The Madly Series by M.Leighton Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the awesome Madly Series by M. Leighton hosted by A Tale of Many Reviews. I read this series a while ago and fell in love with it. Completely.

Goodreads Description:

Madly is your average nearly-eighteen year old girl—for a princess, that is.

Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in the small town of Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, the magically-protected home of Madly’s race. A traitor has set free eight Lore, the spirits of what humans know as fairy tales, and they are making their way to Slumber to awaken their descendants.

In order to save her home, the lives of her family, and all of humanity, Madly must learn to wield her exceptional powers and recapture the Lore before it’s too late and all is lost. But Madly’s only help are her two best friends and the Sentinel, Jackson Hamilton, that threatens both her heart and her destiny. Madly has loved Jackson as long as she can remember, but he is the one thing even a princess can’t have. Can she resist love to become the queen she was fated to be? Or can she find a way to have both?

This novelette introduces you to Madly and prepares you for the quest of a lifetime.

What did I think?

In this short, first installment in the Madly series, we are introduced to the world of mermaids. I’ve never read a mermaid book before (*gasp* a mermaid virgin) and I am glad to say that I took the chance and read this one. I am now officially a team mermaid kind of gal.

I will be honest and say that I did not know that this was based off mermaids when I picked this gem up. I picked it up because my good friend Autumn at The Autumn Review raved about it and I love the covers (yes I am a cover slut hehe).

Let me tell you that in this short novella, a lot of interesting things happen and you get introduced to a wonderful collection of characters. Madly (love the name btw), Jersey, Aiden, and Jackson (insert swoon here). I love the humor, comraderie and overall loyalty that all these friends have to each other.

Let me just get a quick insert on Jackson. Completely swoon-worthy and the epitome of a man. He smolders. Like whoa. You can tell there is something between him and Madly but it’s forbidden. Which, in my opinion, always makes for a good time (wink wink). Ha!

Madly is a wonderful character and she seems to be a more mature teenager which was really nice. I liked seeing her step up to take action and know that she has the backing of her friends and the strength that she can do it. It was awesome.

Leighton does an ah-mazing job of snapping her fingers and grabbing your attention. She seriously has a way with words and has climbed up to the top of my “most favored authors” list.

I love her take on the normal fairy tales and her twist on them. It makes for an unbelieveable story. I cannot WAIT to read more of these 4 in the next installment.

Favorite Quote:

“Jacksonm what if I fail?”

Cobalt eyes searched mine and I saw a softening-ever-so-slight though it was-in the glittering depths.

“I won’t let you fail.”

~*Madly & Wolfhardt*~

Goodreads description:

Madly is your average nearly-eighteen year old girl—for a princess, that is.

Madly James is thoroughly enjoying her internship in the small town of Slumber when the unthinkable happens—there’s a prison break in Atlas, the magically-protected home of Madly’s race. A traitor has set free eight Lore, the spirits of what humans know as fairy tales, and they are making their way to Slumber to awaken their descendants.

The first spirit to arrive is that of Ulrich Wolfhardt, a man that was once obsessed with wolves and a young maiden he would follow through the woods. After a bite from a wolf, Wolfhardt’s obsession with the girl became an unnatural hunger and the young maiden’s grandmother cursed him with a fate worse than death. And now he’s back…with a vengeance and a bite that can infect others as well.

Madly must learn the identity of Wolfhardt’s descendant and stop him before he kills again and spreads his curse across the earth. But the only person strong enough to help Madly is Jackson, the Sentinel who vowed to protect her and the one person capable of breaking her heart. Can Madly resist forbidden love long enough to save the world from Wolfhardt? Or will she have to sacrifice her heart and her destiny to save the ones she loves?

What did I think?

After reading Madly, there really was no stopping me. Leighton does an amazing job of making her books completely addicting. Her characters are loveable and funny and her writing is fantastic.

In this second installment, Madly must save her world from the Lore. Madly must find Wolfhardt and capture him to save her city.

I loved, loved, LOVED Leighton’s twist on the whol Red Riding Hood story. I didn’t realize that the Lore they were talking about really was fairy tale lore. It was a fresh new twist on an old story and it was so fascinating.

Along the way, we learn more about Madly and what she is capable of. I liked how the water and magic is worked into finding Wolfhardt and capturing him. Jackson and Madly are a great team and it shows.

Speaking of Jackson and Madly, their connection sparks all over the pages.
There is definately something there and it’s hot. I mean, you only get a small taster of Jackson in the first novella but there is plenty in this one. Oh man *fans self*. Jackson is one of my top ten fictional hotties.

Leighton’s writing just gets better and better the more this series goes and I cannot wait to read the next one. I flew through this. Like, F-L-E-W!! I devoured the book. Every. Single. Page.

Aiden and Jersey are ever present and add the perfect balance to the action, tension and angst in this book. Leighton has trapped me in this world and I do not want to get out of it.

Favorite Quote:

When his eyes searched mine, I knew that he saw the truth of my words. There was no denying it, no arguing about it. He was mine and I was his, and our future, whatever it held, was meant for both of us. And we’d face it together. Always.

 

~*Madly & The Jackal*~

Goodreads Description:

How deep does love run? Deeper than the ocean? Deeper than memory? Deeper than magic?

Following their plan to save Atlas, Madly and Jackson return the spirit of Wolfhardt to his prison beneath the sea. But even the best laid plans couldn’t account for the surprises they find. This time, Lore aren’t their only challenges.

Madly is special in ways no one could have guessed and dark forces seek to control her. They want her power, but first they must weaken her. They need her beaten. Vulnerable. Near death. And alone. But that task isn’t an easy one with Jackson at her side. The strongest of their kind, the only way to separate Jackson from Madly is to destroy his love for her, to erase it from his mind. And his heart.

Is it possible to steal Jackson’s love from Madly? Or is their love the only truly unbreakable thing?

 

 

What did I think?

This picks up EXACTLY right where Wolfhardt left off. I mean there really is no stop to pause and take a breath. It’s crazy.

I will freely admit that I adore this series. Completely adore it. There is no way you cannot love it.

Starting this book, I had NO idea where Leighton was going to take me. I thought Wolfhardt was bad ass. Boy was I wrong. The Jackal totally creeped me out. Seriously. I am amazed at this woman’s storytelling time and time again. She take my breath away.

Leighton’s twist on lore and fairy tales is a fresh and interesting take. It really surprised me and made me fall in love with her yet again. She amazes me to no end and she is a fantastic person to boot.

Madly and Jackson are yet again against the world to try and save Atlas. They are up amazing obstacles and just keep overcoming each one. I loved the twists and dramatic turns this book had to offer.

There were so many things in here that I was not expecting to happen and event though some of them broke my heart, there were so many points that my heart soared.

Jackson is seriously all hot. H-O-T-T. I can’t get enough of him. Let me tell you. One word…. SHOWER. Keep that in mind as you’re reading this and you will soon find out why that is a big scene.

Leighton truly has a give of storytelling and is a captivating writer. She pops out these amazing characters that you cannot get enough of.

I reeeeeeeallly cannot wait to see what she pulls out of her sleeve for the next installment in this series. The ending left me on a cliffhanger and I am DESPARATELY waiting to read the next one. You see that?? DESPARATELY!!!

If you haven’t started this series yet, I strongly enourage you to pick this up ASAP. I never thought I’d be into mermaid stories but Leighton has changed my mind. Read it up!

Favorite Quote:

“There are two things I was born to do. One is to protect Atlas,” Jackson began. He paused, tracing a fingertip from my temple to my jaw. “The other is to love you. If you don’t believe in anything else, believe in that. Trust me. Trust in me.”