4.5 Stars

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 365

Publisher: Starry Sky Publishing

Best for: 17+

Check it out: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Good Reads

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Good Reads Summary:
Forever is worth the fight.
Maryah erased all memory of her past lives, but she couldn’t erase her soul mate Nathan, or his undying love. Now, Maryah and Nathan have a second chance at a future together, but first Maryah must remember the person she used to be and embrace her supernatural gifts—more than one kindrily member’s life depends on it.

Maryah’s power is Harmony’s best hope of finding her kidnapped soul mate, Gregory. But Harmony isn’t big on asking anyone for help, and she’s tired of waiting, so she’s taking matters into her own hands. Heaven help anyone who stands in her way.

I liked Grasping at Eternity. I thought it was interesting, fun, romantic…you can read that review HERE. Pretty much everything that I maybe didn’t like in the first book was fixed or taken care of in the second. In Taking Back Forever, the characters are more fleshed out, the stakes are higher, the pace is faster, and the romance is steamier.

A LOT steamier.

Nathan transformed from a slightly whiny and glum yet adorable gentleman in Grasping at Eternity to an incredibly sexy, awesome, wonderful, dynamic character in Taking Back Forever. He should be on everyone’s favorite book boyfriend list. Seriously. I like that Hooper highlights his imperfections, even while showing how wonderful he is.

“Delaying gratification is one of the most rewarding human pleasures. In almost all cases, the anticipation of an enjoyable experience is as pleasurable as the experience itself.”

Oh Nathaniel Luna. You know just what to say to a girl.

You see his struggle with how to deal with Maryah’s situation and how to handle the situation with Dedrick and Gregory. You also get a much clearer picture of the rest of the Kindrily. Krista and Carson become much more important characters, and I really liked that some of the story was told from Harmony’s point of view. Because the conflict was about Gregory (her soul mate), it made sense to see that story through her eyes. And since most of the Maryah’s and Nathan’s scenes were focused on “sensperiencing” (I’ll let you make your own assumptions about that word), the place you saw the most plot development-as far as Gregory’s story line- was through Harmony’s point of view.

Sensperience. Mmm.

ANYWAY.

I am SO excited about Fighting for Infinity, the next book in The Kindrily series. Hooper really raised the bar with Taking Back Forever. With this sequel, Hooper took her series from entertaining to awesome, so I have high hopes and expectations for the next installment!