Crimson Bound

Author: Rosamund Hodge
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Fantasy, Re-telling, Romance
Release Date: May 5, 2015

Summary: When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat. Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

Review: Actually a 3 1/2 star rating.

I've read Hodge's first and previous novel, Cruel Beauty, and totally fell in love with it. Needless to say, I was expecting no less from this one. Let me just say that Crimson Bound is one of those books that I didn't truly appreciate until I was reading the last page. Hodge has an absolutely incredible way with words. The world-building alone was fascinating! I will admit that I was not very familiar with the story of Little Red Riding Hood, which, I feel, is partially why I didn't quite like this book as much as I had hoped.

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of this novel. Hodge has weaved in a beautiful and creative world around the original Little Red Riding Hood tale. I enjoyed Rachelle for the most part. There were times when I was a slightly annoyed with her but ended up liking her character and will power overall. I will admit, I actually wanted something to happen between and her "wolf" of sorts. I was hoping for more of a Darkling and Alina romance (from the Shadow and Bone/Grisha Trilogy), so I was a little disappointed that he wasn't as big a part of the story as I had originally hoped for.

Armand . . . Armand . . . Armand . . . I just never really knew what to think of him. I liked him. Then I didn't. Then I did. Then I didn't. So on and so forth. I was really just curious as to what  had actually happened to his hands rather than anything else. It was rough having to wait so long to find out the actual truth. By the end of the novel I was just kind of  . . . meh . . . when it came to Armand. Not as great of a love interest as I had wanted which is one of the reasons I didn't give this a higher rating.

I definitely think that I'm going to read this one again so that I may fully appreciate and understand what happened. An intriguing, beautifully written piece of work! One to read if you enjoy fairy tale retelling's with heavy fantasy.

Happy Release Day!

I have been waiting for this day, the 5th of May, for months. It seems as though all of the most amazing authors got together and said, "Hey, let's make everyone wait MONTHS for our AWESOME new releases and release them all on the same day!" So they did just that! Finally, that day has arrived and I could not be any more excited! So! Here are just a few of the new books that debuted their beautiful-ness to the world today! 

P.S. This is how I will look when my books arrive in the mail . . .

Author: Sarah Dessen

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Summary: Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident? Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time. The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

Click here for my review!

Author: Kasie West

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Summary: When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend— two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley. The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party — three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Author: Rosamund Hodge

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: Fantasy, Re-telling, Romance

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Summary: When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat. Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night? Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

Author: Keira Cass

Series: The Selection #4 (#1 in a spin-off)

Genre: Dystopian, Romance

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Summary: Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible. But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests. Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

So, if you're looking for something new to read, or have been dying for these to come out . . . go, GO NOW!!! And get yourself a copy of these new releases! Then we can all be super happy with our new books together!!

Also, I'm hoping to review all of them within the next few weeks! So keep an eye out for them!