I feel guilty about DNF-ing this book. It came, unexpectedly, with a fancy package filled with confetti, a mug, candy, and other treats. So, in deference to materialism, of which I am always a sucker, I dropped everything and started reading Haven.

Unfortunately, Haven was written a few years too late for me. Had this been written during the Twilight craze, Haven would have been a smash hit. The characters are generally good people and it was easy to care about them. There's a heavy dose of "lost puppy, adoptive loving family" syndrome, and I'm a sucker for that. The paranormal aspects were typical, but in a good way. The teen angst was heavy, including a fairly prominent romance that would have likely had me swooning ten years ago.

Maybe I'm too old for this story. Maybe the Twilight craze is too far in the past. Whatever the reason, Haven seemed like a good book that I have generally positive feelings for and very little interest in actually reading at this point in my life. Readers who are still searching for the next Twilight should definitely check out Haven.

Haven by Mary Lindsey reminded me a little bit of Nightshade and a little bit of Blood and Chocolate, but at the same time it was its own story entirely. The story is told from Rain's point of view, and he sure has found himself in a crazy situation. He's pretty intense, and it works, because Freddie is even more so. Her life is her pack. She's fighting to keep her place, her image, and to survive within the pack.The wolf(Watchers) pack dynamic was rough and feral, yet complex. Add the Weavers to the dynamic, and it makes things even more complicated. They're a little backwards and uncivilized in many ways, and I think the Weavers have helped feed that mentality to keep the wolves beneath them. There is a lot going on among these two groups, good and bad. Haven was intriguing, suspenseful, and mysterious. I'm not sure if this is going to turn into a series or not, but I can easily see it become one. There is a lot of material to keep going with this one.

I could not put this book down. The story is not your usual paranormal werewolf story and I couldn’t put it down. It is well written and the characters are well developed. I was pulled in right from the beginning. I appreciate the twists in the story and couldn’t wait to find out what happened between Rain and Freddie. I was actually sad when I finished the story.

In Haven by Mary Lindsey Rain Ryland has spent years living in shelters and the street. People have judged him because of his background, his size and his mom. She has many issues but it is mostly that she is a drug addict and this forces them on the streets. He is alone now and finds himself sent to a new town New Wurzburg, to live with an aunt he never met, never even knew of because his mother has died. But while that is hard on him, he now has a home to go too. Soon after being there he realizes things are normal, something is wrong but he doesn’t know what. He meets Freddie but he is told that she is bad news, yet he is pulled in and feels a connection. Even Freddie tells him to stay away, he will over his dead body, because for the first time in his life he has something to fight for, something to protect, something to call his.

Haven is my first paranormal/shifter/werewolf/weavers/romance read, it is also YA and told by Rain’s POV which I found to be refreshing and to be honest awesome. I have to admit that the characters were awesome, Freddie was tough as nails, she didn’t put up with anyone’s crap, she didn’t need anyone to come to her aid but Rain did and he wanted to protect her from the start. She knew what she wanted and she went for it, their chemistry was amazing and you felt everything they felt with every word I read.

I am struggling with this review only because I do not want to give any spoilers, with the cover and the blurb then you read the book and it is so exciting. I couldn’t put it down, every chance I had I opened my kindle to get to the next page to see what happened. You never knew who the bad guy was and I always feel I know. One thing I will say while this is YA, it is told in the male POV and there are some very intense and hot scenes so it is definitely mature read.

Since I have never read YA Paranormal this was an extremely different read for me but it was different in the most amazing way. I cannot find one thing in this book that I would change, it was dark and it was amazing. There is an HEA and I felt at the end of the book all questions were answered and immediately wanted to re-read. Obviously this will definitely be on my re-read list and I will now open my horizon’s into this world and I hope all area as wonderful as Haven was..


I highly recommend Haven and I hope you loved it as much as I did.

Look at this book and say that it's not good! You can't, because it is! It was so unique, and I loved the details of this world! It was a different take on various paranormal creatures, and it was so fascinating to read about with these characters!

So I want to get my complaint over quickly. I either read this book too quickly (a very distinct possibility!) or the writing in this book was a bit sparse, missing details that I would've liked it to have. Without those details, I didn't quite connect or really reading quickly. Oh well!

I really enjoyed Rain and Freddie. Rain's had a tough life, he was homeless and then his mom died, meaning he had to go live with his aunt. And then he met Freddie, and yeah, I was kinda reminded of Beautiful Creatures, Ethan and Lena, the guy being introduced to the world by the girl. Great dynamic!

So between the world, the characters, the mystery and the romance, there was a lot packed into the 311 ebook pages. And it was just a story that I wanted to, and enjoyed, reading, and I'm just so glad that I did, because it was so great! That big final confrontation was just badass and I loved seeing Freddie claim her power!

This book was so great and so enjoyable! I loved it!

This book was pretty good
I loved the idea behind it, the characters were so well done. Can't wait to read more by this author

This book has so much potential for me and I think I was just really confused and kind of weirded out at the end. I don't get the Beauty and the Beast retelling aspect. The spin on the werewolf element of the story is incredibly unique and I think that's what got me a bit weirded out. The "legend" is just so strange and the relationship between the two main characters just didn't feel exactly healthy...

This book is about a boy named Rain, told from his point of view. It has werewolves, murders, and paranormal elements. The role reversal could have been nice, but the book was sucked into an endless downward spiral by a constant push for sex. Rain has ZERO self-control, grabbing Freddie in all manner of inappropriate and immoral ways. He'd be facing sexual harassment charges at a minimum in the real world. He makes for a horrible main character and leaves a bad impression for this book and this author in general. Freddie wasn't much better, she just didn't stand up to him or stop her downward spiral. He'd have been an understandable villain, but the book is from his point of view, so there's no hope of even that happening. Past that it's very predictable, and cliche. I was really disappointed in this book.

My thanks to Net Galley. This review is my own, my own thoughts and opinions left of my own free choice.

Ugh. This book. I was SO excited to get this ARC…until I picked it up.

To be fair, the writing just wasn’t for me, so it didn’t start off well from page one. I liked our main guy, and I liked where the story was going-I just couldn’t immerse myself when one weird thing happened after another…without much reason as to why.

Yes, it can be said the author was trying to be mysterious. And yes, I do know the story eventually picks up (and even takes a turn I can respect and admire). But when you can’t get past a certain writing style, that generally means that author just isn’t for you.

I think I’ll keep it just that simple-too odd. Too out there. Too ‘not enough’. Shame…I really liked the hero. But, for once, the hero isn’t enough to keep my interest. Fail.

<img src=https://78.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maagkl9VK11r0d4dao1_500.gif>

Rain Ryland has never belonged anywhere, He’s used to people judging him for his rough background, his intimidating size, and now, his orphan status. He’s always been on the outside, looking in, and he’s fine with that. Until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart.

Freddie isn’t like normal teen girls, though. And someone wants her dead for it. Freddie warns he’d better stay far away if he wants to stay alive, but Rain’s never been good at running from trouble. For the first time, Rain has something worth fighting for, worth living for. Worth dying for.- Goodreads

I had no idea what I was getting into when I began this book. I thought it was going to be one of those books where the protagonist falls into the dark whole and has to fight the world to get back to where they came from. This book is slightly like that. Rain gets involves into a world that is different from what his world only in the sense that this new world involves some supernatural beings. 

Let me begin by saying I loved Rain. Between his logical loyalty, kindness and street smarts, he was a really like-able character and I wanted the best for him beginning and end. Who I didn't like was Freddie. What Rain saw in her, I don't know. She was rude, disrespectful and a hothead. She didn't want people to make their own decision and caught and attitude when they did. Rain made a huge point when he told her the reason she liked him was because he doesn't let her boss him around and that he makes he own decision. From that moment on, he was my favorite. But I hated Freddie, even at the end of the book. 

What this book was missing was the mythology part of it. The fact that Rain, for the most part, accepted how everything came to be was surprising. Yes, he questioned the way things were going but he didn't question how it came to be. Were they always here? How was the counsel formed? Who is the most powerful? Things like that I felt could have been answered with the help of some story telling within the plot. I am big on supernatural and mythology and this book would have been perfect for it. 

Rain and Freddie's romance wasn't forced but it came off more adult than I thought it would have been. Freddie likes control and is a bit extreme regarding that, while Rain is much more willing to compromise. I guess it made the relationship, when it actually happened, balanced. 

Another issue I had with this read, is there was a lot of he said she said. A lot of supporting characters did a lot of talk behind everyone's back and it was redundant to hear the gossip as opposed to something actually going on. I understand the small town aspect behind that but every other page was about what someone else did as opposed to something happening in live time. 

Finally, what was bothering me while reading and what is still bothering after reading, is the lack of time the author took to talk about Rain's family history. She throws it in there, so you know what happened initially and Rain even talks about it with his Aunt but it was lazy. There wasn't enough time and care into his life other than the few snippets. I was disappointed in that.  

Overall, I liked this book. I loved reading it through Rain's point of view and I hope that there is a book two but with much more details, drama and emotion. 

3 Pickles

Being from central Texas I know lots of stories about Enchanted Rock. The most popular is the wendigo or skin walker, which is similar to a werewolf.
I love this story and the change of main character from female to male. Friederike being the small town weirdo and Rain (Aaron) being the big city smart ass is the complete opposite of the usual. I like Freddie in the end but not much at the beginning. I am not a fan of 'because I said so' as an answer for weird shit. I loved Rain so much, but he moved too fast for me. I felt like going from 'she's hot' to 'lets turn me into a werewolf so we can be together' was way TOO FAST. The other characters were alright and I liked all the good guys. And of course I hated all the bad guys.
I would like to see a sequel to this story since I loved the epilogue.

"The rain doesn't only bring gloom and destruction; it also brings life. Without rain, the world would be desolate--like me before you came here." --Aunt Ruby

I've been putting off reading this one for a while, but I finally made myself pick it up and I'm glad I did! I don't really want to go into the plot or happenings of this novel too much because I feel it's better to go into it blind and with little to no expectations. However, I will say that the characters [read: Rain and Freddie] were absolutely riveting!!!

Rain is so different than the heroes we're used to seeing in paranormal novels--he's lived a hard life (like an actual hard life, not some superficial acts to give him a gruff appearance), he's jaded, and he's a little lost. He was also freaking hilarious and so REAL in his inner monologues and interactions with the other characters; I just freaking loved him. And Freddie is such a different heroine as well--she's strong, she's in charge and not afraid of bossing her cousins [or anyone else] around. Even though they get kinda mushy for each other, they were still such kickass and rock-solid MCs that I loved following them.

The side characters were also great and really helped to propel the various mysteries forward and create conflict. The multiple mysteries throughout the novel were another big component of this book that kept me reading and wondering what would come next and how the story ends. There was so much great dialogue and a certain....theme with jokes being told that I was laughing out loud. Overall, this book was and wasn't what I was expecting, but it was definitely worth the read. However, I WOULD NOT classify this is YA. Whoever made that marketing decision is wrong. Very wrong. I would list it as NA for sexual situations, violence/gore, and language. Enjoy!

This made it feel like it was supposed to be a beauty and the beast retelling but it just came off as an angsty teenage werewolf girl who is irritable all the time.

'Haven' was another fantastic novel that I adored. I had been dying to read it for months, and by the time I finally got to dive in, I had pretty high hopes. Luckily, I had nothing to worry about because it surpassed any expectations I had. There were a couple of elements that were typical - the misunderstood and complicated male main character who falls for the female lead and finally feels like he's found a "home." Even though this is a common theme, I felt that it fit great into the overall plot and rounded out the story nicely. I also had a hint of what the underlying story was going to be about, after reading the description and a few other factors. I'm a huge fan of paranormal though, so I was ready for anything - and that was another wonderful book that I really liked.

I really liked the two main characters - Rain and Freddie - and immediately identified with them both at the start of the story. They were both complex with distinct traits and flaws - making them realistic and believable. I loved getting to know each of them - their personal histories, their thoughts and ideas, emotions, memories, and everything else. And (of course) I loved watching their relationship blossom and grow throughout the story. The plot was interesting and fast paced, which made it a quick read for me. The story naturally unfolds and reveals little secrets as the story progresses, and I loved learning about each small detail. I don't do spoilers in my reviews, so I can't say much more without giving anything away. I really enjoyed everything about this book and I can confidently say that it was worth the wait. I highly recommend this book for fans of paranormal, fantasy, contemporary and romance.

Freddie and Rain are wonderfully written characters. I love them so much. They are well flushed out and even have a few flaws that make them seem that much more like real people. I love that. It's also cool to see that for once the male is human and the female is supernatural. If you want that kind of gender switch thing, get this book! It's also strange to see a YA story told from the male leads POV. That doesn't happen very much.

This book just kind of throws what we have come to know and love about YA paranormal out the window and it does work. I'm sure people will love it!


Will go live on my blog 1/20/18
http://sweetcherry69.blogspot.com/

Rain Ryland had moved around a lot or lived on the street with his mother until she died of a drug overdose. He then moved with his aunt Ruby, who he hadn't known existed, and is in a stable lifestyle in New Wurzburg for the first time in years. Some of the people in the town behave oddly or reference weird things, but Rain is drawn to Friederike Burkhart. The more she and others warn him away from her, the more he wants to get to know her. Discovering some of her secrets does nothing more than make him even more determined to be part of her world and truly belong.

As tough as Rain comes across initially, there's that sense about him that he's very likable and dependable. It bears out, as it does with Freddie, even with the prickly demeanor she's introduced with. The teens all behave like teens initially, and even after the supernatural elements are introduced they're still very much in character. They want more responsibility but don't know what to do with it, exactly, and the problems are much bigger than they all expected it to be.

A lot of times, shapeshifter stories tend to fall into alpha/beta/omega power plays that really turn me off. This story does none of that. It introduces the concepts slowly, through little clues here and there until Rain gets it and confronts Freddie about the truth. There are pack dynamics, but this seems closer to actual wolf dynamics than artificial power plays that are little more than plot devices. The Watcher/Weaver dichotomy of magic and its roots in ancient history was fascinating for me, and I liked seeing how the truth developed as well as the romance between Rain and Freddie. The mystery surrounding Freddie and her family was also very well done, where just about every townie but Ruby was a suspect, and Rain didn't know who he could trust or what the truth was. We feel that tension right along with him, and it ends in a very fitting way.

Rain has never belonged anywhere. He has always lived on the streets and in homeless shelters with his drug addicted mom.When she dies and he is sent to live with an aunt who he never knew existed, in a small town with secrets and a hot girl named Freddie, his life changes in more ways than he thought were possible. I like that this paranormal romance is told by the boy and not the girl. I think fans of Twilight and this genre will enjoy it.

Book Review
Title: Haven
Author: Mary Lindsey
Genre: YA/Thriller/Suspense/Romance
Rating: *****
Review: The opening to Haven was pretty good, we meet Rain and Moth as they beat up a guy attacking a young girl. While Rain is part of a gang he doesn’t take any pleasure in hurting others, when they return to the shelter where he has been staying he learns his mother is dead, probably because of a drug overdose. As Rain isn’t of age his custody was passed to an aunt he didn’t even know he had; Ruby who turns out to be his mother’s twin. Well, I have to say it certain was a gripping start but whether this progresses throughout remains to be seen. After starting at a new school yet again Rain learns of a girl who is said to be nothing but trouble; Freddie.
On a random ride along with his aunt he finds Freddie naked in someone else’s barn but doesn’t turn her in, the next day at school he demands answers and while they are cryptic she does agree to go out with him sometime. When his friend Grant refers him for a job at the hardware store Rain overhears a very strange conversation related to a few people he knows. While he has had a strange feeling about the town from the day he arrived Rain is determined to get to the bottom of it and this job seems the perfect way to do it. Through some simple honesty Rain gets Freddie to trust him, and she lets slip that she is looking for her father’s murderer and believes that several people in the town including the police although not Ruby are in on it.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Rain gets his first real clue that something is wrong with the town especially the people living there. He follows the clue and finds photos, possibly crime scene photos of Hans, Freddie’s dad and he knows she was right there was no way his death was suicide or an accident, it was murder. He begins to wonder why these photos were omitted from the real police file which Gerald slipped to him along with the clue to follow the body and he concludes that someone in the police force must have been in on the murder and the chief’s behaviour does strike him as very odd as well of other people like Grant’s mother.
As Rain gets involved deeper and deeper in this mystery without knowing what it is, he accidently witnesses Freddie’s transform into something that isn’t human or beast, but Freddie manages to stop her cousins ripping him apart by claiming he is high on drugs. Freddie agrees to meet him the next day to keep up the act that he doesn’t know anything about her transformation but very soon Rain is going to demand answers or go looking for them himself. Rain eventually works out that the town is inhabited by werewolves like Freddie, but she also tells him there are witches in the town as well, although they like to be Watchers and Weavers respectively and that if he reveals that information to anyone like his aunt it will start a bloodbath, but now he knows she has to trust him.
As we cross into the second half of the novel Rain learns he has been tested to be a Watcher and survived, now he has to survive the transformation otherwise chief Richter has threatened to kill him and Ruby if he refuses. Seeing no other option, he forces Freddie to tell him the truth about what Weavers and Watchers are and what purpose they serve. After their history lesson Rain comes clean about the pictures he found of her dad, Freddie is sure that Weavers killed her father and how it is up to the pair of them to uncover the killer or killers as the case may be while dealing with Rain’s upcoming transformation and their budding romance, which is very well written by the way. Normally, I am not into paranormal or shifter romances, but the tag line of this book really drew me in and the story seems fast paced, action-packed and extremely well written making it quite easy and quick to read. When the pair go to visit Petra as she seals the bodies of those who have magic and knows she would have dealt with her father’s body, but Rain sends her away while he deals with the weaver. It is strange as we know weavers and watchers can’t really be friends, but Freddie and Petra seem to have a friendly relationship.
While he talks with Petra, Rain learns of revenants which are the magical version of zombies which rise when someone isn’t sealed properly. Petra tells him the person who sealed and killed Hans tried to frame her for it and she is even going on trial in the next year for his murder. However, she also tells him that the key issue isn’t how he died but when unlike every other sealing which is performed after death, Hans’ was performed as a form of torture, it was done while he was still alive, possibly by a weaver or someone who had intimate knowledge of the weavers’ practices and customs. The deeper Rain and Freddie insert themselves into this conspiracy with Petra’s help the more dangerous thing are set to become especially after Gerald is found dead. It also seems that the person killing off the Watcher’s is either a weaver or trying to frame a weaver specifically Petra although the reason for this isn’t clear yet.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, we Rain and Freddie gathering the pieces of the puzzle and trying to fit them together, but it still feels like they are missing something, something everyone else is desperately trying to hide. However, Freddie is getting bolder in voicing her opinions to both Weavers and Watchers who could want her dead for sticking her nose where they feel it doesn’t belong. Rain also gets to witness a future vision about himself and it in he dies which is assured but Petra tells him he won’t die for nothing and that cements his decision to join the pack properly as he already feels deeply connected to it and will protect the pack and Freddie with his life. As the night of Freddie’s supposed culling approaches Rain decides to attend to stop Freddie being killed or overthrown before they can figure out what is going on, but she still refuses to bite Rain despite him having a wolf belt.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, Klaus’ plan is revealed during the culling and when he tries to kill Freddie, Rain obviously steps in but with his own plan, wearing the wolf belt he allows Klaus to bite forcing his transformation, but they still have Freddie and Klaus has more people on their side, but Rain isn’t giving up yet. Despite Klaus dying the pack is still in revolt and are trying to kill or demote Freddie when Rain suddenly realises why Freddie can’t maintain her wolf form and despite his injuries runs to her aid once more. In the final scenes Freddie reveals her father’s true murderer and the motives behind it as well as proving to the pack she is strong enough to lead and that Rain is strong enough to be her mate. Overall, Haven was a rollercoaster ride that took a really refreshing look at both the paranormal shifter and murder mystery genres, highly recommended!

I absolutely loved this book! It did not take the turn that expected and I was drawn directly from the beginning. 10/10 dude!

It was a little hard to follow at times but overall was a decent story.