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."

Book Review: My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White

Title: My Own Mr. Darcy
Author: Karey White
Pages: 288
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤

After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough. Coerced by her roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.

Okay, so I know this isn't some life-changing literary masterpiece, but you know what who cares! My Own Mr. Darcy is a fun and frustrating read (opposites I know, but I'll explain later). This is one of the few books I have read that I could actually see as a movie. And, just like with any other cute quirky rom-com, this book had me grinning from ear to ear with anticipation for the dramatic "will they or won't they?" at the end. It was pretty glorious; I'm not going to lie!

I know I said that the book was a fun read, and yes it was, but I was also pretty frustrated throughout. The main character is super obstinate! But, at the same time I could see where she was coming from. For the past six years she has dreamed of finding the perfect guy, a.k.a Mr. Darcy. But, sometimes everything isn't always what it is cracked up to be. This is exactly what happens, and I know it's hard to admit your wrong, but I was wanting Lizzie to do just that the entire time! No easy feat, I know!

Despite the turmoil I experienced throughout the book, I still really enjoyed it and thought it was a cute romance book. It even came with a nice moral...it's okay to change your dreams.

"They say love is blind but perhaps high school crushes are even blinder."

"Did you know hot cocoa has three times as many calories as a cup of coffee?" Matt asked.
"Did you know it's more than three times as delicious?" I asked. 

"We ate crunchy fish tacos while we watched Tom Cruise pretend to be smart and athletic and twenty years younger than his actual age."

"Don't mess up your future because you're afraid to change your dream."

Book Review: Fall From Grace (Mad World Book 1) by Christine Zolendz

Title: Fall From Grace
Author: Christine Zolendz
Series: Mad World #1
Pages: 317
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤

I'm finally home after struggling through my brother's illness and death. But, home is definitely a bit different. My best friend (the only person alive now that knows my secret) has a new boyfriend; and he has a friend. Shane Maxton: bad boy, tattooed rock god, eye candy extraordinaire. He is also New York City's most arrogant, self-serving, son of a, well, a definite one-night stand kind of a guy.

But, it doesn't matter to me because I've spent my existence looking for the love of my life, my angel. And, there is nothing that Shane Maxton can do to change that.

A paranormal romance.

Fall From Grace was a nice super fast read! Grace has spent her time looking for "the one" and so far, has been unable to find him. However, she does know that there is absolutely no way that Shane, in all his bad boy glory, could be "the one."

But, no matter how hard you try not to like him, Shane manages to get under your skin. You just cannot help but love him! Despite this, Grace goes out of her way to not like Shane or give into him. Which, is pretty entertaining and makes for some great dialogue.

The story includes some paranormal elements, and I am all for some supernatural stuff, but I think the story would have been great without this. I would have preferred the story without the Heaven and Angels plot. Take that out, and you get something similar to Jamie McGuire's Beautiful Disaster, but more mellowed out.

One thing that I really did not like was the ending. I was just in the middle of a scene, reading along, then turned to the next page only to find "the end." In the middle of a scene. What the heck? This wasn't a cliffhanger, but instead almost just like a page break. You know, but without the click here to read more link. Also, practically every guy that Grace came across threw themselves at her. I get it, she's pretty, but literally every guy did this.

Other than that, however, it was a nice read and I enjoyed the back and forth between Shane and Grace!

"Lea, you know you should never have a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent."

"You know, if you're going to be a smart ass you should start with being smart, otherwise, you're really just an ass."

"No. I want you to tell me why you have a pair of broken angel wings on your shoulder. I want you to tell me why you cut your wrists and I want to know why and how you play and sing the way you do, but most of all I want you to tell me what I need to do to be a good enough man for you."

Book Review: The Rising (Darkness Rising Book 3) by Kelley Armstrong

Title: The Rising
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Darkness Rising #3
Pages: 406
My Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤

Things are getting desperate for Maya and her friends. Hunted by the powerful St. Clouds and now a rival Cabal as well, they're quickly running out of places to hide. And with the whole world thinking they died in a helicopter crash, it's not like they can just go to the authorities for help.

All they have is the name and number of someone who might be able to give them a few answers. Answers to why they're so valuable, and why their supernatural powers are getting more and more out of control.

But Maya is unprepared for the truths that await her. And now, like it or not, she'll have to face down some demons from her past if she ever hopes to move on with her life. Because Maya can't keep running forever.

Old secrets are revealed and unexpected characters make a surprising return in this stunning conclusion to Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Darkness Rising trilogy.

Ms. Armstrong sure knows how to drive a person absolutely crazy! Throughout the book I was just waiting for a certain something (wink wink) to happen. I was over 3/4 of the way done, and I was almost freaking out that it was never going to happen. So, at that point, I naturally could not put the book down and probably looked like a reading maniac (yes, don't judge me). But, then it did happen and now I am for certain that The Rising is my absolute favorite of Armstrong's Darkness Rising Series!

So, if you have read the Darkest Powers Series, this novel is where the characters you love from the series come into play. It is also mentioned that there is a large werewolf pack and I'm kind of wondering if that is also a crossover from another of Armstrong's series? However, I don't really know, so I may have to read more books written by Ms. Armstrong. What a sacrifice...not! I would definitely read more of her books! The Rising had me chomping at the bit to get to the end of the book; I just couldn't wait to find out the ending!

This was a series full of suspense, and I absolutely loved it! I pretty much loved everything about it, the characters, the scenery, the action, etc. (really I could go on and on!). If you haven't read anything from Kelley Armstrong, get a move on it!

"That depends. Are you going to call me an ass again?"
"That depends. Are you going to act like one?"

"I'm going to need to save you."
"Excuse me? No one needs-"
"I'm saving you, so shut up and be grateful."

"After this, he'd probably be going to zoos, climbing the enclosure, saying, 'Here, watch this...' Famous last words, as yet another unfit human is removed from the gene pool."