Review: Wires and Nerve Volume 1 - Marissa Meyer

The first graphic novel from #1 New York Times and USA Today bestseller Marissa Meyer!

In her first graphic novel, bestselling author Marissa Meyer extends the world of the Lunar Chronicles with a brand-new, action-packed story about Iko, the android with a heart of (mechanized) gold.When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers' leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her to question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity. With appearances by Cinder, Cress, Scarlet, Winter, and the rest of the Rampion crew, this is a must-have for fans of the bestselling series.

Lunar Chronicles Series:
Glitches (free prequel short story can be read online here)
The Little Android (free short story can be read online here)
Cinder
The Queen's Army (free short story can be read online here)
Scarlet
Cress
Carswell's Guide to Being Lucky (free short story can be read by signing up for Marissa Meyer's newsletter)
Fairest
Winter

Wires and Nerve:
(Graphic novel series staring Iko set after the events in the Lunar Chronicles books)
Wires and Nerve Volume 1
Wires and Nerve Volume 2: Gone Rogue

Visit Marissa Meyer's website for more information

Review:
I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading this graphic novel (especially considering I bought my copy back in 2017!) but I'm so glad I finally gave it a chance. I love Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series and Iko was such a fantastic character all the way through so I was really excited when it was announced that she was getting her own spin off duology. I wasn't sure how it would work as graphic novels compared to the rest of the series but I actually liked getting to see drawn representations of each of the characters we've come to know and love. I will warn you now that this graphic novel contains HUGE spoilers for the main series so if you've not read the previous books I wouldn't advice starting with this graphic novel but for fans of the originals I'm sure you'll enjoy being back in this world.

Iko's story starts not long after the events in Winter and gives us the chance to see how each of the previous couples are getting along now. Some have been able to happily return to their old lives but others, like Cinder, have a lot more work to do to prove themselves. Iko is loyal to her friends above anything else and is like a protective older sister when it comes to Cinder but helping her settle into her role as queen isn't something she is really able to do. What Iko can do to help is deal with the wolf-hybrids created by Levana, the hybrids have been asked to return to the moon for retraining but a group of rogues remain on earth and are currently causing all kinds of trouble. As an android Iko is uniquely qualified to go after these super soldiers but even with her extra skills it's not going to be an easy task.

I really enjoyed being back in this world, Iko is just as much fun as I remember her being and I love the sense of humour she brings to the series. Although my personal preference is usually for more colourful artwork I thought the blue, white and black palette used for this novel worked really well. I liked the artist's vision of each of the main characters and didn't have any problems telling who was who just by looking at them. It was fun seeing where everyone's life is at right now but I'm really hoping to seem them all reunited in the next graphic novel.

I'm including pictures of the first couple of pages so that you can see each of the main characters for yourself:

Cinder, Kai, Thorne, Scarlet & Wolf

Cress, Jacin, Winter & Iko

Source: Purchased

Other reviews of this book:
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Hardback / Paperback:

Review: Girls' Night Out - Kit Rocha

Caution: this story is not meant to stand alone. The Beyond Happily Ever After stories are vignettes and outtakes showing the O’Kanes in their daily lives, in between the adventures and often after their happy endings. These stories were written exclusively for readers and fans of the series, and will probably not make very much sense to anyone not familiar with the characters.

Fight Night is part of our Girls Night Out series of shorts, written for our Patreon supporters. In it, Nita, Ana, Laurel, Grace & Avery are scouting out locations for Maricela’s big pre-wedding bash…with hijinks to follow. Their first stop: Fight Night.

(Note: Patreon stories are exclusive to subscribers for the first six to nine months. After that, they’ll be available to download free on our website.)

Length: ~3000 words
Characters: Nita, Grace, Laurel, Ana, Avery, Jyoti, Nessa
Timeline: Set after Ivan

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
Girls' Night Out is a short story that was originally available through Kit Rocha's Patreon page where you can sponsor the author and read a short story every month. After six months these stories become available on Kit Rocha's website so you can now read this one for free. These stories aren't meant to be standalone, they're written to give fans of the series a chance to catch up with favourite characters and just give us little glimpses into what's happening in this world now that the main series has finished.

In Girls' Night Out we see a bunch of the women from Sector One head to the O'Kane Fight Night. They're on a mission to find a suitable venue for Maricela's bachelorette party, I'll let Nita explain exactly what they're looking for in this quote:

“So, I don’t know what a bachelorette party is supposed to be like. What are we looking for?”
“It’s not really a Sector One tradition,” Nita replied. “But it should be. I have researched this extensively and according to all vids we need intense fun, mild debauchery and maybe some light crime.”

This was a really fun snippet & I hope we get to see the girls try out a few of the other venues mentioned, as well as the actual hen night, in future stories!

Source: Read for free on Kit Rocha's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: High Priestess - Kit Rocha

Caution: this story is not meant to stand alone. The Beyond Happily Ever After & Patreon stories are vignettes and outtakes showing the O’Kanes & Riders in their daily lives, in between the adventures and often after their happy endings. These stories were written exclusively for readers and fans of the series, and will probably not make very much sense to anyone not familiar with the characters.

High Priestess: a 2019 patreon story. (Del POV & Mad POV) This story is a short vignette (usually) voted on by our Patreon supporters. In it, the high priestess Del reflects on the path she took to her current place of power as she tries to find the right way to immortalize Carter Maddox as a saint. And Mad grapples with his family legacy as he sees his father remembered. (Note: Patreon stories are exclusive to subscribers for the first six months. After that, they’ll be available to download free on our website.)

Length: 2750 words
Characters: Del, Mad & Jyoti
Timeline: Set after Ivan

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
High Priestess is a short story that was originally available through Kit Rocha's Patreon page where you can sponsor the author and read a short story every month. After six months these stories become available on Kit Rocha's website so you can now read this one for free. These stories aren't meant to be standalone, they're written to give fans of the series a chance to catch up with favourite characters and just give us little glimpses into what's happening in this world now that the main series has finished.

Maddox has never really been comfortable with his family history or the way his father's legacy has been forgotten but High Priestess Del is organising something very special for him. This was a sweet read but it wasn't my favourite of the short slices of life that Kit Rocha has written.

Source: Read for free on Kit Rocha's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Diplomacy - Kit Rocha

Caution: this story is not meant to stand alone. The Beyond Happily Ever After stories are vignettes and outtakes showing the O’Kanes in their daily lives, in between the adventures and often after their happy endings. These stories were written exclusively for readers and fans of the series, and will probably not make very much sense to anyone not familiar with the characters.

A Patreon Reward Story. This story is a short vignette voted on by our Patreon supporters. In this story, Six & Gideon negotiate over Laurel’s future.

Characters: Six & Gideon
Timeline: Set after Ivan

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
Diplomacy is a short story that was originally available through Kit Rocha's Patreon page where you can sponsor the author and read a short story every month. After six months these stories become available on Kit Rocha's website so you can now read this one for free. These stories aren't meant to be standalone, they're written to give fans of the series a chance to catch up with favourite characters and just give us little glimpses into what's happening in this world now that the main series has finished.

This story gives us a glimpse of Six and Gideon and shows them figuring out how they're going to work together now they've both got their own sector to look after. Gideon's been in charge for a long time so we already know what to expect from him but it was fun seeing Six coming into her own as a leader. It's obvious she really cares about her people and wants the best for them.

Source: Read for free on Kit Rocha's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: The Toll - Neal Shusterman

The explosive conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Arc of a Scythe series.

It's been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson Tolliver.

In this pulse-pounding finale to Neal Shusterman's internationally bestselling trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the dead.

Arc of a Scythe Series:
Scythe
Thunderhead
The Toll

Visit Neal Shusterman's website for more information

Review:
Why is it always so hard to write reviews for books you love? Especially when its the final book in a trilogy where you are trying really hard not to include spoilers so aren't really able to talk about anything that happens in it. I really do find these reviews the hardest ones to write!

Anyway, The Toll picks up the story three years on from that evil cliffhanger ending of Thunderhead. Scythe Goddard has done exactly what you'd expect and tried to grab hold of as much power as he possibly can while blaming the tragedy on innocent people. The world is a very different place to the one we remember but what remains to be seen is if there is any way to pull the Scythedom back from the brink.

The book was pretty much non-stop action from the first page, there is so much we need to catch up on with all of our favourite characters but we also get to meet a few new ones and even if their importance to the story isn't immediately clear they all have a role to play. There are so many different threads in play that it's hard to see the whole picture but oh what a wonderful tapestry Neal Shusterman manages to weave by the end of the book!

This entire series has been a joy to read, I love the questions it made me ask myself, the hard look it takes at morality and matters of life and death, the way it sometimes pokes fun at current events in clever ways, the fantastic characters that we've now spent so much time with and the way it always kept me guessing about how things would end. I don't think there is anything I'd change about The Toll so I really can't recommend it highly enough.

Source: Received from Walker Books in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Flash - Kit Rocha

Caution: this story is not meant to stand alone. The Beyond Happily Ever After stories are vignettes and outtakes showing the O’Kanes in their daily lives, in between the adventures and often after their happy endings. These stories were written exclusively for readers and fans of the series, and will probably not make very much sense to anyone not familiar with the characters.

A Patreon Reward Story. This story is a short vignette voted on by our Patreon supporters. In this story, Flash & Amira spend a little time with newborn baby Hana.

Characters: Flash, Amira & Hana
Timeline: Set after Beyond Pain

Now available to read for free on Kit Rocha's website: https://www.kitrocha.com/book/flash-2/

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
Flash is a short story that was originally available through Kit Rocha's Patreon page where you can sponsor the author and read a short story every month. After six months these stories become available on Kit Rocha's website so you can now read this one for free. These stories aren't meant to be standalone, they're written to give fans of the series a chance to catch up with favourite characters and just give us little glimpses into what's happening in this world now that the main series has finished.

This story fits into the series timeline just after book 3, Beyond Pain, so it does contain spoilers for earlier books. It's an adorable slice of life scene between Flash, Amira and newborn Hana but it's quite bittersweet for anyone who has read the whole Beyond series. The last line made my heart hurt!

Source: Read for free on Kit Rocha's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Makhai - Kit Rocha

Caution: this story is not meant to stand alone. The Beyond Happily Ever After stories are vignettes and outtakes showing the O’Kanes in their daily lives, in between the adventures and often after their happy endings. These stories were written exclusively for readers and fans of the series, and will probably not make very much sense to anyone not familiar with the characters.

A Patreon Reward Story. This story is a short vignette voted on by our Patreon supporters. This story features Ashwin’s friend (and fellow Makhai soldier) Samson as he watches Ashwin & Kora.

Characters: Samson (Ashwin/Kora)
Timeline: Set between Deacon and Ivan

Now available to read for free on Kit Rocha's website: https://www.kitrocha.com/book/makhai/

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
Makhai is a short story that was originally available through Kit Rocha's Patreon page where you can sponsor the author and read a short story every month. After six months these stories become available on Kit Rocha's website so you can now read this one for free. These stories aren't meant to be standalone, they're written to give fans of the series a chance to catch up with favourite characters and just give us little glimpses into what's happening in this world now that the main series has finished.

This short story is actually told from the point of view of Samson, one of the Makhai soldiers who trained with Ashwin. Samson has a very different way of looking at things because of his upbringing so it was interesting to see inside his head as he watched Ashwin and Kora together. I really hope we're going to get to spend more time with the Makhai soldiers when this series continues so I'd love to see Samson get a book of his own.

Source: Read for free on Kit Rocha's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: A Little Bit Bad - Kit Rocha

Caution: this story is not meant to stand alone. The Beyond Happily Ever After stories are vignettes and outtakes showing the O’Kanes in their daily lives, in between the adventures and often after their happy endings. These stories were written exclusively for readers and fans of the series, and will probably not make very much sense to anyone not familiar with the characters.

Memorial: A Patreon Reward Story. This story is a short vignette voted on by our Patreon supporters. In it, Tatiana enjoys her new shop and Zan pays a surprise visit.

Characters: Zan and Tatiana
Timeline: Set after the end of Beyond Forever

Now available to read for free on Kit Rocha's website: https://www.kitrocha.com/book/a-little-bit-bad/

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
A Little Bit Bad is a short story that was originally available through Kit Rocha's Patreon page where you can sponsor the author and read a short story every month. After six months these stories become available on Kit Rocha's website so you can now read this one for free. These stories aren't meant to be standalone, they're written to give fans of the series a chance to catch up with favourite characters and just give us little glimpses into what's happening in this world now that the main series has finished.

This story gives us a glimpse at Tatiana and Zan's life after the war. Tatiana is happy running her shop while surrounded by her chosen family and things are great between her and Zan. They're both still madly in love which was cute.

Source: Read for free on Kit Rocha's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: The Girl in Red - Christina Henry

From the bestselling author of Alice and Lost Boy comes this dark retelling of Red Riding Hood

It's not safe for anyone alone in the woods. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that was perfectly sane and normal until three months ago.

There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there's something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined.

Red doesn't like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn't about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods…

Visit Christina Henry's website for more information.

Review:
I love retellings and Christina Henry's take on Little Red Riding Hood was something really fun and unexpected. The bones of the original story is there, a young girl dressed in red making her way through a dark wood trying to reach her grandmother's house and facing danger along the way, but apart from that it's totally it's own story. It's set in a post apocalyptic world and we follow two different timelines throughout: After, where Red is alone and trying to make a difficult journey from her home to her Grandmother's house while avoiding military curfews and roaming bands of mercenaries, and Before, where we go back in time and slowly unravel what caused the apocalypse and how that affected Red and her family.

Both timelines were intense and fraught with danger and it kept me compulsively reading because I just HAD to know what would happen next. Red spent her entire life preparing for the apocalypse, her family used to make fun of her obsession with horror books and movies but it meant she was the most prepared to deal with the Crisis that hit the world and wiped out the majority of the population. She was the one with a plan and their best chance of survival in the dangerous new world they now find themselves in. I loved Red, yes she could be a bit of a know it all but she had the brains to back up her boasting and most importantly she was willing to fight to keep herself and others safe. There were times when she could have picked the easy road by herself but chose the harder option and put herself in harm's way to help others and that's always something admirable.

I would have liked a little more information about what caused the virus that ended the world as we know it but at the same time I think some stories can get bogged down in the details rather than focusing on the character's journey and I appreciate that it didn't happen here. Instead we focus on everything that happens to Red and how she reacts to it, the way her instincts kick in and just how hard she has to push herself to survive. The way people acted throughout the book was scarily believable, from the rare survivors who were willing to share their meagre supplies to the groups who practically turned into animals who only cared about themselves and saw anyone else as the enemy. This story is definitely a dark one and we see far more of the latter group than we do the former but there was just enough hope thrown in to keep it from getting too dark and depressing.

This story was everything I didn't know I wanted from a Little Red Riding Hood retelling and I can't wait to start reading through Christina Henry's backlog.

Source: Received from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Fierce Protector - Kit Rocha

Caution: this story is not meant to stand alone. The Beyond Happily Ever After stories are vignettes and outtakes showing the O’Kanes in their daily lives, in between the adventures and often after their happy endings. These stories were written exclusively for readers and fans of the series, and will probably not make very much sense to anyone not familiar with the characters.

Fierce Protector: A Patreon Reward Story. This story is a short vignette voted on by our Patreon supporters. In it, Hawk tries to get a surprise for Jeni and ends up getting a surprise of his own.

Characters: Hawk, Jeni (and a little bit of Finn & Hawk’s sister!)
Timeline: Set after the end of Beyond Surrender

Now available to read for free on Kit Rocha's website: https://www.kitrocha.com/book/fierce-protector/

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
Fierce Protector is a short story that was originally available through Kit Rocha's Patreon page where you can sponsor the author and read a short story every month. After six months these stories become available on Kit Rocha's website so you can now read this one for free. These stories aren't meant to be standalone, they're written to give fans of the series a chance to catch up with favourite characters and just give us little glimpses into what's happening in this world now that the main series has finished.

In Fierce Protector we get a glimpse of how life is going for Jeni and Hawk as Hawk takes a road trip with Finn to visit his sister to get a very special gift for Jeni. This was a really cute read and I loved the chance to catch up with these characters. It's so nice to see life much more settled for Jeni and Hawk now that the war is over and they're getting the chance to build a new life for themselves. I love these short snippets!

Source: Read for free on Kit Rocha's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Memorial - Kit Rocha

Caution: this story is not meant to stand alone. The Beyond Happily Ever After stories are vignettes and outtakes showing the O’Kanes in their daily lives, in between the adventures and often after their happy endings. These stories were written exclusively for readers and fans of the series, and will probably not make very much sense to anyone not familiar with the characters.

Memorial: A Patreon Reward Story. This story is a short vignette voted on by our Patreon supporters. In it, Noah & Emma finally take some time to remember someone they lost.

Characters: Noah & Emma
Timeline: Set after the end of Beyond Surrender

Now available to read for free on Kit Rocha's website: https://www.kitrocha.com/book/memorial/

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
Memorial is a short story that was originally available through Kit Rocha's Patreon page where you can sponsor the author and read a short story every month. After six months these stories become available on Kit Rocha's website so you can now read this one for free. These stories aren't meant to be standalone, they're written to give fans of the series a chance to catch up with favourite characters and just give us little glimpses into what's happening in this world now that the main series has finished.

In Memorial we get to see Emma and Noah remembering the people who are no longer with them, Emma's brother in particular. This story has quite a melancholy feel to it and was sadder than most of these short stories have been but it was still sweet to see how strong they are as a couple and that they are so supportive of each other.

Source: Read for free on Kit Rocha's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Year One - Nora Roberts

As this world ends, a new one begins.

From number one New York Times bestseller Nora Roberts - an epic, apocalyptic tale of good and evil, love and loss.

With one drop of blood, the old world is gone for ever. And in its place, something extraordinary begins...

They call it The Doom - a deadly pandemic that starts on a cold New Year's Eve in the Scottish countryside. There's something mysterious about the virus and the way it spreads. As billions fall sick and die, some survivors find themselves invested with strange, unexpected abilities.

Lana, a New York chef, has the power to move things and people with her will. Fred can summon light in the darkness. Jonah, a paramedic, sees snatches of the future in those he touches. Katie gives birth to twins, and suspects that she has brought fresh magic into the world, along with new life.

But The Doom affects people differently. Along with the light, a dark and terrifying magic will also rise. As the remaining authorities round up the immune and the 'Uncannies' for testing, Lana, Katie and others flee New York in search of a safe haven. The old world is over, and Year One has begun.

Chronicles of the One:
Year One
Of Blood and Bone
The Rise of Magics (2019)

Visit Nora Roberts' website for more information.

Review:
In the wake of a pandemic that has wiped out over half the human population in a matter of days, the world has quickly become a very dark and dangerous place. Survivors fall into three camps, ones who have been gifted with light magic, ones with dark magic and normal humans. Light gifts can include telekinesis, psychic abilities, perhaps you're now a faerie or even have the ability to shapeshift while the dark gifts give you similar powers but a thirst for violence that's almost demonic. Normal humans are caught between the two factions and doing what humans do best the government decides it would be a good idea to round up all the uncanny to carry out experiments on them. Year One follows a ragtag group of survivors as they band together and try to find somewhere safe to start a new life.

I love the In Death series but I have to admit it's been a while since I read anything else Nora Roberts has published. I'm a huge urban fantasy fan though and my friend Ange raved about this book so much that I just had to give it a try. Year One is very different to anything else I've read by Nora, this is a dark and devastating world where things fall apart very quickly and civilisation as we know it is completely gone, the characters are all facing life or death situations daily and struggling to survive as they band together hunting for safety. But no matter how bad things get or how slim their chances of survival is looking there are also signs of hope that there could be a better future. There are people willing to work together, ones who go out of their way to help others and ones who share what little resources they have because someone else is in desperate need.

I think one of the things Nora Roberts always excels at is creating fantastic characters and she really shows that in this book. There is a large cast of characters and they're all following different paths but I found myself rooting for nearly all of them. You have to be prepared because in a world this dark there are going to be casualties along the way and some of the deaths really surprised me but because people know just how short life can be they live it to the fullest while they can. Friendships and love are more valuable than ever and people hold on to them fiercely.

Much of this book is about the fallout from The Doom, the way society collapses and how survivors have to learn how to survive in a more basic world without the technology we've come to rely on now. A lot of time is spent gathering likeminded survivors and searching for a place they can call home but towards the end there are some huge changes that take the story in a direction I really wasn't expecting. I can't wait to see what happens next & will be diving into Of Blood and Bone as soon as I get the chance.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
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Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Dry - Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman

When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions in this harrowing story of survival from New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman.

The drought – or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it – has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers.

Until the taps run dry.

Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbours and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life – and the life of her brother – is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.

Visit Neal Shusterman's website or Jarrod Shusterman's instagram page for more information

Review:
Set in the not too distant future Dry is a dystopian story based on the idea that after years of drought California completely runs out of freshwater. For years there have been increasingly strict water rationing and fines for excess consumption but it wasn't enough and one day, without any advanced warning, people go to turn on their taps and nothing comes out. This wasn't an outcome that most people were prepared for and the longer the taps stay dry the greater people's panic becomes. This is a fight for survival and now once friendly neighbours are potential enemies as everyone becomes increasingly more desperate.

This story sucked me in from the very first page and I found it nearly impossible to put it down. It really makes you think about how much we take for granted but also the lengths you might be willing to go to to protect your family and survive any kind of natural disaster. I have to admit this book really did make me want to start stockpiling water and other supplies just in case something awful happens!

Dry is told from several points of view but the main characters are Alyssa and her younger brother Garrett, two normal teenagers who are left on their own when their parents leave to try and find water and don't come home, and their next door neighbour Kelton whose family has been preparing for a disaster for years and already have supplies on hand. You'll meet others along the way but I'm going to focus on this trio for the purpose of my review. Alyssa is just a normal teenage girl who has never had to worry about looking after herself, let alone dealing with a disaster on this scale. She doesn't always make the right choices but she does the best she can and she always tries to protect her brother and anyone else she can help along the way.

Kelton has been training for this his whole life and has a good idea what to expect as society starts to breakdown but no matter how prepared his parents are for things to go wrong they didn't quite anticipate how difficult it would be to protect their stockpile from terrified and desperate neighbours. Everything that can go wrong pretty much does go wrong and these teens have to deal with some pretty scary situations as they try to find somewhere safe. I could really feel their desperation as things spiralled out of their control but I loved how determined they were and that they never gave up no matter how bad things got.

This was an excellent story and the rate society broke down was terrifyingly believable. I find it fascinating to think about the psychology of mob rule and the way people so quickly start to devolve into pretty mindless animals when survival is on the line. I don't think I've ever felt so thirsty - or so grateful for my working taps! - while reading a book. I probably drank more water reading this than I normally would in a week so make sure you have plenty of liquid on hand before you pick this up. Father and son writing team Neal & Jarrod Shusterman hit the ball out of the park on this one & I'm definitely going to be watching out for any future collaborations between them.

Source: Received from Walker Books in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Efficient - Kit Rocha

Caution: this story is not meant to stand alone. The Beyond Happily Ever After stories are vignettes and outtakes showing the O’Kanes in their daily lives, in between the adventures and often after their happy endings. These stories were written exclusively for readers and fans of the series, and will probably not make very much sense to anyone not familiar with the characters.

Efficient: December 2017 Patreon Reward Story. This story is a short vignette voted on by our Patreon supporters. In it, you can catch up with Mia & Ford as they envision a future for Sector Eight and Mia envisions a more personal kind of Happily Ever After.

Length: 1800 words
Characters: Mia & Ford
Timeline: Set after the end of Beyond Surrender

Now available to read for free on Kit Rocha's website: https://www.kitrocha.com/book/beyond-hea-efficient/

Beyond Series:
Beyond Shame
Beyond Control
Beyond Denial (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Pain
Flash (Free short story)
Beyond Temptation (Novella in the Marked Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Jealousy
Beyond Solitude (Novella in the Alpha's After Dark Anthology or as a separate ebook)
Beyond Addiction
Beyond Possession (Novella)
Beyond Innocence
Closed Doors (A Beyond Happily Ever After short story)
Blank Canvas (A Beyond Happily Ever After free short story)
Beyond Ruin
Beyond Ecstasy
Beyond Surrender
Creative Incentives (Free short story)
Beyond Doubt (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Cravings (Free short story)
Beyond Forever (An O'Kane for Life novella)
Dessert (Free short story)
Ravished (Free short story)
Efficient (Free short story)
Memorial (Free short story)
Fierce Protector (Free short story)
A Little Bit Bad (Free short story)
Diplomacy (Free short story)

Gideon's Riders Series:
(Spin off series)
Ashwin
Makhai (Free short story)
Deacon
6th Sense (Free short story)
Ivan
High Priestess (Free short story)
Girls' Night Out (Free short story)

Visit Kit Rocha's website for more information.

Review:
Efficient is a short story that was originally available through Kit Rocha's Patreon page where you can sponsor the author and read a short story every month. After six months these stories become available on Kit Rocha's website so you can now read this one for free. These stories aren't meant to be standalone, they're written to give fans of the series a chance to catch up with favourite characters and just give us little glimpses into what's happening in this world now that the main series has finished.

Jim Jernigan ran Sector Eight like a well oiled machine, everything was all about maximising production and there was no room for leisure activities. Now that the sectors are more open this is becoming a problem as Sector Eight residents are starting to realise all of the possibilities that are out there and enterprising individuals are trying to take advantage of their search for more. Mia and Ford have been running the sector for months now and Mia has decided it's about time they loosen things up a little. She has big plans, not just for the sector but also for her relationship.

Source: Read for free on Kit Rocha's website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.