Musings of the Book-a-holic Fairies, inc. -> RockChickFairy

4.5

THE BLAST tells us a story of a girl who made herself hard as steel and brave as a soldier.


Going into this book, I didn't know what to expect. I already know that I considered Hunger Games as the best dystopian book. However, hunger game was all about the nitty gritty things, while this one is all about the good things to look forward to. I'm not saying that it didn't have bad things in it. I'm just saying that the point of this book is all about the end result which is to have a brighter future for everyone.


In short, this has a happy ending. :)


Sorry if some of you will find that to be a spoiler, but I just had to get it out there.


Let me try to break it down.


Our heroine might just be the youngest (well, when it started) dystopian heroine I've ever read about. She was of course, innocent and all before the blast. She just wanted to play outside for crying out loud. Then suddenly, everything changes. Everything isn't how it used to be, everything isn't how it's supposed to be. In my opinion, she grew up FAST right after the blast. Her mind adapted quickly to the changes that came to their lives. She learned how to arm herself, how to fight, how to scavenge and how to not trust anybody besides her family. I think her best trait is her sense of survival. She has an inherent view of what could happen if she did/didn't do something. She's awesome!


The other characters have very unique set of traits. For example, we have Beatrice's best friend, Ellie. She's the hearts and flowers type. Complete opposite of Ellie, but they get along. I actually love their friendship. With the way that they grew up after the blast, I expected for them to drift apart or even fight, but no, these characters are tight. There's also Beatrice's parents... mygawd ain't they the pair! Strong parents! Strong, no-nonsense parents. If I call Beatrice a survivor, it's all thanks to her parents. The other characters especially the boys also have stories to tell. You can't miss them. I don't love what happened to them, but I like their camaraderie.


The story is all about them trying to find a piece of normalcy after everything that happened to them.This is about survival, fighting while trying to find where you stand.

I don't want to give out spoilers regarding what went on in the story.

However, I can tell you this: It's heartfelt.


I cried so many times.


But I also smiled at some point.


I guess that's how I would describe this book.



It's sad, what with the world ending and all, but it's still beautiful.

This is a friggin hot book I give you that. However, it's not just about that. This is also about friendship, family and protecting the ones you value most. Awesome, awesome book.

Full review to come.

This book will make you feel how lucky you are that your life isn't like that of the heroine's.

It'll make you appreciate what you have, that's for sure because gosh... What our heroine had is bad-- like the BAD kind of bad. Haha, does that even make sense? Errmm

Anyway, let's describe the characters first...

Hope Dawson is losing hope. :( She has a very unfortunate circumstance and a big dilemma that makes her stay in that circumstance. SHE BADLY NEEDS A HERO! I swear. However, I would also say that she's a strong woman. She stays and stands strong amidst a lot of things and she doesn't just give up. As much as I admire how she just wants to hoard her problems and never let anyone get close to her, it also had me totally annoyed. I was soooo happy when REED HOPEWELL inserts himself into the picture.

REED HOPEWELL is a hot guy with no definite road in life. I think he was going with the flow until he meets Hope. I think Reed's character didn't have the right direction until he had Hope. As cocky as he was, he was also kind of unsure about things, so I think it's just good that he met the love of his life. He just didn't know that he had to move mountains to get her.

Their characters collide in both the best way and ugly way. Reed doesn't know why Hope keeps pulling back, but he keeps reeling her in. It's only a matter of time before he truly catches her and oh, it's beautiful. However, the biggest hurdle here is overcoming Hope's demons.

Read this and see how they do just that.



You know the feeling when you just want to pull out all the bad guys in the book, bash them in the head and never let them touch one hair of the main character ever again?


Well, I felt it here.


SUPREMELY!

I wanted to claw the eyes of the villains and I want to pin them on the wall!

That's how effective they are.

Ahhhh, just read it! I promise you, you will also feel the ultimate happiness when it ends!

Sooo there!

A good read indeed!

An ARC was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Jay Crownover is going out with a bang!
REVIEW INSERTED BELOW
Ah, the feeling of an "ERA" (as Jay calls it) ending.
ASA AND ROYAL SURELY MADE EVERYTHING WORTH IT!
This wrap up for the series is definitely what you need to make your reading life brighter!
Cheers to Marked Men fans!
Cheers to the next readers of this series!
Cheers to the next series!!!

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One thing that I just have to say about this book: IT'S DAMN EXPLOSIVE!!!



I have been a big, big, big LIKE REALLY BIG fan of The Marked Men series and I must say... I have never anticipated a book in this series as much as I did ASA. An ex-criminal and a cop (A WOMAN COP AT THAT), how more interesting could you get??!!

Okay, let me make this quick because if I blabber on, you'll never get to reading the book! Haha!

ASA - He's THE HOTTIE. As in he's hot, he's smooth and he talks with his eyes as well as his lips. I swear he's the smoothest marked men in the talk department and come onnnn, he's the eye candy too! Well, I already anticipated that. What I didn't anticipate is how good he'll be with his words, not just for the women, but also to everyone he meets. I like how humble life has made him. I like how he appreciate every single thing that he gets because he works hard. I like how he was able to turn his life around for the better. Lastly, I like it that he tries to be the better person. Sadly, that trait of his also frustrates me. Haha! I can't give out why. READ IT!!! ^__^

Okay, so we got the goodie Asa,

Now we move on to our baddie, Royal.

ROYAL - The name fits alright! You know when in books or movies, Royalties are expected to be oh-so-good, then sometimes they just want to be bad? It's like that for Royal. Well, she doesn't really want to be the bad kind of bad.. maybe just a little naughty. Anyway, I never expected Royal to be so... forward. It's refreshing! I like how Royal works. She's feisty and she doesn't beat around the bush. She wants something, she asks for it straight on and she never backs down. She's beautiful, but she doesn't care for that at all. She's like your girl next door, only with a gun. I love how she likes her job and I love how she doesn't see Asa as the bad ex-criminal. She sees Asa as the person who wants to have a better future, one who's trying to make up for the past. I like that most about her.


When they finally, finally get together.. I kid you not, it's explosive and it's everything more than I ever expected. I love how they care about one another and I love just how sweet they are!

Their story might not be a fairy tale, but it surely made me feel swoony. Asa deserves a medal for being good and Royal deserves one too for catching such an awesome guy!

The dilemma in this book made me stop and think though. What if I'm in their situation? What would I do and how would I feel about it? I decided that Asa's and Royal's decision are both sound and I think I'll do the same thing. Hah! You don't know what I'm talking about just yet... but you will, trust me.. you will!


Okay... so to wrap this up... I'm giving this 5 stars!! I'm also committing this series in my memory as well as in my heart. I will always, always love this series. Definitely one of the best. What a way to go, Jay! WHAT. A. WAY. TO. GO!!!!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the best book so far in this series. Tansy and Mak are one hell of a pair! They match each other in every scene. I love the underlying plot. I also love it that this series is turning out to be more of a serious one rather than just a light read. It's amazing how the author comes up with these new world order. I love it. I'll be reading more from her.

This is one damn good book!

SAMANTHA TOWLE HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!!

OH. MY. GODS.

I am sooo in love with this book.

It's sweet and badass at the same time!!

First off, I love a book that goes beyond what I expected it to be. This one surely did it. I expected just to have a good racing book, but NOOO Miss Towle surprised me with the level of emotion that her book can evoke.

This story is about two people who meet, GETS ATTRACTED TO ONE ANOTHER STRAIGHT AWAY, but fights it off because of clear boundaries. They go on with it for the longest time until BAM! They couldn't take it anymore. You will definitely love their delicious push and pull! I couldn't wait for them to be together right away, but I can't say that I didn't like how they reacted when they can see each other and they can't BE WITH EACH OTHER.

Ah, the feels!

Their dilemma, in my opinion, is not such a big one. It didn't make my head hurt. It just made me want them to be together more. I love how it ended and I especially love that epilogue. Watch out for that people!

Just read it!

I promise you, you will not be disappointed!

4.5

Better than the first one. This book may be short, but it's filled with action. It was unexpected, but of course I loved it! Awesome series! I hope it keeps getting better and better! :)

Wow.

Well that was hot... and quite interesting! Haha!

I can't even tell ya! *blushes*

If you want a mindless read about a hot alien and a very vivacious woman, then this one's for ya! :)

UNDENIABLY CHOSEN is UNDENIABLY AMAZING!!!

I actually just finished the book 2 hours ago and I'm very ecstatic that I can share the experience with you all STRAIGHT AWAY! Woooo!!!

I feel like I just came off a roller coaster ride. I cannot tell you just how many kinds of feelings I had for this book while I was reading it. I think there were more than 10! If you have been following my reviews, you would know that I am a big, big, REALLY REALLY REALLY BIG fan of the SIGNIFICANCE SERIES. However, that does not necessarily mean that I will give any book in the series a perfect five just like that. Oh no, no, no. I personally think that it's a disadvantage because my expectation is SKY HIGH for this book, but then... Gosh, I DON'T EVEN NEED TO LIKE THE ENTIRE SIGNIFICANCE SERIES TO APPRECIATE THIS BOOK!!!! I got more that I expected and then some!!!!


The plot picks up years after the first generation's books. I love how Shelly Crane made it very mysterious and so full fo twists and turns. You think you know something... but nooo you don't! I also love how the author carried on doing what she does best in the series... A Sweet scene one minute then POWER-BLAZING the next! It's full of action as it is full of romance. To me it just had the right blend. You will never feel bored!!!


Now let's talk characters!

AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I CAN'T WAIT FOR Y'ALL TO MEET SETH!!!!


SETH.

JUST SETH. T_____________________T


Your heart will break for him. Then you would love him. Then you would really, really, really LOVE HIM.


How weird is it that I find him hotter than Caleb (the hero from the first generation)? Haha! Soooorrryy Caleb, my Caleb, BUT NOTHING BEATS A FIRE FIGHTER WHO FIGHTS FOR HIS SIGNIFICANT!!!!

Seth may have been raised by the enemy, but he's totally UNLIKE them. I promise you. He's a survivor, a protector, a loving kid who wants his family's approval, but then accepts the fact that he can't have it all. He's humble, he's bashful (at times) AND HE'S SO DAAAAAMMMNNNN SWWEEETT!!! I TELL YOU!!!! What I love best about him is that there wasn't any doubt in his mind about the bonding thing. He was all for it! He loved having a significant and he appreciated it. My heart melted for him because, man.. he really waited and of course, when you wait for something for the longest time, you sure know how to value it. That's him. Every girl's waking dream!


Now onto our girl Ava. BEST GIRL EVER! I could totally feel her frustration with Seth's family, with her family.. with everything that surrounds their situation. Did it let her down? NO! She's my kind of girl because she fought for him! She fought everyone for him. I love it that even though she had her doubts (which were not unfounded, of course with all the history with the Watson) about Seth, she held on. She held on to the most important thing in their life and that's finding each other. Imagine waiting for someone and finding out that it's not your fairy tale. That would suck, but you have to swallow it, smile and deal with what's handed to you. For her, yeah it sucked, but she smiled and made the most out of it. I love it that after everything, she really does appreciate Seth's efforts and is very willing to do the same.


They totally, totally DESERVE EACH OTHER.

If you ask me about the other characters, all I can say is that they have grown. I am so happy for each and every one of them. :)


Ava and Seth. This is about them figuring out where they stand in their world. Finding each other and just living day by day with all the barriers that surrounds their relationship was hard, but the end result it beautiful. JUST PLAIN BEAUTIFUL.


This is a book that I have been waiting for, for a very long time.


I can tell you now,

It was worth the wait. :)


UNDENIABLY WORTH THE WAIT!!!


An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

DNF
Well that was different. It started out good and even awesome in some places. I just couldn't take ummm the harem of men. It wasn't for me. So yeah, I stopped while I still liked it. Mind you, this book is long.

Anyhoo, yeah... just not for me.

This book made me feel so good after reading it!

I have had my fair share of MC books. They're all hot alphas with an oomph! However, I have never encountered an MC book wherein the characters are also oh so hilarious. I swear! This one will make you smile, if not laugh!

The story revolves around Faye and her relationship with an entire motorcycle club! Why do I say "entire"? It's because it surely felt that way! I mean.. she made friends when it's next to impossible to be friends with people in that circumstance. She's a breath of fresh air. Her no-nonsense attitude towards the men is just plain awesome! Something has to be said about the way she handles conflict. Head on with a lot of sass! She's also the "HILARIOUS" part that I'm talking about... Well, her and Rake. Just read it! You'll see what I'm talking about!



Ooo-kayy.. done with the heroine... Now we describe the hero...



DEX, DEX, DEX...



Let's make a checklist shall we? It's been a long time since I made one. I kind of miss it and I think now is a proper time for it anyway!

Here goes:

✓He's hot.
✓He's badass.
✓He's possessive as expected!
✓He's thoughtful to some extent.
✓He's sweet to some extent too.
✓He's amazing with Faye
✓He hates cheaters which is plus plus plus points for me!!!
✓He isn't really afraid to say how he feels. It's amazing. :)


Hmmm.. I know I just described Dex the way every one of us will describe every hot alpha man in books, but trust me... This one's different. I even find some parts of this book corny because of him, but it's all good don't worry, he doesn't lose points just because of that. Heh!

The dilemma in the book is pretty expected. I just didn't expect their collective protectiveness of Faye. It's great! I wish I were Faye! Haha! The ending sure is satisfying! I love what happened to them, all things considered.


*sigh*


I wish I could jump to Rake's book. So far, he's the most entertaining biker I've ever come across!

If you're a fan of romance, motorcycle clubs and sassy attitude, JUST READ THIS!!! You won't regret it!!! ^______^

3.5

Well that was different!
Full review to come.Part Time Cowboy has a different flavor to it.

I usually read romance books wherein it's the heroine who has a bigger issue. In this case, I daresay that Eli has issues the size of a bulldozer.

You see, Sadie has always been a runner. She runs when things get to be too much for her or just when she thinks she wants to experience something new. I think she's got a strong character because it takes a lot of strength to just pick up and leave the life that you know presently. However, she knew there's something missing, so she goes back to where it all started. In all fairness to her, she has a very good reason to be the way she is. I don't begrudge her the running and the escaping. I think it's her way of coping. In this book, she faces her demons and meets a guy with a devilish smile. . . . and attitude... at first that is. ;)

Sooo now let me explain why I think Eli has the bigger issue here.

Eli is a fixer. He fixes things and doesn't like it when things are out of order. If you ask me, I think he's a little obsessive compulsive. I know, I know, it's a trait that's seen more in women. However, there's history here so you would really understand why he is the way he is. I'll admit, at first, I truly didn't like Eli's attitude towards Sadie. He has no excuse to be an ass to her, but there were times when he really was. As the story went by, I understood him. He actually kind of makes sense. I was at the edge of my seat waiting for him to snap out of it. And he did, oh boy he sooo did.

He pulled through. They pulled through in spite of their not so wonderful history.

What should you expect here? THE PUSH AND PULL. I swear, I've been reading a lot of books lately with characters who don't really argue... This book sure made me miss it! Haha! It's amazing how two people could go from fighting one second then kissing the next! :) Still gets to me everytime!

This book is all about their journey towards achieving the right balance between change and stability.

I think I could have given this a higher rating, if not for the high amount of internal monologues. Anyway, it still is a good read. I was entertained and I look forward to the next book! It sounds really interesting too!

An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

5 OTHERWORLDLY STARS!


This book is not at all what I expected it to be. I expected the corny kind of love story between a woman from Earth and an alien. I expected this to have a lot of fast, ummm.. intimate scenes too. However, this book proved me wrong.

Grim may be a big badass king alien with all of his might and power, but he's vulnerable. He accepted a long time ago that he isn't fit to have a partner. He isn't fit to have children. He has long since accepted that he's the last of his line. I pity him because when he looks at himself, all he kind of sees is a failure. A badass still, but a miserable badass that is.

Until he comes across Lisa, a single mom with a one track mind when it comes to her children.

Lisa is from Earth. Life didn't go the way she wanted, but she soldiered on because of her children. If you ask me, Lisa is a badass in her own special way too. She endured it all.... Ugh, I can't say what she endured for it will give out big chunks of info.. SPOILERRRSSS.. Soooo yeah, you'll just have to trust me. I promise you that she endured something really awful and it takes a lot of courage to continue living like that.

It's fully explained how she was able to adapt right away to Grim's way of life. It's pretty impressive and amazing how she integrated herself in that situation as well as the kids. Well, no surprise with the kids. Kids are usually resilient. They were all so sweet to Grim that I was touched every time they address Grim.

Their love story isn't your everyday romance. It's even more special because Lisa is the one teaching Grim about the ins and outs. I had fun reading about Grim's slip ups and how fascinated he is with Lisa's Earthly quirks. It was fun as it was also heartfelt. :) They also had an explosive romance! Hah! You have to look forward to it!

What makes this book stand out too is the fact that men in this book AREN'T ALLOWED TO BE @$$#%2*8 TO WOMEN.It's strictly forbidden because women are scarce (AND I MEAN SCARCE) already. They have to treat their women as the treasure they truly are. However, in doing so, they gave too much power in their women that they don't know how to appreciate what they're given anymore. In this book, Lisa and the others will start changing their perspectives regarding the roles of women in contrast to that of a man.


All in all, this is an amazing book with lots of life and family lessons to learn. ;) Hot and explosive too! What more can you ask for?

How do I describe a book as beautiful as this?

This book is everything I DIDN'T EXPECT IT TO BE.

It's not pretty. It's not light, It did not evoke a single emotion out of me.

PEOPLE, IT'S NOT PRETTY, IT'S FRIGGIN BEAUTIFUL. IT'S NOT LIGHT, IT'S DAMN HEAVY WITH A LOT OF HISTORY AND AND ONE HELL OF A BRIGHT FUTURE. IT DID NOT EVOKE JUST A SINGLE EMOTION, IT EVOKED A WHOLE NEW ARRAY OF EMOTIONS!!!


Goodness me, this book totally sucked me.


I actually have no idea what else to tell y'all. Everything that I will type below is all from the heart and cut short so that I could not spout spoilers!


This book will do just that. Get to you. Get to every part of your heart. Make you see things that weren't there before.


We already know Ally, right? She was young and so nice to our Molly and her cousin, Rome. I love her character because she's loyal and such an interesting person to be around with. Well... She's all grown up now and she certainly made something out of her own will without using the family name. Needless to say, she is something that guys would really want to date! :) I love her!

Now onto our hero.

Elpidio.

He's a mystery.

And will continue being just that. ;)

All I can say about him is he's everything you never thought he'd be!

I love him. I cried fugly tears for him and I will forever remember his character. He left a mark in my heart. A really, really big one.

There's not much I can say to keep the mystery here....

I can just say again and again and again, it's beautiful. I cried and I laughed. I got so frustrated that I wanted to come inside the book to shake some sense out of the other characters. I also wanted to grab both of them, YES BOTH of them because they were doing something so heartfelt and I just want to tell them how much I appreciate their characters.


I WANT TO SAY A LOT MORE THINGS, BUT IT WOULD SPOIL THE STORY FOR YA.

SO, I LEAVE YOU WITH THIS....

IF YOU ARE A PERSON WHO BELIEVES IN THE BEST OF PEOPLE, READ THIS.

READ THIS AND FALL IN LOVE!!!!!!

An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

MOST DEFINITELY A DIFFERENT READ!!!

It's amazing when you still find a unique story after thousands of books.

*sigh*

Where do I even begin?

Let's just say that it's all about a pre historic man who finds himself a mate who's from a very modern time. He teaches her all about his world while she teaches him some things that she can from the modern times. It's as awesome as it's heartfelt.

I love how they slowly cared for each other. It wasn't something forced and it wasn't super fast. They slowly gained the trust and love of each other. Even with their differences and language barrier, they got to a point wherein they were patient with each other and tried hard to understand the other. They slowly but surely built a family for themselves and it's just plain beautiful. I also love that the author showed just how brutal the life conditions in the past could be. It made me appreciate what we have now and it made me thank a lot of people before me for bringing this kind of life TODAY.

I also have to say.. with all the seriousness of this book, it's also sweet AND DAMN HILARIOUS. There were just so many times wherein I laughed so hard with both of their reactions to one another. All I can say is, laughter cures everything, even the trauma of being transported to another time/world. :)

I had complete faith that the author will give me a beautiful ending and that's what I had. It's damn beautiful!!! I wanted to read the book again right away!!


Ahhh.. It's so hard to describe everything that I've read. I'm afraid I'm not coherent enough. All I know is that this is a must read. It's unique, it's brutal, it's enticing, it's hot, it'll teach you many things and you'll feel an array of emotions. It's worth everything!


I'll recommend this to anyone who'll listen!!!!!!!!

READ THIS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is just sooooo hot and impressive!

I actually went blind on this one. I didn't read the blurb. I didn't know who this was about, so my first reaction was.. HOT DAMN! WOW! It's so good to just trust the author. I knew she could pull it off! This book is one amazing mess! ^_______^


Puck and Becca sure had it rough.. but that's how they got together. Something happens that changes both of their lives. It changes them and connects them at the same time. I think the right word for them after that is "suspended". Their life gets suspended and then restarts five years later...

And oh... restarting never seemed so good. :)

Puck is you man's man. A real man in every way. He lives and breathes his motorcycle club. He'll do anything and everything for his club and in all fairness to his MC, the Silver Bastards, they're far more decent compared to other MCs. He's a reliable, loyal and protective. Personally, I think she's just what Becca needs.

Becca is a girl who've known the dirty life since she was so very young. She didn't come from a decent family, but she wants something more for her future. She works hard, does her best in school and even loves her foster family. She also has a nice set of friends. I like it that she stands up for herself. I like it that she is unafraid of saying how she feels. I think the only disadvantage that I see in her character is that she cares too much about her mom. Yeah, I know it's a standard thing to care for our moms, however, if the said mom constantly lies, cons us and breaks us to pieces... I think it's safe to say that it's unhealthy to care.

So.. a little recap, we have a man's man and a girl who stands up for herself. What does that show us?


It's a catastrophe!! Such a beautiful catastrophe!

^______________________________________^


They collide again and OOHLALA... it's an explosion! I can't say sparks because it's a total understatement. They're totally hot together and ohmy, they can be really, really, really sweet to each other!! I like how their history molded the right fit of a relationship. I love how the author was able to create such unique characters with definite sets of characteristics. It's awesome! They stand by their unique wants, needs, likes and dislikes. It's deliciously amazing when two people clash like this. A MUST READ!


You won't only like the pairing, you would love the story altogether! There's just something about motorcycle clubs. That mysterious, dangerous but one hell of a camaraderie vibe is indeed something that would entice everyone. I am sooo in love and this is just the first in a new series! Effin amazing!

Read this book and you'll see! :)


Looking forward to any book by this author!!!!

An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.