young adult – Page 3 – Sincerely Karen Jo

The Third Kiss

(Love’s Mortal Coil #1)

4.5 ★ – Fun Swoony Romance with a Paranormal Twist

Published by Entangled TEEN August 7,2017

Genre(s): Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance

Love curses don’t exist. At least that’s what Jonas, master of the meaningless hookup, tells himself when a letter warns him he’s an Eros Guardian cursed to endure a test of true love or forever be alone. His levelheaded longtime friend Cora figures it’s a revenge prank by an ex. The way Jonas stamps each girlfriend with a weeklong use-by date, it serves him right.

But when an impulsive kiss between the two friends reveals potential for more, Cora becomes the target of the Groth Maar: demons sent to wipe out the Eros Guardian line. And suddenly the curse becomes dangerously real.

Breaking the curse means Jonas’s biggest challenge yet. Failure guarantees Cora’s death. But success may cost him his own life…and the loss of his carefully guarded heart to the one girl far too sensible to fall for him.

When I read the premise for this book, I immediately requested. I already love books with romance in them so the idea of love curses just made me even more interested.

The writing in this book is so creative, vibrant and compelling. I found myself trying to squeeze reading time during work just cause I needed to know what happened next. The plot is engaging, hilarious, suspenseful and so much fun. I was really fascinated with the mythology part of the story and enjoyed reading about it.

The romance is so swoony and cute. Cora and Jonas are just too adorable together. They’re friends first and foremost so it’s endearing to watch them work out their feelings for each other. Their chemistry is sweet and I definitely felt that push and pull between them.

Cora is a such great heroine. She’s not without faults and she frustrated me a bit, but I admired her independent attitude. I loved that she’s smart, strong, determined, and brave. Jonas is quite the charmer being who he is – an Eros Guardian. He’s a player with a tragic past – the super hot “bad boy” you can’t resist and want to save. You’ll feel for him. You’ll root for him. You’ll want him to be happy and the whole nine yards. His twin sister, Beth, is quite the character! She’s confident, straightforward, ridiculously feisty and probably my favorite. Leo is the wild card — he’s new in town and mysterious so he certainly made the story more exciting.

The Third Kiss by Kat Colmer is such a wonderful debut novel. It’s unique, intriguing and beautifully written. The characters are lovable and relatable. The drama, romance, mystery, plot twists, and the humor made this story wickedly awesome. I was captivated from start to finish. And that ending?! Soooo crazy!! I absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel.

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

Sincerely Karen Jo

Lucky in Love

Kasie West

4.5★ – Fun, Sweet and Super Cute

Published by Scholastic July 25, 2017

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: Hardcover 333

Buy Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Maddie doesn’t believe in luck. She’s all about hard work and planning ahead. But one night, on a whim, she buys a lottery ticket. And then, to her astonishment —

She wins!

In a flash, Maddie’s life is unrecognizable. No more stressing about college scholarships. Suddenly, she’s talking about renting a yacht. And being in the spotlight at school is fun… until rumors start flying, and random people ask her for loans. Now, Maddie isn’t sure who she can trust.

Except for Seth Nguyen, her funny, charming coworker at the local zoo. Seth doesn’t seem aware of Maddie’s big news. And, for some reason, she doesn’t want to tell him. But what will happen if he learns her secret?

If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know how much I love cutesy YA contemporary books. Kasie West happens to write REALLY GOOD ones. Thanks to both Uppercasebox and Owlcrate, I received P.S. I Like You last year and ever since then, I’ve been in love with West’s gorgeous writing (Also, I’m so not complaining about having two copies). Her books are a bit predictable, but they are ALWAYS entertaining, adorable, and absolutely swoony. Every single time I finish one of her books, I have this silly smile on my face that just won’t go away and Lucky in Love most definitely did just that.

I love Maddie and I think she’s such a great MC. She’s smart, hard-working, down to earth, and very caring. When she wins the lottery, everyone suddenly wants to be her best friend. Some really amazing things happen and some not so great. Through the most exciting highs and the heartbreaking lows, Maddie handles her situation pretty well. She acts way better than how I imagine most teenagers would have with that much money. I admire that she tries to see the good in others and gives them the benefit of the doubt. While she’s a bit naïve given her young age, I think Maddie has a good heart and just wants the best for everyone.

Seth is absolutely charming and you can’t help but fall for him. I love his carefree personality and positive energy. He’s funny, super friendly and so stinkin’ cute. He’s the type of person who can brighten your day and make you smile like a dork. It’s no wonder Maddie couldn’t stay away from him. Not only is he handsome… he’s also just full of life that you want to be around him all the time. Seth’s definitely a great love interest for Maddie and an adorable book boyfriend to add to my list. Oh and he’s Asian too. Love seeing more diversity in books these days so thank you Kasie West! You just became even more awesome!

While not my favorite (that spot goes to P.S. I Like You and On the Fence), this book is fun and as cute as can be that I had such a difficult time putting it down. The plot is fast-paced, light-hearted and easy to read. The characters are genuine and relatable. There’s humor, a bit of mystery, some drama, great friendships, lessons to be learned and a swoony romance. Speaking of romance, while not the main focus of the story, I thought West depicted Maddie and Seth’s friends to lovers storyline really well. Their relationship is so endearing and definitely gave me the feels. Totally ship those two and oh my gosh that ending — ADORABLE TO THE MAX!

Lucky in Love is a delightful and sweet contemporary book. I love Kasie West’s writing style and her stories always make me feel so darn happy. If you’ve read any of her books, then you’ll definitely enjoy this one. And if you haven’t, then it’s time you change that and pick this one up.

P.S. When I saw her at the lineup for Yallwest this year, I made it my mission to meet her, get my books signed, and grab Lucky in Love at the ireadya booth. Sooo happy I was able to do all those. West is not only an amazing writer, but she’s also really nice and super sweet! I can’t wait to see her again.

Sincerely Karen Jo