Dirt on the Diamond - A.J. Matthews + Heather Young-Nichols

This was such a quick read. A baseball duology, which were related, but it wouldn't be necessary to read one before the other since they do standalone. As it happens, you read the story of Jack Behr + Kitty Fitzgerald in the 1940's, then you find yourself in modern times with Wrigley Behr + Zev Cohen. Both are good, but I enjoyed Wrigley + Zev's story much better. A lot of the scenes were very fast paced and could have been more on depth, but it's a good story either way.

Australian Bastard - Selena Black

Wow!! I was contacted to receive and read the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The only bad thing I have to say about it is - it ends!!! I love the characters - Sarah is really relatable and Joey is....a yummy biker dude. I couldn't get enough of them!! The plot is phenomenal and I definitely didn't expect a lot of what happened. It was great to read a steamy romance with a great plot and tons of substance. I enjoyed that it wasn't completely focused on the romance aspect and that the action and content really took the forefront. I also really loved the ending. There are a few things that I hated to see happen, but the book really caught me up from nearly the beginning. Also, Sam was an awesome character - would have like to have seen more of him. I hope we hear more about these characters in future Selena Black novels!! I would definitely recommend this steamy novel.

Broken Prince - Erin Watt

 I can't with life right now...

I....wow...how...?

The words to describe how I'm feeling right now escape me. This book was...amazing! More than amazing. There's not a word strong enough. Why do I have to wait until October??? I NEED to know what is going on with the Royals and Ella.... 

Broken Prince was so much better than Paper Princess and lightyears ahead of what I expected. Yes, most of your questions left over from Paper Princess are answered, but you're left with way more than when you began!! Why the torture??

First off, Reed is an idiot, but we already knew all the Royals are a little bit (understatement?!)...messed up, but maybe that's why we love them so much. They're such honest + real characters (as in this could be a true story). I, personally, want Ella to slap Reed around a little so maybe he'll straighten up, but that's not the point. He needed to be a man and own up to his mistakes, and he does try to atone for them. I love all the brothers for the way they react when they discover the truth.

The ending leaves us with so many conspiracies, a multitude of questions, and overwhelming emotions... I'm pretty sure I nearly hyperventilated several times during the last few chapters; I sure didn't get any solid breaths... So much about this series is strange and more than a little confused, but the problems are addicting and the secrets - tantalizing... Anytime they reveal a bit more about what is happening, you find out a thousand more questions!!

Ella....I am in love with this girl! She really sticks by her morals and I love that she stands up for the people who need it most. She doesn't give in without a fight (sometimes, not at all), and she doesn't need anyone to be on her side (except Val). She really is too good for the Royals, but she truly holds her own when it comes to them. She fits, yet she doesn't. In a way, she's better than all of them combined, but she loves them so much that she finds her place among them.

If any of you read Broken Prince, please let me know so I can analyze everything with you! I didn't want to go into too much detail here and spoil the book for anyone, but I'm dying for Twisted Palace!

Of Fear and Faith (Death and Destiny #1) by N.D. Jones

Arc provided in exchange for honest review.

Oh my steaming goodness!! This was such a great book... I enjoyed it from start to finish and wanted nothing more than to sit and read my book, damn the reality!

Anyway, a lot of the books I've been reading lately have some form of god/goddesses and mythology in them - this was no exception, but, damn, was it amazing! Such an original storyline and I loved the characters created by ND Jones. There was so much complexity to both lead characters and loads of secrets going on! Loved seeing the way they interacted with each other and gave a little while holding back a lot. It was interesting to try to figure out what was happening when the writing went really vague in order to not give it all away too early. I loved the mystery and romance and suspense! Would definitely recommend this to mature readers!

The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals #1) - Michelle Madow

ARC provided in exchange for honest review.

Get it for free at http://michellemadow.com/ for a limited time. I promise, you'll be hooked!

WOW! I absolutely LOVE this book. It's one I could read and reread and reread, again! Madow is very clearly talented and it shows through the entire book. I thoroughly enjoyed that the story line draws from Greek Mythology and some of the characters have powers because of their Olympian ancestry. I can see that this series will only get better as she goes.

The characters are very interesting and a few pull you in from the very beginning. I love that we are really thrust into the story at a critical time in Nicole's life and get to experience it all with her. At least, that's how I felt about it. There were times I forgot about the real world and became so engrossed in this story that I wanted to actually lean in and talk to her, or reach over and slap Danielle. The characters are very well developed and the plot is pretty fantastic. It kind of reminds me of Riordian's Percy Jackson novels, but more mature (not too much - still YA) and with a female narrator (I'm biased, but I loved the Elementals SO much more - and I really enjoyed Percy Jackson). Will definitely be looking forward to reading the entire series.