Review: (Dis)Content by Melissa Haag

I hate. I thought I hated before the letter, before the werewolves, but now I understand that was nothing more than a chip on my shoulder. The urbat took what was mine. They will pay.

Isabelle leads a very normal life...for an emotional syphon. If not for Ethan and his bar, she would have lost her sanity long ago. But everything changes with the crash of her fighting cage and a man who transforms into a wolf. There’s something about Carlos—when he’s not growling at her—that makes her do things she wouldn’t normally do, like sigh and daydream.

Attraction aside, she is faced with the very real evidence that werewolves and urbat exist, and the urbat are after her. And the only way she can keep Ethan safe is to join with the werewolves and Carlos. It’s a race against time to stop a war, fight for love, and find the last Judgement. 

My Thoughts:
I have waited what seems like forever to find another series that kept me this captivated!  The entire series has gotten better with each book.  (Dis)Content focuses on Isabelle, Carlos and her journey as part of the "Six".  Isabelle was pure, raw emotion.  I loved how she fought so hard for those she cared about.  She was like a tootsie pop.  Layers & layers of hard shell with a gooey center.  I never I thought we'd get to see so much from Carlos.  I loved how he accepted her the way she was.  He learned to just fight for her, but to fight beside her.  He might be my favorite new wolf.  The beautiful thins he said to her had me falling right along with her.  I hate that I'll have to wait for the next book.  I know it will be EPIC!  This series is so unlike any I've read.  If you're in a reading slump here is your solution!!
Recommended for 14 & up.  
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Gratitude Giveaway Hop

It's that time of year when we start to think about all the blessings we can be grateful for.  Not only am I blessed with amazing family & friends, but I'm blessed to have the opportunity to share my love of books with all of you.  Thank you so much for following my blog & reading my reviews.  And if you're just stopping by for the first time I hope you'll come back. 

 For my stop on the hop I'm giving away a $10 Amazon GC code to one winner. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Review: (Un)Bidden by Melissa Haag

Image & Description from goodreads.com

I left home because I didn’t want to end up in a cage like a lab rat. Hitching rides, begging for cash, and sleeping on the ground got old fast. That was the only reason I braved an overgrown path to a group of buildings. I’d hoped to find a bed and a decent night’s sleep. However, what I found was a place overrun by werewolves.


While on the run, Charlene finds herself surrounded by werewolves, creatures she can’t control with her mind like she can humans. Their existence has her believing she’s found a safe place to stay, a place where secrets are okay. However, she soon discovers she’s anything but safe. Charlene must learn how to use her abilities to influence the strange new species because if she can’t, the next bite she suffers might just kill her.


Read how the cycle begins, and have no doubt. Charlene’s past will shape the future of the Judgements.

My Thoughts:
This is my favorite book so far in the series.  It tells the back story of Charlene & how she came to be with Thomas.  I really enjoyed learning how the compound came to be and the good things Charlene did to help the wolves.  You can also see in hind sight that the Urbat were already in the picture waiting to make their move.  Charlene sure was wise for her young age.  She made choices to help others before herself when most teenagers wouldn't be able to do as much.  I really love this series & I can't wait to get to the next book.

Recommended for 15 & up.  Mild sexual content & adult situations.

Review: (Un)wise by Melissa Haag

Image & description from goodreads.com

The dreams start, and Bethi’s very normal life goes down the toilet. She soon realizes the dreams are actually memories from past lives…and not just hers. She sees the lives of other women like her. 

The recalled memories follow the same terrifying pattern: Dog-men chase her, and she sees her eventual tormented death. Learning from the past, Bethi sets out to find a way to live this time around. The dreams hint at an answer. 

She needs to be strong enough to find it or die…again.

My Thoughts:

OMG!  I can't imagine the torture Bethi has to go through.  Reliving not only her death over & over but the death of others.  She is one strong girl.  She seems to know the most about the six and the reasons they exist.  We learn so much in this book.  It's not a stand alone book.  You need to have read the others to understand what's going on.  However, it's exactly what the series needs to explain things & to move the story along.  I understood Luke's hesitance in claiming her, but I think it drug out just a bit too long.  Also, Bethi's stubbornness began to get on my nerves a bit.  She lived with so much terror yet when all these people prove time & time again to be trustworthy & helpful, she still makes her situation difficult. This was my least favorite book in the series but still a good book.  I look forward to reading the rest.

Recommended for 15 & up.  Contains bad language & sexual content.

Review: Stupid Girl by Cindy Miles

Only fools fall in love... 

After her senior year of high school leaves behind nothing but heartache, Olivia Beaumont is sure of this: She’s no stupid girl. She sets out for Winston University, promising herself that she will remain focused on her first and only love – astronomy. But all it takes is cocky sophomore Brax Jenkins and an accidental collision with a football, to throw her entire year off course. 

A quick-tempered Southie who escaped the inner city streets of Boston to pitch for Winston, Brax is known to play way more fields than just the baseball diamond. So, when his name is drawn to take part in his fraternity’s hazing dare, Brax eagerly accepts the mission to take Olivia’s virginity. But he doesn’t plan on falling hard for the sweet and sassy Texas girl who sees right through his bad-boy persona. 

As Olivia and Brax battle their feelings for each other, echoes of the past year begin to surface. A boy who once turned Olivia’s whole world upside down reappears, and “harmless” pranks wreak havoc. Pretty soon the aspiring astronomer is on the verge of revealing her most difficult, heartbreaking secret. All the while, Brax must wrestle with the irrevocable dare, and Olivia struggles against all logic as she does the one thing only a stupid girl would do: fall in love.

My Thoughts:
I have so many mixed emotions about this book.  So many, in fact, that I can't just write a simple review.  I feel the need to elaborate...a lot!  So I'll start with what I liked about the book.  I can see where other reader/reviewers felt the need to point out that this book is full of cliches.  But I don't really mind them.  I like that Brax was from Boston.  I can't recall reading a book with a Boston-based character.  I liked his tough, bad-boy persona.  I liked that Olivia was incredibly vulnerable, but got stronger throughout the story.  I also liked that this book touched on a painful issue.  Brax made Olivia really come to terms with a traumatic event.  The characters are well written.  I would have liked there to have been a bit more in depth on Brax's background & current parent situation.  

**Spoilers ahead!!**

All that being said, let me tell you what I didn't like.  I'm from Texas, where the book is based.  Lubbock, where I actually went to college, is only 1 hr. & 45 min. away from Amarillo.  It's unlikely that there would be 2 college towns so close.  But that, I can still overlook.  But to call the area "central Texas" is WRONG.  Central Texas is a good 4-6 hours away from North, West Texas where the story is taking place.  Sooooo, therefore, Brax should not have been referring to the area as central Texas.  I think the author should have done more research on the area.
Then let's talk about the two chapters from Brax's POV.  In most books, that switch POV, you read pretty equally from all characters.  So it leads me to believe that the only reason for the chapters in Brax's POV were just to move the story along.  They didn't hurt the story, but the information in them could have been revealed in a different way by being creative and still keeping to only Olivia's POV. 
The biggest problem I have with this book is how Olivia's date rape was handled.  Any ER would that did a rape exam would have notified the police.  It would have been hospital policy.  And regardless of what Kelsy's dad would have wanted, charges would have been filed.  They would have also done a drug screening and found the ecstasy in her system which would have probably been held up in court.  Now, I could have accepted that Kelsy's dad would have paid people off, a judge or something, to get a "not guilty" verdict.  But the way it was all handled just wasn't realistic.  Also, Kelsy going to the same college was just too easy.  

And that's all I've got to say about this book.  I liked it enough to read the next book in the series.  I hope to see some improvements.  As far as I'm concerned this series has great potential.
Recommended for 17 & up.  Sexual content, situations & language.

Review: The Boyfriend Thief by Shana Norris

Image & description from goodreads.com

Avery James doesn’t believe in romance—she’s studied enough biology to know that love is nothing more than hormones and chemicals. Besides, she has more practical goals in mind, namely saving up for a summer humanitarian program in Costa Rica. But when her Diggity Dog House supervisor denies her a raise and Avery finds herself $500 dollars short for the trip of a lifetime, Avery has no choice but to accept an unexpected offer. The deal? She must steal her arch nemesis Hannah’s boyfriend before prom, giving Avery eleven days to seduce Zac Greeley. 

Avery is sure the job will be easy. But a few midnight comedy shows and spontaneous dance parties (not to mention one particularly intimate carwash) later, Avery finds herself questioning everything she’s ever thought about love. Could Zac’s signature cherry-lime Slurpees be causing brain freeze, or is Avery actually starting to fall for him? 

Will Avery be able to steal Zac away from Hannah before he steals Avery’s heart?

My Thoughts:
This book is worth a steal!!
Avery James is barely holding on to the image of someone in complete control she wants the world to perceive.  She's cut herself off from getting close to anyone.  But by protecting herself from getting hurt she's also protected herself from all that good that comes from letting her walls down.  Avery is sure she has love all figured out & she want's nothing to with it!  After hanging out with Zac Greeley she starts to see that maybe she doesn't have it all figured out after all.  The more Avery tries keep control over her life the more it spirals out.  Avery broke my heart.  Things from her past have emotionally crippled Avery.  She tried so hard to protect her heart from being broken and in the end she broke other peoples' hearts along with hers.  By the end of the book Avery was a better version of herself.  You'll love this book.  It will wrap itself around your heart.
Recommended for 14 & up.  Mild language.