Collide

Title: Collide

Author: Gail McHugh

Format: E-Book (Kindle)

Year: 2013

Series?: Collide book 1

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Love triangle

Plot Summary: Following the death of her mother, Emily Cooper moves from Colorado to New York City in an attempt to move forward with her life. Emily is perfectly content with her boyfriend Dillon, he stood by her while her mother was dying and she loves him. Emily's life is perfect, that is until she meets Gavin Blake. Gavin and Emily feel an immediate attraction to each other, but one that Emily refuses to act upon because of her love for Dillon. Even worse, it turns out Dillon and Gavin are good friends, and Emily and Gavin find themselves in each others company more often than she wishes. Determined to prove they are meant to be together, Gavin does what he can to try and make Emily his.

Opinion: I'm not normally too fond of cheating novels, as personal opinion I find there are no excuses to justify cheating. But I can overlook this in order to enjoy a good book. Collide isn't a book about cheating but about the unfortunate events of when soul mates find each other, but one of the parties is not free to participate. Emily truly loves Dillon, despite the fact that he works too much and is rude to her best friend, but he was there for her during her mothers' death and took care of Emily. The interactions between Gavin and Emily near the beginning of the book when they began falling for each other were my favorite part, the bottle cap scene and how it ended up becoming a symbol of their love. The angst was done very well, despite the tipping point in Emily and Gavin's relationship being a little bit cliche and predictable, but it worked. It was frustrating to watch Emily constantly overlook all of the bad things Dillon said and did, and while I understand that this was the markings of an abusive relationship I was really rooting for her to grow a backbone. But Emily was scared of change so she continued on with what she believed was her safe place, and I could understand that; many women suffer with this dilemma all over the world. I also liked the authors incorporation of the idea of "what could have been", like if Gavin had been the one to visit instead of Dillon, maybe things would have gone differently and so on throughout the book. The book was also incredibly steamy, so for those of you out there searching for that, you've found it! I had my doubts going into Collide when I read it was a love triangle novel (like I said I hate cheating) but it really is worth the risk of reading, I hope if you decide to read it you will enjoy it. Oh and a bit of a warning, it ends with a cliffhanger but the sequel has already been released! So you can launch right into the second book with no worries.

I give it 3.75 stars out of 5!

Of Triton

Title: Of Triton
Author: Anna Banks
Format: Hardcover (Library checkout)
Year: 2013
Series?: Of Poseidon Book 2
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology

Plot Summary: Emma finds out she is a Half-Blood, hald Syrena and half human. Not only this but her mother is a long lost mermaid princess and must return to her kingdom to make things right again. Left behind on shore Emma must come to terms with her heritage and ability, while Galen returns to the ocean to fix the circumstances keeping him and Emma from being legally (in the Syrena world) together. In addition to this, those who wish to claim the Syrena throne threaten the lives of the Royals.

Opinion: I love that book two begins almost immediately after the final events in book one. I especially liked the phrase Galen used of "You have some explaining to do Nalia" which reminded me a lot of Ricky Ricardo and Lucille Ball situation in I Love Lucy. Of Triton cleared up the questions behind Emma's heritage and how she came to be a Half-Blood. Emma's hesitance to accept the relationship between Grom and her mother was brilliantly done, I honestly felt for her as she struggled to come to terms with the fact that her entire existence was the result of a tragic incident that drove two people in love apart. Toraf and Rayna continued to be cute with their comic relief throughout the book. Especially poor Toraf on an airplane, I sure am glad I don't get sick on airplanes! And Rayna's hate/hate relationship with Nalia was pretty funny too. I was disappointed that there wasn't as much Galen/Emma time as in the first book, but it was understandable as Galen was trying to fix things so he and Emma could be together in the future.

Like the first book, this book was very cute and enchanting. I didn't love it like most of the teen paranormal romances released right now, but it's refreshing to read a series that is about something other than vampires and angels (even though I really like both of those things). I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Good

Title: Good
Author: S. Walden
Format: E-Book Kindle
Year: 2013
Series?: Too Good Book 1
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Chick-Lit

Plot Summary: Cadence is a good girl. Really she is. Except for that one time when she did something horrible. As a result, she spent ten months in juvie and is now the social outcast of her entire school. Constantly bullied at school and a major disappointment to her family, Cadence turns to the one person who is nice to her, her Calculus teacher Mr. Connelly. At first the two are friends, but as time goes by Cadence develops a crush on him and hopes that there may be more.

Opinion: This was a book about second chances and how sometimes being good just isn't good enough. Cadence made a mistake when she took drugs at a party and a year later she is still paying for it. I understood Cadences' plight, if I had pulled something like what she did in high school I feel that my parents would have treated me the same way. I also understand her angst when she tells her parents the truth about being bullied and they don't believe her; people often see only what they want and not what's right in front of them. This book focuses on the flaws in its characters and promotes the idea that our flaws are not something to be ashamed of. Mr. Connelly, or Mark, was a bit mysterious, he has issues from his past that Cadence is aware of but he never elaborates on; hopefully his secrets will be revealed in the future. Mark's feelings weren't really portrayed very well at the beginning of his relationship with Cadence, it felt like instalove to me a little at first.

I really liked being in Cadence's head, her sarcastic replies to those around her were pretty funny. Her random word bursts were funny as well, I normally don't enjoy secondhand embarrassment, but it added to her personality. I also loved how patient Mark was with Cadence, although I didn't really view it as realistic (just personal opinion). I really liked this book, it was filled with angst and wit but not overly so. I cannot wait until the next book.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars. If this story doesn't interest you I recommend S. Walden's other book Going Under.

Of Poseidon

Title: Of Poseidon

Author: Anna Banks

Format: Paperback (Library checkout)

Year: 2012

Series?: Of Poseidon Book 1

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology

Plot Summary: After a tragic accident in which her best friend Chloe dies, Emma discovers there is more to her than meets the eye. Galen, Prince of the Syrena and descendant of Triton becomes convinced that Emma is one of the Syrena (or in other words a mermaid) like him, but that she is hiding among the humans, something he does not understand. Determined to unravel the mystery of Emma, Galen enrolls at her high school in New Jersey and takes an active interest in Emma, maybe even a little bit romantically. Unfortunately, if Galen is right and Emma is one of the Syrena, law dictates that she would have to mate with his older brother Grom, and Galen cannot bear this as he has already fallen for Emma. Together, Emma and Galen search for the answers to Emma's background, while hoping they could end up together.

Opinion: Of Poseidon is a cute and refreshing take on the mermaid story. I was constantly laughing at the humor Banks threw in with the Syrena characters and their reactions to human phrases and way of life (for example, the phrase "swapping spit"). The relationship between Galen and Emma was sweet and just a little bit angst-ridden but not overly so. The world building in the book was cleverly weaved into the story and was not exhausted all at once, but carefully explained throughout the book. I especially liked the love/hate relationship between Toraf and Rayna, it made for some giggles throughout the book. I will say that this book seemed geared more for some of the younger YA genre readers, but is entirely enjoyable by readers of any age (meaning middle school to elderly). One thing I really did not understand though is why Emma's perspective was written in first person and why Galen's was in third; it irked me throughout the entire book. Of Poseidon, ironically, would be a great summer beach read. Warning, the book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, but fortunately the second book has already been published.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars, and I will definitely read the other books in the series.

Into the Deep

Title: Into the Deep
Author: Samantha Young
Format: E-Book (Kindle)
Year: 2013
Series: Book 1 of 2 (so far)
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Plot Summary: Charley Redford is an American girl who decided to study abroad her junior year of college in the Scottish city of Edinburgh. Upon arriving there she runs into Jake Chaplin, the one boy she ever loved and who left her high and dry with no explanation three years ago. Jake is studying abroad at the same university as Charley, along with his current girlfriend Melissa. Jake, having missed Charley all these years is glad to have the chance to explain and urges Charley to consider a friendship with him. Charley agrees to be friends with Jake as they travel in the same circle of people, and as time goes by they discover there may be a spark between them still after all these years.

Opinion: Samantha Young is the queen of relationship angst, someone needs to make her a crown to wear with pride. I read her book On Dublin Street a few months ago and loved it, safe to say I loved Into the Deep as well. The alternating years was only frustrating at the beginning of the book and stopped altogether when it was revealed what happened between Charley and Jake back in high school. I also think what drove them apart was heartbreaking, and a believable story arc, as many new adult authors tend to go for the overdramatic (this is not the case in this book). The tension between Jake and Charley in the present day scenes was masterful, and the flashbacks of when Charley and Jake fell in love tugged at the reader's heartstrings. The side characters were incredibly interesting and not one-dimensional, Claudia, Beck and Lowe being among the best. The only thing I did not like was the end of the book, to me it felt like the story could have ended with a couple more chapters and not an entire second book, but hopefully I'll be proved wrong with book two. I look forward to reading it!

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars!