Dissipate by Kristin Mayer (Review & Giveaway)

Title: Dissipate
Series: Standalone
Author: Kristin Mayer
Published: May 21, 2015
Format: Ebook received for review
Pages: 267 per Amazon

Kenzie Brooks needs to vanish. 

All she has ever known is a string of misconceptions, including her name. Upon her mother’s passing, Kenzie is left with no other choice but to disappear without a trace from all she has ever known which is The Society.

She must vanish.

Will Kenzie be able to fool The Society into thinking she’s dead? Or will they put the pieces together and discover she’s learned the truth about where she came from?

This was quite an interesting books, and I was very excited to read it.  It seems like lately I am very interested in books with alternate societies, so The Society sounded like it would fit right in.  Kenzie Brooks seemed like she would be an interesting character to follow along.

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry (Review)

Title: Nowhere But Here
Series: Thunder Road #1
Author: Katie McGarry
Published: May 26, 2015 - Harlequin Teen
Format: Egalley
Pages: 496 pages

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both. 

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down. 

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

This is my first book by Katie McGarry, which I don't understand because I own several.  The nuisance of time, I suppose.  It is definitely not my last.  As I start this review, I'm at 64% through the book.  But I wanted to get my post started and get some stuff in before I forget.  I am easily falling for this story and this group of people.  Yeah, it's YA, but to me it feels more NA. Oz and Emily could easily each pass for 19 or 20 rather than 17 and 18.

The Ruin Of The World by Nazarea Andrews (Review & Giveaway)

Title: The Ruin Of The World
Series: The World Without End #4
Author: Nazarea Andrews
Published: May 11, 2015
Format: Ebook received for review
Pages: 202 per Amazon

When the zombies rose, we thought the world ended.

It didn’t—it just broke, in a way we couldn’t fix. And we found ways to continue, reasons to fight. 

Faith. Family. Politics. Obsession. The most dangerous of all—hope. 

But when all of that is stripped away, and nothing remains but rage and betrayal—that is the true end of the world. 

Return to the World Without End, for a final battle for hope and survival in the exciting conclusion to Nazarea Andrews’ phenomenal series.

Well, I've finished the series.  I'm a bit sad to see the end of Finn and Nurrin in The Ruin Of The World, but it has definitely been an enjoyable trip.  Nazarea Andrews has definitely written a fine series with a dystopian flare that really worked well.

Under The Influence by LB Simmons (Review)

Title: Under The Influence
Series: Standalone
Author: LB Simmons
Published: May 11, 2015
Format: Ebook received for review

Dalton,

I loved you once. A love I thought irrevocable. A love I mistakenly believed could transcend both time and circumstance. Under the influence of my dimwitted, naïve, traitorous heart, I became intoxicated with what I now know was simply a figment of my self-indulgent imagination. So drunk on the feeling, I couldn’t see what was right in front of my face. So foolishly enamored, I blindly followed my heart into the depths of an emotion that would ravage me. 

Years later, I know now what I wish I knew then. I am stronger. Smarter. Tougher. I will not allow myself to be broken again. 

I loved you.

I raged for you.

I wept for you.

And now, I’m letting you go.

I've never read LB Simmons before, and from this blurb I was expecting a pretty emotional book.  I really wanted Spencer and Dalton to deliver the feels.  So did they?

Tessa Ever After by Brighton Walsh (Review & Giveaway)

Title: Tessa Ever After
Series: Caged In Winter #2
Author: Brighton Walsh
Published: may 5, 2015 - Berkley
Format: EGalley
Pages: 304 per Goodreads

Jason’s been living (and loving) the rich playboy lifestyle for five years, but now his parents are pressuring him to get involved in the family business. The last thing he wants is another obligation, but when his best friend moves out of state and asks Jason to look after his sister, he can’t just say no.

Tessa had to grow up way too soon. After dealing with the aftermath of her parents’ deaths, then becoming a teenage mom, she knows the meaning of responsibility. Which is why, at twenty-two, she’s looking for so much more than a party boy. She’s looking for someone who can stand by her and her daughter…forever.

A relationship between them is doomed from the start, but who says they can’t have a little fun? But as Jason gets closer to Tessa—and her daughter—fun starts to turn into something else… Something Jason’s not sure he’s ready for. 

 This is my second book from Brighton Walsh, and I liked Tessa Ever After even more than Caged In Winter. Tessa Ever After is a bit New Adult and a bit Contemporary.  The story just flew by for me.

With Visions of Red by Trisha Wolfe (Review)

Title: With Visions of Red
Series: Broken Bonds, Book One
Author: Trisha Wolfe
Published: May 7, 2015
Format: Ebook received for review

Criminal profiler Sadie Bonds knows blood. Her affair with the gruesome, dark world of killers began long before she started applying her analytical skills to investigate gory crime scenes. She gets inside the killers’ heads, breaks them down, relates to them on an arcane level. She prefers it this way—because it’s safer to ally herself with the villain than the victim. At least, that’s how she’s coped ever since she was abducted and tortured as a teen.

She will never be a victim again.

Now, she’s honed her skills in order to bring justice to these ritualistic offenders. Working alongside her colleagues, armed with sharp wit and a SIG, Sadie always catches her sadist. Until one ruthless serial killer gets inside Sadie’s head, turning the tables. He knows her secrets. Her obsessions. The darkest, most deviant part of her soul.

When she meets Colton Reed, dangerous stakes are raised as he threatens to unravel her control and reveal her darkest fantasies. The sexy-as-sin bondage rigger at an exclusive BDSM club pushes her boundaries, forcing her to acknowledge that side of herself she fears. Plunged into a realm of torture and suffering, pain and pleasure, Sadie balances on the razor-sharp edge of two intersecting worlds threatening to swallow her.

Passion and lust ignite. Dark and light battle. This explosive first installment of the Broken Bonds series sets the exhilarating pace for a cat and mouse game where no one knows who’s really pulling the strings.

Trisha Wolfe is one of those authors I've been wanting to read, but haven't had the chance - until now.  And wow, I've started off with a doozie of a book.  With Visions of Red is dark.  Dark and sexy - and I loved every word of it.

At The Stars by Elisabeth Staab (Review)

Title: At The Stars
Series: Evergreen Grove #1
Author: Elisabeth Staab
Published: May 5, 2015 (tomorrow!!)
Format: Ebook received for review
Pages: 278 per Goodreads

A GIRL TRYING TO LEAVE HER PAST BEHIND
I was a normal teenager who loved music and dancing, until the day I was attacked in my favorite record store. A few years later when my mom succumbed to depression and took her own life, I couldn’t stay in my hometown with all the memories and the curious stares. I decided to get in my car and just go – except my car decided it was done going outside a tiny place called Evergreen Grove. That’s where I found Jake. Or I guess Jake found me. 

A GUY WHO CAN’T LET HIS GO
For the last eight years, all I can think about is the day I ended another man’s life. Then I manage to save Cassie’s, and I feel like maybe I’ve got some kind of second chance. To do what I couldn’t before, or maybe even for something bigger. Something like love. If only I could feel like I deserve her...

For my first read from author Elisabeth Staab, I have to say I am impressed.  I really enjoyed Cassie and Jake's story, they make a great couple for sure.

Deadland Rising by Rachel Aukes

Title: Deadland Rising
Series: Deadland Saga #3
Author: Rachel Aukes
Published: April 13, 2015 Surprisingly Adequate Publishing
Format: Ebook
Pages: 420 per Goodreads

The conclusion of the critically acclaimed DEADLAND SAGA:

Winter has arrived. 
It has been nearly one year since the zombie hordes claimed the world. As the plague eats away at its victims’ bodies, the Fox survivors search for a safe place to rebuild what they have lost. But a dangerous new threat has risen, hunting them from every direction. To survive, Cash, Clutch, and their small band of refugees must put their faith in a group of strangers and a new government with radical plans. It will take all of the Fox survivors’ strength and courage to endure in this barren, hostile world. Even that might not be enough. 

(Deadland Rising is a journey through Dante Alighieri's “Paradiso”, the classic tale on the seven virtues… zombie apocalypse style!)

Deadland Rising completes what has become one of my absolute favorite series ever.  Rachel Aukes has written such a beautiful and exciting trilogy, the third book is a bit bittersweet.  It has certainly been an eventful ride along with Cash, but oh so worth it.  Readers, this is a series not to be missed.