REVIEW: "The Inheritance" by Morgan K. Wyatt

Release Date: May 30th, 2015

Type: Stand alone, Contemporary Romance, Veteran, Sweet-as-heck

About the Book: Melody’s work as a hospice nurse both gives her life purpose and rips her heart out when her patients die. Her latest client left her his lakeside home. After years of living in foster homes, Melody seizes the opportunity for a real home. 

Her happy residence comes to an abrupt halt when her benefactor’s missing nephew, Levi, shows up. A bomb shattered his leg and life, which left him in need of a safe place to figure out the rest of his life. The will leaves the house to both of them, but only if they cohabit for a year. Otherwise, the house goes to a third party. 

Melody detests Levi for never writing or visiting his dying uncle. Levi considers Melody little more than a gold digger similar to his ex-wife. There’s no way he’ll let her have his inheritance. [Description from Goodreads.com]

My Review: I'm going to start this review off with what didn't work for me, that way we can end on the high notes that are what I really enjoyed. The thing that made me second guess myself the entire time I was reading this book was the pacing. It was tough for me to figure out exactly how much time had passed every time we moved to a new scene. Beside that, some of the conclusions that Melody and Levi jump to seemed a little far-fetched. But despite these fall backs, I kept reading because this is a legitimately good story, and I wanted to know what would happen to Levi and Melody.

This is my first book by author Morgan K. Wyatt, but it will not be my last. I like the writing style, and how real her characters feel. Despite the fanciful way Melody and Levi are thrown together (is what his uncle did even legal?) - I loved to see how they would handle such a difficult situation. They felt genuine, and it was fascinating to see how they struggled separately, as well as how they struggled to come together.

At just over 200 pages, this is one of those short-and-sweet books. It was a perfect read for an evening curled up on the couch. And certainly lifted my spirits despite the gloomy weather!

Cover Lovin': Simple, yet elegant.

Recommendation: Definitely a good one-sitting read.

Final Rating: THREE POINT FIVE out of FIVE stars (3.5/5)!! A great read for a gloomy day. The characters felt like good friends and I loved watching their story unfold.

Make sure to get your copy of "The Inheritance" by Morgan K. Wyatt today!

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. Thanks Morgan!

REVIEW: "I'll Meet You There" by Heather Demetrios

Disclaimer: I received a free, advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

Type: Young Adult, New Adult, Romance, Coming of Age, Military, War, Paradise Motel and Pool

About the Book: If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper. [Synopsis provided by Goodreads.com]

My Review: Oh, wow. This is one of those books that I loved so much that my review will be hard to write. I don't want to just gush all over this page, but I might have to - this book was that good. I don't usually get emotional while reading - I go through the emotions with the main character, but it is muted, because I know this isn't my real life. But when Skylar felt hopeless, when everything was falling apart in her life - this author made me feel it. I hurt, I even cried, and it was amazing.

This book wasn't perfect, no book is. I felt the big climax, the "misunderstanding that sets our budding relationship back several steps," was far from original, but author Heather Demetrios made it work for her. The awkwardness, the "why" - that was new and different. The author took a trope I have seen countless times before, and added her own spin to it. And lastly, I thought Skylar's downward spiral happened too fast. She went from one extreme to another. But I can even find myself explaining that away as well - sometimes life just sucks, and you find yourself doing something you never wanted, and never expected. This book was that good - I'm practically petting it and telling it that everything is okay. Even the not-so-great stuff is still amazing.

This is my favorite book of 2015, so far. It's one of those books I wish I had the money to buy multiple copies so I can throw them at people, forcing them to read it. It wasn't perfect, but even its imperfections made me love it all the more.

Cover Lovin': This doesn't exactly give you a good idea about the book's story or content. However, the run-down sign fits perfectly with their tiny little can't-even-afford-a-horse-town.

Recommendation: This is one of those books that can and will appeal to both young adult and new adult lovers. It's incredibly compelling and emotionally astounding. Recommended to absolutely everyone! It was that good.

Final Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARS (5/5)!!! My favorite book of 2015 so far, hands down. It will take a lot to top this, for sure. I can't say enough good things about this book.

Happy Reading!

~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~

Review: "Ares: Bringer of War" by George O'Connor

Disclaimer: I received a free, advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Release Date: January 27, 2015

Type: Graphic Novel, History, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Ares, The Iliad, War of the Gods, Book 7, Series, So Much Death and Destruction

About the Book: The myth continues in the tenth year of the fabled Trojan War where two infamous gods of war go to battle. The spotlight is thrown on Ares, god of war, and primarily focuses on his battle with the clever and powerful Athena. As the battle culminates and the gods try to one-up each other to win, the human death toll mounts. Who will win this epic clash of power? And how many will have to die first?

My Review: This volume felt like a let down when compared to the previous ones - especially the Poseidon and Aphrodite volumes, since those were particularly awesome. The art is still on par with the rest of the series, but it was the story itself that didn't work for me.

I didn't like this volume as much as the previous ones. The author decided to take on The Iliad for Ares' story and it became a confusion of names more than once. Unless the reader is already familiar with the story, this would have been a bumbling mess. But the quality of the previous volumes is still there. 

That said, I think this would be a great companion story to anyone working their way through the Iliad. The rest of the series I recommend giving to anyone struggling in a mythology class, or maybe just someone who can't stop devouring mythology books - but this volume isn't something I would just hand to someone. It almost feels like it comes with some extra homework.

I am hopeful there will be more books in this series. George O'Connor does a fantastic job capturing the Greek myths in graphic novel form. And hey - he hasn't even finished the 12 Olympians, so he better keep going!

Cover Lovin': Well done on the cover. It matches the rest of the series, and I'd say this battle cry stance fits the god of war perfectly.

Recommendations: For fans of Greek Mythology, and Graphic Novels. This would be a good companion for a high school or college student reading the Iliad, as well.

Final Rating: TWO POINT FIVE out of FIVE stars (2.5/5). As stated above, this seems like a step down in quality compared to the previous books in the series. Unless the reader has a good grasp of Greek history and/or the happenings of the Iliad, this book will seem like an info dump.

Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda at Novel Addiction ~!~