Exciting news from Cassandra Clare and Holly Black

This is a bit different for me at the moment but I couldn't help but posting about some extremely exciting news. The pair have a new series coming out later in the year (September) called Magisterium. What a fantastic name! The first book will be called The Iron Trial and you can see the synopsis below.

About Magisterium Book 1: The Iron Trial 
Callum Hunt has grown up knowing three rules by heart. Never trust a magician. Never pass a test a magician gives you. And never let a magician take you to the Magisterium. Callum is about to break all the rules. And when he does, his life will change in ways he can’t possibly imagine. 

The Magisterium series is a five-book series of fantasy novels, one book for each year of Callum’s life as he struggles between the forces of good and evil, and discovers his true destiny.

The authors have spoken about the new series in a video which you can also see below!

Exciting right!? I for one cannot wait to read the new series. 

Salvation by Noelle Adams

About the book

Salvation is a new adult book by Noelle Adams. The book was published on Kindle on 20^th February and it is 262 pages long. I received an ebook for review through NetGalley.

Synopsis

Diana isn’t much different from any other girl. She lives in the city working in her dream job and enjoys what she does. Nothing about her stood out and nothing should have made her a target. But, her dad is extremely wealthy and one day she finds herself being kidnapped on the street, being forced into the trunk of a car and waking up in a strange room in a house owned by an Albanian gang.

There is someone else in the room with her but unfortunately, is unable to save her before the gang rape her and leave her. Diana is left to deal with the consequences of the kidnapping with very little hope of ever getting back to normal.

What I thought

Noelle Adams doesn’t mess around with getting right into this book. We barely get to meet protagonist Diana before she’s whisked away in a car by an Albanian gang and hidden away somewhere. As much as I liked the beginning, as it was exciting and tense, I wished that we’d gotten to know Diana a little better at least. Before the kidnapping, she stated that she was a certain type of person but we never got to know her like that which was unfortunate and a bit disappointing.

During her kidnapping, Diana meets Gideon, the other person in the room with her. Quickly he states that he’s not part of the gang, although her certainly looks like one but instead he’s an undercover cop who got caught. He knows what the gang are likely to do to Diana and warns her. I didn’t really know what to make of Gideon at first but he quickly proves that he really does want to help and takes quite a lot before realising he can’t actually help the situation or save Diana from what is about to happen.

After the kidnapping and rape, Diana is a complete mess. She can’t cope with life and finds it far too hard to go back to work and her old apartment. This is where she starts talking about how much she’s changed but as we didn’t get to know the old Diana, it is hard to tell just how much everything had an impact on her. However, although we don’t get to know the old Diana, we get to know the new and changed Diana really well. The kidnapping and rape had such a massive effect on her life and that was clear to see. She couldn’t cope. Didn’t want to cope.

Although the majority of the plot focuses on Diana and what she is going through, I was much more interested in Gideon. He certainly didn’t have it easy after everything that happened and he constantly beats himself up for not being able to save Diana from the gang. He had such a hard time forgiving himself for what happened to her and desperately wanted to make up for that. While it did come across as trying to fix her at times, he was only doing what he thought was right but you could also see how much he actually cared about her too.

There is no clear time frame in Salvation and I would have liked to have known what the timescale was over the course of the plot. I could never tell how long had passed from one thing to another and certainly not from the beginning to the end. It was hard to believe some of the things that happened as it could have been a couple of weeks since the kidnapping or it could have been months. However, over however long the book is set, both Diana and Gideon change a hell of a lot and it was great to see such good character development.

Salvation is a pretty tough read at times as it deals with some really serious issues but it is also an emotional and intense read. I really enjoyed this one even with the problems. 

Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison

About the book

Anything to Have You is a young adult book by Paige Harbison. The book was published by Mira Ink on 7^th February and the book is 368 pages long. I received an e-book for review through NetGalley.

Synopsis

Natalie and Brooke and been friends since they can remember and always have each other’s backs. Although they’re best friends, they have completely different personalities. Natalie is the shy, quiet one who is college bound while Brooke is the life and soul of the party.

Natalie finally gives in and goes with Brooke to a party but she gets drunk, wakes up next to Brooke’s boyfriend and cannot remember what happened. Both girls question what really happened at the party that night and it could ruin everything they’ve ever had.

What I thought

Anything to Have You is told through a dual narrative of best friends Natalie and Brooke. Not only do they both tell the story but the time jumps between their Junior and Senior years of high school. To start with, I didn’t really get on with the way in which the story was told. I would have much preferred to have a background given on Natalie and Brooke’s friendship and then for the plot to run smoothly instead. I didn’t mind both of them telling the story but the time jumps broke everything up too much.

As protagonists go, Natalie was sweet enough, if a bit bland. She was quite straight-laced and didn’t party and get drunk like her best friend did. Natalie’s only vice seemed to be Brooke’s boyfriend, Aiden. It was clear from early on that she had a massive crush on him and wanted him first but never acted on it on account of Brooke. She secretly hates the way that Aiden is treated by Brooke but never says anything.

Brooke was actually really, really annoying. She is the girl who seems to have everything but wants anything else instead. She isn’t happy with her boyfriend most of the time and always complains that she wants more. Honestly, I felt like she deserved the bad hands she was dealt in this book because of the way she acted most of the time. As she tells part of the story, I found myself wanting more of Natalie instead of Brooke.

As plots go, this one isn’t anything special. Anything to Have You tells the done too many times story of friends fighting over a boy and it doesn’t really bring in anything new. Natalie finally gives in and goes to a party, gets wasted and wakes up next to a boy… Aiden. Aiden knows exactly what happened but Natalie can’t remember anything. The problem for me was that she didn’t really seem to care, although she clearly knew that she’d had sex and couldn’t remember it. Her actions didn’t fit with her personality at all.

Although the majority of the book bugged me, Paige Harbison really did try in parts with this one. There are times when the plot goes to darker, scarier places and it goes much deeper than just a broken friendship. However, some of the events didn’t quite fit with the rest of the book and that was extremely unfortunate. This book had promise that it didn’t quite live up to. 

Down London Road by Samantha Young

About the book

Down London Road is the second new adult book in the ‘On Dublin Street’ series by Samantha Young. The book was published by Penguin on 9^th May 2013 and the book is 464 pages long.

Synopsis

Johanna has always been the one to take care of her family and especially her younger brother Cole. Her father is nowhere to be seen and her mother an alcoholic so she’s been acting like Cole’s mother for as long as she can remember. God knows where they would be without her. Jo isn’t rich though and she makes her money working two jobs and dating men with money, as shallow as that sounds, it works.

Even with a boyfriend she actually really likes and takes care of her, she cannot deny the attraction to new bartender Cameron. Her stomach flips whenever she sees him and she’s definitely tempted but knows she has to put her family’s needs first. If it wasn’t hard enough working that close to someone you’re attracted to and can’t have, it gets even harder when Cameron moves downstairs from Jo and begins to break down every single wall she’s every built up!

What I thought

On Dublin Street was the first book in this new adult series and I couldn’t wait for the second instalment. Although it is in the same series, the book follows different protagonists from the first book.

Johanna has a pretty tough life. Her mother is an alcoholic who can’t take care of herself let alone Johanna and her younger brother Cole so it is up to Jo to pay the bills and the feed everyone. Jo had to leave school in order to support her family so she’s determined that Cole will turn out better; everything she does is with him in mind. In On Dublin Street, we get snippets of Jo’s character and I have to say, I wasn’t impressed at first. She openly states that she dates men with money and I didn’t like her for it. However, Down London Road gives a lot more insight into Jo’s life and the reasons for what she does. I had to admire her for working so hard and supporting her family, even when it wasn’t her responsibility.

Cameron is the love interest in this book and Jo meets him at an art showing that she attends with her boyfriend. Cameron comes across as a complete arse to begin with and although Jo is quickly attracted to him, she also cannot stand him! He also judged her on first appearances and wasn’t afraid to show his dislike for the way she lived her life. It isn’t until Cam begins to work with Jo that he realises that he was wrong in judging her and can sense something much deeper is going on. It is only by accident that he finds out what is really going on in her life. Even though he’s pretty horrible to Jo to begin with, you can easily see the attraction on his side and the sexual tension between the two.

As the plot unfolds and Jo and Cam become quite close friends (as he moves in downstairs), the secrets come out slowly. Cam is there for Jo whenever she needs him, even if she doesn’t want to have to turn to him. Cam becomes a really close friend to Cole also and that was such a lovely friendship to see. As Cole doesn’t have a father figure in his life, Cam becomes the friend he can talk guy stuff with and also someone to turn to when things go wrong at home. Not only do we see a friendship blossom between Cam, Cole and Jo but there is the wonderful sister/ brother relationship to love! Jo and Cole are extremely close and really look out for one another, even though Cole is younger than Jo.

The plot of this book does not only surround the building romance between Jo and Cam but the lives of each character. There are some really surprising twists and turns throughout and most of them extremely exciting. I loved how dramatic and intense the story was and it kept me gripped the whole way through. Although not completely about the romance, that definitely helped. Jo and Cam have a quite sweet relationship once it gets going but is also explosive once it gets into the bedroom. I really enjoyed the contrast between soft and sweet and hard and intense!

Down London Road was actually better than On Dublin Street for me and I can’t wait to read whatever Samantha Young does next. 

Twisted Perfection by Abbi Glines

About the book

Twisted Perfection is the first book in the new adult Perfection series by Abbi Glines. It is also part of the Rosemary Beach series too, but a spin off story. The book was published on 29^th August 2013 by Simon and Schuster and the book is 272 pages long.

Synopsis

Della Sloane is desperate to break free from her life at home. She’s desperate for a new life, one where she can be someone completely new and someone who doesn’t share her secrets with anyone. However, she soon learns that she is incapable of even pumping her own gas. Luckily, sexy Woods Kerrington is there to help out. What should have been a brief meeting turned into something much more.

Woods really isn’t into fragile girls but when he meets Della, he can’t keep his eyes off of her. All he wants is one night with her and that’s what he gets. But, Woods can’t stop thinking about Della once they go their separate ways even though he isn’t exactly single. Luckily, or unluckily, Della comes crashing back into his life with a bang!

What I thought

Abbi Glines writes books that I just cannot put down. I had been looking forward to this one for a while. Although part of its own series, it also runs in with Fallen Too Far and the books that goes along with that story. So, it can be read on its own but it goes better with the other books as there are characters running through both series.

At the beginning of the book, Della is about to head off on a road trip after her best friend gets married. She’s never been anywhere on her own and her best friends hands over the keys to her car and tells Della to go and find herself. Unfortunately though, Della doesn’t have much experience in the world and soon finds that she doesn’t even know how to put gas into the car. This is where she meets Woods and as she’s trying to figure out who she is, she decides she can have a wild night with this guy and not worry about it afterwards.

I really liked Della from the very beginning. It’s clear that she’s been through something quite bad in her life but that isn’t expanded upon until later in the book. Snippets of her past are revealed and I couldn’t help but feel for the girl. She’s such a nice character to read about too though as she tries to make the best out of a bad situation and tries not to dwell on things too much.

Woods is a character who I had read about already in another Abbi Glines book so I already had a bit of a soft spot for him. He’s set to take over the country club one day but is ruled by his father’s decisions so feels like he is never really being himself. When he meets Della and is able to help her out, he cannot believe his luck when she openly suggests she wants a wild one night stand with him. He obviously doesn’t refuse. When she leaves though, Woods cannot stop thinking about her, even weeks later.

Woods and Della were an explosive coupling and by far one of my favourite couples in any of Abbi Glines’ books. The chemistry between them is fantastic and I couldn’t get enough of them both. There is a lot of character development for the both of them as they get to know each other properly and begin to learn to trust one another. One of the best parts of this book for me was the fact that they were off limits to one another so they had to find ways around that.

Twisted Perfection also has a great plot, as well as a really good romance. The plot has so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. These twists made reading this book really exciting and the reason that I couldn’t put it down. There is also such an amazing ending to this book as it leaves the story on a massive cliff-hanger. It didn’t take me long to get the second book though so I could find out what happened next.

Twisted Perfection has been one of my favourite Abbi Glines books to date!

 About the book

Twisted Perfection is the first book in the new adult Perfection series by Abbi Glines. It is also part of the Rosemary Beach series too, but a spin off story. The book was published on 29^th August 2013 by Simon and Schuster and the book is 272 pages long.

Synopsis

Della Sloane is desperate to break free from her life at home. She’s desperate for a new life, one where she can be someone completely new and someone who doesn’t share her secrets with anyone. However, she soon learns that she is incapable of even pumping her own gas. Luckily, sexy Woods Kerrington is there to help out. What should have been a brief meeting turned into something much more.

Woods really isn’t into fragile girls but when he meets Della, he can’t keep his eyes off of her. All he wants is one night with her and that’s what he gets. But, Woods can’t stop thinking about Della once they go their separate ways even though he isn’t exactly single. Luckily, or unluckily, Della comes crashing back into his life with a bang!

What I thought

Abbi Glines writes books that I just cannot put down. I had been looking forward to this one for a while. Although part of its own series, it also runs in with Fallen Too Far and the books that goes along with that story. So, it can be read on its own but it goes better with the other books as there are characters running through both series.

At the beginning of the book, Della is about to head off on a road trip after her best friend gets married. She’s never been anywhere on her own and her best friends hands over the keys to her car and tells Della to go and find herself. Unfortunately though, Della doesn’t have much experience in the world and soon finds that she doesn’t even know how to put gas into the car. This is where she meets Woods and as she’s trying to figure out who she is, she decides she can have a wild night with this guy and not worry about it afterwards.

I really liked Della from the very beginning. It’s clear that she’s been through something quite bad in her life but that isn’t expanded upon until later in the book. Snippets of her past are revealed and I couldn’t help but feel for the girl. She’s such a nice character to read about too though as she tries to make the best out of a bad situation and tries not to dwell on things too much.

Woods is a character who I had read about already in another Abbi Glines book so I already had a bit of a soft spot for him. He’s set to take over the country club one day but is ruled by his father’s decisions so feels like he is never really being himself. When he meets Della and is able to help her out, he cannot believe his luck when she openly suggests she wants a wild one night stand with him. He obviously doesn’t refuse. When she leaves though, Woods cannot stop thinking about her, even weeks later.

Woods and Della were an explosive coupling and by far one of my favourite couples in any of Abbi Glines’ books. The chemistry between them is fantastic and I couldn’t get enough of them both. There is a lot of character development for the both of them as they get to know each other properly and begin to learn to trust one another. One of the best parts of this book for me was the fact that they were off limits to one another so they had to find ways around that.

Twisted Perfection also has a great plot, as well as a really good romance. The plot has so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. These twists made reading this book really exciting and the reason that I couldn’t put it down. There is also such an amazing ending to this book as it leaves the story on a massive cliff-hanger. It didn’t take me long to get the second book though so I could find out what happened next.

Twisted Perfection has been one of my favourite Abbi Glines books to date!

Bonjour Cherie by Robin Thomas

About the book

Bonjour Cherie is a new adult novella by Robin Thomas. The novella was published by Escape Publishing on 1^st September 2013 and it is 89 pages long.

Synopsis

Beth Jenkins is fascinated by all things French, especially Andre her French teacher. The first step to getting to her dream destination of Paris is learning the language of love but she also plans on getting Andre to fall in love with her at the same time. Problem is, fellow classmate and born and bred Australian Zach Mills keeps getting in the way. He seems to be everywhere that Beth is and just won’t give up!

Although Beth dreams of France and her teacher, Zach isn’t quite who he seems and neither is Andre.

What I thought

I absolutely love reading books about Paris and I have never actually been there myself (until next month). Paris is such a wonderful place to read about and that’s kind of why I chose to read this novella. I thought it would be set in Paris eventually, but it isn’t at all.

Protagonist Beth has always dreamed of getting to France and more importantly, Paris. She’s even taking French lessons to help her when she finally gets there. Her teacher is dreamy though and she now finds herself daydreaming about him as well and is determined to make him realise that she is the girl for him. The whole teacher aspect was a bit desperate for me and it was clear from the very beginning that he just wasn’t interested. Beth thinks he could be her forever man but he doesn’t even notice her most of the time.

Beth wasn’t really a character I could get on with, mainly because she had her head in the clouds and didn’t realise what was going on around her at all. Andre, her teacher, showed no signs of attraction or even interest so I don’t know where she got the idea that he would fall madly in love with her. I wanted to slap some sense into her right from the very beginning of the book. Not only was she really silly when it came to Andre but she went on about loving all things French and wanting to go there so badly, but she didn’t actually do anything to help her get there.

Part way through her French lessons in week three, Zach Mills walks in, late and cocky. He seems to have an instant attraction to Beth and isn’t afraid to show it. She, however, is a bit of a bitch and is quite rude to him to begin with. She blows him off and stays determined to get Andre. But, circumstances keep on throwing them together in some quite funny situations. Zach was a character that I did actually like. He was funny and different and I really enjoyed getting to know him better.

As Bonjour Cherie is only short at 89 pages long, a lot had to be packed into the pages. Unfortunately, though, I don’t think it was a good thing and this could have easily been a full length book. There are certain things that happen far too quickly and it made a lot of the story unbelievable which was a shame. This one wasn’t really for me. 

It Felt Like a Kiss by Sarra Manning

About the book

It Felt Like A Kiss is a contemporary novel by Sarra Manning. The book was published by Corgi on 13^th February and it is 576 pages long. Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Plot Synopsis

Ellie Cohen has a pretty good life. She works in a lovely Mayfair art gallery, has great mates and a fantastic family. Problem is, she has a tendency to fall for the totally wrong guy. She believes she can fix their problems but her friends see them for what they really are – losers!

When a vengeful ex sells Ellie’s biggest secret to the press, her whole world turns upside down. Her life falls to pieces around her and she has no idea how to make things better again. David Gold, lawyer, is there to sort it all out for her… but only because he works for her secret, famous father. David immediately thinks that Ellie is a gold-digger, wanting a piece of her father’s fame but she thinks he’s a shark in a nice suit.

With her life in a mess, surely falling in love again is the last thing she Ellie needs.

What I thought

While a fan of Sarra Manning’s young adult novels but this is the first of her adult novels that I have read.

Manning begins by letting the reader really get to know protagonist Ellie. We learn that she is a bit of a party girl, falls for the wrong guys that her flatmates hate but she also has a family that she’s really close to. Immediately, I could imagine the kind of woman that Ellie was and I could picture her doing certain things like going for a night out. Manning has a great way of writing her characters and there is always so much development written into the story as well.

Unfortunately for Ellie, she has picked the wrong man… again and after a break-up, he steals evidence from Ellie and sells her story to the press. Ellie actually has a pretty famous father but she has never spoken to him. While she knows who he is, she has never wanted anything much to do with him. So, when the press come knocking on her door, everyone instantly believes her to be a gold-digger, including her dad’s lawyer. As mean as it may sound, I did enjoy watching Ellie struggle with what was happening around her. Not because I’m cold-hearted, but it really showed how strong she could be at times.

While the majority of the plot was enjoyable, the book does have a long, drawn out beginning. There were a few times where I wanted to give up because I was quickly losing interest. It takes roughly a third of the book before all of the exciting things happen. While I liked getting to know Ellie and her life, I think this aspect of the book could have been shortened a little so that the plot could move on. However, once Ellie and David are forced to spend more time together, I decided that it was worth carrying on to see what happens.

Ellie and David are completely different people and that’s why they were so great together. David is so straight-laced and concentrates only on his job while Ellie knows how to get the most out of working and having a social life. I really enjoyed seeing these two characters together and seeing how they challenged each other. Due to something that happens quite early on in the book, there is a great amount of chemistry between them which was a huge bonus.

What was also nice about this book was that it wasn’t just about the romance. There is a solid, entertaining plot running throughout the book and the romance aspect was really just a nice bonus. Compared with contemporary young adult books, where romance normally takes the forefront, it was nice to have quite a few things going and not to be bombarded with multiple kissing scenes.

Even though it took me a few goes to get into this book, I really did enjoy it in the end.