Audiobook Review: Lady Renegades (Rebel Belle #3) by Rachel Hawkins

I listened to this last book in the series on audiobook, once again downloading it digitally for free from the public library, just like I did with the first two.  While I feel like it was a good ending, it kind of had the road trip feel that normally 2nd books in a series have.  And it was missing a vital part of the story that I think made the first two for me, and that was the interaction between Harper and David.  If you aren't to this part in the series yet, you can go back and check in based on where you are, so that I don't give away any spoilers in this review. The first book was Rebel Belle, and the 2nd was Miss Mayhem. 

Where we had left off in the 2nd book, David had taken off, because he had help from Harper's friend Bee, and her ex-boyfriend - now Bee's boyfriend, Ryan.  They had helped keep Harper from going after him, because he had convinced them it was best for him to get away with his Oracle powers.  Only, Harper as a Paladin, is unable to protect him if he is not where she knows.  Not only that, but as David's powers get stronger, there is the fear that he may become as bad as the last male Oracle, who had done horrible things.  And it seems as if that may be starting when all of a sudden there are these new Paladins being made, young girls, that are trying to kill Harper, and Bee also.  And the longer that David is away, the more that Harper's Paladin powers seem to be fading.  So, along with one of their enemies from before, the girl that helped David to create more paladins, and also helped kidnap Bee, Harper and Bee set out on a road trip to try to find and save David before he goes off the deep end like the last male Oracle. 

The search for David is an interesting one. We get bits of the story told from his point of view.  And we can tell how much his mind is being taken over, and how much he is fighting to not hurt Harper, who he still loves, as much as his slowly changing mind will allow.  When they do finally find David, Harper will face the one nightmare that David used to have, that she will have to decide whether to kill him or not.  For all that she feels she could never kill him, will it become a necessary evil in order to save the rest of the world?

The ending was sad, but actually had a very hopeful bit at the end.  I feel like I kind of knew what was coming for the very ending, even if the author almost did get me thinking that she wasn't going to go there.  So overall, even though I missed the Harper and David time, I am okay with this final book in the series, and the way it all ended.

Waiting on Wednesday: Lady Renegades (Rebel Belle #3) by Rachel Hawkins (Promo and Giveaway!)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  The book I've picked this week is the final book in a trilogy I just started this past fall.  I actually listened to the first two as audio books.  At the time I made this post, during the Blog Ahead Challenge back in October, this book had appeared on Edelweiss, but had no button to request or download it.  As of the time I finished putting the final touches on this post, it was available for request on Edelweiss, and I am waiting to hear if I am approved.  

This is a fun series, the first one reminded me so much of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, and you can read my review of it HERE.  The 2nd one really was great as well, and you can read my review of that HERE.  

Now I am also excited to do some promotion for this last book with permission from the publisher, and so at the bottom of my post, make sure to enter the giveaway for the books in the series.

And of course, here is the blurb from Goodreads about this book:

Just as Harper Price starts coming to terms with her role as David Stark's battle-ready Paladin, protector, and girlfriend—her world goes crazy all over again. 

Overwhelmed by his Oracle powers, David flees Pine Grove and starts turning teenaged girls into Paladins—and these young ladies seem to think that Harper is the enemy David needs protecting from.  Ordinarily, Harper would be able to fight off any Paladin who comes her way, but her powers have been dwindling since David left town, which means her life is on the line yet again.

Now, it’s a desperate race for Harper to find and rescue David before she backslides from superhero to your garden-variety type-A belle.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins brings the fun once again in the finale of this pitch-perfect romantic paranormal comedy series.

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins – on sale April 5th 2016

Have you started this series yet?  If so, are you looking forward tot he final book?  What book are you eagerly awaiting this week? 

Rachel Hawkins is the author of Rebel Belle and the New York Times bestselling series Hex Hall. Born in Virginia and raised in Alabama, Rachel taught high school English for three years before becoming a full-time writer.

The Rebel Belle series page: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/129/rebel-belle
Goodreads (series page): https://www.goodreads.com/series/106669
Pre-order Lady Renegades: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/309416/lady-renegades-by-rachel-hawkins/
Sampler of Rebel Belle and Miss Mayhem: http://issuu.com/penguinteen/docs/romance_sampler__1_/109

Giveaway:
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I, of course, fell in love with David, and I need to know where he is, and when he'll be back!  He must get back to Harper!  

Audiobook Review: Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2) by Rachel Hawkins

This was an audiobook that I downloaded from my public library.  I pretty much just listened to this one in the car, as I haven't been walking at the gym like I need to be.  Once again I really enjoyed the story.  This one didn't remind me of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie like the first book did.  Although I did draw some similarities in my brain to some of the tv series episodes in a way.  If you haven't read the first book in the series, Rebel Belle, you should probably stop here and click on the link to go read that review, because there probably might be some spoilers for the first one in this review.

Where we left off in the last book, David had come into his full powers as an Oracle, Harper was still his Paladin, Ryan had become a mage when Sailor died the night of Cotillion, and Bee had been kidnapped by the Ephors.  Since Ryan and Harper broke up, Ryan had begun dating Mary Beth, and Harper was dating David.  David's visions had been giving him really bad headaches, and they were big things, like earthquakes in other countries, things that they couldn't really do anything about.  So Ryan had put up some wards to try to restrict David's powers to only small visions.  Visions that they'd used to try to help their friends.  Including trying to keep one of the twins from meeting a really douchey frat guy and marrying him, and basically ruining her life.  Maybe.  At least that's how Harper sees the vision that David has about it.

It is on their way back from rescuing the twins that David gets a feeling that he needs to be somewhere.  And Harper can't get him to not go, so they get in the car with him and go.  Turns out they show up at this old house that was in ruins, but now seems to be magically rebuilt on the outskirts of town.  Here they meet one of the Ephors who tells Harper she must pass a big test that all Paladin's must pass, or that she will die.  And then he brings out Bee.  Bee has been being trained as a Paladin, but she is let go when they all show up.  David is of course curious about what the Ephors might have that he can use to help him.  And once again Harper is feeling like the Ephors may choose another big event for the final test to be a dramatic thing, this time the Miss Pine Grove pageant.  Something that she would normally never enter, but Bee convinces her to enter.

The tests happen, and while Harper does her best, in the psychological one, she sees things that she doesn't know how to deal with.  Once again it is the vision of her having to kill David when the Oracle powers take over.  Of course all of the events put a strain on David and Harper's relationship, and all the time that Harper and Ryan have to spend together causes problems for Ryan and Mary Beth.  While I kind of saw what was going to happen with Ryan later in the story, it still didn't go down very well.  And Bee coming home wasn't the homecoming they'd all expected.  Sure, everyone thought she'd been gone at Cheerleading Camp, but at first people didn't seem to even remember her.  Including her boyfriend Brandon.  There's something Bee does towards the end, that was kind of something I'd wondered if she'd do, but it is for a totally different reason than I'd been expecting.

This time I'd say we were left with kind of a big cliffhanger.  And I need to know what happens next!  If this book had really been an egalley on Edelweiss like I saw last week before it disappeared, I'd be all over it reading it before ones I needed to read probably!  Definitely a fun series, although I did cry in this one for sure!!!

Audiobook Review: Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

I decided to download this as an audiobook from the library because some of the other books I'd wanted I had to be on a waiting list. And then I remembered I'd wanted to read this one.  It was definitely a good choice on my part!  I really enjoyed it!  As someone who is a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, the book really reminded me so much of the original BTVS movie.  Obviously it wasn't the exact same story, no vampires for one thing.  But a girl gets powers, has to protect someone, she has to hide her powers and new life from her boyfriend, and the big fight is going to go down at a formal dress event.  Those are the main similarities.  And what was even funny was that the book even referenced the BTVS tv show!  When the main character got her powers, she was wondering where her "Giles" was. 

The main character is Harper, such a perfect southern belle name.  And Harper is the perfect southern belle.  She is a proper lady, has the best guy in school for her boyfriend, she's popular - but not mean girl popular, her family history in the town is well-set, and she runs so many things at school - and works hard to make her school the best it can be.  She has a boy, David, who has been her arch-nemesis since grade school.  They're both at the top of the class, and he's on the school newspaper, always seeming to write articles that show her in a bad light to the rest of the school.  The story begins the night of Homecoming.  Harper shows up kind of late with her boyfriend Ryan, and her best friend Bee and her boyfriend, Brandon.  When she realizes she forgot to put on any lip gloss, she hurries to the girls' restroom to put some on.  Unfortunately while she's in there, the janitor comes stumbling in, and shuts and locks the door.  Harper notices he's bleeding, and before she can get away, he holds onto her and blows something into her mouth.  Then he dies.  There is some pounding on the door, and her history teacher breaks in brandishing a scimitar.  All of a sudden Harper has this strange power and knows how to fight, and she ends up having to fight and kill the history teacher.  She finally is able to escape, without getting any blood on herself somehow.  And out in the hallway she runs into David.  She's worried she'll be arrested for killing her teacher.  But when she goes back to the bathroom later, everything that was in there is gone. 

She soon finds out that she's unable to hurt David, but whenever he is in danger, she gets this horrible feeling inside, a noise in her head, and she has to go to protect him wherever and however.  Together they begin to try to figure out what is going on. The janitor has called her a "Paladin"and they look up what that is.  They go to ask David's aunt about it, and find out that David is an Oracle, and his aunt, isn't really his aunt, but a Mage.  Someone who can do magic that has been raising him, protecting him from the other Mages who want to kill him, because a male Oracle isn't as powerful as a female one, and so that's why they are rarely allowed to live very long.  The big vision that David has seen includes blood and mayhem at the winter cotillion that Harper is supposed to be attending, and that his aunt is in charge of.  Of course all this secretive behavior and meetings sets up rumors and gossip.  Harper's boyfriend and best friend wonder what she is up to, and it leads to problems with their relationships.  So Harper wants her life to not change, but she must protect David.  And she must survive the night of the cotillion. 

As I wrote this review, again I wanted to keep comparing to the BTVS movie.  And it's not in a bad way at all, because I loved the movie, and the tv show, and I loved this book.  Probably the only reason I gave the book a 4 instead of a 5 is because of how much it seems like the same story in a way.  What I loved about this story though, is that even though Harper has problems with her boyfriend, unlike in the BTVS movie, this boyfriend is a wonderful southern gentleman, and really just a nice guy.  I like the way he is realistically written as a teen boy, but still able to be a nice guy, and not a jerk.  And the best friend isn't a jerk like in the movie, Bee actually is able to stay friends and be loyal. Now the other girls in the crowd, that's another story, but that is normal for a group of popular girls as well.  I like that while Harper notices her feelings to Ryan changing, and notices that maybe he's starting to feel something for Mary Beth, she is adult enough to realize that he isn't cheating on her, but still a teenager in that she doesn't quite want to give him away so easily. 

Really the only problem I kind of had was picturing David.  Does anyone have a picture of what the author maybe was thinking?  I just can't quite seem to picture anything that would be even remotely attractive from the way he was described, but I know he has to be one of those guys that is nerdy on the surface, but under the glasses and horrible clothing, still cute. 

I really loved this book, will have to listen to the audiobook of the 2nd one now and then review it as well.  I was also very excited to see on someone's Waiting on Wednesday post yesterday that there is going to be a third book in the series.  So that is cool, hopefully I love the 2nd one as much as the 1st, and then will be very anxious for that 3rd one.