areadinggem's reviews
167 reviews

“When you want to make an impression and you think you’ve gone far enough, go a little further. Always leave them wondering if you’re just a little bit crazy, and people will never fuck with you again.”

Dark. Sexy. Intoxicating. Corrupting.

I've been wanting to read a book by [a:Penelope Douglas|7139136|Penelope Douglas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480874868p2/7139136.jpg] ever since I saw the hype towards her last release, Credence. I was never sure which series of hers to start with but I'm beyond glad I settled on The Devil's Night.

Dark romance is still a new genre to me and I never thought I would enjoy it, but [b:Corrupt|21981841|Corrupt (Devil's Night, #1)|Penelope Douglas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1398947518l/21981841._SY75_.jpg|41292505] made me rethink my preferences. The book talks about a group of friends, Michael, Damon, Will and Kai, who seek vengeance for being sent to jail. They believe Erika, Michael's brother's girlfriend, is responsible for the years of pain they had to endure. Michael, the main character in this book, helps them come up with a plan to destroy Erika's life, for he was the only one still free when his friends were imprisoned. The story goes on, alternating between the past to what happened the night they were imprisoned and how the four men were currently turning Erika's life into a living hell.

Michael and his friends embark on the journey to see what Erika is made of, whether she could ever be one of them or not. Did she have the courage to face the darkness? Will she ever be able to reach that freedom she desires? Will she own who she is, all the good and the bad, before it owned her? Page by page, you'll see how they all were a force to be reckoned with, revealing more and more of who they truly were and what they truly wanted.

“Redefine normal. None of us know the full measure of our power until we start pushing our boundaries and pressing our luck, and the more we do, the less we care what others think. The freedom feels too good.”

The characters are all different but perfectly fit in together. I love all the darkness around them, all the pain and the need to be free. I enjoyed how Erika was still quite feisty, something I like to see in female characters. I also liked how Michael was still caring towards her even when he was having an internal battle with himself. I loved how we got to see bits and pieces of his friends in the book, preparing us for the rest of the novels in the series. The ending was my favorite. It made me so sad to say goodbye to the characters I became attached to instantly, but also happy to see they finally found their peace.

There are several steamy scenes that make you grip the book a tad bit harder and I enjoyed those for sure. The things I did not like, hence the four stars, were the scenes where Erika is almost raped. I don't get the constant need of putting her in that position so many times. It kind of made me angry and cringe a little, but the way she saves herself just shows how she was capable of taking care of herself.

All in all, the book definitely holds a special place in my heart and I'm more than looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series and get to know Damon, Kai and Will even better.

“Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.”

I've heard bad reviews about this book but it never stopped me from reading it because I personally love [a:Colleen Hoover|5430144|Colleen Hoover|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464032240p2/5430144.jpg] and know she would never disappoint.

I started [b:Without Merit|33280872|Without Merit|Colleen Hoover|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506608833l/33280872._SY75_.jpg|54004492] not quite knowing what to expect, but that always is the case when reading a CoHo book. She always manages to come up with plots where nothing truly is as it seems. The book revolves around the Voss family of seven, where each individual has a secret of his or her own. Then we have Merit, the keeper of all secrets in this house. Unless there's a secret involved, Merit is quite invisible to everyone but Sagan, a boy who managed to see what she was made of from day one. As the story goes on, Merit starts uncovering more and more secrets than she can handle, soon making her want to disappear from her family's life. When her efforts to do so fail and all the secrets are finally out in the open, will Merit be able to finally fix her family or will that night be what ruins them most?

“It annoys me when people try to convince other people that their anger or stress isn’t warranted if someone else in the world is worse off than them. It’s bullshit. Your emotions and reactions are valid, Merit. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. You’re the only one who feels them.”

The book sheds the light on several important issues along the way such as depression, anxiety, family problems... Even though there wasn't much romance involved like most CoHo books, it still taught me a few lessons that I will sum up as bullet points below:
• Everyone has a story to tell filled with dark secrets, imperfections, scars...
• No family is perfect. Every family has its own share of problems and difficulties to face.
• It's okay to take the first step in the right direction or to make the initiative, no matter how hard that may seem.
• Needing help is not a weakness. No matter how strong we think we are, having another shoulder to cry on is still necessary. People need people.
• Communication is key. Any problem can be fixed if we just sit down and talk about it, sincerely.
• It's important to see things from different perspectives so we do not end up jumping into unnecessary conclusions and overthinking or stressing about it.
• Take care of your mental health. Accept the help. Do not allow yourself to live in a state of denial.

I think this perfectly sums up my thoughts on the book. I finished it in one sitting and I still enjoyed the way everything tied together. The ending was great for it showed how there always is light at the end of the tunnel. I definitely recommend [b:Without Merit|33280872|Without Merit|Colleen Hoover|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506608833l/33280872._SY75_.jpg|54004492] if you want a quick read to enjoy.

"Being known is important. We all need to feel known."

Found this little prequel on Kobo a while back and decided to give it a shot, having been intrigued after reading the blurb.

The book [b:Little Miss Perfect|44775077|Little Miss Perfect (Do-Over, #0.5)|Julia Kent|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554273757l/44775077._SY75_.jpg|69403852] by [a:Julia Kent|3238619|Julia Kent|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1490192792p2/3238619.jpg] gives us a nice and fun preview of Mallory and Will's relationship. The two are classmates who have been in school together for a while, but haven't had a normal conversation until their last day. It was interesting seeing the chemistry between the two and how they both communicated together.

I'm actually very tempted to pick up the actual book [b:Fluffy|44104269|Fluffy|Julia Kent|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551029613l/44104269._SY75_.jpg|67772378] , because I'm interested to see how they end up together after parting ways on their last day.

Definitely would recommend if you want a quick and short read!

"He lost himself within her, but at the same time, found a home he'd been yearning for."

[b:Like a Boss|36178696|Like a Boss (Double Trouble Duet, #1)|Liz Matis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1504511890l/36178696._SY75_.jpg|57797374] by [a:Liz Matis|5289185|Liz Matis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1319426882p2/5289185.jpg] had a very interesting plot which got me intrigued after seeing it on Kobo.

The story goes like this: we have two identical brothers who happen to have been separated at birth. One of them (Aaron) ended up being a wealthy businessman while the other (Dawson) was left in Alaska to take care of himself. A few years later, Aaron finds himself in a tough situation and in need of his brother's help. A few negotiations later and Dawson finally agrees to take his brother's place as the CEO of King Enterprises while Aaron goes into secret rehab for thirty days. The only distraction in Dawson's path would be Lacey, his brother's sexy assistant and good friend. She is the one responsible of making sure that Dawson behaves and is able to pull off the role as CEO. But at the same time, Dawson finds it part of his mission to make sure he gets Lacey to misbehave with him. When their lust turns into love and the thirty days are over, what will they do?

"Without her, he would once again be adrift in an ocean of loneliness."

The style of writing and the characters were great and enjoyable. I loved how feisty Lacey was; confidence definitely radiated off of her. That is the type of female characters I enjoy reading about. Dawson was a very sexy broody man and nothing like his more sophisticated and formal twin, Aaron. The chemistry between them was definitely there especially with the way they teased each other. They also were sweet and caring with each other, which is something that must be found in all relationships.

To be honest, the thing I did not like was how rushed the ending was. The book was a quick read and had a really nice ending, if only it weren't written with such a hurry. I actually wished there was more. I wasn't ready for it to end so quickly.

All in all, I did enjoy the whole story and I would recommend the book if you're looking for something quick to read!

“Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness.”

[b:The Book Thief|19063|The Book Thief|Markus Zusak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522157426l/19063._SY75_.jpg|878368] by [a:Markus Zusak|11466|Markus Zusak|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1537240528p2/11466.jpg] was one of those books I wasn't sure about at first. Historical fiction is not a genre I usually lean towards which was why I had some conflicted thoughts about this book when I started reading it. When I first picked it up, it took me ages to just go through 50 pages. I set it down for a while, not having been in the right mood for it apparently. A few months later, I decided to give it another go. To be honest, I felt like the beginning was slow. I reached a point where I wanted to stop, again, but everyone kept telling me how the ending was worth pushing though, so I did. I do not regret it.

“The consequence of this is that I'm always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both."

The book follows Liesel Meminger's story, narrated by Death. Liesel was a young German girl who lost her brother and was given up by her mother straight after. She ends up living with her new foster family, the Hubermann's, in Himmel Street. Time goes by and Liesel manages to fit into her new family and get used to her new life. She builds new friendships, as with her next door neighbor, Rudy Steiner. Liesel also finds solace in books. Books that she steals. This habit of hers started by her brother's graveside, where she stole her first book: The Gravedigger's Handbook. The thing is, Liesel cannot read. But that is where Hans Hubermann, also known as Papa, steps in. He teachers his foster daughter everything she needs to know in order to be able to read her stolen books.

All is well until the war starts closing in on Himmel Street, and the fact that the Hubermann's have a Jew in hiding inside their basement does not help. Several events take place during the war and a new profound friendship gets built between Liesel and the Jew, Max. So you can definitely imagine how hard it was for Liesel, and even the Hubermann's, to let him go one day, due to a particular event that takes place. More book thievery and mischief later, the day comes when everything in Liesel's life changes. Was it for better or for worse? I guess you'll have to find out for yourself...

“Somewhere, far down, there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it. He was afraid of what might come leaking out.”

The things I liked the most about this book were the following:
• The fact that the story was narrated by Death.
• The beautiful style of writing and the sprinkle of German words here and there.
• The way that Liesel found peace and comfort in books, even with all the difficulties she had to face in order to learn how to read one, let alone possess it.
• How it highlighted that kids really do have the purest hearts. You can see that with how Liesel welcomed Max in, even with all their differences, and became his friend who helped him survive the dangerous and scary times they were going through.
• The way Papa Hans took great care of Liesel, as if she truly was his own daughter. Even Mama Rosa had a little soft spot for the girl.
• The ending. Not the one that brought us all to tears, no, but the one where the book thief finds her own ending.

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”

Even though I had some difficulty getting into the book at first, I'm very glad I continued until the end. I can honestly say that [b:The Book Thief|19063|The Book Thief|Markus Zusak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522157426l/19063._SY75_.jpg|878368] is the kind of book you'd wish you could read again, for the very first time.