Book name- Unclaimed by Laurie Wetzel

 Genre- YA Paranormal Romance

Release date-8/11/2014

Goodreads Link-https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22880946-unclaimed?ac=1 



Synopsis:



 Abandoned by her birth parents and ignored by her adoptive family, Maddy Page believes she is unlovable. She only allows herself to dream of falling in love. That changes when she meets MJ; handsome and kind, MJ penetrates Maddy's defenses. Maddy soon finds herself confiding in MJ like she has with no one else, revealing secrets even her closest friends don't know. He makes her feel safe--a feeling she's never experienced except in her dreams.

When Maddy witnesses MJ disappear and reappear in thin air, she realizes she might have been wrong about him. He could be dangerous--maybe even a killer. Determined to uncover the truth of who--or what--MJ is, Maddy ignores her instinct to run. But she soon realizes that getting close to MJ could cost more than a broken heart--it could cost Maddy her soul.



 Buy Links-



 Kobo:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/unclaimed-6

Copia:
http://www.thecopia.com/catalog/details.html?catId=16411029

iBooks:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/unclaimed/id909062319?mt=11

Scribd:http://www.scribd.com/book/236768070/Unclaimed

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Unclaimed-Laurie-Wetzel-ebook/dp/B00MMMF8B0/ref=la_B00MG2J8UI_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409422585&sr=1-1

  Excerpt 1



 My entire body pulses in the wake of his touch. His words “if you were mine” keep circling around in my head, and with each rotation, something inside me grows. He makes me feel happy and less broken. I feel I could take on the world as long as he’s beside me. Whatever he is, I don’t care. I’ve never felt anything like this, and I’ll go to Hell and back to keep it. Regardless of what happens to me, I have to protect him. I have to keep him safe, always.
He grins and squeezes my hand again. My body responds with such intensity, I almost feel as if I were floating. I don’t want it to ever stop. I want to stay strong. I want to be brave. I want to feel safe. He gives me all of that. I want to hold him forever, even if it’s only his hand.
“Tomorrow,” he says, pulling me from my thoughts. “I’ll find a way to see you.”
“Promise?”



  Author Bio:



 Laurie Wetzel has always had a passion for writing, but it wasn’t until a New Years Resolution in 2011 that she finally shared her lifelong dream of being an author with her husband. He read the very first draft of Unclaimed and gave her the words she needed to hear, “This is what you need to be doing.” Three years later the first book in the Unclaimed series was published with the second book expected to be out in 2015. Laurie lives in Mankato, MN, with her husband and two young sons. When she’s not writing, working, or spending time with her family, she’s either reading, running, or catching up on her favorite shows on Netflix. For updates on the Unclaimed series as well as other works in progress, feel free to check her out online!



 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LaurieRWetzel

 Twitter: http://twitter.com/Laurie_Wetzel

Website: http://lauriewetzel.com

About the Author: Ruth Silver is the best-selling author of ABERRANT, a young adult dystopian adventure series published by Patchwork Press and Lazy Day Publishing. Silver attended Northern Illinois University and graduated with a Bachelor's in Communication in the spring of 2005. While in college, she spent much of her free time writing with friends she met online and penning her first novel, Deuces are Wild, which she self-published in 2004. Her love of writing led her on an adventure in 2007 to Melbourne, Australia. Silver enjoys reading, photography, traveling and most of all writing. She loves dystopian, paranormal, and fantasy young adult stories. Ruth has been actively writing since she was a teenager. She currently resides in Plainfield, Illinois.

I'm a big fan of the paranormal and YA books. The cover art of Beyond the Eyes caught my attention, and after I read the description, I just had to buy it.

I thought the character of Paige Reed was very refreshing. I like characters who experience growth. At the start of the book this character is a very vulnerable 17 year-old who really has no family in her life. She relies upon friends to fill this void, and I absolutely love that. The friends were different and quirky, but also very supportive - which is a good combination to have.

Rebekkah Ford does a wonderful job of conveying daily life of teenagers. We follow Paige through a school day, on a date, chatting with friends, etc. It has been a long time since I've been in high school, but I felt like the naivety and purity of the young teenage experience is captured in such a beautiful way in this book, that it felt like I was in high school again (in a good way).

Without giving any spoilers away, the story follows a young girl during a huge loss in her life. It is at a time where an underlying truth is told to her and she has a huge decision to make. Throw on a first love, a love triangle, an enchanted object, premonitions, and attempts on her life, and you have one fabulous story that just begs for a part 2 and (hopefully) a part 3.

I was really excited about the love triangle aspect and I am hoping to see more of Brayden in the next book. I think Rebekkah Ford has really set up the sequel nicely for this character. The love interest, Nathan, is portrayed as the sweet, ever-caring, gorgeous boyfriend (and heck, who wouldn't fall instantly in love with him?) and I think Nathan and Brayden play well off of each other. I'm hoping the next book really expands upon the conflict of these three characters. Sorry, I can't share more due to spoilers.

I was shocked by another review of this story that claimed that the character Paige cried too much. Given how much turmoil is in her life, and at such a young age that she is experiencing it, I think the character was quite strong. She would tell herself not to cry during stressful times, but then would cry and fall apart (like any teenage girl with no family support) would afterwards. I found her weaknesses to be believable, and I loved the growth she had throughout the story. The Paige at the start of the book is not the same young woman we find at the end. My hope is that she continues to grow in the following books since I do plan on buying them. 

Regina M. "Lover of Paranormal Romances"