All the Stars Left Behind by Ashley Graham

Blurb:
Relocating to Arctic Norway would put a freeze on anyone’s social life. For Leda Lindgren, with her crutches and a chip on her shoulder the size of her former Manhattan home, the frozen tundra is just as boring as it sounds. Until she meets her uncle’s gorgeous employee.

Unfortunately, no matter how smoking hot the guy is, Roar comes with secrets as unnerving as his moving tattoos. And Leda doesn’t trust him.

Roar shouldn’t be drawn to the moody human girl with eyes that leave him weak in the knees. But when Leda gets shot by one of his enemies and survives, Roar finally understands why he’s drawn to her: Leda is exactly what he was sent to Earth to find. A weapon of immense power capable of saving his planet.

She just doesn’t know it yet.

     

My Review:
2.5 stars — I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

OK, this was a frustrating read for me.  And I’m having a hard time judging what all comes into play in my final assessment.  There is definitely a component that is a bad match writing style for me I think.  But there’s also bits that were honest to goodness not written as well too.  And this is where it gets complicated: the part that doesn’t match with me style-wise is that things aren’t spelled out for me in a clear manner, and I really really hate that (I’ll explain in a second).  But the problem with disliking that, is that I have a hard time judging what was bad writing versus just not a match, you know??

OK, I’ll attempt to explain…  Well, did anyone else see that movie The Arrival?  My husband loved it, whereas that movie made me SOOOOO angry and annoyed and frustrated and mad.  And while I could enjoy so many aspects of the movie, if I can’t have my theories confirmed on what was happening, then I just don’t like it.  Like, I need things to be closer to black and white, I don’t play well in gray area and subtlety.  I’m probably not making any sense.  *sigh*  Regardless, this book was kind of like that.  I’m left at the end of the book thinking I have a pretty good idea of what happened, but I’m not sure.  And I want to be sure.  I don’t understand what the point is if I’m not sure.  So was it bad writing, or style??  I DON’T KNOW!!

There were definitely parts of this book where I can categorically say that it needed better editing and needed to be cleaned up.  There were quite a few TINY continuity issues (like the showers on the ship were supposed to be ionized air, but then Leda talks about her hair being wet from her shower; or the drug that was supposed to put that guy to sleep for about 40 hours, and less than 24 hours later he’s wide awake; or how did the pain meds work on the tethered cord surgery, but not for the bullet wound?).  See?  Tiny, but I noticed them, and it annoyed me.  But it probably only annoyed me because I was having other problems.  The book just felt…for lack of a better word, fragmented.  From individual sentences that were probably trying to be too pretty, but then I would have to read them over again to understand them; to the overall plot and the way I would feel like I missed something from one section to another.  It was just kind of choppy in places, and didn’t make for a nice read.  And then there was the tiny plot thread that was completely dropped at the end of the book (what Enren said about Toovu and the Woede — purposely being vague to avoid spoilers), which I suppose could have been ok if there was going to be a sequel or something and they’d tackle it there, but I don’t get that impression.

So yeah, frustration.  The book needed a bit more clean up and definitely needed to be smoothed over.  Things happened so fast, I kind of couldn’t follow what people were talking about sometimes, or the conclusions they were coming to.

And then there’s the characters and chemistry.  *sigh*  This review could get so long if I really went into detail on those parts, but I’ll try to keep it brief (*snort* yeah right).  Quite honestly, I didn’t dislike the characters, but I wasn’t totally enamoured with them either.  Like none of them.  And hence I didn’t find my emotions engaged at any of the potentially heartbreaking parts.  It was a little bit insta-lovey between Leda and Roar, which I don’t always mind if I get something else out of it.  But there was so much else going on, I never really did understand why they were in love…  I got the draw and the connection, but not the emotions I guess.

And there were a ton of potentially intriguing side characters with potential little side plots, but we never got to learn about them or dive into them.  They were so many moments where the author could have delved deeper, but chose not to in favour of action I suppose.  Which is not horrible, but I hate getting teased with depth and then not getting it.  We could have learned so much about Aurelite society, how it was, how it affected people, how it shaped them.  From Stein to Petrus to even Roar.  And Nils!!  What about Nils and his mom??  And why tease us with those things and not go into them?  Why say them at all and make them part of the story and not go further?  I think the author tried to do too much with the story, and had to cut back, and didn’t really get the right focus back.  Or not.  Honestly, that’s conjecture, I shouldn’t say I know anything.

*sigh*  So yeah.  It had a lot of potential.  And despite the way this review sounds, there were interesting moments!  I even enjoyed the kisses between Roar and Leda.  I loved the inclusion of some diverse elements, and how Leda always had Spina Bifida, regardless of whether she was some fabled weapon or not.  But she pushed through it.  And there were some really quotable pretty lines!!  When the author hit her mark on those, they were really beautiful!

And that is that.  I’m sad.  Reading books that don’t match me is really taxing on my reader’s brain.  Ah well.  Onward and upward!

Water World Warrior (TerraMates #1) by Lisa Lace

Blurb:  Why would I want to be married to an alien?

I should not have applied to TerraMates. The idea was crazy. I’m a young woman, in the prime of my life.

But I was desperate.

When I landed on another world, his appearance intrigued me. He dripped sexuality and moved like an animal. We have three days together before he sets sail without me. Am I going to escape or submit to my desires?

 

 

3 Stars

I picked this book up from a fellow blogger who wrote a review so good, I had to read it myself.  You can see her review here: Book Wormie Spot.

This book was decent, will I read anymore in the series? No.  Its not that the story was written bad or that it was inconsistent.  I have just read so many books like this one that I don’t want to waste my time reading the same story again.

It was a bit of insta-love.  And those are fine when I’m in the mood for them, which I was when I read this one.  But in general I tend to read more feeling-depth books.  I loved the alien aspect but the female MC was a bit naive for my tastes.  Other than that the steamy scenes were blush inducing, which is what I was expecting in a book like this one.

If you like a good sexy times book, this could be for you.

Behind the Stars, Complete Series (Behind the Stars #1-6) by Leigh Talbert Moore

Blurb: Prentiss Puckett is certain of three things:
-Graduation is two weeks away.
-Summer only gets hotter in south Mississippi.
-She’s getting a job with air-conditioning.

She did not expect to be kidnapped walking to work.
And she never expected to become a hero.

5 stars!

This book clears two of my challenge spots.  An alien invasion Sci/Fi hosted by Just Another Girl and Her Books and a finishing the series hosted by Bea’s Book Nook.

This was not what I was expecting at all! I’ve read a few books by LTM and I expected the story line to be similar in this book.  I have never loved being wrong more in my life.  This story starts off with a bang.  Literally within the first few paragraphs you see what the main story line is.

You may be wondering how I could have NOT known about the alien invasion part when its clearly in the blurb.  Well, I don’t normally read blurbs if I can help it.  Most of my recs come from other book lovers and bloggers.  I rarely do any pro-active searching for a book. There are so many books out there and I’ll admit, I’m lazy when it comes to looking for books.  So I just put my ear to the ground and listen to others recs.

At any rate, this series started out a bit slow but it held my interest anyway.  There was intrigue, suspense, strength of character and hopelessness.  It ran the scope of emotion for me, as each character contributed to one extreme of emotion or another.

Prentiss  (Love that name) was a simple, country girl who held no ambition in life but to be the wife of a farmer.  She didn’t think she was special or smart and she wasn’t intent on climbing any ladders; be they social or professional.  She was content with her life.  And I liked that about her.  I too, am content with my life.  We see her growth as a character in this book and its subtle enough that I didn’t find it too fast.  The strengths she thought she saw were in others were actually being exhibited by her once she was out of the shadow of the one she planned on spending her life with.

It was a wonderful path we followed with her.  She was so unassuming in the beginning, and we go on a journey of self discovery with her, realizing that the slightest change in circumstance can make an enormous difference in how you look at yourself.  The romance subplot was just a bonus for me.  I would have been happy if it was just about her.

Just….go read this.  The first one is FREE!!!

Out of This World by Patricia Eimer

Blurb:
Engaged to a murderous, intergalactic warlord, Capridocian Princess Corripraxis is running for her life and crash lands on Earth, where large creatures moo at her, threatening to expose her as an alien. If she can just get some help—in the form of the very attractive Earth male who just pulled up in a tow truck—she can hunker down in the Martian colony until she figures out her next move, right?

One hunky Marine. One sexy alien. One deranged intergalactic warlord. What could go wrong?

At the scene of an accident, a sexy woman asks ex-Marine Mattias Cadiz to take her to Roswell NM. He really should be getting on with living a nice, sane—quiet—life, because the very pretty Corri is probably on her way to the annual Convention with the other alien-crazy wackos. Still, no way he can refuse such a gorgeous, if confused, violet-eyed beauty.

    

My Review:
2.5 stars — I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

This book was not a match for me, and to be honest I should have just DNF’d it.  But I always feel like I should give books I get for free a bigger shot somehow, and so I pushed forward.  I don’t know that I can articulate my expectations from the blurb, but it just did not match up with those expectations in the end.  I expected a rom-com I guess, and theoretically that’s what I got, but the problem was that the humour didn’t work for me.  I even tried explaining the book to my husband, and apparently I did a piss poor job b/c he said the book sounded awful.  *sigh*  But trying to explain to my husband that while the humour didn’t work for me, it might for others was like…I don’t know.  Something impossible.  Brain’s not working right now.

So one of my biggest problems is that I couldn’t suspend my disbelief.  Right from the first page I was questioning things: if they have tentacles, how are they punching in numbers?  Wouldn’t they have a different interface?  And the next few examples might be minorly spoilery, so be warned.  How does she eat metal in her cloaked body?  Or is it just an illusion, and her teeth are just really strong?  If she eats metal, then what happens when she consumes human food?  Wouldn’t her digestive system work differently then?  If she watches TV from Earth, then why wouldn’t she know water is blue and earth is brown?  Also, how is she reading books from Earth if there has been no contact?

Honestly, it felt like the author just decided to think up the wackiest characteristics for her aliens without giving them any sense of realism and believability.  Which is probably ok for some people, but I’m not that person apparently.  Heck, I wasn’t even happy that Mattias sometimes had a limp, other times had a prosthetic and yet we never seem him taking care of his fake limb or anything.  *sigh*  I’m too much of a details girl.

So even ignoring all of that, I didn’t even really like either of the main characters.  I didn’t swoon over Mattias, and I didn’t really feel connected to Corri at all.  I was probably more interested in Brandt and Daria.  Or even Flo and Bub.

For me it was just a book trying a bit too hard to be funny without hitting its mark in my opinion.  And in the end I didn’t really get anything else from it either — romance, action, suspense…drama.  It just fell flat for me.

Revolution by Shelly Crane

Synopsis:
In the fourth and final installment, everything is on the line. Merrick’s life is in the balance and Lily is their only hope. Ellie and her new powers are miraculous, but also problematic; if she’s with the bunker family, they won’t be able to sense when the Lighters are there. There are many new members to the bunker and sparks will fly, and with the food shortage, they will all have plenty to deal with. Miguel is intrigued with Rylee, her past and her spunk. Ryan and Elli are barely scratching the surface of their relationship. Cain and Lillian will have to deal with Daniel, who has no qualms about showing his true feelings for her. And Sherry and Merrick…what will happen to this happenstance family who have worked so hard to come together? Can they all survive? Can they all withstand the new enemy that is right outside their door? Can they beat the Lighters, once and for all…

    

My Review:
4 stars — OK, this review is going to be a little lackluster, as all my reviews seem to be when I go on a vacation in the middle of a book.  I really have to stop doing that, b/c I just end up forgetting what I was feeling for the beginning of the book.  And the middle.  🙂  My husband suggested I just reread it, but I’m not that ambitious.

OK, enough talk.  So all in all I thought this was a pretty solid conclusion to the series.  It maintained the feel of all the rest of the books having a bunch of mini climaxes instead of one big one.  I think that was one part that kind of disappointed me in the end…for some reason I was still expecting some big battle at the end, and so it was kind of anti-climactic for me.  I mean, I knew they kept saying Lily was the key, but it just felt like a bit of a cop out easy ending.  Not enough strife or something.  Maybe it’s because there’s little strife all along.  So yeah, I enjoyed the series as a whole, but I’m not sure the format is necessarily my favourite.  Apparently I just can’t get past the normal flow of stories.

Now with that being said, I did thoroughly enjoy the earlier mini climaxes.  Holy crap, the needs warehouse section was crazy!!  That seriously had me on pins and needles, and I loved the little developments there.

I also loved getting into Ryan’s head in this book!  I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for him, so that was pretty sweet…and it added a little something different to the Keeper storyline…  (course now that I’m thinking about it, I can’t remember if that was new to this book, or if we got into his head in book 3…it’s hard to keep it straight when you read them all in a row like this)

And I really enjoyed the introduction of Chesser as a character.  I thought that little bit of plot was really intriguing.

So there was lots of goodness, I was just a bit let down with the way the big fight played out.  I did really appreciate that we got some bits of epilogue, b/c I was going to have a ton of questions otherwise and would have felt unfulfilled.  Course then it made my brain start going with questions of what this all looked like in the rest of the world, but I decided that suspension of disbelief was the way to go.  Initially I remember this being my favourite series of Ms. Crane’s, but I think Significance has it beat now that I’ve reread and finally finished it.

Catalyst (Collide #3) by Shelly Crane

Synopsis:
In the third installment of the Collide series, we start off with Sherry, taken prisoner in the enforcement facility. The little bunker family must now decide whether it’s worth the risk to try to save her or if it would bring doom to them all. Lily has started showing signs of her gift progressing, which may not be a desirable thing. And as Marissa starts to act strangely, Jeff must come to terms that there may be more to her illness that meets the eye.
Daniel, the Lighter who shocked Lillian with his human emotions will reappear, but for what purpose? Will Sherry be rescued before it’s too late? Will Daniel prove to be a genuine miracle? Will Cain be able to fully get over his love for Sherry and move on with Lillian? And how much more trouble can the new Taker cause for the rebels?
Some will make it and some won’t as the story continues…

    

My Review:
ORIGINAL REVIEW: 5 stars — Well, if you’re on the 3rd book, you gotta know you’re sucked right in, so are the reviews even relevant anymore?  I mean, could you really not read the rest?  Might go down to 4.5 stars, but can’t decide once I get this far in a series unless there is something really bad.  At least the cliffhanger wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.  Love the characters, love the world….looking forward to more.

ON REREAD: 4.5 stars — OK, now this is what I’m talking about!!  Holy cow was there lots of happenings in this one!!!  I can’t believe I waited 4 years before getting to finally read the conclusion, I must have been crazy!!  Lots of great characters to love, a crazy amount of suspense and action at times (at least to me), and some delicious romance in the middle.  I have no idea how this series is going to end, it’s going to be epic!!

Uprising (Collide #2) by Shelly Crane

Another reread 4 years later, so will have original review as well as reread review.

Synopsis:
Sherry and Merrick’s story continues in this sequel to Collide. In this installment, we come face to face with old acquaintances and new friends and new enemies. Things will change for all of them especially when a little girl is found and everyone’s loyalties are tested. A revelation may upset the delicate balance they’ve all tried so hard to set. There’s new love, new rivalries and new transformations in the continuing series of Collide.

    

My Review:
ORIGINAL REVIEW:  5 stars — Yeah, completely sucked in to this series…  I think I know why people may have found it boring (or the first book or whatever)….it’s b/c you actually get to read some happy time stuff…I LOVE that.  It’s not just conflict and craziness, but the occasional chapter of feel good love stuff.  It was very satisfying….  Only thing that made me want to dock it a half star was the explanation for the loss of the light of the moon….that was terrible.  Seriously.  I don’t know why it bothered me, but luckily it was only a tiny sub point on a page…it just stuck out.  Was it just me??  OK, on to the 3rd — woop woop!

REREAD: 4 stars — I figured out that I am reading an old copy of the books, so I won’t talk about any editing mistakes, since it wouldn’t be accurate to the current available copy of the books.  I really need to talk to Amazon about getting that fixed…grr.  (besides which, it wasn’t as bad as the first book.  Still there, but more easily looked over)

So the loss of a star from the first read to this one was just that I found the characters could be a bit one dimensional or something….I’m not entirely sure what it is, but occasionally Sherry would get on my nerves.  She was almost too good you know?  I mean, I know that’s her character, but it got to be a bit unbelievable at times.  Maybe I’m just more cynical 4 years down the line??

But I LOVED that we got to see more POVs in this book, and I loved the developments with Cain and Lillian.  I almost find them to be more interesting than Merrick and Sherry.  There’s a bit more grit to them or something.

And the obstacles and climaxes in this book!  Hoowee!!  It felt like I’d just started the book and we already had our first crazy encounter with Lighters and Markers, and then it just kept building in Part 1!  Then we got a bit more of a break, but with some great developments, and then we got first the Cain/Billings/Lillian/Daniel craziness and then that ending!!!  Definitely sucked in and just want to keep reading the rest of this series!  I’m remembering more of why I was so enthralled in the first place, and even with my issues with characters I’m loving it!!

Collide by Shelly Crane

I’m making January a reread month for me, and so I’ve come back to this series after 4 years and reading lots of other books….  So we’re going to have my original review, and a reread review on this one…

Synopsis:
Sherry has always known there was something out there. She’s eighteen, works for a tabloid newspaper in Chicago and has a brother, Danny who is a lazy mooch. They live a pretty normal dull life with hippie parents and a normal existence. Then the moon dissapears and people start to go missing only to reappear later, but different. Sherry has an abusive ex-boyfriend who shows up and claims to be one of these beings that have been showing up around the world. He’s no longer the same person in that body. He tells her he has come to protect her and her brother and takes her underground, against her will to save her, where they meet others like them. She begins to unravel the truth about Merrick, about what he’s really doing here, about the way he looks at her, about the crazy dangerous world they live in. Can he convince her that he’s here to help? Will she like what she finds when she opens up to the truth? Will he be the one to love her when everyone else has failed her? Will he be able to protect her?

    

My Review:
Original Review: 4 stars — Loved it!! I was so worried when I read a lot of reviews on Amazon about it being boring, but it wasn’t even remotely — totally enthralled! I guess it depends on the kinds of books you read and what you were expecting out of it. It only got 4 stars b/c I felt it ended really abruptly — totally didn’t see that coming. Almost like she hit a word count and was like — time for the next book. I mean, I’m gonna read the next one, no worries there, but it just jarred me. It was also kind of strange b/c there were many smaller climaxes, without one overall climax. But *that* didn’t bother me as much. Worried about the end developments, b/c I am in LOVE with Merrick and Sherry! Can’t wait for more!

ON REREAD: 3 stars —  OK, so this one took me quite a while to get back into.  Honestly, I’m not sure if this one has been updated since it was first published (b/c Amazon just will not send me updated copies of the books, no matter how many settings I change), but I was reading the original copy and the editing was ATROCIOUS.  I originally read this book when I first got my kindle and was first introduced to Indie authors, and I think I was a lot more forgiving back then.  It was hard to keep in the story at times it was that bad.  I sincerely hope it’s been reedited and rereleased and this was just my copy, b/c it would be worth the effort to do so.

I also found Sherry harder to like this time around.  I don’t know if I’m just in a different place, but she (and some of the other characters at times) could be really one dimensional.  Again, another instance where some editing would make a world of difference.

Despite all that, I still got sucked into this story, and I still enjoyed myself by the end.  I don’t know what it is, b/c like I said in my original review, this story doesn’t follow the normal structure of build up to a big climax…it’s a lot of little climaxes.  But I enjoyed the relationships that developed between all the hidden folks, especially between Sherry and Merrick and Sherry and Jeff.  I smiled a lot, and I found the world to be intriguing, even if occasionally I had moments of disbelief.  I’m definitely going to be continuing on with the rest of the series, but I do feel bad that I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first time through.  I guess tastes change, eh?

Fractured Suns by Theresa Kay

Happy release day to one of my favourite authors of all time!!!  This review is for book *2* of the series, so you might not want to read it if you haven’t read book 1 yet — and trust me, you should go read book 1 RIGHT NOW (buy it here: http://amzn.to/1inEhiN).

Synopsis:

We came in peace. Lie.
We had no role in the Collapse. Lie.
I have always been honest. Lie.
I never lied to her. Truth.

Reunited with her brother, and surrounded by Flint, Peter and her new-found grandfather, Jax Mitchell has still never felt more alone. The choice to follow Rym back to the city to find answers and see Lir is an easy one, but their reunion is cut short and Jax is forced to leave Lir behind. She finds herself traveling with some unexpected companions and heading back toward a place she’d hoped to never see again.

After being imprisoned—and tortured—on the orders of his uncle, Lir hasn’t seen daylight or linked to anyone in weeks. After a lifetime of connection, the pain and loneliness is almost too much to bear. Elated that Jax actually came, Lir finds renewed hope and the strength to continue fighting his uncle’s influence over the E’rikon, even when things look hopeless and Lir’s been branded a traitor by the very people he’s trying to save.

While Jax and Lir fight separate battles, their missions have more in common than they realize. It’s a race against time to stop men driven only by greed and power. But the ones they trust the most might be the very people working against them—and “family” doesn’t mean what it used to. Will they recognize their friends from their enemies in time to save the people they love or will they lose each other in the process?

Find it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20535475-fractured-suns
Order it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1LmRW5l

My Review:

5 stars — OMG EPIC!!!!!!!!! Yes yes yes, I feel your jealousy and I understand… I was honoured to be a beta reader for this book. And thankfully this time I had people to talk to about it so I didn’t have to go insane waiting for release!

OK, so back to the important stuff — I’ve actually just finished my second read through of this gem, and let me tell you it’s even better a second time through. It’s like one of those movies that is awesome the first time through, but on each viewing you start noticing more and more. The intricacy of the plot left me a bit dazzled the first time through, and holy cow do you notice all the little subtle setups even more the 2nd time around. I’m not saying it wasn’t amazeballs the first time through, I’m just stuck in happy land over here and amazed at all the little nuances that I may not have noticed b/c I was a bit greedy when I first got this in my grubby little hands. *snort* I know, shocker right?

Quite frankly, I’m still reeling. Ms. Kay sets a perfect pace in this book — not too fast that things get lost, but a steady build that keeps you clamouring for more as you go along. Jax is still as fiesty yet broken as ever….but you actually got to see her gain strength as the book went on. Not without setbacks, but that’s kind of realistic right? And we get Lir POV!!!!! Still totally in love with that alien boy. I was soooooo worried at the end of book 1….I mean, most of me knew there was an explanation for the bond break, but I was so heartbroken that I wasn’t sure I would be able to forgive him. But I did!! While his role in the book is not as prominent (this is still mainly Jax’s story), I liked getting to learn more background about the E’rikon through Lir, and I felt like we got to see more of who he is…the struggles he’s dealt with.

And that brings me to secondary characters…and specifically how much I LOVED them. Rym turned out to be so much more than I was expecting — I AM IN LOVE! What’s with these E’rikon boys? He was hilarious, and yet had his own depth. Then there was the surprise of Stu! Did NOT see that one coming, and yet his role fit so well. Especially when we got to meet Ethan! LOVED him and what he brought to the story. Still learning to love Emily, but immediately fell in love with Gavin. Can’t wait to see more from some of these newbies. And then there’s Flint….I did NOT expect how big his role was going to be in this book.

So yeah….another book hangover book. By the time the ending comes, my mind was just whirling with all that we’d learned, and it’s going to take a while to process it all. If you fell in love with Broken Skies (and how could you not), then you will not be even remotely disappointed with this book. Solid characters, intriguing world building, fast paced plot, fabulous imagery, and an author that takes risks. The downside? Waiting for book 3 is going to be a bitch….

Broken Skies by Theresa Kay

So to celebrate the release of book 2 coming out TOMORROW!!!! I thought I’d post my review for the first book in the series to entice everyone to join the fandom.  (Also seemed appropriate since it’s TBT)

Synopsis:

Thirty years ago, civilization collapsed. Few survived.
Ten years ago, the aliens arrived…and stayed.
One year ago, I killed two men and went a little crazy.
Today, the aliens took my brother and I will do anything to get him back.

In seventeen-year-old Jax Mitchell’s world, humans are nearly extinct and alien settlers have arrived.

Until recently, the E’rikon have remained segregated in their city and ignored the few humans who have tried to engage them… but now they have taken Jax’s brother. To rescue him, she forms an uneasy alliance with a teenage E’rikon left stranded in the woods. She agrees to guide him to the city if he sneaks her past the human-proof barrier. Too bad it’s not that simple.

Jax, who cannot stand to be touched, finds that she’s drawn to the alien boy with bright green hair and jewel-like scales on his back. And he’s equally affected by her, the courageous redhead with haunted eyes. But she doesn’t know the alien’s true motives and he has no idea that she is much more than she seems.

With the aliens and the humans at odds, the connection forming between the two teens has consequences. What started off as a rescue mission sets a chain of events in motion which threatens not only the remaining humans and the growing alien society, but Earth itself.

Find it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20764638-broken-skies
Order it on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FQCWq0

My Review:

5 stars — I received a digital arc of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review….and now I may never recover. Well….I am currently in epic book hangover mode. Not only did I stay up until the wee hours finishing this book, I have also just spent most of today sitting around, staring blankly at the walls, trying to recover. Have you ever watched the Sing-Off?? Shawn Stockman always talks about how when you hear a good song, sometimes you get the stank face (where it looks like you smelled something bad), b/c the song is just so good. This book gave me the stank face. And now I have the great burden of trying to figure out why I loved it so much so that you may also be convinced. I haven’t read a lot of sci-fi’s, but not for lack of interest. More b/c I’ve been caught up in this paranormal trend, and so I just haven’t sought out any recommendations for good sci-fi. I’m not sure where I was going with that….let me start again. Characters. Characters are the meat of a book for me — they will make or break a book on my personal taste scale. Well great big check mark there. I really fell in love with Jax….she was so damaged and broken, yet strong, sassy, willful…. And all the secondary characters were well developed….enough to make me intrigued by them — Emily, Jace, Flint…. Even the bad guys effectively made me rage in hatred for them. And then there’s Lir. OH Lir. What were you thinking??? OK, I don’t think I can talk about him b/c he made me feel so much and I’m still recovering. But seriously, the chemistry between Lir and Jax was off the charts….such a subtle build up, packed with the occasional roadblocks. Enough to make me fall for them as a couple and thus feel all the heart ripping out agony as they went through their troubles. LOVED the world that Ms. Kay built. I could really visualize it, from the Bridgelake settlement, to the abandoned towns, to the alien city, and even the aliens themselves. Now my only problem is that I need the next book NOW NOW NOW, and this book hasn’t even been released yet. The conundrum of reading an arc. I guess that’s not my only problem….my more immediate problem is — what in the world am I going to read now??? Epic book hangover.