Book Review: Vanquished (Crusade Book 3) by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié

Title: Vanquished
Author: Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié
Series: Crusade #3
Pages: 384
My Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Hope is in short supply, but courage runs deep as the Salamancan hunters recover from a devastating loss. Jenn knows she must rally her team against the Cursed Ones, but her focus is shattered. She’s torn between passion for Antonio, who once fought by her side, and hate for the bloodthirsty vampire he’s become. His volatility is tearing apart their team...and Jenn’s trust.

As the Cursed Ones amass new strength, Team Salamanca must strike together if they hope to survive, let alone defend humanity. Jenn wants to believe Antonio’s loyal to their cause—and their love—but she’s slowly losing her heart to Resistance fighter Noah. And if Antonio’s not careful, he may just end up with a stake in his.

This gripping conclusion to an epic trilogy pairs steamy romance with heart-stopping action, and delivers an ending as dramatic as it is unexpected.

Holder and Viguié did a great job wrapping up their epic crusade series! As always, this book was jammed pack with action!

As this series went on, I found myself caring about the characters more and more. One of the things that I loved most about this series was how readers are able to see each one of the characters grow. We are able to see changes in ALL the characters...including Jamie! Speaking of, he actually grew on me in this book! I found myself somewhat actually liking him!

The only problem I have with this installment is how quickly and nicely things were wrapped up. Despite all of the action, the book seemed to progress kind of slowly; so, I was super surprised when I got to the end and everything was wrapped up in just a few pages. I was waiting for an epic "final battle" to take place, which I did get a battle, but I don't think it was Harry Potter final battle worthy.

Despite this, I am truly glad that I picked up this series, and I can't wait to read more from Holder & Viguié!

Book Review: Goddess Tricked (Mate Run Book 1) by Skylar Blaue

Title: Goddess Tricked
Author: Skylar Blaue
Series: Mate Run #1
Pages: 140
My Rating: ♥♥♥♥

When a full moon falls on the night of a solar eclipse, it’s called a Blood Moon. The Goddess has a major influence on nights like this, and only complete isolation can keep a Shifter or Spark safe from her supernatural matchmaking.

Carly, a Spark, a.k.a. magic wielder, takes a big risk when she gives into the temptation of a night of fun with her Human best friend. One bad decision after another leaves Carly and her friend in the wrong place. Surrounded by potential Shifter and Spark mates, Carly’s only desire is to make it through the night single. There’s only one way to do that. She’ll have to make a run for it and hope she can avoid waking up mated and pregnant.

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

From the moment that I laid eyes on the title of chapter one, I knew that this was going to be a fun read. I was definitely not disappointed! This book was non-put downable (is that even a word...oh well whatever 😊), literally I did not put the book down! Instead I read the whole shabang in like three hours.

If you're looking for a book that has some grandeur and talks about the meaning of life, this is not your book. However, if you are looking for a fun quick entertaining read that will have you rolling with laughter, then look no further! The main character and her friend were absolutely hilarious!

As for the world created, I think the author did a great job. She gave us a taste of her world, but not to much, leaving me wanting to learn more. The idea of sparks, werewolves, and humans all coexisting together is pretty great!

I can't wait to see what this author has in store for the rest of this series! I hope that it is just as entertaining as this one!

Book Review: Damned (Crusade Book 2) by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Title: Damned
Author: Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
Series: Crusade #2
Pages: 544
My Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

There is a fine line between love and sacrifice…. Antonio would do anything for his beloved fighting partner Jenn. He protects her, even suppresses his vampire cravings to be with her. Together, they defend humanity against the Cursed Ones. But tensions threaten to fracture their hunting team and his loyalty—his love—is called into question.

With an even more sinister power on the rise, Jenn must overcome her personal vendettas.

Antonio and Jenn need each other to survive, but evil lurks at every turn. With humanity’s fate hanging in the balance, they must face down the darkness…or die trying.

Wow! Holder and Viguie really outdid themselves on this one! Clocking in at a little over 500 pages (yes, you heard me...500 PAGES!!) I expected it to have some lulls, as well as some highs. I can't believe how wrong I was! Each page was jam packed with action!

I loved the twists and turns that the plot would take, especially with the fogginess surrounding Aurora's and Sergio's mysterious sire. Just who is he? And, when I finally was given a name I was left with even more questions.

One of my favorite parts of this series (so far) is how each character seems to be battling some kind of inner demon. This was evident in the first installment, but even more so in the second. Every character, and I do mean EVERY character, has some kind of obstacle that they must overcome. This makes me want to root for them even more, even Jamie 😂.

I can't say for sure which installment I like better, but what I do know is that this one introduces more characters. Some I absolutely love, while others just need to make an exit already!

I cannot wait to see what is in store for Jenn and the gang! I'm hoping that the conclusion is bursting apart with action!

"Training, knowledge, can only take you so far. You have to learn to trust yourself, even when you don't want to. The mind notices thousands of minute details that we don't even consciously register...Sometimes the details you've overlooked are miniscule. Sometimes they are glaringly obvious and you just didn't want to see them. Because you were afraid to."

"Sometimes the hardest thing you have to do is fight when you'd rather just give up. You can't give up. No matter what. Not even if your heart is breaking. Not even if everything and everyone you love has been taken from you. You must keep going. Because sometimes, the fight is all you have."

"If he stopped trying so hard, you know...Maybe Antonio needs to eat, drink, and be merry. He's often rather dour, wouldn't you say?"

Top Ten Tuesday #3

Throwback! Ten Books I Loved From My First Year Of Blogging! 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by the wonderful people at the broke and the bookish. This weeks topic is a throwback to books from your first year of blogging!

I started my blog back in 2015. I can't believe it is three years old! My how they grow up so fast...Anyways, here are ten books from 2015 that I reviewed on the ole blog here that I loved! 😍

1. Trylle Tilogy by Amanda Hocking

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on the complete Trylle trilogy! Switched, Torn, & Ascend were all bound in one glorious paperback! I didn't have to wait to read the next books, because they were already at my fingertips. I think I read all three almost non-stop. I absolutely loved this series! Hocking did a fantastic job!

You can see my review of the Trylle Trilogy here! (P.S. This is my very first review! 😁)

2. Hidden Wings by Cameo Renae

I remember picking up this book on a snow day and not putting it down. Isn't that what snow days are for, binge reading? Anywho, I really enjoyed reading Hidden Wings! It was my first taste of angels & demons, and it was a great introduction.

Check out my review of Hidden Wings here!

3. The Selection by Kiera Cass

This is one of those books that I didn't have very high hopes for, but instead ended up loving! In my review, I describe this book as The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor, which I think is a pretty great description! Miss Cass' novel has quickly became one of my all time favorite books! On a side note, the dresses on the covers are gorgeous, and I think they would look amazing in my closet 😉!

Check out my review of The Selection here!

4. Flight by Alyssa Rose Ivy

This was the first New Adult book that I have ever read, and I have been hooked on the genre ever since! Additionally, I love Ivy's writing style and have made it a goal of mine to read all of her books...yes, all of them! Flight is exceptionally cute, and who wouldn't want to have a lavender land rover?

You can see my review of Flight here!

5. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This book is amazing and actually inspired me to start my very own book blog! The characters are fantastic and the story-line is super original. Forget Daemon Salvatore, I want my very own Daemon Black!

Look at my review of Obsidian here!

6. Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis

I love werewolves, and this book made me love reading about them even more! The characters in this series are superb! I want a best friend just like Jen!

You can see my review of Prince of Wolves here!

7. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

All I can say about this one is thank you so much Karen Marie Moning for writing such a fabulous story! The plot is extremely unique, and I never knew what was going to happen next. I also appreciated the scenery of Ireland. I've never been there, but I would absolutely love to visit some time!

Check out my review of Darkfever here!

8. Saving Angel by J.L. Weil

If you love Armentrout's Lux series, then you're more than likely to fall in love with J.L. Weil's Saving Angel. Although I have yet to read the rest of the Divisia series, I do know that Obsidian and Saving Angel are eerily similar.

You can see my review of Saving Angel here!

9. Everlasting by Candace Knoebel

This is a great book involving all things magical! In some ways, the book reminds me of Divergent, I just hope that this series has a much more satisfying ending!

Read my review of Everlasting here!

10. Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

This novel was assigned to me in one of my classes, and although it isn't my typical fanfare, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Not to mention, the movie is great too!

Look at my review of Winter's Bone here!

So what do you think? Have you read any of these awesome books?

Top Ten Tuesday #2

Ten Books That Were Tough To Get Through

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by the wonderful people at the broke and the bookish. This week's theme involved books that were pretty tough to get through. 

If you've read as many books as I have (or even if you haven't), then you know that not all books are easy reads that you just breeze through. There are also those that you can only manage to read a chapter of at a time. In some cases, the ending is worth it, but in others, not so much...

I've rounded up a list of ten books for you that were somewhat painful at times to get though. Enjoy 😊

1) The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

This was an extremely tough one! In high school I had to read AND do a book report on Hawthorne's greatest work. I was definitely not impressed. The book seemed to drag on for me, and half the time I didn't know what exactly was happening. However, I will give it the benefit of the doubt, since it is a classic and written in old english. It's just not for me!

2) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

For my english class I was assigned to read this classic and write a report on it during the summer. I took an instant disliking to the novel. I couldn't stand the characters! The novel seemed to go on and on. Later on in the story however, some characters were introduced that I really enjoyed. I kind of want to give this classic another try, since having it assigned to me during the summer could have influenced my opinion of the book. 

3) Dark Secrets by A.M. Hudson

I love fantasy romances, and thought that I would enjoy Dark Secrets. The author boasted that this was first and foremost a romance, not a vampire novel. Ample warning was given about this, but I still don't understand why. I believe that more warning should have been given about how much of a downer the female MC was. It took me almost two months to finish this book...yes two whole months! I love strong characters that can face anything, and this book just didn't have any. 

You can check out my review of Dark Secrets here!

4) Potential by M.L. Ridener

It's not that this book was to hard for me to get through, but it was instead way too easy. I wanted so much more, more story, more descriptions, and definitely more character development. It was the review of this one that was hard for me to get through! Don't get me wrong, Potential does have a LOT of potential.

See my review of Potential here!

5) The Iron in Blood by Jenny Doe

I found this one for free on Amazon, and was instantly intrigued by its description. The actual book however was much less intriguing for me. I just had a really hard time with the story, which was going in a way different direction than what I thought it should be. For me, it was jut a tough one.

6) Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

This entire series has so many positive reviews, and I thought that I would be one of those people, just in love with the book. However, I wasn't. I haven't read the rest of the series, just the first installment, so I'm hoping that it does get better. I just couldn't seem to get into the story, even though it seemed like something that I would have loved!

7) Burden by Lila Felix

This book reminded me a lot of Potential, great idea but a little lacking. I wanted way more depth to the characters! There were parts that would show a glimmer of hope, but then the story would just move on. It wasn't a long book, but it still took me a while to get though!

Check out my review of Burden here!

8) Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

This is the only book on this list that I didn't finish. I started this book in junior high, and I'll never forget it. I didn't get far into the book, and I don't remember why exactly I didn't like it. All I remember is returning that book back to the library, way before it was even due. I know that it involves faeries, and I may have picked it up before I really got into the whole paranormal/fantasy genre. However, I don't really know for sure, I could pick it up today and fall head over heels for it!

9) Fate by Amanda Hocking

This was the first series by Amanda Hocking that I read, and I really enjoyed it, however this installment was a bit of a low point for it. The MC was super whiny during this one, which is most likely the cause for my impression of it. I hate whiny characters!

See my review of Fate here!

10) The Awakening by Jayne Faith

I enjoyed the first book in this series, but the second one kind of disappointed me. It took me a while to get through, being that it dragged on. When things started to finally pick up and get interesting, the book abruptly ended mid-sentence! I was not happy!

You can see my review of The Awakening here!

What did you think of the list? Have you ever had a hard time getting through a book?