Can't Wait Wednesday: The Ends of the World (The Conspiracy of Us #3) by Maggie Hall

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. This week I've picked the conclusion to a trilogy of books that I loved the first one, and was good with the second one.  Now I need to know how it all goes.  You can read my reviews of the first two books here:  The Conspiracy of Us and Map of Fates.  Yes, there is a bit of a love triangle in this one, sorry for those of you who hate those.  But I want so bad for her to pick Stellan.  Even though I know she's probably going to end up with Jack.  But, I need to read this first to find out!  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The Circle is hers.

But Avery West has lost everything else: her mother, the family she’d just found, and the one boy she trusted. In their place are unfathomable power, a staged relationship that makes her question every real feeling she’s ever had, and a mission to find the cure to the virus that’s made her own blood a weapon.

Then disaster strikes, turning Avery, Stellan, Jack, and Elodie into the most wanted people in the world. To clear their names and the growing rift between the families of the Circle before the world dissolves into World War Three, they’ll have to make a desperate, dangerous final race for Alexander the Great’s tomb. What they will find inside will mean the world’s salvation—or destruction.

Avery will have to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice—for the world, for family, and for love—in this thrilling conclusion to the Conspiracy of Us series.

The staged relationship line makes me think it will be Jack, not Stellan.  Anyway, have you read this series yet?  What book are you eagerly awaiting this week? 

Audiobook Review: Taking Chances by Molly McAdams

This is a book that I decided to listen to when I was searching for new digital audiobooks on my library website while I waited for others to be available.  I'd heard a lot of good things about it, and it sounded like a really good story.  Overall it was a pretty good story, especially the first three-quarters of the book.  After that, well, it kind of got boring.  Really I guess that shows me that you have got to have some kind of turmoil or obstacle to keep the story interesting.  Although honestly, the majority of the people and relationships in the book were kind of good ones.  The kinds of relationships that I know I would have with my family, and would hope to have with any guy I really dated or ended up with.  And really, a story about my life would be pretty boring.  However, the first part kept me wanting to get back in the car and listen some more, or spend extra time at the gym so I could keep listening.  And even the end, when I was a little bored, knowing that there had to be at least one more conflict coming, even though I was kind of sure of what it would be, and I was right, that kept me reading.

The main character is a girl named Harper.  Harper was raised by a single dad, a very strict military dad.  So she has lived her whole life surrounded by Marines.  When she gets to college, things are going to change.  And she wants them to, that's one reason she chose to go to college so far away from her father.  She ends up with an awesome roommate, really, so awesome I was a bit worried and had flashbacks of Steph in the After series at first, I may be scarred because of that series.  Her roommate knows a "house" of guys, not sure if it is a fraternity?  One of the guys is her roommate's brother.  Since Harper is ready to kind of go crazy and get wild, she starts by going to a party at their house.  Most of the guys are really friendly, but there is this one guy, one of the hottest guys she's ever seen, who she sees with a different girl almost every time she sees him.  But he's kind of an arrogant ass to her at first.  Soon she finds out this is her roommate's brother, Chase.  Of course all the guys find out when her drunk roommate lets it slip that she is a virgin.  A virgin in every way, not even having ever been kissed.

While there is a definite attraction between Chase and Harper, she also meets another guy who lives in the house named Brandon.  She and Brandon also have an almost instant attraction, and hit it off right away.  Brandon seems to be extremely infatuated with her right away, and really is the perfect gentleman in all ways.  There is a bit of a competition/rivalry between Chase and Brandon, but Harper knows that she really likes Brandon.  So the romance between Brandon and Harper takes off.  Every once in awhile though, Chase sneaks into her thoughts and even tries to get her to show she is attracted to him as well.  One slip up between Chase and Harper leads to a major change and things between Harper and Brandon will come to a screeching halt, while she will have to look at how she really feels about Chase, and if he can be a good part of her life.  Later on the loss of one of the guys will lead us to find out just how perfect both of these guys are, when the one who is left is happy to be back in her life, no matter what happened before, and will accept her no matter what, because all they ever wanted is for her to be happy because they loved her.

Honestly, the guys were perfect, possibly a little too perfect.  But hey, after people criticizing so many dysfunctional relationships in books as being a bad example for younger readers, then maybe the guys in these books that are so perfect and loving and would never hurt Harper are the ones they should read about?  The "real" and "modern" Prince Charmings?  I'm not complaining.  When I like to kind of sit and fantasize in my head, on long road trips, boring meetings, whatever, I often prefer to have the guys be this perfect in those stories.  And maybe after the crazy back and forth, up and down relationship between Tessa and Hardin in the After series, this was a little bit of a break.  I do have to warn that if you didn't already get it from my review, there is a love triangle, and actually even a 3rd guy in there at one point, does that make a love square?

I would say this is a sweet read, maybe a tad bit boring towards the end, and the perfect guys definitely a bit unbelievable, but if you can overlook that, and can at least enjoy the boring parts for being more like every day life could be, then you might enjoy this book.

Review: Resurrection (Ripper #3) by Amy Carol Reeves

Again, thanks to Flux and Netgalley for allowing me to read an e-galley of this book.  I have to say this was a perfect conclusion to this story.  All the loose ends left from the last book were tied up.  We learned basically all about the past of the bad guys, as well as the families of the good guys.  My only complaint is something that has absolutely nothing to do with the story really.  Since this was an e-galley I'm sure there will still be so much editing done before it is published.  But this is the first time I have read one with so many errors.  My guess is that the author was just so into the story that she just wrote and didn't go back and spend a lot of time making sure it all flowed.  There were sentences that seemed like she started to say something one way, but then finished the sentence another way, which could mean repeated words.  Now both ways would work, but just not together.

Our main character Abbie is back, along with her friend Simon, and her love, William.  The love triangle is still there to a point.  But Abbie knows that she loves William for sure, even though Simon does still love her, and everyone else feels that Simon would be better for her.  She's back in London with her grandmother, and working at the hospital.  But there are still the undead out there attacking people.  And there is someone new to care for, Laura, who is the granddaughter of the main who helped them get to the island where they found the Lamia that they killed in the last book.  William starts the book recovering from his injuries from the last book.  And Abbie and her grandmother are attacked in her grandmother's home by one of the resurrected.  In fact it is Abbie's friend, yet she has changed besides being dead.  She now is a killer, and enjoys it.  She kills their maid, and tries to get Abbie's mother.  Fortunately they end up getting away that time.  But now Abbie must tell her grandmother about all that has been going on, and she must move her out of the London house.  Only it isn't over, Max is still following Abbie.  He wants her to become immortal like him, to take the elixir.  And he is not the only one, there are two other men that have been around him.  One looks so much like William it is scary.  And there is a reason for that, they are related.

There is a lot of action in this story, and it all concludes in a really exciting suspenseful confrontation between Abbie and Max, at the location they first met, the White Chapel hospital.  I loved the story, the way it concluded was great, even if it was really sad.  And the final bit?  I loved it.  Just the thing I want to know about what happens after a story ends.  I'm a huge fan of this series, and will always recommend it to others.

The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa

This is another book I got from my bookstore, and I enjoyed it as well.  Now, while it wasn't as good to me as the first in the series, it still had some parts that I did like even better than the first one.  If you haven't read the first one, there might be some spoilers, so be careful reading on.
Meghan was our main character from the first book, and she found out she was half faery, daughter of the Summer Faery King.  She also made a promise to the handsome Winter prince, Ash, that if he helped her find and save her brother, then she would let him take her back to the Winter court as he was supposed to.  So she goes back with him, but finds that he no longer seems to want to be with her, or as he tells her, there can never be a match between a Summer and Winter in their land. So she truly becomes a prisoner in the Winter palace.  And there are many dangers there, even from the fey that is supposed to be keeping her safe or guarding her.  Soon it comes time for the Summer fey to pass the season scepter to the Winter fey.  Of course this leads to a big celebration at the Winter palace.  During the celebration the Iron fey come and steal the scepter.  So now of course Meghan actually gets accused of it, or the Summer court does anyway, and Ash even gets considered a traitor because he sides with Meghan.  So now they run to try to find the scepter and save their world from war.  The Iron Horse from the last book is back, and he will help out this time, because since his Iron King is gone, he does not support the usurper for the throne.  Even if it is the Iron King's daughter.  Along the journey we meet some more great fey characters, and even learn more about Meghan's past life, the man she'd thought was her father to be exact.  She even gets a visit with her brother and mother and step-father, although not the type of visit she'd hoped for.  And with Ash seemingly gone as a possibility, Puck is still there, a loyal friend, who wants more, and Meghan isn't sure if maybe she feels that way about him too, although she does love him.
So we still have a bit of the love triangle here.  And we learn more about what caused Ash and Puck to no longer be friends.  We get a close look into the Winter court, and see that maybe Ash does really care for Meghan, even if it could ruin his life and relations with his family.
A great story, lots of suspense, it isn't a problem that is solved really quickly, and easily.  So great story!  Now I must get a copy of the 3rd book, because I've got the 4th one sitting on my shelf.

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