Review of Liar

This book is the second in a series, to read my review of book 1 go here.

Synopsis

Worse than a thief, is a liar.

Kayli Winchester can finally let go of her thieving past and for once walk on the right side of the law. She’s had enough of the hustle and is determined to become the good girl.

But her brother, Wil, is still missing. On the hunt for him, she discovers something worse than a missing sibling: Marc, Raven, Axel, Corey and Brandon. These aren’t just scoundrels with hearts of gold. They’re flat out criminals. But they’re criminals who need her.

In a ruse to draw them away from her brother and learn more about this so-called Academy, Kayli joins them on a mission to Florida in search of a missing little girl. Kayli will do anything to make sure her brother is safe. She’ll find their leader. She’ll discover their intentions. She’ll infiltrate their ranks. And if they try to threaten her brother or herself, she’ll burn them all.

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

Review

After events in book 1, Kayli is now unsure of who she can trust. The Academy boys seem nice enough but when she discovers secrets from their past, she now wonders if The Academy is something she should get mixed up in or if she should run as fast as she can.

Parts of Liar seemed a little rushed to me. All Academy books take place over the span of just a few days but I have never really had a problem with it before. It works well in some of the other books but not so much for this one. I think it is in part because this book is more mature in terms of sexual content (though it is mainly just kissing) and the multi-boy/don't know who to choose aspect. The romance(s) seem incredibly rushed and less realistic than they would be if the storyline was simply altered to span weeks instead of days.

Despite the romances feeling too rushed I did enjoy them. C.L Stone is very good a creating characters and romances that you can root for. I like how all the guys have very different personalities rather than being carbon copies of both one another and the typical NA love interest (though don't worry ladies - there is both a tattooed bad boy and a millionaire, no rock stars though, sorry :P). Some of the guys haven't quite won me over as much as others and so far in this series I DO have a favourite; it simply has to be Corey with his nerdy cuteness and you also know he would be such a romantic.

If you have read all of the Academy books so far including The Ghost Bird series then you will love some of the revelations in this book. Like with Thief, there are moments that relate to occurrences and mysteries from the original Academy series. These are fantastic little gems for fans of the original series.

This isn't my favourite book in this series or it's sister series as the were several elements that just didn't work for me but overall it was a good book. I definitely plan to stick with this series as I know from experience that C.L Stones books just get better and better as each series goes on.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, this has not affected my opinions or rating in any way*

Try it for yourself! Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK

Laura

Review of Scoring Wilder

Synopsis

What started out as a joke— seduce Coach Wilder—soon became a goal she had to score.

With Olympic tryouts on the horizon, the last thing nineteen-year-old Kinsley Bryant needs to add to her plate is Liam Wilder. He's a professional soccer player, America's favorite bad-boy, and has all the qualities of a skilled panty-dropper.
• A face that makes girls weep – check.
• Abs that can shred Parmesan cheese (the expensive kind) – check.
• Enough confidence to shift the earth’s gravitational pull – double check.
Not to mention Liam is strictly off limits . Forbidden. Her coaches have made that perfectly clear. (i.e. “Score with Coach Wilder anywhere other than the field and you’ll be cut from the team faster than you can count his tattoos.”) But that just makes him all the more enticing…Besides, Kinsley's already counted the visible ones, and she is not one to leave a project unfinished.

Kinsley tries to play the game her way as they navigate through forbidden territory, but Liam is determined to teach her a whole new definition for the term “team bonding.”

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK 

Review

I first have to say that the synopsis is a little misleading as it implies that the heroine pursued her coach solely for the challenge. Fortunately, it was more of case of instant attraction and her friends teasing her about their apparent chemistry. There was a lot on the line for the characters so it would have frustrated me if that were the case as I tend to get turned off by utter recklessness. Now, as for my opinion of the book as a whole, I loved it. I would classify it as a guilty pleasure book because it wasn’t particularly deep, dark, or even realistic but I loved it all the same. I mean, who hasn’t had the hots for their coach and wished he was a crushing on them just as hopelessly? Fortunately, this is new adult (adult being the operative word) so it doesn’t have any of the potentially seedy ramifications that crushing on your high school coach could result in.

The heroine is a badass soccer player, is remarkably self-assured when it comes to interactions with the opposite sex, is a loyal friend, and is grounded. Not everyone can be a top tier soccer player but I loved the fact that the heroine was constantly working her tail off. That is a big pro for me as I hate stories where the character is somehow the best of the best and yet, magically, doesn’t do much more than show up for practice like everyone else. The heroine has some insecurities regarding fidelity but does a pretty good job of not letting it hijack her every thought.

The hero: Well he is pretty much perfect. He is gorgeous, rich, successful, faithful, romantic… So, yeah, that is the only part that might be a negative for some people as he has a bit of a too good to be true vibe going but, like I stated above, I loved it anyways. I have a serious girl-crush on the heroine and want to be just like her when I grow up. I found the premise relatable, though on a much grander scale. The conflicts weren’t particularly dark but were effective nonetheless. And…the author wraps everything up with a tidy bow, because she can.

For those of you from the rest of the world, I apologize for the gratuitous use of the term “soccer” and any frustration experienced as a result.

Try it for yourself! Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK 

Katie

Waiting On Wednesday - Trial By Fire

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it allows readers to share the books that they are most looking forwards to reading.

This week the book I have chosen to feature is Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini.

Title: Trial By Fire

Author: Josephine Angelini

Series: The Worldwalker Trilogy

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (US), Macmillan (UK)

Publication Date: August 28th (UK), September 2nd (US)

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK


Synopsis

The exhilaratingly seductive new series from the author of the bestselling Starcrossed series

Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take for granted...which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's life never goes according to plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly Lily is in a different Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruellest of all the Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's identical other self in this alternate universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.

Lily realizes that what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she doesn't understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.

But how can Lily be the saviour of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

My Thoughts

Not only have I loved Josephine Angelini's previous books, the synopsis for this one is incredible. It sounds like something unique, fresh and exciting. I also love the UK cover which is always an added bonus :P I hope to be able to read this one very soon.

Book Blogger UKYA Awards

Hello! As you know from my recent Bookish Treasures Recommends post I love UKYA and today I am proud to announce that the Book Blogger UKYA Award Nominations are open! This is a new awards for the best UKYA books, authors and characters as voted for by book lovers and ran by bloggers. Use the form below to nominate the books and authors that you love! You can nominate up to three books and authors per category - choose wisely! Nominations will stay open until 24th August. (That's two weeks!) Then the shortlist will be sorted and voting will begin on the 1st September. Good luck to all the lovely books and authors!

Review of How to Kill Your Boss

Synopsis

Because murder is cheaper than therapy.

Tatum Wood murders her boss on a daily basis. Daydreams, real dreams, it doesn’t matter. In her opinion, it’s better than therapy. That is until he takes a swan dive off the roof of a building and all evidence points to her as the main suspect.

Enter Franklin Reed, her mysterious, overprotective and drop-dead gorgeous coworker. His injection into her life couldn’t have come at a better time. Two men are brutally attacked across the hall from her apartment and she has a stalker with a penchant for roses.

Franklin is all too eager to play the hero in and out of bed. Their attraction is undeniable, their heat level, searing. As they scramble to discover who’s behind the murders, secrets are unearthed that call to question Franklin’s motives as well as his identity. Tatum discovers that life is never what you expect and love isn’t always hearts and flowers. Sometimes, it lurks in the shadows and bites you on the ass when you least expect it.

Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK 

Review

First thoughts? This was one odd book. The dark humor associated with fantasizing about murdering her boss appealed to me because, frankly, I have a slightly warped sense of humor. Unfortunately, there were other odd things in the book that didn't appeal to me in the same manner.

First and foremost was that the synopsis didn't quite correlate to the book. I kept waiting for the boss to die and was confused when the event didn't take place until the midpoint of the story. To be fair, everything noted in the synopsis does happen but the order and emphasis on events in the story is not consistent.

Second, I couldn't seem to grasp why the heroine was willing to have sex with the hero when she wasn't sure whether she hated him, loved him or thought that he was a creepy, delusional stalker. The love/hate thing I could have probably been persuaded of but I felt the need to settle the stalker question prior to rolling around in a bed.

I enjoyed the action and I enjoyed the female friend the heroine picked up along the way. I also enjoyed that there was an actual mystery. Unfortunately, the hero didn't endear himself to me. I enjoyed him in the beginning but as the weird back-story came to light, I started to lose interest in him. Especially if he was entitled to attempt a normal life when he deprived someone else of the same opportunity.

And, on the final note... If a story is going to focus on the fantasy of murdering one's boss, there should be clear evidence that it would be pure karmic retribution. The boss was not a nice guy but there really wasn't much focus on his grievous faults as a human being prior to his death.

*A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an HONEST review*

Try it for yourself! Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK 

Katie