Must-read romances: 'This Shattered World,' 'Secrets and Charms,' 'Marked'
This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
What's it about (courtesy of Disney Hyperion):
Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.
Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.
Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.
Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.
Why you should read it: Disney Hyperion has been releasing some awesome YA/NA books and one of my favorites is These Broken Stars. I listened to the audio and was blown away (I've already pre-ordered the audio of This Shattered World). This Shattered World, I think, is even stronger than These Broken Stars, though nothing can compare to Lilac and Tarver. Jubilee is such an interesting and intense heroine. I loved everything about her. She felt real. I could clearly see her in my head, and Flynn is the perfect match. The best part of this series: All these characters have complete personalities of their own. Lilac is nothing like Jubilee and Tarver is nothing like Flynn. Flynn and Lilac are also very dissimilar (in case you're thinking the genders just switched). I rarely come across authors who have such vivid and different characters in their book that it kept me reading all through the night. Jubilee and Flynn's relationship still has the slow burn like TBS, but the chemistry and heat are unique to them. I also loved that we get to see Tarver and Lilac again as well. This is definitely a must-read for any sci-fi/dystopian/awesome (yup, just invented a genre) fan. The audiobooks are also spectacular, and I can't wait to hear TSW. Please release the third book!
What Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have to say …
What's your favorite part about writing sci-fi/dystopia/awesomeness?
Amie and Meagan: That's the best description ever of what we write! New genre alert! There's so much we love about it, but one of the best parts is being able to tell very human stories on an epic scale — there's nothing as huge as space, after all!
What are you currently working?
Amie and Meagan: We're currently hard at work on book three in the trilogy, and we're having SO much fun! We're also starting to dream up ideas for what we might write next, but it's too early to say anything. As for other projects … Amie's got Illuminae coming in 2015, and Meg will be sharing some very cool news soon!
Favorite line from This Shattered World?
Amie's favorite line that Meg wrote:
He's chiseled, with a chin so perfect, it makes me want to hit it.
(This line tells you EXACTLY who Jubilee is!)
Meg's favorite line that Amie wrote:
Hearts and souls and how they break? That's all Avon teaches anyone.
(And this line tells you who Flynn is, poetry and all!)
Secrets and Charms by Lou Harper
What it's about (courtesy of Samhain Publishing):
Out and proud from a tender age, Olly Blackwood is content with life in LA, working at a Hollywood gourmet grocery. There's only one thing missing: romance. He's had his fill of casual hook-ups. He wants a man for keeps, and he wants sparks.
He certainly gets them when he meets Rich Willson, who has the stormy temper to go with his fiery hair. But is he keeper material? He might be if only he'd come out of the closet.
After losing his disapproving father, his job, his girlfriend, and pretty much all his money, Rich packed up his secrets and moved to his actress sister s house to regroup and help her renovate. He doesn't like the curmudgeon he s become, but something about the perpetually cheerful Olly rubs him in a way that should be wrong, yet feels pretty damned right.
Over paint buckets and sanding tools, Rich finds Olly getting deeper under his skin. But when an altercation with a paparazzo comes back to haunt him, he finds that sordid Hollywood secrets can be murder maybe his own.
Why you should read it: This was such a fun read. I haven't read Lou Harper before, and I'm so glad this was my first. The characters are quirky and fun, and the Hollywood setting just adds extra spice to the plot. I also loved the mystery. I honestly couldn't figure out who the bad guy was and loved how the mystery unfolded. It's a light and fun book, nothing too dark and deep, but it held my interest, and I couldn't put it down. I also thought the running ginger jokes and attraction were humorous. Both Rich and Olly are adorable, and I was rooting for them the whole time. The only thing that was a bit off was the fortune teller. I haven't read the first book (though I've already ordered it for my e-reader) and wasn't sure where the slightly supernatural part came from. I plan to go devour Secrets and Ink next.
What Lou Harper has to say …
How did you decide to match up your heroes?
Lou: Olly originally played a supporting role in Secrets and Ink, but he came across too strong not to have his own story. He's fun, easygoing and mature beyond his years. So I figured the best romantic foil for him would be a hot-tempered cranky-pants. I wanted sparks to fly from the first moment Olly and Rich meet.
What are you currently working on?
Lou: I'm currently waiting for line edits of Secrets and Bow Ties (Secrets No. 3, due out in May), and just sent out another story to my beta readers. It is the third and final installment of my self-published LA Paranormal series. (The previous books were Dead in L.A. and Dead in the Desert.)
Epic line from Secrets and Charms?
Lou:
Think unsexy thoughts. Big, hairy German tourists in Speedos. Eating ice cream.
Marked by Rebecca Zanetti
What it's about (courtesy of eKensington):
Janie Kayrs has known Zane almost her whole life. He was her friend in the dream world. She trusted him. But that was before he kidnapped her, spiriting her away to an isolated cabin to learn what her dreams never told her. Like how dangerous he looks. How he got on the wrong side of the negotiating table. And how much sexier he is in real life…
Zane is a battle-hardened warrior, used to command and solitude. But Janie has drawn him from the minute they met. His need for her could destroy everything he's worked for, but the risk is too sweet not to take it. They call her the Chosen One. But when it comes down to the questions of peace or war, life or death, safety or passion, it will be Janie who makes the choice…
Why you should read it: I've read most of this series, but have been waiting on Janie's story. I definitely recommend reading this series in order, or at least being aware of the overarching plot/theme of the series to fully enjoy Marked. Janie and Zane have never met in "real life," only in the dream world, and reality is not what Janie expected. I liked how Zane is darker and harder (favorite type of hero), though he is still so smexy and steamy with Janie. (Can you tell I've always been a Zane fan?) The two of them don't just fall into bed either. I liked the snark and snipping and enjoyed Janie's reactions. Overall, this is a great and steamy series. Even though this series is ending, there is room for another start of a series. If you haven't picked up Rebecca Zanetti, start with Fated or Forgotten Sins.
What Rebecca Zanetti has to say …
How does it feel ending this series?
Rebecca: I'm sad to finish the stories, but I feel pretty good wrapping everything up with Janie's story arc. Each book in a series should advance the overall arc, and it was time for that final story because I never wanted to be an author who readers stopped reading because the books became repetitious. I think it was time for Janie's story to be told, for Zane's lineage to be discovered, and for Janie to meet her fate. Plus, the Dark Protector world and characters are still there, so we'll do some spinoffs because it's such a fun place. But they'll have different arcs, newly added characters and different battles.
What are you currently working on?
Rebecca: Right now I'm working on a new series called the Scorpius Syndrome, which will debut next year and was recently signed with a film/TV agent, which I'm really excited about. It's a series set in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles where the good guys are a coalition of former gang bangers and wounded soldiers, the bad guys are serial killers and worse, and love can be as dark and hopeful as the times. I'm also working on Wicked Ride, the first book in the Dark Protectors Realm Enforcer's spinoff series featuring a tough male witch who infiltrates a dangerous Seattle motorcycle club while hunting for an elusive enemy, only to be thwarted at every turn by a sexy cop who has no problem shooting him. It releases next June.
Epic line from Marked?
Rebecca:
"I've loved you every second of this life, and if I died, I'd love you every second of the next."
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Jessie Potts, also known as Book Taster, adores books in all forms. She also does reviews for RT Book Reviews magazine and works in the submissions department at Dreamspinner Press. You can follow her on Twitter (@BookTaster).