Book Review: Accepting Fate (Destiny Book 2) by Deanna Chase

Title: Accepting Fate
Author: Deanna Chase
Series: Destiny #2
Pages: 240
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

From New York Times bestselling author, Deanna Chase comes the second book in the Destiny series.

When two souls are fated...

A year ago, Jax Russo left school to escape to her safe haven, her hometown of Mendocino, CA. After overcoming depression and healing old wounds, she’s finally ready to move on. But when her brother’s arrested for a shocking crime, she finds herself caught between her family and her brother’s accuser—the man she’s been in love with since she was fifteen years old.

Firefighter Derek Alexander never wanted to be a hero. He does his job for one reason and one reason only—to make up for that terrible night nine years ago. His demons haunt him, but so do dreams of Jax, the girl he knows he’s fated to be with. But in a world of magical soul mates, sometimes even love and forgiveness isn’t enough.

I didn't have very high hopes for Accepting Fate. I figured it would just be the usual hum-drum romance, but I am glad to be wrong! It is your typical romance, but it is extremely cute! I really enjoyed the characters, and absolutely loved how Chase switched back and forth between Jax and Derek. Not to mention, Chase can write one gorgeous character...Derek (sigh).

Both Jax and Derek have been through a lot in their lives. They still have nightmares and it is a constant struggle for them to try to be upbeat and get through their lives. This struggle is something that they bond over, and they come to realize that the other is the only person that truly understands them and what they are going through. It is extremely sweet to see how much they support for and care for each other.

Not only is this a book about sweet romance, but there is a bit of a paranormal twist. In this world, soul mates truly do exist, which was interesting. The one thing that I truly liked was that a soul mate does exist, but that does not mean they are the best person for you. I really liked the idea that you had the ability to choose, and it wasn't like some ingrained connection (insta-love). It was truly a great book, and I hope that Chase continues on with the series!

"As he pulls away from her, his gaze meets mine, and we stare at each other for one long moment before I slowly raise my left hand and give him the middle finger."

"The look she gives me is priceless - shock mixed with pure pleasure. I make a note to put that look on her face as often as possible."

Book Review: Clay's Hope (Judgement of the Six Companion Series Book 1) by Melissa Haag

Title: Clay's Hope
Author: Melissa Haag
Series: Judgement of the Six Companion Series #1
Pages: 266
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Clay is a man of few human talents. As a wolf, he hunts well and can fight off a grizzly twice his size, but has no aspirations. The idea of a Mate isn't something he has ever seriously entertained. Dreamed about, maybe, but he knows the chances are nearly non-existent. Then he meets Gabby, a human girl. She hates him at first sight, yet he can't let her go. Who he was is no longer important. Now, who he needs to become to win her over is the only thing that matters.

I learned the hard way to not read a book's companion right after reading the book itself. I liked Beautiful Disaster  so much that I read it's companion Walking Disaster right after, and have regretted it ever since. Don't get me wrong, I liked the story, but it was the same story, just from a different point of view. So, long story short, I did not do this with Clay's Hope, and am so glad that I did!

I remember reading Hope(less) and really enjoying it, so of course I wanted to read its companion! I may be a bit biased, since I read Hope(less) first, but I liked it slightly more than I did this one. This book was still a good read though, and it was nice to finally see what was going on in Clay's head since he is a man of very few words.

My only problem with this book was that I wanted to know more about Clay's past. But, this problem became less of an issue when you take into account getting to see how deep Clay's feelings for Gabby really went. It is a super sweet story! If you have the chance read both books, just don't do it back to back. Trust me!

"He cooks, he cleans, he warms up my feet at night, and he keeps the toilet seat down...so hands off. He's mine."

"You don't need to talk to get to know someone. You just need to listen."