**I received a copy of this book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest voluntary review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by my source.**

I really enjoyed that this book took its time with revealing everything. While I did find it a little slow, it does build nicely by giving you bits and pieces at a time. I had a lot of fun trying to put everything together before the big reveal.

I wish there was a little more action though. It was a lot of talking at times with vague conversations because no one wants to let Rain in despite his best efforts. But in the meantime, I enjoyed him building his relationship with his Aunt and him trying to uncover the various mysteries of the town.

I also found it refreshing that Rain (the male lead) is the one left in the dark. Lots of paranormal reads have the male lead as the intriguingly mysterious interest and it's the everyday, regular girl who finds herself thrown into this new paranormal world. But here, Rain is your everyday person and Friederike is the mystery. It's a nice spin on what seems to be the "classic" YA paranormal approach.

This was definitely a weak point for me. While I loved the passion between these two it was a little too "unexplained" connection (almost insta-love) for me. It's a shame in a way because I liked how Rain and Freddie worked as partners and balanced each other out as the story progressed.

In the end, I really enjoyed how this book came together. It took its time to get there and it was a little overwhelming at times but I was definitely entertained. It has a lot of the features I love about YA paranormal and so it reminded me why I enjoy this genre when it's all said and done.

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: https://wp.me/p7hLUw-2kc
Actual Rating: 3.5/5 ( )

This is a supernatural novel of romance.

Rain has never had much of a life. His mother is a drug addict and said his father was a man she barely knew. When his mother dies of an overdose, Rain is sent to his mother’s sister, who he never knew existed. He believes that leaving the streets and homeless shelters of Houston for a small town in the hill country will mean a calm and steady life. He’ll have a bedroom, food, and consistency. His aunt is wonderful, but he’s shocked when he discovers she’s his mother’s twin. The surprises don’t end there. He meets a girl, Freddie, immediately and is completely drawn to her.

Haven is a strange town. Rain hears weird conversations and sees strange things. It’s when he realizes that dating Freddie can be very dangerous. There’s something odd about her, her cousins, the sheriff, a business owner, and the son of the owner, Grant. If he gets too involved, he might end up dead like several others. He’s determined to discover who murdered Freddie’s father, but Freddie worries that they’ll kill Rain. She begs Rain to leave everything alone, but he says that he’s lived on the streets, doesn’t scare easily, and can handle most situations.

This is a novel that is for high school kids, so we won’t have it in the library. I thought it would be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast because the tag line is “Sometimes Beauty is the Beast.” It’s not. Overall, it’s a fun, mindless reading experience, especially if you like supernatural fluff with a small dose of romance. It wasn’t great but it was fine. ( )

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Receive from: Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC

Rating: 4.5 SOILD

Haven By Mary Lindsey has shattered every stereotype surrounding the classic fairy-tells and has brought forth an empowering, dark, thrilling, and steamy story. This book is a retelling of the classic story that is as old as time Beauty and The Beast but has a little something that will twist your whole world. It is packed with magic, a unique take on shape-shifters that is different from anything I previously read and of course soul shattering romance.
Mary Lindsey’s writing style is unique thrilling, and has a fun quirk to it that makes her characters come alive on the page. I love that she bought some unexpected humor to this otherwise dark tell. The storyline of this story is a mystery thriller with enough romance to having your heart racing and your fingers turning the page to find out what will happen next. I was on the edge of my set every time a plot twist came and smacked me right in the face. Haven was fast-pace enough that it held my attention during this whole book.
This story is told though the eyes of Rain Ryland also known as Aaron Ryland a 17 year boy who has lived a hard life that no one his age should ever have to live. He has known that the only person who will look out for him is his self. The unexpected death of his mother will flip the world he has known his whole life upside down.
Rain is forced to live with his Aunt Ruby whom he has never met or heard about that takes him from the streets of a big city full of violence to a small town called New Wurzburg located in Texas. The only problem is this little town has some big secrets of its own. Rain has never fit in anywhere and in this small town he seems to stick out like a sore thumb so much that he catches the eye of a local girl who others in the town usually try to avoid Friederick Burkhart. Rain was an amazing character to tell this story because of the complexity of his personality and the way we get to see his emotional growth over time.
Friederick Burkhart is known as Freddie and she was one of my favorite characters of this book. Freddie is a girl who needs no boy or otherwise to fight her battles. She can save herself thank you very much. Freddie was a strong character that was captivating and inspiring to read. She has so much fire and spirit that she crackles with it. She was furiously protective of those she cares for and was dangerous when you got on her bad side. I loved how Freddie was the one who try to protect Rain from those in this dark town who want to harm him. She was the true definition of fierce.
The secondary characters in Haven help bring life to Rain and Freddie and well as provide more than one of the amazing plot twist along the way too. Each character has a different personality that shines though and digs them right inside your heart along with the places of these main characters.
All in all this book was truly an amazing story that I am so glad I took a chance on. The only little fault I found was that sometimes the story in the first couple chapters went a little too fast for my liking but after that point they became a steady pace that held strong all the way to the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a little bit of mystery, heart pounding romance, and some magic in their life. Lets face it we all do! Please go out and purchase this amazing book November 7, 2017 you will not regret it.

Original Copy On: www.stepintoabookworld.wordpress.com ( )

"We all hold a beast inside. The only difference is what form it takes when freed."

Aaron Ryland, aka Rain, lived on the streets of Houston assuming his “typical defiant, don’t-give-a-shit teen thug persona”, but all he wanted was to stay in one place and have a normal life. Regrettably, his chance came when his mother was found dead and he was shipped off to live with his Aunt Ruby in the middle of the Texas Hill Country in New Wurzburg. Aunt Ruby is all right, but the people of this hick town are just plain weird.

Friederike Burkhart, aka Freddie, is rebellious, daring, and a challenge that Rain is ready to accept. “He’d never met anyone quite like this girl–fierce and smart and painfully sexy”. She is surrounded by her male cousins who have to be dealt with so Rain can get to know Freddie better, but there are forces more incredible to get past first.

See my complete review at The Eclectic Review . ( )