Adult Mini Reviews: Silver, Tempting the Best Man, and On Dublin Street

I feel as if these mini-reviews are becoming a regular feature on my blog and I hope you all are loving them just as much as I enjoy writing them. For this week's edition, I chose to review some adult novels I've been reading lately. I don't read too many of them, but I wound up enjoyed all of these a lot, so I'd definitely recommend them all! (A nice change from my snarky/DNF mini-reviews, right?)

Title: Silver 
Author: Rhiannon Held
Rating: 3.5 Stars 

Andrew Dare is a werewolf. He’s the enforcer for the Roanoke pack, and responsible for capturing or killing any Were intruders in Roanoke’s territory. But the lone Were he’s tracking doesn’t smell or act like anyone he’s ever encountered. And when he catches her, it doesn’t get any better. She’s beautiful, she’s crazy, and someone has tortured her by injecting silver into her veins. She says her name is Silver, and that she’s lost her wild self and can’t shift any more. The packs in North America have a live-and-let-live attitude, and try not to overlap with each other. But Silver represents a terrible threat to every Were on the continent.  Andrew and Silver will join forces to track down this menace while discovering their own power and their passion for each other 

Silver is an adult urban fantasy novel like no other. First and foremost, it tackles one of the most unique ideas I've come across in my reading of werewolf lore and I just loved the manner in which this was executed. It was told mostly as a murder mystery, but it contained heavy character development as well, switching between the perspectives of Andrew and Silver. In all honesty, it is them who drive this novel forward, with their scarring pasts and struggles to make a better future for themselves and their romance is very subtle and truly beautiful to see play out. 

While I truly enjoyed reading Silver, with its plot twists and dark tale, I did think it could have benefited from a little more emphasis on the world-building. It isn't shabby in the least, but I would have liked a few more details. Furthermore, I found that some scenes, while definitely contributing to some of the character qualities that Andrew and Silver possessed, could have been cut out entirely. In my opinion, they didn't do much for the novel and made it a little chunkier than it could have been. Lastly, and most probably my biggest qualm, was the unrealistic situation when it came to the villain. I found it a little hard to believe that the villain was so preoccupied with a beautiful woman that he didn't hear his prisoner break free of his chains on the floor below and make a racket while crawling up the stairs towards him...you see what I mean? 

Yet, overall, Silver was an excellent tale. As a character, Silver can often come across as insane due to her situation, but the ultimate way in which this was dealt with and the fact that Andrew was able to see her inner strength despite that just made me fall in love with the romance - and this book - even more. If you're looking for an unique take on werewolf lore or are just another fan of Adult Urban Fantasy with a tinge of murder mystery and a hint of romance, this is just the book for you! :)

Title: Tempting the Best Man (Gamble Brothers, #1)
Author: J. Lynn 
Rating: 3 Stars 

Madison Daniels has worshipped her brother's best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can't stop bickering. Forced together for her brother's wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they're forced to shack up in a tacky 70’s honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of "accidents" as the family tries to prove their "spark" can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don't strangle each other first…

Temping the Best Man is not a novel I would have normally picked up off the shelves, but it was exactly what I needed at the time - mindless entertainment. Not only was it a ton of fun to read with the cute banter between Madison and Chase, it was also a very sweet and steamy romance. I reserve books like this for those times when I just need a quick get-away or escape and this story worked out beautifully.

Nevertheless, that being said, there were quite a few qualms I noticed when I finally stepped back from the romantic euphoria that surrounds this story. For one, the ending never directly addresses many of the misunderstandings that occurred during the last couple of chapters in this novel and felt like an ultimate cop-out in that sense. Furthermore, I never understood, until just before the ending, why Maddie constantly told Chase he wasn't like his father because to me, he definitely seemed like it. You see, Chase's father more-or-less slept with other women during his marriage to Chase's mother and by being a playboy, Chase never shrugged off that image either. Yet, Maddie always insisted that Chase wasn't like his father and it was difficult to see this until the ending.

Ultimately though, I read this book for a purpose and that purpose was fulfilled wonderfully. I had a lot of fun reading this and wound up sitting up for a considerable amount of time, flipping the pages of this one rather frantically. If you're a fan of romance, I am confident you'll adore this novel much more than I did. It's a definite comfort read and the ideal book to get you out of a reading slump and back into reading more serious pieces of fiction!

Title: On Dublin Street
Author: Samantha Young
Rating: 4 Stars

Four years ago, Jocelyn Butler left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Edinburgh. Burying the grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without any real attachments has worked well for her so far but when Joss moves into a fantastic apartment on Dublin Street, her carefully guarded world is shaken to its core by her new roommate's sexy older brother. Braden Carmichael is a man who always gets what he wants. And what he wants is Jocelyn in his bed. Knowing how skittish Joss is concerning any kind of relationship, Braden proposes a sexual arrangement that should satisfy the intense attraction between them without it developing into anything 'more'. An intrigued Jocelyn agrees, completely unprepared for the Scotsman and his single-minded determination to strip the stubborn young woman bare... to the very soul.

I think the first thing I need to point out about this novel is that the synopsis is utterly misleading. Very misleading. You see, more than a simple, steamy romance, On Dublin Street is really a story of grief and its impact on a young girl. In fact, for much of this story, there is no romance and the romance which eventually emerges in this tale is one that only furthers the character development. 

I am not a huge fan of mindless romance novels, but On Dublin Street really made me appreciate and ponder over the walls people put up and why they put them up. Furthermore, I've never understood the whole friends-with-benefits situation, but it actually makes sense in this novel! So many cliches which I thought I hated and could never come to terms with were all shown in such a positive light where they worked for this story. It's important to point out that doesn't happen with every tale, but situations like seeing a therapist or exploring the stages of grief or even cliched occurrences like jealousy and what-not were actually necessary and only  strengthened  this tale, making me love it all the more.

Overall, the romance in this novel is beautifully written and slow-to-burn, the characters contain an immense amount of depth and personality, the friendships are tight and the bonds that this novel contains are ones for life. I loved the amount of growth that Joss went through in this book and she's a character who surprisingly made her way into my heart. In addition, this is one romance I'll be re-reading again and again, simply because it has an addictive quality to it not to mention Braden is an addictive drug himself. Thus, if you want a really good romance with character development and depth in it as well, I couldn't recommend anything better than On Dublin Street. It won't disappoint, that's for sure! ;)

Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)

Author: Maggie Stiefvater 

Rating: 4 Stars 

A little over a month ago, I finished my first Stiefvater novel, The Scorpio Races and ever since, The Raven Boys has, quite unexpectedly really, become one of my most anticipated books of the year. While The Raven Boys most certainly did not disappoint, I found myself to be strangely disappointed. Yet, this, by no means, means that The Raven Boys is a bad book - quite the contrary in fact. It's an atmospheric tale whose crazy story will suck you in, whose characters will become your friends, and whose complex character relationships you can only marvel at. Yet, I couldn't give it the 5 Stars it most probably deserves simply because I've come to expect something more from Maggie Stiefvater. While all the necessary components of an excellent novel were present in this novel, complete with Stiefvater's signature writing style, the pure love and passion that bled through the pages of The Scorpio Races was simply...gone. Thus, while my overall feel for this novel remains to be one of awe, there is most certainly an undercurrent of severe disappointment as something was just...missing.

Every year on the night of St. Mark's Eve, Blue and her psychic mother wait in an old graveyard for the spirits of the dead to arrive. Although Blue, devoid of any psychic abilities herself, never sees any spirits, this year, she quite unexpectedly does. Gansey, the boy whose spirit Blue sees, is a raven boy, or a student of an elite private school of, in Blue's opinion, snobs. Yet, the fact that Blue can see him means one of two things - Gansey is either Blue's true love or Blue has killed him. Blue, however, has never been destined for true love - ever since she was young, she has been told that if she kisses her true love, he will die. Gansey, on the other hand, has made it his life's mission to uncover the resting place of the Welsh King, Glendower, for the person who wakes him will be granted any wish. As fate would have it though, their paths do unexpectedly cross and what happens then can only be described as a journey like no other. 

The Raven Boys is one of those books, much like The Scorpio Races or The Lost Girl was, that you can't anticipate in the least. Although its synopsis seems to revolve around the romantic aspect of this novel, in reality, it is a very small portion of this book and is merely there to add an air of mystery to the plot, taking a well-deserved back seat to the real action in this novel. Actually, The Raven Boys is the story of, well, the raven boys. Gansey, Adam, Ronan, and Noah are the four raven boys we are introduced to in this novel and all four of them, despite their differences, make their way into your heart. More than anything else in this novel, it was their bromance, their continued support of one another, and the directions their friendship took as the story progressed that made this novel as remarkable as it really was. Once again, Stiefvater proves her writing prowess by creating such three-dimensional characters that I still cannot claim to know even one of them completely. 

In addition to the raven boys themselves though, Blue was a protagonist I immediately fell in love with. She's sensible, she's spunky, she's intelligent, and even though the novel is split equally between her perspectives as well as those of Gansey and even, at times, Adam, her presence as the sole girl amongst the boys was keenly felt and only increased the beauty of this tale and realistic quality of the friendships. Nevertheless, the characters aside, what makes The Raven Boys so compelling is the journey itself. While it does take awhile for the reader to become caught up in the search for Glendower, we can feel the excitement radiating from the characters themselves and cannot help but become thoroughly invested in this unique plot line as well. Stiefvater always does her research and she couldn't have picked a more interested legend to explore - truly, the manner in which this tale unfolds is spectacular. 

Yet, all that being said, I did feel as if Stiefvater's presence in this novel was strangely missing. I felt her passion, her love, and her writing fervor so vividly through the pages of The Scorpio Races, but that wasn't the case with this novel and as such, I was left feeling strangely bereft. It's a tough emotion to explain and I know that I am probably one of the few readers to experience this, but it definitely did take away from some of my experience with this story. Either than that though, I think what truly put me off from giving this novel 5 Stars was the ending. I never lower the ratings of novels because of cliffhanger endings and that still stands true. The Raven Boys didn't end on a cliffhanger, but it was an extremely confusing ending. I closed this book with a frown on my face, only to re-read the last five chapters, still have a frown on my face, and re-read the last five again, only to continue to be nonplussed. Needless to say, cliffhangers irritate me, but feeling confused at the end of a novel? It just throws me off and leaves me feeling icky and unwell. 

Overall though, The Raven Boys is a novel I would heartily recommend. Its plot threads tie together beautifully, its character relationships are complex to an unexplored degree, its lore will grab you in from the beginning, and its plot twists will leave you gaping and frantically flipping back to re-read all those red herrings you missed. Stiefvater's novels really are an experience of their own, with their atmospheric setting and her beautiful writing managing to transport you practically everywhere, so really, I wouldn't miss it for the world. 

ARC Review: Sanctum by Sarah Fine

Title: Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands, #1) 

Author: Sarah Fine 

Rating: 4 Stars 

Release Date: October 16th, 2012 

Sanctum is one of those books where you think you know what you're getting into when you start it, but it manages to surprise you at every turn. You see, I had this craazy idea that Sanctum was a paranormal/fantasy story of sorts about this girl who went into a mysterious land to rescue her best friend; I suppose that, from the surface, that is exactly was this book is. Yet, it's also so much more multi-layered, deep, and provocative than I ever imagined a paranormal/fantasy novel to be. It's a story about death, about loss, about grief, and about depression so acute you don't want to live anymore. It's a story about strength, about forgiveness, about getting back up when you think you can't stand up again. It is, at its very core, a story about holding on, about seeing that light at the end of the tunnel and, of course, about hope. 

On her first day of school, the last thing Lela expects is to become best friends with Nadia, the most popular girl around. Yet, that is exactly what happens and Nadia's friendship transforms Lela from a hopeless case who has been to one-too-many-foster-homes to a girl with a future. When Nadia unexpectedly kills herself though, entering the Suicide Gates, a place Lela almost went to a few years back, Lela knows she has to rescue her best friend - it's the least she can do after all that Nadia did for her. Thus, quite by accident, Lela finds herself at the Suicide Gates and at the mercy of its Captain of the Guard, Malachi. While the Suicide Gates are a dangerous place, with Malachi, Lela may just have a chance to find her friend...and fall in love too. 

Sanctum is a whirlwind journey of adventure, mystery, and dark pasts. Lela is a narrator who took awhile to grow on me, but before long, I was thoroughly invested in her tale. She's stubborn, strong-willed, and has had an extremely painful past, but through it all, she keeps persevering, thus becoming one of the most admirable characters I've come across in literature. Furthermore, the sheer force of her friendship and her conviction that she can rescue her friend is utterly heart-warming, making you wish you had someone like Lela at your back too. Yet, despite all her incredible traits, Lela is a three-dimensional character chock-full of flaws as well and her journey to live past her prior torture and grow into a more trusting individual was remarkably well-written. While her past has shaped who she is in the present, the eventual person she becomes by the end of this story is so different and truly an inspirational figure for those who have suffered at the hands of tormentors or even those who have ever contemplated suicide themselves, like Lela once did. 

In all honesty, Sanctum is a very dark tale. It's set in a world where those who have taken their lives are set to roam in the land within the Suicide Gates until they are ready to go before the Judge and enter the Countryside, or Heaven. While Fine's alternate take on the Heaven/Hell scheme is unique and well-built (although I do have to admit that the world-building took a liiiitle while to kick-off), it never becomes preachy or even mentions God at all. In reality, the world she has created is simply a character of its own which emphasizes the devastating repercussions of suicide and that, contrary to popular belief, suicide is not an escape. I was quite surprised by some of the darker turns this novel took, but ultimately, I am in awe of them. Fine explores the horror of this situation both from the side of the person left behind, helpless and lost about what to do, and the person who committed the act themselves. It's a delicate balance she strikes and this can only be seen during the last few chapters of this novel, but I'm glad it was present and I'm also glad it was only there for a short duration of time - it was long enough to make an impact, but not long enough to turn this tale into a dark and brooding story. 

I must apologize - I've made you all terrified to pick this up because now you all think it's a gritty story, yes? Well, it isn't. While Sanctum explores some very dark themes for sure and Fine allows us to understand suicide like never before, the dialogue in this novel is sharp and witty, the character relationships and vivid and lively, and Lela's voice is simply so much fun to read. In addition, if you needed more persuasion to pick up this novel, the romance is simply to die for. Malachi is a tortured soul himself, although of a completely different degree than Lela, but instead of this making him an irritatingly stereotypical bad-boy, Malachi is utterly decent, sweet, and one of the kindest people you will meet. Yes, he's deadly with his weapons and can probably kill you before you blink, but only if you get on his bad side. Although I do think that Malachi and Lela's romance moved a little quickly, I still found the pace to be perfect considering their situations. Furthermore, I love that Malachi and Lela, despite being attracted to each other physically, were in love only with who the other person was inside. It was a beautifully written romance that truly struck a cord within me and while I know other readers will find things to pick at, I loved it. 

Sanctum truly is one of the most unexpected debuts I've read this year. I hadn't heard of it until very recently and although my expectations for this novel were turned upside down, it was in the best possible way imaginable. I love the world Fine has created, the manner in which it serves as an analogy to the themes in this novel, and the characters in this tale were phenomenal. It wasn't one of those it-blew-me-away stories - I doubt anything could be considering I read The Lost Girl and The Scorpio Races recently - but it was a novel I was thoroughly invested in and came away loving. Would I recommend Sanctum? Hell, yeah! (No pun intended, of course!) ;)

An enormous thank you to Amazon Children's Publishing Group for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Showcase Sunday (#15)

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits and Tea. Its aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week.

Bought: 

Tigana by Guy Gabriel Kay 

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride 

Paper Towns by John Green 

I was lucky enough to snag all three of these for just $5 at a garage sale across the road from my house, so I can't wait to start them, especially as they are all such largely acclaimed novels ! I hope the hype lives up! ;)

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling 

I doubt it'll come as a surprise to any of you that I bought this this week - who didn't? I started it and I, unfortunately, don't think this book is for me. Yet, while it's on hold indefinitely at the moment, I fully intend to get back to it when I'm in the mood for a more gritty, character-driven and very adult plot-line.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

As a self-proclaiming Lord of the Rings fan, it's downright blasphemy that I haven't read this one yet. I've read everything else Tolkien has written - yes, everything else - except this novel and I figured with the movie releasing soon, I better get started with this one. I. Can't. Wait. I swear, there's nothing quite like Middle Earth! :)

House of Shadows by Rachel Neumeier

I'd never heard of Rachl Neumeier before I read Heidi's review of this novel on her blog, Bunbury in the Stacks, and from her description itself, I knew I had to buy this one as soon as possible. It sounds fantastic and I simply cannot wait to start it! :)

Well, that's all I got this week! I'm actually incredibly grateful that I didn't receive any ARCs this week as I feel as if I'm already neck-deep in them and have so much catching-up to do. My reading time has also shortened considerably due to school work and most of the time, I'm too exhausted when I come home to do anything but sleep, only to wake up and finish my homework in the wee hours of the morning and sleep again. It's brutal. *sigh* Still, I'm hoping to get some more reading done once I get through all my ARCs for this month, not to mention that Quintana of Charyn is on its way to ME! So! Excited! Anyway, you can finally expect my review of The Raven Boys this week along with my ARC Review of Sanctum which I just finished up and loved. I'm still debating over whether to post up some adult mini-reviews or my review of Brigid Kemmerer's Spark, so if you have a preference, let me know!(: 

OH, and link me up, please! I'd love to see what new goodies you all received this week! :D

ARC Review: What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton

Title: What Happens Next 

Author: Colleen Clayton 

Rating: 3.75 Stars (Nearly 4 Stars!) 

Release Date: October 9th, 2012 

What Happens Next is one of those novels that, quite honestly, you feel guilty for saying anything bad about. It’s powerful, it’s moving, it’s thought-provoking…but it also has its flaws. While this wasn’t my favorite novel that tackled on the tough topic of rape – that honor is reserved for Kirsty Eagar’s Raw Blue, - it was a story which surprised me by its unique expression of this scarring event. If anything, I am left in gaping awe of Colleen Clayton’s talent for capturing the human soul with its wrought emotions, trauma, and vulnerability so perfectly in a novel that is only her debut. I’ll be the first to admit it: What Happens Next isn’t perfect. It has its moments of weakness, its cluttered scenes, and plot threads that could have been cut out to make this novel much stronger overall, but that doesn’t detract from the provocative – and truly life-changing – story underneath.

Can one harmless school skiing trip snatch everything you loved away from you? Cassidy “Sid” Murphy didn’t think so, but when she meets the handsome Dax Windsor at a ski resort and wakes up the next morning in a strange bed, she realizes that it can. Sid has no memory of the previous night except to know that she had snuck out to meet Dax, an enigmatic guy who lavished attention upon Sid when no other guy ever would. Thus, with yawning holes in her memory and denial over what really happened to her, Sid slowly begins to spiral away from those who love – and could possibly help – her. But, as Sid will soon learn, your problems won’t go away by running away from them; you have to face them head-on.

“…the awful truth about that night, about the horrible thing that happened to me last winter, about the rape I can’t remember, and at the same time, can’t forget.”  ~ What Happens Next ARC (Page 298)

What Happens Next is one of those books which start out with a bang, the writing sucking you in from page one. Clayton takes you on the same journey Sid has been on, letting you experience her insecurities, her happiness at being noticed by a handsome guy, and eventually the horror of what really happened to her. Thus, even from the start, it is obvious that What Happens Next is both an emotional and extremely dark read. Sid, as our protagonist, is someone who is startlingly easy to understand and the drastic changes that occur with her psychological mindset after her rape are jarring. You see, Sid has a voluptuous figure that she’s always been self-conscious about, but after her rape, she begins to fear the manner in which men view her. Now, this is where the plot of this story begins to become more…complicated. Clayton introduces a variety of multiple plot threads, from Sid’s new obsession with running to her on-again-off-again eating disorder and to her conflicts at school with her best friends. While I was initially confused – and rather disappointed – by these multiple plot threads which seemed to be irrelevant, they all do come together by the end of the novel to form a bigger picture of Sid’s grief and trauma.

Nevertheless, that being said, I do believe this novel may have been stronger without, for instance, Sid’s eating disorder. It never felt fully fleshed-out to me and detracted from some of the overall message this novel gave out, but ultimately, I was glad to see some different side-effects of rape. Each rape and each victim is different and so is each rape novel and for Sid, I think this managed to work itself out. Yet, what really makes What Happens Next shine and stand out as such a compelling debut is our inside look into Sid herself. In everything she does, Sid continually sees Dax and what he took away from her. Not only did he forcefully strip her of her innocence, peace of mind, or virginity, he cut off a lock of her hair and she can’t help but constantly think of him even when she doesn’t want to. To me, this type of reaction felt so real and like a kick in the gut. We, as the reader, keep hoping Sid can be happy and find a way to move on in life despite her tragedy, but there are always small, insignificant things that make Sid go back to that terrible night. It is in these moments that we are able to experience some of the horror of this event for ourselves and Clayton’s talent as a writer shines in these areas.

“’Were you safe? Did you use protection?’ he asks, looking at me dead-on this time.                                                                                           No. I was not safe. No. I was not protected.                                    But that’s not what I say. What I say is the lie.”                                     ~ What Happens Next ARC (Page 254)

In addition to Sid, I was pleasantly surprised and moved by the rest of the cast of What Happens Next. Sid’s single-mother and her half-brother are an important part of her life and it was nice to see the lack of Missing Parent Syndrome in this story. Furthermore, Sid’s best friends were like her pillars of reason, of logic, and of love. I admired the easy manner in which Clayton managed to make them such an integral aspect of Sid’s life as well and their friendship was one that was extremely beneficial to Sid. Corey, however, was hands-down my favorite character of all. Not only was their love story slow and extremely unique, it was absolutely adorable. I loved the way in which Corey and Sid brought out the best in each other and Clayton managed to portray an extremely normal high school relationship. Contrary to what the synopsis of this book may detail, Corey wasn’t the only factor in allowing Sid to move on – so much of that came from herself which I just loved. Strong protagonists are ones I absolutely adore and Sid’s strength and independence, despite her healthy relationship with Corey, was one I truly appreciated.

In conclusion, What Happens Next is another phenomenal debut of 2012. While the ending of this book tied together everything quite nicely, I would have still liked to see more of Sid’s healing process opposed to a novel based solely on her reaction to her rape. Still, it goes without saying that What Happens Next is a novel that will make you shake with horror, laugh with joy, and sob with grief. It is beautifully written, startlingly moving, and has only made me want to further explore the effects of rape and in particular, date rape drugs. If you’re looking for a strong contemporary read that is provocative and slowly romantic, look no farther: What Happens Next is the book for you. 

*All quotes were taken from an uncorrected ARC of this novel and are subject to change in the final draft. 

I was given a copy of this book from the author, Colleen Clayton, on behalf of the DAC ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. Thank You!