Melpomene

Review: Hate: A Love Story by Laurel Curtis

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“No bottle is big enough for human emotion. Love, hate, anger, happiness, and deep melancholy. Each one exists for a reason. Emotion is real. It’s meant to be released. It’s meant to be lived.”

WOW. This book….WOW. What an emotional roller coaster.

Synopsis
Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Life can be messy,
And love can be too.

Most people say that it’s not important where you’re going, but instead, how you get there.

Unfortunately for me, the journey to love was absolutely agonizing. Love and Hate wrestled with my life day after day, year after year, and the only way to stop it was to let one of them win.

Which one?

I fought to love harder. But I loathe my love story.

I admit, I knew nothing about this book, except that I liked the cover. But as I immersed myself in this story, I discovered that this was going to be one of the most devastatingly beautiful stories I’ve read this year. And I was right. One minute I was cracking up, and then next I was sobbing into my pillow. The overwhelming feelings of loss and heartache brought me to my knees. This is another of those books that I have no words for. I lived the story. I felt the story. I loved the story.

Whitney is a no nonsense kinda girl, with a quick wit and the gift of banter. She befriends Blane and they start on this epic journey called life. These two together were hilarious. I loved them together. They decided to add another friend to their mix, Franny, and that adds to their dynamic.

She is always there for them, even through loss and devastation. No matter what. She could never imagine her life without them. But soon life decides to change it up and see how she can handle it.

“DON’T LOOK FOR WHAT IF. Embrace what is.”

I feel in love with all the characters in this story. They were your average every day people. Moms and dads loved each other, and loved their children. Even Granny was a blessing. She had a way of being snarky and loving at the same time. Her character brought the funny, when all you wanted to do was sit and rock in a corner.

But unfortunately, no amounts of love can keep the hate and pain away forever. It will still creep in, when you least expect it. You just have to learn how to push it aside and hold on to love with all your might.

~Melpomene

Buy Hate: A Love Story

Review: The King, by Tiffany Reisz

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01king “…a king must have a kingdom.”

WOW! Let me say, that whatever expectations I had for this book, were completely blown out the the water. This was so much more than anything I could’ve imagined. There are so many layers to Kingsley, you have no idea.

Synopsis
Cunning. Sex. Pure nerve. Only this unholy threesome can raise him to his rightful place as a rule of Manhattan’s king kingdom.

Bouncing from bed to bed on the Upper East Side, Kingsley Edge is brilliant, beautiful and utterly debauched. No carnal act of chemical compound can relieve his self-destructive heartache—only Søren, the one person he loves without limit or regret. A man he can never have, but in whose hands Kingsley is reborn to attain even greater heights of sin.

Kingsley’s plan to open the ultimate BDSM club—a dungeon playground for New York’s A-list—becomes his obsession. His expertise in domination can’t subdue the one man who wants to stop him. The enigmatic Reverend Fuller won’t rest until King’s dream is destroyed, and so the battle lines are set; it’s one man’s sacred mission against another’s…

Since I loved The Red Years, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get into the White Years. Without the Mistress it would appear boring. HAHA!!! Boy was I wrong!! There is still the same amount of saucy parts as well as the loving parts. This one also has a nice dose of heartbreak and loss.

This story is about a king and how be builds his kingdom. It is about love that withstands the test of time. It’s about a young man who will to anything for his family, even if they’re not blood related. This story is about how be built his BDSM club, just so Søren could be himself. King has always loved Søren and he would do anything for him.

After stumbling around for years, with no real plan for his life, Søren comes back into his life, and suddenly he knows what to do now. With the help of his new assistant, Sam, he sets forth to create his kingdom.

I loved Sam. It was almost like she put on this planet to help King. Everything she did, was for him. She was funny and quirky. She was sexy and sweet and knew how to keep King in his place. No matter what was happening, she was there for him, willing to do anything to make his dreams happen. They bonded over their horrible pasts and moved on together. I’m glad she was able to keep him going and not fall for him, like so many others seem to do.

As we catch glimpses of King’s past, my heart broke. No man should go through what he did. I was so glad Søren was there for him, during the scary times. He loves King, even if he won’t tell him. You can see it.

“I did my part by coming back to you,” he said. “God did his part to keep you alive long enough for me to get here. Now you do your part and make yourself worthy of this second chance you’ve been given.”

I’m glad we got to see Grace and Fionn. I totally forgot about them!! Sad, I know. But I hope they’ll be in future books. I hope Søren will go to them also. That would be fantastic.

~Melpomene

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Buy The King: The Original Sinners Book 6

Get caught up, with the first five books.

The Red Years
The Siren: The Original Sinners Book 1 (Original sinner seires)
The Angel: The Original Sinners Book 2 (Original sinner seires)
The Prince: The Original Sinners Book 3 (Original sinner seires)
The Mistress: The Original Sinners Book 4 (Original sinner seires)

The White Years
The Saint: The Original Sinners Book 5

Review: Maybe Not by Colleen Hoover

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01maybe SURPRISE!!!!! Colleen Hoover has done it again. Well, that’s not really a surprise. The surprise is that she managed to keep this a secret for so long. This book is proof that Colleen can do no wrong.

Synopsis
When Warren has the opportunity to live with a female roommate, he instantly agrees. It could be an exciting change.

Or maybe not.

Especially when that roommate is the cold and seemingly calculating Bridgette. Tensions run high and tempers flare as the two can hardly stand to be in the same room together. But Warren has a theory about Bridgette: anyone who can hate with that much passion should also have the capability to love with that much passion. And he wants to be the one to test this theory.

Will Bridgette find it in herself to warm her heart to Warren and finally learn to love?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Now, I loved Warren, when I read Maybe Someday. He was the comedy relief that was needed, during that high emotional book. After reading this, I was in love with him. In my heart, I always knew there was more to him than just the goofiness we saw. And I was right. He was all heart, with a smidgen of sass.

Warren was comfortable with his life. He went to school, had a job, and was the manager of the Sounds of Cedar. His life was good. He was content. That is, until Bridgette walked in. That boy was in no way prepared for what she would do to him or how all these feeling about her would change him.

She’s so confusing. She’s so frustrating. She’s so damn unpredictable. She’s nothing I’ve ever wanted in a girl. And absolutely everything I need.

Bridgette is this angry mean girl, on the surface, but once you chisel at her defenses a little, you realize you were totally wrong. She’s just a girl who wants to find her place and be loved, just like everyone else. But she is determined to keep those walls up. She will let no one find a way in. Not even this crazy, smooth talking, roomie.

Every human has a weakness and I think I discovered what hers is. Me.

I went in with thinking that this was going to be non stop hilariousness. Boy was I wrong. I was pleasantly surprised at how much my heartstrings were being tugged on. Don’t get me wrong, the pranks were there. Heck, the very first page had me smiling. But this book was filled with so much more than that. The feels were flying non stop. And I may have even teared up once or twice.

Maybe Not is the perfect combination of comedy and romance, and whole lot of heart.

“The only difference between falling in love and being in love is that your heart already knows how you feel, but your mind is too stubborn to admit it.”

~Melpomene

Buy Maybe Not: A Novella

Get caught up and read Maybe Someday first. You’ll thank me for it.

Review and Giveaway: Saving Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

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01sav For those who don’t know, I have loved loved loved Poughkeepsie more than words can say. From the very first chapter, I knew this book was special. It is in my Top 10 of all time. In fact this was my very first signed book I ever received. So it will always hold a special place in my heart. So when I heard that she was making it a trilogy, I was concerned. I loved the first book so much, and I just didn’t know if the second and third books could hold a candle to it. I have such love for Blake, Cole and Beckett and was so worried something horrible would happen, that I almost didn’t want to read them. But I had faith in Deb, and she didn’t disappoint.

Synopsis
Beckett Taylor’s quest to be a better man has brought Eve Hartt back into his life, but sometimes it feels like they’re bound together with barbed wire. Though he longs to love her without causing pain, the wreckage of their past continues to crash down around them.

Yet with the help of this brothers—and for his brothers—Beckett won’t stop trying. He’s determined to make them all a family, to make a life they want to live, and to make Poughkeepsie a place that’s safe to live it.

He can feel their futures balanced precariously on his shoulders: Blake and Livia and their children, Cole and Kyle and the new baby they’ve just brought home, and Eve…always Eve. He wants their dreams to be real. But murderers don’t just get Happily Ever After handed to them. They have to wrench it away from Satan himself.

Good thing Beckett is prepared to do just that. After all, saving Poughkeepsie is the only way his story ends.

Prepare your heart and your head for a wild ride in this final installment of the Poughkeepsie Brotherhood series. Debra Anastasia does not disappoint as she weaves the last chapter of a story that blends true love, turbulent emotions, and life’s harsh realities into an uplifting tale that calls to the good in each of us.

Okay. This book….I started this book knowing it was about Beckett and nothing else. I knew it was going to be rough. Cuz let’s face it, Beckett Taylor is not a clean cut guy. He is a force. If you don’t work with him, you’re against him, and he will take down anyone who’s against him.

Saving Poughkeepsie is just that. He wants to save it and will do anything, in his power, to do that. He wants his family to be safe. If that means losing his own life, then so be it. But he wants Eve as his family, so he’s going to do everything to keep himself, and her, safe as can be.

“Everybody in my life has their match. I just want you to be mine.”

Eve’s story was so heartbreaking. The fact that everyone around her was starting families, and she knew she couldn’t, it was chipping at her heart. But she loved Beckett and trusts him to be her family. So little by little, his little “Killer” was coming back to him.

This story was filled with a hefty dose of emotional scenes that stunned me to my core. I was so upset at one point, I had to step away. How can a book do this to me?? I kept hoping I was reading it wrong, or perhaps it was a dream. I was in no way prepared for what I just read.

This was the most action packed, nerve wrecking, heartstrings tugging, gut twisting, amazing book. The last 20% I spent on the verge of wanting to drink. The excitement level was through the roof. I felt like I was in the story. I was rooting for Poughkeepsie. I wanted to jump in there and defend it against those who wished to tear it down.

This was the best ending to the most fabulous series. I feel honored to be able to experience this story. Well done, Debra. Well done!!

***GIVEAWAY***
If you’d like to read about Poughkeepsie and experience all these emotions for yourself. Comment below and I’ll pick a winner later this week and you’ll receive a set of all three EBOOKS.

~Melpomene

Buy Saving Poughkeepsie

Get caught up with the brothers:
Poughkeepsie
Return to Poughkeepsie

Review: Talon, by Julie Kagawa

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01talon Okay, let me think for a moment. I liked it. I really did. I didn’t love it though. I liked her Iron Fey series more. But let’s talk about this one.

Synopsis
Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they’re positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon’s newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember’s bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

The story is really about Ember. She is supposed to have the summer off to do have fun before she is thrust full force into what Talon wants her to do. But that’s not exactly what happens.

Long story short, she meets two guys. Her human side is drawn to one, while her dragon side, to the other. That doesn’t seem so bad except that the rouge dragon shows her that what she always told, may not be truth, while the human may be the one thing that can truly destroy her.

How will she choose?

Most of this story I was torn. I didn’t know which guy I want her to go to. But I knew, either one would drastically change her life. Ember has to grow up very fast and make decisions that she isn’t ready to make, but she has no choice.

Garret is on a mission to kill all dragons. That is his only mission. That is who he is. He is sent to this town to find a sleeper dragon. He meets Ember and is immediately drawn to her, but part of him wonders if she is the sleeper. He knows he shouldn’t get close, but sometimes you can’t help it. Then he makes a decision that changes his life forever, but there’s no going back now.

I like the potential love triangle. I’m not sure who is best for Ember though. I’ll have to wait and see in the next book.

While this is mostly a YA book, it does have a scene that pushes it to the NA status. While it’s not bad whatsoever, there’s just a topic that my tween doesn’t need to read or learn about. So I say, this is for a 15/16 yr old. IMO. Well, at least MY kids will be waiting til then. I guess this would a coming of age type of book. You decide when your kids read it.

Talon doesn’t leave us in a cliffhanger, really, but it leaves many unanswered questions and a few lives in the balance. So when Rogue comes out, I will be staying up late reading it.

~Melpomene

Buy Talon (The Talon Saga)

Exciting news from Abbi Glines!!

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Come join The Field Party!

Subscribe to The Field Party You Tube Channel for latest videos and teasers!

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THE FIELD PARTY
by Abbi Glines
Coming Fall 2015
About the Author:

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of TWISTED PERFECTION, FALLEN TOO FAR, NEVER TOO FAR, JUST FOR NOW, WHILE IT LASTS, BECAUSE OF LOW, BREATHE, THE VINCENT BOYS, THE VINCENT BROTHERS, THE EXISTENCE TRILOGY.

Review: Gabriel’s Inferno, by Sylvain Reynard

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“If I have a soul, it’s yours.”

I just reread this book, for the third time, and it still the most romantic book I have ever read. Now, I may be a silly girl, who reads mostly fluff, so I don’t understand a lot of things written in this book. That being said, one thing I do understand is love. This book was all about love. Forbidden love. Lost love. New love. Sweet love.

Synopsis
Enigmatic and sexy, Professor Gabriel Emerson is a well respected Dante specialist by day, but by night he devotes himself to an uninhibited life of pleasure. He uses his notorious good looks and sophisticated charm to gratify his every whim, but is secretly tortured by his dark past and consumed by the profound belief that he is beyond all hope of redemption.

When the sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, his attraction and mysterious connection to her not only jeopardizes his career, but sends him on a journey in which his past and his present collide.

An intriguing and sinful exploration of seduction, forbidden love and redemption, “Gabriel’s Inferno” is a captivating and wildly passionate tale of one man’s escape from his own personal hell as he tries to earn the impossible…forgiveness and love.

The beauty in the words, takes my breath away. While I had to google many of the paintings, to fully envision what they were talking about, I was drawn into the descriptions and many of the feelings that went along with them.

“I will remember your scent and your touch and how it felt to love you. But most of all, I will remember how it felt to gaze at true beauty, both inside and out. For you are fair, my beloved, in soul and in body, generous of spirit and generous of heart. And I will never see anything this side of heaven more beautiful than you.”

The sexual tension was immeasurable. I was fanning my face many times. I love the fact that there was no sex, just to have sex. It was planned to perfection, and by far, the BEST scene I have ever read.

“When I told you that I was intending to worship you with my body, I meant it. With all my heart. I will never take from you. I will only give. In my bed and outside of it.”

The crazy thing about me is that I bought the UK covers, just because they make reading it more romantic. Aren’t I right?? These are gorgeous covers!!
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I can’t explain how much this book touched my soul. It was gripping and emotional. I cry a lot while reading books, but none have ripped me apart like this one. I can’t put into words the way I am feeling right now. This is why this book is one of My Top 10 books of all time. I’m so glad I decided to reread. I need to be fully prepared for The Raven, in February, which is a spin off, of sorts. I can’t wait!!

~Melpomene

Buy Gabriel’s Inferno (Gabriel’s Inferno Trilogy Book 1)
Gabriel’s Rapture (Gabriel’s Inferno Trilogy Book 2)
Gabriel’s Redemption (Gabriel’s Inferno Trilogy Book 3)

Review: Even the Moon has Scars, by Steph Campbell

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01even

“The stars. They all burn out eventually. But that big guy up there,” he pulls back and points to the moon. “Even he’s got scars, and he’s still keeping on, right? I’ll be okay, Lena. We’re both going to be okay.”

WOW! This is one of those books that make me sit back and think, one night really can change everything. Whether they’re physical or emotional, everyone has scars, just as the title says. How to choose to heal yourself, is what makes the difference.

Synopsis
Two strangers.
Two broken hearts.
One night to set each other free.

Almost dying from an undiagnosed heart condition means every second of your life is a precious gift to be guarded.
Lena Pettitt was born a miracle.
And her parents never let her forget it.
Even if that daily reminder kept her from experiencing the one thing they were trying to protect most–her life.

Gabriel Martinez’s heart has been ripped out.
His pride has been stomped on.
Oh, and he now has an arrest record that’s caused an even bigger rift between him and his DA mother. All for a love that wasn’t really true.

Now he’s exiled to his grandmother’s, working on his late grandpa’s old Corvair, when a shivering girl knocks on the garage door. Lena, left alone for the first time ever, has locked herself out of her house. Gabe knows he could help this girl get back inside her house–but that may mean missing the next train to Boston to pick up the part he’s spent eight weeks tracking down. She can wait for him at his grandmother’s or…

A few hours, an aluminum valve cover, and some strong coffee later, neither Gabe nor Lena can feign disappointment when they race to the station and arrive just as the last train home from Boston is pulling out.

As jaded as he is, Gabe can’t deny the fact that he’s excited to spend the night exploring a city he knows nearly every corner of, with a girl who sees magic in the simplest things.

Lena has been waiting for her tiny world to crack open her entire life. Now that it’s finally happened, she finds the only thing she can focus on is the unexpected tour guide who opens her eyes to possibilities she never imagined.

All they have is this one night, together, under the bright moon in a city full of hidden beauty.
It’s one night that will change how they see the world and the paths their hearts will take forever.

Lena always hated being under her parents microscope and always looked after. She hasn’t been alone, in her entire life. So a night of freedom, seems like heaven to her. Even if it was all an accident.

I totally understood how Lena was feeling, being sheltered all the time. But when Gabe started to take her places, we started to get a glimpse into his life and how broken hearts can come in many forms. His home life was not pleasant, to say the least. My heart was breaking for the things he had heard over and over. No one should have that. This boy was so unsure of himself, that he would just about anything to feel love, even if it meant chasing after one wrong thing after the next.

I am so glad they had this night to explore and learn about each other. They learned how to fill in the cracks of their broken pieces.

This was a very sweet story, with enough emotion to keep me happy. One night changes everything. Love can heal even the deepest of scars. Well done, Steph. Well done.

~Melpomene

Buy Even the Moon Has Scars

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Review: Letting Go, by Molly McAdams

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“Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting. It’s accepting, forgiving, and being emotionally ready to keep moving.”

I’ll admit, I was a bit scared to read this latest Molly McAdams book. She has a habit of throwing us for a devastating loop that we never see coming. And this book had plenty loops. But she has a way of healing us as well, after all the destruction. So this left me quite fulfilled.

Synopsis
Grey and Ben fell in love at thirteen and believed they’d be together forever. But three days before their wedding, the twenty-year-old groom-to-be suddenly died from an unknown heart condition, destroying his would-be-bride’s world. If it hadn’t been for their best friend, Jagger, Grey never would have made it through those last two years to graduation. He’s the only one who understands her pain, the only one who knows what it’s like to force yourself to keep moving when your dreams are shattered. Jagger swears he’ll always be there for her, but no one has ever been able to hold on to him. He’s not the kind of guy to settle down.

It’s true that no one has ever been able to keep Jagger—because he’s only ever belonged to Grey. While everyone else worries over Grey’s fragility, he’s the only one who sees her strength. Yet as much as he wants Grey, he knows her heart will always be with Ben. Still they can’t deny the heat that is growing between them—a passion that soon becomes too hot to handle. But admitting their feelings for each other means they’ve got to face the past. Is being together what Ben would have wanted . . . or a betrayal of his memory that will eventually destroy them both?

Right off the bat you see some destruction. The prologue had my heart racing and breaking. But I just knew that if I held on tight, Molly would take care of my heart and in the end I would be okay.

When your life changes in the blink of an eye, and all the plans you made are thrown out, you will need time to move on. This story is about that. It’s about learning to let go and keep moving. It’s about forgiving others, even when their mistakes have made your life totally upside down.

Grey has suffered for two years trying to move on. She couldn’t have done it without Jagger. He’s been her constant companion since she was a little girl. So without his shoulder to lean on and his strong arms to hold her together, she would’ve fell apart.

Jagger has loved Grey for as long as he can remember. But she has always belonged to Ben, so he stayed back and had to watch. But when his best friend dies suddenly and his girl’s life is sent spiraling, he stays by her and helps her, even though all he wants it to tell her that he loves her. But to tell her too soon would set her back, so he remains her friend and hopes that someday they can be closer.

After two years, Grey finds out how Jagger truly feels and is unable to wrap her mind around that. She has always felt something for him, but she feels like she’s cheating on Ben, if she goes for Jagger. Soon she finds herself unable to deny to pull they have toward each other and they find out if they are strong enough to move on from Ben and move on to each other.

He was my best friend. He was my protector and healer. And I was so in love with him.

Their families and friends prove to have just as much drama as they have, and then some. I was quite happy with all the drama that they brought to the table. Definitely had my heart dropping in a few places.

~Melpomene

Be sure to enter the 24 hour Rafflecopter giveaway!!!

Buy Letting Go: A Novel (Thatch)

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

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01mat This is the first book in my November reread. I’m reading it with my daughter. I like finding books that we can read together and discuss what’s happening. It makes her excited to read and if that’s what I have to do, I will do it.

Synopsis
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander’s face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate… until she sees Ky Markham’s face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it’s a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she’s destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

I remember reading this, for the very first time, and sitting down, in a Tim Hortons, crying my eyes out. This book had so many parts that made me feel like a teen myself. The situations that Cassia was put into, were so unfair, my heart was breaking. To not be able to choose your mate, has to be one the hardest things a person would have to deal with. And then to find out, they may have been wrong, and someone else might have been the person for you, that would make a young person go nuts. You don’t know who to believe. You find yourself drawn to the one who isn’t your match. You realize that the life your leading isn’t ideal anymore.

“Do not go gentle into that good night.”

Cassia starts to realize that the life she has isn’t the life she wants. She wants to choose. She wants Ky. She knows she can’t have him, but the heart knows what it wants. She notices things are changing and to change with them, would be to accept this world, and she isn’t sure she can do that anymore.

Watching Cassia and Ky grow closer, was so sweet and innocent. My heart was breaking for Ky and the life he has had. He has lost everything and was taken to a place where he is nothing. But when he meets Cassia, he knew he found his place. But nothing is your own and everything around you can be taken away, including those you love.

This is book one in the series. Thankfully all the books are out, cuz I totally forgot what happens next!! It’s not a cliffhanger, but we are left hanging just a bit. So I am jumping right into the next book, and my daughter can try to catch up, but I have to keep going!!

~Melpomene

Buy Matched