Reviews – Page 111 – Sincerely Karen Jo

PrettyDeadGirlsTour

Hi Lovelies! Welcome to my first Blog Tour of 2018. This stop is for the Pretty Dead Girls Tour hosted by Chapter by Chapter. I really enjoyed this YA murder mystery and definitely recommend it if you’re a fan of thrillers. Don’t forget to stay until the end to join an awesome giveaway!

4 ★ – ENTERTAINING AND ADDICTIVE

PUBLISHED BY ENTANGLED TEEN JANUARY 2, 2018

GENRE(S): YOUNG ADULT, MYSTERY, THRILLER

HARDCOVER 300 PAGES

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Synopsis

Beautiful. Perfect. Dead.

In the peaceful seaside town of Cape Bonita, wicked secrets and lies are hidden just beneath the surface. But all it takes is one tragedy for them to be exposed.

The most popular girls in school are turning up dead, and Penelope Malone is terrified she’s next. All the victims so far have been linked to Penelope—and to a boy from her physics class. The one she’s never really noticed before, with the rumored dark past and a brooding stare that cuts right through her.

There’s something he isn’t telling her. But there’s something she’s not telling him, either.

Everyone has secrets, and theirs might get them killed.

Review

Another terrific book from Entangled Teen! With great writing and a fascinating storyline, Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy had me hooked from the very first page. It’s entertaining, addictive, and just so much fun.

This book completely intrigued me the entire time. The plot was fast-paced, suspenseful, and utterly thrilling that I actually finished reading in less than 12 hours. With catty popular girls, gruesome deaths, and a budding romance between two unlikely characters, there was definitely enough drama that had me turning the pages. I LOVED the mystery aspect and while Murphy certainly kept me guessing until the end, I did have my theories and 2 suspects in mind. There was a part that made me think it was a certain character. Just something about the scene gave me the feeling and I’ll have you know… I was correct! I loved playing detective and had such a blast solving the mystery. Although if I’m going to be honest, I never could do this in real life. I’d be too anxious, scared, nervous, and just a total mess.I do have to mention that the ending felt just a tad bit rushed. Don’t get me wrong, it was still awesome, but I felt like there could have been more.

The characters, while infuriating and not very likable, were developed and written very well. They were fantastic in their own ways and acted their part quite convincingly. However, I have to admit that I had a difficult time relating with any of them – even Penelope. Their personalities were just strong and so intimidating that I could not see myself being friends with them. (I’m an introvert and very shy so I would not do well in their group). Nevertheless, that didn’t stop me from rooting for Penelope and the rest of her friends to have some kind happy ending.

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Oh and can I just say that Cass’s grandmother was just precious!!! She’s super adorable, genuine, and so sweet. Yup she’s definitely my favorite character!

The romance, while interesting, was kind of weird and I still don’t really know how I feel about it. I’m a romance junkie so to feel this way about a love story — specially one of my favorite tropes — is really throwing me off. I just felt that the relationship between Cass and Penelope was a bit forced at times and just so awkward. I think the story would have been just as good without their romance. BUT… there were a few moments between Cass and Penelope that made me swoon. My favorite scene involved a closet, some music, and one steamy spine-tingling kiss that I wished would have happened to me when I was a teen (minus the uncomfortable situation which you’ll find out once you read this book). Maybe if some of their interactions played out differently, their pairing would have been more believable.

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Pretty Dead Girls by Monica Murphy is a fun thriller that’s perfect for anyone looking for a quick and exciting read. There’s plenty of drama and action, suspense to keep you on edge, and murder mysteries to solve. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and appreciated that Murphy addressed and showed the scary and devastating effects of bullying.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Monica Murphy is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is a traditionally published author with Bantam/Random House and Harper Collins/Avon, as well as an independently published author. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance. She is also USA Today bestselling romance author Karen Erickson. She is a wife and a mother of three who lives with her family in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere, along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through many angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.

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Thanks for stopping by and reading my review. Hope you lovelies get to meet these Pretty Dead Girls and have fun solving the mystery. Don’t forget to leave your comments down below!

Sincerely Karen Jo

Review

4 ★ – Deliciously Fun, Undeniably Steamy, and Wonderfully Enthralling

There’s a reason why paranormal romance is one of my favorite genres. Hinder by Kristin Ping is deliciously fun, undeniably steamy, and so wonderfully enthralling. I devoured this story so fast that I’m terribly aching for more!

This book is positively bewitching! I really liked the premise of the story and the supernatural aspects kept me intrigued. I thought the world building was creative and very fascinating. I’ve read and watched plenty about witches, warlocks, and magic, but never one like this. I definitely enjoyed learning about the relationship between Benders and Wielders. The plot was also fast-paced, suspenseful and absolutely thrilling. The drama, the humor, the sexuel innuendos, the conflict, the mystery, and the impending dangers… had me completely hooked. Throw in a swoony, sweet, and satisfyingly steamy romance and I’m a goner! Truly had so much fun with this book.

I liked Ethan and Alex and thought they were fantastic characters. Ethan’s devastatingly handsome, athletic, strong, and overall a decent guy, but he’s still a teenager and made plenty of mistakes. Alex’s breathtakingly gorgeous, smart, and sassy, but had her own insecurities to overcome. They were both very stubborn, but also passionate, determined, and genuinely good. I loved watching them interact and figure out how to find a balance with their powers and relationship. Speaking of their relationship… totally made me giddy. Their chemistry was amazing and the many tender and sexy moments between them were absolutely electrifying that I found it impossible to put the book down.

The supporting characters were interesting and likable to some extent. The parents were very overprotective, but with reason so it was easy to understand their actions. Ariel, Alex’s Aunt, was my favorite character — she’s sexy, alluring, sassy, and spontaneous. I also really loved her close relationship with Alex. This book had some heartwarming friendships and relationships that I really enjoyed and can’t wait to read more about.

While there were some parts of the story that irked me a bit, this book was still an absolute fun and delightful read. With a thrilling storyline, imaginative world building, fantastic characters, and a forbidden romance, Hinder had me enchanted until the end and anticipating the rest of the series.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher and Xpresso Book Tours via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Author Bio:

Kristin resides in South Africa with her husband, two beautiful girls and two bulldogs that tries to eat her house.

She has been writing for the past eight years and her first debut novel, Hinder: A Bender’s novel will be published 2018 by Fire Quill Publishing.

When she isn’t writing, she is spending her time with her family, or trying to teach her two bulldogs to not eat her house. You can find more about Kristin at http://www.authorkristinping.com

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GIVEAWAY – Tour-wide giveaway (INTL) for $75 Amazon gift card