Perfect Scoundrels review: 4 Nuts

I have to admit, whenever I'm in the mood for a light hearted, funny, easy YA read, I generally grab a book by Ally Carter. Her stories are quick and keep my attention and Perfect Scoundrels was no exception.

Kat Bishop excels at being a thief except instead of doing bad, she's trying to do good. Stealing artwork and returning it to the rightful owner and in PS, her target is Hale. His grandmother has died and left her empire for him to run which seems too good to be true, mainly because he's only like 16 years old.

Can Kat meet her deadline? Will Hale prove to be a unwilling prize for her to steal back?

You'll have to read book #3 in the Heist Society novel.

My only complaint with the series is Kat's age. I feel like she's been 15 for the last 3 books. I know this is YA, but she can get older. In fact, I'd like her to get older. She acts older. Heck, the girl on the cover looks way older than 15.

For those who enjoy kissing boys in YA, there's enough to keep you interested as well. I'd like to see Kat's cousin find a mate.

And watch out for the surprise ending. Carter does a great job of slipping that in when you least expect it.

I can't wait for #4 and for the next installment of The Gallagher Girl series.

4 Nuts for Scarlet

Blurb from GoodReads: 

The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

First off, why in the heck did I wait so long to read this sequel? In fact, I think I might have enjoyed it more than Cinder. The introduction of Scarlet, her grandmother and Wolf were very clever. I love a good play off a fairy tale. But what is great about this series is your not just hearing someone else's idea of how the tale should be told but how relatable the beloved stories are.

And does anybody else picture Levana like the Witch from the Narnia movies? 

If you haven't started this series, you still have time to catch up. The next book, Cress, doesn't come out until 2014 and I just noticed there are two novella's (.5 and 1.5) that I haven't read yet. There is plenty from Marissa Meyer to keep yourself busy.

And if you, like me, enjoy a flare of nursery rhyme or fairytale in your stories, check out my book, Spider. 

5 Nuts for The Reese Malcolm List

I might be a little biased since the author is a dear friend but I can honestly say I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!

And look at that great cover! Well done, Ames!

Here's the blurb from GoodReads:
Things I know about Reece Malcolm:

1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.
3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.
5. She’s my mother.

Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.

L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.

But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?


Ms. Spalding has done a fantastic job of making you love Devan. Even if you weren't a show choir/drama geek like some of us, you will instantly want to sign up for the next community theater production of Grease but you will also root for her and the relationship with her mother. I love her tough attitude when dealing with being the new kid in school. Heck, I've been there and I only wish I had half the guts to not care what people thought. 

Yet, there's this vulnerable side to her that she doesn't share with anybody. She's still a girl who's lost her dad and now is forced to live with a mother she thought didn't want her. Man, tough stuff and Amy sucked me in and I couldn't help but love Devan. 

I have a special place in my heart for Devan and thank you Amy for bringing these characters to life and a big thank you for the kissing. Who doesn't love kissing?

To keep up on all things Amy Spalding and her next release, Ink is Thicker than Water, visit here at theamyspalding.com.

The Collector review

I discovered this book from an email sent out by BookBub. I believe it was free.

Here's the blurb from GoodReads:
He makes good girls...bad. 

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

My thoughts:
I love this book and had a hard time putting it down in order to feed my family! The hero, if you can call him that, is snarky, smooth and confident and I couldn't get enough of him. And I really enjoyed watching him change throughout the story. 

I haven't read many books from a male's perspective and I have to say I felt most of the feelings and dialogue were spot on. Guys are dorks!

I'm eager to continue this series but am bummed I have to wait until August 2013!