Must-read romance: 'Gathering Frost,' 'Unleashed,' 'Love Starts With Z'

Gathering Frost by Kaitlyn Davis

What it's about (courtesy of the author):

Jade was only a little girl when the earthquake struck. Before her eyes, half of New York City disappeared, replaced by a village that seemed torn out of a storybook. Horses and carriages. Cobblestone streets. A towering castle. And, above all, a queen with the magical ability to strip emotions away.

Ten years later and Jade has forgotten what it is to feel, to care...even to love. Working as a member of the queen's guard, she spends most of her time on the city wall staring at the crumbling skyscrapers of old New York. But everything changes when the queen's runaway son, Prince Asher, returns. Jade is tasked with an unusual mission--to let the Prince capture her, to make him trust her, and then to betray his secrets to the crown. In return, she'll earn her freedom. But life outside the queen's realm is more than Jade bargained for. Under Asher's relentless taunts, her blood begins to boil. Under his piercing gaze, her heart begins to flutter. And the more her icy soul begins to thaw, the more Jade comes to question everything she's ever known—and, more importantly, whose side she's really on.

Why you should read it: I've been on a fairy-tale kick lately, and am loving the unique takes and twists all the authors have taken. Gathering Frost, book one in the Once Upon a Curse series, is Sleeping Beauty with a twist … our beauty isn't really sleeping, though. She's under a spell that causes her to be emotionless and empty. Until Asher helps her wake up. My favorite thing about this book is the action. Jade isn't a sleeping princess. She's the best fighter and so fierce in her "empty" state. I felt like this was an urban fantasy with all the steam of a romance, and it was almost perfect for me. I only wished the love/romance was a bit less instant. Having said that, most fairy tales do have that love-at-first-sight sort of romance, so I can see where it would work.

What Kaitlyn Davis has to say …

How did you get the ideas for the different fairy tales?

Kaitlyn: As always, my imagination ran away with me! I first got this crazy idea for a fairy-tale apocalypse where different magical characters took over our world. And the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became. The world I first imagined morphed into this creation that was half fairy tale and half real — two parallel universes that have smashed together, leaving a patchwork landscape behind. Each book in my Once Upon a Curse series will use a different setting in this post-apocalyptic world to reimagine a classic fairy tale into an entirely new story.

What are you currently working on?

Kaitlyn: Aside from Once Upon a Curse, I have two other series I'm working on. The first is my new contemporary romance series I'll be launching this spring with the first book, Confessions of a Virgin Sex Columnist! It's what I like to call chick lit New Adult — the story of a recent grad struggling with her first foray into the workforce and a complicated crush on her best friend's brother. I'm also working on the final book to my Young Adult fantasy series, A Dance of Dragons — think Game of Thrones meets Graceling!

Favorite line/snippet from Gathering Frost?

Kaitlyn: These are the closing lines of the first chapter!

"And I wish I could say I was the hero of the story. A resister. A rebel. Someone who lived to bring an end to the queen who stole my childhood—my mother, my life, my very world.

But I'm not.

I'm not the good guy.

I'm the one who puts the good guys in their graves."

Unleashed by Sophie Jordan

What it's about (courtesy of HarperTeen):

Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her ... but then she killed a man.

Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself.

Why you should read it: OK, so I think readers are on the fence about Unleashed, book two in the Uninvited series, because of Caden … sweet, sweet Caden. Readers will either love where Sophie goes with the book or hate where Davy's heart lies. I'm going to try to be spoiler free, but I will say that I always choose the wrong guy, but I was quite content with Davy's choice in this one. I loved watching Davy's character evolve as she became more than the sweet, unassuming girl from her first tattoo. And Caden? Come on, you had to like him even a little by the end of the book. I will say that I wanted to know more about Davy's world. I wanted a history of the disease and more surrounding it. All I can say is my fingers are crossed that even if there aren't any other Davy books, I still want more from this series, this world! Or even a prequel to the first person who was given the tattoo … Can you tell I want more?

What Sophie Jordan has to say …

Tell us about Davy, Sean and Caden!

Sophie: Unleashed picks up with Davy on the run, separated from Sean (her love interest from book No. 1) and her friends. Shot and left for dead in the desert, Davy is rescued by Caden (yep, another yummy hero!), a leader of an underground resistance group that's not all it seems. Caden challenges her to question who it is she wants to be in this changing world, but she still doesn't know if she can trust him ... or anyone, for that matter, when everywhere she turns she's confronted with danger.

What are you currently working on?

Sophie: I just finished the first book of a new YA series, Reign of Shadows, pitched as: a girl Riddick meets The Walking Dead meets Game of Thrones meets Tangled. It's set in a world where an eclipse permanently blocks the sun and awakens flesh-eating "dark dwellers" and a blind princess must pair with a mysterious archer to save her kingdom.

Favorite line/snippet from Unleashed?

Sophie: Hmm, tough to choose! Here's one:

Strangely, I thought being labeled a killer and losing everything — my future, family, boyfriend, friends — was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. It's not. Finding out they were right? Finding out that's exactly what I am?

That's worse.

Love Starts With Z by Tera Shanley

What it's about (courtesy of Omnific Publishing):

Twenty-four years into the Dead outbreak that ended the world, Soren Mitchell sticks out like a sore thumb in the remains of the human race. She's an anomaly: a hybrid of human and Dead, created by her mother's genetic immunity. Like her parents, she's fierce and strong. But despite their hopes for her happiness and safety, and even though she is no real threat to the colony, she has let the humans muzzle her and confine her within the walls of Dead Run River in search of a cure.

When Kaegan Langford stumbles into the colony with an injured friend draped across his shoulders, her world is turned upside down. Intrigued and affected by her, he asks her to come to Empalme, Mexico with him to fight in the war between Deads and humans. It'll be a long, treacherous journey to the coast, but she's had all she can take in the colony.

Battles with Deads, betrayal, injury, kidnappings, and a criminal-run train ride stand between them and the war. But in the end, it's not just the war with the Deads that could be the death of them.

Why you should read it: This is the third and final book in the Dead Rapture series and finishes with a bang. There are so many twists and action-packed plotlets in this series that I couldn't wait to read LSWZ, but I was also sad that it was coming to an end … I mean, love and zombies? Always a unique favorite of mine. Each book in the series features a different couple, starting all the way back to four years after the Dead outbreak all the way to 25 years later with Soren and Kaegan. Soren, the daughter of the couple in the previous book, is a half-breed (part zombie genetics), and Kaegan is a fierce and hot nomad who kills zombies. I have to say this was my favorite. All the characters are more real and have dark emotions and passions that just spoke to me. For fans of romance, strong women and passionate men, I would definitely recommend reading this series. While each book could be read as a stand-alone, reading them in order creates rich histories for the world and the characters.

What Tera Shanley has to say …

How does it feel to wrap up the Dead Rapture series?

Tera: It's a bittersweet feeling to be finished with this series and these characters. The tour for Love Starts With Z has been so emotional, because I love these characters, and it's been really hard to say goodbye. At the same time, we went big with the third book and ended the series in such a cool way for the readers. I'm excited for the readers to finally see these characters come full circle, but it's hard thinking about not writing my zombies anymore.

What are you currently working on?

Tera: Right now I'm between books. I'm taking a little break before I dive into a shifter romance. My editor has me busy with a couple of books that will be releasing later this year, but I'm looking forward to starting a new story in March.

Favorite line/snippet from Love Starts With Z?

Tera:

She was Dead and human, and no matter which side she chose, she was a traitor.

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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 departments at Dreamspinner Press and Entangled YA. You can follow her on Twitter (@BookTaster).