Review: The Iron Queen by Kaitlin Bevis

Life is hell for Persephone. Zeus will stop at nothing to gain access to the living realm and the Underworld. As the only living god with a right to both, Persephone’s in trouble. Captured and tortured beyond the limits of her resolve, Persephone must find the power to stand against Zeus. But will she be strong enough? 

Meanwhile, Hades contemplates desperate measures to rescue his queen. Persephone never thought of herself as dangerous, but there’s a reason gods never marry for love. A being with the power to destroy all of creation shouldn’t place more value in one individual than the rest of the planet. But Hades . . . Hades would break the world for her. 

To save the world and stop both Hades and Zeus, Persephone must make a difficult choice. One that may cost her everything.

I have loved this series from the first book.  I love that Kaitlin Bevis made Hades, who is often portrayed villain, the hunky hero.  It's been fresh twist in the sea of books based on Greek mythology.  The Iron Queen begins right where Daughter of Earth & Sky left off.  The characters, like with the two previous books, are amazing and well written.  Aphrodite has a huge part in this book and her story is a combination of both sad and empowering. Zeus has Persephone and Hades is ready to burn down the universe to find her.  As Zeus tortures Persephone beyond imagine, the rest of the deities come together to rescue her and save the world.  But it's Persephone's most human like qualities that help her gain the strength she needs to battle the most powerful and sadistic of Gods.  I loved the ending and I think it may have left an opening for more books or another series.  I would recommend this series to anyone looking for something original and different.

Mild language and sexual content. 

Review: Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid

Image & description from goodreads.com

Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they'd never, ever do in high school. 

Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never die your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he's broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It's either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember. 

Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they've actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

My Thoughts:  
A book that perfectly illustrates the complexity of emotions when it comes to love.  Whether young or old, love is never simple.  Even parent/child love can have its entanglements.  Dave & Julia seem to have their emotions tangled up like the chain of a thin, delicate necklace.  One yank too hard & it will break for good.  Dave has loved Julia so long that I think he's in love with the idea of being in love with her.  She's like the only flavor of ice cream he's ever tried.  His Rocky Road.  If he'd tried Mint Chocolate Chip earlier, he might find he likes it too.  Gretchen is Dave's Mint Chocolate Chip.  When he finally realizes he can love both, but maybe not in the same way, things are a complete mess.  Julia has always had Dave.  She's never had to miss or pine for him.  He's been her constant while she's yearned for a relationship with her biological mother who keeps her strung along with empty promises.  She's been so busy trying to live up to what she THINKS her absentee mom would want, that she's missed out on the things that give some great life experience.  As they complete the "Nevers" list they discover more than they could have possibly imagined.  The ending was as delicious as a crispy waffle cone with 3 of your favorite flavors & sprinkles on top!  What I took away from this book, and what I hope others will too, is NEVER say "Never", ALWAYS keep your heart & mind open and SOMETIMES the route may have to change, but the scenery is just as beautiful and the destination is the same.

Recommended for readers 15 & up.
Mild language & sexual content.

Review: Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity by Rachael Anderson

Home for the summer, Samantha Kinsey is ready to step into her role as pseudo-nanny for her two favorite charges. But when she realizes she'll be playing chauffeur more than playmate, her summer outlook quickly turns from fun to bleak. That is, until she meets Colton McCoy—a genuine, hard-working cowboy, who's as set in his ways as he is handsome. Although he claims he doesn't need any spontaneity in his life, Sam’s determined to help him find it. But she'll soon discover that cowboys are about as easy to change as wild mustangs.

Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity is about an adaptable girl and a not so adaptable guy. It’s about learning to accept people for who they are and realizing that sometimes who they are is exactly who they should be.

My Thoughts:

Like every book I've read in this series, Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity was a just what I needed to brighten my summer.  Samantha & Colton were adorable, fun characters that I loved instantly.  I was already familiar with Samantha's character from Rough Around the Edges meets Refined.  I'm so glad she got her own story.  Samantha is one of those people that you love to be around.  Someone who's always up for an adventure & who hates to be down in the dumps.  I love the way Colton balanced her out so perfectly.  He kept her grounded (that's a good pun once you read the book) & she kept him on his toes.  I was so glad to see the Mackie clan were all in this story and I hope we'll continue to keep up with them.  I can't help but wonder who'll get the next love connection in the series.  I'm thinking Colton's friend Will might need a little help in that department.  If you want a good, clean & refreshing read check out this entire series.  Each book can be read as a stand alone but you'll want to read them all.  Happy reading!!

Recommended for 15 & up.

http://www.rachaelreneeanderson.com/

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