What I'm Reading: June

Today is the first official day of summer! Luckily, I'll be on vacation soon and I plan to beat the heat by the pool or at the beach. Speaking of vacation, while I'm gone for about a month, I won't be posting to the blog. This "What I'm Reading" post will be the final post for June. Now let's get to the books!

Title: The Offer
Series: Succubus Bargain #1
Author: L.L. Frost
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
For fans of: RH, Serials, Urban Fantasy
Book Blurb:
In a world where demons live in hiding among humans, Adeline Pond finds herself in a bit of a bind. Locked out of dreamland, she’s looking for a way to feed without draining humans dry. With her love of baking, Adie may have found her solution. Open a bakery! The joy of sweet treats is the perfect recipe for a demon like her. 

But a chance encounter may halt her plans before they start to rise. Somehow, Adie has drawn the attention of three sexy demons, and they offer her one hell of a bargain. 

Join Adie on her (mis)adventures toward achieving a quasi-normal life among humans. 


Title: Solace Island
Series: Standalone
Author: Sara Flynn
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
For fans of: Suspense, Strong Women, Close Sisterly-Bonds, Romance
Book Blurb:
Solace Island, a peaceful island village . . . or so Maggie thinks . . .

When Maggie Harris's fiancée dumps her on the eve of their wedding, Maggie retreats to a small island in the Pacific Northwest with her sister Eve to recover from the stunning betrayal. At first Maggie resists Eve’s efforts to rope her into staying in Solace Island, launch their own local bakery, and fix her up with their incredibly handsome neighbor, Luke Benson.

But Maggie is gradually drawn in by the sexy baker and his bear-sized dog. Luke scores his first point when he shares his space with the sisters at the local Solace Island Saturday Market, where he sells his breads. But is this guy with a disarming smile, uncanny wealth and suspiciously hard body a man Maggie can trust? Just when she begins to brush off her misgivings, a car tries to plow into her in town, and Luke springs into action in strange military precision. Who is this guy really?

Luke thought he’d left the high risk security business behind. But he can’t stand by while Maggie’s life is threatened. Luke insists on moving the sisters to his house, taking Maggie into his bedroom—and into his heart. But someone wants Maggie dead. Will she give him the chance to prove to her she can find more than mind-blowing sex in the safety of his arms?

What I'm Reading: May

It's hard to believe that another month has passed already! I'm enjoying the change from Winter to Spring though and the chance to read outdoors and soak up the sunshine. I was travelling this month and wasn't able to read quite as often, but I've still got a few book recommendations for the May "What I'm Reading" post.

Title: The Jaguar King
Series: Wild Rites Saga #1
Author: Anna McIlwraith
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
For fans of: shapeshifters, strong heroine, lots of swoon-worthy guys, ancient prophecies
Book Blurb:
Magic is real? Big deal. Bills still gotta be paid. 

Especially when you’re heading into vet med. Emma Chase is nothing special – if anything, with a roomie who turns into a jaguar on a regular basis, she’s the sidekick, not the heroine. Her superpowers have more to do with acing her finals and overworking herself. Knowing her best friend’s secret makes it easier to justify her own inclination to keep people at a distance, but it doesn’t change her life. 

Until others like him show up on her doorstep, convinced she’s the fated savior of their race, telling her she’s destined to command the magic of – well, Emma doesn’t quite catch that part, she’s too busy getting her ass the hell out of there. 

What she does know? The Jaguar King is after her, his rivals want her dead, and she doesn’t have to believe in prophecy to believe they’ll stop at nothing to catch her. 

Violence. Magic. Inappropriate humor. Step into a world of wonder and savagery in a gritty urban fantasy with an unlikely heroine, sizzling heroes, and complicated villains. The Jaguar King is a full-length read and the first in a series, and all the books have satisfying resolutions as well as a series-spanning story arc. Definitely no cliff-hangers – just bad-ass shifters with one goal: claim the prize. Claim the Caller of the Blood.

Title: Magnificent Bastard (Don't judge a book by its title!)
Series: Sexy Flirty Dirty #1
Author: Lili Valente
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
For fans of: explicit romance, friends to lovers, teaching the ex a lesson
Book Blurb:
F*ck Prince Charming. Sometimes, you need a Magnificent Bastard.

Face it, ladies: love sucks and then you cry…while your ex rides off into the sunset banging your best friend.

But why let a break-up end in tears when it can end with sweet revenge? Enter Magnificent Bastard Consulting and me, chief executive bastard. I’ve got it all—looks, brains, a heart of gold, and the killer instinct guaran-damn-teed to make your ex regret the day he said goodbye.

With the help of my virtual assistant, I’ve built an empire giving broken-hearted women the vengeance they deserve, while keeping myself far from the front lines of the heart. Life is a bowl of cherries, until my virtual assistant shows up on my real doorstep for the first time, begging for a Magnificent Bastard intervention of her own. 

Damn... She’s a bona fide sex kitten.

I pride myself on being a true pro, but pretending to be her lover soon leads to giving it to her good, hard, fast, and up against the wall. And somewhere between getting balls deep in my sweet and sexy assistant and watching her ex beg for a second chance, I break every last one of my damn rules—professional and personal.

So what’s my next move? Fight for the girl who makes me want to get up on a white horse and ride to her rescue, or stay a Magnificent Bastard to the end?

Warning: MAGNIFICENT BASTARD is a stand-alone erotic romance told from the
hero’s point of view. No cliffhanger. Lots of dirty talk.

Title: Persuasion
Series: Curse of the Gods #2
Authors: Jane Washington & Jaymin Eve
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
For fans of: RH, clumsy but lovable heroines, Gods/mythology
Book Blurb:
Willa Knight: Dweller? Bad-ass? Notorious pet to five magical beings?

In Blesswood, there are rules, and someone is trying to teach her how to follow them. The only problem is Willa. Which shouldn't be anything new, since she has been a problem since birth - something her pseudo-sister Emmy would agree on.

So it definitely shouldn't be new ... but it is.

Because things are starting to happen that have never happened before.

Things are starting to get ... chaotic.

What I'm Reading: April

Oops! This post is a little bit late. I've been slacking on the blog because I'm in the middle of starting up an editing business (there will be more news about it in the future, I promise!). Anyways, here are the books I really enjoyed reading in April but didn't have time to write a full review for:

Title: Rose and Thorn
Series: Black Rose Sorceress #2
Author: Connie Suttle
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
For fans of: Fantasy, YA/NA/Adult, Multiple POVs, Strategy/Political Intrigue
Book Blurb:
Crown Prince Thorn: 

I felt defeated. Helpless. If Sherra were alive, why didn't she mindspeak to tell me so? Every day, I floundered against that notion—that if she were alive, she'd have contacted me by now. 

"Don't give up, Thorn," Hunter said softly. "We don't know everything there is to know." 

"Hunter, every day reminds me of how little we actually do know." 

Sherra has not returned to the King. 

Seven months have passed and Kaakos, Ny-nes' leader, is rebuilding his army. His plan is to unleash an onslaught against Az-ca—in retaliation for the destruction of his troops and weapons. 

In Az-ca, the King's health is failing, the enemy is on the march and Merrin and his rogues have forged an alliance with enemy infiltrators. Will the Crown Prince be forced to deal with attacks from both sides, without Sherra's help? 

Will Az-ca survive if Sherra is dead, as so many believe? 

Title: Managed
Series: VIP #2
Author: Kristen Callihan
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
For fans of: NA/Adult, Rock Stars (and their manager), Opposites Attract
Book Blurb:
It started off as a battle of wits. Me: the ordinary girl with a big mouth against Him: the sexy bastard with a big...ego.

I thought I’d hit the jackpot when I was upgraded to first class on my flight to London.

That is until HE sat next to me. Gabriel Scott: handsome as sin, cold as ice. Nothing and no one gets to him. Ever. He’s a legend in his own right, the manager of the biggest rock band in the world, and an arrogant ass who looks down his nose at me.

I thought I’d give him hell for one, long flight. I didn’t expect to like him. I didn’t expect to want him. But the biggest surprise? He wants me too. Only in a way I didn’t see coming.

If I accept his proposal, I leave myself open to falling for the one man I can’t manage. But I’m tempted to say yes. Because the real man beneath those perfect suits and that cool façade just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I just might be the only one who can melt the ice around his heart.

Let the battle begin…

Title: Beastly Lights
Series: Standalone
Author: Theresa Jane
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
For fans of: NA/Adult, Rock Stars, Modern Beauty & the Beast Retellings
Book Blurb:
Gambled away by her brother, Freya is now bound to the music world's resident bad boy Liam Henderson as his live-in maid.

Freya Coleman is a struggling artist who can hardly get by. With a past she would rather not revisit and a future that didn't extend past her next cup of coffee, something had to change. Freya just didn't know how much.

Liam Henderson lives in the spotlight. His wild nights and latest conquests make every woman want him, and every man want to be him. The rockstar has a carefully constructed persona to keep everyone out. That is, until a drunken night gets out of hand and he finds himself with the winning hand in a poker game, and the prize is a feisty redhead. A prize who just might break down the walls he has been so desperately hiding behind. 

Thrown together, these two are a disaster waiting to happen. A disaster the world is eager to watch and comment on until their fingers drop off. What starts off as a fake relationship to improve Liam’s image, blossoms into so much more, and Freya is swept up into the world of bright lights and illusions. Everyone has an opinion when the lights are shining on their beloved rock god Liam Henderson, and they are eagerly waiting to tear down anyone who is bathed in the famous glow. 

Can happily ever after exist when the whole world is watching?

What I'm Reading: January to March

I LOVE reading. I am a proud, self-proclaimed bookworm (hence the blog title), and I can spend an entire weekend doing nothing but reading and be completely happy. A big part of this blog is writing book reviews for books that I've enjoyed reading, but I read so much (more than one hundred books a year) that I don't have time to review every single book. So, I've decided to do a monthly post dedicated to the top books I've read each month but didn't have time to review.

For this post I'm sharing my top six (not-reviewed) books from January, February, and March! Here you go:

Title: Lost Girl
Series: Neverwood Chronicles #1
Author: Chanda Hahn
Stars: 5 out of 5
For fans of: YA, Fantasy, Peter Pan Retellings
Blurb:
Wendy doesn't remember anything about Neverland—or the experiments done on her there as a child. Seven years later, all she wants is a normal life, but shape-shifting shadows plague her dreams and turn her life into a waking nightmare. When the shadows attack at a football game and a boy disappears right in front of her, she realizes these wraith-like shadows are real. They’re not just haunting—they’re hunting.

A mysterious boy named Peter, his foul-mouthed sidekick, and a band of misfit boys intervene before Wendy faces a similar fate. But can they trust Wendy enough to take her to Neverwood Academy and reveal all of their hidden secrets when she's hiding a secret of her own, or will the dreaded Red Skulls find her and drag her back to Neverland?

Title: Born in Fire
Series: Fire and Ice Trilogy #1
Author: K.F. Breene
Stars: 4 out of 5
For fans of: Adult, Urban Fiction/Fantasy, Kick-butt Heroines
Blurb:
Supernatural Bounty Hunter isn’t the sort of thing you see on LinkedIn. But with a rare type of magic like mine, I don’t have many options. If people found out what I could do—what I am—I would kiss my freedom goodbye.

So dangerous or not, the job is mine. And it was going fine, until an old as sin vampire stole my mark, and with it, my pay day.

Knowing I’m poor and desperate, he has offered me a job. I’ll have to work by his side to help solve a top secret case.

Everyone knows not to trust vampires. Especially a hot elder vampire. But without any other jobs coming up, I’m stuck. As I uncover a web of lies and treachery, revealing an enemy I didn’t know existed, the truth of my identity is threatened. I might make it out alive, only to end up in a gilded cage.

Title: The Rose Mark
Series: Black Rose Sorceress #1
Author: Connie Suttle
Stars: 5 out of 5
For fans of: YA/NA/Adult, Fantasy, Strong Heroines, Scarred Heroes
Blurb:
Sherra 
We belong to the King--those of us with the black roses tattooed on our left wrist, directly over our pulse. As if every beat of our hearts reminds us that we are not our own. 

All the women with the fire burning within them are culled, tattooed and taken to the warriors, to provide more energy. Energy that the warriors will then use to defeat the barbarians from the ocean of sand. Women with black roses on their wrists are emptied of their power by those warriors, who care not that they die a shrunken husk. 

In the King's library, The Book of the Rose says to honor the tattooed women. More than anything, I want to spit on its pages. 

As for running--there is one thing worse than having a black rose on your wrist. That is for the enemy to find you and see the black rose on your wrist. Your death will be slow and excruciating at their hands...

Title: Playing with Fire
Series: Standalone (but I hope the author writes a sequel)
Author: R.J. Blain
Stars: 4 out of 5
For fans of: Adult, Urban Fiction/Fantasy, Sassy Heroines, Unicorns
Blurb:
Warning: This novel contains excessive humor, action, excitement, adventure, magic, romance, and bodies. Proceed with caution. 

What do you get when you mix gorgons, an incubus, and the Calamity Queen? Trouble, and lots of it. 

Working as the only human barista at a coffee shop catering to the magical is a tough gig on a good day. Bailey Gardener has few options. She can either keep spiking drinks with pixie dust to keep the locals happy, or spend the rest of her life cleaning up the world’s nastiest magical substances. 

Unfortunately for her, Faery Fortunes is located in the heart of Manhattan Island, not far from where Police Chief Samuel Quinn works. If she’d been smart, she never would have agreed to help the man find his wife. 

Bailey found her, all right—in the absolutely worst way possible. 

One divorce and several years later, Bailey is once again entangled in Chief Quinn’s personal affairs, and he has good reason to hate her. Without her, he wouldn’t be Manhattan’s Most Wanted Bachelor, something he loathes. Without her, he’d still be married. 

If only she’d said no when he asked her help, she might have had a chance with him. While her magic worked well, it came with a price: misfortune. Hers. 

When Quinn’s former brother-in-law comes to her for help, he leaves her with a cell phone and seventy-five thousand reasons to put her magic to the test. However, when she discovers Quinn’s ex-wife is angling for revenge, Bailey’s tossed in the deep end along with her sexiest enemy.

Title: Clam Jam
Series: Standalone
Author: R.C. Boldt
Stars: 4.5 out of 5
For fans of: NA, Romantic Comedy, Roommate Romance
Blurb:
Clam Jam 
Definition: the female equivalent of a cock block. 
Example: You're chatting with a guy you're interested in and your friend comes along and lays claim to him. 

Maggie
That's my life except it's worse. My friend who keeps jamming me is my gay roommate, and if that isn't a W.T.F. moment, I'm not sure what is. 
Fact: He went home with three yes, three of the guys I had been so sure were into me. 
Fact: He's really pissing me off. I mean, hello? I'm trying to get back in the saddle, but I'll never manage to get a boyfriend before the age of fifty if he keeps this up. 
Fact: Secretly, I wonder what it would be like if he weren't gay. Why do all the hot, sweet, tender-hearted guys have to be gay? 
Fact: My gay-dar needs a serious tune-up. 


Ry
The day I interviewed for the room to rent, everything changed. I knew I had met the girl, except there was one small problem: she didn't want anything to do with men. I recognized a top-notch force field when I saw one. She'd been burned badly and didn't want to deal with a heterosexual guy as a roommate. I could've turned around and found another place to live, but I wanted to live there with her. 
So I had to go undercover. 
Fact: I'm in love with my roommate. 
Fact: I'm a likely candidate for carpal tunnel surgery since all the action I've had for the past year has been my hand. 
Fact: She's going to hate me if I come clean now. 
Fact: I'm not giving up. Which means I'll just have to continue to run defense until I figure out a way to get Maggie to see the real me. 
The me that loves her. 
The me that would never do her wrong. 
Until then, I'll keep running off every guy who shows any interest. 
Until then, I'll continue to Clam Jam. 

Title: Trigger 
Series: Origin #1
Author: Scarlett Dawn
Stars: 4 out of 5
For fans of: NA, Post-apocalyptic, Shifters, Soul-mates
Blurb:
New York Times bestselling author, Scarlett Dawn, has created a fresh and magical new adventure for romance and paranormal lovers alike. Shifters rule the world through corporations after the humans all but destroyed Earth. It's too bad humans are still oblivious. They have no clue terrifying beasts run their broken world.

And then along came a human. A beautiful and klutzy human.

She's the trigger the shifters have been waiting for...
But beware of the soul-sucking darkness soon to follow.

"Falling for Them" Book Review

Title: Falling for Them
Series: Standalone Anthology
Authors: See Below
Stars: 4 out of 5 (overall)
Book Blurb:
Indulge in 10 all-new reverse harem stories from New York Times, USA Today, and bestselling authors, as well as up-and-coming indie authors. This collection of modern, paranormal, and sci-fi romances is sure to satisfy every palate. Whether you love to turn up the heat with a spicy romance, or savor a sweet love story, Falling for Them has it all. On sale for a limited time, all proceeds will go to charity. Help us make a difference for the new year by doing what you love…meeting our guys.

***

Special Note: On February 16th, Falling for Them will no longer be available for purchase. The royalties will be tallied, and the authors will send their donation to St Jude Children's Hospital. Many of the authors will be releasing their stories as standalone books, so the stories will still be available, just not as a collection. So, if you want to get all of these stories in one book, hurry and order your copy of Falling for Them now!

***

Falling for Them is an anthology featuring 10 reverse harem original stories and 2 reverse harem novel samples. The stories are NA so the romance and sex scenes can get pretty explicit. I found some of the works included in the anthology more enjoyable than others, but overall this was a very entertaining anthology and it's great that the proceeds go to charity. It's difficult to review this book as a whole, so I've written mini reviews for each story instead below in the order that they appear in the book.

4.5 stars: Raising the Stakes - Autumn Reed & Julia Clarke
I really liked Emma, the main character, whose journalism background came in handy as she investigated the three swoon-worthy love interests who suspiciously all start pursuing her the same night when she meets them at a trendy club in Vegas. The story is well-written and well-paced. It was instant attraction between Emma and the guys, but the relationships took more work, which I appreciated. I also appreciated that, while this story was short, it was complete; no cliff hanger ending here! But I wouldn't mind seeing more of Emma, Cole, Nicholas, and Shane should the authors choose to write another story! ;) 

3.5 stars: Meeting Them - Rebecca Royce
This story is set in the Wings of Artemis world but you don't need to have read any of the other books to understand this story (I should know...I haven't read any of the other Wings of Artemis books but I'm thinking I will now!). Paloma has had a pretty rough life - she was sent to a convent as a teen where she faced endless abuse - but it hasn't broken her. One day, Clay McQueen comes to warn the Sisters that they are in danger, but they send him away and as he's leaving he is almost killed by a falling rock, but Paloma saves him. Soon after, the worst happens and the convent is blown up but Paloma escapes and finds refuge with Clay and his brothers, Thomas, Quinn, and Keith. But the McQueen brothers are hiding a dangerous secret. This was another complete story, but set up for a sequel. One thing I found disappointing was that while Paloma was strong in that she never let circumstances keep her down, she was too passive and the guys were always riding in to save the day. 

2.5 stars: Finding Nora - Ripley Proserpina 
Nora is another unlucky character with a difficult life. This story has a very interesting premise. Nora was substitute teaching when one of her past foster brothers comes to the school and starts shooting, then kills himself. Nora saves her students but is injured and then becomes a major suspect. Though she was eventually cleared, she was vilified and now can't find anyone willing to hire her and many people are scared or suspicious of her though she was a victim. Luckily, she's got a great group of supportive guys in her life and it was great seeing the group's dynamics. I was frustrated though, because I felt like I was starting the story halfway in. Turns out, there is a first book where we see the shooting happen and how the guys come into her life, so maybe it's better to read that first. Nora was also in a really sketchy study and everything about it gave me bad vibes but Nora didn't seem as cautious or skeeved out as she should be. This story also didn't feel complete; I felt left hanging at the end which was disappointing. 

4.5 Stars: The Four Clever Brothers - Amy Sumida
This was a fun story written in the style of a fairy tale. Adelysia is a princess of a small kingdom kidnapped by a dragon prince. I was frustrated at first because she doesn't put up a fight at all in the beginning, instead she figures she would have been married off to someone eventually with no choice so why put up a fight against this guy even though he repulses her? She does redeem herself and grow more of a backbone thank goodness, but after the four clever brothers use their magical mermaid gifts to save her from the dragons. The relationships between Adelysia and the brothers is great, but I also really liked the relationship between her and her parents. This was also a cliff-hanger free, complete story.

4 Stars: House of Glass - Lyn Forester
This was an interesting, futuristic story featuring Caitlyn Lonette, aka Sparks, who races disc-bikes against the wishes of her Councilman father. He sends her to the Academia for Planetary Alliance to follow in his footsteps, and the day she arrives at the school, she meets Blaze, Vice, and Rush, who turn out to be her biggest competitors from the disc-bike races. The guys' dynamics is great and Sparks fits in well, and quickly. The world is intriguing and though their is enough world-building for readers to understand the story and what's going on, I am curious to know more. While this is a complete story, the ending wasn't entirely satisfying for me and even though Sparks knew the guys before they interact at school, they were competitors that she didn't interact with outside of the races so I'm not entirely sold by how quickly the romance develops between them all at the school. Still, I was very entertained by the story and I look forward to reading the next Poisoned Houses story. 

3.5 Stars: Another Move - RM Walker
This book started out great, but ended on a cliff-hanger, which is a big pet peeve of mine. Lily's mom is an artist so they are constantly moving so her mom can find new inspiration and complete commissions. Also complicating matters is that Lily has seizures. This time, Lily's mom has a long-term painting project so Lily has a chance to put down some roots and make friends. Lily quickly captures the attention of Joshua, Jacob, Matt, and Nate and they pull her into their tight-knit group. There is plenty of intrigue as the guys have a secret, Lily's seizures may be more than they seem, and a mysterious man has sinister intentions towards Lily. All of this exciting stuff is revealed, however, near the very end and the resolution doesn't come until the next story. I've got a lot of questions about some of the information revealed that I feel could have been explained better or more in depth, but hopefully I will get some answers when the next installment is released.

2.5 stars: Precursor - AJ Anders
This story had a lot of promise but failed in the execution. There were many editing errors and I found the world-building lacking. The story is set in the United States and Evie lives in an anti-Surmata (the Surmata are some kind of paranormal beings) resistance camp, which her cruel father leads. Evie hates the camp and doesn't believe in the resistance and is biding her time until she turns 18 and can escape. Her best friend, Max, is a half-Surmata spying on the camp. Through Max, she meets other Surmata but an encounter with a demon planned by her father and Dominic, a leader in the camp who wants her, causes her to lose all memory of her Surmata friends. The story ends with a disappointing cliff-hanger. I was really interested in the story, but was distracted by errors in the writing and found myself with too many questions. 

2.5 Stars: Ellie's Bears - G.E. Kelly
This story features Ellie and the three shape-shifting bears she befriended as a toddler and comes to love as men. While the premise was very interesting, this was another story that didn't meet the mark for me. The writing and dialogue didn't always flow well and I found Ellie annoying at times. One good note is that the story is complete and doesn't have a cliff-hanger!

3 Stars: One Greedy Fool - AS Oren
This story also features the paranormal, which I enjoyed. Sincerity, or Hope as she prefers, is another strong character making the best of some tough circumstances. At the beginning of the story we learn that she is homeless and interning for a P.I. because she'd like to become a P.I. herself and find her parents. Soon she gets a night shift working at a prison guarding none other than the seven deadly sins. Talk about interesting! I appreciate how strong Hope is and how she doesn't mope around and feel sorry for herself and act passively, instead she works to change things. The story is also really original. Still, I had a lot of questions revolving around this world that the author created and was confused about many things. There were also some editing/formatting issues that I found distracting. 

4 Stars: Favored - C.L. Stone
This story seems to be set in an Asian alternate world with magical elements. The old emperor died and there is a big selection process being held in the Immortal City to pick who will be advisers to the new emperor. Mizuki, the main character, is eligible to go and try for the position. With the help of Ryuu, an old classmate and another candidate, Mrs. Satsu, her sponsor, and Sota, her escort, Mizuki travels to the Immortal City and prepares for the selection process. I liked the characters, the world, and the elements of intrigue. This story, of all of the stories in the anthology, is the lightest on romance. This story is complete and ends with the conclusion of the selection process, but is set up for another story. I personally would like to know what happens next!

Love is Not Lost by ikki Bolvair and Charcoal Tears by Jane Washington are sample chapters from already published books. Because they are only samples and not full stories, I am not reviewing them in this post.

Full disclosure: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

"Water Lily" Book Review

Title: Water Lily
Series: Standalone
Author: Crystal Packard
Stars: 4 out of 5
Book Blurb:
A fantasy adventure filled with magic, true love, and fate…

Seventeen-year-old Lily Harris is pretty sure she's going crazy. Weird things are happening.Scary things. A demented owl taunts her daylight hours, and her nights are filled with frightening dreams. On top of that, the two people Lily can count on in this world are gone. 

Her best friend is dead, and now Lily's grandmother, Meme is missing.

Lily retreats to her grandmother's home, hoping to find clues to her disappearance. Lily discovers more than she bargained for. Meme has been keeping secrets, lots of secrets–the biggest one being the painted mural on her bedroom wall. It's of a beautiful lake, nestled deep in a night forest. When Lily touches the painting, she is transported into another world. She's in Westmoorland. And she's not alone. The man that haunts Lily's dreams is there, warm and real . . . and familiar.

Lily's journey through Westmoorland brings her closer to finding Meme, but also to lasting friendships, to true love, and to powers within herself she never knew existed.

The truth of Meme's past and the secrets she's been hiding could destroy everything in Lily's future, including the greatest love she has ever known…

***

I tend to be one of those people who looks at the cover, blurb, and other reviews before I decide to read a book. The cover doesn't matter so much but if the blurb doesn't sound interesting or if there are too few good reviews, I won't read the book. I found Water Lily when browsing through Amazon and was drawn in by the cover. The blurb is interesting too, but there weren't many reviews to read. I decided to take a chance since it was on Kindle Unlimited and I'm glad I did! 

Lily is going to visit her grandmother Meme during the summer for two months before the start of her senior year of high school. She loves her grandmother, but has a challenging relationship with her mom who is very controlling and verbally abusive. Lily is sweet, caring, and has a strong artistic talent, like her artistic grandmother, but she's not perfect. She's struggling due to the death of her best friend and the pressure from her mom to be who her mom thinks she should be. At the beginning of the book, we see Lily wilt in the face of her mother's harsh criticism and she doesn't stand up for herself. 

When Lily arrives at her grandmother's house she soon discovers that her grandmother is not on a hippy retreat for three days like she thought, but is actually missing. At night when the mural her grandmother painted in the bedroom comes to life, Lily discovers a new world and sets out, determined to find and bring back Meme. In this alternate earth, Lily discovers new friends, love, and her own extraordinary abilities. Lily learns that she's braver than she knew as well. Whether Lily and Meme are reunited is up to you to find out! 

This book was entertaining, well-paced, featured a twist that I was not expecting! I didn't give five stars because there some things I wanted to see further developed or better resolved - like Lily's decision at the end of the book and the fact that Lily doesn't really think about her mom at the end; this woman who had such a huge impact on her life (though not positive) is just forgotten rather than addressed in some way to bring closure. While Westmoorland is pretty well described, there didn't seem to be that many differences in language. I would have thought that they'd have different phrases and slang just as the clothing and other aspects were different, but there was no noticeable difference beyond them having a different language that Lily magically understands. 

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book to fans of fantasy YA.