Hi! I’m so excited to be participating in the read-a-long for Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins.  This is being hosted by the cool Magical Urban Fantasy Reads.

This book has been out for several months and although I owned it, I hadn’t gotten the chance to read it because of so many other things I needed to read for tours and such.  So when I saw this read-a-long, I thought it would be a great chance to get the book read in a leisurely manner 🙂

If you hadn’t heard about this book, let me tell you more about it.

Book Description

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

This week’s theme is ROAD TRIPS!

I’m not the biggest fan of the trip itself, and honestly when I was younger I used to get really bad carsickness.  It’s pretty much gone though now that I’m grown up!

What do I always bring with me?

Vanilla Coke–My favorite soda EVER. It’s actually pretty rare where I live, so when I find some at a gas station along the way I always buy it.

Beef Jerky–Keeps your jaw busy chewing, and also give you protein to kill your hunger for a longer amount of time.

MP3 Player–Yes, this is my actual MP3 player 🙂 I have an adapter that connects it to our car stereo.  My husband and I both like wide varieties of music, so this thing is jam packed with everyone from The Used, to George Strait, to Boyz II Men.

I think that’s about it…I am pretty happy to just kick back and enjoy the scenery.

My Thoughts on Sweet Evil Thus Far:

Well, I have had VERY mixed results with angel/Nephilim books, so I’m anxious to see where this leads.  Anna is a goody two shoes who is extremely sheltered.  She actually reminds me of myself when I was in high school.  I am a bit perplexed as to how someone like Anna could be best friends with a guy like Jay…he seems way more outgoing and popular.

Kaiden (pronounced Ky-den, but I keep saying Kay-den in my head) is just alright so far.  There hasn’t been that much interaction between him and Anna, and what there has been was very rushed and a bit confusing (for Anna and me both).  I definitely don’t get the smoldering sex god vibe yet, but maybe it’s yet to come.  A British accent gives him points in my book, however!

Fave Quote So Far:

Anna: “…and as far as having…you know…”

“What?” Kaiden asked.

My chest heated and it spread through my face and limbs.

Kaiden: “You’re too embarrassed to say it?  Sex. Go ahead, give it a go.  Sexsexsex.”

It’s not too late to enter the read-a-long!  Click the banner at the top for info.  Just for joining, you could win your choice of FIVE ARC’S!

I’m plugging right along into Week 3 of the Pushing the Limits Read-a-Long!

I’m not sure how I feel about the book yet…but hopefully by the end I will love it, as I have seen so many others have!

Here are my answers for this week’s questions.

1. In the beginning of this section Noah decides to ignore Echo because he’s angry and hurt. What did you think of this? Have you ever experienced a friendship that went awry and they started ignoring you?

During college I lost my friendship with my best friend in high school.  Now, I realize it was probably for the best, since our lives went in such different directions.  But then, I couldn’t understand what went wrong and it hurt, a lot.  These days I realize that the only people I can depend on are my family.

2. Noah has a bit of a false reputation. Everyone thinks he’s a big druggie and a guy that just randomly hooks up with girls. While some of it is true to a certain extent, we see it’s not really him. Have you ever had a false reputation where people draw their own conclusions? Do you think Noah should do something to make people not think that about him?

Somewhat.  I’ve heard that some people might think I’m stuck up or snobby, but the truth is I’m just not a very social person.  I don’t think Noah cares much about what his schoolmates think about him.  He only has to prove himself to Noah and his brothers.

3. Ashley finds out she’s having a boy and informs Echo she will have a brother ‘again’. Echo took this very personally and was extremely upset. Do you think Echo overreacted? Do you think Ashley meant that the new brother would replace her brother?

No, I don’t think Echo overreacted at all.  I’m very undecided about Ashley–I can’t tell if she really wants to bond with Echo, or if she just wants Echo to go back to her old life.  I myself only have one brother, and there’s no way he could ever be replaced.

4. Echo doesn’t remember what happened with her mother and for this reason she has trouble seeing her the way everyone else does. She can’t seem to not miss her and still wants to talk to her. Do you think she should pursue finding her mom? Do you think it will help her or do you think she would be in danger?

I don’t think there’s a right answer to this question.  A child always misses her parent, no matter what wrong things they might have done in the past.  If Echo does decide to meet her, I think she should ease into it and make sure her mom is fully healed.

5. Noah doesn’t trust the people who have his brothers because of his own past situations. He decides to seek out a lawyer himself and try to get custody. Do you think this is his best move? Do you think there are some other options he should consider? 

I know that Noah desperately wants his young brothers back, but I kind of agree with Mrs. Collins in that it would be very difficult for an 18 year old to raise two boys.  Noah should probably at least try to get a stable job and home first.

6. Echo finds out that Noah and his parents built houses for Habitat for Humanity. Have you ever volunteered for something like that? What is a cause that you feel strongly about?

In college I spent time on fundraising for St. Jude’s, and I still make donations.  Any cause that helps children is worthwhile.

Welcome to week two of the Pushing the Limits Read-a-Long.  The book is definitely delving into more serious territory now 🙂

Here are my answers for the week’s questions.

Questions Week 2: Pages  85 – 162

1.  Noah and Echo create a plan to read their files.  What do you think of this plan?  Would you read your friend’s file first knowing you might not have time to read your own?  Would you want to read your own file?

I am kind of split about their plan.  On one hand, I know their files contain information they desperately need and want to know.  But on the other hand, it may hurt them more than help them.  Echo is working slowly towards recovering her memories, and having them all come rushing back my reading her file will not be great for her already fragile psyche.  Noah wants to know where his brothers are living, but he will probably set himself back a lot by going to their home.  I would not read my friend’s file first, I’d read my own.

2. Mrs. Collins starts to earn Noah’s trust by taking him to see his brother win a writing contest.  What do you think of how she’s handling Noah?  How would you feel if you were in Noah’s position, hearing that your brother sees you as his hero?

I believe she had to take this track because of the nonchalant way he had been acting in their sessions, mouthing off and even skipping them.  By showing him what he’s working toward, it may help him open up to her.  My heart melted when I read that scene, and I know if one of my siblings had written that about me, I would be a puddle on the floor. 🙂

3. Echo is starting to draw and paint again.  She’s starting to express the feelings and what she’s seeing as she’s starting to remember what happened that day.  Art therapy seems to be a popular way for people to deal with their feelings. Why do you think Echo’s dad didn’t want her to continue with art since it was such a big part of her and is part of so many people’s therapy in dealing with similar issues?

I’m not sure at all about his reasons for this.  It almost feels like he doesn’t want her to remember.  I hope it is because he feels he is protecting her from having to deal with those traumatic memories.

4.  We see how crazy Beth’s home life is and we start to understand why she is not as keen to be trusting with people in her life.  At the same time, we get to see how fiercely loyal Noah is.  What do you think of the way Noah reacted to Beth being beaten by her mother’s boyfriend?  Do you think it’s showing bad behavior that could get Noah in more trouble or the act of a true friend?

I don’t think this was great behavior at all from Noah.  I know he wanted to protect his friend, but the potential of getting in trouble with the law wouldn’t be very good for the prospect of getting back his brothers.  I believe since he has been in foster homes for so long, violence is how he responds to situations now.

5.  Echo has an unusual name.  What do you think of the story behind it?  Is there a Greek Myth or other story that would inspire you to name a child after a character?

Well, I can’t say I love the name, and I didn’t understand why her mom would have wanted to name her after such a depressing story.  My child’s name is Nathaniel–I wanted something that wasn’t that common (such as the Aidens and Cadens of the world) but still wasn’t too out there.

6.  Echo’s big thing is trying to find “normal” again.  She doesn’t want to be the scared girl or the girl who can’t remember what happened to her, she just wants to be normal.  This goal impacts her relationships with her family, friends, Noah and her ex Luke.   But at the end of this section, Echo is starting to figure out that there’s no going back to old normal and she’s going to have to find a new normal.   How big of a step is it for Echo when she realizes she’s not “in” love with Luke and figures out that she does need to find a new normal?

Luke is a pretty horrible and inconsiderate dude, so I’m happy she realizes the truth.  It’s very important for her to move on from the toxic people in her old life…normal doesn’t mean the same thing for every person.

It’s not to late to join the read-a-long!  Click the banner at the top for more info 🙂