Lia, Human of Utah, by Greg Ramsey |ARC Book Review

Hello friends! Welcome back to Adele Is Reading.

Today I have my ARC book review of Lia, Human of Utah, by Greg Ramsey.

A huge Thank You to Netgalley, for allowing me to read Lia, Human of Utah in exchange for an honest review.
This in no way has impacted my review. 

Trigger Warning: Murder, Fighting, Blood, Terrorist Attack mention, Loss of a Child mention, Grief.

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36451444._SX318_In the year 2342, Lia wakes up to a nightmarish world where the remnants of mankind have mutated into ravaging monsters. Alone and hunted, she struggles to remember who she is and what happened to civilization.

She cannot run forever. But when she turns on her hunters, the mutation takes her over violently. Now she must fight to maintain her humanity and uncover the terrible truth behind the apocalyptic infection—before the beast within her takes over and seals her fate forever.

Who is she? What is she? The fate of Earth hinges on the answers. And even all her courage may not be enough when the moment of truth arrives.

Release date: September 1, 2017.

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Let me start things off with saying that I hyped up this book way more than I should have. There were so many things that completely fell flat from my expectations. Continue reading

Hide Me, by Lexi Scott | {ARC} Book Review #384

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Hide Me by Lexi Scott, from Entangled Publishing LLC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacts my review.

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25868558Sometimes it’s easier to run…

Ripped apart by guilt and grief, nineteen-year-old Whit Conrad grabs her stuff and runs from her super-conservative home and family in Pennsylvania and hauls ass for sunny California. All she wants is escape. Now she has a craptastic apartment, a job at a tattoo parlour, and even a friend-who’s-mostly-benefits. Then she meets a sexy, inked, surfer-dude who has the potential of capsizing everything…

Deo Beckett is adrift. Underemployed and over-boozing, Deo knows he should be doing something more with his life. Being something more. All it takes is a pin-up hottie with a smart mouth—and a bruised soul—to force Deo to start looking below the surface. To wonder if there’s more to life than being a beach bum. Now he’s falling for Whit…and hard.

But Whit ran from home for a reason, and she’ll go to any lengths to keep Deo from learning the truth…

*previously released under Lengths in 2012


Publication Date: July 07, 2015.

Hide Me proved to be a book that I wasn’t expecting at all. I had this preconceived idea of what Hide Me was about and when that proved not to be the case I was very happy.

Hide Me has two differing points of view that for the most part alternate with every chapter. The first point of view we read from is Deo who seemed to be the guy that everyone knew and was friends with, but let very few people in. Whit we soon learn is very secretive and protective of her past and guards it fiercely. We also learn that Whit is extremely grumpy in the morning; according to Deo.  Continue reading

City In Embers, by Stacey Marie Brown | {ARC} Book Review #383

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of City In Embers by Stacey Marie Brown from Mark My Words Book Publicity, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacts my review.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse Mention, Child Abuse Mention, Rape Mention, Blood

24676867Zoey Daniels has been tossed from foster home to foster home, where she grows up fast and tough. When she is placed in her “last-chance” home, she finds a reason to stay and turn her life around: her foster sister, Lexie, who is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Zoey will do anything to keep her safe.

After high school, Zoey is hired by a special government agency, the Department of Molecular Genetics (DMG), where she meets the other reason to remain: Daniel, her co-worker. The man she loves.

But there is something unique about Zoey. She can see fae. Because of this, the DMG hires her to work as a Collector: catching, researching, testing, and using the fae to save human lives. The work never registers on her sympathy radar. She was raised to think of fae as beasts that feed on humans and want to destroy them.

When devastation hits Seattle, Zoey’s whole world is turned upside down. The electric storm connects her to a ruthless fae, a Wanderer named Ryker, whose dealings expose them to even more trouble and danger. They embark on a journey, running and hiding from both the government and fae, both of which threaten their lives and those they love.


Publication Date: February 04, 2015.

What initially drew me to City In Embers was the fact that this book is a New Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Now I don’t know about you, but it is difficult for me to find a New Adult Fantasy novel. So I decided to give this book a try.

I’m not going to lie to you: I had incredibly high hopes for City In Embers. Continue reading

(DNF) Has to Be Love, by Jolene Perry | {ARC} Book Review #376

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Has to Be Love by Jolene Perry from Albert Whitman & Company, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacted my review.

26532244Years ago, Clara survived a vicious bear attack. She’s used to getting sympathetic looks around town, but meeting strangers is a different story. Yet her dreams go far beyond Knik, Alaska, and now she’s got a secret that’s both thrilling and terrifying—an acceptance letter from Columbia University. But it turns out her scars aren’t as fixable as she hoped, and when her boyfriend begins to press for a forever commitment, she has second thoughts about New York. Then Rhodes, a student teacher in her English class, forces her to acknowledge her writing talent, and everything becomes even more confusing—especially with the feelings she’s starting to have about him. Now all Clara wants to do is hide from the tough choices she has to make. When her world comes crashing down around her, Clara has to confront her problems and find her way to a decision. Will she choose the life of her dreams or the life that someone she loves has chosen? Which choice is scarier?


Publication Date: September 25, 2015.

Please note that I marked Has to Be Love as Did Not Finish (DNF) at 23%. 

Initially I had high hopes for Has to Be Love. I really wanted to know what happened to Clara and if she came to terms with her scars, or if she got her scars fixed. yet quickly into reading Has to Be Love, I realized that this book just wasn’t for me. Which is disappointing, because I genuinely did want to end up liking this book.

What I didn’t like about this novel was that I did not like the attraction that Clara had towards her new student-teacher that is still, technically, a student himself. That’s what drew me away from finishing the rest of this novel.

I give Has to Be Love, 1 star.

Happy Reading!
— Adele

The Spirit Chaser, by Kat Mayor | {ARC} Book Review #372

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of The Spirit Chaser by Kat Mayor from CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacted my review.

Trigger Warning:
Blood, Possession, Suicide,
Drug Paraphernalia, Drug Use Mention

Some places are too evil. Some places should be left alone.

27171931Austin Cole has it made. Star of the hit television show Spirit Chaser Investigations, he has become the world’s most famous paranormal investigator. Although hard work, a talented investigation team, and favorable genetics have something to do with it, it’s his lack of fear and willingness to take risks no one else will that make Spirit Chaser Investigations cable’s number-one show. When a ghost-hunt-gone-wrong seriously injures his best friend and lead psychic, Austin is forced to find a replacement for a team member he considers irreplaceable.

Casey Lawson can’t catch a break. She’s been on her own since she turned eighteen and is scraping by as a part-time psychic and cashier at a New Age store. When a desperate Austin Cole calls her up and offers her a position on his team, has her fortune finally changed?

He’s a control freak; she’s stubborn and opinionated. It takes time, but when they finally realize they’re working on the same side, everything clicks, both on and off screen.

Over the years Austin has angered plenty of demons, and one of them has set her sights on him. Now he’s the one in danger, and it’s up to the team to rescue him from the riskiest investigation of their lives.


Publication Date: November 03, 2015.

It’s been quite a while since I last read a Horror/ Romance novel and I was so excited. What piqued my interest about The Spirit Chaser was actually the fact that the characters in this story actually make up a TV show that they themselves star in. Think “Ghost Hunters,” or “Ghost Adventures” (my personal favourite).

In the first chapter there were multiple points of view that bled into one another, making the story seem all the more confusing, I had to really concentrate on what was being said. Quickly I acclimated to the way the story was being told. Which helped a lot because we’re never given a way to decipher whose point of view we’re reading from. You really have to concentrate on the way the story is being told to not only understand what was happening, but to be able to understand whose point of view you’re reading from.  Continue reading

Burn Girl by Mandy Mikulencak | {ARC} Book Review #367

Thank you to Albert Whitman and Company, via Netgalley, for giving me an Advanced Readers Copy of Burn Girl by Mandy Mikulencak in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warning:
Drug Mention,
Drug Overdose resulting in Death,
Fire, Attempted Murder,
Guns, Bullying

25335399A meth lab explosion leaves Arlie permanently scarred — both physically and emotionally. Yet, she develops the street smarts and survival skills to keep her addict mother out of the reach of the law and hidden from her stepfather, Lloyd, the man responsible for the explosion that killed three people.
Shortly after Arlie’s 16th birthday, her mother overdoses, forcing an end to their nomadic lives. Social services steps in and rules suddenly exist where none had before. Soon, she’s living in a 31-foot Airstream trailer with an eccentric uncle and attending high school for the first time.
While her facial scar makes it hard to fit in, Arlie begins to think a normal life might be possible – that is, until her stepfather tracks her down and insists she return drug money her mother had stolen. A final confrontation tests Arlie’s idea of right and wrong, and how far she’s willing to go to protect her new life.


Publication Date: September 1st 2015.

This review is long overdue, but since I’ve only recently gotten around to reading Burn Girl…it is better late than never.

I’ve been perpetually interested in Burn Girl for a few years. Every time I go to read it, I read the synopsis and think “Hmm, this’ll be good!” and then for some reason I move on to another book. So I’m really freakin’ glad that I finally sat down to read Arlie’s story. Continue reading

Winter Wolf, by Rachel M. Raithby | {ARC} Book Review #346

Thank You to Amazon Publishing via Netgalley, for allowing me to read Winter Wolf by Rachel M. Raithby, in exchange for an honest review. 

Trigger Warnings:
Murder,
Murder Mention,
Car Accident
Car Accident Resulting in Death,
Blood

cover70735-mediumKatalina Winter was prepared for life to change when she turned eighteen—but she never expected to actually change.

Learning that her birth parents were purebred wolf shifters is shocking enough. Now she’s expected to take her place in their unfamiliar world. Caught between two warring packs, Katalina must learn fast. One pack, led by the father she has only just met, wants to control her—and the other one wants her dead.

However, there is one bright spot to shifting, and his name is Bass Evernight. Tall, dark, and oh-so-handsome, Bass is the wolf that Katalina craves. He’s also strictly forbidden: a member of Dark Shadow, Bass is the son of her father’s mortal enemy. Yet deep down inside, Katalina’s new primal instincts howl that Bass is her mate. Can their love bring an end to the brutal war that has raged for so long, or will it spark the fighting around them into an all-consuming fire?


Publication Date: October 27 2015.

I didn’t know that Winter Wolf would be part of a trilogy/series beforehand, so finding out that there are more books in the New Dawn series besides Winter Wolf is very intriguing.

Winter Wolf is an incredibly fast paced book — and a quick few hour read at that. I didn’t know what to expect within this story, but I knew that it was a shifter novel. I’ve had this ARC for a while, but honestly… I’m so glad that I read Winter Wolf. I was really in the need for a shifter novel and Winter Wolf definitely  provided!

There were a few ups and downs in this novel for sure. The first being the writing. I enjoyed how the story progressed, and the character growth that Katalina went through, but at some points the writing felt forced. Which can be a huge bummer, since forced writing can ruin a story.

The character growth that Katalina goes through is something to mention though. Katalina’s growth as a character is shocking, to say the least. While we don’t really see Katalina’s life before, we certainly see the aftermath of what happens. There’re some points in the story; especially the beginning, that I don’t think would be a normal reaction to Katalina’s happenstance. Comparing Katalina in the beginning versus the end, you can see that there’s a huge difference in her character. Kat completely grew into herself and what she is.

Another thing that I like about this novel was that it wasn’t very predictable. I mean, there are definitely some eye-roll moments that I had while reading this book. However, the one main thing that I predicted didn’t come true. Which I actually enjoyed.

Overall, Winter Wolf was an interesting story that I initially had really high hopes for. While the story did meet my expectations, the writing was something that dulled the overall feel of the book.

I give Winter Wolf, 3 stars.

Do you read shapeshifter stories?
If you do, what was the last one you read? 

Happy Reading!
— Adele

Stay Sweet, by Siobhan Vivian | {ARC} Book Review #345

A huge Thank You to Simon & Schuster Canada, via Netgalley, for allowing me to read Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian in exchange for an honest review. 

32333296A summer read about first love, feminism, and ice cream.

Summer in Sand Lake isn’t complete without a trip to Meade Creamery—the local ice cream stand founded in 1944 by Molly Meade who started making ice cream to cheer up her lovesick girlfriends while all the boys were away at war. Since then, the stand has been owned and managed exclusively by local girls, who inevitably become the best of friends. Seventeen-year-old Amelia and her best friend Cate have worked at the stand every summer for the past three years, and Amelia is “Head Girl” at the stand this summer. When Molly passes away before Amelia even has her first day in charge, Amelia isn’t sure that the stand can go on. That is, until Molly’s grandnephew Grady arrives and asks Amelia to stay on to help continue the business…but Grady’s got some changes in mind…


Publication Date: April 24, 2018.

My thoughts on Stay Sweet prior to sitting down and reading the book are that even though the premise for Stay Sweet is interesting, I wanted to keep my expectations low. I thought that Stay Sweet would be a story overflowing with fluff. Kind of like a dreamy summer read. Instead, Stay Sweet was more down-to-earth, more realistic. Amelia has graduated high school, and this summer, she’ll be working at the Meade Creamery before she’s off to college.

IMG_5718Molly Meade dying was something that I don’t think ever crossed Amelia’s mind. However, when Molly is found dead, Amelia’s world seems to come down around her. From then on, the book has it’s high’s and lows. Continue reading

Whisper, by Lynnette Noni | Book Review #339

Huge thanks to Pantera Press for allowing me to read Whisper by Lynette Noni in exchange for an honest review. 

36356854“Lengard is a secret government facility for extraordinary people,” they told me.

I believed them. That was my mistake.

There isn’t anyone else in the world like me.

I’m different. I’m an anomaly. I’m a monster.

For two years, six months, fourteen days, eleven hours and sixteen minutes, Subject Six-Eight-Four — ‘Jane Doe’ — has been locked away and experimented on, without uttering a single word.

As Jane’s resolve begins to crack under the influence of her new — and unexpectedly kind — evaluator, she uncovers the truth about Lengard’s mysterious ‘program’, discovering that her own secret is at the heart of a sinister plot … and one wrong move, one wrong word, could change the world.


Publication Date: May 01, 2018.

To be quite honest with you, I had such high hopes for Whisper. Continue reading

Speedbump, by Charli Coty | {ARC} Book Review #321

A huge Thank-You to Nine-Star Press, LLC, via NetGalley for allowing me to read Speedbump by Charli Coty in exchange for an honest review. 

Trigger Warning:
Mentioning of Self-harm, Mentioning of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Abuse.

37856234Ezra Cook is sole caregiver to older brother Tray, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in his forties. They live outside the small town of Drop, Oregon, on property Tray bought with his Microsoft settlement money. For years, Ezra has been going on and off low doses of testosterone to maintain a comfortable level of androgyny. Ezra spends most days juggling Tray’s needs and the work required to survive in rural Oregon on a small income, ignoring their own needs, especially companionship and sleep.

Ellred “Red” Long escaped Drop at seventeen but returns to his hometown in disgrace after his band dumped him on the streets of LA. Coming back doesn’t seem like such a dead end, though, after he sees a guy walking along the side of the road in the rain and gives him a lift.

Ezra and Red’s chance meeting begins an uncomfortable friendship neither had expected, and both allow fear to keep it from escalating into a hookup, or worse, a romance. Red never meant to return to Drop and doesn’t want to get stuck there again, while Ezra’s protective walls may be too strong to breach, from either side.


All I really knew about Speedbump was that it was listed on NetGalley as a LGBTQIA, Romance. The synopsis was interesting so I thought that I’d check it out.

Speedbump tells the story of two very different individuals who are both queer. Each character has led different lives, and I like that they talk about it when they’re ready. I like that both Ezra and Red are supportive of the other.

The beginning of the book was a little iffy for me. There are two points of view, each IMG_5486individual chapter was slow to gain momentum since we’re getting to know everyone and their story from Ezra and Red. During the beginning of the book, I don’t know if it was the awkwardness of the characters, but the writing felt like the author was trying to find their way to write the novel.

Both Ezra and Red are interesting characters. They prove that time and time again. One thing that I like about this book is that we see in Ezra’s mind that they’re having quite a run with how they view them-self.

Speedbump story was never a dull story. Of course there are some really rude characters, but that’s life. And Speedbump certainly pertains to the LGBTQIA crowd. In a way, I kind of wish there were more LGBTQIA+ characters, but Speedbump IS about Ezra and Red. So keeping the focus on them was very important, and the point of this story.

Speedbump pleasantly surprised me. There were many moments in this book where I was legitimately worried for the characters in them. One thing that will stick with me though is that no one died a tragic death (since most of these characters are LGBTQIA+).

I give Speedbump 4 stars!

Happy Reading!
Adele