robgirlbooks: Takers, Givers, and Leavers! robgirlbooks' COYER Book Review of Panic by J.A. Huss

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Takers, Givers, and Leavers! robgirlbooks' COYER Book Review of Panic by J.A. Huss

5 STARS! Holy goodness, I loved Panic. I've been rooting for Rook from the moment life proved so full of sh*! that she spent her last ten bucks on a ridiculous coffee instead of on what? You can't start your wrecked life over with no money, no backup, no hope. But through a fluke, fate, luck, karma, whatever, she finds all those things. Panic takes us on her journey past surviving, past falling in love and finding financial security. It's the most painful journey for anyone who experienced abuse. It's time for Rook to heal the wounds from her past.

Ronin plays the perfect role in this installment. He can't take this journey for the love of his life. He can't push or even nudge. He can only love Rook and let her know he loves her. And he's damn good at it. I love Ronin. Yep, I do. Spencer and Ford are pretty much in the same boat, but they have more wiggle room as friends. There isn't much Spencer in this installment, but the little bit he's in just primes us for his standalone we're all waiting to read. Ford really pushes, sometimes too far, and most often for his own benefit. Ford reveals a few of his less pretty layers in this installment, less pretty, but not less lovable.

I love the layout for this story the most. We start off with a scene from Rook's past and that hooked me completely. I wanted more of those flashbacks, but J.A. Huss knew what she was doing. There were moments I laughed out loud and moments I started crying without any warning. I like to know I'm about to bawl my eyes out, and Huss threw me into more than one emotional storm! She's that good.

If you haven't started the Rook and Ronin series and you like your NA contemporary romance with a bit of edge, humor, and spice, get on it. One click this baby.

For all those doing the COYER challenge, I totally suck at it this month! This is my first review, and you know what I did after I read Panic? I bought Taut and read that. So did I clean out my ereader or what? That's okay, but I loved both books so dang much! I hope you're all doing better. Bet you are.

6 comments:

Linda @ (un)Conventional BookwormsMarch 23, 2014 at 10:26 PM
Awesome review, Robyn! I agree with you, seeing Rook after things have gotten better for her is beautiful. And also, Ford revealing his less pretty shows that he has so many layers that he is always trying to hide.

I hope you'll have a fantastic week!

Looking for a good #fantasy read? The Time Weaver #ebook goes on #sale at midnight tonight for $0.99. Five days only, so grab it while it's cheep. :)

Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews
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Jennifer @ Bad Bird ReadsMarch 23, 2014 at 11:03 PM
I totally agree with everything you said. I just love this series so much. It's nice to see Rook's life finally working out.
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AnonymousMarch 24, 2014 at 1:19 AM
*snickers* I really wanted to participate in COYER when I first heard about it (b/c if anyone needs to clean things out, it's me--I have like 4000+ archived books), but I also know myself. And I don't like to be hindered in my choice of reading material. Before eReaders, I traveled with an entirely separate bag for my books b/c I NEED options. So basically, I get you ;)

And I have read Tragic and I really liked it, so I'm glad that Panic is keeping up. I'm especially glad that it opened with a scene from Rook's past b/c that was the only thing that bugged me about book 1--I wanted more info about this a**hole she was on the run from.

Jessica @ Rabid Reads
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Little bit about Robyn Jones

I laugh when people fall down. It's a glitch in my programming, but even my mom has suffered this quirk. I have a BA in Studio Art from the University of Puget Sound. My boys make me laugh every day. I steal pens; I try real hard not to. I collect those free bookmarks at the checkout counter at libraries. I've had more stitches than anyone I know. I love stories, writing them, reading them, watching them. You can email me at robgirlbooks@gmail.com or write a comment on a post or on my Goodreads page, just click my picture to go there.

Soul Walker, A Touched Girl Novel

Available Now on Kindle. When five-year-old Anna Pierce is offered a chance to have nightmare-free nights for the small price of her voice, she jumps at it. Silence has to be better than all-consuming dreams about blood and death and fangy monsters. The bargain she strikes comes with a secondary benefit, visions of a person’s future potential. The combination of visions and silence changes her very nature and soon she's diagnosed with autism. Twelve years of living in her head comes to a screeching halt the moment Peter Davis pulls her out of an icy river. Her new life has her twirling, tiptoeing, and crashing through unfamiliar territory, one filled with a cranky grandma, a knocked up cousin, an unpleasant cousin, a bunch of mostly good vampires, and the boy who rescued her. To top it all off, the deal she made at five is no more. Anna is expected to talk, to figure out her reemerging nightmares, and to control her ever-growing powers. And she'd better get it done soon because if the good vamps want a piece of a living, breathing Touched girl, the evil ones simply want. They'll take Anna for their very own.

Soul Bender, A Touched Girl Novel

Available Now! How much can a soul take before it breaks? Anna Pierce has a vampire boyfriend, a driver's license, real friends for the first time since she was five, and now she faces one of her biggest challenges, senior year at a mostly all girls Catholic high school. Sure, she's a member of the talking crowd now, but she'll never be like everyone else. How can she when the first of her kind has camped out in her dreams? Little dead girl Emily decides Anna's destiny can wait no longer. It's time for this generation's Touched Girl to hunt. Trained in a virtual dream landscape to destroy all in her path, Anna must choose between her destiny, the one beat into her on a nightly basis, and her legacy, the one instilled in her by her parents. Along the way, old enemies remain dutifully obsessed, new foes lurk in the shadows, and odd Little Duckie Anna Pierce sets out to be social.

Soul Twister, A Touched Girl Novel #3

Available now! “Peter and I are about to play a game. Don’t help him.” “Game?” crazy Shopgirl asked. “A hunting game,” Peter answered. His voice had a new quality to it. He caught me staring and instead of smiling, he held my eyes. “First one wins the bite. I’m going to win, Anna.” Months into recovering from the bloody events that took place in Soul Bender, Anna Pierce is ready to get back out there and fulfill her self-crafted destiny. Sadly, no one in her life feels the same way. The emergence of buried memories and out-of-the-blue powers send her straight into regular sessions with the school counselor. If only she could talk about her overly protective vampire boyfriend or the real threat posed by former friends turned enemies or her new guide who makes her former guide look like a bowl of sunshine. Anna has a lot going on, but at least she's too busy to think about her first Christmas at Ella's.

"Mom, you said shit." "I know, John." "You said shit, Mom." "Stop saying shit, John." "You stop saying shit."
"Mom, what do you want for Christmas?" "I want two happy boys." "You already have two happy boys." John 3/12/13
"Mama, I want to stay with you forever." John 3/2/13
I keep my perfume out of reach so the four year old won't mess with it. One day, he climbed the closet shelves, grabbed the bottle and sprayed away. After tagging everything from his hands to his penis (did I mention he was naked?) he shouted, "God dang it!" "John, little boys do not say God dang it. Try drat." "God drat!"
"Why did the chicken cross the road?" "Why?" "Because there was poop on the ground." 4yr old John (2/18/13)
"Mom, you're not a superhero. You're just a human." 10 yr old Will (2/11/13)
"When I'm at daddy's, sometimes I think about hugging you, mom." 4yr old John (2/8/13)
"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. I'll do it the easy way, mom. You do it the hard way." 2/6/13 4yr old John
"I sleep, eat, and watch TV like Garfield." 4yr old John
John snatched his older brother's Lego Star Wars shorts out of the laundry and quickly put them on. "These are mine." "No, John." "But they look good on me."
"John, what was you favorite part of school today?" "When you came to visit me in class."
In an attempt to redirect the morning car-bickering routine, I transformed into one of those newly-minted teachers, you know, the enthusiastic cheerleader smiling kind. "Who knows the number one car rule?" I toss out there in a chipper voice. "I do. I do!" bounces around the car as excited hands wave back and forth. "Okay John, what's the number one car rule?" "No, pooping in the car."
Will's teacher asked him, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" "Help my mom."
Just to set up this next quote, I'm not the best interpreter of 4yr old speak. "Mom, Will's clothes disappeared." Since Will wasn't naked I looked back at John. "What does that mean?" "Disappeared means Will's clothes are gone!" he says with his hands making a vanishing act gesture.
"Mom, what rhymes with duck?" 4yr old John
Recently, John found a handful of Pez dispensers. Since he doesn't like the candy, he plays with them like action figures. "Mom, you play Woody, I'll play Garfield and Thor." I dutifully play Woody from Toy Story. "I'm Sheriff Woody. Reach for the sky." "I'm Garfield. I'm a talking cat. I'm Thor. I'm a superhero. Hey, let's look up." (because that is all a pez dispenser can do)
"Will, stop bossing John around." "I'm helping you boss John around." my 10 yr old
"Mom, I wanted weapons for Christmas. Santa is on the naughty list." my 4yr old
"Hot dogs are made of dead animals, Mom...I love dead animals!" my 4yr old
"When I say I don't like you, I love you." my 4yr old
"I've had a rough day." me "Like a Viking?" my 10 yr old
Seven days before Christmas it snows. "Merry Christmas, Mom," ten year old Will says with his arm around me.
"We have to take care of each other, Mom." my son Will
"The baddest guy in Mexico beat me." 4 year old John
"If you think my name is Cinderella, you just don't get it." my son John
"Mom, I love your Buddha belly." my son John