Cauchemar by Alexandra Grigorescu

Cauchemar is Grigorescu's first book! I happily won* this ARC through a Goodreads first reads giveaway. Obviously I have no way of knowing if this book is going to be apart of anything.

Losing her protector and adopted mother, 20-year-old Hannah find herself alone on the edge of a Louisiana swamp. Her only solace is with Callum, a boat captain and part-time musician. Hannah's biological mother, who is rumored to commune with the dead and known outcast, comes back into her life. So Hannah must confront what she's been kept from, deadly spirits haunt the swamp, secrets from her past, and a special gift that she posses.

Cauchemar was surprisingly a really good read. I found that I kept turning the pages trying to get to the end and see how things played out. Hannah was very young and went through a lot, to be left alone from an "accident". Losing someone you love especially a mother figure is very hard on anyone, and Hannah handled it very well. I did like the supernatural aspect of Cauchemar, it was very captivating and I wanted to keep reading to see how it affected the living because it was. I'm usually not that into an older-ish guy getting with a girl who is as young as Hannah but Callum was for the most part very grown. He cared very much about Hannah in a short amount of time. I loved Grigorescu's descriptions, I could easily form a picture in my head of what was happening. I do like the plot, where things have a way of repeating itself whether you know it or not, though with this plot things where a bit predictable. I did enjoy the last couple of chapters as everything came to a boil and finally had to be dealt with.

I did find that a few things were predictable as I read, it made me a little disappointed in how much I was able to predict in this book. I also didn't think this book was exactly "scary" but there where spots that had me cringing. I was confused a few times, and had to reread a few passages over just to figure out what was really going on. Certain parts confused me as to how they played into the present, but once it was made clear my confusion went away pretty much completely.

For Grigorescu's first novel I say that she did marvelous. I really can't wait for her to write more in the future. I do indeed recommend this book to everyone, though I will say with those younger readers there are a few spots of intimacy, that parents should be aware of. They are not bad, but they are there. Even with the predictability I did find that I wanted to read to the end. I can see myself rereading Cauchemar a couple of times before I put it away for a little while.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Page Count: 316 pages (paperback)

Price: $16.95

Next book: Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Thank you for reading!
~Jade

*Note: I am in no way being coerced into making a review. Leaving a review is happily welcome but not required thus if I don't like a book I will say so. This review is based upon my true feelings and thoughts about the book. I promise you I wouldn't let anything sway my opinion about a book.

Swept Up by Kayla Dawn Thomas

If you remember in my November and December book haul post, I ranted slightly about how I was given two ebooks that I wasn't able to get to work for my Kindle app. This was one of them, though Thomas was kind enough to send me a actual print copy for me to read. I won* the copy from attending a book launch party. Thomas does have a few other books written, and as far as it looks Swept Up is a stand-alone.

Web's still mending a broken heart, and likes to be alone. So being a street sweeper on the night shift is an ideal job. His mother however, wants grandchildren and his sister tries to hook him up with anyone she can. It doesn't help that the women that she does pair him with aren't the brightest. All of that and the wonderful late night excitement that can happen, Web has enough going on in his life, but nothing prepares him for the moment when a woman stumbles in front of his sweeper. Kara doesn't know how to be herself, and this lead to a lifetime of poor decisions. Hitting the lowest of the low she moves in with her best friend and her husband. They help her get a job teaching English at Basil State University. She almost has everything put together until one night of whiskey nearly sends everything back into the ground.

I am so used to fantasy, mythical creatures, abnormal problems that involve supernatural creatures, that when reading Swept Up it felt pretty refreshing. It's about two humans in humanly situations. A few chapters into this I kept asking myself "wait...how's this going to work?" Then it all made sense once we got a little background on Web. I found that I connected with Kara a lot more then I thought I would, especially more toward the end. I like that Kara is portrayed as not having it all together, and it takes something to completely override everything for her to get her life completely together. Sometimes it isn't until something very precious is in the picture that straightens you out. I also liked that Kara and Web's relationship isn't that of a "typical" one that you find in other books. I laughed a lot thanks to Kara and a few of the predicaments that she would get into, especially the bull ride. I found Web to be endearing, which is always good, his sister Celeste was a hoot too, along with a few of his friends. Pretty much everyone had me laughing.

The one thing that bugged me was Web's past and how it tied into the book. I predicted what was going to happen because of it. Did it ruin the book for me? Not at all. I was kept interested throughout the whole book. I wanted to know what his actions where going to be because of his past. There where a couple of parts that seemed to drag on a bit for me but once things picked back up I didn't mind the down time of them. These where the only things that bugged me and they were easily dismissible.

I completely recommend this to everyone who thinks they would be interested in it. I obviously own the book, and I can see myself rereading Swept Up a few times, if not more. I really enjoyed reading Thomas's book, and I can see myself going for her other books. I do think there are people who are not going to like this book just because it isn't for them, and that's perfectly okay. I don't see a problem with teens reading Swept Up, there are two "grown up" spots but they don't last more than a page. There is much worse that a teen could accidentally pick up.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Page Count: 385 pages (paperback)

Next: January and February book haul 

Thanks for reading!
~Jade


*Just because I won this book does not mean I am giving a false review. I am speaking genuinely about this book, as I do for all reviews regardless if I win them or pick them up from the library. I promise to give my honest opinion about the books I review and I have done so. If you have any concerns please feel free to email me and we can discuss them.