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I Will Bury You by Brandy Nacole – Review by Hayley Thrumble

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I Will Bury YouI Will Bury You by Brandy Nacole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. This was gripping from the first paragraph! I was immediately drawn in by this story and the main character, the plot and writing are so faced paced and interesting all the way through. I really liked the way Nacole draws you in, keeps you guessing and then drops the absolute mic on you with this story. I really really enjoyed the writing style in this book, it was effortless to read and I felt compelled to pick up my kindle whenever I possibly could to get further into this intriguing story. I feel like the characters were expertly developed – Especially Ann and Aunt Meredith. I would recommend this book to everybody, I think it was absolutely fantastic.

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A Hole (Alpha Bet Guys Book 1) by Phoebe Alexander – Review by Hayley Thrumble

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A Hole (Alpha Bet Guys Book 1)A Hole by Phoebe Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had high hopes for this book and was really in need of a pick me up with some light hearted flirting, a little bit of stream and humour. This series was completely jam packed with all of those things and I LOVED it! I loved all the characters in this series, I think they were beautifully developed in such a short space of time and you could really relate to a lot of them. I loved how curvy women were represented, as so often we see beautiful women described as being thin and athletic. I though it was lovely to have curvy women celebrated in such a positive way. I really do not have a bad word to say about any of the stories in this series. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of reading these books and look forward to reading more just like this.

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Forged by Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops, book 3) by Amy McKinley – Review by Hayley Thrumble

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Forged by Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops, #3)Forged by Secrets by Amy McKinley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

She’s gone and done it again!! Honestly, Amy McKinley’s writing will never get boring to me. I have read all the books in the Deadly Isles Special Ops series and I could not wait to read this one as well.

I love the way McKinley links all the characters in this series and references to characters from the other books within each one. Reading Twisted Secrets and Bound by Secrets and seeing his brothers lives work out and the happiness they had, I was dying to know what Tyler’s story was and who he would end up with and I was in no way disappointed.

This story was – once again – jam packed with everything you could possibly want in a book. It was, action packed, steamy, cute, scary. Every emotion you could think of and McKinley makes you feel it. I found this story particularly gripping due to Malina’s circumstances and the last few chapters of action. There weren’t quite as many shocking twists in this story as the others in the series, but I didn’t mind that at all because the writing and the character development was enough to captivate me throughout. I really couldn’t put this book down and I will definitely be re-reading this entire series at some point.

I hope there will be another book in this series where we can find out what happens next for Xander, Jaxon and Tyler because I love these characters and could read about them all day!

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The Tears of Boabdil by Neil MacDonald – Review by Hayley Thrumble

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The Tears of BoabdilThe Tears of Boabdil by Neil MacDonald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This novel is a lovely mix of beautifully written mythology and gripping undercover terrorism detection. Although that sounds as if the two wouldn’t work well, MacDonald makes it work. The mythology told within this story is simply stunning and really interesting to read about. I really liked how MacDonald mirrored the mythology with the main characters narrative, this made me question what was in store for our main character throughout the book. I think the characters were very well developed and MacDonald has a way of making, even the bad guys relatable, which I really enjoyed.

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Bound by Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops Series Book 2) by Amy McKinley – Review by Hayley Thrumble

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Bound by Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops, #2)Bound by Secrets by Amy McKinley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I couldn’t pick this book up fast enough after reading the first in this series and absolutely loving it! I enjoyed this one almost as much, McKinley’s writing style is so easy to read and her writing just flows effortlessly which makes for a really relaxing reading experience, despite the fact the plots are so fast paced and thrilling.

This plot was less thrilling that Twisted Secrets for me personally, which is the only reason I have given a lower rating than the previous book. I – again – really enjoyed reading about Jason and Kayla and I thought Jaxon’s character in particular was very well explored. I would have enjoyed a little more background on Kayla. Having said that, I loved the storyline involving her and Kieran. And the final paragraph of the book genuinely brought tears to my eyes and really moved me.

I think if you want a book that has lots of twists, some steamy romance scenes and a thrilling plot then Amy McKinley is definitely a good author to get to know. I will absolutely be continuing this series and cannot wait to see what the characters will have to face next.

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Twisted Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops Book 1) by Amy McKinley – Review by Hayley Thrumble

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Twisted Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops)Twisted Secrets by Amy McKinley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This has everything you could possibly want and MORE! There is so much going on in this book and yet it is SO well written it isn’t overwhelming. This is the perfect combination of a streamy romance, psychological thriller, murder mystery and military thriller all in one. I don’t know how McKinley does it but she manages to not only make all these genres work, but excels at writing a gripping, “edge of your seat” storyline which I could not get enough of.

The character connection is evident from the first few chapters and the intensity and drama between them continues throughout. McKinley teases you for such a long time with the idea that Riley and Xander may become an item, but due to their troubled pasts you’re never sure if this is really going to happen, but you desperately want it to and are cheering for them the whole way through.

The mystery part of the novel has so many twists, leaving you constantly thinking you’ve got it figured out when you really haven’t. I think it took me 3 separate twists to finally work out what was happening here. The twist was original and very well done with subtle hints throughout the book which you might miss if you were reading too quickly – which would be easy to do with this book!

This is my first McKinley novel and I am blown away, I have the next book in this series already downloaded and I can’t wait to start it and continue this gripping story.

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Havall 16 by A. J. Ullman – Review by Hayley Thrumble

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Havall 16Havall 16 by A.J. Ullman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book far exceeded my expectations. I don’t usually read this genre as I’ve found in the past I haven’t been as invested in the plot as other genres I really enjoy, but this one may have just converted my interests. Right from reading the synopsis I was hooked with the idea of this dystopian future where the world had been divided and chaos caused. The plot was both intriguing and exciting and I knew I had to continue reading. The characters are well explored and I feel we really get a sense of who everyone in Tommy’s life is and how they matter in the story. I particularly enjoyed Havall 16’s character, she reminded me a lot of Katniss (Hunger Games) and Tris (Divergent Series) and I loved that as I really enjoyed both of those characters in their respective books. Havall 16 was cool, courageous and captivating throughout the entire story and I feel her and Tommy worked really well together which made their story an absolute joy to read.

There were several moments which I was not expecting, certain people who I weren’t expecting certain things from and was shocked to read. This made for a “can’t put it down” reading experience. Ullman’s writing style was very easy to read and flowed nicely. There is enough description in the writing that you can paint a detailed image in your head, but not too much that it becomes convoluted; which I really enjoyed. The whole book is riddled with “on the edge of your seat moments” and really kept my interest from start to finish.

There are a couple of twists towards the end of this book which I LOVED and definitely did not see coming. No spoilers, you’ll have to work those out on your own. But they were very well thought out and if anything I would have like to know slightly more about them.
I would like the details of Tara and the queries surrounding her to be explored more, there was mention of her not being trustworthy but this was in passing and was not explored again after this and it became unclear as to why Havall 16 might feel that way. I would also have liked to know more about the future world that Havall 16 describes but this is the only criticism I have of this book.

This was a credit to its genre and I cannot wait to read more like this and more by A.J Ullman. Very well done.

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Don’t Worry, I Still Hate You by Marie Skye – Review by Hayley Thrumble

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Happily Ever AfterHappily Ever After by Piper Rayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Happily Ever After: Don’t Worry, I Still Hate You By Marie Skye

I really really enjoyed this book, it was so different to what I expected when I read the synopsis. I was expecting a “cutesy” romance tale of two roommates accidentally falling in love and facing the world together – and although I did get this – I was NOT expecting the amount of steam that Skye graced us with in this story. The sexual energy between these two characters was evident from the moment we meet them both. I was fascinated by both Ash and Perrie for different reasons. I enjoyed Perrie’s “take no prisoners” attitude and the way that Skye portrayed her as a strong, independent woman while also dipping into her intimate, timid, feminine side. The contrast and the way Skye teased vulnerability in Perrie’s character was particularly captivating. I wish there was more of this book, is the only bad thing I have to say about it. I wish the book was longer and we could spend more time getting to know these two characters and their backgrounds and the reasons they behave the way they do. I would have liked to learn more about Ash’s friends and the way he interacts with them, and I would have LOVED to know even just a tiny bit more about what happened after the ending. I think Skye did an amazing job of leaving you wanting more and I am excited to see what else she has to offer, I really enjoy her writing style.

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