Secret (Elemental #4) by Brigid Kemmerer

Secret
By Brigid Kemmerer

Series: Elemental #4

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Kensington

Goodreads Summary:

Nowhere is safe. Not even home…

Nick Merrick is stretched to the breaking point.

Keep hi grades sky-high or he’ll never escape his hometown.

Keep his brother’s business going or the Merricks will be out on the street.

Keep the secret of where he’s going in the evenings from his own twin – or he’ll lose his family.

Keep his mind off the hot, self-assured dancer who’s supposed to be his “girlfriend’s” partner.

Of course there’s also the homicidal freak Quinn has taken to hanging around, and the Elemental Guide counting the hours until he can try again to kill the Merrick brothers.

There’s a storm coming. From all sides. And then some.

Nick Merrick, can you keep it together?

Links:

Secret on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

Brigid Kemmerer’s Website

My Thoughts:

I really didn’t think it was possible to love the Merrick brothers any more but somehow Brigid has managed to pull it off. Each book in the series has made me fall for them all over again. All of the brothers are…well they’re the shit.

Some series will drop off after a book or two, or three but that’s definitely not the case with this one. I have very much enjoyed every book & novella in the series.  I don’t think I could even pick a favorite among them. In other words, if you haven’t read this series, what the heck are you waiting for?!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Audiobook Review: Stained by Cheryl Rainfield

Stained
By Cheryl Rainfield

Stand Alone Novel

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Suspense
Publisher: Hough Mifflin Harcort
Narrated by: Emily Bauer & Kirby Heyborne

Goodreads Summary:

An intensely powerful account of a teen, bullied for her port-wine stain, who must summon her personal strength to survive abduction and horrific abuse at the hands of a deranged killer.

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Meadows longs for “normal”. Born with a port wine stain covering half her face, all her life she’s been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. But when she’s abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had, become the hero rather than a victim, and learn to look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside. It’s that- or succumb to a killer

Links:

Stained on Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, and Barnes & Noble

Cheryl Rainfield’s Website

My Thoughts:

I won this audiobook from the author but that in no way affected my review.

Stained was the first audiobook I listened to and I was instantly hooked. I’m hooked on audiobooks and more importantly I was hooked on Stained. It only took me an evening and part of the next morning to listen to the entire book which was almost 8 hours. Cheryl’s writing is so powerful. She broaches very difficult subjects like kidnapping and bullying, but she always manages to infuse a sense of hope into her books.

The things Sarah goes through are beyond horrible and even more heartbreaking is knowing that people experience these things in real life. Stained will make you take a look around and realize how much we take for granted and how often we judge people without realizing it.

Sarah really is a superhero. She has this fierce determination and such a kind heart. Even though this book has such a difficult subject matter there’s also a light at the end of the tunnel feeling throughout and that’s because of Sarah.

Like I said, I listened to this as an audiobook; it was written and narrated in dual points of view. Each point of view was read by a different narrator. The switching narrators didn’t bother me at all, in fact half the time I didn’t even notice it. It was definitely a good choice for  my first audiobook experience.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1)

Sweet Evil

By Wendy Higgins

 

Series: The Sweet Trilogy #1

Genre: Young Adult, Fallen Angels/Demons, Romance, Fantasy

Publisher: Harper Teen

 

Embrace the Forbidden

 

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

 

This is a reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels. Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with a sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

 

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

 

Sweet Evil on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

Wendy Higgins’ Website

 

My Thoughts:

 

Angel books aren’t really my bag so I put off reading this one until Krista (Krista’s Dust Jacket) schooled me and told me it’s more about demons. My ears perked up at the word demons and I read it right away. I ended up falling for Sweet Evil. It’s mostly about Nephs who pretty much only exist to do the bidding of their powerful and sometimes quite scary demon parent (Duke’s). Talk about being born into a shitty life! The story obviously isn’t as cut and dry as that but you’ll have to dive into the awesomeness that is Sweet Evil in order to find out more. Just a warning though, this one could leave you with a book hangover as it did with me.

 

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5