Chel loves to read

Old Blood by Karina Halle

Old Blood - Karina Halle

Creepy Clown Lady (aka Pippa) isn’t so creepy anymore. I liked getting the whole ‘back story’ on Pippa as it helped me understand some of the previous events. I definitely missed Dex & Perry in this one.

On Demon Wings by Karina Halle

On Demon Wings (Experiment in Terror, #5) - Karina Halle


If anyone would have told me that I would love a series that had haunting ghosts & demonic possession, I would have called ‘bullshit’. Yet, here I am, reading in the middle of the night, unable to put my book away even though at times I get goose bumps from what I’m reading or envisioning.

I'm a woman possessed on the Experiment In Terror reading train. I just can’t stop. I was hooked in Lying Season and figured nothing could compare but On Demon Wings was just as awesome. This storyline just gets freakier and freakier and the cover alone gives me chills. I could not stop the image of the movie The Exorcist popping in my head & the freakin wasps. Eeeeks!

Not only was Perry’s heart broken, her spirit was also shattered. It was hard seeing the internal struggle with Perry & what was going on with her. After everything she’s been through, I just wanted to see her happy & safe. I feel protective of her and I was glad to see Ada step up to the plate. As for Dex, well, surprisingly, as much as I wasn’t a Dex fan, I did miss his presence in the first half of the book. I’m starting to see his appeal & all I can say is it’s about time.

Lying Season by Karina Halle

Lying Season (Experiment in Terror, #4) - Karina Halle

I’d be lying if I say that I’m not hooked. Truth is, the series does seem to get better and better with each book. Lying Season thus far is my favorite in the series. No matter how eerie things got, I could not put this book down & believe me, this one was scarier, come on now, it’s based on an asylum and getting haunted by Abby, Dex’s ex girlfriend. I don’t even think I’ll be able to go to a public restroom alone ever again. I get chills just thinking about it.

Aside from the fear factor, this one was also loaded with a good amount of angst and drama. I must say, Dex didn’t win any points in this one. I was quite disappointed in him actually as he clearly cares for Perry, but some of those situations he puts her in plus the whole Jenn thing. Uggh, that b****!. As for Perry, I feel for her & I was proud that she finally stood up for herself and fought back a little. This one definitely ended with me immediately purchasing the On Demon Wings.

Dead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror, #3) - Karina Halle First of all, I'd like to say THANKS to all my fellow GR friends who encouraged me to keep reading this series even though at times I had doubts.
Dead Sky Morning was AWESOME. I can see why people liked this one, and I wished it was the first book (plot wise). I'm also starting to see Dex in a different light. I'm still not completely sold on him yet. After all, he still is with Jennifer. I can see his appeal, he can be sweet when wants to. But, I can't get the image of him looking like a rapist out of my head. Geesh! As for Perry, I seem to like her more and more each book. I get the hint that there's definitely something more going with her and I need to know what that is.
Red Fox (Experiment in Terror, #2) - Karina Halle Red Fox is the continuation of the Experiment in Terror series. I thought it was good. It wasn’t scary or anything but it definitely kept me interested but nothing to the point where I felt like I was completely hooked. This series truly seems like tv series, I can envision it while I’m reading.

I am definitely still a Perry fan and I worry about her falling for Dex, especially since he has a girlfriend. As for Dex, I’m still on the fence with him. I don’t quite see the allure. What was with that scene at the bar? And that kiss? I’m getting mixed signals with him, he seems interested but bottom line, he still has a girlfriend.

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the series quite yet, everyone tells me Book 3 picks up. So, I plan on making book 3 my determining factor on whether or not I’ll continue this series.
Out of Breath (Breathing, #3) - Rebecca Donovan First of all for the record, I’m a fan of Rebecca Donovan. I absolutely loved Reason to Breath and Barely Breathing. Those two books left me breathless, with a wide array of feelings that left me an emotional wreck for weeks so I’m not sure if it was the long anticipation of Out of Breath but at the end of it all, I was expecting more.

As thrilled as I was for Emma & Evan to have their happily ever after, their story seemed unfinished. For a good portion of the story, Emma was spiraling out of control. She was on a path towards self-destruction mirroring closely to her own mother. Through one of her self-loathing moments she has an epiphany in which her character does a complete 180. From there on, everything seemed rushed. There was no sense of healing and redemption between Emma and herself and with Evan. Suddenly, all the secrets were revealed and all was well. And then, what was that epilogue? Really? That’s it? At the end of it all, I still found myself seeking for some type of closure.

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This Man Confessed (This Man, #3) - Jodi Ellen Malpas WOW!

And it’s not a good wow either. I found this one to be a big disappointment and I’m not entirely sure if it’s because I had high expectations from this book. I was hoping that this would finally get me over my contemporary romance book slump. No such luck for me.

This book was packed with loads of DRAMA since the moment you start and I almost went into drama-overload if that’s even possible. I wanted to walk away several times but ultimately what bothered me the most was the lack of growth in the characters especially Ava. The immaturity she displayed made me question her age several times. I’ve seen more YA characters act more mature than her. And Jesse, although I love him, isn’t a saint either. I couldn’t understand their lack of communication? Seriously? Actually, if they both just communicated like most people do, they probably wouldn’t be the dysfunctional couple that they were. I found it completely ironic when Ava tried reminding Kate about her and Dan’s relationship, and how although they connect sexually, they have an unhealthy relationship. “Mind-blowing sex does not make up for the relationship’s other failings.” … hmmm, funny how she doesn’t take her own advice.

I did enjoy Kate & Sam and I especially loved the epilogue. Getting Jesse’s POV was a breath of fresh air. Originally, I rated this 4 stars but after the epilogue high ran out and I was starting this review, I realized that it would be unfair to compare this among other 4 star books since overall this book was just ‘okay’, in my opinion.
Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror, #1) - Karina Halle To say I was hesitant to read this series is an understatement. I was actually scared to start this. Come on now, the title of the series says it all "Experiment in Terror". As an avid late night reader, a self proclaimed scaredy cat with a vivid imagination plus K. Halle's superb writing, I think one can imagine all the different scenarios on how this could be a bad combination for me. So, although several GR friends have recommended this series, I originally decided to pass on it.

So what exactly changed my mind? Well, for starters, I recently finished an amazing series that has left me in a major contemporary book hangover that I needed something different. This seemed to fit the bill. Also, Dex Foray has completely taken over GR. He’s all over my update page & constantly popping up in a lot of groups that I belong to that I decided it was time for us to meet.

Once I started, I found myself having a hard time putting my iPad away. I’m not going to lie though, some parts totally creeped me out in the middle of the night that I had to stop reading like Perry’s dreams and how they were familiar to certain situations she was in, the light house incidents & that freakin’ clown looking old lady (just thinking about her still gives me the chills).

As much as everyone seems to love Dex, I for one, really connected with Perry. I found her to be a great heroine and I don’t know if it’s because of her insecurities or what not but I just have a soft spot for her. I’m totally rooting for her. She’s currently my main reason to continue this series. Dex, on the other hand is still a wild card for me. I don’t quite see the hype about him yet but I did appreciate him standing up for Perry during the whole Jimmy incident.
Intuition (The Premonition, #2) - Amy A. Bartol Overall, I thought it was a good book. Halfway through, I noticed the story started to drag and I almost decided to put it down, but a GR friend told me to power through it and I’m glad I did. The whole plot sure did get a lot more interesting. As much as I do like Evie & Reed, I did find myself being annoyed with all the lovey-dovey comments. I get it already; you can’t live without each other. That fact has been established since Inescapable.

I am intrigued with the new addition of characters, especially Phaedrus. I can’t wait to see how everything pans out.
Inescapable (The Premonition, #1) - Amy A. Bartol I started this series going in blind. I didn’t read the reviews and the synopsis didn’t really tell much. So, I was pleasantly surprised about the plot. There were some parts of this book that reminded me of Abbi Gline’s Existence Trilogy due to the whole struggle of having a soul mate yet being in love with another. I also found some the slang used in the book distracting especially since the heroine is on full ride academic scholarship. (ie: bringing her swag in, and getting FUBARED).

I plan on reading Intuition to help decide if I plan on continuing this series.
Significance (Significance, #1) - Shelly Crane Considering all the raving reviews I read, I really wanted to love it. I thought it was just 'okay'. It was a little too mushy for my liking.
Black Heart (Cursed Hearts, #1) - R.L. Mathewson As a fan of R.L. Mathewson's work, it pains me to give this review.

It’s my first paranormal book from RLM, I wanted to like it, but it just didn’t work out. I had some issues with the book. First, I thought the connection between the two characters were lacking especially since they were considered soul mates. Second, out of nowhere, around 60% in, the story does a complete 180 in which I was completely blindsided, leaving me confused and uninterested. What made it worst after the sudden turn of events was the bantering between the secondary characters, which took half a chapter before anything actually got clarified. Had it been another author, it probably would have been in my DNF shelf, but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt but it continued to spiral down for me.
It was like trying to read two different books being merged into one. I’m sad to say, I won’t be continuing this series.
Elixir (Covenant, #3.5) - Jennifer L. Armentrout image

Aiden, Aiden, Aiden ... how I loved getting in your head.
Bully (Fall Away, #1) - Penelope Douglas
To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to read this book. The title immediately intimidated me, but the premise of the book intrigued me.

At first, I had a hard time getting into the book. The ‘bullying’ parts turned my stomach especially since Jared, the bully, used to be Tatum’s best friend. Most of the time, I couldn’t understand how Tatum/Tate, the heroine was able to survive through those years of torment. I commended Tate for her strength and perseverance to overcome it. Even though I initially hated Jared, he ended up redeeming himself to Tate. His reasons are later revealed, although I understand them considering his age, it was still a hard concept to grasp. How can you hate someone that you love?

On a different note, I feel grateful that I’ve never been targeted or have witnessed the type of ‘bullying’ that Tate did. Personally, I don’t know how I would’ve been able to handle it. I find it appalling that kids would treat another that way. It breaks my heart that people actually experience this.

I thought this was a great book. It brought current issues to light & I definitely look forward to reading more from Penelope Douglas.
Little Red Riding Crop (The Original Sinners, #0.6) - Tiffany Reisz All I can say is that I wanna get lost in the forest with the Big Brad Wolfe.
The Prince (The Original Sinners, #3) - Tiffany Reisz I don’t have the words to express my love for this book.

What I do know is that, for someone who has never been involved in BDSM, I felt like a submissive. I willingly allowed Tiffany to bind me to her book. I was totally dependent and was hanging on every single word that Tiffany Reisz would lash out. There were times that it was painful and times where I experience pleasure through her words. And you know what, I loved every single moment of it. That’s how amazing this book is. It's definitely my favorite in the series.


*On my playlist: Naked - Avril Lavigne

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