Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney | Book Review

Adam and Amelia are on a weekend gateway to the snowy mountains of Scotland on their anniversary…it sounds romantic, but the truth is, this is their last attempt to save their marriage which is no longer alive. This weekend will either make or break there marriage, but what they don’t know is that future has another plans for them….One way or another, this romantic weekend is bound to turn ugly as one of them is not being entirely truthful...and they are not entirely alone!

I went into this with very low expectations as I am wary with these type of ‘trouble in marriage‘ kind of books but it was surprisingly good and I really liked the writing.

What worked for me here was the snowy isolated atmosphere we got when they were in the cottage. There were so many foreshadowing author did while these couple thought about things, which kind of was convenient with the big reveal we got by the end. It can be a little unsatisfying for someone but I did not have that much issue with this.

It did felt little slow in some places, where I was not able to guess where all this is going.There were a lot of things that did not feel correctly placed in the story, so that we can have the big reveal in the end.The structure with which it was written…with letters and the twist it was suprising and I liked it.

Very fast read. I liked Alice Feeney writing and how atmospheric it was. This was my first book her, definitely will be reading more from her in the future.

“If every story had a happy ending then we’d have no reason to start again. Life is all about choices, and learning how to put ourselves back together when we fall apart.”

Overall Ratings : 4/5

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The Final Girls by Riley Sager (Trying a New to me Author) | Book Review

I wanted to pick a Riley Sager book for the first time, so went with the one which got me intrigued the most, which was 'Final Girls' AKA his debut novel. But it did not live up to my expectations, was overall an okay read.

'Final Girls' follows Quincy Carpenter, sole survivor of a tragic event happened during a vacation with college friends. She, along with two other girls, who also survived similar tragic events, were dubbed as the final girls by the tabloids. But Quincy hates everything it represents and tries to avoid any limelight and put everything behind with the support of her boyfriend and baking website. But when the first final girl, Lisa, suddenly dies in mysterious circumstances, she tries to get out of her self created prison to uncover the mystery of how Lisa's death is related to her and her past.

It started out very well, I was anticipating a very atmospheric and creepy suspense thriller. But there was only a little part of that here.it was mostly slow and boring, where Quincy is baking, walking and mostly having dialogues with herself and Sam. I wanted to root for her but had trouble connecting or liking her at any level.

The ending was unpredictable but not very believable...I did not like most of the explanations for what happened. I somewhat liked the overall character arc of Quincy but did not like the journey of getting there very much. There were few gory and chilly scenes but they did not help much in making the overall book worth remembering.

Overall an average read, hoping to pick another books by the author with more positive reviews than this one!

Overall Rating - 3.25 stars

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Best & Worst Books I Read in 2020

A Little late, but here are few of the best & worst books I read in 2020. Honestly, I mostly read Romance this year, and most of them were fine. So, I don't have that many strong opinioned books. 

BEST BOOKS I READ IN 2020

BOOK #1 :- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Engaging and classic mystery by the queen of mystery itself. I read this in one sitting!  My fourth read by Agatha Christie and so far the best by her! I just love mystery/thriller with ‘trapped in an island/house/cabin/jungle’ kind of premise and this was one of the best I have read with this trope. Definitely different from her previous books I have read where we are following a specific person investigating a murder. But none the less very engaging and fun read! Loved it!

BOOK #2 :- A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5) by Linda Kage

I read this whole series last year... It's a romance series revolves around these men who have this club named 'Forbidden' in common. This series was a hit and miss for me. So, I went into this book with very low expectations because the hero is a flirting playboy. But he quickly grew on me and I loved both MC's and their chemistry. This became my favourite one in the whole series. There is just something about reformed rake I love a lot!

BOOK #3 :- Alpha Night( Psy Changeling #19, Psy Changeling Trinity #4)) by Nalini Singh

Another big series I read in 2020, and 'Alpha Night' is one of the favourite series among romance readers. This one is the latest entry in the series and definitely one of the my favourite. 

BOOK #4 :- Shards of Hope ( Psy Changeling #14) by Nalini Singh 

Another book in the Psy Changeling Series, also includes one of my favourite couples ( Aden & Zaira) apart from Max and Sophia from the series. I just loved both our main characters and how they were friends before their romance. They were great for each other and their backstories were just full fledged and emotional!

BOOK #5 :- The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

Another mystery/thriller in the list and one I was not expecting to love as much as I loved it. The writing was atmosphere and creepy and I loved all the characters. This is definitely one book which is going to stick with me for various reasons for a very long time. One great mystery thriller with ghost elements in it. Will definitely recommend this one!

BOOK #6 :- Hunted by Darcy Coates

One awesome horror thriller with mystery elements in it. I love Darcy Coates and her writing style and this one did not disappoint! This was one great thriller with the mix of survival horror and detective mystery , I loved that combination.

Overall, it was surprisingly a very good book with interesting characters. I really liked this college friends group and their friendship which was a nice change for a horror novel! Did not expect many things... terribly underrated book that you should check out!

Now time to discuss few books that either terribly disappointed me or I straight up did not like!

WORST BOOKS I READ IN 2020

BOOK #1 :- Worth it (Forbidden Men #6) by Linda Kage

This was one of the book which had great synopsis and I had high expectations for, but was a massive let down. I straight up did not like our main heroine ' Felicity' and that dual timeline theme did not gel with me. Knowing where they are now, did not make me excited to know more about their past. I wanted more of their present chapters and I did not like the justifications for most of the things. I liked Knox but could not understand or like Felicity and some of her choices. This all made me not rooting for them as a couple, which was not a good sign.

BOOK #2 :- Roadwork by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King)

Stephen King' books has always made me conflicted about my feelings for them. I love their premises but his writing choices always are let down for me. This one is hands down the worst books I have read by him so far...it is slow, boring and depressing journey one that made me a little apprehensive to pick more of his work. 

As usual, interesting premise but so unnecessarily long execution for a King’ book. I was curious enough to continue as I wanted to know how this would end, but that was a very slow and boring journey.

BOOK #3 :- Mister Bodyguard(Morgen Brothers #4) by Lauren Rowe

Another romance series I read, but unlike other this one was a massive let down. I did not like most of the books in this series and this one was my least favourite. I absolutely hated the romance and definitely one of my least favourite bodyguard romance for sure! I am absolutely happy to forget that I even read this one

BOOK #4 & 5 :- Branded by Fire (Psy Changeling #6)& Kiss of Snow (Psy Changeling #10) by Nalini Singh

                                 

Both of these books were a massive letdown for me. In 'Branded by Fire', I did not like the chemistry and the push & pull between both MCs. It was very frustrating and, lets jus say it is not one of my favourite trope. 

Same is the case with 'Kiss of Snow', had very high expectations with Hawke's book , but I just could not deal with his possessiveness and Sienna's reckless and immature behaviour. I did not like their dynamics and was just wanted to get over with this book to get to the next one.

So, that's it for the list, just hope that 2021 is going to be better. Even if it is not, I would love to read more genres instead of romance and thriller (spoiler alert - its not going this way so far in Feb 2021)

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And Then There Were None | Agatha Christie | Book Thoughts

Ten strangers gets trapped in this private island called 'Soldier (or Indian in some editions) Island', allured by its mysterious owner for a weekend getaway. As we uncover the sinister intention of their mysterious host, it seems that these guests are also not as innocent as they appear. Next comes a series of deaths in the sequence of this old nursery rhyme of ‘Ten Little Soldiers (or Indians)’. Will these guests be able to identify the mastermind of this trap and escape the island? Or they will fall prey to this well thought out murderous mayhem? 

My fourth read by Agatha Christie and so far the best by her! I just love mystery/thriller with ‘trapped in an island/house/cabin/jungle’ kind of premise and this was one of the best I have read with this trope. Definitely different from her previous books I have read where we are following a specific person investigating a murder. But none the less very engaging and fun read!

I loved the inclusion of the nursery rhyme in the story; it added the creepy factor in this mysterious story. Following all these characters with their inner demons, so in contrast to their reputation was very interesting to uncover. I loved the ending and how things were revealed. 

Definitely one of the accessible classics, which keeps you hooked from beginning to the very end. And one of the few books I will go back and reread for sure in future!

MY RATING : 5/5

Buy on Amazon : US | India

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Book Thoughts | ****Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn****

I have mixed feelings about this book. Maybe I was expecting a lot because of the interesting premise and few good reviews I read, as for me it was overall an average read. Still, I liked the way it started and how disturbing few things were.

Our protagonist 'Camille', a reporter, is back in her hometown to cover a story on a girl’s disappearance, somehow related to a murder happened in town a few months back. Now here in Wind Gap, Camille has to face her distant mother and 13 years old step-sister she doesn’t know much about. As she delves more into the case and young victims, she slowly remembers the incidents from her past she is not ready to deal with. Are these murders connected to her past or is it something else?

As I said earlier, I really liked few disturbing incidents in the book and the premise was so up my alley that I was super-hyped for this one. It started very well, I really liked the super depressing family dynamic. All the characters were unlikable, so I did not expect to connect with any of them.And I really did not like Camille, and some of her actions towards the end of the book did not make much sense, those felt more for the shock value instead of adding much to the plot. But few shocking reveals about these characters were disturbing and I liked them.

I guessed the real killer, so ending was not very shocking or unpredictable. And I did not like the way actual killer was revealed at the end, it was so quick and abrupt! Instead of showing us the actual events, we were just told about them, I so did not like that.

Overall, it was engaging but a little underwhelming read, especially compared to some other mystery/thrillers I have read so far this year. But this is Gillian Flynn’s first book, so would love to read her later books - ‘Dark Places’ &‘Gone Girl’ and then will see.

CW : Self Harm, sexualization of underage, murder and child abuse (to some extent).

OVERALL RATING - 3 out of 5 Stars!

Get it on Amazon here

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My April Read (Quarantine Reads) | 2020

I had a great reading month in March and as I am going to work at least the half of April at home, I think its time to get overambitious and put a lot of books I want to read on my this month's TBR!

First of all, I want to include three of the books from last few month's TBR which I started, but did not finish for some reason.

EMMA BY JANE AUSTEN

I have no excuse this time! This was in my January & March TBR and I failed to read it beyond 20%. I am like this for classics, especially unabridged version of them. But I am determined to finish it this time and I am going to do it! (Maybe 😅)

CITY OF STAIRS (DIVINE CITIES #1) BY ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT

I am in such a fantasy slump this year and have not finished a single fantasy so far in 2020. So, same with this one, it was in my February TBR and I started it but did not go beyond 10%! So, here I am with this in April TBR, I was really liking it but left it unread!

PROMISE OF BLOOD BY BRIAN MCCLELLAN

Same with this book, fantasy & I are having a complicated relationship right now. But I am going to compromise and try to mend it!

SHARP OBJECTS BY GILLIAN FLYNN

I really want to start a Gillian Flynn book this month, More than Gone Girl I am interested in this one's premise. Hopeful that I'll like this!

THE PASSENGERS YOU CANNOT SEE BY THE BEHRG

The Passangers you cannot see is the Net galley e-ARC I got in March. This book is basically collection of short horror stories I know nothing about. It is now released but I am still planning on reading the ARC I got.

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (HARRY POTTER #5) BY JK ROWLING

I was rereading the series last year but stopped after 'Goblet of Fire'. So, I am going to continue with the fifth one in April.

SLAVE TO SENSATION (PSY CHANGELING #1) BY NALINI SINGH

This is going to be my first TBR when I am setting my romance read for the month. I usually picks romance randomly. But I have been meaning to start this series quite a while ago. Worrying about not liking it as much, but let's see how it goes!

PRETTY GIRLS BY KARIN SLAUGHTER 

I am hyped for this one, don't know much about the story but have heard good things. 

EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU BY CELESTE NG

I have heard very good things about Celeste Ng and really wants to start with this one.

DUKE OF MIDNIGHT ( MAIDEN LANE #6) BY ELIZABETH HOYT

Little iffy about this one because first five books have been quite all over the place and I really did not like the fifth book. So on that note let's how it goes!

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

Nothing to say about it other than that this is one of Agatha Christie's strong books and I really am in mood of some classic mystery.

THE CARNIVOROUS CARNIVAL (A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS #9)  BY LEMONY SNICKET

Another series I am reading for so long and have not finished yet. I really liked the eighth one and it quite ended on a cliffhanger. So, will be picking this to see more on Baudelaire siblings lives.

Very excited with my whole TBR so let's see how this month is going to go!

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Book Thoughts | The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

The Broken Girls is a suspenseful, creepy unresolved mystery kind of book with great ghost story and historical elements mixed into it! This has to be my favourite read so far this year, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

So, we are following two timelines - past (1950) and present (2014) in Vermont, both somehow connected to this Boarding School called 'Idlewild Hall'. In 1950, we follows four roommates, who bonds over the haunted stories of Mary Hand, a ghost rumored to be haunting this school. In 2014, we are following Fiona Sheridan, a journalist who is still not over her sister's murder which happened over 20 years ago. Her murder was resolved and the guilty party was convicted. But Fiona still is not convinced that this is the whole truth. Her search for uncovering the whole truth leads us deep within the history of Idlewild Hall and an unresolved disappearance that happen in that other timeline.

I loved both timelines, but my favourite was the 1950 one, which was more creepy and atmospheric with awesome friendships between all girls. All four girls had a very different personalities and past, which we slowly gets to know. 2014 timeline was more on the mystery/suspense side, where we follow Fiona as she is uncovering the past and what actually happened to her sister in 1994 and girls in 1950.

The best part of this book was that it was not at all what I expected when I started. There were few expected turns but mostly it went on a totally different direction. I felt very connected with all the characters and was able to empathize a lot. This is definitely one book which is going to stick with me for various reasons for a very long time. My first Simone St James book and I loved her writing style, it was atmospheric and engaging. Will be picking more from her!

FULL RATINGS - 5/5 

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March TBR | 2020 | ** BOOK CHALLENGES**

I failed to follow my Feb TBR last month, managed to read only 2 out of the 7 intended books. So this month to motivate myself further, I am including few reading challenge prompts in my TBR from various challenges (old & New). 

I am not following any specific challenge but mixing and matching all of them for this month. But I will be sharing link to all the blogs I took these prompts from at the end of this post. Be sure to check that out for details!

CHALLENGE ONE : Book by a Dead Author

For this I chose 'Emma' by Jane Austen, it was in my Jan TBR but I managed to get 20% into this and did not pick again - That's what I get for picking the long unabridged version!

                                 

Anyways, its perfect time for me pick it again for this challenge and I am adding it to my March Reading List!

CHALLENGE TWO : A 2020 Release

                                  

With this one I am killing two birds with one stone . I got the arc of 'The Wise Friend by Ramsey Campbell' from Netgalley and have only few 2-3 weeks to finish. It's a 2020 release and sounds very promising with its interesting plot. So here we go!

CHALLENGE THREE : A Book Over 500 Pages

For this I really wanted to choose something from my goodreads 'Will Read Soon' TBR, so I chose 'Promise of Blood' by Brian McClellan. This is the first book in the 'Powder Mage' trilogy. I know nothing about this one but if I really like this one, will definitely be picking further books in the series.

CHALLENGE FOUR : A Book published in the month of your given birthday

I am a March born (yay!birthday month!), so for this I picked 'Roadwork' by Richard Bachman (AKA Stephen King), it was originally published on 3rd March 1981. 

Apart from this awfully old cover, it is also one of King's old work - which I really wanted to pick more. I have a very complicated relationship with his books, but I very often like his ideas and premise. Let's see what will happen with this one. This is one of the bind up I bought of Bachman's work so I might as well should pick this one!

CHALLENGE FIVE : A Book with atleast four star rating on goodreads

I am picking 'A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman'  for this one. 

This is a very well received book with an average 4.36 ratings on goodreads. One of the book from my over-piling TBR and on priority. Of course, I had to pick this one!

CHALLENGE SIX : A Book with three word title 

Picking 'The Broken Girls by Simone St. James' for this one.

Another book I am really excited to read.This one has such a unique hostel and historical fiction murder mystery vibes, I really wants to pick this one very soon!

CHALLENGE SEVEN : A Book you meant to read in 2019

'The Test by Sylvain Neuval'  was in my last year TBR, but I did not pick it up and kind of forgot all together. It's short and very intriguing with strange sci-fi vibes, I am going to like it for sure!

CHALLENGE EIGHT : A Book with a nature word in the title (wind,rain, snow etc)

I have been meaning to pick one Blake Crouch book for ages. Don't want to pick his very Scifi books. So, picking 'Pines (Wayward Pines #1)' for this prompt and this month's TBR!

Blogs I picked these prompts for this month's challenges -

Stacked Review - 2020 TBR Reading Challanges

PopSugar - Reading Challenge 2020

An Intentional Life - Read your Bookshelf

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My January Wrap up | 2020

The New year brought me into such an optimistic reading mood in Jan, that I managed to finish 4 books out of 6 from my planned TBR.

Though I did not read that many books and did not complete my TBR, it was still a good reading month for me as I liked almost all the books I read.

1) NO EXIT BY TAYLOR ADAMS

 I started my year with mystery/thriller, which I was craving at that time and this book delivered a wild ride. I liked it a lot, gave it 4 stars
Full review here

2) HAUNTED BY DARCY COATES

This is my favourite so far in 2020, another horror gem by Darcy Coates. I read her 'Dead Lake' last year and I really liked that. Decided to pick this pick based on its premise, loved it! 4.5 Stars read for me, few characters were a little irritating but otherwise I LOVED it!
Full review here

3) HOSTILE HOSPITAL ( A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS #8) BY LEMONY SNICKET;

Finally I read the eight book in 'A series of unfortunate events' after so many months of procrastination.Really a dumb move,it was good and my favourite by far in the series.Really want to see what is going to happen with the children after that cliffhanger.
4.5 stars!

4) THE LONG WALK BY STEPHEN KING

This was my last read of the month, finished on the very last day of January.
My feelings for this is quite complex.There were few things I really liked and few things really bugged me.Gave it 3 stars
You can check my whole review for this here

I also started 'Emma' by Jane Austen but only read 20% of it and put it down for another time, I will pick it back when my mood strikes for classics. Will be continuing it then.

That's it for the Jan wrap up, hope to have a better reading in February (SPOILER ALERT : It's not going very well!)

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Books I will be reading in February | 2020

January is in its end, so now is the time for making TBR for the new month, i.e Feb. So, here we go....

The Perfect Mother by Caroline Mitchell

I got the arc of this book from NetGalley. A mystery/thriller with an interesting premise, I cannot wait to get my hands on this one!

The Wise Friend by Ramsey Campbell

Another arc I got from NetGalley, this one is a horror. This one also has very good reviews from its early reviewers.Hence I am picking this one!

The Martian by Andy Weir

This has been on my TBR for such a long time, I have seen the movie and absolutely loved it. Don’t know why I am pushing it further. Will get to it this month!

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett 

This is another one which looks quite unique in Fantasy genre and have fantastic reviews from many people. I honestly know nothing about the premise but really hoping to start this series this month. If I like it, I will binge read the whole series. Let’s see how it goes!

Raven’s Gate by Anthony Horowitz

Totally a random pick and know nothing about the book, but it’s been quite a while since I have read any YA fantasy/horror kind of book. I can’t remember any such a book, so now is the right time to pick this one!

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

I am a little dicey about this one. I read ‘Strange the dreamer’ in Dec last year. I liked it but did not love it, mainly because I was not invested enough in the writing. Hence, despite the cliffhanger, I did not immediately pick this one. I am waiting for the mood to read for that kind of writing.So let’s see about this one!

Broken Girls by Simone St James

Another Mystery/thriller I will pick in Feb month! Again, not sure about the premise but I have read good things about this one.

That’s it for the post. Thanks for reading!

So, what are your plans? Would love to know. Comment below!

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Book Review | The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

When Rowan came across an advert for Nanny position, she could not believe this too good to be true opportunity. Next thing she knows, she is hopping on a train to Scotland for the interview, and there she encounters the Heatherbrae House and is mesmerized by the perfect beauty of house, scottish highlands and the Elincourt family. 

But every good thing comes with a price, and Rowan realizes that when she spends more dark and haunted nights in that tech enabled Victorian house. 

Is it truly haunted or it is just an old man’s tale?

Now on remand for a murder she did not commit, Rowan goes back to her whole encounter and tries to reflect upon this very mystery.

MY THOUGHTS

‘The Turn of the Key’ is my first introduction to Ruth Ware and has to be my second or third mystery/thriller of 2019. And I have to say, the best thing about this book, hands down is Ruth’s writing style and the format with which the whole story is being narrated. Her ability to create such atmospheric and creepy scenes with that much clarity makes her a very talented writer in this specific genre (house thriller). I really loved the way she described the house, all polished and advanced on the surface, yet rusty and creepy to the very core.

“There was a strange feeling of split identity too—as though the house was trying hard to be one thing, while Sandra and Bill pulled it relentlessly in the other direction, chopping off limbs, performing open-heart surgery on its dignified old bones, trying to make it into something against its own will—something it was never meant to be, modern and stylish and slick, where it wanted to be solid and self-effacing”

Now as much as I loved the way it was conveyed, this book took a very long time to actually get into exciting parts of the plot. It started out very slow, as we got into the very detailed narration of Rowan’s experience of starting out her job with Elincourt family. Author spent a very large portion of the book with all the descriptions to create a visual story for us to experience. I loved the payoff but getting there was quite slow in some places.

Now coming to the actual ending - I was quite underwhelmed by it. Not because of the ending itself, but rather the abruptness of that ending. The last 10% of the book felt quite rushed and we did not spent much time with all the explanations of what happened. I would have loved to explore that part a little bit.

Overall, I really liked the book, and the short chapters made the book quite easy to read, even when it was slow.

Definitely a great intro to this new author, will be picking her other work for sure!

Did you read any mystery this month? How was it? Let me know in the Comments below!

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Cut & Run (Cut & Run #1) by Abigail Roux & Madeleine Urban

A series of murders in New York City has stymied the police and FBI alike, and they suspect the culprit is a single killer sending an indecipherable message. But when the two federal agents assigned to the investigation are taken out, the FBI takes a more personal interest in the case.

Special Agent Ty Grady is pulled out of undercover work after his case blows up in his face. He's cocky, abrasive, and indisputably the best at what he does. But when he's paired with Special Agent Zane Garrett, it's hate at first sight. Garrett is the perfect image of an agent: serious, sober, and focused, which makes their partnership a classic cliche: total opposites, good cop-bad cop, the odd couple. They both know immediately that their partnership will pose more of an obstacle than the lack of evidence left by the murderer.

Practically before their special assignment starts, the murderer strikes again this time at them. Now on the run, trying to track down a man who has focused on killing his pursuers, Grady and Garrett will have to figure out how to work together before they become two more notches in the murderer's knife

My Thoughts

This was my January Read. I really like 'Enemies to lover' trope in my MM romance add with enforcement setting, it's gold!.So the synopsis as well as good reviews of this book, made me pick this one up!

But it turned out to be pretty disappointing read for me. I was really hoping to love the romance and mystery part of it, but these two things were so under-developed that I was not able to enjoy either of them. Considering the fact that this is only the first book in a long series with the same couple, I should have expected the slow romance part. But MYSTERY!!..... It was so ridiculously underdeveloped that it's not even funny!! That plot line had so much potential but all ruined just to create some more drama in the story.

As for the characters, I simply hated Ty in the first half, but by the end, he was at least tolerable. I really liked Zane though and felt sorry for him for most of the part. I was not able to see why he liked Ty AT ALL!

Still, I am thinking of continuing with the second book because I did not hate it; it just was not up to my expectation and hence wants to give one more try. Really hoping to like next one better than this.

OVERALL RATING - 2.75 Stars!

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