The 'Hush Hush' saga

Written by Becca Fitzpatrick, this is a "girl meets boy" love story. It includes the cliché dark secrets, curiosity, and so on, but the catch is that the main male character is a fallen angel. He wishes to become human but in order for him to do that, he has to kill a human or he has to return as a guardian angel. He has a target but, of course, love gets in the way. Nora, our main heroine, is drawn into our main male character, Patch. Aside from his perfectly chiseled body, all the questions she's bombarded with raise Nora's curiosity. 'Who is this guy?'

They face a journey filled with enemies, close calls, a war, and more. But don't worry, there's a happy.. and frisky ending.

In the beginning especially, it's extremely noticeable that Becca Fitzpatrick was inspired by the layout of the Twilight saga. But DON'T LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU. Although inspired, Fitzpatrick's writing and vision put Stephanie Meyer's to shame. Fitzpatrick's detail, imagery, and attention grabbing style makes it easy for readers to imagine themselves in the characters' shoes and creates a perfect, movie-like play-by-play in their head. All the mystery, secrets, and romance keeps readers (or at least myself) on their toes and makes them want more.

I honestly couldn't put these books down. I finished the entire saga in a day and a half, and I always find myself rereading it when I have nothing better to do. This was my go-to saga in high school and still is today.

The books, in order, are 'Hush, Hush', 'Crescendo', 'Silence', and 'Finale' as pictured.

'The Forest of Hands and Teeth' series

Written by Carrie Ryan, this is a post-apocalyptic romance filled with despair, tragedy, and love triangles. There is a fenced-in village in the middle of the woods, separated and considered to be the safest place in the world. The Unconsecrated, zombies that rose from a type of virus, are relentless when it comes to their victims. One bite, one open-wound injury created by an Unconsecrated inevitably transforms you into one of them, forcing you to leave your life behind. The main character, Mary, was a victim of the Unconsecrated because they took her family, except for her and her brother. Now they live alone amongst the other villagers and life-long friends with underlying love. Seeking the truth from the secretive Sisters, Mary is determined to get out of the village to find more survivors; more life aside from the surrounding undead.

The storyline stretches over time in Mary's life, into the next generation living among the Unconsecrated. It's a story of love, loss, and survival. Carrie Ryan's style and imagery makes it seem like you're in their shoes, at risk of becoming a victim of the undead. It's an exciting play-by-play that keeps you on your toes, attaches you to characters, and makes you yearn for the discoveries and survival.

I have reread this series to the point that the books aren't looking too great. They're paperback so that's relatively easy, but the spines and covers are definitely not the best quality anymore. And the pages.. oh lord. The first book came out in 2010, as did the second, and the third in 2011, which gives you a vague idea of how many times I've reread them over the years. I definitely recommend this series.

The books, in order, are 'The Forest of Hands and Teeth', 'The Dead-Tossed Waves', and 'The Dark and Hollow Places' as pictured.