March Month in Review and Pages Read Challenge

March Month in Review and Pages Read Challenge

March felt like a great reading month although I still working on getting a posting consistency going.  I hope to get ahead on my written reviews so that I have less lag time between posts.  If I don't write a review right after I read the book, the odds that I will come back to lessen drastically!  However, my first rule is that blogging must remain fun so I am not stressing about it, just aware that is an area to focus on as I continue finding my feet as a regular book blogger.  I have officially completed one more month than my last foray into blogging so that is a great step for me to celebrate as well!  Here is what I read this month: 

Book                                                                              Pages
The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick                     357 
Otherwise Engaged by Amanda Quick                      342
Crazy Wild by Tara Janzen                                         386
Biker's Pup by Sean Michael                                       74
Catching Fire by Nora Roberts                                  431
Drawn by Sean Michael                                              228
Christmas Angel by Sean Michael                              38 
Dominated and Claimed by Bellann Summer           86
Controlling His Men by Bellann Summer                    95
Brad's Rock by Bellann Summer                                 93
Solitary by Sean Michael                                            174
Reaching the Edge by L M Somerton                       112
Living on the Edge by L M Somerton                        112
Dancing on the Edge by L M Somerton                    112
A Double Edged Sword by L M Somerton                157
Rough Around the Edges by L M Somerton             145
Rough Around the Edges by L M Somerton             145
Stroke Rate by L M Somerton                                    121
Absent Minded Astrophysicist by T N Tarrent           136
Mountain Rescue by L M Somerton                            95
Royal Line by Sean Michael                                         57
Spot the Difference by Sean Michael                         57
Working It Out by Sean Michael                                  71
Play Me by Blue Ashcroft                                             105 
A Betting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion                       90
A Marrying Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion                   133
A Fighting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion                   103
A Working Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion                  129
One Boy's Shadow by Ross McCoubrey                   432
Last of the Summer Tomatoes by Sherrie Henry      246
Guarding January by Sean Michael                          205
Nanny Dearest by Shawn Bailey                                 94
His Risk to Take by Tessa Bailey                             123
Black Wolf by Jade Buchanan                                    57
Duck Fart by Jade Buchanan                                     108
Hedgehog's Delight by Jade Buchanan                     74
The Best Damn Thing by B. A. Tortuga                      14 
Timber Pack Chronicles by Rob Colton                   252
Enforcer by Rob Colton                                             206
Echo by Sol Crafter                                                    104
Marked by Kaylea Cross                                           226
Courting Jealousy by Kimberly Dean                        26
Hot Package by Lynn Raye Harris                             83
A Wing and a Prayer by Andrea Laurence               56
The Table and Mr. Tensdale by Rebecca Milton      31
A Place in Her Heart by Trish Milburn                       50
The Gift by Lisa Mondello                                            50
Her Dakota Man by Lisa Mondello                             190
Dragonfly by Leigh Talbot Moore                              264
The Gift by V S Morgan                                              34
Worth Waiting For by Amber Ridge                          36
Off Guard by Marion Tee                                           21
Woman on the Run by Lisa Marie Rice                    326
Murphy's Law by Lisa Marie Rice                            281
Forever Mate: Yuri and Lian by Stormy Glenn         82
Navy Seal's Promise by Soraya Lane                      85
Icebound by Julie Rowe                                               164
Undercurrent by Sara K. Parker                                 208

Total Number of Pages Read: 8324
# of pages YTD: 37,586

I am still working towards level 3 (52,000) and towards my personal goal of 75,000 pages.  Here's to a happy month of reading!  

Icebound by Julie Rowe

Icebound by Julie Rowe

Dr. Emilie Saunderson is driven to finish her husband's research.  Her quest brings her to Antarctica, where she hopes to find a measure of peace in the isolated and icy wilderness. It's the last place on earth she expects to be given a second chance at love.  

Tom Wolinski loves his work at the bottom of the world.  Damaged by his dark past, he has vowed never to get close to anyone--a promise that's easy to keep in place with no permanent residents.  That is, until Emilie arrives, and he's irresistibly drawn to her warmth and inner strength.

Emilie has no desire to get involved with another adventurer, and Tom has made it clear he's not interested in putting down roots.  But as they work together to survive in the harshest of climates, they turn to one another for comfort.  Is the heat between them enough to melt the ice around their hearts, and bind them together forever?  

This book should have been amazing.  A scientific research station based at the South Pole, one woman trying to carry out her late husband's research project while also attempting to heal from the deep wounds his passing left on her psyche, and a man whose past leads him to believe that he can never have a family.  Add in some amazing secondary characters and the danger inherent in being at the coldest point on Earth should have made this a home run.  Instead, this book felt shallower than I would have liked; the shorter length most likely attributed to this feeling but it also might have been a case of having so many problems crop up that the pages in existence weren't enough to adequately deal with them all.  Whatever the issue(s), this was an okay story that had so much unrealized potential...

Emilie has dealt with a lot in the past year, the loss of her husband and unborn child topping the list.  She is excited to be the new medical doctor at the South Pole science research station but knows she has a lot of healing to do.  Tom is the more-than-capable station manager who always seems to know what the people around him need: an ear to listen, a shoulder to lean on, some words of wisdom, or ways to let off steam.  What Tom doesn't want is a steady relationship and when he finds himself wanting more with Emilie, he does what he often does.  He runs.  Which isn't easy in the limited space of the research station!  Emilie is more level-headed than some of the heroines I've read about lately and it was such a nice change to read about a mature, good-head-on-her-shoulders woman who is capable of listening to reason and compromising when needed.  Tom was also enjoyable but I was less patient with the main issue he was trying to resolve.  Probably not fair of me, but there it is.  

There were also several secondary characters that had varying amounts of story time and not all was sunshine and roses as would be expected when working in such an extreme environment with a large group of individuals who are confined within a small space.  At one point I thought this might be romantic suspense and one of the researchers might be vandalizing the station but as I read on, it became more clear that the plot points were meant to show the unpredictability of working in Antarctica.  Julie Rowe does a great job of bringing secondary characters to life while not spending too much time away from the MC's and their developing relationship.  I felt that she brought enough of them to life to make for a well rounded cast while not developing so many that it became difficult to keep them all straight.  All in all, I am glad I read Icebound but doubt I revisit it as a reread.  

Reading Challenges
Alphabet Soup
Around the World
Contemporary Romance
eBook Reading Challenge
Full House
Read Your Freebies

I downloaded this book for free from Amazon.

Married to the Bad Boy by Letty Scott

Married to the Bad Boy by Letty Scott

I didn't marry him out of love, nor because I liked him.  I didn't marry him for his family money or wealth, or for popularity.  Truth be told, I could care less about this guy and who he was.  I Married the Bad Boy for protection.

Kami Van always stayed to herself at school and not very many people knew who she was.  She was scared to let anyone close to her and feared going home to an abusive stepfather who used her as a punching bag daily.  That was until the bad boy found out and stepped in.  He took her away from it all, but it only brought more danger into her life.

Holy drama, Batman!  This book reads like a really bad soap opera--the one that everyone makes fun of but are also secretly watching because it is so bad it's good.  This book needs therapy--or maybe I do for reading it.  Either way, something needs to give.  Here are the pertinent bits (by the by, this is incredibly spoiler-ific!): 

1. Kami Van gets beaten daily by her stepfather while her mother laughs and her stepsister eggs it on.
2. Brandon, the school bad boy, sees Kami's bruises one day and decides he will save her by beating up her abuser; this leads to relentless nagging, bullying of school staff to get his schedule changed to match hers, making an announcement on the intercom for everyone to back off of his "girlfriend", and other girls insulting Kami for taking the epitome of male perfection away from them.
3. Kami's stepsister spies on her at school, sees Brandon helping her, rats her out to the stepfather; stepfather decides he needs to show Kami who is boss by raping her; stepsister assists with tying Kami up before advising her stepfather to enjoy himself.
4. Brandon arrives in the nick of time, beats stepfather unconscious, locks stepsister in the closet and removes Kami from the household of hell.
5. Upon passing a chapel, Brandon decides to marry Kami because Kami needs to graduate from high school in order to inherit money from her grandmother and get away from her family.  Obviously marrying Brandon would be the perfect reason for Kami to live with him and not have to return home--every reader is probably thinking it!

And that is the first 25%.  What happens from 25% to 50%?  I am so glad you asked...

1. Kami is hesitant to tell Brandon's parents they are married because...well, even she realizes this plot is insane!  Brandon goes all he-man, his parents throw a hissy for a few sentences, see Kami's bruises and are staunch supporters of their son's nuptials and new bride.  
2. Kami reassures Brandon she realizes she is nothing compared to the girls he usually goes for and gives him permission to continue to sleep around; Brandon manfully declines in order to better protect Kami;  they head down for dinner.
3. Brandon insists they share a bed (even though the house is huge with lots of guest rooms) so Kami can feel protected.  Kami (frequently abused physically and hours out from sexual abuse) climbs right into bed with him.  
4. The following sentence occurs, "I watched as Brandon gets up from the bed and walk over to me..." are there three different tense issues there?  
5. Kami insists on space--she doesn't want to get attached to Brandon.  Brandon agrees with the following caveat: that he always be right by her side.
6. A super-popular girl corners Kami at school saying she knows why Brandon married Kami as Brandon told her while having sex with her in the custodian's closet...Kami believes her and faints out of despair.  Kami finds out that--gasp--popular girl was lying.  
7. Kami joins Brandon and his parents for his godmother's wedding--the groom is a mysterious guy none of them have met.  He's also Kami's biological father--you know, the one who abandoned her to her mother and abusive step-father?  Who immediately recognizes Kami even though he hasn't seen her since she was ten...Kami cries and runs away.  Brandon decks him.  They then return to the reception;  after all, leaving would be rude!  But not as rude as the way Kami publicly shames her father when he requests a dance from her at his own wedding...a dance she gives to Brandon along with their first kiss.  
8. What better to follow an altercation with your long-lost father at his wedding than a walk on the beach?  And who should they run into but Kami's stepfather.  And Brandon's biological dad.  Who was also abusive.  And who both demand Kami be turned over to them immediately so she can be taken to...their master?!?

Yikes!  Okay...50% - 75%, here we come!

1. Brandon tries to fight both men, gets hit in the head with a rock and is out for the count.  Kami runs but is caught.  She blacks out and wakes up in a hospital with amnesia about the event that put her there.  Kami and Brandon both demand to be taken to their spouses immediately!
2. Daddy dearest (who apparently has stone cold eyes) shows up and threatens the lovebirds with lawyers and annulments.
3. Brandon can't remember who attacked them either (or can he? Kami notes his shifty eyes...)
4. Kami's father (and new bride) come over for dinner rather than leave on their honeymoon; Kami calls him out for abandoning her which is apparently news to the new Mrs.
5. We get this wonderful sentence: As the weeks went by, so did the first month.  
6. Some street racing commences.  Jasmine's there and commences with the bitchiness but is put in her place by the married lovebirds.  Brandon punishes her by making out with Kami in front of her.   Brandon wants sexy times after his win but settles for getting drunk instead.
7. Brandon's parents send them on a honeymoon as school is out for the week.  On the plane Brandon is blatantly propositioned, just in case the reader has forgotten how irresistible he is to ALL girls.  Brandon makes out with Kami to punish mean-girl (notice a pattern?)  Also, a random man from the plane ride says threatening remark about Brandon to Kami...mental spazzing on her part commences (or continues, she mentally freaks a lot).  Guy and gal from plane are heard arguing about "the plan" by Kami...who says nothing at all about it to Brandon.
8. Brandon professes his love and confesses to being under Kami's spell since they were in elementary school--a quick back story to make this plausible is explained.    Kami tries to tell Brandon she loves him but he won't let her; so she says it while he is asleep, except he isn't.  Sexy times commence.

We're in the home stretch kids--75% to the end: 

1. Crazy plane guy and gal show up and an altercation commences at the beach.  Brandon and Kami decide to Jet Ski, they are followed by the crazy couple and another altercation commences.  Except this altercation involved lots of men with guns...including Kami's father.  
2. Kami blacks out (of course) and wakes up tied hand and foot, alone in a shack.  Haley (crazy plane girl) taunts Kami about getting Brandon.  Later, Kami's father shows up with the "Story of Why He Hates Kami and Must Ruin Her Life." Summary: Kami's mother died having her, her father paid another woman and her family to raise Kami (although how that works with Kami's father not leaving until she was ten I can't figure out), Kami's grandmother (psycho dad's mother) left everything to Kami giving Daddy the driving need to kill her to reclaim what was rightfully his--and also to punish Kami for "killing" her mother.  
3. Gunshots sound.  Dad starts choking Kami.  More gunshots as someone starts fighting Kami's dad.  Kami (once again) blacks out just after a body falls lifelessly near her.  
4. Kami (once again) wakes up in a hospital.  Apparently she has just woken up from a coma.  No Brandon to be seen (or heard).   Instead some random girl that Kami recalls seeing around Brandon at times who turns out to be his cousin April.  Brandon is in ICU with life threatening gun shot wounds and is getting worse instead of better.
5. Kami blames herself.  
6. While sitting at Brandon's side, his mother reveals that her father's new wife just happened to be an FBI agent who sensed something off about hew new husband's behavior and followed him (to the Dominican Republic!!), found out his devious plan and called for back-up.  She saved Brandon during a gun fight among the gang members, found Emily being choked and fatally shot her new hubby (but not before he shot Brandon).
7. There is this sentence, "...knowing she had to kill him is most likely eating at her."  Gee, you think??
8. Brandon wakes up, they return home, Kami moves into the guest room (completely second-guessing everything from Brandon's feelings for her to his motives for marrying her), and blames herself for everything that happened.  
9. Kami asks for a divorce; Brandon agrees but vows to get her back.
10. They graduate.  They sign divorce papers.  Kami inherits.  Brandon informs her he will be attending her college and asks her to be his girlfriend.  She agrees, knowing he loves her and that she loves him.  She hopes to marry him some day...The End.

Reading Challenges

105 Challenge

Around the World

ebook Reading 

New to You

Read Your Freebies

I downloaded this book for free from Amazon.

Woman on the Run by Lisa Marie Rice

Woman on the Run by Lisa Marie Rice

What's a girl to do?  Sophisticated urbanite Julia Devaux loves her life.  What's not to love?  A fabulous job in publishing, wonderful friends, gorgeous apartment, the company of her beautiful though temperamental Siamese cat Federico Fellini--she's got it made.  And then Julia has the bad luck to witness a Mob murder and her life goes straight down the toilet.  Under the witness security program, Julia is relocated to the boondocks, a hundred miles from the nearest bookstore and Estee Lauder outlet, where the only fast food is deer and the only entertainment is sex with a laconic local rancher.  Luckily, talking isn't what Sam Cooper does best...

Former SEAL Sam Cooper can't believe his luck when mystery woman Sally Andersen hits town.  Simpson, Idaho can't even offer a decent cup of coffee let alone gorgeous new grade school teachers.  The instant Cooper sees Sally, he stakes her out as his own.  Granted, he's not much good at talking, but he does his best to keep her happy.  When he discovers her life is in danger, he'll stop at nothing to keep her safe and with him.  He's not alone.  The whole town of Simpson wants to keep her.  

Julia Devaux is looking for some gritty photos for her photography class, wanders through some rough parts of Boston, stumbles across a Mob killing and is the only person who can put Santano away.  Santano puts a five-million-dollar bounty on her head (which he wants delivered to him, literally) and Julia is quickly put into Witness Protection as Sally Andersen in Simpson, Idaho.  She is now a second grade teacher in a town that is declining and will be a ghost town within the decade. 

Sam makes Sally's acquaintance when she breaks a Halloween jack-o-lantern over his head.  He has come to her classroom to talk about one of her students; he got a bit more than he bargained for.  Coop and Sally soon fall into a relationship (or at least into bed together) and all is smooth sailing.  Sally takes rejuvenating Simpson single-handedly, breaking the Cooper curse, and charming all she meets.  However, a mysterious person called the professional is closing in on Julia ready to collect on the growing bounty.  

When it appears that Witness Protection has been hacked, Cooper steps up to keep Julia safe.  He rallies his buddies (two of his former SEAL buddies very conveniently work on the ranch with them although no mention is made of them until they are needed) and works out a protection detail for Julia.  When danger comes to Simpson, the whole town is ready to take it on to protect one of their own. 

I really love Lisa Marie Rice's style of writing but this title was not my favorite.  If this had been my first book by her, I don't know that I would have sought any of her other titles out.  Luckily, I know that the majority of her works are more to my liking and this particular book can be marked off my TBR.  

Reading Challenges
eBook Reading
Foodie Challenge
Men in Uniform
Reading Assignment 
Reading Road Trip
Romantic Suspense

Freebie Friday, March 27th Edition

Freebie Friday, March 27th Edition

A Wing and a Prayer by Andrea Laurence: This short story is one of the Harlequin More Than Words stories that celebrate women and the causes that matter most to them.  Harlequin authors choose real life women who make a difference and donations are given to charities of the winners' choices.  The charities are also featured in the stories written by the authors.  A Wing and a Prayer highlights Miracle Flights for Kids which provides free medical air travel for children and their families.  In the story, Joann Nichols' son has been receiving flights from Dylan Alexander for herself and her son, Zack.  Zack has a tumor on his spine and the flights provided by Dylan are a literal life-saver.  Dylan and Jo have some chemistry between them but both are hesitant for different reasons.  Zack's father couldn't handle his cancer diagnosis and split; Dylan's ex-girlfriend had a little girl and Dylan isn't sure he should get involved with another single mother as he misses that little girl as if she had been his own daughter and yet he has no legal rights to her.  For a short story, this one really packed in the emotions but had a fairly realistic HFN by the end of if.  I would recommend checking this one out.

The Table and Mr. Tensdale by Rebecca Milton: Emily Hazel is excited to finally be living on her own after years of roommates through college.  She rents her own apartment in a building and meets one of her neighbors, Mr. Tensdale.  Through her interactions with Mr. Tensdale, Emily feels that he almost acts as if her were two separate people; shy by day and wild by night. Before too long Emily finds out the real deal about Mr. Tensdale.  Short and not exactly a super surprise when the big reveal occurs.

A Place in Her Heart by Trish Milburn: Katy McShea is having a bad day...her car has broken down on the side of the road and when the tow truck arrives it is driven by her childhood friend and teenage crush, Callum Walsh.  Cal, who left for basic training, breaking Katy's heart and when he returned, he brought back Terry whose attentions turned Katy's head leading to a marriage that quickly turned abusive.  Katy is late for her volunteer work at Women's Lunch Place, a shelter that gave Katy the sense of safety she needed as well as a home off of the streets after she left Terry.  Cal quickly realizes that he has missed Katy and wonders why she seems so closed-off from him; Katy is worried that Cal will tell Terry where she has been hiding, having no idea that Cal hasn't seen him in years.  In a short number of pages, all is resolved although Katy makes Cal work for her trust as much as possible in such a short time frame.  When all is said and done, I feel that this one is just ok. 

The Gift by Lisa Mondello: Allison Jones is running late for work when she spots a pristine, white envelope caught in a crack of pavement by the sidewalk.  She picks it up and recognizes a card for a child's wish item to be bought and donated for a charity gala event.  As a child, she was the recipient of such a gift and knows how much the children can rely on such gifts to brighten their spirits and their lives.  Meanwhile, Derek Holden realizes he has dropped his envelope containing the request as well as a thousand dollars.  When he sees Allison holding the envelope he assumes she has stolen the money.  This set up allows Allison and Derek to dance around each other on their way to a HFN although Allison was a little too good to believe and Derek's natural distrust for a stranger was constantly nagged at for being too cold-hearted. Not my favorite.  

Her Dakota Man by Lisa Mondella: Poppy loved Logan as a teenager; Logan loved Poppy;  Poppy was best friends with Kelly who also loved Poppy.  When Poppy's parents sold their house in the South Dakota badlands and moved the family to Long Island, Poppy and Logan swore they would find a way to be together.  Instead, Logan married Kelly, had a son and mourned her death from cancer eight years later.  When Poppy suddenly shows up after a severe storm offering to help clean up, Logan isn't sure what to think.  Poppy is trying to keep a deathbed promise to Kelly knowing that she is about to take everything Logan though he knew about Poppy and his wife and turn it upside down.  This book stuffed too much story into too few pages.  I didn't truly believe in the HEA at the end--it was too quick of a turn around for Logan to deal with so many emotions.  Poppy admitted it took her a year to get her head around what had happened and yet I was supposed to believe that Logan could do the same (when he had arguably been more affected than Poppy) in two days? I didn't buy it.  

Dragonfly by Leigh Talbert Moore

Dragonfly by Leigh Talbert Moore

Anna Sanders expected an anonymous (and uneventful) senior year until she crossed paths with rich-and-sexy Jack Kyser and his twin sister Lucy.

Pulling Anna into their extravagant lifestyle on the Gulf Coast, Lucy pushed her outside her comfort zone and Jack showed her feelings she never experienced...Until he mysteriously withdrew.

Anna turned to her internship at the city paper and to her old attraction for Julian, a handsome local artist and rising star, for distraction.  But both led to her discovery of a decades-old secret closely guarded by the twins' distant, single father.

It's a secret that could cost her the boy she loves and permanently damage all of their lives.

This book is angsty.  It has all the earmarks of books that I typically avoid--the pull you closer, push you away relationship that is based more on lust than any real knowledge of who each partner is as a person.  The cliche of the hero saving the heroine from his own damaged psyche.  The badly treated heroine walking in on the hero with his ex...And in this case, the poor (read: stupid) girl melts into his arms when he comes to apologize and when he tells her he will only hurt her again she says that is her choice to make even though she left town in order to wallow after the first incident...She really thinks she can handle more and/or worse?? and why would she want to?  She knows so little about him that nothing is really holding her to him except hormones.  

Even more infuriating, she has another guy who is interested in her.  A guy who has a plan for his future and is busting his butt to earn it--a guy that she admits she would have easily loved if not for Jack.  Crikey.  It's maddening.  Especially when Julian repeatedly is there for her when Jack lets her down.  And then, when she ignores his overtures and he makes moves towards another girls, Anna gets jealous over it.  I know Anna is only 17 but she often read younger to me.  At this point, I can very close to DNFing and deleting the book off my Kindle; instead I remembered it was series and went scoping for more info on goodreads.  What I read about later books in the series gave me enough hope to keep reading...While I don't usually do that, sometimes I just need to know (especially in potential love triangles).  

And I'm glad I gave the book, and especially Anna a second chance because she finally seemed to get that what she was doing wasn't working and that she might be missing out on the right guy by chasing the wrong one.  And she took her time to really know her mind and her heart...While also discovering a secret that could totally derail all of them.  And while she backtracks a couple of times (driving me crazy with her wishy-washy self), overall the writing was good enough that I couldn't completely abandon the book.  I don't think I will pursue the rest of the series as this book left me with too many mixed feelings.  

Timber Pack Chronicles by Rob Colton

Timber Pack Chronicles by Rob Colton

The object of Parker Montgomery's crush is big man on campus Colton Butler, who is much more than he appears to be.

Colton has been watching Parker from a distance, patiently waiting for the day when he will be able to claim his destined mate.

When Parker is threatened by a rogue wolf, Colton's instincts take over and he finds that his actions have consequences that threaten to tear his pack apart.

Timber Pack Chronicles was my introduction to Rob Colton's work and I have since sought out and read many more of his stories.  Rob Colton has a way of telling a story that really works for me.  Parker is the only child of very successful parents who don't really pay much attention to him; he is virtually invisible at school with the exception of his one friend, Shell, who is also his neighbor.  Parker doesn't mind his invisibility status much as when he is seen it is usually by bullies who make him miserable.  Parker is used to his life and doesn't do much to rock the boat.

Shell convinces Parker to try out to be the mascot for their high school and he gets the part.  Parker used to be in gymnastics and was on the swim team until an incident with another player caused some friction and the coach asked him to leave the team.  So now, Parker just has Shell, his mascot gig, and his crush on Colton who is so far out of his social sphere he almost needs binoculars to see him...except that in happy-romancelandia fashion, Colton has his eyes firmly set on Parker as well.

Colton is new to the school and is also a werewolf.  After getting caught with the Alpha's son in his old pack, he and his father joined a new pack.  Soon after the move, Colton recognized Parker's scent as that of his mate.  However, gay matings are not viewed favorable by most (although Colton could care less, he has already cleaned the clock of Seth, the Alpha's son and used-to-be-biggest-man-on-campus) and Colton is worried about moving on Parker before he is eighteen.  

It isn't long before Colton and Parker have hooked up but not all is sunshine and roses as they have to traverse prejudices and roadblocks from Colton's pack and both of their families.  Not only that, but a strange rogue wolf has been threatening Parker's safety pushing Colton's already dominant tendencies to the extreme.  With Parker dealing with the knowledge the lycans exist and Colton having to deal with showing his own Alpha tendencies in a pack that doesn't need or want another Alpha, both boys are dealing with much more than your average high school student.  

Reading Challenge
Hard Core Re-read 

I purchased this book with my own funds.