Tessa has been considered a freak and an outsider. She has to wear gloves, because she sees things when she touches objects. How would you like to have a vision every time you touch something?

Her dad gets a new job and moves the family from star-studded L.A. to a Texas town. Tessa is thankful for the change, she thinks she may finally be able to not be "freaky Tessa." She may be able to have actual friends!

Things are different in this town though, she is told to stay away from the St. Ailbe's kids (a school). What's even more strange is that she seems to have a connection to one of St. Ailbe's young instructors.

Life as she knew it was about to change...

I don't think I have ever encountered a character that is not afraid to voice her opinion...ever. Compared to others, Tessa is fairly small, but that does not stop her from telling you what she thinks or standing up for herself. It is very refreshing to have a heroine who does not just roll over when the hot guy says to. Even though I had to get up early the next morning, I found myself unable to put the book down. Thing is I didn't even regret it, next morning I got in the car and just kept on reading!

 

Book Review: Fate (My Blood Approves #2) by Amanda Hocking

Title: Fate
Author: Amanda Hocking
Series: My Blood Approves #2
Pages: 334
My Rating: ❤❤❤

Alice Bonham thinks she's finally found a balance in her life between the supernatural and real life with her brother Milo. Jack - her sorta vampire boyfriend - keeps her at arm's length to keep her safe. As for his brother Peter... she's not sure where he's at, or what he wants with her. Worse still, she's not even sure what she wants with Peter.

When tragedy happens, Alice finds herself struggling with a terrible choice. Her decision has consequences that reach farther than she'd ever imagined...

Fate is the second book in the My Blood Approves series by Amanda Hocking. I do not really know how to say what the book is about, I really do not want to give too much away. What I can say is that it picks up about where the first book ended.

There is a certain stereotype about second books, and it is not a very good one. Second books are usually considered the kind of boring books that you sometimes struggle to get through. Despite having a bit of a shocker towards the beginning, Fate lived up to this stereotype for me.

I found myself upset at Alice throughout the book, I just wanted to tell her to stop whining already. She seemed very depressed and kind of needy throughout the story. I could understand where she was coming from, but jeez she needed to stop dwelling on it, and could have used her time to do something else instead of just moping around.

Once you get through most of the book, the story does start to pick up again at the end, and in doing so ends not so much on a nail-biting cliffhanger, but more of a "Oh my gosh, what does this mean?" and "What are they going to do about this?"

Walking on Sunshine!

Today I got my first glimpse into the upcoming days of spring and summer. There is just something about going outside and feeling the sun on your skin that instantly puts you in a good mood. I was able to not where a jacket today and it felt so great outside. I have always been a lover of the outdoors, despite my terrible allergies. One of my favorite things to do is read or study outside. On TV they always make it look so glamorous, someone is always just laying on a blanket or leaning on a tree. What TV does not show you is the bugs! It's a terrible feeling when you look down and find that there is an ant on your arm, because somehow you managed to sit on an anthill. You may be thinking there is no way I would sit on an anthill, I would be able to see it, but trust me you may not know one is there until it is too late! Despite this bug issue, the outdoors is something I love, although it can sometimes be a love/hate relationship. Today's perfect weather just excited me about all of the amazing sunny days to come!