SERIOUS MOONLIGHT By Jenn Bennett

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

SERIOUS MOONLIGHT By Jenn BennettSerious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on 4/16/19
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.

Short and Sweet Review

Birdie loves mysteries and has an over active imagination mainly due to the fact that her strict grandparents had her isolated and homeschooled. But since her grandmother died Birdie’s grandfather has given her a bit more freedom and now she has a job in Seattle at a hotel. Birdie doesn’t think she’ll know anyone but then she runs into Daniel, a boy she had an awkward encounter with in the past. Now that they’re working together and Birdie is still standoffish, Daniel suggest they solve a mystery together about one of the hotel guest; an author who may be having a romantic relationship.

Serious Moonlight is one of those books where the premise sounds exciting but the execution wasn’t great. Birdie is one of those people that hasn’t had a lot of experiences due to being confined to one place. Now Birdie has a job and she runs into Daniel a boy she had a romantic encounter with that didn’t end well. Daniel tells her about an author that frequents the hotel but comes under a fake name, Birdie is determined to find out the authors true identity. I thought that this book would revolve more around the mystery but we see a lot of Daniel trying to get back on Birdies good side and try to be a romantic interest to her. We also learn what happened between Birdie and Daniel which is pretty funny in a the situation did not call for that kind of way. Anyway I didn’t like the romance between these two, they would have been better off as friends and just seeing the dynamic between the two it didn’t work. I didn’t like Birdie much and its one of those situations where when someone is on such a tight leash and they get some freedom that they’re indecisive and all over the place, that was Birdie. The ending of the book made me mad, I won’t spoil it but Daniel has some nerve and the fact that Birdie thinks she’s in love with him is mind boggling.

Overall, I didn’t like this book. I wanted more mystery but what I got was a sheltered girl experiencing her first romance and being completely clueless and giving us a snooze fest of a book that was 432 pages. I feel like Jenn Bennett has books for me personally that are hit or miss and this was a miss.

THE LADY ROGUE By Jenn Bennett

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE LADY ROGUE By Jenn BennettThe Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett
Published by Simon Pulse on 9/3/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Historical, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.

Until Huck returns from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.

Short and Sweet Review

Theodora has a treasure hunting father and she’s always wanted to go traveling with him but he doesn’t let Theo join him only his apprentice Huck. The only thing left for Theo to do is stay in the hotel in Istanbul. But when Huck comes to the hotel without her father Theo knows something is wrong. Following the clues her father left in his journal, Theo and Huck go on an adventure to rescue her father. After going through the journal Theo and Huck learn that her father was looking for a ring that once belonged to Vlad the impaler, and this ring may be the key to finding her dad. Huck and Theo travel through Romania following clues and also avoiding enemies who are also after the ring.

I was really excited to read this book and to be taken on an adventure to find relics. Theo and Huck used to have a romantic relationship until her father put a stop to it, now things are tense and awkward between the two. I did find myself becoming disinterested and bored at some points I did want to stop reading the book. I think it was because some things just dragged on and I didn’t really like the interactions between Huck and Theo some of it seemed forced.. I did like how Theo and Huck met different characters and how they always had to make sure no one was on their tail. Overall the book was okay I wasn’t as into it as I thought I would be.

STARRY EYES By Jenn Bennett

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

STARRY EYES By Jenn BennettStarry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
Published by Simon Pulse on 4/3/18
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?

Short and Sweet Review

When Zorie accepts an invite for a clamping trip she never thought that her best friend turned enemy Lennon would also be going along. But when the camping trip goes from bad to awful, Zorie and Lennon find themselves alone in woods. Now these two have to hash out their issues and make it back to civilization.

Zorie goes on a camping trip mainly because her mom convinced her and her crush was going on the trip. After the camping Zorie had plans to meet up with her astronomy friends to see a meteor shower. Well everything on the trip does not go to plan and the group ends up being kicked out of the camping grounds and having to make it on their own. Thats not the worst of it because Zorie ends up arguing with a girl in the group and she decides to leave Zorie and Lennon stranded. I thought it was interesting to see Lennon and Zorie’s interactions especially because they’ve been avoiding each other for a while. I thought these two were funny and even when they were insulting each other there was still a bit of their friendship peeking through. I did like finding out more about what ended up causing a rift between these two.

Zorie and Lennon were a cute couple. I feel like the time that they were apart was time wasted. Lennon was also very resourceful out there in the wilderness, he knew the trails and how long it would take for them to make it to their destination. I also liked Zorie’s interest in astronomy not a lot of YA characters are into that.

Both Zorie and Lennon have been dealing with personal issues. Lennon’s dad died and no one knew about it and Zories dad has been having an affair. I’m glad that Zorie’s dad was confronted I also like that Zorie ended up staying with her mom I loved their relationship.

I thought this was a fun book especially with the summer coming. Zorie and Lennon were fun characters and I liked seeing them navigate their way through the wilderness. I plan on reading more of Jenn Bennett’s books after this!