Mini Reviews: Waterfall & Firelight

I've seen quite a few other bloggers do mini reviews before, and I thought it was the best idea! The two books I'm featuring today are books I read during the time I was taking a break from blogging. I really enjoyed both, and didn't want to leave them unmentioned, so here we are! I'm not including the synopsis', but the title links go to each book's Goodreads page, and the synopsis is front and center there. :)

Title: Waterfall (River of Time #1)
Author: Lisa T. Bergren
Release date: February 1, 2011
Publisher: David C. Cook
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

I picked up Waterfall on a whim one day. I am so glad to say it was one of the best whim purchases I've made! I loved loved loved the setting--ancient Italy--since I'm an Italian minor and it doesn't seem like there's a whole ton of young adult fiction set in Italy. The story of Gabi and Lia's adventure is super fun and fast-paced. With handsome knights, sword fights, and an ancient feud, how can you go wrong? This is a book that immediately immerses you in the story and the world and just doesn't let go. Gabi is a compelling heroine and has a great voice; she is snarky and sarcastic and just fun to read. The romance between Gabi and Marcello is just the perfect amount of swoony. So, needless to say, Waterfall left me thirsty for more and I can't wait to read the sequel, Cascade!

Title: Firelight (Darkest London #1)
Author: Kristen Callihan
Release date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Forever
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Another book I picked up on a whim! Unlike Waterfall, though, Firelight is far from what I normally read. This is an adult paranormal romance. What sold me, though, was the idea of a story that included elements from Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera--my favorite Disney movie of all time and one of my favorite musicals of all time; there's very little I could do to resist reading this. Luckily, this whim purchase paid off as well! Miranda and Archer have great chemistry and it was so fun reading the evolution of their relationship as both learned to rely on and trust the other. The mystery is truly a mystery that one does not guess easily, and the plot was creative and original--definitely one I've not seen before. I am so glad I went out of my norm to read this book! (Note: Since I do review almost exclusively YA here, I have to point out that Firelight is an adult romance novel, and therefore much more explicit in content than young adult books.)