How Willa Got Her Groove Back by Emily McKay

When your life feels like a bad movie, rewrite the script.

When Willa Schofer’s father comes home from a business trip with an über-famous new fiancée, Willa’s senior year blows up in paparazzi-fueled flames. Overnight, she has a new house, a new car, and a new soon-to-be stepbrother—the unbelievably hot, unbelievably arrogant, Finn McCain. Thank god he’s constantly pushing her buttons, or she might do something irresponsible. Like fall for the jerk.

Just when Willa’s decided to avoid him for, oh, ever, Finn lands in the center of her senior project team. Seriously—how hard is it to shake a guy? At least her work on the project snagged the attention of the (second) hottest guy in school. He might only be into her because of her famous stepmom, and he’s not quite as exciting as a certain annoying housemate, but at least she’s allowed to crush on the guy.

Because crushing on your annoying stepbrother? So not cool.

This Entangled Teen Crush book contains an unbelievably hot bad boy, an unbelievably famous actress, and all the drama that comes with adding both to your family. Oh, and a forbidden flirtation with a soon-to-be stepbrother.

Book 2
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
5 Angsty Stars

How Willa Got Her Groove Back trapped me from page one with Willa's infectious narration. Page after page, I gorged myself until the very end when I realized the afternoon had waned to evening without coming up for air.

This Young Adult novel was everything I enjoy about the genre: the feels. I can't explain why YA novels always seem to evoke so many emotions in me. For both Willa and Finn, I was frustrated, angered, heartbroken, heartstring-tugged, and happy.

There was a definite growth in Willa as the book progressed. I can see where readers may find her a bit judgmental and snobbish, especially adult readers. But Willa's story perfectly portrayed the powerlessness of youth, where you're the passenger while your irresponsible parents are in the driver's seat, maybe driving you in a direction that is negative for all, without a thought or care for you or your opinions on your life.

Imagine everything you've ever known changing in a heartbeat, just because your father or mother has on lust-goggles and is being led around by a body part that shouldn't get a say in your life. I was frustrated, angered, and hurt for both Finn & Willa.

Should children get a say in their parents' love lives? NO. But they should be taken into consideration and treated with respect, instead of throwaway objects used as props and remembered when the parents need a 'family' experience & this isn't just something that happens in books, more like the majority of homes. Just thinking of how powerless this leaves the children gives me the shakes.

Willa finds out her absentee father is marrying a superstar actress, after he fails to tell her he's even dating anyone. Just shows up and drops it into her lap. There's a level of betrayal, as the man who was written to be her partner in crime is so love-fogged he notices nothing but his new fiancée. But as you read along, the reader realizes the father was built up in the daughter's mind, and not at all her partner and knight in shining armor. Willa's emotions are written across the pages, and the reader feels them with her. Several gut-wrenching moments, and a few time tears escaped my eyes.

The narrators are both Willa, and her soon-to-be stepbrother/love interest, Finn. But Willa has the most page time. They are polar opposites except in the way they love their respective parent, so this gives the reader a 360-degree view of the storyline.

This is in no way a standalone, but not a cliffhanger. The ending was definitive in respect to the storyline, but it left a major thirst for more. That addictive 'what's next?' sensation that has a reader one-clicking the next in the series, and that's a very good thing in my opinion.

I can't wait for book #2, and I can already guess it's going to be an angst-fest of epic proportions with the threads opened near the end of book #1. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

Young Adult age range: 12+

Emily McKay is a life-long fan of books, pop-culture and anything geeky. She has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do baking cookies. She lives in central Texas with her husband, kids, two mildly-psychotic dogs, a three-legged cat and eleven chickens.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of How Willa Got Her Groove Back (Creative HeArts #2; Willa and Finn #1) by Emily McKay to read and review.

Finding the Sky by A.M. Burns

Dillon Smith is so ready for the school year to be over, because he’ll get some relief from the gang that’s been pressuring him to join them. Unfortunately, when he stops for a soda, he’s implicated in the gang robbing a convenience store. Given his late father’s association with the gang, even his mother doesn’t believe him when he says he wants no part of it, and she sends him to live with his Uncle Bryan for the summer.

On the way to his uncle’s house in the country, he and Bryan rescue a hawk that was hit by a semitruck. They take it to some wildlife rehabbers living down the street, and they help open Dillon to experiences he never imagined.

When Dillon meets Scott, the son of the rehabbers, he falls in love, but the gang has a rough summer planned for him.

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Harmony Ink

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Jonah – ☆☆☆☆☆
Being a teenager, it’s hard for me to find a book I can connect with. Reading Finding the Sky made me realize that there are books I can connect with.

As the final bell of Dillon's sophomore year, he would have never expected to end up where he is now. As Dillon walked home from school on the last day he stopped at a corner mart to get a soda. A gang called the Shanks started to rob the store. As the robbery started it ended just as fast with the cashier pulling out a pistol. Dillon was taken to the police station and was questioned about the incident.

When Dillon was home, his mother called her brother, Bryan. Bryan offered to take Dillon for the summer to keep him away from the Shanks and any other trouble. On Dillon's way to Uncle Bryan's, a truck hits a hawk. Dillon and Bryan picked it up to take to the rehabilitation center.

When the two get to Uncle Bryan's house Dillon meets a boy named Scott, the son of the rehabilitation center's owners. Anytime Dillon is around Scott he gets these weird feelings that he can't describe. As the summer goes on, Dillon's feelings get stronger, and the trouble with the Shanks increase.

I love the way this book flowed, I didn't want it to end! I look forward to reading more from A.M. Burns.


Shannan – ☆☆☆☆
I usually don't read within this genre and haven't in a long time but I'm glad I took the time to pick this one up.

Dillon begins his summer at the police station, two kids are dead and he's suspected of being involved. Everyone thinks he's part of the Shanks, a local gang. His mom doesn't know what to believe. The only option she has is to send him to live with his Uncle Bryan for the summer.

When Dillon meets the neighbors’ son, Scott, he's happy to have someone his age to hang around with for the summer. Spending more and more time with Scott brings up feelings he's never quite understood or expected.

Finding the Sky is an innocent coming out love story. It was a quick sweet read.


Erica – ☆☆☆
Finding the Sky is surely to resonate with young adult readers, especially male teens who are going through a similar situation. The novel is fast-paced, innocent. There are difficult situations shown, but the author doesn't dive too deep, not enough to terrify the youngest of the readers or connect the oldest of readers.

Dillon is a quiet, unassuming kid dealing with a gang trying to jump him in at every turn, while having insecurities about his mixed race. Gang violence during a robbery that turns tragic is the main setup that leads Dillon to the country to live with his uncle.

From that point on, the book isn't too stressful for young readers, but there are still extenuating circumstances that affect Dillon and his uncle – all quickly resolved in a manner that is age appropriate. (Not Dillon's age of 16. Younger, more like 12 years old)

Dillon meets the neighbors, a married gay couple with an adopted gay son who is Dillon's age. I appreciate the singular sentence the author delivers about how Dillon questions how the only characters shown in the book are gay males, understanding, and tolerant in this small Texas town.

The only female shown is Dillon's mother, who is the most intolerant about any given subject. This is always a point of contention with me in LGBTQ novels. In the quest to show tolerance, all women are painted with an evil paintbrush. Being that this was a book for children, it makes it all the worse that there aren't any positive, female role models, or at least some that aren't the antagonists. All readers have a mother, living or dead, sisters, aunts, and teachers, and not all women are bad, or use their wiles to gain favor, simply because they aren't male or gay. I always fear this is a setup for future resentment and disrespect by impressionable readers. Men = good. Women = bad.

Dillon can talk to his uncle about nearly anything, which I appreciate and hope children all have someone they can count on without judgment. Scott, the friend/love interest who has Dillon questioning his sexuality, then accepting it, is also innocent, understanding, and patient with Dillon, to the point that he seems too perfect and not at all realistic. The respect Scott shows Dillon is sweet and admirable, but so much so than even an emotionally mature male would show his partner. Not at all the behavior of a 16-year-old. Not that I expected them to act like idiots, but the life experience to learn this level of respect, patience, and understanding doesn't happen overnight. Since this is fiction, flaws make characters relatable. There are no flaws in any characters but the sole female written on the pages.

There are hints that Scott's dads and Dillon's uncle are fooling around. Hints. While this is awesome and intriguing for adult readers, it sets an example that gays can't be monogamous. I'm reviewing this title for parents to use as a guide to whether or not their youngsters should read Finding the Sky. While this is so underlying, the youngest of readers won't pick it up, the older teens will. So I hope parents open a dialogue that no matter the sexual inclination, there are different types of relationships, none right or wrong. But I felt I should mention this in my review.

All in all, for the young adult readers' standpoint, especially young males, Finding the Sky will be a comfort read for them, without too much realism to terrify them.

Which brings me to adult readers, both male and female, who will find what the youngest readers thought appealing to be not quite enough of a hook. I enjoyed Finding the Sky, but felt it too fast-paced, too quick to gloss over the important details, which lead me to a feeling of disconnect.

Written in third person, the author tried to find a way for the reader to personally connect with the narrator by using first person inner monologue in italics. If anything, this had the opposite effect, because it was jarring, awkward, and out of the flow of the overall storyline.

Since I am an adult, and can only empathize with the younger readers, combining the first person italics issue with the stilted, wooden dialogue, and the too perfect characters, I felt three stars from the adult perspective was the most I could hand out, even if I believe most young adults would find it a 5 star read.

Young adult age range: 12+. Slight violence: known but not shown, even in the moment. First love/innocent romance and the journey to discover one's sexual identity.

Urban fantasy writer, falconer and all around good guy. Author of the popular Yellow Sky series.

A.M. Burns lives in the Colorado Rockies with his partner, several dogs, cats, horses, and birds. When he’s not writing, he’s often fixing fences, splitting wood, hiking in the mountains, or flying his hawks. He’s enjoyed writing since he was in high school, but it wasn’t until the past few years that he’s begun truly honing his craft. He is the president of the Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group: www.csfwg.org. Having lived both in Colorado and Texas, rugged frontier types and independent attitudes often show up in his work.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Finding the Sky by A.M. Burns to read and review.

Lumière by Jacqueline E. Garlick

Even in a land of eternal twilight, secrets can’t stay in the dark forever.

Seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth has only one hope left: finding her late father’s most prized invention, the Illuminator. It’s been missing since the day of the mysterious flash—a day that saw the sun wiped out forever over England.

But living in darkness is nothing new to Eyelet. She’s hidden her secret affliction all of her life—a life that would be in danger if superstitious townspeople ever guessed the truth. And after her mother is accused and executed for a crime that she didn’t commit, the now-orphaned Eyelet has no choice but to track down the machine that was created with the sole purpose of being her cure.

Alone and on the run, she finally discovers the Illuminator—only to see a young man hauling it off. Determined to follow the thief and recover the machine, she ventures into the deepest, darkest, most dangerous part of her twisted world.

Revised edition: This edition of Lumière includes editorial revisions.

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
As an adult reviewing a young adult book, I try to place myself back to how I used to think as a fifteen-year-old. I do believe Lumière will be a thrilling adventure for a teen, but it was difficult for the adult in me to enjoy it. Usually there is no issue, but in this case, the adult in me tainted the experience.

Lumière's beginning was slightly difficult to read, but filled with rich details that immerses the reader into the story. We meet Eyelet, who comes off as frantic, not thinking of consequences and just acting. Aside from important details being left out, leaving the reader confused, Eyelet was what made Lumière difficult for me to read. Impulsive, entitled, pushy, she is the epitome of what I would not like a teen to behave like. It's amazing she made it to the age of seventeen without someone clocking her.

With that being said, the addition of epilepsy made Eyelet more human to me, and made her journey and adventures more realistic in nature. Orphaned, on the run, Eyelet searches for the machine her father built to diagnose and cure her epilepsy, fearing being turned in for being Mad. (Click HERE for spoiler.)

Urlick was interesting to meet, with his intriguing backstory and physical maladies, but his nice & nasty attitude turned me off to him in a nanosecond. So what made the book most difficult to read is that not only couldn't I connect to either narrator, I actually disliked them on a personal level. In real life, if I met either of them, I wouldn't befriend them unless their behavior changed. So no matter how engrossing the storyline was, I had to suffer through the storytellers.

Steampunk: richly detailed, slightly confusing as names of things were never explained. The timeline: one paragraph to the next, where the scene flowed in the blink of an eye, a page later Eyelet would say it was the next day, not two minutes later, but nothing happened in between. At one point, it was 3 weeks later, from one scene to the next, but Eyelet thought to herself how she was mean to Urlick the day before (a major event in the book – the storm approaching) but it was most certainly three entire weeks (the passing storm and the two weeks after waiting for the criminals to be dropped off). This type of thing happened several times, confusing me further.

In conclusion: Lumière will delight young adult readers who don't have the capacity to look deeper beneath the plot issues. If steampunk is your genre of choice, no doubt this will be a great read.

I would read more by this author, as I enjoyed their storytelling and voice, but I will not be continuing on with this series as I did not enjoy Eyelet or Urlick as narrators.

Genre: Steampunk | Young Adult | Carnival curiosities |

Age range: 12+. Set in the Victorian era, Lumière adheres to rules of the era. No cussing, sexual content, slight violence. A recommended read for Young Adult who enjoy Steampunk or Fantasy.

What can I say? I love to write. I write every single day. When I'm not writing, I'm reading, or learning something new to incorporate into my business. (Yes, I run my own business...and love every minute of it!) My favourite moments in writing, are when the characters come to life in front of me and start arguing with me on my desk. I love when scenes download that way. Just like a movie. I call it being in the zone. Only trouble is, when I get in the zone, I can't get out of it. Once I'm in, I swear a bomb could go off and I wouldn't notice. Thus, children are sometimes left at school, and I'm notoriously late for everything. But just think what wonderful creations I'd miss out on if this weird phenomenon didn't exist in me!

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Lumière (The Illumination Paradox #1) by Jacqueline E. Garlick to read and review.

Until Beth by Lisa Amowitz

She doesn’t just play, she kills it.

Talented rock guitarist Beth Collins has been barely holding herself together for months, ever since her boyfriend and bandmate became the latest victim in a string of suspicious disappearances. When her brother is injured an accident and she sees something dark billowing around him as he hovers close to death, she’s convinced her sanity is collapsing for good.

Then she's accepted by a boarding school for the musically gifted. All of her new friends are bursting with talent, but they're also keeping secrets. Can she trust Vincent, who's so sweet that his very touch makes her fears melt away? Or Xavier, who's trying to tell her something but is hiding even more?

And will anyone be safe when her true Talent comes out?

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆
Until Beth started out strong, very engaging and fast-paced, but it turned frustrating and extremely confusing.

Beth is grieving over the loss of her bandmate/boyfriend, as well as trying to figure out why children have been coming up missing in her small town. On the same night a scout from a prominent school shows interest in her, her brother's friend tries to assault her, and the brother and his friend are in an accident. This all happens so very quickly in the first chapter, setting up the beyond confusing events of the entire book.

I enjoyed the characterization, the story itself, and the inventiveness of the Talents. In a way, it reminded me of Xavier's school for Gifted Youngsters (Marvel's X-men). In fact, a main character is named Xavier.

But this all fell short with the execution of the storytelling. To me, it felt as if it was written as if the reader should know/understand what was going on because the author knew. There were huge plot holes that were never resolved, or just remembered near the end and quickly explained in a way that was out of place in the current scene.

Beth was 100% clueless (not clueless TSTL girl, but clueless to her predicament) from page one to the end as a way to keep the reader just as clueless, and this led to a very frustrating reading experience. After finishing it, I don't feel as if I know anything about the Talent system, because Beth didn't. It felt as if the author was making it up as they wrote the novel, and failed to go back and fill in the holes in the beginning. As a writer myself, I feel it evolved into something that wasn't the intention from the start. Like the initial idea was a Young Adult mystery surrounding music, but changed to paranormal.

In hopes of feeling Young Adult, the usual dances, crushes, and kissing were injected. But often at extremely odd times. Beth would be a dead girl walking, a minute later her girlfriend would shoo Vincent away, they'd giggle, and get ready for a dance. (No sleep, no food, no shower after crawling out of a labyrinth & nearly dying?) The amount of times that Beth kissed Vincent after thinking of Sam was beyond bizarre, right down to the final paragraph of the book itself. "Let's go find Sam!" ... we kissed and didn't come up for air for a very long time. The author was pushing to create a quadrangle between Beth, the missing Sam, Vincent, and Xavier. Vincent doesn't fit in the angle whatsoever, but he's the one Beth's always reluctantly macking on. Bizarre.

Will adult readers enjoy this book? Probably. There is mystery because it's meant to be a mystery, and then there is a mystery because of the execution of a storyline completely leaving out necessary information in a timely manner. It's enjoyable for an adult if they read as quickly as possible so they don't realize a lot is getting skipped. I basically just read the book, because it flowed from A to D with the reader just guessing how the author arrived at D, filling in B & C for themselves or not at all; and no, B & C were never explained.

Will Young Adult readers like this book? Most certainly. There is mystery to keep them interested. Action and paranormal elements. Characters who have crushes on one another (this is a bit forced from an adult POV).

Will I read the next in the series? I'm on the fence, as I did enjoy the story that was trying to be told, and I'm curious to see if the author's storytelling abilities improve, but I feel a bit let down after such a strong start devolved into an oddly paced book with a Talent system that was never fully developed nor explained.

Genre: Young Adult | Science Fiction/Paranormal | Mystery Suspense |

Age range: 14+ due to mild violence, grief, sexual contact is only kissing except for an interrupted assault.

Lisa Amowitz is an artist and graphic designer by trade, but writing has always been a deep and abiding passion. As a mom of an actual teen, she's not just writing YA; she's living it. Lisa is a member of Enchanted Inkpot, a YA fantasy blog.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Until Beth (Life & Beth #1) by Lisa Amowitz to read and review.

Cover Reveal – The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow

A DEMIGOD WHO CAN KILL WITH A TOUCH. IT’S AN ABILITY THAT MUST BE KEPT SECRET FROM EVERYONE, EVEN FROM THOSE TRUSTED MOST.

Finding out that her new school had her in a special homeroom for witches was strange enough, but now Nicole must face the realization that she has the rare power to kill with just a touch. It’s a secret she needs to keep not only from the Head Elders, but from the super-sexy witch Blake, who she’s had undeniable chemistry with even before he broke up with his long-term girlfriend, the vengeful witch Danielle.

Now Nicole and the four others gifted with powers over the elements, including Blake and Danielle, must stop a series of monsters that they previously believed to be dead from rising once again and destroying the mortal world. Three magical items are needed, including the blood of the slain hydra – ingredients that they must journey to the dangerous, mystical islands in Greece to retrieve.

The monsters they face on this journey will be more threatening than anything they’ve encountered yet. But with the fate of the world on their shoulders, it’s up to the Elementals to return home victorious. Will they find the ingredients they need? Can Nicole and her friends pull off this mission while the tension between her, Blake, and Danielle threatens to ruin everything? And how long will it be until Nicole is forced to use her ability to kill in front of everyone, revealing the true darkness of her powers?

Find out in The Blood of the Hydra, and join the Elementals on their next journey in their quest to save the world – or die trying.

Book 2
Releases April 18^th

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B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo


Also Available in the Elementals Series

Book 1
Releases January 26^th

Pre-Order Links

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B&N  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo

Michelle Madow has always loved writing stories, but the possibility of being an author used to feel more like a dream than a reality. She didn’t share her stories with anyone until her junior year of college, when she signed up for an Intro to Creative Writing course. Her teacher and classmates read the first chapter of a book idea she had, and they loved it so much that they told her she had to finish the book so they could find out what happened next. By the end of the school year, Michelle finished that book, which would later be published as her first novel, Remembrance.

Michelle grew up in Baltimore, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she writes books for young adults. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

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