Review: Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) by Laini Taylor

Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) by Laini Taylor

Hardcover; 517 pages

Published by Little Brown Books on November 6, 2012

Rating: 5 stars

Summary (Goodreads): Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

My Thoughts: 
Wow! What an amazing book. I will admit that I wasn't as refreshed with the world as I would have liked to be, as it has been two years since I read the first book, but I was able to remember a decent amount of information and a lot of things were refreshed in my memory while I read the novel.

I loved the different perspectives we got to see throughout the whole novel. It was interesting getting to look at the way everyone read different situations and how they were doing when they weren't in the same area as another character happened to be. I really felt connected to each and every character, and as new ones were introduced, I felt for them just as much as I felt for those who had been there from the start.

Karou is honestly such a strong and amazing character. My favorite parts of the book were when they were from her perspective. She was faced with a horrible tragedy, and yet she was pushing on and works through hardships no one should have to face, all while knowing she was not safe. She was really aptly named though, as she became the hope for the chimaera, even if they didn't believe in her or particularly like her. Without her though, where would they be? She became their resurrectionist, and without her, they would be gone. She did everything for her people even though they didn't care or respect her in return. I felt like I saw a lot of growth in her character and she was rather cunning when she needed to be. She learned more of the situation she was facing and did what was in her power to change it for the better. 

Akiva also was a main character throughout this novel. He's devastated, thinking Karou is dead, and it doesn't help the matter when he finds a thurible with her name on it. I was honestly not as interested in his part of the story line for a while, but as the book went on, I began to have an increased interest in what happened to him. I liked the way that he changed and showed mercy to the chimaera, and I loved seeing interactions with him and Liraz and Hazael. Though this ultimately led me to be more sad in the end, it was nice to see their relationship as his brother and sister. They really rely on and care deeply for one another, and they truly make a family. Things with his story, in my opinion, really pick up as the story goes on, and while I don't want to mention things to spoil it, I began to look forward to his sections of the story more and more.

Zuzana and Mik were amazing to read about. I love the first chapter that starts with them, it brought a grin to my face. Zuze is so spunky and her personality is the best. She's an amazing friend to Karou and does whatever she can to talk to and find her to help her out however is necessary, even if the work is way out of her league. Mik is pretty much the same way. He has come to care for Karou as well, since she is such a big part of Zuze's life. They are honestly so cute together and I love the way they interact with one another. Their point of view always made me happy and they're definitely the icing on the cake of this novel. The story is there without them, like cake is without icing, but they make it so much better than it is on its own!

There are other characters' perspectives we see things through, and I loved each and every one of them. They showed the war and the things going on through new eyes, and it really gave the reader a view of the world as a whole, rather than just through the original main characters' eyes.

There's honestly so much I can say about this novel, as it's jam-packed with information. It took me a while to read it, but I'm actually glad it did because I was able to soak it all in and really get a good idea of the story. I would fall asleep at night thinking of the world Laini Taylor created and going over the new things I had read in the past day, reliving the moments through the images created from her writing in my head. This series really is amazing, and I'm so glad that I went out to get the last book to read soon!

★★★★★

Sunday Weekly Update #7

New Books: 

The City of Ember (Book of Ember #1) by Jeanne DuPrau

Summary: Many hundreds of years ago, the city of Ember was created by the Builders to contain everything needed for human survival. It worked…but now the storerooms are almost out of food, crops are blighted, corruption is spreading through the city and worst of all—the lights are failing. Soon Ember could be engulfed by darkness….

But when two children, Lina and Doon, discover fragments of an ancient parchment, they begin to wonder if there could be a way out of Ember. Can they decipher the words from long ago and find a new future for everyone? Will the people of Ember listen to them?

The next three books I don't have the others in the series but they were 50 cents or something like that and my dad bought them for me.

Ironside (Modern Faerie Tales #3) by Holly Black

Summary: In the realm of Faerie, the time has come for Roiben's coronation. Uneasy in the midst of the malevolent Unseelie Court, pixie Kaye is sure of only one thing -- her love for Roiben. But when Kaye, drunk on faerie wine, declares herself to Roiben, he sends her on a seemingly impossible quest. Now Kaye can't see or speak to Roiben unless she can find the one thing she knows doesn't exist: a faerie who can tell a lie.

Miserable and convinced she belongs nowhere, Kaye decides to tell her mother the truth -- that she is a changeling left in place of the human daughter stolen long ago. Her mother's shock and horror sends Kaye back to the world of Faerie to find her human counterpart and return her to Ironside. But once back in the faerie courts, Kaye finds herself a pawn in the games of Silarial, queen of the Seelie Court. Silarial wants Roiben's throne, and she will use Kaye, and any means necessary, to get it. In this game of wits and weapons, can a pixie outplay a queen?

Holly Black spins a seductive tale at once achingly real and chillingly enchanted, set in a dangerous world where pleasure mingles with pain and nothing is exactly as it appears.

Trial by Fire (Raised by Wolves #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Summary: There can only be one alpha. 

Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack—or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you’re a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front porch. Before collapsing, he tells her his name is Lucas, he’s a Were, and Bryn’s protection is his only hope.

But Lucas isn’t part of Bryn’s pack, and she has no right to claim another alpha’s Were.  With threats—old and new—looming, and danger closing in from all sides, Bryn will have to accept what her guardian Callum knew all along. To be alpha, she will have to give in to her own animal instincts and become less human. And, she’s going to have to do it alone.

Bryn faces both the costs, and the rewards, of love and loyalty, in this thrilling sequel to Raised by Wolves.

Blessed (Tantalize #3) by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Summary: Third book in the Tantalize series. Smith unites the casts of Tantalize and Eternal in a delicious dark fantasy her fans will devour. Quincie P. Morris, teen restaurateuse and neophyte vampire, is in the fight of her life -- or undeath. Even as she adjusts to her new appetites, she must clear her best friend and true love, the hybrid werewolf Kieren, of murder charges; thwart the apocalyptic ambitions of Bradley Sanguini, the seductive vampire-chef who "blessed" her; and keep her dead parents' restaurant up and running. She hires a more homespun chef and adds the preternaturally beautiful Zachary to her wait staff. But with hundreds of new vampires on the rise and Bradley off assuming the powers of Dracula Prime, Zachary soon reveals his true nature -- and a flaming sword -- and they hit the road to staunch the bloodshed before it's too late. Even if they save the world, will there be time left to salvage Quincie's soul?

Easy (Contours of the Heart #1) by Tammara Webber

Summary: Rescued by a stranger.

Haunted by a secret

Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy

Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor

Summary: By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.

Common enemy, common cause.

When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.

And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.

But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.

What power can bruise the sky?

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy. 

At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?

Read: 

Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Click here to read the review!!

Currently Reading: 

Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) by Laini Taylor

Summary: Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

Most Likely to Read Next: 

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare

Summary: The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price.

Someone is murdering Shadowhunters, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second, bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her—his mother just found out that he’s a vampire, and now he’s homeless. When Jace begins to pull away from her without explaining why, Clary is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: she herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

The stakes are higher than ever in the #1 New York Times bestselling fourth installment of the Mortal Instruments series.

Waiting on Wednesday #5

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Summary: The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Um...

Review: Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Paperback; 487 pages

Published by Katherine Tegan Books on February 28, 2012

Rating: 5 stars

Click here to read my review of the movie

Summary (Goodreads): In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

My Thoughts:
The first time I read this book was nearly a year and a half ago, and at the time, I read the book within a day or two. This time around, it took me much longer, but I loved and appreciated the story just the same.

I love the way the story is pieced together. The world is interesting, and while it's obviously corrupt by this time, I think it would be neat to see the way everything ran before all of the corruption. Regardless of that, the world itself drew me in, especially the way things went in Dauntless. I personally would never make it in Dauntless, but I loved seeing Tris there.

Tris went through such a transformation throughout this novel. Sure, she starts out brave, and the things she does at the beginning of the book to show this bravery is outstanding, but as the story progresses, she becomes a much stronger person in both mind and body. This only serves to make her braver than ever, and she is able to do things that she would never have imagined in her wildest dreams with no thought to it anymore. The transformation in both her character and in her physical aspects is really impressive, and I feel like she was able to discover herself more as well.

Seeing Four in this novel is amazing as well. I love his standoffish behavior and the way he responds to the initiates. Even more than that, I love the way that he interacts with Tris and the little hints at his attraction to her are thrown in here and there for both Tris and the readers to swoon over. I love seeing the layers of the walls he built around himself peel away as Tris gets closer and closer to him and we get to see him in a new light. He's still that guy he was in the beginning, but he has so much more to him when he is unguarded.

I honestly love reading about initiation in Dauntless and the way that it all is put together. It's brutal and harsh, but it really helps build up the strength in every single one of the initiates, even if there are some that shouldn't be trained that way. Those who read the book should know exactly who shouldn't be trained to use knives and fight. It's terrifying how they have to face their fears day in and day out, and I'm sure it's even worse when they aren't Divergent like Tris is. I personally thought it was bad enough when she was in the simulations, so I can't even imagine how it would be in the mind of someone who isn't Divergent. I wish we were able to get more of a peek at all the other factions' initiations, I think it would be really interesting to really know how it went. I'm glad we got a little information on this through Tris and Christina.

The romance between Four and Tris had me at the edge of my seat, even the second time around. I could feel their attraction oozing out of the pages and was anxiously awaiting their first kiss. I love the way they both are able to work together and bring out whatever is needed for the other to either be their best or get through something difficult that required a little extra strength and push. I don't think Four sees her as a little girl or anything like that, I think he sees her as an equal, even though he is her instructor. I like this, because while he is her instructor, he really is only two years older than her. Sure, this gives him a higher position of power and a little bit more maturity, but not enough for him to act too superior over her. 

The ending of this book is both intense and heartbreaking, and I couldn't turn the page fast enough to get to the next page. There's barely a chance to catch a breather or take too much time to process one horrific event, because a second later something new and just as awful is happening. The way Tris handles everything is spot on, and while it's agonizing that she has to go through what she does, she stays true to herself and the people she loves. 

★★★★★

Sunday Weekly Update #6

New Books: 

Night World #1 (Night World #1-3) by L. J. Smith

Summary: Includes:

Book 1 - Secret Vampire

Book 2 - Daughters of Darkness 

Book 3 - Spellbinder 

Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.

Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.

Thirst #1: The Last Vampire,Black Blood, and Red Dice (Thirst #1) by Christopher Pike

Summary: Includes: 

The Last Vampire

Black Blood

Red Dice

As to blood -

ah, blood, the whole subject fascinates me. I do like that as well, warm and dripping, when I am thirsty.... 

Alisa has been in control of her urges for the five thousand years she has been a vampire. She feeds but does not kill, and she lives her life on the fringe to maintain her secret. But when her creator returns to hunt her, she must break her own rules in order to survive.

Her quest leads her to Ray. He is the only person who can help her; he also has every reason to fear her. Alisa must get closer to him to ensure her immortality. But as she begins to fall in love with Ray, suddenly there is more at stake than her own life...

Immortal Beloved (Immortal Beloved #1) by Cate Tiernan

Summary: Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.

Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.

Cate Tiernan, author of the popular Sweep series, returns with an engaging story of a timeless struggle and inescapable romance, the first book in a stunning new fantasy trilogy.

City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare

Summary: The New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments continues—and so do the thrills and danger for Jace, Clary, and Simon.

What price is too high to pay, even for love? When Jace and Clary meet again, Clary is horrified to discover that the demon Lilith’s magic has bound her beloved Jace together with her evil brother Sebastian, and that Jace has become a servant of evil. The Clave is out to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. As Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle wheedle and bargain with Seelies, demons, and the merciless Iron Sisters to try to save Jace, Clary plays a dangerous game of her own. The price of losing is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

The Headhunters Race (Headhunters #1) by Kimberly Afe

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Avene was sentenced to prison at thirteen for a crime she didn't commit. Now she has a chance to win her freedom back – if she enters the Headhunters Race. Second prize isn't so bad either, an upgrade to the Leisure Prison if you make it to the finish line. To win either prize, Avene and the other prisoners must navigate one hundred and fifty miles of dense forest, desert, and worst of all, cannibal territory.

With a mechanical collar timed to strangle the prisoners if they're not back in nine days, Avene allies herself with seventeen-year-old McCoy, another prisoner that insists on helping her at every turn and a boy she's trying hard not to fall for. Together they battle nature, other prisoners, and the timed death collars to win the coveted prize. But when Avene is tested with one deadly conflict after another, she realizes there is more at stake than winning her freedom – first she has to survive

Read: 

Falling for her Soldier (Perfect Kisses #3) by Ophelia London

Summary: She fell for the nice guy, but will she fall for the real guy?

Ex-ballerina Ellie Bell has twenty-four days left until her self-imposed man-less year is up. No more falling for the wrong kind of guy—charming, sexy, bad. Why can’t she find someone sweet like Charlie Johansson, her soldier pen pal? His e-mails meant the world to her, and she can’t stop thinking about him…until she meets Hunter, whose muscles and cocky smile threaten to have her relapsing.

Before Charlie “Big Game Hunter” Johansson’s last tour of duty, he’d gone through women like crazy. But after connecting on a real, emotional level via letters with his best friend’s sister, Charlie’s ready for a relationship—with Ellie Bell. But then her brother introduces him as Hunter. Proving he’s no longer a player by becoming Ellie’s dance partner for an Army benefit seems like it could convince both siblings he’s changed, but the harder he falls for Ellie, the harder it is to come clean. Can he convince her to fall for the real him before it’s too late?

Click here to read the review!!

Currently Reading: 

Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her

Yes, I'm still reading this, but I've obviously stopped and read another book this week which is why I haven't finished this. Most likely will tonight and hopefully a review will be up this week. 

Most Likely to Read Next: 

Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2) by Laini Taylor

Summary: Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

I'm still itching to read this book! Definitely plan on this being the book I read after I finally finish rereading Divergent. 

Review: Falling for her Soldier (Perfect Kisses #3) by Ophelia London

Falling for her Soldier (Perfect Kisses #3) by Ophelia London

ebook; 219 pages

Published by Entangled: Bliss on January 13, 2014

Rating: 4.5 stars

I received this book through a giveaway hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings. This by no means is influencing my review, all my thoughts are honest and true. Big thanks to Heidi and Ophelia!!

Summary (Goodreads): She fell for the nice guy, but will she fall for the real guy?

Ex-ballerina Ellie Bell has twenty-four days left until her self-imposed man-less year is up. No more falling for the wrong kind of guy—charming, sexy, bad. Why can’t she find someone sweet like Charlie Johansson, her soldier pen pal? His e-mails meant the world to her, and she can’t stop thinking about him…until she meets Hunter, whose muscles and cocky smile threaten to have her relapsing.

Before Charlie “Big Game Hunter” Johansson’s last tour of duty, he’d gone through women like crazy. But after connecting on a real, emotional level via letters with his best friend’s sister, Charlie’s ready for a relationship—with Ellie Bell. But then her brother introduces him as Hunter. Proving he’s no longer a player by becoming Ellie’s dance partner for an Army benefit seems like it could convince both siblings he’s changed, but the harder he falls for Ellie, the harder it is to come clean. Can he convince her to fall for the real him before it’s too late?

My Thoughts:
When I first saw this book, it was through the giveaway on Rainy Day Ramblings. I was interested in the premise, and loved the extra information given by the author, so I entered the giveaway, and I didn't leave empty handed!

The personalities of both Ellie and Charlie really drew me in. I loved seeing them interact with both one another and with others. Each one of them had their own unique voice when it came to their perspectives too, and I really loved that.

 Both characters had quite a few things they needed to overcome in the book, and you can see how they both are gradually helping one another with this. Ellie became a workaholic after her injury that ended her professional dance career and her mother's passing. This is what mostly distracted her from her problems. Charlie "Big Game Hunter" was a player, but since the last mission he was on, he feels changed, even if most don't believe him. With one another though, Ellie is able to break away from her workaholic tendencies and live a little more freely, and Charlie is able to show and prove to others and himself that he isn't womanizer "Hunter" anymore, he found someone to love.

While the romance in this book seems to move super quickly, I feel it has a justified reasoning behind this. While Ellie doesn't know for a while who Hunter really is, Hunter knows who she is and how much they connected through months of emails before they met in person. Ellie still feels this connection with Hunter though, but she fights back and forth with herself mentally because she thinks Charlie is someone else. Throughout the book, I just wanted to yell at Charlie to just tell her who he was! There was literally tension because of the secret on every page, as you never knew when she would finally find out his true identity. 

Though the pace of the romance may seem quick in some senses, I remember reading and feeling the sexual tension between them from the first moment Charlie laid eyes on Ellie. As their relationship progressed, I just wanted them to kiss already, and kiss they did! The writing of this is really spot on, because it's able to pull off being well written and sexy without being too overpowering or like the author was trying too hard. There was literally just the right amount of romance mixed in.

Another big thing that I respected a lot about this book was how Charlie wanted to help Ellie keep up her goal, even if it wasn't ideal for him. It showed that he wanted her to do things for her even if they inconvenience him. That to me is one key to love, because you want your significant other to be happy and fulfilled.

Honestly this story was breathtaking and left me smiling through most of the story. I love the chemistry between the two characters and the way the story fits itself together. I'm definitely a fan of Ophelia London now, and while I haven't read the other Perfect Kisses novels yet, they will be a new addition to my bookshelf soon enough!

★★★★½

Top Ten Tuesday #5

April 22: Top Ten Characters I Would Love to be Friends With

1. Blue from The Raven Cycle
2. Rose from Vampire Academy
3. Four from Divergent
4. Hazel from the Fault in Our Stars
5. Katniss from The Hunger Games
6. Katy from the Lux Series
7. Hermione from Harry Potter
8. Clary from The Mortal Instruments
9. Simon from The Mortal Instruments
10. Seth from The Scorpio Races