bookreviews – Page 42 – Sincerely Karen Jo

MercuryRisesTour

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4.5 ★ – THRILLING AND SO MUCH FUN

PUBLISHED BY INKSPELL PUBLISHING, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

GENRE(S): YOUNG ADULT, DYSTOPIAN, RETELLING, ROMANCE

PAGES: KINDLE 381

Purchase Links: Amazon | Kobo | Itunes | B&N

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synopsispic

A girl looking for a way out.

Being the daughter of New America’s leader, Mercury Masters has everything a girl could want. A glamorous life full of beautiful people, and the power to have anything she wants, except for one thing—to escape. Because Mercury’s perfect life comes with secrets to keep. Dangerous secrets that if made public would destroy her, her family, and her father’s reign. Then she meets Hawk.

A boy looking to be a hero.

Hawk, a handsome prep school dropout turned vigilante, has his own family secrets. Deadly secrets that have haunted him since he was fifteen. But instead of fighting the ghosts of his past, Hawk has assembled a group of misfit hackers and thieves to save the future from the corrupt government of New America and the mysterious virus that is killing off its citizens. But trying to do the right thing is tough when the person you really want to save is your enemy’s daughter.

A love that could kill them both.

Powerful forces keep them apart, but coming together could be the key to saving New America from destruction—even though it may cost both their lives.

A near-future YA biopunk retelling of Robin Hood.

excerpt

Running Away

I reached into my apron and pulled out the week’s rent. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me, Bill. I really appreciate you taking me in.”

“No sweat. You work hard, and the regulars seem to like a pretty, young face around here. Stay as long as you’d like.” He took the wad of bills and slid them in his pocket. “Now get out of here. I’ll finish up. You look exhausted.”

Walking past, I squeezed his hand and continued on. As I glanced back over my shoulder, he smiled, and for a minute I thought I saw him blush. Bill was the nicest person I had met since I left. I’d miss him.

I ran up the stairs to my room. Time to move on. If there was still a chance of running into my past, I was still too close to the city. Too bad. Part of my heart hurt thinking about how I was going to let Bill down. I stopped at the door and rested my forehead against the rough wood. Maybe if I stayed the night, I could stick around and say goodbye in the morning. Better not. Fewer questions if I left now. Safer for him the less he knew, anyway.

A tight feeling spread across my lungs and up my throat as I slid the gold key in the lock for the last time, but I’d get over it. I had to. I sighed and clicked the door closed. My hand hesitated on the doorknob, the unexpected weight of a stare bearing down on the back of my head. I wasn’t alone.

Standing motionless, I scanned the darkness over my shoulder. A voice cut through the black.

“Mercury, I’ve been waiting for you.”

review

Mercury Rises by Scarlett Kol is a fantastic retelling of Robin Hood that had me undeniably enthralled the entire time. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about a YA Dystopian book, so I’m really hoping there’s a sequel because I want more! (Pretty Please Please Please!!!)

I love fairytales and enjoy reading about different retellings. I think they’re creative, entertaining, and so much fun. Mercury Rises was no exception and I’m utterly in love with this story. The world building was great, well-developed and absolutely intriguing. The plot was filled with action, mystery, romance, and so much thrill that I had a difficult time putting it down. This story totally made my emotions go haywire and I LOVED IT! Not to mention, there were some nice twist and turns that kept me on my toes.

The characters were fantastic. I thought Mercury was frustrating at times, but totally lovable. She was determined, independent, sassy, and strong-willed. Hawk was the kind of hero you root for — smart, resourceful, courageous, passionate and genuinely just a really good guy. Totally doesn’t hurt that he’s handsome and such a hottie too! I definitely fell hard for him and admired everything he was trying to do to save the world from a corrupt government. The side characters were really awesome, interesting and delightful in their own ways… yes even the one that get under your skin and make you furious.

The romance gave me the swooniest feels. I’m not usually a fan of love triangles, but this one was pleasantly done. I thought Christophe and Hawk were great love interests. I felt how much they cared about Mercury and my heart definitely got messed up a few times. I wish I could share every scene that made me aww, but I don’t want to take out all the fun and ruin it for you. Just know that there were plenty of satisfyingly sweet, deliciously steamy and wonderfully heartwarming moments that had me swooning over and over again. That being said, I have to admit that I was Team Hawk and rooted for him and Mercury the entire time. Their chemistry was just so amazing that I couldn’t get enough of them.

Mercury Rises is an amazing debut novel. With gorgeous writing, an action-packed and thrilling storyline, beautifully flawed characters you can’t help but root for, and an adorable romance, this book has become an instant favorite of mine. If you want something fun to read that will keep you up late at night, then I think you should definitely add this book on your TBR.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author through Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinion are my own.

abouttheauthor

Scarlett Kol

Scarlett Kol grew up in Northern Manitoba reading books and writing stories about creatures that make you want to sleep with the lights on. As an adult, she’s still a little afraid of the dark. Scarlett now lives just outside Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with her husband and two boys, but if you need to find her she’s likely freezing at the hockey rink.

Follow and Connect with Scarlett Kol

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Giveaway

One (1) winner will receive a Stella and Dot “On the Mark” Arrow Necklace and a $20 Amazon gift card (INT)

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I hope you enjoyed reading my review and get to meet Mercury and Hawk really soon.

sincerelykarenjo2

CollideTour

Hi loves!! Welcome to my Blog Tour Stop for Collide by Nicole Sobon hosted by Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours. This book may be short, but it’s hilarious, sweet, and totally swoony! Don’t forget to stay until the end for the giveaway.

collide

3.75 – 4 ★ – SHORT AND SWOONY

PUBLISHED BY INKSPELL PUBLISHING, LLC DECEMBER 15, 2017

GENRE(S): YOUNG ADULT, CONTEMPORARY, ROMANCE

PAGES: KINDLE 91

Purchase Links: Kobo and Amazon

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synopsispic

Three simple words were all it took to change their lives forever.

Losing a loved one is hard. Learning to survive in their absence? That’s even harder. For Gemma Michaels, life had become difficult following her brother’s death, but the one thing that kept her afloat was the one thing she knew she shouldn’t have desired – her best friend, Ben.

He’d made a promise to her brother – to protect her, no matter what. For Ben, that had meant that she was off limits. But then she slips and tells him the three words he’s been waiting to hear.

Love happens when you least expect it.

excerpt

It wasn’t like me to long for someone like I did Gemma.

I wanted to pull her into my arms and wrap her legs around my waist, and show her just how much I’d been wanting her. It was the exact thing I shouldn’t have been thinking of. After all, Trey had made me promise to take care of her, and I had every intention of fulfilling my promise. But what if I allowed myself to cross that line? What if I allowed us to become something more than what we were?

What if I broke the heart I’d promised to keep safe?

How the hell would I live with myself then?

It was as though love and lust were merging together and overpowering every rational thought in my brain.

Man, I really should’ve thought this out. I hadn’t considered what I wanted to say to her after last night’s fiasco. Heck, I hadn’t even thought of what all of this meant for our relationship, going forward. On one hand, I knew I probably should have gone straight home and acted as thought nothing had happened. Maybe she would be too drunk to remember, I’d told myself. But then I considered how that would only make things worse.

And plus, Gemma wasn’t the only one harboring feelings.

review

Sometimes, I just need a nice quick and addicting read that will make my pulse beat faster and give me some crazy goose bumps. Collide by Nicole Sobon most definitely did that and had me hooked from the very first page.

While it may be short, I didn’t feel like the plot was lacking or dull. The pacing was fantastic and Sobon did a fantastic job reeling me into the story. I loved the tension and all the steamy moments. The dual POVs were great too, but I enjoyed Ben’s more than Gemma. He just seemed to have more conflict toward his feelings for Gemma and I really like complicated – makes the storyline more interesting and fun. I also really liked that there’s some humor – Ben and his twin sister Molly teasing each other was so entertaining.

The characters were all really likable. I liked Gemma a lot and thought she was a great MC. She’s sweet, funny, and kind. I also liked that she was kind of sassy and could playfully flirt with Ben. Speaking of Ben… he was totally swoon-worthy. He’s charming, caring, and ridiculously handsome. I was definitely crushing on him the entire time. I also really liked Nate. He’s supposed to be a playboy, but I can absolutely see that he has a sweet and sensitive side. I really hope he gets his own story. And Molly… she’s just really amazing and so hilarious. Not to mention, she’s confident, spunky, a great friend and a wonderful sister. Can she please have her own story too?!

The romance was fantastic and I was completely rooting for Ben and Gemma. I don’t want to give too much away, but their chemistry was most definitely sizzling. They had plenty of adorable and steamy moments that had me swooning.

My only problem with the entire story was how this one phrase was being repeated over and over and over again. It became a nuisance and I really didn’t like that at all. Good thing that happened a little bit towards the end of the book so I wasn’t extremely bothered by it. I still really enjoyed the story and cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Collide by Nicole Sobon is a short, but heartwarming and swoony friends to lovers story. A delightful guilty pleasure read perfect for romance lovers.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

abouttheauthor