A Need So Beautiful (A Need So Beautiful #1)

Title: A Need So Beautiful (A Need So Beautiful #1)
Author: Suzanne Young 
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary: We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten... 

Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.
My Thoughts: What’s the first thing you’ll think of when you finish reading Suzanne Young’s A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL?
You need the sequel.
Disclaimer: you may also think the following:
1) How the hell is it 1 am?
2) Is Harlin based off of a real life character and where can I find him?
3) My eyes are totally going to be swollen all day tomorrow.
In short, you need to read this book ASAP. I was lucky enough to read it early on and it has a place near and dear to my heart. I loved reading it the first time, the second time, and the third time—and it’ll be a story I’ll pick up on rainy days and reread with a cup of hot chocolate and a box of kleenex.
Bravo, Ms. Young. You rock.
It's rare for books to focus on the "good" in people and this one was very heart-warming while also being completely gut-wrenching as Charlotte spins out of control. I thought I knew how the book was going, but the last few pages threw a monkey wrench into that notion, and now I am eager to see what happens next.

Hades (Halo #2)

Title: Hades (Halo #2)
Author:Alexandra Adornetto
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Heaven Help Her.

Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well.

The story that Alexandra Adornetto built in her New York Times-bestselling debut, Halo, comes alive in action-packed and unexpected ways, as angels battle demons, and the power of love is put to the test.

Hades, sequel to Halo, was by far much better than its predecessor. Reasons why: The action happens much sooner and throughout the story. The descriptions are more in depth due to the character actually having had more time on Earth and hence less naïve and yet… still very naïve in most parts of the book. But she’s an angel after all, a young one at that, do you actually want a young angel to be all worldly and not be innocently cute? Of course not. 

My Thoughts: 

The story goal is about the difference between true love and object idolization. Jake treated Beth like a pretty trinket he get to show off and Xavier valiantly goes in search to save her making the statement absence makes the heart grow fonder.
The ending gives a glimpse into a third book where they will yet again go through trials to prove their love and that it is stronger than any force they encounter.
The story though very cliché at times was an enjoyable easy read about how you can’t trust evil and love knows no bounds.

Vanish (Firelight #2)

Title: Vanish (Firelight #2)
Author: Sophia Jordan
Rating: 5/5
Summary: To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone. 

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.

My Thoughts: I loved book one in this series, Firelight, and so I was very excited to have the opportunity to review the second one from NetGalley. I admit I was a little afraid to read it, since I knew from the end of the previous story that my favorite characters, Will and Jacinda, were going to be separated. 

True to that ending the book began with Jacinda being forced back into her dragon pride, one she hadn’t been anxious to escape before, but now has no desire to go back to. Life is hard enough for her as she tries to assimilate back into life with her peers after being branded as a trouble maker by them, not to mention that her heart is breaking after being seperated from the love of her life.

Enter Cassian, the tall, dark, brooding draki that has long intended to be bonded with Jacinda. I, much like Jacinda, never cared much for him since it was common knowledge that he was only after Jacinda’s more desirable fire breathing traits and adding her to his families bloodline. Well, leave it Sophie Jordan to go and blow all those theories out of the water as she peals back the layers to reveal Cassian and the true emotions that lie beneath his surface. 

I devoured this book, my heart pounding, twisted, wrenched and bleeding. Sacrifices we made, bonds strengthened, threats made, friendships lost, betrayals happened, and I was completely torn in two by the end. There was never a dull moment as this story progressed, taking me on the emotional journey with it. 

Now, I sit here desperately waiting for the second book, and rooting for Cassian!