(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

Although the blurb of this book was really intriguing, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did.

I was pulled really easily into this book. Alcott was an interesting character and although he had some very real fears of death, I still felt he showed true courage and bravery by the end of the book. He was a really likable, well-rounded character.

It was really good that the author stuck to one first-person POV. It made the storyline much easier to follow and it offered a really great insight into Alcott’s mind and how he viewed the other characters and the situation he was in.

Out of the other characters, I found Marya to be the most interesting… but I probably liked Gretchen the best. There were some contradictory moments with Marya, but I could really empathise with what she was going through. And Gretchen came across as a very motherly person. I really loved it when she told Alcott that Gari now had two heroes to fight for him.

The obstacles came across really well. Although I only got to see Alcott’s firsthand, I felt that his in particular really worked with him as a person. It was also good to see the hotel where they all rested between the obstacles.

I would have liked to learn a bit more about Travis and Vitaly. By the end of the book, I was left with a lot of questions that weren’t answered.

I really did like the ending of the book, even though it seemed at times that wasn’t going to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Despite the questions I had by the end, this book was entertaining and easy to read. I cared about the main character and there were things that surprised me. I didn’t see everything that happened coming.

I would definitely read other books by this author in the future, but although it would be nice to see more of some of the characters, I did feel that this book ended in the right place. I found it really quick and easy to read.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I would, ideally, give this book 3.5 stars. The plot was really intriguing… and I really adored the front cover. It’s really nicely designed. And although reapers and angels aren’t unique concepts in fiction, I felt that the use of Giltine was really interesting, as was the whole history surrounding the reapers. I would have liked some more detail about their origins, though.

The switching between past and present wasn’t as confusing as I would have thought it would be. I couldn’t really believe in the romance/s, though. There wasn’t enough interaction between the characters to make me believe in the love they had for each other.

I did like both Christian and Brooke as characters. Their interactions were good, but because there was so much going on in the rest of the book, I didn’t think that there was enough about how their relationship worked together. It just seemed based on what they looked like, since they didn’t actually seem to spend any time getting to know each other beforehand.

I did think William was an interesting character and I’d like to see more of him and Abby. I wasn’t as keen on Abby as a character and I did wonder about the fact that her boss seemed completely non-existent, considering how bad her customer service skills were.

I did find Giltine a really intriguing character as well. Although she was technically the bad guy, I could see some parts of her that were more well-rounded and it would have been nice to see more of her personality and history explored.

I’m not sure I’d read a sequel to this book. I’d like more time spent on developing the romance, rather than it just happening like that. It was entertaining and quick to read, though.

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I did find the blurb of this book quite intriguing. A lot of my knowledge about the Aztecs and their conquering by the Spanish comes from reading Horrible Histories books, so I was intrigued to see a novel detailing the Spanish invasion.

I have to say, however, I did find this book a bit disjointed at times. The beginning of this book was a bit confusing, since I was left unsure about whether this book was meant to be a memoir written by the character talking to Cortez, or if it was something entirely different. And the sudden skip forward in time was extremely confusing, too.

As the book went on, I found it quite interesting to have bits and pieces of the knowledge I had about the Aztec community awakened. There were times that this book felt more like a reporting of the facts, though, rather than a glimpse into the possible workings of the mind of a historical figure.

There were some quite gruesome moments in this book and atrocities carried out on both sides in the war. I don’t know if it was the author’s intention, but the harsh realities of the war (and the way the Aztecs were ultimately defeated) was shown quite vividly.

I found it easier to get into the book later on, as the narrative settled down. It was confusing to be suddenly thrown into the future, for what seemed to be no proper reason, as the time mentioned wasn’t then covered.

I’m not sure there was anyone ‘likable’ in this book. It was good to see glimpses of other historical figures as well as Cortez and also to have some insight into the culture of the different peoples. The viciousness came through really well… but I really struggled to find any way to relate to the characters and there were several moments I got confused about the different people.

I don’t think I’d read a sequel to this book, unless perhaps it’s somewhat less disjointed and easier to follow. There was a lot of nice imagery used… I just kind of struggled with it at times.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

From a very early age, I remember I really liked Choose Your Own Adventure books. I used to look in charity shops for different ones. So when I had the opportunity to request a copy of a zombie interactive book… I jumped at the chance.

I found this book a really entertaining, engaging read. I particularly liked the opportunity to get bitten and continue on as a zombie. I also really liked the fact that there was some overlap with the different storylines. For instance, when you get bitten, you can go to places you as a non-zombie can go.

I was a little bit disappointed by the fact that the player-character wasn’t as explored as he could have been. There was very little about the personal life and I would have liked a bit more background. I can understand why the author didn’t go into a lot of detail… but I think it would have added more to the storyline to know the details.

Out of the three totally different storylines, I think I liked the one with Lucas and Rosie the best. There was more of a sense of camaraderie in that group than in Cooper’s. I think Lucas and Rosie were much more honourable characters… not to mention that Cooper’s group did make a couple of silly mistakes.

Although I know it’s nearly impossible to account for every variable, there were some parts where I thought that knowledge I as a reader would have gained was ignored. There was also at least one occasion where two different choices led to the exact same page.

When it came to playing a zombie, it was interesting to see the kind of thoughts going through its mind. On the other side, it seemed like the zombies were completely mindless… but there was as least some cognitive processes, at least when it came to getting food.

I would definitely be interested in reading the other book/s in this series at some point in the future. If you like zombie fiction and like books that give you some form of control over the story, I would definitely recommend this book as being entertaining and well-written.

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

It was really good to return to Gansett Island. I’ve been passing these books onto my sister to read, since she likes romance as much as I do, and I’m sure she’ll be reading this book at some point during the next several months.

There were some darker parts to this book in comparison to the others. The characters had to deal with a couple of really major issues and I felt that the author did a really good job of showing the fallout of what happened with Mac and Maddie and how it affected not only them, but the rest of their extended family.

I’ve probably mentioned before that I really like how this series focuses on the other characters and relationships, as well as just the main couple in this book. I did notice that there was a lot of pregnancy going on in the book. It was nice to see the couples progressing with their relationship, but it almost seemed like every one had to have a baby, or be pregnant.

I liked the themes of family that ran through this book. I especially like how close Big Mac is with his children and surrogate children. There’s a real sense of love and care throughout this book and even though I haven’t read all of the books in this series, I really liked reading about all of the other couples. There were some really emotional scenes in this book and I felt really able to connect to the characters.

I also liked the whole island life and how everyone knows what everyone else is getting up to. Shane and Katie were really good together and it was good how they both had issues they needed to deal with. There were scenes where I hurt for both of them… and others where I found myself cheering them on. Silently, of course.

I definitely hope to read the other books in this series at some point in the future. I have the first book downloaded to my Kindle, but as well as that, I really want to read Grant and Stephanie’s book. Learning more about her relationship with her stepfather made me want to see more of her past and how she and Grant came together.