Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Review: UNTIL FRIDAY NIGHT by Abbi Glines

Release Date: August 25th, 2015

Type: Young Adult, Teen, Series, Book 1, Football, Young Love, Death in the Family, To speak or not to speak?

About the Book:To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…
[Synopsis from Goodreads.com]
My Review: Well this was a serious let down. I'm not the biggest fan of Abbi Glines - I know she has a huge fan-base, and I get it, for the most part, but this is definitely not a shining example of her work. This just felt so bland. I've been on a sports romance kick lately, so I figured this would be a good one to follow in that trend, but it just felt like it was lacking in so many ways.

For example: My grandfather just recently passed away. He raised me, and we were very close. He was ill, and in his last months, I had to help take care of him since there was a lot he couldn't do him self. This is exactly what West was going through with this own father. I was nervous about reading through the painful final days and passing of West's father in case it hit too close to home. And you know what? It didn't. I didn't feel much at all - because there just wasn't any punch to the story. I got more of a "it happened" rather than "THIS IS SO SAD!"

I found the best way to explain it was to say this book is a sanitized version of a real story. The emotions are missing, and the connection with the characters. And I think the development from grief-stricken to coping was so ridiculous. This is the perfect example of "having a man will make everything better" (and vice versa).

Cover Lovin': Good cover. Fits the story. And I know it's weird, but I like that the title is nice and big - I hate it when the author's name takes over everything else.

Recommendation: It's the first of a new series, so no backstory needed! But it would help to love sappy stories.

Final Rating: ONE POINT FIVE out of FIVE stars (1.5/5)! Major let down. Missing true character development, and an emotionally moving story.

Get your copy of Until Friday Night from Amazon.com today!


Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~


Disclaimer: I received a free, advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Review: DRAGON FALL by Katie MacAlister

Release Date: July 28th, 2015

Type: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Series, Book 1 in a new series, Book 11 in an overall series, I'll gladly be your mate

About the Book: YOU FLIRT WITH FIRE...

For Aoife Dakar, seeing is believing-and she's seen some extraordinary things. It's too bad no one else believes that she witnessed a supernatural murder at an outdoor fair. Returning to the scene for proof, Aoife encounters a wise-cracking demon dog-and a gloriously naked man who can shift into a dragon and kiss like a god. Now thrust into a fantastical world that's both exhilarating and terrifying, Aoife is about to learn just how hot a dragon's fire burns.

WHEN YOU DATE A DRAGON

Kostya has no time for a human woman with endless questions, no matter how gorgeous or tempting she is. He must break the curse that has splintered the dragon clans before more of his kind die. But his powerful attraction to Aoife runs much deeper than the physical-and there may be more to her than even his sharp dragon eyes can see. To survive the coming battle for the fate of his race, he needs a mate of true heart and soul . . . [Description from Netgalley.com]

My Review: This one is really tough for me to review. There is something about Katie MacAlister's writing - most likely the sense of humor - that makes me automatically love everything she's written. But this just felt different, or maybe felt off? There was a several year break between the last Dragon Sept novel (the last of the Light Dragons series) and this one - and apparently a lot has happened. Even being a faithful reader of the series, I felt lost more than once. It's for that reason, I don't suggest a new reader pick up this book - you need to have some prior knowledge of the series.

I was also disappointed that there was a huge build up regarding the curse on the dragon septs, and then a re-appearance of an old villain... but nothing was solved. I know that's because this is going to be the major story arc of the Black Dragons mini-series, but some resolution at the end of the book would have been good. Instead, this book felt unfinished. The only thing resolved here was that Kostya and Aoife did finally express their feelings for one another.

Hopefully Katie MacAlister takes us a few steps forward towards the end of the curse in the next book, Dragon Storm - coming in November 2015.

Cover Lovin': I really like this cover. And no, not just because of the delicious looking guy on the cover - but because of the tattoo. I think the tattoo was an interesting addition. It also fits in well with the other more recent books in the series (the Light Dragons).

Recommendation: I'm not sure that this could work as a stand-alone. I've read the entire rest of the series, and even with that, I had forgotten stuff that happened since the last book, leaving me feeling confused. Reading some previous books in the series is recommended.

Final Rating: I'm going to have to rate this book lower than I've rated any other Katie MacAlister book ever, which makes me sad. THREE POINT FIVE out of FIVE stars (3.5/5). The humor is still there. The love story is perfect. But there was no resolution or even a step forward in the main storyline, which was a big let down.

Get your copy of Dragon Fall from Amazon.com now! New to the Dragon Septs series? Check out the book that started it all - You Slay Me!


Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thanks Netgalley!