The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross
Series: Steampunk Chronicles, #0.5
Source: Bought
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: May 1, 2011

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined...

An ebook exclusive prequel to The Steampunk Chronicles.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne is a fantastic prequel to The Steampunk Chronicles. It puts us in the perfect place to learn how Finley ended up in the first household, and to learn more about her parents and such.

I liked the little details that were dropped here and there, such as the colors of the gowns and how much Phoebe looked like Lord Vincent's late wife, etc. I enjoyed getting to know the characters bit by bit-- it appears that Phoebe wears a lot of plum. ;)

I also liked the steampunk elements. I'm a HUGE fan of steampunk, and it's not something that we see in a lot of YA stories, so I gobble it up. I just love the idea of steam powered horses and such. (:

Now we'll move on to the plot of this novella-- it was crazy out there. I never saw half of it coming, and I'm so proud of that. All in all, The Strange Case of Finley Jayne was an awesome start to this series.

-Megan

Flat Out Matt by Jessica Park

Flat Out Matt by Jessica Park
Series: Flat Out Love, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: March 25, 2013

Matt is a junior at MIT. He’s geeky, he's witty, he's brilliant.

And he’s also very, very stupid.

When beautiful, cool, insightful Julie moves in with Matt’s family, why (oh why!) does he pretend to be his absent brother Finn for her alleged benefit?

It seems harmless enough until her short-term stay becomes permanent. And until it snowballs into heart-squeezing insanity. And until he falls in love with Julie, and Julie falls in love with Finn.

But … Matt is the right one for her. If only he can make Julie see it. Without telling her the truth, without shattering them all. Particularly his fragile sister Celeste, who may need Julie the most.

You saw Matt through Julie’s eyes in FLAT-OUT LOVE. Now go deeper into Matt’s world in this FLAT-OUT MATT novella. Live his side of the story, break when his heart breaks, and fall for the unlikely hero all over again.

Take an emotional skydive for two prequel chapters and seven Flat-Out Love chapters retold from his perspective, and then land with a brand-new steamy finale chapter from Julie.

Flat Out Matt was, in many ways, a good read. It helped me to better understand Julie and Matt's relationship, and it gave me whole new insight to Matt. But honestly, I wish that there had been more new content. The content that was new was absolutely fantastic-- the two prequel chapters that really make us see how loved and doted upon Finn was, and then the last chapter in Julie's point of view that tells an awesome story? They were the novella for me.

The in-between chapters were pretty much the same. The only time we get to see Matt is when he talks to Julie. Other than that, it's like he doesn't exist in down time of something like that. It's like I said in my review of Flat Out Love. Everything in Matt's story revolves around Julie, but nothing in Julie's story really revolves around him. He was just kind of there.

All in all, Flat Out Matt gave me new insight, but it really wasn't all that I was looking for in the novella category.

~Megan

Swoon Thursday (10)

YA Bound created a spicy meme where every week we’ll highlight what has made us swoon from a book we are currently reading or one we’ve just finished. Basically what got our heart pounding, skin tingling, and stomach fluttering.

Annie's Pick:

Lost and Found by: Nicole Williams

When his mouth covered mine again, it wasn’t so still and soft. It may have started out that way for the shortest moment, but before my eyes closed, Jesse’s lips polished and sucked at mine like nothing I’d yet experienced. In addition to his other forms of divinity, the man was a kissing God. His hand on my neck kneaded the muscles at the base of it as his thumb continued to skim lazy lines just under my collar.

What made y'all swoon this week?! 

Stacking the Shelves [16]

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

What Angela got this week:

Bought:

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Borrowed:

Thin Space by Jody Casella

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

In the mail:

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Thanks Jess @ Gone with the Words!

What did you get this week? (:

Stacking the Shelves [15]

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

What Angela got this week:

Bought:

Lengths by Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt

Borrowed:

Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

I didn't get much this week. There's too much to catch up on. What did you get? (: