Book Review: The Rebound by Catherine Walsh

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The Rebound

Author: Catherine Walsh
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance  
Released: February 14th 2022
Review Source: Netgalley | Bookouture  

A newly single girl. A tall dark handsome stranger. What could go wrong?

It’s 7 a.m. on a Monday morning and Abby Reynolds isn’t where she wants to be. She wants to be in her beautiful loft apartment in Manhattan, drinking a coffee with her fiancé.

Instead, she’s heading back to the childhood home in rural Ireland she swore she’d never return to, with some big old secrets. Namely that she’s suddenly found herself unemployed, homeless, and absolutely 100% single.

She’s feeling all out of luck. Until the first person she meets after she touches down is an absurdly hot guy called Luke, who offers her a lift home. Gazing deep into his sparkling emerald-green eyes, Abby knows instantly that he’s exactly what she needs to take her mind off everything. The perfect rebound.

It’s a flawless plan. Until the next day, when Abby realizes who he actually is. Not just a stranger. He is, in fact, Luke Bailey, aka the boy next door. Luke Bailey who—so help her God—she’s pretty sure she once shared baths with, back when they were kids. Not that she can allow herself to imagine him in a bath now, not without blushing from head to foot.

And judging by the smirk on his face, the same Luke Bailey who’s known exactly who she was the whole time… And who, like everyone in the village, still thinks she’s a high-flying New Yorker… who’s getting married next year.

Abby is certain getting under Luke will help her get over her ex. But the truth is stopping her. Can she admit to everyone back home that she’s single and has lost everything? Because, if she wants the boy next door, she may just have to…

I don’t know why it has taken me this long to discover the romantic comedy genre but I am here for all the rom-com books. The Rebound takes a woman in a really crappy situation and tells her story of picking herself up, reconnecting with her old life and finding love.

Abby was living the dream in New York with a great job and her fiance. Until she wasn’t. Her employment falls through, she loses her apartment and her fiance breaks off their engagement. Without many options, Abby reluctantly moves in with her sister while she figures out her next steps. Abby isn’t a fan of her hometown and doesn’t have the best relationship with her sister but they make things work, especially when there’s Luke.

I love Abby. Her humour, aspirations and how hard she crushes on Luke - I loved it all. She’s a stellar character who kept me entertained. Her character flaws made her relatable - coming from a small town myself, I understand her need for something more than her small town can provide. Topped with building back her life and getting a job and trying to decipher her feelings for Luke, Abby is going through a lot but handles it with grace (and a lot of witty humour).

The evolution of Luke and Abby’s relationship was not a straight road - it was up and down, heading in the right diffraction before a misunderstanding became a road block. Luke was so lovable, as was Beth. I’d love to read more of Beth and I hope that The Rebound isn’t the end of her character.

Overall, this is my first Catherine Walsh book but it won’t be the last. This feel-good novel was a brilliant read and Abby’s journey of self-discovery was just as thrilling to read as her blooming relationship. The Rebound isn’t a book to be missed, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

Book Review: The Secret Fire by C.J Daugherty

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The Secret Fire
The Alchemist Chronicles #1

Author: C.J Daugherty
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy | Magic
Released: September 10th  2015
Review Source: Bookouture | Netgalley

French teen Sacha Winters can't die. He can throw himself off a roof, be stabbed, even shot, and he will always survive. Until the day when history and ancient enmities dictate that he must die. Worse still, his death will trigger something awful. Something deadly. And that day is closing in.

Taylor Montclair is a normal English girl, hanging out with her friends and studying for exams, until she starts shorting out the lights with her brain. She’s also the only person on earth who can save Sacha.

There’s only one problem: the two of them have never met. They live hundreds of miles apart and powerful forces will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

They have eight weeks to find each other.

Will they survive long enough to save the world?

"Matthieu L'hiver: I curse you. I curse your family. I call upon Azazel and Lucifer, I call upon Moloch and Beelzebub, I call upon all demons in hell to hear my plea. Your sons, and the sons of your sons I curse. Thirteen times may your first-born sons be taken from you before they are men. Thirteen times, may their blood feed the demons and bring out all you have tried to destroy."

The story of The Secret Fire explores two very different characters, Sacha and Taylor. Sacha is a cursed French teen who can't die, and Taylor is an uptight English student who's grades mean everything to her. Two very different people but their lives are connected in more than one way. Uncoincidentally, their paths cross over and both teens begin to realise there's more to life than their parents had made them believe.

A curse was placed on Sacha's family, meaning on Sacha's 18th birthday he will die, not a second before, just as many generations before him have. The weeks pass and around the time Sacha meets Taylor, he only has 7 weeks left to live before his 18th birthday. However, Taylor isn't normal either. Powerful magic flows in her veins.

For Sacha and Taylor, it's a journey of discovery and determination. The pair refuse to accept Sacha's daunting fate which is crawling closer with each day that goes by, and not only do the unconventional pair want to break the curse, but the need to stop the bad guys who's job it is to keep the pair apart. There's a lot of people who want Sacha and Taylor kept away from each other, and towards the end of the book, I figured out why.

This book was interesting from start to finish, but it wasn't until the very end that I craved the next instalment. The majority of outstanding questions had been answered, but the questions of "what's next?" hung heavy in my mind. The Secret Fire built up the world so that us readers knew that war was coming, tempting us with what was to come, then ended right when I needed more. It's safe to say that this book was a fantastic read and I'm in a book slump trying to find another book to sedate the craving.

If you like mystery, magic and the start of a romance then this is the book for you. It was cute, exciting and tragic all at the same time and I cannot wait for book 2!

Book Review: Endgame by C.J Daugherty

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Night School: Endgame
Author: C.J Daugherty
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: YA | Drama
Release Date: June 4th 2015
Review Source: Bookouture | Netgalley

Broken. Scattered. But not defeated.

The spy is gone but the cost has been high - the rebels at Cimmeria Academy have lost their leader and Carter West is missing. Nathaniel can taste victory. But Allie and the other survivors aren't done yet. First they have to get Carter back. Then they plan to make Nathaniel pay.

One way or another - the game must end.

Endgame is the thrilling fifth and final book in the internationally bestselling Night School series

Endgame was always going to be bittersweet. It's the last book to a series I love.  Whilst it filled my heart with every possible emotion then broke it when it ended, the author made Endgame go out with a bang. I mean, HOLY. FREAKING. CHEESEBALLS was this book good! I didn't have much hope for a happy ending with the shear amount of things which seemed to be stacked against them.

The drama continued in Endgame. Carter was still missing, Sylvain had still yet to find out the heartbreaking news, and Nathaniel is still as vicious as ever. Really, there wasn't anything to fault in this book. As always Isabelle is such a fabulous character and Allie really blossoms. Previously she's shown her strength, mentally and physically, but I feel like she took a major leap in her maturity and regarding her inherited status. And we got to see the guards more actively, too. It was refreshing. While they're normally stuck behind the scenes and never really appear, they played a big role in Endgame and it added an extra hint of badass to the story.

There's been so much build up the this ending. It's been a long journey of who comes out on top, and finally, in Endgame, all came to an end. Well, the end of one battle and the start of another, I guess you could say. There was so much hope and optimism that I had to believe that things were going to turn out for the best.

"Tell me the truth: do you think we're going to do it? Do you think it's really possible to change things? To make things better?"

He didn't hesitate for a second. "I think we're going to change the world."

Though as the ending neared, my heart started beating that little bit faster and the worry started to set in. Things were so close to ending, not just the books ending, but the series', too, and a happy ending was not in sight. But you know what? When the ending came it was one of the most satisfying ones I've ever read. How they resolved all the issues, how they managed to find a solution in the impossible-like situation, it made me thrilled. A smile literally lit up my face. The author couldn't have done it in a more gracefully, powerfully, in-your-face way.

Whilst I loved this book so much, I was close to feeling devastated when it all ended. Right from the beginning this series completely captivated and intrigued me and I'm going to miss the thrill of a new Night School novel being released. I'm going to miss every single character (not inculcating Nathaniel and his goons, of course) and it really does make me sad that Allie's journey has ended here.

My next steps for this series are to buy the paperbacks then re-read them asap. It's not a series I'm willing to let go of.

Book Review: Night School by C.J Daugherty

Night School: Genesis
Night School #1, #2, #3 & #4
Author: C.J Daugherty
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Mystery | Romance
Released: December 12th 2014
Review Source: Bookouture | Netgalley

Allie Sheridan’s world is falling apart. Her brother’s run away from home. Her parents ignore her. And she’s just been arrested. Again.

This time her parents have had enough. They send Allie to Cimmeria Academy - far away from her London friends. The school is beautiful, and filled with gorgeous, ultra-wealthy teens who travel by private jet, and were raised by nannies.

Allie has never felt more of an outsider.

Instead of hating boarding school though, Allie begins to feel happy. She's slowly making friends. And there's Carter, a brooding loner with whom she feels an instant connection.

But when Allie is attacked late one night, the school suddenly begins to feel like a very dangerous place. Allie finds out that nothing at Cimmeria is what it seems.

And that she is not who she thought she was…

Note: on Goodreads this series has been listed as “paranormal.” This series does NOT hold paranormal aspects what-so-ever.

Having devoured Night School, Legacy, Fracture and Resistance in under 48 hours, I thought I'd write a serial review for all four!

Night School was just as brilliant as the first time I read it. The suspense, the secrecy, all of the unanswered questions...it all added up to make such a delightful novel. But it didn't end there...Legacy, Fracture and Resistance continued in a bundle of love, confusion and a whole lot of drama a girl Allie's age shouldn't have ti deal with.

Grief makes a person change. Allie learned that after her brother left. She rebelled...three arrests in one year and a criminal record gained. The third and final arrest was the last straw for her parents, they couldn't cope with with her out-of-control and was sent away to boarding school. I really felt for Allie’s character during this part. I know people who’ve been in similar situations with similar outcomes and the realism of how Allie dealt with it was spot on.

It doesn’t take Allie long to recognise that there’s something not quite right with Cimmeria Academy. The school, the teachers, the students, the connections and high power everybody seems to have when she’s just simply Allie from London sent to a boarding school as punishment. It doesn't take her long to find out the truth, and it's definitely not what she expected to hear.

Despite having already read the first three novel previously, I felt excitement as the anticipation built in places and I was very eager to start book 2 after finishing the first. It was an exciting book. Judging from the summary I did think it was paranormally invested, however the actual book the opposite of what I was expecting. It was a pleasant surprise.

Seriously, this series is awesome. There are so many ups and downs and changes that the mystery of "what's next?" had me engrossed in the whole series. I literally think my eyes were glued to my kindle the whole time I was reading with only the acceptation to eat and sleep. This is the quickest I've polished off four books before, and I can't tell you how excited I am for book 5.

There is a love triangle, and I wasn't a fan of the indecisive back-and-forth, however I still enjoyed it. Carter and  Sylvain are awesome (and totally kick-ass) characters and though they're both different and equally awesome. Resistance did end on a cliffhanger (stupid things) and I died a little when I realised Endgame wasn't released until June 2015.

Book Review: Paradigm by Ceri A. Lowe

Paradigm
Paradigm #1
Author: Ceri A. Lowe
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian
Released: June 13th 2014
Review Source: Bookouture | Netgalley

Alice Davenport awakens from a fever to find her mother gone and the city she lives in ravaged by storms – with few survivors.

When Alice is finally rescued, she is taken to a huge underground bunker owned by the mysterious Paradigm Industries. As the storms worsen, the hatches close.

87 years later, amidst the ruins of London, the survivors of the Storms have reinvented society. The Model maintains a perfect balance – with inhabitants routinely frozen until they are needed by the Industry.

Fifteen-year-old Carter Warren knows his time has come. Awoken from the catacombs as a contender for the role of Controller General, it is his destiny to succeed – where his parents failed.

But Carter soon discovers that the world has changed, in ways that make him begin to question everything that he believes in. As Carter is forced to fight for those he loves and even for his life, it seems that the key to the future lies in the secrets of the past...

What I loved about this book was that the very first sentence of the summary had me intrigued, like there wasn’t an option not to read. “What if the end of the world was just the beginning?” The mysterious What If. Intriguing, right?

Paradigm is a dystopian novel, following the lives of Alice Davenport and Carter Warren, two people who exist 87 years apart. A catastrophic event what they’re calling The Storm shakes Earth to its very core, and the world they once knew is gone, replaced with a depopulated world. Any remaining wandering people are picked up by Paradigm Industry and taken underground until society was established in the “real world” again.

What I liked: Paradigm is told by two people, Alice and Carter, in two different time frames. Alice tells the story of how the world changed, the after effects and the creation of new society. But Carter's, a 15-year-old boy, story is told years later in the present post-apocalyptic world. I thought this was well done and wasn’t confused like I expected to be. It worked well with the book.

Overall, it was a good read. I found it to be slow paced sometimes but I enjoyed it.