Book Review: Frigid by J. Lynn

 

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

My Thoughts:  Sydney and Kyler have been best friends since elementary school.  Sydney has had feelings for Kyler for awhile but doesn't want to ruin the friendship so she hasn't told Kyler. She sits by and watches him take girl after girl home.  Sydney has only had one relationship and it ended on a bad note.  

Sydney and Kyler head up to Kyler's cabin for Christmas Break.  The plan is to meet some of their other friends up there and celebrate their last year of college.  Sydney and Kyler make it up there but get hit by a massive snow storm and their friends don't make it.  Sydney and Kyler are now stranded and alone and to make matters worse, someone is stalking the two and making things even more interesting.

I really liked Sydney and could really relate to her and her feelings.  My husband and I were friends for a long time before we actually got together and I know the fear of losing your friend over a relationship.  I felt her heartbreak every time she watched Kyler flirt with another girl.  I loved when Sydney found her "lady balls" and I really liked how feisty she could be.   I also understood her constant worrying and over analyzing everything because I totally do that too!  

Kyler was sweet and even though he was a player, you understood why. He was very protective of Sydney and he honestly cared for her.  I loved how he respected Sydney and didn't treat her like all the other girls.  She meant something special to him and he treated her that way.  He was sweet and I really liked his character.  

This story is told in alternating POVs and I really enjoyed that as well.  Getting into Kyler's head made the story interesting and a whole lot easier to understand Kyler.  It definitely would not have been as good without Kyler's point of view.

This was an incredibly fast paced read!  The "mystery" was somewhat predictable (I had it figured out almost immediately) but it was still a fun book and will not disappoint!

Book Review: Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

My Thoughts:  I've heard this is the last book in the series.  If it is, I'm a little disappointed because it left so many loose ends.  Seriously, I have a ton of questions that were not even close to being answered.

Violet is a senior this year but instead of concentrating on fun stuff like prom, graduation, parties, etc., she is concentrating on ignoring her imprint and trying to get over being kidnapped in the previous book.   Then Violet finds a family dead in their home and her world is thrown upside down again.  Especially when she notices that one of the bodies does not have an imprint.  When one of her classmates is accused of the murder, Violet is determined to find out what happened.

Along with the murder of the family, Violet has been given her grandma's journals.  Her grandma had the same "gift" as Violet and begins to write about a group that called themselves the Circle of Seven.  It's a group very much like the one Violet is in with Rafe and Sara.  

Between figuring out what the connection is between the Circle of Seven and her own little group and trying to find a murderer, Violet's senior year is unlike any other.  

Okay, I realize that if Violet wasn't so stubborn and determined, this would probably be a really boring (and short) book but through the whole book I was rolling my eyes at her stupidity and all the risks she took.  She not only put herself in danger but others as well.  It drove me crazy.  I also think Violet is a little whiny.  She is constantly keeping secrets and then getting upset because no one "understands" her or what she is going through.  She really just annoys me.

Jay is the same as he has been in the other books.  It was actually boring for me.  He is loyal and will protect Violet to the end but the whole romance for me was boring and predictable.  

I really like Violet's team.  Rafe and Sara and Gemma, even Dr. Lee.  They add some mystery and interest to the book.  Dr. Lee was especially interesting in this book and I'm a little irritated that there were so many unanswered questions regarding him and the group. Then, Gemma just kind of disappears from the book.  It was disappointing to me as she was one of my favorite characters.

So, all in all, this was an okay book.  It wasn't great but it wasn't bad and if you have read the others in the series, you should obviously read this one too.   I just don't think it tied up all the loose ends and I still have a lot of questions.  

Book Review: Teardrop by Lauren Kate

 

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away.

My Thoughts:  I have never read anything by Lauren Kate (even though I own the whole Fallen series) so I wasn't sure what to expect with this book.  I thought the book started out a little slow but it did pick up and kept my interest the rest of the time.

Eureka's mother was killed by a rogue wave, leaving Eureka to live with her dad and step-mom.  Eureka is dealing with survivor's guilt and has quite a difficult time with her mom's death.  She has alienated herself from everyone at school except her two best friends, Brooks and Cat.  She quit the cross-country team and is now forced to see a psychiatrist that her step-mom has picked out for her.  

Eureka meets Ander when he rear-ends her at stop sign.  Eureka has never seen Ander before but he tells her he is on the rival school's cross country team.  It doesn't take Eureka long to find out that Ander is not being completely honest with her.  Ander shows up unexpectedly most of the time and isn't able to be found the other times.  

While at the reading of her mother's will, Eureka is given three very interesting objects.  She is given a locket her mother always wore but that didn't open, a box with a rock called a "Thunderstone" wrapped in gauze in it and a book written in a strange language.  She takes the book to a pyschic who is the only person who can translate the book.  The psychic gives Eureka some information and warns her to not tell anyone about the book.  When something tragic happens to the psychic and her best friend, Brooks, starts behaving strangely, Eureka feels more alone than ever.   

I felt for Eureka because I cannot imagine losing my mom the way she did.   I cannot imagine not being able to cry and I can't imagine the will power one must have to keep from crying at a funeral or when feeling so alone.  There were a couple of times when I thought Eureka was a little...dumb or naive but I liked her character for the most part.  

Brooks was a very interesting character.  I wasn't sure what was going on with him at first but did figure it out before the end of the book.  There isn't a lot I can say about him without giving a lot away so I will just say he was a very interesting character and definitely has me wondering what will happen in the following books.

I did not like Eureka's dad at all.  I thought he was weak and I hated how he wouldn't really stand up for her with his new wife.  He just seemed to be in a rut of work and sleep until the end of the book.  I thought the step-mom was rather mean and lacked some serious understanding.  I didn't like her at all either.  

I enjoyed this book and the story of Atlantis.  It was a pretty quick read for me and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.