Her Dark Places by Kelly Killarney

Her Dark Places by Kelly Killarney
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages: 175
Series: The Sutton Files #1
Review Source: eBook from author for review

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
‘Veronica Mars’ meets ‘Felicity’ in this sexy, snarky, New Adult Romantic Suspense novel.

Jasmine “Jazz” Holloway gets more than she bargained for when she heads to Sutton College for her freshman year. A long-distance relationship with her high-school boyfriend is tough to maintain. Especially when Brennan, the cute boy down the hall, keeps flirting. And after someone starts threatening her roommate, Jazz enlists the help of Sean, a smokin’ hot upperclassman who runs a P.I. agency out of a darkened corner of the library.

Jazz has to fight her attraction to both guys as she works to uncover the stalker. But as the stakes rise and tension heightens, the hardest part for Jazz will be keeping her own secret...what she’s really doing at Sutton College. And that’s something no one can know.

My Thoughts:
Her Dark Places was pitched to me as Veronica Mars meets Felicity, which is basically my dream book. I have to say that it really lived up to this for the most part, so A+ to the author for making accurate comparisons. The book features a Veronica Mars-esque snarky heroine who champions her friends and can lash out and act rashly when hurt. The Felicity aspect comes in with Jazz starting her first year at college, settling in and forming new relationships, with Audrey, her roommate, and with Sean and Brennan, two very opposite guys.

Since this is a book set at college I wouldn’t have minded some more scenes about actual class work, but this doesn’t really detract from the book in any way. I enjoyed Her Dark Places quite a bit. It’s a quick read with a satisfying ending. There’s an overarching mystery that will continue with the series, and an episodic mystery that's completed within this book. Her Dark Places is exactly the type of series book that I enjoy. There’s some conclusion, but also enough questions and unresolved issues to keep you coming back.

I recommend Her Dark Places to fans of New Adult, especially to those looking for contemporary New Adult stories that are a bit different from the norm. This book puts the mystery at the forefront, which is a nice change of pace for the category. If you're looking for romance, though, you won't be disappointed. There's not what I would call a love triangle at all, but there are two guys who Jazz interacts with a lot, both of whom I really enjoyed reading about. Overall: a good story + interesting characters = a winning read.

The Cover:
I like it, though I must say when I first saw it I thought "paranormal" because of the blur and the wispy hair.

Rating:
[4/5]

Purchase Links:
Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble

Cover Reveal: Crossing the Ice by Jennifer Comeaux

Today I have the pleasure of revealing the cover for Jennifer Comeaux's New Adult novel, Crossing the Ice. The cover was designed by Sarah Schneider, and the models on the cover are a real Boston-based pair skating team, Alexandria Shaughnessy and Jimmy Morgan.

Here's a little bit about Crossing the Ice, which will be released in August 2014:

Falling hard never felt so good.

Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie, the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.

The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though...

The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for him. But they are on opposite sides of the competition, and their futures are headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are their paths too different to cross?

And here's the cover:

What do you think?? I think it's very cute, and it definitely fits the theme/subject matter of the book well.

I also have an EXCERPT for you to enjoy:

I turned to Josh with my arms folded and my head cocked to the side. “So, you’re an athlete, a dancer and a musician? If you tell me you’re a skilled artist, I’m gonna have to hate you.”

He laughed. “I can barely draw a stick figure.”

“Whew.” I swiped my hand across my forehead.

“Even if I was the next Picasso, though, I wouldn’t have told you.” He paused and held my gaze. “I don’t like the idea of you hating me.”

My stomach fluttered. Josh didn’t often make extended eye contact, but whenever he locked those sinfully blue eyes on mine, I became a mesmerized puddle of swoon.

Umm, so sweet! I'm very much looking forward to reading this book.

About Jennifer:
Jennifer Comeaux is a tax accountant by day, writer by night. There aren’t any ice rinks near her home in south Louisiana, but she’s a diehard figure skating fan and loves to write stories of romance set in the world of competitive skating. One of her favorite pastimes is traveling to competitions, where she can experience all the glitz and drama that inspire her writing.

Where to find Jennifer:
Blog | Twitter | Facebook

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Harder by Robin York (Tour Review + Giveaway)

Harder by Robin York
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Publisher: Bantam
Pages: 352
Series: Caroline & West #2
Review Source: Netgalley

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)

In Robin York’s provocative new novel, two young ex-lovers find themselves together again in the shadow of tragedy—and an intense, undeniable attraction.

Caroline still dreams about West. His warm skin, his taut muscles, his hand sliding down her stomach. Then she wakes up and she’s back to reality: West is gone. And before he left, he broke her heart.

Then, out of the blue, West calls in crisis. A tragedy has hit his family—a family that’s already a fractured mess. Caroline knows what she has to do. Without discussion, without stopping to think, she’s on a plane, flying to his side to support him in any way he needs.

They’re together again, but things are totally different. West looks edgy, angry at the world. Caroline doesn’t fit in. She should be back in Iowa, finalizing her civil suit against the ex-boyfriend who posted their explicit pictures on a revenge porn website. But here she is. Deeply into West, wrapped up in him, in love with him. Still.

They fought the odds once. Losing each other was hard. But finding their way back to each other couldn’t be harder.

My Thoughts:
I liked Robin York’s New Adult debut, Deeper, and I very much enjoyed this second installment as well. That being said, the beginning of this book (perhaps the first third or more?) is brutal to read. It’s really dark and twisty and hard to take. Seriously, Robin York: rip my heart out, why don't you?! To put it bluntly, the book starts with some serious shit going on. It was difficult to read about how much West hates himself and how determined he was to push Caroline away. What he’s been through is A LOT (like, capital letters necessary for emphasis A LOT), but there’s this thing he does to Caroline, and… it may be the worst thing I’ve read in a book for a “hero” to do to the “heroine”. Seriously, it’s really a make it or break it situation, and I can see a lot of readers throwing down the book because of it. I got through it, but I honestly didn't really accept it or forgive it, either.

So, Caroline. If I was Caroline, I definitely wouldn’t have forgiven West or understood him, but I guess that’s the beauty of West and Caroline. On the one hand I, as a reader, was so offended on her behalf. I wanted her to react differently, to rage and kick up a fuss. But I’m also really interested and glad that she didn’t react that way, because that’s not Caroline. Caroline is a constant surprise to me. It’s not that she’s a robot with no feelings, but but she understands West and his motivations. She's willing to look past things, she's willing to forgive him, but she's also not going to take anything from him. Caroline challenges West to be a bigger and better man, and even though she's hurt by his actions, she doesn't let him get away with pushing her away. I admire Caroline, because she’s very complex, and she interests me because her process for everything is so different from mine.

Somehow, despite all the darkness in this book, I really feel like Caroline and West are MEANT TO BE. I liked the journey of them trying to be together, navigating the darkness and finding their way back to one another. Deeper is really about Caroline finding her way, while Harder is about West finding his. In both stories they find their own way, but have each other to lean on, and I really like that. Another great aspect is West with his little sister. I love how Robin York didn’t write everything as perfect, that because they were together as a family everything was suddenly great. I liked that there were issues and that West was impatient and overbearing at times. It was so fitting that West wanted to control everything about his sister’s life, to make it good in the only way he knew how. He feels like his sister is the one thing that redeems him. Besides Caroline, she's the one good part of his life.

I also appreciated that Harder continued on with the revenge porn plot of the first book, with Caroline finding some justice, in a different way than she first intended. I liked that Caroline’s personality shone through in this way as well, that she uses her ambition and her smarts, that she figures out to stand on her own, separate from what her father wants. Deeper and Harder are not easy reads at all, but they are important ones. They take angst and forbidden romance and the college setting of New Adult and bring everything to a higher intellectual level, with real, important issues being discussed within the pages. They’re books about rising above tough situations, about putting painful pasts behind, about finding the things and people that make life worth living. If you’re looking for a New Adult book with grit and heart, I definitely recommend you read Harder and the first book, Deeper.

The Cover:
Kind of meh? I like that the two match, but they're really not my favourites.

Rating:
[4/5]

Purchase Links:
Kobo | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com | Chapters-Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to follow along with the BLOG TOUR for more reviews, excerpts, interviews, etc.

About Robin:
Robin York grew up at a college, went to college, signed on for some more college, and then married a university professor. She still isn’t sure why it didn’t occur to her to write New Adult sooner. Writing as Ruthie Knox, she is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary romance, including RITA-finalists About Last Night and Room at the Inn. She moonlights as a mother, makes killer salted caramels, and sorts out thorny plot problems while running, hiking, or riding her bike.

Where to find Robin:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads