All You Desire

All You Desire, by Kirsten Miller.

Every time she closed her eyes, she heard him say, You're in too deep. Was she, Haven wondered. Had she really fallen for Adam - been taken in by his lies? Iain seemed to think it was the only explanation for her change of heart. Maybe he was right, but Haven's gut kept insisting that he had to be wrong. She felt something for Adam. And when she let her thoughts wander, they almost always ended up at the scene of their kiss. In Adam's presence, she felt more than mortal. And she was flattered by the lengths to which he'd gone to win her heart. But Adam hadn't bedazzled her. Haven was still capable of thinking clearly.

This is book #2 in The Eternal Ones series (click here for my review of book #1, The Eternal Ones). The way it ended, I am hoping that there will be another book in the series as well, otherwise I will always be wondering about the ending.

In this novel, Haven and Iain (who faked his death in book #1) must come back to New York City to search for her good friend, Beau, who has gone missing. A shady group of women called the Horae claim that they can help Haven find him, but at a price: she must make Adam Rosier, the leader of the Ourosboros Society, fall in love with her, and then they will trap him forever so that he can no longer do harm to others. Adam has been in love with Haven ever since he saw her in her first life, centuries ago, but Haven now thinks that he has reformed his ways, and she must decide if she wants to help the Horae or not.

This book was even better than first in the series. Haven is torn between Adam, once she has seen the "good side" of him, and Iain, even though in most of her previous lives she has chosen Iain. With the help of Phoebe, one of the Horae, she has visions of one of her past lives, as Beatrice Vettori, and she slowly realizes that the events that played out back then are relevant to her life now, in the present day.

I am very much hoping that a third Eternal Ones book will be published. Meanwhile, you can follow the author on Twitter, @bankstirregular, for updates.

5 stars out of 5.

All You Desire will be in bookstores on August 9, 2011.

*Disclosure: I was provided an ARC of this book by the author to review. The opinions listed, however, are my own.

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Matched

Matched, by Ally Condie.

"Cassia. Do you regret your decision to be Matched? Do you wish that you had chosen to be a Single?"

"That's not it."

"Then what is it?"

"I think people should be able to choose who they Match with," I say lamely.

"Where would it end, Cassia?" she says, her voice patient. "Would you say next that people should be able to choose how many children they have, and where they want to live? Or when they want to die?"

This book was amazing and the sequel, Crossed, is coming out in November 2011. Cassia lives in a dystopia society where the Government tells them who they will marry, how many children they will have (and this must happen before the woman turns 31), and where they will live. The citizens have the "luxury" of dying on their 80th birthday, before they have the chance to incur diseases like Alzheimers or other degenerative ones. Cassia has never questioned the system, and is in fact pleased when she is Matched with one of her childhood and best friends, Xander. When they give her information about her match on a computer card, however, the picture that comes up is not Xander's, but rather of another local boy, Ky. Cassia must decide if she wants to stay with Xander or make it work with Ky, who is an Aberration, and if ultimately she wants to break the Government rules.

This novel reminded me of a combination of The Giver, in that old people are killed when they get to be old, and The Handmaid's Tale, for some reason, which is also set in a dystopian society. I am very much looking forward to reading Crossed when it comes out in November.

4.5 stars out of 5.

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Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins.

At least the people in my new school speak English. It was founded for pretentious Americans who don't like the company of their own children. I mean, really. Who sends their kid to boarding school? It's so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn't have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons.

This book was hilarious. It follows Anna, whose parents make her move to France to go to an American boarding school there for her senior year of high school, and her adventures in Paris, in particular with one boy she meets there. Anna reminded me a lot of Mia from The Princess Diaries in terms of tone of voice, and she has a lot of crazy people in her life that were interesting to "meet."

The author's next book, Lola and the Boy Next Door, is forthcoming in September of this year.

4.5 stars out of 5.

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The Eternal Ones

The Eternal Ones, by Kirsten Miller.

(from the back book cover)
Have you ever fallen in love at first sight?
Do you long for a place you've never been?
Do you often experience the sensation of deja vu?

If you've answered yes, to any of these questions, you may have experienced a previous life.
The Ouroboros Society can help you discover your past - and even reconnect with lost loves. We urge you to contact us today.
www.OuroborousSociety.com

This book was insanely good, and I'm very glad that its sequel will be coming out in August. Haven Moore, who lives in Snope City, Tennessee, has always had memories of being a woman named Constance, even when she was a little girl. She also has memories of Constance's great love, Ethan, and she believes that at some point in her life they will find each other again. When she sees a picture of millionaire Iain Morrow in the tabloids, she realizes that it's Ethan, and she must go to New York City - of which she also has deep memories of - to find him.

There were so many characters in this book and they all came together perfectly, with tons of twists and turns to boot. Reincarnation is always an interesting subject, and The Eternal Ones captures all of its intricacies.

4.5 stars out of 5.

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