Nikki Rae Spotlight!

 18 year old Sophie Jean is pretty good at acting normal. Sure, she’s not exactly happy, but happiness is nothing compared to being like everyone else. She can pretend she’s not allergic to the sun. She can hide what her ex-boyfriend did to her. She can cover up the scars she’s made for herself. Ignore anything. Forget anything. Then Myles enters her life, and he has more than a few secrets of his own. When accident after accident keeps happening to Sophie, she can’t help noticing that he’s everywhere. That he knows too much. That she’s remembering too much.

It’s one thing covering up her own dark past, but does she really need to worry about people finding out just how much Myles likes her? Or that despite how much she doesn’t want to repeat past mistakes, she kind of likes him back? Not to mention the fact that she now has to conceal that Myles drinks blood-that he says he’s about four hundred years old.

She almost forgot about that part.

But Sophie has no plans to ruin the normal life she has created for herself. She can deal with this little glitch, no problem. Even if word has gotten around to the wrong vampire about Sophie and Myles, even if she’s putting the few people she loves at risk. Suddenly, those who were monsters before are just people, and the monsters? They’re real. Now being a normal human being is the least of her problems. Now she has to stay alive.

This book was completely unexpected.  And I mean that in the best possible way.

This is the story of Sophie Jean.  She has lead a life where you puts on a brave front, but inside is trying to stuff down the pain from a past filled with physical and sexual abuse.  She doesn’t want to get close to anyone, she doesn’t want friends.  She does want anyone to see who she really is on the inside.  Then a new boy comes to her school, and she is tasked with showing him the ropes.  Myles and Sophie begin to form a sort of friendship that transforms into more for Sophie. Myles then discovers one of Sophie deep, dark secrets and in turn, reveals one of his own.  What will happen when both of them see each other for who they truly are?

Ok…I’m just going to say it.  I have not enjoyed a book of this genre so much since Twilight.  I am NOT saying that it’s like Twilight, because it’s very much its own story.  What I’m talking about is the intensity and complexity of the characters and their feelings for one another.  It simply sucks you in (pun intended). It’s painful to read at times, but the Sophie’s journey is one worth reading.  When she goes into Myles’ world, she transforms, and it’s quite something to experience with her.

The writing of this book is also excellent.  It deals with some pretty heavy topics, but it’s done well.  We all know stuff like that can go south quick!  No nosedives here.  Thank goodness.

Overall, I just thought this was an excellent book.  It starts a little slowly but really builds.  4.5 stars.

       

 Sophie’s life has changed. She’s moved to New York, she’s playing music for new people, and she’s making new friends. Then there’s Myles, and the fact that he is now her boyfriend—and everyone knows it.

She’s not exactly normal, living in a half-human, half-vampire world, but she’s finally, truly happy. However, some parts of Sophie and Myles’ old lives still hide in the dark, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

Sophie’s having nightmares again, but they aren't about her; Myles is hiding something as well, something Sophie isn’t sure she wants to know.

And one lie will change everything.

No matter how hard she tries to cover up the marks her monsters have left behind, they never truly go away, and Myles’ monsters are no different.

Once again, Sophie’s caught between life and death, but this time, only she can save herself.

This is the second book in the Sunshine series.  I LOVED the first book, and I was really nervous about where this was going to go.  I should have been!

In this installment, Sophie and her friends are living their dream in New York, playing music and getting paid for it.  Sophie and Myles are officially together, and life seems to be going well.  However, tragedy strikes and she is plunged into danger.  Will she be strong enough to survive? Can she and Myles make it through together.

Ok, ok, ok…this book has a cliffhanger.  I believe I yelled something along of the lines of “Oh no she didn’t!!!!!” when I got to then end.  ARGH!!!!  Ok, no that I got that off my chest…

This book was just as good as the first in my opinion, but it felt a lot more angsty to me.  We get to know other characters, like Evan, much better and I liked that.  But the give and take between Sophie and Myles in really tense in this book.  They both are keeping secrets from one another.  That I did not like, because in so many ways they are perfect for one another, fit seamlessly into what appears to be each other’s very different worlds.  They have to be together, they just HAVE to!!!!  (as you can tell, I am not involved in a nearly unhealthy capacity with these characters)

This book really made me cry too.  Like, ugly, I think I scared the dog kind of cry. I don’t want to ruin anything by giving away too much, but man on man…it was sad.  But I loved every freaking minute of it.

The creativity of this series is one of the things I most admire about it.  The world building and plot are done so well, it immerses the reader.  I cannot wait to read book 3, and I have a feeling that these characters in this story are some that will be hard to forget, so I may have visit them frequently.  4.5 stars.

       

Nikki Rae is a student and writer who lives in New Jersey. She is an independent author and has appeared numerously on Amazon Best Seller lists. She is the author of The Sunshine Series and concentrates on making her imaginary characters as real as possible. She writes mainly dark, scary, romantic tales, but she’ll try anything once. When she is not writing, reading, or thinking, you can find her spending time with animals, drawing in a quiet corner, or studying people. Closely.

 Goodreads || Twitter || Blog

Facebook || Sunshine Facebook || Tumblr 

a Rafflecopter giveaway