All That Sparkles by Claire Boston

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Group: Women

Rating: 7.5/10
*Source: Netgalley*

Goodreads Blurb:

Imogen Fontaine is living every girl’s dream.

She is a fashion designer for her family’s haute couture label, lives in a mansion, has a great circle of friends and is the apple of her father’s eye. Everything is perfect.

Until the day that Christian, the boy at the center of her childhood heartbreak, walks back into her life.

From there her life starts to unravel, as long-kept secrets are revealed. Imogen learns that her past was built on lies and betrayal, shattering the illusion of her perfect existence. She must seek out the truth if she has any hope of forging a new path for herself and discovering true freedom.

But can she convince Christian that there is a place for him in her new life?

Review: 

Ever since I saw the title I knew I had to read it. The cover also did hold a certain mystery to it that drew me to the book. It was a pretty amazing read.

In this book the characters are so well crafted there's no one that can say they can't at least relate to one of them. There's Imogen, the main character, that is learning to let go and lean on herself for a change. To be independent. Then there's Christian, a guy that is struggling to trust and has something to prove. Adrian, the hidden rock star that is also a supportive guy and is the perfect guy to start a family with. Libby and Piper are the perfect friends you wish you had. Those are only the main characters. One thing I really loved about the book is that, yes, it does have a main character but there's no character that's just there. They are all symphonies to the perfect melody that is the book. The author made sure that each character has its own purpose in the book. 

I really liked this book because it isn't cliché like people from each other's past see each other and have instant love. No, it shows the perfect side as well as the imperfect one. Which, in this book, makes it all the more perfect. It shows that happy ending aren't faraway dreams only for rock stars and princesses, it's something we can all have. It also shows relationships doesn't just go "poof", there's a process to it. Like learning how to trust and getting past insecurities. Sparkles don't just appear, it takes work and perseverance to polish it. I found this book really relatable and it's such a breath of fresh air. This is one of those books that just makes you feel good inside. "All that Sparkles" is a book that is perfect for a lazy sunday afternoon.

The Kiss of Deception(The Remnant Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson

Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Age Group: Young Adult
Page Count: 496
Rating: 7/10

Goodreads Blurb: 

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love. 

Review:

First let me say that I usually don't like these kind of medieval books. Not because I don't think it's good but the medieval language kind of irks me because it's WAY too formal. Like the "we shall" and "to whom do we owe the pleasure?" (purely arbitrary terms)language. So when I saw this book, it was on my TBR list for quite a while before I got to it and I am so glad I did.

The first part of the book was amazing and pretty suspend-building. 
I love love love when books have different POVs and the author used the different perspective so well throughout the book. 

Also, surprisingly, the first sentence is amazing. Which is a rare occasion for most YA books. I mean, I love Divergent, but, is "There is one mirror in  my house" really the best way to start a book? Like I was super excited to read the book then I see the first sentence and I'm like: 



The kiss of deception starts like this:

"Today was the day a thousand dreams would die, and a single dream would be born."

and I was just like



and when they showed the two other POVs, The Prince and The Assassin, I was like "ooh, this goin' be good". Especially the Assassin. Like, what? So the book got me hooked from the beginning. But mid-way through the book, I kind of un-hooked.

Although I loved the book, there was a big drop from the start to the middle in terms of mood. So the start Pearson got the readers all psyched up and anxious with a fast-beat tempo in the book. Then it just slowed down to a soft piano song. It was kind of a big drop in mood and I don't know if it was intentional or not. If it was, it definitely worked well with the end-ish part(abt 70%).

Before reading this book, I've read a lot of reviews on it and they all said there was going to be a plot twist. So throughout the whole book I was mentally prepared with my suit and armor, but not even titanium could've prepared me for the plot twist. I'm not going to spoil the book for you because I want you to go through the same thing I did. But let me tell you this, you are not going to expect it even if you have read a million books. You're still going to go wide eye, mouth open and sit there like statue for at least five minutes before you recover and read back 5 times. I'm not being dramatic.

The plot twist was one of the things I loved about the book. I really admire authors that are willing to throw the thinking box down the Mississippi River and take the risk to make the readers go "wow". After awhile there's not many books that have such good plot twists. Wow.

The love triangle was amazing too. They each had their own set of secrets, past and agenda. In this book you get to see the romance blossom and honestly I thought it was sweet. Throughout the book I really don't know who I shipped even after the plot twist. It was one of those stories that you'd be happy whichever direction the book sailed the ship.

Lastly, the characters. The male characters were pretty much the same for the first part of the book and I often confused them together. Then, came the big plot twist and they just flew in different directions. It was when I really saw the core of their personality and started really caring for both of them. Then, there's Lia. Oh, Lia with the super long name... At the start, you didn't really care for her, but then came the plot twist. Wow, I've said plot twist a lot. When the plot twist came, Lia's being was tested and you finally see the true colors of her and it's hard not to like her. You're seeing her mature right along with her and see her for a strong woman and a bad-ass. Not in the violent kind of way but more through her pertinaciousness. All the characters were well crafted include Pauline's - Lia's best friend - story and her love life. Her brothers were too. In this story, the author made sure none of the characters were just there, she made sure each had their own purpose and that each and every one of them were unforgettable. She cleverly pieced all the character's agenda and trait into one perfect scheme. For the first time in a long time, I have no idea what will happen as the book progresses.

Moreover, there's a sequel that's out of this book called "Heart of Betrayal that'll come out on July 5th, 2015. I honestly can't wait! This book is amazing and I have high expectations for the next one. 

A Matter of Fate(Fate #1) by Heather Lyons

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Age Group: Young Adult

Rating: 8.4/10

Goodreads Summary:

Chloe Lilywhite struggles with all the normal problems of a typical seventeen-year-old high school student. Only, Chloe isn't a normal teenage girl. She's a Magical, part of a secret race of beings who influence the universe. More importantly, she's a Creator, which means Fate mapped out her destiny long ago, from her college choice, to where she will live, to even her job. While her friends and relatives relish their future roles, Chloe resents the lack of say in her life, especially when she learns she's to be guarded against a vengeful group of beings bent on wiping out her kind. Their number one target? Chloe, of course.

That's nothing compared to the boy trouble she's gotten herself into. Because a guy she's literally dreamed of and loved her entire life, one she never knew truly existed, shows up in her math class, and with him comes a twin brother she finds herself inexplicably drawn to.

Chloe's once unyielding path now has a lot more choices than she ever thought possible. 

Review:

After reading all the books in the series, I still think this is the best one. The story starts out smoothly, almost dream-like. But all of that shatters when the boys came to town. A daze shattered by the boy of her dreams, literally. Chloe has been talking to Jonah in her dreams since she was little. But recently they lost contact, her heart was broken and she barely got out of depression. Now, he's here, in her school, right in front of her. However, along with Jonah came his identical twin brother Kellan. Who is the source of many plot twist that keeps you on an emotional joyride. It forms a mind-shattering love triangle. The lines between right and wrong are thin. The triangle really is one of a kind, believe me, I've read many and this one stood out. Usually you can choose one of the guys/girls, but in this book, you can't. This keeps the reader on the edge of your seat trying to see what her decision will be. Also, her struggles are really relatable to teenagers and young adults. Like seeing your whole life in front of you and feeling like you're not ready for it. Feeling like you have no control. This makes the book all the better, you can feel the sparks of color in her emotions just as clearly as you feels you own. The author made spectacular characters that gives you a strong impression. Overall, the book was amazing.