Mini Review Madness: A Small Free Kiss in the Dark, Pride and Premiership, Beautiful Chaos, Bloodline, The Death-Defying Pepper Roux

Hi everybody, for today's installment of Mini Review Madness I'm going to be taking a look at the following books:

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark - Glenda Millard
Pride and Premiership - Michelle Gayle
Beautiful Chaos - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Bloodline - Kate Cary
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux - Geraldine McCaughrean

A Small Free Kiss in the Dark - Glenda Millard

Summary (from Goodreads): Two young boys, an old tramp, a beautiful teenage dancer, and the girl's baby--ragtag survivors of a sudden war--form a fragile family, hiding out in the ruins of an amusement park. As they scavenge for good, diapers, and baby formula, they must stay out of sight of vicious gangs and lawless soldiers.

At first they rely on Billy, the only adult in the group. But as civil life deteriorates, Billy starts to fall apart. Skip, who is barely into his teens, must take over and lead them on a search for sanctuary. This complex and haunting exploration of life on the edge and what it takes to triumph over adversity is a story about the indomitable nature of hope.

Mini review: A Small Free Kiss in the Dark is quite an extraordinary novel that really stirred up a mixture of emotions inside me. It's a great book at making you feel and think about how you would react in extreme circumtances. It's a book about family and hope and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one to fans of Patrick Ness and David Almond.

Pride and Premiership - Michelle Gayle

Summary (from Goodreads): This is the diary of Remy Louise Bennet, age 17-1/2. Remy Louise Bennet has one goal in life - to be a WAG. And as every true wannabe WAG knows, there are rules. One: pretend you don't know he's a footballer. Two: Don't get drunk (or he won't trust you while he's off on pre-season tour). Three: Never dispute a thing his mum says (they worship their mums).

When Remy starts dating Netherfield Park Rangers' Robbie Wilkins (not Premiership, but good for starters), it seems like all her dreams have come true. Or have they? Remy soon realizes that being a WAG isn't all it's cracked up to be, that Robbie's balls aren't quite so golden...and that maybe there are smarter dreams to pursue.

Mini review: This one was a fun, quick read that I soared through in a matter of hours. It's not earth-shattering fiction but it's definitely worth a read if you're looking for a quick pick me up to combat the grey days outside.

Beautiful Chaos - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary (from Goodreads): Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

Mini review: The third book in a massively popular Caster Chronicles series, Beautiful Chaos continues the series well and heightens the tension even further than in the previous two books. I did enjoy Beautiful Chaos but I'm beginning of tire of the tried and tested paranormal format so, even though I do prefer this series to many other paranormal ones, I don't think I'll be continuing with it.

Bloodline - Kate Cary

Summary (from Goodreads): Thirty-five years have passed since the death of the Master. But now a new evil walks among the living. . . .

When nineteen-year-old John Shaw returns from the trenches of World War I, he is haunted by nightmares—not only of the battlefield, but of the strange, cruel and impossible feats of his regiment's commander, Quincey Harker. Harker's ferocity knows no limits, and his strength is superhuman.

At first John blames his bloody nightmares on trench fever. But when Harker appears in England and begins wooing John's sister, John must confront the truth—and stop Harker from continuing Dracula's bloodline.

Mini review: I'm a huge fan of Dracula so I was really intrigued by this one, which is marketed as a sequel to the original vampire novel. It's certainly an interesting book and it was great to read a YA vampire novel that is a continuation of Dracula, rather than a Twilight rewrite. I did enjoy Bloodline and it made me want to reread Dracula and devour old Christopher Lee movies - always a good thing!

The Death-Defying Pepper Roux - Geraldine McCaughrean

Summary (from Goodreads): Pepper Roux has a charmed life, not only because he confounded his mad aunt's prediction that he was going to die at 14 by remaining alive, but also because he can step into any role he likes and have an adventure. Pepper becomes a sea captain and a sausage-seller, amongst other things, creating chaos wherever he goes.

Mini review: This was a bit of an odd one for me. I think I enjoyed it more now than I would have if I read it when I was younger, I'm not sure that younger readers (who it appears to be marketed towards) would particularly enjoy it. Pepper is an interesting character but I'm not convinced that his personality alone is enough to carry this novel.

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Note: All books were sent for review by the publisher