REVIEW - Forget Me Not by Stacey Nash

Today I have a review for you of a book that I've waited quite a while to read. I have known Stacey Nash for almost two years. We blog together at Aussie Owned and Read, and we've become good friends in the process. I've followed Stacey's bumpy journey with this book, and I'm so glad it has found a home.

Please note that my relationship with Stacey has had no bearing on the outcome of this review.

About the book:

Forget Me Not by Stacey Nash
YA/Fantasy/Speculative Fiction
Published August 1st, 2014









Anamae is drawn into a world which shatters everything she knew to be true.

Since her mother vanished nine years ago, Anamae and her father have shared a quiet life. But when Anamae discovers a brooch identical to her mother’s favorite pendant, she unknowingly invites a slew of trouble into their world. They’re not just jewellery, they’re part of a highly developed technology capable of cloaking the human form. Triggering the jewellery’s power attracts the attention of a secret society determined to confiscate the device – and silence everyone who is aware of its existence. Anamae knows too much, and now she’s Enemy Number One.

She’s forced to leave her father behind when she’s taken in by a group determined to keep her safe. Here Anamae searches for answers about this hidden world. With her father kidnapped and her own life on the line, Anamae must decide if saving her dad is worth risking her new friends’ lives. No matter what she does, somebody is going to get hurt.

My Review:

Forget Me Not was a fun read. I loved the story, and it was unique enough for me to think that I hadn't read anything like it before. Not so much in the way of plot or romance, but in the technology. Nash has really put a lot of thought into the tech and gadgets the characters come into contact with, and use throughout the book. I really enjoyed the sci-fi elements incorporated into the urban setting, and although I have never been anywhere in America, I felt like I knew the landscape well enough from the descriptions to feel as if I'd been there before.

Anamae is a strong lead character who is determined, and knows what she wants (most of the time). She is thrown into a sticky situation as a result of her own actions, but is in the dark when it comes to how or why. She spends the rest of the book seeking and finding answers.

I especially liked the action and fighting scenes in Forget Me Not, and Nash was not afraid to let her characters get hurt. I thought this added a nice element of realism to the story.

The romance in Forget Me Not was cute, and had all that wonderful teenager-y angst and tension. Sometimes I wanted to slap Anamae to wake her up, because she is a little clueless when it comes to her best friend, Will. Jax, on the other hand, is everything I love in a bad boy. He has the aloofness, swagger, and the attitude to go with it. Sorry Will, but I'm team Jax all the way.

Overall, Forget Me Not is a fast paced, action packed, and fun read. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Remember Me.

About Book Two:

Remember Me by Stacey Nash
YA/Fantasy/Speculative Fiction
Published October 1st, 2014



When all is lost, she must remember…

Anamae Gilbert managed to thwart The Collective and rescue her father, even though his mind is now a shell. Determined to stop Councilor Manvyke hurting her family again, she’s training to become an active resistance member and enjoying a growing romance. But things never sail along smoothly – Manvyke wants retribution. And Anamae’s name is high on his list.

After a blow to the head, she awakes in an unfamiliar location. Anamae can’t remember the last few weeks and she can’t believe the fascinating new technology she’s seeing. She’s the new kid at school and weapons training comes with ease, but something feels off. Why does the other new kid’s smile make her heart ache?

And why does she get the feeling these people are deadly?

About the Author:

Stacey Nash writes adventure filled stories for Young Adults in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. When her head isn’t stuck in a fictional world, she calls the Hunter Valley of New South Wales home. It is an area nestled between mountains and vineyards, full of history and culture that all comes together to create an abundance of writing inspiration. Stacey loves nothing more than writing when inspiration strikes.

HarperCollins | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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BLOG TOUR: The Beast Within by Melissa Crowe

 

Today I welcome Indie author, Melissa Crowe, back to the blog as part of The Beast Within blog tour. Check out the details for the first three books, then read my thoughts below.

The Beast Within
Genre: Paranormal Romance



Karina's world is turned upside down when she meets the sexy and mysterious Xavier. Something powerful and sensual is unlocked from inside her that she cannot explain and seems to have little control over.

With Xavier's help, Karina discovers she is a Tuatha De Danann, celtic faeries long thought to have been eradicated. Xavier's insistence on making her believe troubles Karina, what dangerous secret is he keeping from her? Can her ex partner Ian save her before it's too late?

Amazon Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Smashwords

Haunted
Genre: Paranormal Romance



Karina has now discovered her abilities, but this only puts her in further danger. With a 600 year old lycanthrope thirsting for her blood, Ian must summon the help of his brother Ronan. The keeper of the Spear of Victory, a treasure sacred to the Tuatha De Danann.

Can the two Guardians protect Karina, or will her secret ultimately bring destruction upon them all?

Amazon Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Smashwords

Journey
Genre: Paranormal Romance



Ian has been summoned by the Goddess Danu to the Otherworld, and Karina will not let him go without a fight.

With a Tutha De Danann that is unable to cross water, getting from Australia to Ireland will make for an interesting journey. Supernatural beings, sworn enemies and the full moon are only half of the risk as they try to cross three continents. Drug smuggling, guerrilla kidnapping and lycans on the prowl will hamper their travels.

Davarus, self-proclaimed King of the lycanthropes is building an army and on the move. Danger faces these forbidden lovers at every turn.

Would you travel to the ends of the earth for the one you love?

Amazon Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Smashwords

About the Author
I am from Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. I have been a lover of Paranormal and strong powerful women all my life and now am lucky enough to put the two together and share it with the world. In 2009 I started writing and have not looked back.

Facebook | Amazon | Smashwords | Website

My Reviews:

The Beast Within
Karina is at a crossroads in her life, and she decides she needs time away from her boring, mundane boyfriend, Ian. She meets Xavier, a random stranger, and they have a bit of a fling. Xavier knows things about Karina, and at first I thought it was all a little convenient, but everything came together in the end and I understood why he had this knowledge. He tells her she is a Tuatha De Danann, or celtic faerie. Karina's reaction isn't much different from Sookie's, but she places her trust in Xavier—which isn’t such a good idea—and Ian turns out not to be so boring after all.

I don’t know much about the Tuatha De Danann, so all the twists and turns in this novella took me by surprise. Throw in some mean werewolves (or lycanthropes) and there's a good mix of reality and fantasy.  

The Beast Within was a short, fast paced read with an intriguing plot, but I was left with some questions that I’m hoping will be answered in the next book.

Haunted
Haunted begins about a year after The Beast Within, and it’s hard to review this novella without giving away plot spoilers for the first book.

I will say that the pace is again fast, and we’re introduced to some new characters, but I felt the plot was somewhat predictable. It seemed to be a case of the same thing happening but with a few different people. Still, I enjoyed it and it had the same charm as the first book.

I really liked Ronan and thought he was very interesting, and I’m wondering what part he will play in the next instalment. We get to see Karina develop more as a character, and Haunted answered a few of my questions. Karina's powers are something I’m looking forward to seeing more of as well.

Journey
The title pretty much sums up the plot of the third book in The Beast Within series. Karina and Ian set out on a journey to reach the Otherworld after Ian suffers a mild possession. They meet a few 'people' along the way, some who help them and some who don't so much. Karina faces several obstacles since she can't travel across water and needs to get from Australia to Ireland.

There's plenty of action—more so than in the first two books—and surprisingly no sex (the first two novellas had some steamy sex scenes). Karina really comes into her own. She is determined and strong, and doesn't let anyone push her around. Ian's loyalty is unwavering and the prospect of him not being able, or allowed, to be with Karina is heartbreaking.

There wasn't much more detail about the four gifts that the guardians guard, and I'm looking forward to finding out more about them in future parts of this series. The ending to Journey has left me hanging on the edge of my seat as it stops in a place that leaves more questions than answers, and I'm eager to find out what happens.

For me this series has been an up and down roller coaster, and Journey is by far my favourite of the three so far. Maybe it's because the plot was different to the first two and brought something new to the table.

Overall this is a great series with an interesting and fast paced story line. I recommend it for those who like anything paranormal, and characters that don't mind getting their hands dirty.

Due to some sexual situations I recommend this series for readers 18+

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REVIEW + Giveaway The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

About The Book:
Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

 
Check out the rest of the tour stops via Xpresso Book Tours HERE.

About the Author:
Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

My Review:
Favourite line: "I'm perfectly happy with a good book and a bowl of Double Fudge ice cream."

Yes, Allison, so am I!

Firstly, I have to say that the cover of The Forgotten Ones is pure awesomeness. I love it! So, so pretty. The font, the image, the colours, everything is beautiful.

Okay, so I went into this book with a preconceived expectation that was fulfilled, but not in the way I assumed it would be. The cover and title lent towards something magical and mystical, so when I was almost half way and hadn’t encountered anything in the way of magic (as in waving wands and stuff, not romantic magic, although there wasn’t much of that either), I was convinced I was reading a contemporary romance.

Then bam! We have magic faeries flitting around causing all sorts of trouble. Cool.

I’m going to back-track and start with Allison and Ethan’s relationship. I loved the tension between them, but sometimes I wanted to smack her over the head. Seriously, she’d been in love with this guy for forever, and he was obviously into her, but Allison kept making excuses. Her main reason was because Ethan was a player, but I didn’t really see that. If a girl was hanging off him, he made the effort to untangle himself and run to her. There was never any big event that Allison witnessed Ethan doing to suggest he was with heaps of girls. I wanted Allison and Ethan to get it on more.

Now, back to the bam! moment.

The first half of this book read like a contemporary romance, then all of a sudden I was thrown into a magical world with conniving faeries, some of them imprisoned, others creepy, and way too many complicated names to make sense of, or try and remember. At one point there were two guys fighting each other and their names both started with A. I got confused and it took me a while to work out if the guy who won was the guy I thought he was. I ended up skimming over the names because I didn’t know how to pronounce them. There was a pronunciation guide at the back of the book, but I didn’t know it was there until I'd finished. I think I wouldn’t have struggled so much if I’d read this first.

The reason for all the faerie fighting: Allison’s mum is schizophrenic. Allison has grown up with no father and spends all her time worrying about her mother. She also believes she is the reason for her mum’s illness. Cue creepy faerie man, Liam. He turns up looking for Allison’s mum, and is actually Allison’s long lost dad, and everything goes to hell. She disappears, Ethan disappears, and Allison goes to faerie land to save them.

Despite the things I didn’t like, I did enjoy The Forgotten Ones. It was a fast and easy read, but not one that grabbed my complete attention. There were too many characters for me to get invested in anyone in particular, and Allison was a little boring really. My favourite moment by far was the one kiss Allison and Ethan shared, but it was over so quickly. I really like Ethan, and I wish Allison had given him more of a chance.

The ending: We’re left with a cliff-hanger, but I didn’t feel as if there was a huge lead up to it. The story just sort of stopped. I love a good cliff-hanger, but I’m not a fan of this sudden-stop type of ending, and for me there was no satisfactory resolution. I know it’s part of a trilogy, but the second book isn’t out yet! This is the kind of book where you need the next one to keep going with the story, and I do want to find out what happens.

Overall I liked The Forgotten Ones, but I didn’t love it. That’s okay though, because there are plenty of people that will love it, and I encourage you to give it a go for yourself. You never know, it may be your favourite read of 2013.

The Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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A Box of Books and a REVIEW - Aurora Sky and Northern Bites by Nikki Jefford

It's no secret I'm a big fan of Nikki Jefford and her writing. She is so sweet, and lovely, and always willing to get involved in just about anything. I think she is uber talented, and spins a great story, so imagine how excited I was when a box of books arrived at my post office all the way from the US. Nikki even signed the Spellbound Trilogy books with pens that match each cover.

Now all I need is a copy of Northern Bites to complete my collection. Check out my reviews of the first two books in the Aurora Sky series, and make sure you go and grab your copy. All the purchase details can be found HERE.

 

My Review:
I read Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter back in December 2012 when it was first released, and I absolutely loved Jefford’s original take on these creatures of the night. It was one of those quick reads I devoured in a couple of sittings.

Aurora Sky is packed with everything I love: attitude, angst and blood. Aurora reminded me a lot of Buffy with her snarky comments and ability to deal with a whole heap of crap. But she’s also a very real character. She still did stupid things, got scared, and sometimes wasn’t as tough as everyone expected her to be. But I don’t blame her when her job is basically to let vamps chew on her until they die.

Enter Fane. He’s with this other chick, Valerie (who happens to be a nasty piece of work), until Aurora gets his attention. Okay, so he’s not your typical fall-over-your-tongue-and-slip-in-the-drool cute guy, but he is one hell of a bad boy. I loved him, and the bus scene was pure awesome. You’ll just have to read it to find out what I’m talking about!

Dante is the other male involved in Aurora’s life. He’s her (slaying) partner, and I didn’t like him too much. He was very cocky and he annoyed me. But I think he may have redeemed himself in Northern Bites.

My final verdict: Aurora Sky is a must read for any hardcore vamp fan, and if you love Buffy as much as I do, then you'll love this, too. 4/5 feathers.

For readers 18+

My Review:
Aurora and her mega attitude are back with a vengeance in Northern Bites. Again this was a fast read and I got sucked in right from the beginning.

When Aurora and Valerie are sent on a mission together, we get to see more of Valerie’s bitchiness, and Aurora’s sarcasm. The chemistry Jefford has created between these two characters is full of awesomesauce.

We are introduced to a new character, Jared, and I’m on the fence when it comes to him. I’m not sure how to take him yet. One minute I loved him, and the next I loathed him and wanted to punch him in face. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him in future books.

Fane makes a reappearance, but not in the way that I’d hoped. Actually, it’s Dante that steps up and fills in that gap, much to Aurora’s surprise, or disgust? She doesn’t seem to know what she wants, but oh my, I wanted her to want it! The flirting was driving me crazy. There was one particular dream scene that shocked me a bit, but only because explicit is not really my thing. I didn’t see it coming.

My final verdict: Northern Bites picks up where Aurora Sky left off. It’s a great continuation of the story. It answered some questions, but leaves everything wide open for more awesomeness to come. 4/5 feathers.

This is definitely 18+

 K x

Elsker by S.T. Bende - REVIEW and NA Crush Tourney Goodies

To vote #TeamUll in the NA Crush Tourney

GO HERE

Review
I first heard of Elsker by S.T. Bende when one of my fellow Aussie Owned and Read girls was signed by Entranced Publishing. I must admit it wasn’t a high priority on my TBR, but after Aussie Owned and Read became an advocate for Ull in the NA Crush Tourney, I thought I better check it out.

Elsker is a little different to anything I’ve read in the past. I love books that are centred on mythology, which is why I’m a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series, but I’ve never read anything containing Norse mythology before. The extent of my knowledge when it comes to these gods is checking out Chris Hemsworth in Thor and The Avengers.

Elsker is a great mix of romance and mythology. Kristia has visions which have labelled her a bit crazy in her small, one-stoplight town. She decides to spend her last year of university abroad and heads to Wales where she meets the god of winter, Ull. Things get off to a rocky start between them, but before long they are putty in each other’s hands. I wish I was Ull’s putty!

The Norse mythology is seamlessly woven throughout the story, and neither the romance nor the mythology element is overbearing. The only thing I had a little trouble with was Kristia’s acceptance of Ull’s godliness. But I figured she was weird enough with having her own visions, who was she to judge a guy that just told her he was a god?

Ull, although his mood swung like an out of control pendulum, is the perfect gentleman, and I love how S.T. Bende has built his character—and all the other characters—in Elsker. Thor in particular amused me, and Gunnar and Inga were a great duo.

Elsker is a quick and enjoyable read. The story ends in a good place, but it has certainly left me wanting more of Ull and his world. I'm itching for the epic love and the epic battle. Four out of five feathers.

Now, I'm off to try my hand at that waffle recipe.

#TeamUll Promo
I had so much fun designing the banners, graphics, and putting together a little video to support this hunky Norse God, and I had even more fun reading about him. Check out the #TeamUll promotional media below.

 

 

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