YA Wednesday! Look what you've done to me Benedict (Benny) Cumberbatch!

I've been Cumberbatched! 

You know me. I am the girl in the "I AM SHER LOCKED" shirt complete with the 221B phone case, listening to violin music, lost in my own little London. OBSESSED! Benedict Cumberbatch owns my heart and I am constantly re-watching "Sherlock" on Netflix. 

 He is sooo dreamy! The perfect Sherlock. Sure, I watch "Elementary" and the RDJ movies. I love them but they are not Benny and Benny is #1! So what does a lass do in between the long and agonizing months between seasons. Read Sherlock inspired YA of course! Below is a breakdown of my favourites. So put on your blue scarf, find your favourite chair and settle into these whilst we wait.

 

Every Breath (Every #1) by Ellie Marney

            Published September 2013 by Allen & Unwin 

            GOODREADS                             AMAZON

Synopsis:

 Rachel Watts is an unwilling new arrival to Melbourne from the country. James Mycroft is her neighbour, an intriguingly troubled seventeen-year-old genius with a passion for forensics. Despite her misgivings, Rachel finds herself unable to resist Mycroft when he wants her help investigating a murder. And when Watts and Mycroft follow a trail to the cold-blooded killer, they find themselves in the lion's den - literally.

A night at the zoo will never have quite the same meaning again...

 My favourite YA blog (Forever Young Adult) who is also Sherlock-Obsessed did a post about this and I knew I had to have it. It's rare that I will pay $9 for a Kindle Book (but like I find a lot with Australian authors I love (I'M LOOKING AT YOU CATH CROWLEY--IF YOU HAVEN'T READ HER YOU NEED TO GET ON IT) I can't find their books at the local book store or at the library so after 2 weeks of going back and forth to look at the saved cover in my TBR and obsessing over what a good time I would have reading it, I finally at 11 pm one-clicked it. I am so happy I did! I read it in one sitting.

So this book is Sherlock inspired but it's about a girl named Rachel Watts and a boy named James Mycroft (you all know Mycroft is Sherlock's brother in the books and shows).  I am normally all "Sherlock, Sherlock, Sherlock" BUT I loved reading this story about Mycroft and Watts. Watts is a country girl who is forced to move to Melbourne after her family loses their farm. Watts absolutely hates the city and her only comfort is her friend and neighbour Mycroft. Mycroft lost both of his parents (sound familiar) and lives with his aunt where they spend most of their days avoiding each other. Mycroft and Watts also have two cool friends/couple named Gus (a Nigerian immigrant/good friend (seriously, this is how he is portrayed) and Mai (Vietnamese/cool chick with excellent taste in t-shirts and music). I had to laugh a little at the descriptions but I loved that the author chose to mix in a lot of diversity. And what do I know...maybe Melbourne is really a cool mix of peeps.

Together Mycroft and Watts investigate the murder of their friend "Homeless Dave". Ok, writing this out is making me chuckle, but seriously it's really good. I loved the story and the writing. All along the investigation is the usual teenage family and school drama and also some really swoony sexual tension between Watts and Mycroft. I loved the tension. It was done so well.

This was a great read and I recommend it to anyone looking for a great YA book but I REALLY recommend it for my fellow Sherlockians! You will love it.  

5 TOTALLY ADDICTING SKULLS

 

 

Locked (Locked #1) by Eva Morgan

Published:  February 10, 2014

Copy Provided by the Author for an Honest Review 

GOODREADS AMAZON 

$2.99

Synopsis:

When eighteen-year-old Irene Adler meets her new neighbor, the gorgeous, brilliant, and arrogant Sherlock Holmes, she never expects him to be the one to make her feel like life is worth living again. Ever since her sister's death, she's been addicted to risk-taking as a way to deal with her depression, and Sherlock quickly becomes the biggest risk she's ever taken.

Locked is the story of a broken girl and the genius who gives her life back to her. It's the story of a witty asshole who's never known love, and the girl who shows him what love means. It's the story of an unexpected connection, two people who save each other, and the importance of seeing the goodness underneath. *Based on the Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle.

**Book 1 in the Locked series

 The novel follows the story of Irene (yes, Irene..the IRENE) and Sherlock as eighteen year olds in High School. Sherlock moves in next door to Irene and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Irene has spent the last year dealing with the loss of her sister. In order to "feel alive" she has started helping people by taking on an alias "Ares" and answering the public's call for help. Sherlock ends up following her one night and realizes what she is doing and comes to the conclusion the she is not as boring as he first thought. She surprises him, something that doesn't frequently happen and she continues to surprise him throughout the novel. Sherlock finds Irene interesting and intelligent. You know in the way he usually finds in himself. Let's face it, people bore Sherlock, BUT Irene does not bore Sherlock, she fascinates him. Irene is not sure if Sherlock is capable of forming any type of emotional connection with anyone let alone her, but along the way Sherlock develops feelings for Irene. Obviously, this is something new to him and he doesn't always handle it in the best way.

As Sherlockians, we all know that IRENE is the ONLY girl to ever get under his skin. The only one he finds fascinating. It's so much fun to see how their interactions play out in the book. I was hooked from the first page and I couldn't get enough of their banter. We also get to see how they each become better because of each other. They are best friends, they understand each other in a way that no one else does. Together, we see them begin to care for each other al the while investigating a series of mysteries. It would not be Sherlock if he were not constantly looking for amusement and mysteries to solve and he wants Irene's help.

Don't fret readers, Sherlock is SAWOOOOOONNNNY! Even Mycroft (Sherlock's older brother and guardian) is perfectly portrayed. All the other characters are developed and their personalities shine through on the pages. I loved Sherlock's interactions with everyone. Morgan captures his true essence in her writing and I swooned it all up. Sherlock was constantly using his deducing skills on everyone, which is both clever and hilarious and entertaining to read. However, no SPOILERS but the ending was tragic and upsetting for me. I didn't know how I thought book one would end but it sure as heck wasn't like this. I need to know when the second book is coming out so that I can calendar my days until I can find out what happens next! What happens, Ms. Morgan!!!!!!!!!!!????????? I had the worst book hangover from this! The worst. I couldn't read anything else I was too engrossed in the Sherlock world she created that I just kept re-reading my bookmarks.

Which brings me to this. I am in LOVE with this book. To me it was perfect. I am obsessed with Sherlock  (did you catch that the first 100 times), I mean Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock is like having Christmas and your birthday rolled into one huge celebration.

I wanted to read this book because I knew it was about Sherlock and Irene. It delivered exactly what I wanted. Eva Morgan was able to capture Sherlock and Irene perfectly. However, it was so good because Eva Morgan is a great writer. When you take something so near and dear to people like a fandom things can go horribly wrong. However, because of the writing and the storyline it made me fall even more in love with the fandom. I didn’t think that was even possible.

If you are a Sherlock Addict you need to read this book. However, if you are just joining us here on the dark side you will enjoy it. It’s great writing mixed with a good storyline and interesting characters. It’s bloody lovely!

  

5 TOTALLY ADDICTING SKULLS

 

 

  

Until Next Week! If you have any Sherlock Love to share post me a comment!

Cheers~

 

 

Pairing Suggestions:  

Beverage: Jameson & Ginger Ale

Playlist: Little Green Cars