REVIEW: Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews (The Iron Covenant #1)

Iron and Magic

Title: Iron and Magic
Series: The Iron Covenant #1
Author: Ilona Andrews
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Rating: 5/5

No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work. 
Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.
Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she's trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.
Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?
As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”
Hugh and Elara may do both. 

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My Review

Ilona Andrews never ever disappoints! And they probably never will. 

Such an amazing start to this trilogy, Iron and Magic is action-packed, thrilling and sexy, with two powerful characters I cannot get enough of. I was never a big fan of Hugh back in Kate’s books, I always thought he was a bit creepy and maybe a bit of a maniac (he still is), but there was always something interesting about him and his character made a great bad guy. Here, Hugh is still a bad guy, but one I absolutely fell in love with. 

This book was just fantastic, the world was so well built, characters developed to the max and honestly, there was nothing more I could’ve asked for (except for the next book, bet I gotta wait another year or two for that). Personally, I think Hugh D’Ambray is one of the best characters Ilona Andrews has ever written. They completely redeemed him from the unforgiving villain in Kate’s books, but still kept him grounded to who he really is (still an unforgiving mass murdering maniac), and honestly, I couldn’t stop reading and I want more just to jump back into Hugh and Elara’s world. 

Talking about Elara, she is my newest favourite heroine. This woman is mysterious, I feel like I know nothing about her. I have no idea what her powers are, I don’t know her origins, but I do know that she is strong, beautiful, scary and the best match for Hugh. I can’t wait to read more about her, because she is so different from every character in this world, and I just love her. There’s so much tension between her and Hugh, but there’s no spontaneous love getting thrown around, it’s just pure character development and slow-burning romantic tension, and I love it.

I don’t want to give away anything about the plot, but the book is filled with action, vampires and magic, with new foes and friends and I hope Hugh and Elara jump into the fight with Kate against Roland in Kate’s finale (that scene with Roland and Elara had me trembling). The book was just epic, Ilona Andrews did an amazing job, and I cannot wait for the next book!

About The Author

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)
Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.

REVIEW: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3)

A Court of Wings and Ruin

Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #3
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: High Fantasy, Romance, YA/NA
Rating: 5/5

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.
As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all. 

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REVIEW: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Cycle #1)

The Raven Boys

Title: The Raven Boys
Series: The Raven Cycle #1
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date: September 19th 2012
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magical Realism
Rating: 5 Stars

Even if Blue hadn't been told her true love would die if she kissed him, she would stay away from boys. Especially the ones from the local private school. Known as Raven Boys, they only mean trouble.
But this is the year that everything will change for Blue.
This is the year that she will be drawn into the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys. And the year Blue will discover that magic does exist.
This is the year she will fall in love.

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REVIEW: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Nevernight

Title: Nevernight
Series: The Nevernight Chronicle
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: August 11th 2016
Genre: Adult, High-Fantasy
Rating: 5 GAZILLION STARS

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.
Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.
Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.
Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

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COVER REVEAL: Closer by Mary Elizabeth

Good morning, everyone!

Today, I am hosting the cover reveal for CLOSER by Mary Elizabeth (Dusty: Innocents & Delinquents, True Love Way, Low & Poesy)!

I am so excited to reveal the cover, so we'll just jump straight into it!!

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BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: Play by Piper Lawson

Play

Title: Play
Author: Piper Lawson
Publication Date: September 14th 2016
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4.5 Stars

I'm Payton Blake. Just another twenty-something girl, living the dream.
That’s what I tell myself every morning. That I’m successful, self-aware, and well-balanced.
It's just a tiny fib. I would be all of those things, if I had friends who didn’t work with me at the bank. And if I made it to pilates more than once a quarter. And if watermelon slushies weren't the main source of nutrients in my diet. It wouldn’t hurt if I’d had sex in the last year, either. (My best friend insists Jorge the Nightstand Boyfriend doesn’t count.)
But when you know where you're going, you don’t need to enjoy the ride. Right?
Even if some teeny part of me did want to fool around, Max Donovan would be the last guy I’d call. Sure, he made the indie video game that broke the internet. And yeah, his eyebrow piercing’s sexy, in a ‘what-are-you-in-a-band?’ kind of way. And fighting with him gets me going faster than Jorge on bezerker mode…He’s still colder than a cactus and twice as prickly. And I’m not talking about his face, because the guy’s barely old enough to shave.
It’d really be best if we just ignored each other. Which is a problem, because Max Donovan is my new biggest client.
So what happens when the girl who lives to work meets the guy who was born to play?
Game on.

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WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: Gilt Hollow & One Was Lost

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine

This week features two books that I've recently just discovered and they both look so good that I had to share! And here they are:

REVIEW & PLAYLIST: Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass #5)

Empire of Storms

Title: Empire of Storms
Series: Throne of Glass #5
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication Date: September 6th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Romance

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those don't.
As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.
Aelin's journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

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BOOK BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: Sting by Sandra Brown

Sting

Title: Sting
Author: Sandra Brown
Publisher: Grand Central
Publication Date: August 16th 2016
Genre: Adult, Romance, Suspense

When Shaw Kinnard encounters the incongruously elegant Jordie Bennet in a seen-better-days bayou bar, it’s not love at first sight. He’s there to kill her. Instead, he abducts her, eager to get hold of the $30 Million her brother has pocketed from his badly bent boss. Now they are on the run from said boss—and the FBI.

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BOOK BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: Under A Million Stars by Rita Branches

Under A Million Stars

Title: Under A Million Stars

Author: Rita Branches

Publication Date: August 8th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Can a beating heart bleed from the shattered pieces?

Her heart cracked when her best friend walked away; it completely shattered when she lost her family in a tragic accident.
Now orphaned at seventeen, Charlotte Peterson is forced to live with her former best friend, Jacob Parker. Charlie, a talented pianist, desperately wants their loving friendship back, but something is holding Jake back. The more she spirals into the darkness of depression, the more she needs him.
Jacob vowed to stay away from her—no matter how much he still loved her. Armed with secrets that would have destroyed both of their families, he chose to end their friendship and walk away, which nearly killed him. As he watches the girl he once knew begin to fade away, however, he realizes that their relationship is more important than the truth he’s hiding.
Now it’s up to Jacob to put the pieces of Charlie’s broken heart back together—even if it means revealing the secrets he so desperately wants to protect her from.
Will Jacob find a way to bring back the carefree, talented girl he once knew, or is it too late for both of them?

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REVIEW: The Allure of Julian Lefray by R.S. Grey (The Allure #1)

The Allure of Julian Lefray

Title: The Allure of Julian Lefray
Series: The Allure #1
Author: R.S. Grey
Publication Date: June 29th 2015
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Comedy
Rating: 4.5 Stars

From: JosephineKeller@LLDesigns.comTo: LilyNBlack@gmail.comSubject: Justin Timberlake Nudes!
Lily, you predictable perv. I knew you’d open this email faster if I tempted you with a glimpse of JT's “PP”. Well, put your pants back on and grab some bubbly because I have much better news to share.
I GOT A JOB!
As of tomorrow, I’ll be the new executive assistant at Lorena Lefray Designs. I am SO excited, but there’s one itty bitty problem: I won’t be Lorena’s assistant. I’ll be working for her older brother, Julian.
I know what you're thinking- "But Jo, what’s the problem?"
Google him. Now. He’s the man in the fitted navy suit whose face reminds you that there’s hope yet for this cruel, ugly world. Keep scrolling…Do you see those dimples? Yup. That’s the Julian Lefray I will be reporting to tomorrow morning.
Lord, help us all...
XO,
Jo

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REVIEW: Capture by Rachel Van Dyken (Seaside Pictures #1)

Capture

Title: Capture
Series: Seaside Pictures #1
Author: Rachel Van Dyken
Publication Date: August 20th 2015
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Losing your ability to speak at the age of seventeen; it’s not normal or fair.
But trauma, has a way of throwing normality out the window.

Dani lives anything but a normal life.
Her sister is married to one of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Her best friends are rockstar duo AD2.
And she has more love around her than most people experience in a lifetime.
But that doesn't change the fact their parents are dead.
Or that it's her fault.

It seems her new normal is being a mute, living on the inside, unable to actually communicate on the outside.
That is until Hollywood’s newest heartthrob Lincoln Greene hires her as his assistant for the summer.
He's gorgeous, completely unavailable, and unobtainable.
But that doesn't stop her from wondering...if things were different...would he want her?
If she was whole, would he be the other half?

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REVIEW: Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen (True North #1)

Bittersweet

Title: Bittersweet
Series: True North #1
Author: Sarina Bowen
Publication Date: June 14th 2016
Publisher: Rennie Road Books
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 5 Stars

The new series is set in Vermont. True North is populated by the tough, outdoorsy mountain men that populate the Green Mountain State. They raise cows and they grow apples. They chop a lot of wood, especially when they need to blow off steam. (Beards are optional but encouraged.)
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the orchard.
The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago.
At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.
Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.
They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.

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BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: A Cunning Plan by Astrid Arditi (Sloane Harper #1)

A Cunning Plan

Title: A Cunning Plan
Series: Sloane Harper #1
Author: Astrid Arditi
Publication Date: 8th May 2016
Genre: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Determined to put her family back together, Sloane Harper stalks her ex husband and his annoyingly stunning mistress, Kate. And she’s not the only one. Handsome IRS agent Ethan Cunning is surveying them too, but not for the same reasons. He is attempting to nail Kate’s playboy boss.
Ethan and Sloane decide to help each other, which sends Sloane’s wobbly life spinning out of control. She’ll have to face danger, humiliation, and scariest of all, the dating scene, to lure her daughters’ father home.
Losing control was the best thing to happen to Sloane… until it turned lethal.

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REVIEW: Monster In His Eyes by J.M. Darhower

Monster In His Eyes

Title: Monster In His Eyes
Series: Monster In His Eyes #1
Author: J.M. Darhower
Publication Date: April 27th 2014
Genre: Adult, Dark, Romance, Suspense
Rating: 5 Stars

Ignazio Vitale is not a good man.
I suspect it, the first time I see him, sense the air of danger that surrounds the man. He has a way of commanding attention, of taking control, of knowing what I'm thinking before I even do.
It's alarming and alluring. It's dark and deadly. It's everything I've ever wanted but the last thing I truly need. Obsession.
It doesn't take him long to draw me into his web, charming me into his bed and trapping me in his life, a life I know nothing about until it's too late. He has secrets, secrets I can't fathom, secrets that make it so I can't walk away, no matter how much I beg him to let me go. I see it sometimes in his eyes, a darkness that's both terrifying and thrilling. He's a monster, wrapped up in a pretty package, and what I find when I unmask him changes everything.
I want to hate him.
Sometimes, I do.
But it doesn't stop me from loving him, too.

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BLOG TOUR: Life After Juliet by Shannon Lee Alexander

Life After Juliet

Title: Life After Juliet
Author: Shannon Lee Alexander
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Publication Date: July 5th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4.5 Stars

Becca Hanson was never able to make sense of the real world. When her best friend Charlotte died, she gave up on it altogether. Fortunately, Becca can count on her books to escape—to other times, other places, other people...
Until she meets Max Herrera. He’s experienced loss, too, and his gorgeous, dark eyes see Becca the way no one else in school can.
As it turns out, kissing is a lot better in real life than on a page. But love and life are a lot more complicated in the real world...and happy endings aren't always guaranteed.
The companion novel to Love and Other Unknown Variables is an exploration of loss and regret, of kissing and love, and most importantly, a celebration of hope and discovering a life worth living again.

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BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: Say Nothing by T.A. Roth

Say Nothing

Title: Say Nothing
Series: The Speak Series #2
Author: T.A. Roth
Publication Date: November 26th 2015
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars

After years spent harbouring a shameful secret, I finally felt…alive, reawakened and brave. Willing to break down my walls and let love in. Let him in.
We had conquered our pasts. The truth had set us free, and we were looking toward our future. Until a crazy twist of fate brought my worst nightmare back into my life.
The voice and soundtrack to every one of my haunting dreams now had a face. One he won’t easily let me forget.
The hits Ben endured on the football field will be nothing compared to the devastating blow his heart will take if he finds out the whole truth. He knows the story, but he doesn’t know the monster. Not like I do.
Just as the wounds of my past had begun to heal, he’s come back to rip them wide open.
Maybe some things are better kept from those we love.
Maybe some secrets are never meant to be told.
Maybe it’s better to Say Nothing…

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BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: Artificial by Jadah McCoy

Artificial

Title: Artificial
Author: Jadah McCoy
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication Date: April 4th 2016
Genre: New Adult, Sci-fi

She struggles to feel human.
In 2256, the only remnants of civilization on Earth’s first colonized planet, Kepler, are the plant-covered buildings and the nocturnal, genetically spliced bug-people nesting within them: the Cull. During the day, Syl leaves her home in the sewers beneath Elite City to scavenge for food, but at night the Cull come looking for a meal of their own. Syl thought gene splicing died with the Android War a century ago. She thought the bugs could be exterminated, Elite city rebuilt, and the population replenished. She’s wrong.
Whoever engineered the Cull isn’t done playing God. Syl is abducted and tortured in horrific experiments which result in her own DNA being spliced, slowly turning her into one of the bugs. Now she must find a cure and stop the person responsible before every remaining man, woman, and child on Kepler is transformed into the abomination they fear.
He struggles not to.
For Bastion, being an android in the sex industry isn’t so bad. Clubbing beneath the streets of New Elite by day and seducing the rich by night isn’t an altogether undesirable occupation. But every day a new android cadaver appears in the slum gutters, and each caved in metal skull and heap of mangled wires whittles away at him.
Glitches—androids with empathy—are being murdered, their models discontinued and strung up as a warning. Show emotion, you die. Good thing Bastion can keep a secret, or he would be the next body lining the street.
He can almost live with hiding his emotions. That is, until a girl shows up in the slums—a human girl, who claims she was an experiment. And in New Elite, being a human is even worse than being a Glitch. Now Bastion must help the girl escape before he becomes victim to his too-human emotions, one way or another.

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COVER REVEAL: Olivia Decoded by Vivi Barnes

Welcome to the cover reveal of Olivia Decoded (Olivia Twisted #2) by Vivi Barnes, presented by Entangled Teen.

This cover reveal is hosted by Chapter By Chapter.

ARC REVIEW: Full Share by Eliza Freed

Full Share

Title: Full Share
Author: Eliza Freed
Publication Date: June 21st 2016
Publisher: Brunswick House
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 5 Stars

Nora Hargrove’s post-grad life includes a horrific entry-level job, a cave of an apartment, and a strict avoidance of all interpersonal relationships. She knows only one thing about herself—she wants to be left alone.
Avoiding her mother’s forced family time, she seeks solitude on her own terms. In a poorly ventilated, overcrowded Dewey Beach rental, she discovers there’s no place to hide. Not from yourself, not from your life, and not from love. This is the story of Nora Hargrove’s full share.
I learned the healing power of a good bloody Mary and a dip in the Atlantic. I kayaked in the dead of night and witnessed the only shooting star I’ve ever seen. I fell in love on a bed made of pallets. I lived.
Life is deep. Dive in.

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*Thank you to Netgalley for providing an e-ARC for review purposes