Saturday Series: The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1) by James Dashner

"If you ain't scared, you ain't human."

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

This is the kind of book that reminds you why you love young adult dystopians. So amazingly written and from that first sentence you get sucked into Thomas's new world. Confusing seems to be the key word here and along with Thomas you get to find out what is going on or at least what you think is going on. Such a thrill read and impossible to put down.

When Thomas wakes up he has no idea who he is, where he's at or even where he came from. The only thing he remembers is his name. There is no real time to adjust or to explain, as the other boys there don't really know what is going on. The only thing they do know is that they need to get out of the maze. It's been two years and so far no luck. While everything seems reasonably safe during the day, you don't want to get stuck in the maze at night.

Now Thomas may not remember anything, but somehow he does know he's there to help find a solution, a way out of the maze. No clue as to why, it's more of a gut feeling or his subconscious. When the girl arrives though, everything gets even more complicated. She's the first girl ever to arrive at the maze and it's only a day after Thomas had arrived, way too close together. You can guess her arrival is not a good sign. Time is running out for the boys, tension rises, tough decisions need to be made and nothing is as it seems. 

I freaking loved this book. You don't get to know anything more than the characters, so you have all the same questions and no real answers. With every page turned, you hold your breath in anticipation of what might happen next. If possible you will want to read this in one sitting, as it is impossible to put down, you get so caught up in this journey. There is never any real time to sit back and absorb what just happened, because there's already a new development. The speed picks up during the story and by the end you'll be sprinting to finish this book. All in a good way of course.

This is the first book in the series I've finished and I would already recommend reading it entirely. That ending definitely has made me want more. I can not wait to start reading The Scorch Trials. The movie is coming out in a couple of week and I'm very curious how it's going to turn out. 

The Maze Runner - Reading order and purchase links

      

The Maze Runner: Amazon - Kindle

The Scorch Trials: Amazon - Kindle

The Death Cure: Amazon - Kindle

The Kill Order: Amazon - Kindle

The Author

James was born and raised in Georgia but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family. He has four kids, which some might think is too many but he thinks is just right. Once upon a time, James studied accounting and worked in the field of finance, but has been writing full time for several years. (He doesn’t miss numbers. At all.)

In his free time, James loves to read, watch movies and (good) TV shows, snow ski, and read. (Reading was mentioned twice on purpose.) Most of all, he’s thankful that he gets to make a living writing stories and considers himself pretty much the luckiest guy on the planet.

Connect with James Dashner:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review & Giveaway: Rival Love by Natalie Decker

Skylar Fletcher is a proud Harris Academy Bulldog! She has everything she’s ever wanted: a perfect boyfriend, great friends, and her dream college waiting for her in the fall. But nothing lasts forever. Skylar's world shatters when her mom decides it is time to move and drags Skylar, kicking and screaming, into Bobcat territory.

At Delmont High School, home of the Bobcats, Skylar has no friends and is often bullied. To make matters worse, her home life sucks thanks to all-star quarterback Caleb Morgan, nephew of her mom's live-in boyfriend.

At first Skylar and Caleb want nothing to do with one another. But they soon discover they're not that different after all--and each is harboring a secret attraction to the other. But can a Bulldog and a Bobcat ever really be more than friends? And are Skylar and Caleb willing to risk everything to find out? Rival Love is a debut young adult contemporary romance from Natalie Decker.

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

I can understand some healthy rivalry between sport teams or even schools, but this just takes it too a whole other level. TP'ing someone's house is about as friendly as these people get. It's pretty absurd.

When Skylar and her mom move to the other side of town, it means Skylar will no longer be a Bulldog. She's now in Bobcat territory, behind enemy lines. Which basically means that her life is over. Her friends and boyfriend have dumped her, no longer wanting to be associated with her and at her new school everyone hates Skylar because she's still a "Bulldog" in their eyes. Senior year was supposed to be great, but now not so much. The worst part is she can no longer be part of the swim and softball team, because it would mean betraying her old schoolmates and the new ones don't even want Skylar on their team.

Moving means Skylar is now sharing a house with Caleb, the Bobcat's star quarterback. Having Skylar enter his life really just complicates matters. No one is allowed to find out he's living with the enemy.

While they very much start of as enemies, you quickly realize they are both not bad people. But they are teenagers, so that means drama plays a huge part of their lives. Though there are plenty of moments where they are nice too each other. They just need time, but when feelings start to grow, they refuse to give into it. Falling for the enemy is the ultimate betrayal.

Honestly the whole rival thing went a bit overboard for me. Skylar's life turn into hell and her friends dump her like that. It's horrible and I had trouble coming to terms with that kind of behaviour. The girl didn't choose to move, though it certainly doesn't help that she holds on to her old school so hard.

Things between Skylar and Caleb develop slowly, though the way they behave about it is typical for teenagers. They go from hatred and loathing to reluctant acceptance that something might be going on, to falling hard. The story mainly focuses on the relationship between Skylar and Caleb, and the rivalry without going into too much detail about that. So it's more talk about the fact that there is a rivalry and some of the general consequences for Skylar.

The ending took me by surprise, as in I can not believe there is going to be a second book. To me this is the type of story that needs only one book, longer is only dragging things out. So that was a bit disappointing. Other than that this was a fun book. Both the main characters are very likeable and typical teenagers. The development between Caleb and Skylar was interesting to see from the dual point of view.

Buy book

The Author

Natalie Decker is the Author of Rival Love. She loves oceans, sunsets, sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going, which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn’t her favorite time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books. She’s a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and her awesome dog infinity times infinity. If she’s not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out with her family and friends, then she’s off having an adventure. Because Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it amazing!

Connect with Natalie Decker:

Website - Twitter - Goodreads

$10 Amazon gift card + ebook of Rival Love (INT)

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Review: Be My Hero (Forbidden Men #3) by Linda Kage

Once upon a time, there was this pampered rich girl who was kind of full of herself. She really only cared about appearances and hiding all her dark, ugly secrets under the guise of an opinionated snob. But then Eva Mercer got pregnant, shot by a psycho, and kicked out of the only home she knew. Now she’s broke, unemployed, and has to start anew with a newborn to raise. But how?

On the other side of town, sexy, tattooed orphan, Patrick Ryan, can’t get a break. He’s out on parole for defending the last damsel in distress while trying to help her support her child, but all he wants is to find his one true love. He knows this woman by scent, smile, and laugh, but he’s never actually met her. He doesn’t even know her name. He just knows she’s the key to fixing everything.

One kind of hero can save you from physical harm. Another can rescue you from a different kind of doom. To reach their dreams, Eva and Pick can save each other. But first, they must open their hearts and learn how to trust.

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

This might have been my first book by Linda Kage, but I can guarantee it won't be my last. I freaking loved it. Now the setup is a bit strange, though that's just the prologue and it definitely adds a bit of fairy tale vibe to the story of Pick and Eva, though don't expect a fairy tale.

Be My Hero is the third book in the series and I haven't yet read the previous, though I was able to follow perfectly, it's clear there are certain back stories for the secondary characters, but you don't have the feeling of missing something. I'll definitely be reading the other books as well, because I want to know more about them.

Now about our main characters. Eva, at first sight she might seem like a spoiled rich girl and to an extent she was, but it's clear from the beginning she's hiding behind a facade. Being pregnant and becoming a mom, was definitely an eye opener for her and she's willing to throw her whole life upside down for this child growing inside of her. She's ready for a new beginning and a new future, unfortunately her past won't let go of her that easily.

Pick, well he's definitely my favourite character in this book. Growing up in the system, it's easy to go astray and he has had his encounters with the law, but he was never a bad guy. Beating the crap out of someone for repeatedly attacking one of his female friends, while maybe not the best solution, doesn't make him the worst guy. He even takes it one step further, and takes care of his friend and her little boy, treating him like his own. There has never been and never will be any romantical love between these two though, they are family.

While he may not see himself that way, for many he has some heroic tendencies. He's very protective of women and the people he cares about. Though growing up this way, he's been touched by ugliness, but not tainted by it. I loved how positive he was. He seemed so good natured and willing to be happy.

When Pick meets Eva, his world turns upside down. She's what he's been looking for all his life. It's not quite how he pictured it, but it still makes sense and all the pieces fit together. In the beginning Eva sees Pick only as a friend, because he behaves that way towards a lot of women, her being pregnant only reinforces that protectiveness he has. Still due time it becomes clear Pick wants a lot more, now he just needs to convince Eva of that.

There are also a lot of outside forces playing along in this story and these elements make it darker. I don't deal well with certain issues and even have a lot of trouble reading about them, I do feel a warning here is in order. While there is no graphic detail of what has happened, certain issues do get talked about in detail. Those scenes were not easy for me at all, but I've managed them. This history definitely adds to the story and gets dealt with pretty well. I'm happy with how some things turned out, but it's never completely over and they will need to learn to live with it. Luckily love can help a lot with that.

I definitely recommend this book. It's not a typical or even a conventional love story, which is very refreshing. All the characters are pretty amazing, Pick being the best though. If he wasn't so in love with Eva, I would want him for myself. That man has the biggest heart I've come across in a long time. Their individual backstories will pull at your heartstrings, though these new developments throughout the story will only give you hope that maybe in the end the world isn't so bad, you just need to have the right person by your side.

4.5

Forbidden Men - Reading order and purchase links

*All books can be read as a standalone*

    

The Author

I grew up on a dairy farm in the Midwest as the youngest of eight children. Now I live in Kansas with my husband, daughter, and our nine cuckoo clocks. My life's been blessed with lots of people to learn from and love. Writing's always been a major part my world, and I'm so happy to finally share some of my stories with other romance lovers. 

I'm a member of Romance Writers of Americaand a local chapter, Midwest Romance Writers, who meets monthly in the Kansas City area. I've been through a writing correspondence class in children's literature from The Institute of Children's Literarture, and then I continued my writing lessons by majoring in English with an emphasis in creative fiction writing fromPittsburg State University. 

Connect with Linda Kage:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

#WattpadWednesday: Cupid's Granddaughter by GermanSam

Wattpad Wednesday is a new weekly meme, where I review books that originated on Wattpad. So it can be published now and removed from Wattpad or currently still on this site. There is some crazy talent on that website and through this I want to help spread the word :)

Cupid's Granddaughter is the first book in the Cupid Series and there's a good reason why it has 8.5 million reads. GermanSam might be young, but girl's got some serious talent.

Amore, Liebe, Amour, No matter what language you say it in it means love and it's Peyton's job. Her grandfather is Cupid and he's hired her as his newest apprentice against her own will. And now he says that he wants to hand the business over to her? No thank you! The hours suck and there's only one rule: no falling in love. It's simple since Peyton isn't looking for love. But it seems that Cupid's arrow is best shot through the heart when you're least expecting it. With one final challenge before taking over the business, Peyton has to find the soul mate of the only immortal thing allowed to live on Earth: a fallen angel. Easier said than done.

While the characters are mostly mythological, this really is a story about love. Peyton is the granddaughter of Eros a.k.a. Cupid, matchmaking is in her blood. She enjoys her job well, it also kind of bums to put all those couples together and never experience love herself. So far it hasn't been a big issue as she has never encountered anyone she likes.

When Eros announces his retirement, Peyton isn't too happy about the fact that she has to take over and even worse she has to earn it. For the first time she has to find love for an immortal, which is way harder because there simply aren't that many immortals to begin with. She also has to keep a close eye on the relationship, making sure everything goes alright.

The first time Peyton and Nate meet, they don't leave the best impression on each other. Though after some explaining, Peyton is able to convince Nate to let her help him find love. This is the beginning of them spending a lot of time together and I really liked how things developed between them.

They are both pretty great characters. Peyton might come across as a bit of a cynic in the beginning, but you get to realize there is a good reason why she tends to keep her distance. It's pretty terrible actually. So while her feelings towards Nate might change, she can never act on it. Add the fact she's not allowed to date any of her assigned cases and I could definitely comprehend why she's so reluctant.

Nate is a fallen angel, thrown out of heaven for doing the nasty. I like him already. The whole situation with Peyton helping him find love is a bit weird, but he's no fool and gladly accepts her help. Though the situation becomes more complicated when he becomes more interested in Peyton than into his dates.

Even though they are all mythical, I loved how real the characters feel. Peyton literally has greek drama going on in her life, so she likes to stay on earth and be as normal as can be. While Nate might have been an angel, the guys is still a slob with a temper. There is this obvious instant attraction between them, because they are both immortal and that means extremely good looks. Still there was no instant love, you get to see this connection between them grow slowly.

We get this great and fun love story with a dash of mythical background and I liked it a lot. I do admit for having a weakness when it comes to mythology, especially greek. All the characters were very enjoyable, some a bit cliche, but that works because those greek gods are not 'real people.' I honestly believe GermanSam should publish this story (after some basic editing and formatting), I think a lot of people would enjoy it as well.

Cupid Series - Reading order

      

The Author

My name is Samantha and I am part German hence the name of GermanSam! I'm a writer on Fictionpress and Wattpad. I love to write romance novels and hear from my fans! You can like my page for more updates on my life and stories!

Connect with GermanSam:

Tumblr - Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Wattpad

Review: Irresistible Force (K-9 Rescue #1) by D.D. Ayres

When adrenaline runs high, so does the force of desire…

For Shay Appleton, it’s love at first sight when a gorgeous stray dog is brought into the animal shelter where she works. She just knows he’ll make a terrific watch dog—and with an abusive ex who won’t let go, she needs all the protection she can get. But Shay never suspected that her new pet is actually a trained police K-9 named Bogart—until Bogart’s even more gorgeous, human partner shows up on her doorstep.

Officer James Cannon is one tall, strong alpha male who’s convinced that Shay stole his dog. But once he gets closer to the suspect, he realizes that this stubborn, independent woman not only needs a guard dog, she needs James as well. It seems that someone from her past is stalking her, and threatening her life. When danger meets desire, will James risk his career and his best friend…to protect the woman who’s stolen his heart?

*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Well let's be honest, it's the cover that drew me in at first. Hot half naked guy + cute dog = winner! Then reading that synopsis, I knew I needed to get my hands on this book and it did not disappoint at all.

There were a lot of things that took me by surprise and plenty of original twists. Weird ex-boyfriend with stalking tendencies isn't a first, but if you couple that with Shay's past and the drama that James unintentionally brings to her front door, it makes for one hell of a ride.

It has all the elements for a great read, one hot hero cop, one cute/badass dog, one fierce heroine and plenty of drama to keep it all going. This may seem like it's been done before, but I'm telling you this is not the fluffy read you think it will be. Personally I love that combination of romance and mystery/suspense. If done well, it adds a whole other, deeper level to the story and D.D. Ayres was able to this amazingly.

I don't want to give away anything about the story, because then the mystery would be ruined. Just know that James and Shay are great, but also more complex characters than you realize at first. Bogart is also amazing. I have to admit adding dogs to a story can only be considered a positive thing. The story on it's own definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering what in the world can possibly happen next and then the author just goes for it.

3.5

K-9 Rescue - Reading order and purchase links

*All books can be read as a standalone*

  

The Author

A veteran author of romance and women’s fiction, D.D. Ayres is new to Romantic Suspense. She believes the lure of romance is always the human connection. Put that connection in physical jeopardy, and and we learn a bit moreabout who we really are.

With her K-9 Rescue series, D.D. hopes you will enjoy her sexy, suspenseful portrayals of K-9 teams at their best.

D.D. lives in Texas with her husband and a soft-coated Wheaten terrier named Zoe.

Connect with D.D. Ayres:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

Review & Giveaway: Edge of Falling (Falling #2) by Valia Lind

For Chance, there's always only been Dakota.

He's been in love with the girl since the day they met. He's tried everything to get her to notice him and nothing has worked. So when things suddenly start moving in the right direction, Chance can't believe his luck.

Until Kyle comes along.

Kyle is like a new shiny toy and Dakota loves new and shiny. She falls for the tall, blonde and gorgeous fast and without looking back. Dating the summer before college wasn't in the plans, but come on, Kyle is perfect. So why does Chance and his snarky grin keeps popping up in her mind now that Dakota has found her happiness?

When Chance's world comes crashing down, Dakota proves the strength of their friendship, surprising herself and everyone around her, by helping him pick up the pieces. In return, Chance is finally able to crack her hard shell, discovering that not everything is sunny in Dakota-land. Her world is not what it seems on the outside, and together, they're able to pull each other to the brink of safety and sanity.

Dakota likes that things are simple with Kyle, so why does she feel more like herself around Chance?

As graduation grows closer, both Chance and Dakota learn that the plans you make for your life don't always play out the way you expect them and sometimes, everything starts to make sense when you find yourself on the edge of falling.

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

While it isn't absolutely necessary to read Falling By Design first, they can be read separately, I do believe you will enjoy Edge Of Falling more if you do. We met Chance and Dakota in the previous book and while I wouldn't call what they have a relationship or even a friendship, but whatever it is, it's volcanic. They are always at each other's throat, not in a hurtful way, though always pushing the other one's buttons.

For Chance this behaviour kind of hides how he really feels about Dakota, which is almost an all consuming love. He knows though that she's not feeling the same, so it is safer to keep her at a certain distance. The danger of that is of course, having another boy being able to swoop in. Therefor it's up to us just to sit back, relax and see how this is going to play out and you know it's going to go badly.

While Dakota might not fully understand how deep Chance's feelings for her run, she does notice a certain change in him since she has started dating the new kid Kyle. More importantly actually, she started noticing how she herself has been acting different towards Chance. He can still be very annoying, but now there seems to be something more. Still she's afraid of what those feelings might actually mean and it's that fear that keeps her holding back.

Now Dakota is a pretty great character, but when it comes to how she acts towards Chance, she wasn't always my favourite. I had trouble understanding how crippling her fear of real love was, while seeing how much it hurt Chance. Dakota is a great friend and a pretty amazing girl, and while she gives great love advice to her friends she's not able to follow her own directions. This got a bit frustrating at times.

Chance is amazing and any girl would be lucky to call him her boyfriend, unfortunately Dakota isn't one of them. Though in all fairness, he has never actually told her how he feels, so that definitely played a part in this. I could get his fear for rejection, but this standing on the sidelines isn't really working either. Then when he finally decides to make his move, he's almost too late.

So this was a clear case of everyone could see what was going on between these two, Dakota and Chance just needed to go for it and don't let fear get in the way of what they want. Certain parts therefor did feel a bit dragged out, because I was frustrated and just wanted them to talk to each other or simply kiss and then all would be fine. Still overall a pretty good story with some very likeable characters and plenty of drama. Chance was definitely my favourite character here. Honestly that boy and puppies, will simply make your heart melt.

Falling - Reading order and purchase links

  

Falling By Design: My review - Amazon ($0.99)

Edge Of Falling: Amazon

The Author

Author. Photographer. Artist. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, Valia Lind always had a love for the written word. She wrote her first full book on the bathroom floor of her dormitory, while procrastinating to study for her college classes. Upon graduation, she has moved her writing to more respectable places, and have found her voice in Young Adult fiction. Falling by Design is her debut young adult novel.

Connect with Valia Lind:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

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