Free E-book Reviews: A Necessary Sin (The Sin Trilogy #1) by Georgia Cates

Bleu MacAllister is consumed. A horrific childhood incident has caused every decision in her life to revolve around bringing a monster to justice. With years spent studying The Fellowship, an organized crime brotherhood of liars, thieves, and killers, Bleu will rely on her skills as a special agent to cut Thane Breckenridge off at the knees. But walking hand in hand with retribution means risking collateral damage, in the form of Breckenridge’s son Sinclair—until Sin becomes so much more than Bleu bargained for. She’s always known this undertaking would place her life in danger—she never imagined her heart would be as well.

-- Goodreads.com --

I read this book in April as a free e-book available on Kobo.com. It may still be available for free, if you're interested in checking it out. I have been in a bit of a romance mood after reading On the Island but I didn't really know what else to read. Then, I decided to check out the free e-books on Kobo.com and I found A Necessary Sin. I looked up the ratings and reviews on Goodreads.com and afterwards decided to read it.

I actually quite enjoyed it! Especially since it was a free e-book, because I've never read and enjoyed any of those before! A Necessary Sin has some flaws, naturally. The beginning was difficult for me to get through, as the writing style is not my favourite, but the action quickly starts a few chapters later and I started to enjoy the book after all. The characters and the plot could benefit from more development. I regret that this is a trilogy, I believe it would work much better as a standalone or duology, although I haven't read the rest of the books yet. Sin is a very interesting character with some surprising characteristics which made me like him even more. We get both perspectives from Bleu and Sin, so that was quite fun. I was hoping to like Bleu more, but she annoyed me at times.

The cover can be misleading. Yes, there is sex in this book, but it isn't very detailed. If you are looking for a very steamy book, then you might end up being disappointed. This is definitely more a romance than erotica novel, whatever Goodreads.com may say. A Necessary Sin is mainly about Bleu's mission and her developing romance with Sin which is something I really enjoyed. The mystery surrounding her mother's death was entertaining.

It did kind of end on a cliff-hanger, so I do want to know what will happen next. However, I'm not sure if I want to spend money on the rest of the books yet. Maybe if there's a discount...

This book was okay and if you can get it for free, I do recommend it, if not, however, I would only recommend if you really want to read it, based on the synopsis. If you would like to see me write more reviews on free e-books available then let me know down below!

April Wrap Up

I read eight books this month, some of them great, one was terrible and others were just okay.

1. Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson #3) by Patricia Briggs

I really fell in love with this series! Mercy Thompson is amazing! And the secondary characters are just the best! 4 out of 5 stars!

2. On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

Loved this one! You can find my review of On the Island here. 4 out of 5 stars!

3. Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4) by Patricia Briggs

Really enjoyed this one as well! 4 out of 5 stars!

4. Transcendence by Shay Savage 

I really didn't like this one even though I was so excited to read this. You can find my review here. 2 out of five stars.

5. The Scam (Fox and O'Hare, #4) by Janet Evanovich

I enjoy this series but somehow I was a little disappointed with this one.

6. A Necessary Sin (The Sin Trilogy, #1) by Georgia Cates

This was the first free e-book I enjoyed. 3 out of 5 stars. Review to come!

7. Born Wicked (The Cahill Witch Chronicles, #1) by Jessica Spotswood

I had a lot of expectations about this book, sadly I actually thought this book was mostly boring. In the end, I decided to give it 3 out of 5 stars but I might still change that rating.

8. Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) by Cassandra Clare

This came highly recommended to me, however, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I wanted it too. You can find my review here.


Which books did you recently read? Let me know down below!

Stacking the Shelves: April Book Haul

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Each week bloggers post the books they purchased or received. These are all the books I acquired in April. At first I thought I didn't buy that many books but going back it does seem like a lot. I got thirteen books last month, seven of them were paperbacks, one hardback, four e-books and one free e-book.

Paperback:

1. The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

I really need to read this series, I haven't heard a single bad thing about it! I'm really looking forward to this one!

2. The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh 

I've wanted this book since it came out! I'm so glad to finally own it!

3. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

The website showed a different cover, so I'm a little disappointed by it, but still, I'm glad to own it! Even though, it came with a little bit of damage.

4. Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4) by Patricia Briggs

I actually read this book right away when it came in the mail! I love the Mercy Thompson series!

5. Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson #5) by Patricia Briggs

I haven't read the fifth book in the series yet because I want to have a lot of free time to binge read the series and at that point, Easter break was over.

6. River Marked (Mercy Thompson #6) by Patricia Briggs

7. Murder of Crows (The Others #2) by Anne Bishop

I haven't read Written in Red yet, but I'm hoping to do so very soon! I can't wait!

Hardback:

8. The Arabian Nights translated by Richard Francis Burton

I actually got this as research for a paper I'm writing. I haven't read any of the stories yet, but it will happen soon! This is a gorgeous hardback though! And I got it for a reasonable price!

E-book:

9. The Scam (Fox and O'Hare #4) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

I wanted to read this book when it came out, however, the paperbacks are still very pricy! Still around 20 euros! Therefore I decided to pick up the e-book instead. The Scam was entertaining but it wasn't much more. If you enjoy this series, it is a must read, if you are have doubts about the series, I would probably advise you not to buy it.

10. On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

I really enjoyed this book! At first I was a little nervous about reading it but On the Island really won me over very fast! I highly recommend this one if you are looking for a fun romance novel! You can find my review of On the Island here.

11. Fall with Me (Wait for You #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

On the Island got me into the mood for more romance and since I got a discount, I bought this e-book and Sweet Ache. I haven't read this one yet. I'm kind of ashamed of this cover, though.

12. Sweet Ache (Driven #6) by K. Bromberg 

I started reading this book, but I really couldn't get into it. I'm guessing my rare mood for reading romance novels was over.

Free e-book:

13. A Necessary Sin (The Sin Trilogy #1) by Georgia Cates

I read a free e-book available on kobo.com. I have tried a few of those before, but those were frankly horrible. This one was surprising good for a free e-book and it gave me the idea to review some free e-books regularly. Let me know if that is something you would like to see on this blog! A review of this book is coming soon!

Which books did you get recently? Have you read any of the books mentioned above? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

On the Island (On the Island #1) by Tracey Garvis-Graves

When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments -- instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter.

Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man. 

-- Goodreads.com description --

This book came highly recommended to me and it has a 4.14 rating on Goodreads, so I decided to pick it up. However, I must admit was a bit nervous about a romance with such an age gap. In the end, my concerns were not relevant because this book deals with that theme perfectly! On the Island actually takes the opportunity to explore the issues involving a relationship with a huge age gap and describes both the positive and negative sides of the issue.

The survival story on the island was pretty fun, I was never bored reading this book. The romance was slow paced and very well done. It could have easily been disgusting, as T.J. is underage in the beginning of the novel but I never felt bad about this book.

On the Island has now become one of my favourite romance novels and I highly recommend it if you're in the mood for a good romance! 4 out of 5 stars, and I'm actually considering giving it a higher rating. If your only concern about the book is the fact that T.J. is a seventeen year old boy at the beginning of the novel, you should definitely pick this book up. I had those concerns as well but they were unfounded.

Have you read this book? Or are you planning to read it? Leave your thoughts down below!

Transcendence by Shay Savage

It’s said that women and men are from two different planets when it comes to communication, but how can they overcome the obstacles of prehistoric times when one of them simply doesn’t have the ability to comprehend language?

Ehd’s a caveman living on his own in a harsh wilderness. He’s strong and intelligent, but completely alone. When he finds a beautiful young woman in his pit trap, it’s obvious to him that she is meant to be his mate. He doesn’t know where she came from; she’s wearing some pretty odd clothing, and she makes a lot of noises with her mouth that give him a headache. Still, he’s determined to fulfill his purpose in life – provide for her, protect her, and put a baby in her.

Elizabeth doesn’t know where she is or exactly how she got there. She’s confused and distressed by her predicament, and there’s a caveman hauling her back to his cavehome. She’s not at all interested in Ehd’s primitive advances, and she just can’t seem to get him to listen. No matter what she tries, getting her point across to this primitive, but beautiful, man is a constant – and often hilarious – struggle.

With only each other for company, they must rely on one another to fight the dangers of the wild and prepare for the winter months. As they struggle to coexist, theirs becomes a love story that transcends language and time. 

-- Goodreads.com --

I was so excited to read this book! I read some great reviews and the rating on Goodreads is 4.14, which is amazing! However I was very disappointed by this book. Probably my biggest issue with Transcendence was the fact that we only get Ehd's point of view while the synopsis of the novel gives the impression that it would be told in dual perspective, which I would have found so much more interesting!

The reader is not given any explanation as to how Elizabeth travelled through time, which is something I therefore kept wondering about whilst reading and it really started to frustrate me. We also only get to know Elizabeth through Ehd, which was a shame, because Elizabeth's point of view could have been so awesome! But maybe the author was just too lazy to come up with a decent explanation for the time travelling and therefore couldn't be bothered to give Elizabeth a pov.

Shay Savage did write a fun introduction to the book, which resulted in me having a lot of expectations I shouldn't have had. However, although I found it intriguing in the introduction, whilst reading the book, it really started to annoy me that Ehd would never be able to understand a word of what Elizabeth was saying, especially since it is something the author added and would not have been true. It would have been so much more interesting to see Ehd develop a language, that way we could have learned a lot more about Elizabeth and her thoughts as well.

Then there is the plot, at first everything is new and exciting but it quickly becomes repetitive and boring, to be honest, nothing really happens. Ehd is obsessed with putting babies into Elizabeth and at some occasions he is almost raping her, but he never does in the end, he is often thinking about getting inside her when she doesn't want to or when she's sleeping. I mean, that really creeped me out. Elizabeth does resist but Ehd does not understand why and therefore I felt that the author was okay with describing thoughts of rape without further consequences. 

I am very disappointed by this book, I was hoping to love it but I almost didn't finish it, in fact I had to put it down for more than a month, before finally deciding I wanted to finish it so I could write a review. In the end, I gave it 2 out of 5 stars and I still think that was being generous. I don't recommend this book at all. Don't waste your time on this one, there are so many better books out there!

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...

-- Goodreads.com description --

I finally read Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare and before I continue with this review, I have to explain that I didn't like The Mortal Instruments series at all. Mostly I disliked the main characters intensely (mostly Clary and Jace but others as well) and I didn't care much for the plot either. I mean, was the recurring theme of incest really necessary to write a story?

With that out of the way, I have to admit I wasn't going into this book with high expectations, although a lot of people continue to recommend this trilogy to me. The first half of the book was incredibly boring! After the first 250 pages I almost did not finish it at all. However, the action starts to pick up after that. 

One good thing, I have to say about the series is that the mystery (and the action with it) kept me going when otherwise I would have put the book down. The mystery in my opinion was quite okay with some plot twists that were not too obvious.

The characters, however, reminded me so much of the characters in City of Bones! Which is absolutely NOT a good thing! Is it so hard to create new characters? Will is almost an exact copy of Jace, so it is needless to say I hate them both! And just like Clary fell in love with Jace, Tessa falls for Will with almost nothing but the fact that he's beautiful as a reason. Will is a jerk! I can't believe she wants him, ugh!!

Jem on the other hand is a more interesting and likeable character. I'm rooting for him. He's been through hell, and is still kind of going through it, but he at least is a kind and decent character. No excuse can be good enough for Will to have treated Tessa so horribly!

Furthermore, there is sadly almost no character development at all. I really need to like the characters in books like these but I didn't feel attached to any of them. We barely get to know any of them, even Tessa, the protagonist, remains a mystery to me.

The writing style of this book annoyed me quite a bit. Almost every page has at least one sentence which contains a stressed word in italics. I'm not kidding. What kind of author does that? Readers are smart enough to know where the stresses are! Ugh! Cassandra Clare's writing and I will probably never get along.

The inclusion of citations of works of actual literature felt out of place in this book. It seemed they were only included for decoration, and I would prefer it if they had been left out.

All in all, I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars because the final half of the book did keep me entertained enough, once I got over my issues mentioned above. I'm not sure if this is the rating it deserves, though.

Also I'm pretty sure this book contains a major spoiler for A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I haven't read A Tale of Two Cities yet, but I requested it in my local library and they said they were going to do their best to get it for me, however, it's been months, so I probably won't get it at all. But now I've been spoiled because of Clockwork Angel, I'm really not pleased about this at all, if you can't tell!

Have you read Clockwork Angel or are you planning to? Should I continue to read Cassandra Clare's books? Leave your thoughts down below!