Betrayal (Infidelity #1) by Aleatha Romig

Following the mindfck known as the Consequences series, I knew Aleatha Romig was going to blow my mind again and also heart away with her new Infidelity series. PSA: THERE IS NO CHEATING IN THIS BOOK. I'm also ashamed to admit that it took me awhile to start reading it. But now that I have? I want to devour all things related to Aleatha Romig. Betrayal happens to be the first book out of five in the Infidelity series and let’s just say I absolutely can’t wait for Cunning to arrive in late January. Not only was this book a great introduction to a fantastic story that I know will be amazing and even heartbreaking at times, I'm sure there will be more secrets to discover as we progress forward through the series. Nox and Alex were both intricate and complex characters and at this moment in time we have no idea what their ultimate goals and intentions are. As many have said, this is merely the tip of the iceberg.

Oh yeah, I loved it so much I even made a freaking graphic lol.

What made this book so intriguing for me was that it was set in both the past and present: Alex's time in the past as Charli with Nox in Del Mar and her stay at Montague Manor with the unraveling of her future in the present. I personally thought Aleatha Romig did a wonderful job shifting between the two time periods and ultimately interconnecting them in a fluid manner. Throughout the entirety of the book, Nox was definitely the shining star of the book, along with Alex, and his time with her marked as one of the best moments for me. He was super sexy and mysterious! Alex's stay in Montague Manor, on the other hand, was one of deception, lies, and betrayal; and so, I mostly felt sad and angry for her during those times. However! What I loved most about Alex was her backbone, independence, and ability to stand up for herself and her dreams in life. I absolutely adore those kinds of heroines!

Like I've said before, Nox and Alex were the shining stars of the book and I thoroughly enjoyed their time together in Del Mar the most. It was both sexy and heartbreaking because you could just tell Alex was slowly falling in love with Nox in that short amount of time. Of course, I am still a bit suspicious of Nox and his intentions... but at the same time, I also can't help feel that he truly cared for Alex and maybe even fell a little bit in love with her as well. I'm actually still reeling from that cliffhanger ending and especially confused over Nox's reaction to Alex and her part in the overall scheme of things. Compared to Consequences, Betrayal had a more "romantic" and EROTIC feel to it. That is... until the ending. Now I have no idea what will happen to Alex. In any case, I loved this book and will be salivating for more in the upcoming months.

ALSO, FIRST REVIEW OF THE YEAR! *

Rating: ★★★★★

Finding Gabriel by Rachel L. Dementer

Finding Gabriel was my first read by Rachel L. Dementer and it certainly won't be my last from her. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy her story and characters, I loved how she made it a story of redemption about two broken people finding love in the darkest of times. What truly stood out to me however were Rachel’s beautiful prose and descriptive writing as well as the development of her characters.

Set after the destructive Napoleonic wars, Finding Gabriel tells the story of two characters, Ariah and Gabriel, and their journey to heal each other. The book starts out with Gabriel trying to kill himself and even manages to commit the deed until our kind heroine, Ariah, finds him in the river and drags him back to her home. Once he wakes up, Gabriel angrily lashes out at Ariah for ruining his plans but eventually comes to respect her as time goes by. Of course, that respect is also tinged with some form attraction between the two and both characters seem to feel it. However, it appears that Ariah fears this more than Gabriel does. As the book continues on, it becomes rather obvious that Ariah has experienced something traumatic in her life.

In the end, I found myself invested in these two characters and their happiness and wanted them come out of this okay. It was also super romantic—which I loved. Finding Gabriel had passion, intrigue, mystery, action, and PLENTY of heartbreak! Touching on various subjects from suicide, disfiguration, victims of tragedies, and so much more, Rachel’s book made for a very emotional read! I highly recommend it to those who are looking for a different type of historical romance to read.

This arc was kindly provided by Rachel L. Dementer and Momentum in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★★☆

In the Air Tonight (Sisters of the Craft #1) by Lori Handeland

In the Air Tonight is the first installment in the Sisters of the Craft series, as well as my first read by author Lori Handeland, and it is an exceptional one. Handeland's world building, development of her characters, in addition to the mystery revolving around the cult group trying to murder female witches makes for a very interesting story. Although the romance wasn't very profound, I enjoyed Raye and Bobby's interactions. Their attraction to each other felt real and believable.

Individually, Raye and Bobby are awesome characters as they are both independent with a mysterious past. Raye was an enjoyable character with a strong personality and humor who who lives in the moment while Bobby is damaged hero because of his pastis and protective of those he cares about. I truly sympathized with him and Raye realizes what makes him who he is early on. In any case, the book revolves around a huge murder mystery of a witch hunting group who has been killing numerous females who may or may not be witches around the country. I actually enjoyed this part of the book a lot because it had action and plenty of suspense. I guess you could categorize this book as more fiction than romance, but either way, it does have romance between two interesting and realistic characters.

Initially, I thought some of the dialogue between the characters were rather stunted as a result of the constant switch between first person narrative and third person. Of course, I eventually got used to the format and didn't prevent me from enjoying the book but it was definitely weird at first. I had never read anything with format before so I was actually surprised by it. Raye is of course in first person while Bobby and everybody else were told in third person.

To sum things up, I thought In the Air Tonight was a strong debut in Lori Handeland's new series and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book about Raye's sister, Becca Carstairs in Heat of the Moment.

This arc was kindly provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★★☆

A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR #1) by Sarah J. Maas

* * * This review will contain major spoilers * * *

A Court of Thorns and Roses was my first Sarah J. Maas book and I'm ashamed to say that I have not started her Throne of Glass series yet. This book has it all: love, sex (I know; I was definitely surprised), deception, magic, good versus evil, and plenty of action! I fell in love with Prythian, the faerie world in which Tamlin, Lucien (Tamlin's best friend), Rhysand, and eventually Feyre all reside in. Although it may be a dangerous and treacherous world, it's also extruciatingly beautiful as well. Besides being a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this story also has elements of other mythology in it as well. I'm very interested in what Sarah has in store for us when it comes to the love triangle between Tamlin, Rhysand, and Feyre. I hate love triangles but... I can't help but ship both.

Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court

"I love you," he whispered, and kissed my brow. "Thorns and all."

I don't even know where to begin. There were so many things I loved about Tamlin and Feyre's relationship. Tamlin is literally the beast. He can actually shift into a lion-like creature! At least that's what I imagine him to look like. Unlike Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Feyre initially has a cold and distrustful nature towards the fae. Due to her family's destitute situation, she is forced to hunt for both herself and her family while growing up in order to survive in a world gone mad. Feyre is eventually forced into the world of Prythian due to one of her actions and comes across the path of Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court. What I loved most about their relationship and romance was the slow burn and how it progressed naturally. From Feyre's mistrust of all faeries and Tamlin to her realizing that she loves him and will sacrifice her life just to break his curse. Furthermore, Tamlin and Feyre have some amazing chemistry! Their love scenes were very poetic and sensual. My heart broke for them near the end and I cried for both Feyre's desperate situation and her love for Tamlin.

Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court

"Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don't feel anything at all."

Rhysand was such an interesting character! At first I hated him... but there were so many facets to his character that I ended up becoming fascinated with him. He reminded me of Loki, whom I secretly adore, due to his "games" and pranks in the book in addition to his dark and mischievous nature. His relationship with Feyre was an interesting one and I'm sure Sarah will have us guessing and anticipating what will become of them in the next book! As a result of her deal with Rhysand, Feyre will have to spend one week with Rhysand in the Night Court for the rest of her life. Uh oh, that does not bode well for Tamlin! A lot of people have speculated that their relationship resembled Hades and Persephone's and I can actually see it happening. But yes, Feyre's time under captivation in Amarantha's court Under the Mountain was when Rhysand started to grow on me and you'll eventually see how. Let's just say there is more to his character than meets the eye, of course. I've been seeing a lot of people ship Feyre and Rhysand and while that saddens me (since I personally ship Feyre and Tamlin a bit more), we'll just have to see how their relationship will progress in the next book!

A Court of Thorns and Roses ends with a high note with no cliffhangers that has readers anticipating what the author has in store for us next! Feyre is essentially broken by the end of this book as a result of her choices and actions in breaking Tamlin's curse when it comes to saving both the faerie and human world. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to those who are looking for a great high fantasy novel with wonderful characters and an intricate world full of possibilities, danger, magic, and even love.

Rating: ★★★★★

Gone For You by Jayne Frost

Jayne Frost's Gone For You is the first book in the Sixth Street Band series and I really enjoyed Cameron and Lily's story. This was actually my first read by the author and I'm definitely intrigued by her. The book immediately thrusts readers into the mind of Cameron Knight, our main hero, and I was frankly overwhelmed at first. I initially felt no connection to the secondary characters, even though Cameron obviously had a history with them. Cameron himself comes off as very arrogant in the beginning, but that's to be expected. He's a famous rock star! One thing I did like was the chase between Lily and Cameron. In addition, I liked how Lily tried her best to resist Cameron's charms and felt like there needed to be a boundary between the too. Although I felt like their romance progressed a little too quickly, the chemistry and connection they had together were rock solid.

Cameron Knight is our male lead character and I honestly had trouble liking him in the beginning. He comes off as a player and I understand why Lily was wary of him. Cameron does undergo some character growth and eventually wants more from his relationship with Lily. There were moments throughout the book where readers can obviously feel his struggle in recognizing his feelings for her. Told through Cameron's point of view, I thought Jayne Frost did a great job in that regard. However, I wished Frost also provided an additional point of view, such as Lily's, in order for readers to connect with the romance a bit more. I wanted to know what Lily was thinking of Cameron, their "situation," and what her feelings for him were. In the end, I thought Gone For You was a great debut for author Jayne Frost and I definitely look forward to reading the rest of the Caged band member's story. If you're looking for a sweet and sexy story about rock stars, I highly recommend this one!

Rating: ★★★★☆