Dare You To by Katie McGarry review

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

From Goodreads

All Beth wants to do is live a nice quiet life with her mom. Too bad nobody else seems to want that. After one too many run-ins with her mother's on again, off again, drug dealing, abusive boyfriend, Beth finds herself sentenced to a new life with her estranged uncle. To make matters worse, the cocky jock who tried to pick her up at the Taco Bell is to be her uncle-approved guide in her new town and high school. 

Ryan's life isn't nearly as hard as Beth's, but it's nowhere near as perfect as everyone believes. With an absent older brother and feuding, manipulative parents, baseball is Ryan's only hope for escape. A golden recommendation from Beth's uncle would clench Ryan's hopes of getting drafted into the majors, but Beth's different than any girl Ryan's ever dealt with. It's a good thing he loves a challenge.

Angst, attitude, and attention are the three big starter elements to this unlikely love story. This book is about so much more than their romantic love, it's about love in all its forms. So many relationships in this book are strained and tested because of the different kinds of love that we choose to accept. Rather fast-paced, but believable, Dare You To has continued to further my belief that Katie McGarry knows how to write a  moving and spirited book about love trying to overcome the most difficult of obstacles.

Beth doesn't really stand out to me as a unique character. She's a rebellious teenager, with a dark family secret, and an alcoholic, absentee mother. She rebels in the typical fashions, but has found companionship among similarly discarded teens. Naturally when she is given the opportunity to move to a new life and start over, she resists. What makes her different than what I expect most characters to do is that she never actually accepts her new life. She doesn't gradually forget about her former existence, it taunts her every waking moment. Beth isn't ready to let go & it causes lots of hiccups in her new town.

To me, Ryan is the stand out character in this story. There are so many things about his make-up that aren't typical, but that when put together in him, make him all the more desirable. The foundation of his moral compass is pure & strong. I didn't think there were many guys like him around in YA today. You'll have to read the book to fully appreciate & understand what I mean.

The background characters were actually quite active in the story. At least 75% of them directly contributed to the way the story progressed. Without their actions, so many things wouldn't have happened. I do wish we had seen more of Beth's uncle, but that's just my preference. I think Katie has done an exemplary job of creating some of my favorite YA contemporary romance because of its warmth and credibility. I really look forward to her next work!

ARC graciously provided by Around the World ARC Tours

Siege (As the World Dies #3) by Rhiannon Frater review

MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for the first two books in this trilogy.

Siege is the conclusion to Rhiannon Frater’s As the World Dies trilogy, which should appeal to fans of The Walking Dead. Both The First Days and Fighting to Survive won the Dead Letter Award from Mail Order Zombie. The First Days was named one of the Best Zombie Books of the Decade by the Harrisburg Book Examiner.

The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and living bandits.

Katie has made peace with the death of her wife and is pregnant and married to Travis, who has been elected Mayor. Jenni, her stepson, Jason; and Juan—Travis’s righthand man—are a happy family, though Jenni suffers from PTSD. Both women are deadly zombie killers. In Siege, the people of Ashley Oaks are stunned to discover that the vice president of the United States is alive and commanding the remnants of the US military. What’s left of the US government has plans for this group of determined survivors.

From Goodreads

A wild ride would be a flippant description of this final novel in the As the World Dies trilogy, but I am drawn to that phrase. I was prepared for some of the changes that were going to take place, but I didn't see all the heartbreak coming at all. Rhiannon Frater has absolutely no problem butchering characters to make her point. A key theme in this book was the fragility of life coupled with the ability to lose anything. This book drove that point home.

As usual, we pick up where we left off. Travis is mayor of the fort & married to a pregnant Katie. Jenni, the ax-wielding Loca, is with Juan and her step son Jason. The fort is doing quite well & is thriving off its supply scavenges while continuing to keep the zombies at bay by intriguing means. That doesn't mean that things don't go screwy sometimes, but for the most part life is good.

With winter giving way to spring, the group resumes expanding their hold on downtown. What they don't expect is for one of their own to lose their head, killing fort members. In a race against time & better judgement, a team heads to a local hospital (knowing that hospitals meant death traps on the first day of the rising) to gather much needed supplies to tend to the wounded. On their way back, Jenni & a fellow supply runner are kidnapped by none-other than a power-hungry politician who will stop at nothing to see the fort under her control.

While nothing has been a guarantee since the rising began, safety is becoming a relative term.

Rhiannon Frater has done what few authors have been able to do for me. They gave me a zombie story I could believe. The humanity in these characters is so perfectly embodied & their actions actually make sense. Their reactions & interactions are so true to life, I wouldn't be surprised if she had done research on people's reactions in an emergency situation/crisis.

The writing style is one that usually bothers me, but for some reason I hardly noticed it in this instance. The majority of the story is told from Katie, Jenni, & Travis's points of view, but interspersed between them are other survivors tales. That doesn't mean they overpower the narrative, they just seem to give credence to what is taking place in the story. By far the most important aspect of the writing, and one that Frater does extremely well, is the flow. There has to be a certain pace & balance between action and narrative in order for the reader not to feel overwhelmed. Frater walks that line perfectly. If you view the series as a whole it becomes increasing clear that it has been a main element since the beginning.

There didn't need to be too much character development in this book as the first two because it was really just a continuation of an already established routine. What does change though are the dynamics between the characters. With a new baby on the way & certain people's flaws and strengths come into quick view. These character traits are what create the plot of the story.

With just enough gore & violence to keep things active, Siege is a smashing finale to this phenomenal series. I find it interesting to note that out of all the zombie books I've read (or tried to read) the ones I really like are the ones written by women (Rhiannon Frater, Gena Showalter, Ann Aguirre, & Mira Grant). Hmmm, I wonder why that is? 

How about you? Do you have any favorites or suggestions along those lines?

Fighting to Survive (As the World Dies #2) by Rhiannon Frater

Spoilers ahead if you haven't read the first book The First Days!

Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

From Goodreads

Katie & Jenni have made it to safety after a terrifying fight to survive the new zombie-infested world. They've rescued those that they could and are mourning those they have lost along the way. But there is no rest in this uncertain and ever-changing world.

We find our heroines still safely ensconced in the makeshift fort in Ashley Oaks, Texas. While tensions run high among the residents due to strained resources and the constant threat of attack, the women settle into their new roles. Since they have so much real-time experience hunting and fending off zombies, both women are working on the protection detail.

As more survivors are brought in, the leaders decide that they need to expand upon their little territory. By taking over a few neighboring stores and a largely remodeled hotel, they ensure that their community can continue to rebuild. What they can't control are the zombies and the vigilantes out to destroy anything and everything. With so much at stake, the women must push through their personal issues while trying to move toward a better, if uncertain, future.

Fighting to Survive isn't quite as heart-pounding in the same way as The First Days. It was however just as thrilling to struggle alongside the survivors. What could easily become routine & mundane continues to offer exciting and unique scenarios. The best part about this book was watching as the shock value of the zombies wore off and reality started to settle in. People began to move forward with their lives and started to make peace with all that had taken place.

While The First Days really focused on introducing us to the situation from Jenni & Katie's viewpoint, Frater  has given us an uncommon narrator. The majority of the story is told from the two main women's point of view, but other characters creep in little by little. We see more from Juan and Travis, the men in these women's lives, and are even given a glimpse into the point of view of one of the dogs. It all adds up to a richer story with fleshed out details that allow the reader to completely immerse him/herself in the book's events.

There is romance, thrilling heroics, sacrifice, and a lot of bloodshed in this book. Nothing that you wouldn't expect from a zombie book, but in a way, the calm/collectedness of those doing the dispatching can be a might frightening at times. Still totally worth a read if you into this sort of thing or are looking for a strong character base.

Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood #1) by J.R. Ward review

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

From Goodreads

Wrath really doesn't like to mingle...among anyone. If he had his way he would withdraw from society, vampire & human alike. Unfortunately for him, as the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood (and reluctant king of vampires) he doesn't have much of a choice. What he does have a choice over are his actions. So when one of his brothers is killed, after asking Wrath to care for his soon-to-become-a-vampire daughter, he feels compelled to complete this final task as an homage to a brave warrior.

Beth has no idea why she is feeling so off lately, but chalks it up to the stress of a near-fatal assault & her gore-filled news reporting job. That is until he shows up & changes her world. He's larger than life, and with a name like Wrath, he's obviously got a violent streak. Yet something in her is drawn to him unlike anyone else in the world. He becomes her guide to the deadly new world she can't help but enter.

I had seen this book all over the place. Lots of people have it as a recommendation for a Gena Showalter read alike. While I get the comparison (believe me there is a lot of crossover) I just wasn't as big a fan of this one as I was hoping to be. That doesn't mean I loathed the book, but there was just something too off about it for me. Don't ask me to explain how Gena Showalter's mythology makes more sense to me than J.R. Ward's mythology, but Showalter's just flowed better for me.


Dark Lover introduces a wide cast of characters that revolve all the time. If I remember correctly the majority of the story is told from 5 points of view with a few glimpses into other character's heads along the way. I can handle up to 3 narrators quite well. Anything beyond that (when they are all trying to tell the same story) & my head starts to get a bit jumbled. The writing was quite well done, with adequate transitions between narrators & scenes.


I went into this book with my eyes wide open. I knew there would be sex scenes (a bit gratuitous & over the top for my tastes) & violence, but I was surprised to see so many elements of the story (like deep-seated plot) built in to these usually superfluous scenes. I must hand it to the woman, she knows how to keep you reading.


On the whole, this was worth the read, but for my personal tastes, I could take or leave the series. I think I'll give the next one a shot in a few weeks to see how the story progresses. Who knows, it may draw me in. :)

Rage: a Love Story by Julie Anne Peters review

Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs—it can’t give her Reeve Hartt.

Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn’t always reasonable, right?

In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.


From Goodreads


This summary really is the best way to explain this book. I'm not 100% sure what I was expecting when I read this, but I still didn't see all of that coming at me. This book was complex, on several levels, and so serious that it kind of took my breath away. At times this was a difficult book to read because of the emotional upheaval around every single corner. There is not one "normal" character in this book. Every single person we meet is broken, not necessarily beyond repair, but bad enough that it's impairing their daily lives.


Johanna & Reeve are at the center of this story, but the other characters play just as large a role. For a book about a teenager's first love, the two were almost never alone. I think they really needed the intermediary anyway because these two are very intense in a deep, brooding kind of way. While the writing can feel very perfunctory at times, I think that was more by design than accident.


Make no mistake, this is not your average love story (as we have two lesbian teens) and these are definitely far from your average home situations (cracked out mom and revolving boyfriends, dead mom so sister and husband move home, & demanding but enabling mom) but I think there is something to be said for reading outside of your own experiences. I'm not saying that we all have happy teenage years devoid of "real" situations, but this mis-mash creates a perfect storm for the events of the book.


There are some semi-graphic, lesbian daydream sessions along with substance abuse, but considering the content of this story I'm actually surprised at how little of either of these things were present. While definitely for a more mature audience, I think it's accessible to anyone with an open mind and heart.

Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega #2) by Patricia Briggs review

Anna Latham didn’t know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son — and enforcer — of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn’t know how dangerous it could be either...

Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran’s controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan — and it seems like someone else might be too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all — or risk losing everything...

From Goodreads

The Marrok (Bran) is ready to announce to the world that the Fey are not the only supernatural creatures that walk amongst the humans. It is becoming increasingly difficult to hide the truth & he thinks it will hurt their image if they are discovered because of a violent action, rather than a heroic one. As more of a courtesy than anything else, he sends Anna & Charles to Seattle to present the case for mostly-full disclosure to the rest of the packs from around the world.


Naturally this doesn't sit well with some of the other wolves. There are threats dealt & words exchanged, but what surprises the newly married werewolf couple even more is that the most violent attack on them comes from a whole separate group. Vampires are using pack magic against them & trying to cover for someone else. It takes both of their special talents to root out the source of the trouble before anyone else can be harmed.


Walking back into the world of Alpha & Omega feels like coming home. The characters are so all-encompassing that I can't imagine how I could read books without them. The Marrok is such a strong and yet compassionate man/wolf that it's hard to believe that anyone could question his decisions, but that's exactly what happens in this story. Despite still getting to know one another, Charles & Anna find themselves in the middle of a dangerous situation. I am enamored with the way these two interact. They lean on one another while still taking a stand when needed. They seem to have hits & misses because they're still learning each others rhythm.


What was truly awesome to see in this book was the inter-species & international exchanges. One can often forget the role that politics can play even in our fictional worlds. I found myself shocked, appalled, disheartened & then revived by the actions of members of each party. Also, the dialog & setting were impeccable. Ms. Briggs has a way with words that I find highly intoxicating. Even better is her use of those words to create her world. I have never been to Washington state, but through her stories I sometimes feel like I could navigate the city blindfolded. 


All in all this was a wonderful follow up to Cry Wolf & a great continuance of such a wonderful series. If you haven't given her a try, I would suggest doing so.

Waiting on Wednesday: Fighting to Survive: As the World Dies II by Rhiannon Frater

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm looking forward to the November 8th release of the 2nd installment in the As the World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy entitled Fighting to Survive by Rhiannon Frater. There don't seem to be spoilers in the blurb, but read at your own risk if you haven't read The First Days.

Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

From Goodreads

Now, if you haven't gotten the chance to read the first one yet and are on the fence, be sure to read my review of The First Days. It was surprising entertaining. There wasn't a whole lot to laugh at, I mean this is a vicious zombie apocalypse, but it was still a good read. I'm not sure how well the zombies are faring in the paranormal/sci-fi genre, but I seem to enjoy a few here & there. This is a keeper, so I'm excited to see the story continue! What are you waiting on this week?

Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins

MAJOR SPOILERS for Hex Hall. You have been sufficiently warned.

As if killing her demonic grandmother, watching a friend die & losing the boy she loved to a society bent on destroying her kind wasn't enough, now Sophie Mercer is spending her summer vacation in England at the council headquarters...with her dad. Fortunately James is feeling generous, allowing Sophie's pink-loving, vampire best friend Jenna tag along. Oh and he's also bringing along the dashing healer Cal.

Sophie is stunned on her arrival because, despite being assured that she and her father are the only demons now in existence, there are two teen demons at Council Headquarters. Daisy & Nick have no clue how they came to exist as demons because they have to recollection pre-demon existence. What they do have plenty of is attitude & scorn. Along with her new friends, Sophie begins learning how to control her powers & harness their energy. Things are bumping along, and Sophie's starting to accept her abilities & stop obsessing about going through the removal, when the last thing she expected happens. Archer Cross, the leading weapon of The Eye, drops back in to her life. Luckily he doesn't want to hurt her, he wants to educate her... on more than one thing.

Will Sophie be able to figure out where the demons are coming from without creating too much mischief with Archer or will the nemeses collide before they can uncover the truth?

You know how there is this stigma on the second book in a series that it always seems to just be filler with no real meat to it? Well this book defies that stigma... with vengeance! Rachel Hawkins has continued her incredible work in Sophie Mercer's world & has woven an imaginative tale that continues the pre-existing storyline arch. Getting deeper into the meat of the magical world, Demonglass follows Sophie to England where she makes all sorts of trouble that we love about her! Such an indomitable spirit, Sophie truly is a heroine in the making. I enjoy watching her struggle and grow as a character throughout her novels.

We learn more about the other starring characters as well. This time Jenna takes a bit more of a back-seat role to Cal, Sophie's family, & magical history in general. Fitting the puzzle pieces together surrounding each character's actions really shed light onto previous situations in the series. It was like a light bulb moment of "OH!!!" that was very fun to experience.

Rachel's writing style continues to be phenomenal & so approachable that it's hard to put the book down! I will leave you with my favorite sarcastic quip from Sophie & remind you that this terrific book is set to be released March 1st!

Why had my life suddenly become a Nancy Drew mystery from hell? pg. 268 of uncorrected advanced proof.

Book graciously provided by Around the World Tours.

So Shelly by Ty Roth

Gordon & Keats would never have been acquaintances, let alone friends, if it weren't for Shelly. So when she turns up dead in an apparent sailing accident, the two boys are thrust upon one another to piece together the story of her life & her demise.

After stealing her ashes from the wake at the their high school, the boys embark on an adventure to fulfill her final wishes. Together they share their memories of her: from Gordon & Shelly's childhood skinny dipping to Keats & Shelly's encounter at the Planned Parenthood, & what Shelly was really all about.

Needless to say none of this can be done without copious amounts of self-reflection & analyzing how their actions affected Shelly. Only, there are some people who don't want to see the boys complete Shelly's mission. Time is running out for them to solve her jigsaw puzzle of an existence & fulfill her final wishes.

I wish I could say that I liked this book. Honestly I would compare it more to a car accident: you're horrified, but you can't seem to look away. I know that this book was supposed to be a play on the lives of the famous Romantic (as in Romanticism, not necessary hearts & flowers love) poets John Keats, Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron) & an amalgamation of husband & wife pair Percy & Mary Shelley, but it was just weird. Had the characters been a little older, around college-age, I think I would have been more okay with most of the extreme sexual content (pedophile nanny, incest, rape, statutory rape, etc) & overall plot. While I know this was not supposed to be exactly "realistic fiction", I found it so unbelievable I was baffled. Not to mention the fact that, while I believe the author to be using common-to-the-era vocabulary for the characters, there were words even I didn't know that I had to look up. While that can be an occasionally cool thing, this happened about every 6 or 7 pages.

Now, with all that said, I do have to say the characters were very well built. By the end of the book I felt like I really had a firm grasp on who they were & what they were doing with themselves. It was a coming-of-age tale the really allowed the reader to follow the growth & development of the characters. Each of them were well-shaped & behaved as one would expect of their character.

While I think this is an interesting way to spin the lives of historical figures into modern times, this one's execution just didn't work for me. I look forward to hearing other people's thoughts on this novel.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

May 2, 2008 is the day that forever changed life at Garvin High School. On that day, Nick Levin opened fire on the students in the Commons before school. The reason behind this atrocity? The Hate List. This list was a compilation of names of people that Nick and his girlfriend, Valerie Leftman, hated for what they did to anyone and everyone. It ranged from kids at school who bullied them to parents at home who didn't care. What Valerie had always assumed was a way to blow off steam, turned out to be fuel for the hatred that was dwelling in Nick.

After a long recuperation from being shot in the leg while trying to stop her now former boyfriend, and being determined a "non-participant" in the massacre, Valerie is trying to move on with her life. She feels like her therapist is the only one looking out for her because her dad won't forgive her, her mother doesn't trust her, her friends (and Nick's) have abandoned her, and her brother just doesn't know how to act around her. She hesitantly starts her senior year at the same school with no expectations for anything. The stares, glares, and nasty treatment she completely expected, but not the attempt at friendship from one of the Hate List's most central entries: Jessica Campbell. She embodied everything that Nick and Val couldn't stand not to mention she ridiculed them incessantly. Now Val finds herself on the receiving end of Jessica's kindness and attempt at friendship.

Val must find her way through this year without causing any more pain. She cannot change what happened and she cannot undo anything that was done, but she can help herself and others move past this tragic time without trying to wipe it completely from their memories. It must be remembered so that it won't happen again.

Hate List is an absolute roller-coaster of emotion. It's told only through Valerie's experience, but it cuts back and forth from May 2 and the days following, to present day. There are also little newspaper articles about the victims so that we can see how the information was presented to the town. It takes a serious look at the fallout from one of these horrific events. It's not something that these towns quickly recover from and then sing "Kumbaya" together. It's a gritty, rough experience that scars most people for the rest of their lives. The living have a hard time dealing with the reality that their lives became.

Valerie and Ginny Baker are two incredible examples of some aftermath that must be dealt with in these situations. Anyone who ever associated with the perpetrator (especially someone close) usually catches at least part of the blame for the incident. Val caught a lot as she was implicated as being an organizer. Her experiences in the school after the attack were strained at best and down right hostile at its worst. Ginny Baker's a stunning example of what can happen to those who live. They feel guilty, they feel betrayed, and they can often times become depressed with suicidal thoughts. While I am not claiming to be an expert, nor is the author Jennifer Brown, the portrait seen within this book is incredibly accurate and stunning.

Jennifer's characters were vibrant and true to life. I believed that the characters acted and reacted consistently within their own world. I would expect a grief-stricken teenage girl to wander off on her own and never give a thought to what others might think about it. I can also see angry people trying to get revenge on someone they believed involved in hurting a loved one. The narrative was well-written and more truthful than anything even some of my most vivid nightmares could create. While I wish many people never had to experience things like this, we live in a cruel world. I hope that this book can open people's eyes and their hearts both before and, if necessary, after this kind of a tragedy.

What do you think of this subject? Drinking, drugs, and sex are one thing, but I don't think I've come across anything quite like this before. Thoughts, comments? Leave them below!