Book review: The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

Title: The Girl with the Iron Touch

Author: Kady Cross

Series: Steampunk Chronicles #3

Publisher: Harlequin

Publishing date: May 28, 2013

E-galley received through Netgalley for review

The Girl with the Iron Touch is the third installment in Kady Cross's Steampunk Chronicles series centered on the adventures of a group of "misfits" in a 1897 steampunk version of London. After coming back home from the United States, Griffin has become thin and sickly-looking. His friends are worried, especially Finley, who is hurt that Griffin doesn't trust her enough to confide in her. But when Emily is kidnapped by a group of automatons, the group must find a way to rescue her before it's too late.

I liked this book. It is fast-paced and exciting. It was good to find out more about Emily and her story. I was slightly disappointed that there was not much Emily/Sam in it, but the Finley/Griffin parts made up for it. Their love scenes are steamy hot and appealed to the fangirl in me - those two are my favourite couple in the series; they are so good together. I was slightly puzzled about Jack Dandy, because I think I read somewhere that Jack kisses Finley in this book - but I don't remember it happening in the book (and I'm sort of grateful about it, even though Griffin could use some help in not taking Finley for granted). 

I thought this book was going to be the conclusion of the series, but apparently there will be at least another book after this, or at least, some plot threads are left hanging. Will our friends manage to get rid of their evil enemy once and for all? Hopefully...

Book review: Freefall by Mindi Scott

Title: Freefall

Author: Mindi Scott

Series: stand-alone

Publisher: Simone & Schuster

Publishing date: October 2010

I'm not entirely sure why this novel is titled Freefall. I was anticipating reading it, but it wasn't what I expected. I'm mildly disappointed. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't all that good, either. The plot was not very strong.

The main character in Freefall is a sixteen-year-old boy, Seth McCoy. He's flunking algebra, plaing the bass in a band, and comes from a poor family. He still feels guilty about his best friend Isaac's death. Seth was the last person to see him alive, and the first one to find his body. As he tries to cope, he meets a girl from the rich neighbourhood of the city. They take a class together and find out they share a connection. 

Not much happens in this novel. As I mentioned before, the plot is not a strong point. There is no climax or big revelation at the end; the story just stops. This book didn't leave a big impression on me. I expected better from such a good title.

Book review: The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

Title: The S-Word

Author: Chelsea Pitcher

Publisher: Gallery Books - Simon & Schuster

Publishing date: May 7, 2013

E-galley received through Netgalley for review

After she was caught in bed with her best friend's boyfriend on prom night, Lizzie was shunned by her friend Angie and by the whole school. Graffiti with the word "slut" started appearing ove her locker, her clothes, and all her things. Then she could bear it no longer and committed suicide. Now her former friend Angie wants to know who tormented Lizzie and starts to investigate. But the words "suicide slut" are now written all over the school, and they're in Lizzie's own handwriting. Plus, pages of her diary turn up in photocophy in people's lockers. As Angie goes on in her investigation, she feels increasingly guilty over what she did to Lizzie herself.

I liked this book; it was very engaging and fast-paced. You are driven to read it all in one setting, if possible. Angie goes through the most likely suspects: the cheerleader captain, who hated Lizzie; her two minions, who did her bidding; the drama enthusiast from whom Lizzie took the lead in the school play; the guy in the play who wears dresses and is bullied by the football team; and her own ex boyfriend, who slept with Lizzie after taking Angie to the prom. As she goes on with her quest, she finds out that Lizzie had been keeping quite a few secrets from her. 

The pages taken from Lizzie's diary make for a very compelling read. You wonder along with Angie about the solution to her mystery. And you won't expect the outcome, I can assure you.

Book review: True by Erin McCarthy

Title: True

Author: Eric McCarthy

Series: stand-alone

Publisher: Penguin

Publishing date: May 7, 2013

I've read a few books in the so-called "new adult" genre, and they all seem to entail a virgin (or unexperienced) college girl meeting a bad-boy and falling head over heels in love. Both main characters are usually "damaged" in some way, but they manage to "heal" by being together. True follows this scheme, too, so it is not very original in plot or characterization.

Rory Macintosh is a 20-year-old pre-med student. Learning she is still a virgin, her roommates decide to set her up with bad-boy Tyler, so that Rory can get some experience. What Rory's friends wouldn't expect is that Rory and Tyler seem to share a connection. Soon, they are studying together, and Rory is cooking dinner for Tyler's brothers (Tyler's mother is a drug addict and he has to take care of his two younger brothers). Will Rory and Tyler's romance manage to last, or asre they too different to stay together?

All in all, I liked this book. Rory seems like a tougher heroine than most, and Tyler is a bit different from typical bad boys in similar books, what with his love of literature and taking care of his younger brothers. What I really didn't like was Rory's friends offering to pay Tyler for him to have sex with Rory. I mean... what was up with that? If Rory is minimally attractive, there would be no need to pay a guy to have sex with her. Where was the need for money? If I had been in Rory's shoes, I would have been very upset to find out about that. I'd be deeply offended that my friends considered me so hideous I couldn't get a guy to sleep with me. Anyway, I didn't really care for Rory's friends. They're too stereotypical, not fully fleshed out or characterized. I think the author wants to make a series out of this group of friends, and the next book is going to be centered on Rory's friend Jessica and Tyler's older brother, Riley. I'm not sure I want to read it, even though Riley seems like an interesting character.

I'd recommend True to fans of romance novels set in college. 

Book review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar

Title: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
Author: Kady Cross
Series: Steampunk Chronicles #2
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication date: May 22, 2012

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar is the second installment in the Steampunk Chronicles series. It follows Finley, Griffin, Sam, and Emily as they travel from London to New York to learn more about their friend Jasper's inprisonment. They soon learn that he is not in prison, but has been taken prisoner by outlaw Reno Dalton and forced to do his bidding. The girl in the clockwork collar mentioned in the title is Jasper's love interest, Mei, whom Dalton threatens to kill if Jasper doesn't obey.

I liked this book, although I think it's a bit weaker than the previous one. There is no Jack Dandy, for starters, and you can feel his absence. Griffin and Finley spend the whole time arguing, and Sam and Emily play a very small role in this. The story is good, anyway. I didn't like Mei very much from the start, so I wasn't upset by what happened to her. My heart broke for Jasper, though.

I'm curious about what will happen next on this series. I know the third book is focused on Emily, so I guess there will be more Sam/Emily romance (even though a little love triangle with Jasper thrown in the middle wouldn't be too bad, I suppose). I wonder if Griffin and Finley will get married in the end. Even though Griffin states more than once that he's way too young to tie the knot.

I'll be reading an e-galley of The Girl with the Iron Touch next.

Book review: Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins

Title: Belonging
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Series: Temptation #2
Publisher: Harlequin
Publishing date: April 30, 2013
E-galley received through Netgalley for review

Belonging is the second book in the Temptation series, telling the love story between Rose and Noah. Noah is Amish, while Rose isn't. At the end of the first book, Rose decides to leave her family behind and join the Amish community, so that she can be with Noah. I found that to be an incredibly rash and stupid decision. Why would you throw away your education and your future, so that you could do house chores the old-fashioned way? If Noah really loved Rose, he would leave the Amish to be with her. I'm still hoping this will happen at the end of the series; otherwise, I'f be very disappointed.

In Belonging, Rose has just joined the Amish community and now lives with the Hershberger family. She is going through a trial period and learning about the Amish way of life, while the ministers decide if she really is worthy of joining the community. At first, Rose is not allowed to court Noah and the two of them are kept separate. Later on, however, she takes the vows and is officially paired with Noah. She also makes friends among the other girls and hangs out with them. She has two enemies, though - one is Levi, who is a sort of predator; the other is Ella, who was supposed to become Noah's wife.

During this period, Rose is not really allowed to hang out with her family. Her father, who originally thought she would run straight home very quickly, does not agree with her decision, and forcibly removes her from the Hershberger's, sending Rose to live with her aount in Cincinnati. Here, after being told that Noah doesn't want anything to do with her any longer, she starts dating Hunter, a friend of her brother's who is smitten with her. I like Hunter very much and wish he could be Rose's boyfriend instead of Noah - he' much more suited to her. Alas, it looks like their romance is not meant to be.

Rose and Noah go through some rollercoasters during this novel. The ending is quite a cliffhanger, which I wont't discuss here to avoid spoilers. Let's just say it's bound to get things happening very quickly, forcing Rose and Noah to get married quickly. I'm now very curious about how the story will go on. Too bad we'll have to wait another year before the third book comes out. Anyway, I just can't picture Rose living happily among the Amish, so I'm hoping she will come to her senses and decide to live in the 21st century. Noah could adjust to modern life very easily, I think.

Book review: Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend

Title: Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend
Author: Louise Rozett
Series: Confessions #2
Publisher: Harlequin
Publishing date: June 25, 2013
E-galley received through Netgalley for review

Rose Zarelli is now a sophomore. She wants to be different this year -  Rose 2.0, which means finding her thing, being more confident, and speaking her mind with Jamie Forta, her almost-boyfriend. She manages it, up to a point. She decides she wants to sing and tries aout for the school musical, but gets only a part in the chorus. She's going to therapy with her mum, who wants her to pull down the website she made for her dad. She's still estranged from her brother, who is in college and doing drugs. Moreover, she doesn't know where she stands with Jamie, as he still hangs out with Regina, even though she's dating another guy now.

I liked the first book in this series; I found it very powerful. This second installment is a bit weaker and tends to drag on. Still a good read, though. Rose is still learning new words and using them at the start of each chapter, something I really like. The most interesting part fo the book was finally learning more about Regina and her family. She has a younger brother, Conrad, who is harassed by his fellow swim team members until he quits. He has a developed fashion sense and is rumoured to be gay. Regina, on the other hand, is a fascinating character. I'd like to hear her speak more about her thoughts and feelings, especially about how she got together with Jamie and how she manages to get herself in so many abusive relationships.

As for Rose's other friends, Tracy is busy with her fashion blog and later gets a new boyfriend (who is totally too old for her); Stephanie has come home from the summer looking very, very pretty; and Robert has a new girlfriend, the sweet and beautiful Holly Taylor, talented singer and daughter to a Hollywood movie actor.

The ending of the book was quite dramatic, even though I was almost expecting it to be so. As a result, things between Jamie and Rose are damaged. Who knows if they'll get back together. I think they will, but no sooner than the end of the third book (or maybe even the fourth. How long is this sereis going to be? Four books, until Rose graduates?) They both have some growing up to do before they can really be together.

I'm going to keep reading this series. Too bad I'll have to wait another full year for the next book, though.