KISSING LESSONS By Sophie Jordan

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.

KISSING LESSONS By Sophie JordanKissing Lessons by Sophie Jordan
Published by Clarion Books on 6/2/20
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 291
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Wild, beautiful, and (as rumor has it) experienced, Hayden Vargas doesn’t have time for love or relationships. She’s learned the hard way that the only person you can count on is yourself, and she’s hell-bent on earning enough money to leave her small, judgy Texas town as fast as possible. So when nerdy Emmaline Martin offers to pay Hayden for lessons in seduction, the money is so easy, there must be a catch. Enter the catch: Emmaline’s older brother, popular, all-around nice guy™ Nolan Martin, who doesn’t want his sister’s reputation tarnished by the school’s resident bad girl.

But Hayden should know that looks can be deceiving. Nolan may seem like a golden boy, but like Hayden, he has a few secrets of his own. And the more he meddles in her lessons with Emmaline, the more these polar opposites clash—and the more sparks fly. Turns out Nolan may have some lessons to teach Hayden, but only if she’s willing to learn.

Short and Sweet Review

Hayden Vargas is known for her reputation of being experienced. Emmaline Martin is a bit nerdy and has a crush on her older brother, Nolan’s friend, Beau. Emmaline doesn’t know what to do so she turns to Hayden to give her lessons in seduction and she’ll even pay her. Nolan has heard about Hayden’s reputation and he doesn’t want Emmaline hanging out with her but he somehow finds himself falling for Haydens charm.

This book is very true to its name, Hayden Vargas does end up giving Emmaline and her friends kissing lessons. I will say it was interesting reading from four different POVs (Hayden, Nolan, Emmaline, and Beau). When Nolan sees Emmaline hanging out with Hayden, he’s less than pleased and starts to make sure he makes his presence and displeasure known. Hayden and Nolan have an opposites attract kind of connection between them. I did like how Nolan started to see Hayden for who she is and not go off of what people thought of her. Also Hayden has a tough life, she has a mother whose an alcoholic and can care less about being an actual mother to Hayden and at some point her mom brings around an awful guy who ends up making Haydens tough life even worse. Emmaline and Beau were a cute match. They both liked each other but didn’t really act on it until one night the stars aligned and they just happened to let each other know how they felt.

Kissing Lessons, isn’t the best romance book out there, but it wasn’t the worst either. I think it would have been nice to just have Hayden and Nolans POV and see their romance bud, but we did bounce around between them and Emmaline and Beau. It was a book that kept my attention, I do think the ending could have been better, it felt rushed.

RISE OF FIRE By Sophie Jordan

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

RISE OF FIRE By Sophie JordanRise of Fire by Sophie Jordan
Series: Reign of Shadows #2
Published by HarperTeen on 2/7/17
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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ReviewedbyDani

Luna and Fowler have escaped the kingdom of Relhok, but they haven’t escaped the darkness. When a battle against the dark dwellers mortally injures Fowler, Luna is faced with a choice: put their fate in the hands of mysterious strangers or risk losing Fowler forever.

Desperate to keep the one bright part of her life alive, Luna accepts the help of soldiers from a nearby kingdom. Lagonia’s castle offers reprieve from the dangerous outside world—until the King discovers both Fowler and Luna’s true ties to Relhok and their influence over the throne.

Now pawns in each kingdom’s political game, Luna and Fowler are more determined than ever to escape and build the life they’ve been dreaming of. But their own pasts have a tight hold on their hearts and their destinies. Luna must embrace the darkness and fire within her before she loses not only Fowler but the power she was destined to inherit.


Short and Sweet

Rise of Fire picks up right where Reign of Shadow ended. Luna and Fowler end up at the kingdom of Lagonia, seeking help for Fowler after a battle with the dwellers that left him poisoned. The two then become the pawns of the King of Lagonia who seeks to use them for his political motives.

Characters

Luna: One of our main characters. Luna is blind and is hiding her identity as the Princess of Relhok.

Fowler: The Prince of Relhok and Luna’s love interest.

Romance

Okay so while I was reading I felt like there could be multiple couple alerts in the book let me start by listing them.

Luna and Fowler: These two have been together since the first book and developed feelings for each other during the course of being together for so long.

Luna and Prince Chasan: Okay these two were supposed to get married because it was the decision of the King, and I thought Luna was developing feelings for him just like we could see Chasan developing feelings for Luna.

Fowler and Princess Maris: Fowler and Maris have been betrothed for a while but Fowler went “missing” anyway this romance was mainly one sided.

Quotes

~ “I lost all sense of time in a world where every moment counted.”

My Thoughts

~ To be honest very very honest, this book was a disappointment. I loved the first book but after reading this one I feel let down.

~ I liked the survival aspect of the first book and trying to evade the dwellers but in this book we get more politics of being royalty.

~ I liked Luna sometimes and others I didn’t, she kept putting herself in situations she didn’t need to be in. She tried to be the hero at times she didn’t need to be.

~ The new characters we meet were pretty interesting. Prince Chasan was someone you didn’t really know if you could trust. Princess Maris was shallow and didn’t care about much except her upcoming wedding.

~ I felt like this book was rushed especially at the end. I thought this would at least be a trilogy but its not, this was the end. I mean Luna was on a quest to go back to Relhok to confront Cullan to get her Kingdom back but we don’t get any of that. I feel like there are a lot of questions that are left unanswered.

Overall

I loved the first book but this book left me wanting so much more. I feel like there was so many things that could have happened that didn’t and we didn’t get answers to certain things. I don’t know if I would recommend this book. Definitely read the first one but Rise of Fire leaves you with the feeling that you want so much more.

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REIGN OF SHADOWS By Sophie Jordan

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

REIGN OF SHADOWS By Sophie JordanReign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan
Series: Reign of Shadows #1
Published by HarperTeen on 2/9/16
Genres: Action & Adventure, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Source: Publisher
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ReviewedbyDani

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness. In the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, Relhok's lost princess, has been hiding in a tower ever since. Luna's survival depends on the world believing she is dead.

But that doesn't stop Luna from wanting more. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer braving the woods outside her tower, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is more treacherous than Luna ever realized.

With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

I really love Sophie Jordan and her writing. Reign of Shadows presents a very unique world where people live in darkness and in fear of the monsters that lurk. Luna has been hiding in the tower all her life. Keeping her identity a secret after the world has been cloaked in an almost permanent eclipse.
 I really enjoyed learning about Luna. She was a strong heroine completely capable of handling herself in fighting situations. A bit stubborn in situations and definitely proud of who she is and what she’s been forced to endure during her lifetime. Of course being cooped up all her life in the tower. And it’s no surprise she wants to venture out. But you can imagine that doesn’t turn out well for her and she finds herself on the run after her tower is invaded and those she was raised by are taken from her. It’s nice to see how she grows for the duration of this book. She isn’t quite the same person, by the end of the book. She’d never been away from her tower for so long and so far, and the experiences Outside have changed her. And yet, she still has all of her internal light and goodness. Fowler is our other protagonist. This book is written in first-person dual POV, switching between Luna and Fowler. I liked both of their POV’s. Fowler is gruff and stern and serious, and he has secrets of his own. He doesn’t let anyone past his walls, and he doesn’t show much emotion. He doesn’t want to be Luna’s friend but when he’s saved by Luna, he has a bit of debt to her. Fowler is the way he is because of life in the eclipse; he’s hardened and determined to find a better life in Allu, free of dwellers (creatures that started to appear after the eclipse).
The world is very different in this fantasy, its not like an other fantasy I’ve read before.
The pacing of the book is fast with lots of action and it didn’t take long to read I breezed through it.
Of course I need to read the next book! That ending and huge cliffhanger left me wanting more. There’s no way you will not want to read on once you see what happens.
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UNINVITED by Sophie Jordan

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

UNINVITED by Sophie JordanUninvited by Sophie Jordan
Published by HarperCollins on 2014-01-28
Genres: Action & Adventure, Love & Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Author
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Reviewed by Miranda

From New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan, Uninvited is a chilling and suspenseful story about a girl whose DNA brands her as a killer, perfect for fans of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and Confessions of a Murder Suspect.Davy had everything—a terrific boyfriend, the homecoming crown, a bright future at Juilliard—but when her genetic tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, she loses it all. Uninvited from her prestigious school and avoided by her friends and family, she is placed in a special class with other


 

I had the honor of receiving an ARC of Ms. Jordan’s upcoming novel UNINVITED at Authors After Dark. I have been so busy I didn’t have the chance to read it until Christmas Eve. I finished it within 24 hours because WOW it is so fantastic! Sophie Jordan has an award winning book on her hands. UNINVITED hits shelves in January and you do not want to miss out! UNINVITED’S tagline is “They Say She’s A Killer, One Day She Will Be.” This is one great tagline. It creates the perfect amount of intrigue. While reading UNINVITED you will ask yourself a bunch of questions about how we define ourselves and how far we will go to survive?! UNINVITED is beautifully written by Ms. Jordan’s brilliant pen. UNINVITED is by far the best young adult novel I have read this year. It gave me exciting chills the likes of which I haven’t had since I read, The Hunger Games.

UNINVITED gives the reader a feast filled with heady topics, chilling suspense and a one-of-a-kind romance. I fully expect the characters, Davina “Davy” Hamilton and Sean O’Rourke to become the next “YA It Couple!” One of the many things that make this a wonderful novel is the fact that there is no angst-ridden love triangle like most YA novels. Davy Hamilton is one smart and savvy teenager. Unfortunately, her world gets turned upside down in an instant and she is forced to learn a new way of living. Sean O’Rourke is a no-nonsense type of guy who has worked for everything he has. Sparks fly when these two are on the page together. I absolutely love them! I’m actually thinking about reading it again because it went by too fast! UNINVITED took my breath away with its invigorating five-star romance! Sophie Jordan rocked my world with UNINVITED! I cannot wait to find out what happens next!!

 

Xoxo,

Miranda