***GIVEAWAY!!!***

Loni Flowers has very awesomely given me some swag to give away to all you lovely readers. 

Facts :

Going to keep this one simple. 

US and GB only please

First four people to comment on the blog wins!

Include your email address in the post and i will get in touch for your postal address.

Good Luck !!!

Serena xx

Smokeless Fire by Samantha Young

Ari was just going through the normal routine for a teenager at graduation. Worrying about what College to go to and what she really wanted to do with her life. Then her life got turned upside down when her friend invited a Genie to her 18th Birthday party. Who only turned out to be real freakin' genie!!
Swept into a world of Jinn Kings, magic and love. College is the least of Ari's worries. 

As i have mentioned many times before, the first books i read by Samantha Young were her Tale of Lunamorte series (they are awesome btw) and ever since then i have practically been stalking her other books.
However, when i came across this one and some of her other books, i read the blurb and thought they weren't my kind of thing. Genies just didn't seem appealing to me (probably because all that kept popping into my head was Aladdin) but after reading the other books i wasn't originally keen on (and turned out loving them) i decided i would defo give this a try. 
Turns out. Genies are my thing. Or perhaps its just Jai ;-) 

The thing i enjoy most about Samantha Young's books, is that her writing style is so flawless. When Sam is describing the back story to the reader, she makes sure to give you just enough information to understand it and not pile loads of facts at you. I never get lost or confused (and believe me, it's easy for that to happen) when reading one of Sam's books like i have done in others where there has just been too much explained at once. 
Ari was a great character and easy to relate to. (hell i would have freaked more than she did, but damn she did better than i would've at keep myself off Jai) 
The relationship between Jai and Ari was believable and very well written. The right things happening just at the right moments. 
Jai tries to keep his job of protecting her purely professional. But she isn't what he expected in the least, and after spending 24/7 with her, its hard not to let his feelings become more personal. 
Ari thought she had at least her love life sorted - to an extent. She was in love with her best friend Charlie, they had been inseparable as kids, but then a tragic accident changed Charlie from her loving, caring friend into someone who would rather get wasted and high than graduate high school.
Just as Ari is realizing her feelings for Jai, Charlie decides to clean up his attitude and express his feeling towards Ari.  
Like she needed anymore chaos in her life. 


A great enjoyable read, moving swiftly onto the second book. 

5/5

Marriage Most Scandalous by Johanna Lindsey

Maggie goes in search of the disowned son of her guardian, after she beings fearing for her guardians life. 
After endless searches she seeks out a mercenary, known only as The Raven, to find Sebastian only to find out that he is the Raven. Convincing him to return to England and investigate his fathers strange accidents, was the easy part. Trying not to fall in love with him - or kill him, turned out to be a lot harder. 



I had high expectations for this book after reading 'Love Only Once'
But this wasn't anything like i hoped it would be. 
The blurb defiantly made me think that this was exactly my sort of thing, but it was far from it. 
The romance between Sebastian and Maggie wasn't as believable as i felt it should have been, and to be honest i don't feel like i thought they had really fallen n love. 
At one part in the story Maggie says she has something to tell Sebastian, and then when she tries to he tells her that they can talk later. This is near the end of the book, and you never find out what it was. I thought it was perhaps she was pregnant, but that is obviously not the answer at the end of the book. So who knows what she was going to say to him.

Sadly can't give this anymore than a 3

Tangled Web by Crista McHugh

Azurha, a former slave turned deadliest assassin in the empire, has just been offered the ultimate challenge--seduce, then murder the new Emperor. But Titus is not the tyrant his forefathers were, and his radical ideas might be the glimmer of hope the empire needs.

Titus Sergius Flavus has yet to master the powerful magic of his ancestors--magic he must wield if he's to protect his people--but his father's death has left him no choice. Rule the Deizian Empire and attempt to right his ancestors' wrongs, or watch her fall to his greedy kin.

More than just Titus' ideas hold Azurha captive. Night after night, he awakens desires she thought lost, and uncovers the magic of her hidden lineage. As her deadline approaches, Azurha is forced to make an impossible decision--complete her job and kill the man she loves, or fail and forfeit both their lives.


This book was very well written and the story was fabulous. 
I didn't want to put this down until i had finished it. 
Even though i worked out most of the outcomes of certain events, Crista still added in a little something each time so you were still surprised.
Azurha was a great character, she was likable and you understood the reason behind the person she was.
There were some great laugh out loud moments from Titus and he was a character you didn't expect. Kind and caring whereas i thought he was going to be ruthless.
The only thing i could say about this book was that it left some questions unanswered, things that were hinted at in the book but never revealed or concluded. Titus mentions something about his father becoming sick, practically over night, which hints to the reader that perhaps there was some fowl play, but this is never touched upon again. I don't know if Crista is planning on clearing this up in the second book, but i am dying to find out. 
Will defiantly be waiting on the sequel!


4/5

Rebel with a Cause by Carol Arens

Bounty hunter Zane Coldridge infamous, dangerous and revered does not do distractions. He s renowned for his no-nonsense attitude, and criminals fear the day he comes knocking on their door!
But when Zane encounters Missy Lenore Devlin his resolve is swiftly tested! This ditzy yet innocently beautiful damsel in distress is on the lookout for adventure, and Zane has that in abundance.
Torn between chivalry and keeping his head in the game, Zane pulls Missy onto his horse and promises her a journey one which neither could have imagined when the sun rose over the prairie that morning!"


I can't say how much i enjoyed this book. I love how Missy was set on having an adventure and nothing was going to deter her from it. After surviving a cow eating her dress, being attacked by an outlaw, and being caught in a flood all within 24 hours, Missy is loving every moment of it, while Zane can't help but think that she may have lost her marbles somewhere along the way. 
Zane wants nothing more than to leave Missy in the nearest town and get back to work catching outlaws. But every time he leaves her, he soon finds himself turning his horse - Ace- around and going back for her. 
Muff, Missy's pup is just as adventurous as his mistress and causes enough problems himself. 
Missy decides she wants to help Zane catch the outlaw and split the bounty in half and since he can't just seem to leave her behind Zane agrees. But he has no idea what he has gotten himself into. 

This was enjoyable, a good laugh and a real page turner. LOVED IT!


4.5/5

Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw Review

Ten years ago Kate Winters’ parents were taken by the High Council’s wardens to help with the country’s war effort. 
Now the wardens are back...and prisoners, including Kate's uncle Artemis, are taken south on the terrifying Night Train. Kate and her friend Edgar are hunted by a far more dangerous enemy. Silas Dane – the High Council’s most feared man – recognises Kate as one of the Skilled; a rare group of people able to see through the veil between the living and the dead. His spirit was damaged by the High Council’s experiments into the veil, and he’s convinced that Kate can undo the damage and allow him to find peace.
The knowledge Kate needs lies within Wintercraft – a book thought to be hidden deep beneath the graveyard city of Fume. But the Night of Souls, when the veil between life and death is at its thinnest, is just days away and the High Council have their own sinister plans for Kate and Wintercraft.


This book started off so promising but unfortunately it was downhill from there.
I was at chapter 11 when i finally felt like the book was kicking off. 
The descriptions in my opinion were far too long, by the time Jenna was finished describing something i had forgotten what she was talking about. 
The main character : Silas, Kate and Edgar were interesting and enjoyable but they weren't enough to keep the story going. 
If you were to ask me about the characters now i wouldn't be able to tell you a lot about them. Kate has dark hair, Silas has black hair and a scarred hand i don't know anything about Edgar - i can't even remember Jenna describing them.
As i was reading the book i thought i may read the next installment and see if it has gotten any better, but i am about four chapters away from finishing Wintercraft and i have decided not to bother reading them. 
From the other reviews i have read for this book, it seems to be a love or hate story. Readers are either rating it 5 stars or 1, and i have to say the most i could give this book was 1.5




1.5/5