Kiss of Deception

Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson - 3.5 STARS

Synopsis- In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.
In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.
On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assasin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.

* Received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 

Overall: Adventure 
Characters: Lia, Rafe and Kaden
Page Turner: Towards the end yes
Series Cont.? Yes
Recommend if You Like…Graceling?
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy 
Sex Scenes: No 

Overall- 
This book was quite different from what I typically read. I am not one for the high fantasy/historical fiction type books (if you check my goodreads page you'll see I tend to dislike these book when I do read them), BUT, this book surprised me. The first 40-50% I was not truly committed. I was just reading to figure out which guy was the assassin and which guy was the prince. The author's writing didn't quite divulge this information until later (see note below). But I gotta say, wow. Im pretty impressed. I can't say I loved this book, but I enjoyed it. I think the beginning was much too slow for my liking and that the first half really could have gone by much more quickly. In fact, my guess is that book 1 and 2 could probably be merged into one if the author removed some of what I considered unnecessary. 

Regardless of that, I absolutely positively LOVED the characters in this book. Lia is not just an interesting character, she is feisty, with a fiery personality, independent and determined with a wild side. I also enjoyed Rafe and Kaden, as much as I hated being in suspense as she fell in love with one of them, I also found that this really worked well for the book in the end. We find out about halfway through who is who and the reveal to the reader is intriguing. 

I am so impressed with the author's writing style and ability. It is not simply the two guys, and multiple POV's that she had to juggle but the technique used. The writing didn't feel stiff or forced, or even awkward (unlike Aire, which was VERY hard for me to read). Instead this novel flowed very well. The pacing, as mentioned, feels a little off, mainly its too slow, until around the 50% mark when things really pick up. Thats really where the adventure starts. 

Lia's adventure is what really kept me intrigued, and glued to my kindle. Here is where the world building really begins as the world around Lia changes and reveals al new terrors. I enjoyed this aspect of the book a lot, constantly wondering if her feelings were going to evolve or change, but pleasantly surprised. She continued to be strong willed and feisty with her companions. 

I was also pleasantly surprised with the "magic" that she "may or may not" have. This aspect of the book was not discussed much at all in the beginning of the book, but as it continues on, the idea of "magic" is discussed more and more. I was little confused at certain parts and hope that explanations are provided more thoroughly in the next book. But overall, this plot twists with the Scholar, the stolen texts and her mother really added value to what could have been an otherwise okay book. 

I am looking forward to book 2 and where it will go. The ending here is a cliff hanger though, so I am disappointed in that!

NOTE--
The changing POV's was sometimes very confusing and annoying. I REALLY did not like that I was CONSTANTLY guessing who was who. I was frustrated and annoyed until it was revealed. Admittedly, in the end….this confusion worked to the readers advantage. I was truly impressed with the authors ability to write the POV in such a way as to confuse the reader yet make it so obvious at the same time. 

Five Ways to Fall

Five Ways to Fall by KA Tucker  4 STARS

Synopsis--
Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.
Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.
If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…

Characters:  Ben, Mason, Reese, 
Page Turner: At times 
Series Cont.? This is the last of the series 
Recommend if You Like...any KA Tucker Books
Book Boyfriend: Ben
Genre: New Adult 
Sex Scenes:Yesish
Setting- Florida


Overall-

KA Tucker never ceases to amaze me. She has done it again, and brilliantly. I was hooked from the first chapter to the last word. Were there flaws, absolutely (no book is ever perfect!) but I was utterly in love with Five Ways to Fall. I think what I enjoyed most about this book was the realistic feel of many parts to this novel.  
Reese comes from a distraught background, abandonment from a girls father can leave a girl with quite a bit of baggage. From the start we see Reese struggle with her issues of abandonment, and the way she deals with this emotion seems quite appropriate, she marries the first guy that makes her think she finally caught someone who won't leave her...only to find him in bed with his ex. Real shocker there. Reese is a tough girl, with a big heart, but of course, on the heels of this bad relationship the last thing she needs is a new love interest. I enjoyed reading Reese's perspective most because her tough exterior and loving heart really battle one another in her daily life and is something that likely many people can relate to, being hurt by someone you love leaves you vulnerable and everyone deals with this differently, Reese put on her tough front. Reese's friends albeit annoying at times seemed to genuinely love her and attempted to help her find peace, even when she refused their assistance. KA Tucker has always had a knack of introducing side characters with lots of intrigue (obviously!), yet I never got the impression that the characters took over. (i.e. I didnt lose interest in Reese's story) I love KA Tucker's ability though to write such sarcastic and real conversations, she is amazing with her quirky and smarts remarks yet careful with the loving and beautiful moments as well. Very hard to do.

Ben was likable. I enjoyed his charismatic nature and the way his personality really lit up the room, without seeming as though  he was trying too hard. Even though I enjoyed Reese more than Ben, I found his story to be interesting, albeit cliche, and a bit "weird". Ben comes from a big family torn that is at odds with their parents (can't say too much more without giving it away). Ben feels the need to stay close to home, and found himself in the field of law. Now for a moment, I will digress, I was a little miffed with the authors writing of the law firm experience (a small law firm even), which I felt to be a bit odd, and not quite accurate. HOWEVER, it wasn't off track enough to detract from the overall story. I found Ben to be a bit over bearing and annoying at times, and his interest in Reese was confusing, but I nonetheless enjoyed their journey.


Ben and Reese's story comes together quite beautifully. A chance meeting in Mexico starts the story, but the two are reunited ironically and unintentionally in the work place. What starts as a haphazard meeting, and a mutual necessity ends up turning in to a great friendship and possible romance. The back story for Reese is really interesting, the ending is a bit unrealistic, where her entire history and family issues culminate, and I was pretty disappointed there but generally speaking the issues resonate and felt genuine. As for Ben's story, I felt his story was also a little off, but his emotions always remained so true, it was hard to not like his character. His back story took some getting used to, and as with Reese in the end is a bit overkill, but I liked the story overall. 

In the end, I really enjoyed this installment in the series. It may have had its downfalls, but as with all of KA Tucker's stories I was nonetheless blown away!