Short, Sweet & To The Point Reviews

Welcome to the second installation of Short, Sweet & To The Point Reviews. It's actually been exactly six months since the first installment. These usually happen for one of two reasons. 1) I read the book so long ago that it would've be fair of me to write a full length, detailed review because those details have gotten rather fuzzy. 2) I just can't put my feels in to a lot of words, whether it's good feels or bad feels.

This edition I will be featuring The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows, The Winners Crime by Marie Rutkowski, The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West, The Shattered Court by M.J. Scott, All Played Out by Cora Carmack, Flirting with Scandal by Chanel Cleeton, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. Now, some of these may end up getting full reviews later on, like ACOTAR as I'm planning on listening to it on audio. This may be my first audiobook review so we'll see. You will see in this edition that these are all books I absolutely loved. I've read most of these so many months ago that I can't do them justice while others I just can't put my feelings in to that many words.

All Played Out by Cora Carmack (Released May 12, 2015 with William Morrow)

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This is definitely my favorite book of the series. Not only do I love Torres and Nell as individual characters but they're perfect together. The humor in this book is what I enjoyed most. I caught myself laughing so many times and if I wasn't laughing out loud, I was definitely laughing internally. The bucket list was amazing & fun & something I looked forward to every time I started a new chapter. Cora could have this series continue forever and I would be happy. Football + amazing characters = happy Jessica.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (Released May 12, 2015 with Penguin)

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I struggled in the beginning of this book because of the names of the characters. I'm rotten at pronouncing fairly normal names so imagine my struggle with these characters. Once I got passed this, the story came to life before my eyes. Everything about this book is what I wanted. The hype behind the book scared me but oh man, did it live up to the expectations. So beautiful, fascinating and magical. I can't wait for the next one to come out so I can hug them both, together. Also, don't ask me to pronounce the names because I can't. No matter how many times I try, I butcher them. It's what I do best.

The Shattered Court by M.J. Scott (Released April 28, 2015 with Penguin)

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I was excited about this book because I love fantasy and it sounded brilliant. Sadly, it wasn't. The characters were fabulous and I loved them, a lot. The world was fascinating but there were holes. I feel like certain things needed more explanation and there wasn't any. It left me kind of just hanging there and scratching my head. I will read the next book because I do like the story, the characters and the struggles they're in but I just hope it's a little bit more solid than this book.

Flirting with Scandal by Chanel Cleeton (Released May 19, 2015 with Penguin)

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I didn't like this book as much as I enjoyed her London series with Harlequin but this was enjoyable. It was sexy, funny and scandalous. Both of these characters had their flaws and it made them real. I'm not big on politics but this book definitely made them interesting. And also made me realize why I hate them. It's a love/hate relationship going on here. After I read this book, I went to BEA and when I got in the elevator at my hotel, I just laughed. All I could think about was a scene from this book and then what happened after it. I like books like this, that put you somewhere after reading them and make you chuckle. I will definitely be seeing what dirty little secret comes with the next installment.

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski (Released March 3, 2015 with Macmillan)

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While I enjoyd The Winner's Curse, it has nothing on this book. Seriously. This book was beautiful, lyrical and just perfection. It makes me giddy waiting for the final book, The Winner's Kiss. While there wasn't much romance in this book, it didn't need it. There was tension and oh man, was that tension hot. Sometimes that is all you need. The story, the problems we saw in the first book escalated to new heights in this book and the final is going to be epic, y'all. Utterly epic and I cannot wait.

The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows (Released March 10, 2015 with Harper Collins)

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The ending killed everyone else but it didn't bother me. Am I becoming immune to cliffhangers? Oh, that would be glorious! Everything about this book was what I wanted and even more. I'm excited for the novellas to come out to tie me over until the release of The Mirror King (BTW, these covers, aren't they some of the greatest covers?). If you love fantasy books filled with magic, daggers and incognito heroes, this is something you should definitely check out.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Released May 5, 2015 with Bloomsbury)

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First, Lucien is mine. I have claimed him back in November and then line for him starts behind me . . . but you'll be waiting awhile because I'll never be done with him so yeah. Now that that is out of the way, I loved this book. Somehow, I felt the tone of this book to much darker than her Throne of Glass series but one thing Sarah does like a boss is her characters. Honestly, there isn't a character I don't love. Even ones you should hate, you probably like them a time or two (or at least can respect them, right?). This is definitely not a YA book as it has a lot more adult content inside but it's delicious. Everything about this book is delicious. I can't wait to try out the audiobook!

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West (Released May 5, 2015 with Harper Collins)

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I'm not big on YA contemporaries, I say this often, but this is one author who I will read. They're usually light, fluffy and just so damn enjoyable. This book was no different. While there were times I didn't agree with the main character and her behavior; I understood them. The love interest was adorkable. Seriously, he was the biggest appeal of this book. If you're looking for something to just read for fun, a quick, enjoyable read, this is a book you'll want to check out.