The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

Genre:  YA Fantasy

The Great Hunt Series, Book 2

Wendy Higgins' website

Expected publication date:  March 8, 2016

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Wendy Higgins' website):

Kill the beast. Win the girl.

A strange beast stirs fear in the kingdom of Lochlanach, terrorizing towns with its brutality and hunger. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity understands her duty to the kingdom though it pains her to imagine marrying a stranger. It would be foolish to set her sights on any particular man in the great hunt, but when a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention, there’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not keen on marriage. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast and protecting his family—yet Princess Aerity continues to challenge his notions with her unpredictability and charm. But as past secrets collide with present desires, dire choices threaten everything Paxton holds dear.

Aerity lives in a kingdom where choice and true love conquer all.  But with a brutal beast terrorizing her home and no one succeeding in killing it, she is offered up as the prize to any hunter who can kill the beast.  It is something she has learned to accept for the good of her kingdom.  But when she meets a mysterious hunter who could care less about the prize, she becomes intrigued.  And giving up her freedom to choose who to marry suddenly becomes that much harder.

Paxton loves his home, but he has never cared for the royals who govern it.  Their rules and abandonment of the people is all he's ever known.  However he is willing to kill the beast to protect his home and family.  But seeing Aerity as a person instead of a princess softens his heart.  And with the task at hand, pasts coming to haunt him, and the choice of killing the beast or walking away, suddenly nothing becomes free will anymore.

I have to start with this book felt too childish and sappy for me.  Yes, I'm a romantic.  But I'm not a soggy romantic (no one likes soggy bread).  I tried really hard to like the predictable story line, and it is a good story.  It's just I often questioned how old the characters really were throughout the story.  They acted a little too young for their age, and the theme of hopeless love just kind of left me with a nasty taste in my mouth.

I am one of those people who absolutely loved the Sweet Trilogy.  And that's honestly why I picked up this book.  I honestly wouldn't have believed the author wrote both books after having finished this one.  I suggest reading more reviews before deciding to read this one.

Thanks goes to Around the World ARC Tours for providing me with a copy.

Sweet Temptation by Wendy Higgins

Genre:  NA Paranormal Romance

The Sweet Trilogy, Book 4

Wendy Higgins' website

Expected publication date:  September 8, 2015

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Bad boy Kaidan Rowe has never wanted for anything—money, popularity, musical talent…hot girls—but seducing them is part of his duty as a Nephilim, slave to the demon Dukes. As the son of the Duke of Lust, Kaidan has learned his father’s ways, becoming a master of passion, a manipulator of chemistry. Disobeying his father would mean certain death. Thankfully for Kaidan, he’s good at his job. And he enjoys it.

Until he meets Anna Whitt—sweet, smart, feisty, and inexplicably good—the one girl seemingly immune to his charms. The daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, she has a certain power over him, one that makes him wish for more than he could ever deserve.

Determined to save all the Neph from their dark lives as the influencers of sin, Anna joins forces with Kaidan to overcome the demons’ oppressive ways. In the light of her affections, Kaidan must undergo his toughest test of all, a battle of the heart.

Sensual and swoon worthy, this companion volume to the acclaimed Sweet Evil series from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, told from the perspective of the irresistibly sexy and mysterious Kaidan Rowe, gives readers revealing insights into his struggle, his intense connection to Anna, and most of all, the true emotions that drive him.

Author Note:
Sweet Temptation will encompass the entire trilogy in a condensed version, beginning with Kai's life before he met Anna, and taking readers through the epilogue of Sweet Reckoning. Sweet Temptation is a companion novel, not meant to be a stand alone story. It will definitely be a richer experience for those who have read the original trilogy.

Kaidan is your typical Nephilim: living the life guys are envious of and getting the girls with no strings attached.  Kaidan's father is the Duke of Lust, so obviously Kaidan's sin is lust and he pretty much works every night.  It's something he has no qualms with until he meets Anna, another Nephilim who doesn't know what she is.  Innocent Anna who sees the good in everyone and doesn't let people's sin define them.  But as Kaidan leads her farther into her heritage, will she still hold onto that goodness?

This story is told from Kaidan's point of view and spans across the original trilogy of this series.  It is a definite must for those who absolutely loved The Sweet trilogy.  Getting into Kaidan's head, seeing his point of view, and feeling his emotions...  It's a different feel.  There's a lot of distrust in the beginning because Kaidan has grown up with so much fear and paranoia.  But in the end, he gets his happily ever after.  Not really a new plot to the story, but a different side.

If I'm allowed to have multiple book boyfriends, then Kaidan's one of them.  Whatever, I'm allowed.  This series is one of my favorites, and I absolutely adored this fourth book.  I loved seeing inside Kaidan's head.  All the vulgarity and straight-forwardness.  It was nice to watch his motivations change from the beginning to the end.  And I still think the very last chapter is still the perfect ending to this perfect happily ever after.  It was so much sweeter hearing it from Kai's point of view.  Awww....

If you haven't read this series, go start it.  This book is a definite for those who loved the trilogy and just can't get enough of Kai.

Thanks goes to Around the World ARC Tours for providing me a review copy.

Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

The Sweet Trilogy, Book 3

Wendy Higgins' website

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Note:  This is the third book in a series.  If you haven't read the first two, reader beware.

Description (taken from Wendy Higgins' website):

It’s time.

Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous—especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

In the most sensual and fast-paced installment yet, Sweet Reckoning brings all the beloved Neph together one last time to fight for their freedom.

Seeing this series end is so bittersweet.  I absolutely loved the first two books, and I loved the last one.  Seeing Anna and her nephilim stand together against the demonic dukes was awesome.

Anna is still trying to get as many Nephilim on her side to face the dukes.  She has faith that good will prevail over this perilous situation.  And she's got to get her friends believing this as well.  But the Dukes aren't trusting Anna when she says she's working and tainting humans for the good of evil (a bit oxymoronic, right?).  So they send other Nephilim to make sure she's behaving evilly.  But things just happen to work against someone...

This book ties everything up nicely.  It leaves no stones unturned.  And in the end, you're left with this happy-go-lucky-good-will-prevail-evil feeling that's super nice.  The only downside I have is it was super-duper predictable, but that's not a bad thing in the end.  And I think I tend to lose steam once the romance has budded and everything starts working well (I guess I like conflict).  Overall, this series was sweet!

If you are looking for a clean series to read, this is one I can recommend.  While there are adult-themed subjects throughout the book, I honestly don't think anyone can truly complain about these books.  They're really sweet to read and keep you begging for more.

Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

The Sweet Trilogy, Book 2

Wendy Higgins' website

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Anna Whitt, the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, promised herself she’d never do the work of her father—polluting souls. She’d been naive to make such a vow. She’d been naive about a lot of things.

Haunted by demon whisperers, Anna does whatever she can to survive, even if it means embracing her dark side and earning an unwanted reputation as her school’s party girl. Her life has never looked more bleak. And all the while there’s Kaidan Rowe, son of the Duke of Lust, plaguing her heart and mind.

When an unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, Anna finds herself traveling the globe with Kopano, son of Wrath, in an attempt to gain support of fellow Nephilim and give them hope for the first time. It soon becomes clear that whatever freedoms Anna and the rest of the Neph are hoping to win will not be gained without a fight. Until then, Anna and Kaidan must put aside the issues between them, overcome the steamiest of temptations yet, and face the ultimate question: is loving someone worth risking their life?

What is it about English accents that make girls swoon?  I mean, it's not just hearing them, imagining them still makes you swoon.  Reading about a hot guy in a book who has an English accent makes him ten times hotter.  Why is that?  I don't know if I'll ever know.  But when I go to England one day, I'm bringing a tape recorder with me.

What does the above have to do with this book?  Kaidan has an English accent, and I'm giving you my reasoning as to why he's hot (yes, I'm shallow).  The second half of this book was much more enjoyable than the first half because it had more Kaidan instead of just fleeting glimpses of him.

Anna, who's been surviving under the dukes' radar by partying a lot, gets an unexpected visit from someone.  And with this visit comes hope that not everything is doomed.  Anna has to find as many allies among the Nephilim as she can before all Hell breaks loose.  Along the way, we'll learn more about Kope, new characters that get introduced, and experience a little more heartache.

Honestly, my only problem with this book is it's the filler between the beginning and the amazing slam-dunk end (well the ending better be amazing).  It's more of setting up your defenses and preparing for the final battle.  And these things take time, in fact they take a lot of time.  This book expands over a year's worth of time, and it doesn't seem like much happens.  Except for relationships budding ,blooming, and growing.  The dukes continue to toy with the Nephilim.  And fantasies collide with reality, and we find reality can be a kind of scary place sometimes.  Who am I kidding?  I loved this book even though it's the middle man.

One of my favorite angel series.  And now I have to wait seven months for the final book.  Ugh...

Challenges:  Paranormal Reading Challenge

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance

The Sweet Trilogy, Book 1

Wendy Higgins' website

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description taken from Goodreads):

Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels. Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She's aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn't until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He's the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

While this book is about angels and demons, good and evil, it's more along the lines of following a girl who's figuring out who she is and falling in the love with the noticeable bad guy we all like to think is good.  And honestly?  I loved this book.

Anna has always known she's a little different than others considering she can read others' emotions and has super strong senses.  She's never been the bad girl, always the good girl who tells the truth and tries to always be good.  But then she meets the dangerous Kaidan Rowe who immediately seems different from everyone else, and he just has that sexy, bad guy appeal that draws all girls to him.  But Anna also finds that she's not only drawn to him, she's also drawn to drugs and alcohol, something she's never had to deal with before.  As the story begins to unfold, Anna has to face her heritage along with who she ultimately wants to be in this life.

I will admit, I don't do well with angel books.  It's hard to not come off as preachy.  But this book, while it does have to explain the whole angels and demons thing, never comes off as preachy, even with 'good-girl' Anna.  And I must admit, I was in love with Kaidan instantly.  The plot was awesome, the characters were awesome, it was just awesome.  This book kept me up most nights reading, and I had to buy the second one immediately afterwards.  Now I'm debating when to read it (try to wait a little to get closer to the third one coming out or read it immediately? tough choice).

If the idea of angels and demons doesn't scare you off, pick this one up.  Who am I kidding?  If you have any inkling to the paranormal world, pick this one up.  I don't think you'll be sorry you did.

Challenges:  Paranormal Reading Challenge and TBR Reading Challenge