5 Sniffs Review: FROSTBITE by Lynn Rush

Title: Frostbite

Series: Touch of Frost #1

Author: Lynn Rush

Genre: New Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Suspense

Publisher: Lynn Rush, LLC
ASIN: B00F4K1SJS

Release Date: September 11, 2013
Source: Lynn Rush
Links: Goodreads ☆ Amazon

Amanda gives a whole new meaning to cool...

Amanda Smith is sick of getting chased from town-to-town. So when she lands in tiny Trifle, Arizona, she hopes it's her last move for a long time. Despite hating the smallness of the town, she settles in and finds a best friend, and even a boyfriend. Normality at its finest.

But for a girl who can shoot snow from her hands and lift a two-ton truck over her head like a bag of feathers--normal is not an option.

The scientists who murdered her mother come barreling into Amanda's quiet life. She must decide if she'll run again or stay and fight. The price of either choice might be her life or the lives of those she's come to love...

THE GIST: Amanda Smith and her brother Scott have been on the run since their parents were murdered by Agents of The Center. The Center dabbles in genetic manipulation, and under the guise of allergen testing, used their mother for their experiments. She developed the ability to manipulate ice, and that was passed down to Amanda when she was born. Now The Center wants to study Amanda, so that they can create more like her. Amanda and Scott have settled in Arizona after fleeing Minnesota. They both are finally able to set down roots. Scott has a flourishing smoothie shop and Amanda is soon to graduate high school. She even has a best friend and a guy who's interested in her. But some things are too good to be true and The Center is moving in on Amanda, waiting to make their move.

WHAT I LIKED: FROSTBITE was a really exciting read. There were some totally unexpected twists and turns in the story that made it all the more exciting. I really liked Amanda's relationship with her brother. They are really tight and protective of each other, which is to be expected with the life they've lead, but I just felt that there was something special about their relationship. The mystery behind how their mother got her ice powers, and Amanda after her, was really interesting and I liked how it was revealed gradually.

WHAT I DISLIKED: Oh, boy. I don't really know what I didn't like. Well I definitely didn't like the people of The Center. I didn't like how they thought that they had some kind of ownership of Amanda. I kind of just wanted to punch one of them.

Amanda: "Mandy" to her friends and family. Has a stranger and dangerous power over ice, in all its many forms. Doesn't let herself get close to people, only Scott and her best friend, Georgia. Has feelings for her classmate, Zach.

Scott: Mandy's older brother. Has tried to give her as much of a normal life as he can. He takes care of the Coats Mandy leaves frozen. Owns a smoothie shop in town.

Georgia: Mandy's best friend. Has a connection to Mandy and Scott that goes deeper than any of them realize.

Zach: He has feelings for Mandy and tries to get her to open up and accept him as her boyfriend. He freaks out when he learns the truth about Mandy and pushes her away. When he comes to terms with her abilities, he's loyal and stays by her side through everything.

The Center is a company that works with genetics. Mandy and her mother were products of one of their experiments, disguised as allergen testing. Now they want Mandy, to study and experiment on. They feel that she belongs to them, like property. They are responsible for Mandy's and Scott's parent's deaths. They are relentless and won't stop until they have what they want - Mandy.

When Mandy and Zach first start seeing each other, she fears freezing him to death, so she keeps some distance between them. When she finally lets herself get close to him and knows that she can control her powers, their chemistry is like a slow-burning fire. Even Mandy sometimes wonders if her powers have changed because of the heat she feels when with Zach.

I was really kind of disappointed in Zach when he freaked out after learning the truth about Mandy's powers and pushed her away. She already feels like a freak and like she doesn't belong, so Zach's rejection really hurt her. I can understand to a point, but he didn't even let her explain anything to him. That bothered me.

I did like that once he calmed down and talked to Mandy, that he became even more loyal and devoted to her. He stood by her through attacks by The Center and other life-threatening events. They seem pretty solid by the end of the book, so we'll see how strong their bond really is in the next book, Absolute Zero.

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3 Sniffs Review: CRYING WOLF by Amanda Kay #Excerpt

Title: Crying Wolf
Series: The Hunter Jackson Tales #1
Author: Amanda Kay
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Military
Publisher: Bayou Brew Publishing
ASIN: B00IRRE004
Release Date: March 3, 2014
Source: Jen's Book Reviews
Links: Goodreads ☆ Amazon

War is reality...
Love is hard to come by...
The two worlds should never collide.

Hunter Jackson has been a major force in the werewolf army since he turned eighteen. When he hit twenty-one his father the commanding of-ficer of the entire force gave him complete control over his own unit. Their mission is simple take down the shape shifters.

There is one problem with this...
Her name is Amelia.

Two months before his team raids the home of the Shape Shifter heads he meets Amelia Brecken. She is like no one else he has ever known; she also is the daughter of Sir Reid and Mistress Lilyann leaders of the Shape Shifters.

War becomes his reality and love takes a backseat. A collision course is paved and only Hunter can prevent the accident. Danger is real. Her protection is key, even if he has to break her heart to keep her safe.

The Werewolves and Shape Shifters are at war. Hunter Jackson, General of the Werewolf Army, makes one final try for peace between the two peoples. While the Shape Shifters are all for peace, his father, the Commander, will never allow that to happen.

Amid the chaos of war, Hunter meets Amelia, and quickly falls in love with her. But when he learns that she is a Brecken, and the most powerful Shape Shifter ever in existence, his hopes of a relationship are dashed. That is until she agrees to one date with him. But that one date changes everything for them both.

CRYING WOLF is your classic Romeo and Juliet type story. You have the two rival families, in this case the Jacksons and the Breckens, and two star-crossed lovers from each family risking everything to be together.

I really enjoyed this story and I'm really looking forward to the next book, especially with how this one ended. The only thing I had a problem with was some formatting issues, but that didn't stop me from reading and enjoying this read.

The Guy: Hunter Jackson is the General of the Werewolf Army, but unlike his father the Commander, he knows that peace can be achieved between them and the Shape Shifters. Hunter and his best friends, Luke, are both really different from most of the others in the Army. They both want peace with the Shape Shifters, and they both have relationships with a Shape Shifter, while most of the others in the Army are only too happy to destroy them. Hunter was instantly attracted to Amelia, and even when he learned that she was a Shape Shifter, he had to know her, spend time with her. And once he did, he knew that she was the one for him, and he'd do anything to protect her from his father.

The Girl: Amelia Brecken has a sweet voice, but she looks completely unlike her voice. She's got tattoos along her arm, and she rides a motorcycle. Amelia felt an instant connection to Hunter when she first met him, but when she learned that he was the General of the Werewolf Army, she was scared. How could she feel something for someone who wants her and her people dead? But she agrees to one date with Hunter, and when she realizes that he is nothing like his father, she decides to give them a chance, no matter how fearful she is. But when it's brought to light that she's the most powerful Shape Shifter ever, things quickly take a turn for the worse.

The villain in CRYING WOLF is, of course, the Commander. He absolutely hates the Shape Shifters and blames them for his wife's death. So he wants them to feel the same pain that he does...by arresting Amelia, the Shape Shifter Princess.

I really didn't like the Commander. He is so set on revenge that when proof is shoved right under his nose that he may be wrong, he completely dismisses it. It also bothered me that he rarely treated Hunter like his son, only as the General. AND he even threatened to execute Hunter if he didn't bring Amelia in. What kind of father does that? I hope he eventually gets what's coming to him.

Hunter and Amelia definitely have a star-crossed lovers romance. Hunter is the General in the Werewolf Army (and his father is the Commander), and Amelia is the Princess of the Shape Shifters, both of whom are at war. Their relationship is dangerous and could cost them their lives. But they love each other so deeply that that doesn't matter. But when Hunter's father orders him to arrest Amelia, he will do anything to protect her, even if that means breaking her heart. He just hopes that she'll always remember "Love. Forgive. Trust."

This was an insta-love romance (which is getting kind of old, but it only really bothers me when the book is Contemporary, so it worked really well in this instance). With their circumstances, Amelia has a really hard time trusting Hunter, especially when he starts keeping things from her. I really loved the necklace that Hunter gave her that had the inscription "Love. Forgive. Trust." He knows about Amelia's insecurities, and with what has to go down, he also knows that he may lose her forever. So I really liked this little reminder to Amelia, that no matter what, he needs her lover, forgiveness, and trust that everything he's doing is to protect her. I'm really looking forward to seeing how thing play out in the next book.

Hunter

Hunter was nervous. He was the son of the Commanding Officer of the Werewolf Army and anything he said, went. Hunter Jackson was quickly working his way up to General, but his task right now was to present a way to bridge the gap between the Werewolves and the Shape Shifters. He was going over his notes looking down at what caused this dumb ass war. He truly believed it was stupid. One little misunderstanding between his dad and the Brecken family, and all hell broke loose.

“Hi.” A female voice said from behind him.

“I’m Amelia.” Her voice was sweet. Way too sweet for Hunter Jackson, but he got the shock of his life when he turned around and saw tattoos up her arm, and hazel, greenish eyes that stunned him. She was a mixture of sweet and badass, Hunter’s perfect fit.

“I’m Hunter.” He said, stretching out his hand. She took it and he felt heat, passion, desire, and the weight he was carrying on his shoulders vanish the moment her hand connected with his.

“Well, I need to head in and find my parents. This should be interesting.” She huffed. He didn’t want her to leave, but he surrendered her.

Yea, interesting was one way to put it. Hunter took his speech seriously when his father gave him the task. He spent every waking moment studying what caused the rift between the Werewolves and the Shape Shifters. What he learned was that it was no one’s fault. It was a horrible misunderstanding regarding control of certain parts of Linwynn. Most of the country was under the control of the Werewolves, but long ago, the Shape Shifters had claimed a small piece of the country. It was legit, but a weird document appeared saying the land was taken from the Werewolves and everything began to spiral out of control. There had already been tension for personal reasons. This just further pressed things. His dad was determined to take down the Shape Shifters and had arrested several that lived in the part of Linwynn controlled by them.

Hunter begged his dad to just leave things alone, but he wasn’t having it. So here Hunter was hoping he could bridge the gap. He thought his idea was pretty solid, but Hunter also knew his dad. In fact, Hunter wondered why his dad had even asked for this.

Stepping up to address the Werewolves and Shape Shifters, his eyes immediately searched for the beautiful Amelia. He didn’t see her in the Werewolf section, though when he did find her, his heart sank. She was sitting right in between Sir Reid and Mistress Lilyann. Oh shit, she was a Brecken; she was a Shape Shifter. Oh fuck! He was royally screwed unless this speech worked, and the shock on her face told him all he needed to know. She was terrified because she now knew he wasn’t just Hunter, he was Hunter Jackson. To a Brecken, that would be a major deal, quite possibly a deal breaker.

TEASERS:

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3 Sniffs Review: TEARDROP by Lauren Kate

Title: Teardrop
Series: Teardrop #1
Author: Lauren Kate
Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural, Fantasy, Mythology, Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ASIN: B00ARHAAYM
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Source: Wentworth Library
Links: Goodreads ☆ Amazon

Never, ever cry. . . .

Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined.

TEARDROP tells the tale of how Atlantis fell and the one girl who can bring it back into reality. But don't go thinking that the return of Atlantis could be a good thing. Far from it. There are those who desperately want to bring Atlantis back, and those who will do anything to prevent it's rising. Caught in the middle is Eureka, a girl who is just trying to make it day-to-day after her mother's death. What Eureka doesn't realize is that there is a very good reason why her mother told her to never, ever cry. The rise of Atlantis, while it sounds good, could actually mean the destruction of the world as she knows it.

At the core of TEARDROP is a love story. And the love, jealousy and heartbreak is what caused the fall of Atlantis. A girl was engaged to marry the king, but then fell in love with his brother, and they ran away together. But they didn't make it away before tragedy struck. And the tears of one girl sunk the entirety of Atlantis to the bottom of the sea.

What's interesting is how this origin story parallels, but then also intersects with the present. I'm not really sure if that makes any sense. It's like one moment the past and present are mirroring each other, and then all of a sudden the past and present clash. It's kind of confusing sometimes because so much happens in TEARDROP. There is a complexity to the story that keeps you engaged, but also makes you go "Huh?".

The story does start out kind of slow and feels drawn out, but it's definitely worth it to tough it out, because the story gets much, much better once Eureka receives her inheritance.

The Guys: Of course, there is a love triangle, so there are two guys to talk about. I'll start with Ander, since he's the first one we meet in the story. In the prologue, we know that Ander has feelings for Eureka and has been, for lack of a better work, stalker her her whole life, but then we find out that he's with the people who want to kill her. Basically, although he loves her, he has to kill her, and that torments him. Then fast-forward to the present, he's still following her around, but he's apparently not with the baddies anymore. But there is always the question of is he just playing her or is he sincere? I'm still not really sure if I like him or not.

Then we have Eureka's best friend Brooks. He's always been there for her and has been her rock in her times of trouble. But then all of a sudden he starts acting totally unlike himself. Being mean and spiteful one moment, then being his usual caring and concerned self. I don't want to give too much away about what happened to him, so I'll just say that after being hit by a huge, unnatural wave something bad has taken him over and Eureka is determined to help him. I don't usually root for the best friend, but I really liked Brooks, so for now, I'm Team Brooks.

The Girl: Eureka is a broken person after losing her mother. She has no real interests anymore, and only has two friends left, but she has kept her promise to her mother. She hasn't cried, not once. What she really doesn't need is the fate of the world on her shoulders, but that's what she got when Ander entered her life claiming her life was in danger. I kind of had a love/hate thing going with Eureka. In the beginning, she's kind of a downer. I can understand being sad that your mother is dead, but there is a point where reading so much depression and sadness becomes exhausting. It wasn't until toward the end, when she starts finding herself again and accepting her new reality, that I really started to like her. She became strong again.

The baddies are actually all Atlantean in origin. There is Ander's family. They are on the side of preventing the rise of Atlantis at any cost. They are actually very horrible, and their thinking is that the only way to prevent the rising is to kill all those that are descended from the woman who first sunk Atlantis, and anyone who gets in their way of accomplishing that. It doesn't matter if they are men, women, or children. There is a particularly graphic death scene that just flies at you out of nowhere. You think that they will just do some threatening and posturing, but then BAM, nope. It's very cringe-worthy. 

The other side of the coin is the King of Atlantis. He wants Atlantis to rise at any cost. Any cost. Not much is known about him yet, but he is very real, and he is out for blood.

As I mentioned before, there are love triangles in TEARDROP. That's not really a surprise since Lauren Kate is famous for her love triangles. But I should probably mention that there is not one, but two love triangles in this book. There is the epic story that's the origin of it all, between the King of Atlantis, his brother, and the girl they both want. Then there is the one that could bring about the destruction of our world, between Ander, Brooks, and Eureka. The interesting thing is that Eureka's situation mirrors the original tale, and not just how you would think. It's about who they are and how they relate to the first triangle. I'm really looking forward to seeing more about how they are all connected. 

I have to say that I think Ander got more of a chance with Eureka in TEARDROP than Brooks. Brooks just ran out of time too quickly to get the chance to really even tell Eureka how he feels about her, much less anything else. So I would really like to see more between Eureka and Brooks. I mean, Ander is okay, even with his stalker tendencies, but at this point I really want to see Brooks win the girl.

It should be pretty obvious that most of the action in TEARDROP takes place either in or on the water. The opening scene in the prologue starts everything off. Ander and his family are preparing a huge wave to crash into Eureka's mother's car to kill them. Then there are a bunch of unnatural waves happening where they never have before, and storms and flooding like they've never seen. The one scene toward the end of the book, takes place almost completely underwater, thanks to Eureka's Thunderstone. But that end scene is really freaky for me because I can't swim, so just the thought of being stuck underwater, even with a Thunderstone, freaks me out. The entire book is definitely a very watery adventure. I'm really looking forward to seeing where it takes us.

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