Review: Determinant by A.M. Hargrove

Title: Determinant
Author: A.M. Hargrove
Series: Guardians of Vesturon #3
Pages: N/A
Publisher:
Date Published: June 30, 2012
Format: ebook
Genre: Science Fiction/Paranormal
Source: Provided by Reading Addiction Blog Tours

Synopsis:
January St. Davis, on her own since the age of sixteen and struggling to stay in college, thinks she’s scored in a major way when she lands a paid summer internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. One evening, after working an especially long shift, a chance encounter with a group of mysterious men alters the course of her life.Rykerian Yarrister, a Guardian of Vesturon with unearthly powers and impossibly gorgeous looks, finds himself at odds over the human female he recently saved from certain death. When it seems he is on the verge of winning her over, she is ripped from his hands by a strange and powerful being, threatening to destroy her if his demands are not met.Do Rykerian and the Guardians have the ability to meet this fierce barbarian’s ultimatums, or will January suffer a horrid demise?

My Review:
Typically I never read books in a series out of order, but somehow this tour just snuck up on me. I thought I had weeks and then BAM the tour date was 3 days away. I had the option of dropping everying (including a move two hours away) and reading all three really quickly or taking the time to enjoy at least one even if it was out of order and I chose the latter route. To be honest, it didn't really matter to me that I hadn't read the first two. I was able to pick up on past events and the flow of the plot right away. Sure I might have missed a few things that readers of the first two would have caught, but overall I really enjoyed myself. Definitely enough to go back when I have time to read the first ones! Alrighty then...on to the review!

January, the main character, has had a particularly difficult life. Despite the fact that she's almost genius smart and graduates high school two years early (being valedictorian no less!) she never seems to be what her parents want. She struggles at winning their approval and doesn't understand why they have all this deep-deeded anger with her. After graduating, her dad surprises her. But not in the lovey-family way she was hoping. Instead, she shows up at home and all of her things have been moved to the garage. Despite being only sixteen, her parents are kicking her out and she's got to fend for herself. Worst of all, when January asks  her dad why he's being so cruel she gets an answer that she never EVER expected which sends her off bewildered and wondering what her life will hold for her.

I will interject here with a bit WHAT THE HECK?? You feel SO bad for January the whole time. This poor girl is SO smart and she tries so hard to get ahead and win her family's approval but it's always for nothing. Though she struggles a lot, I think this really endears you to the poor girl. She is so kind and loving in the face of such anger and you really feel for her. She's just the kind of main character that the reader can really get behind. She has all these amazing admirable qualities that you could see growing into someone even more amazing when she is older. I can't wait to see where she's heading.  As a character, January continues to impress throughout the entire book. I loved the way she was written and how she just kept showing different dimensions that you haven't seen before. It really made for a wonderful character that you'd love to get to know in real life.

Anywhoo...when we get back with January she is working at the CDC (Center for Disease Control for those of you not into zombie fiction :P). She happens to be present on the night when several vial are taken out of the center by some mysterious men. (ACK!) So biological warfare scares the ever loving crap out of me. Some of my favorite books deal with a pandemic that wipes out the entire population of the earth...and it freaks me the hell out. I've stayed up late at night wondering what to do if all the sudden the country was in lockdown and everyone was dropping like flies *Shudders* so imagine my INTENSE feelings for when all this drama is going down with January and her gang. Woo...awesome. But THEN things get even better with the intro of one Rykerian Yarrister...a sexy love interest and...alien? ahah YEAH that's what I said. Alien.

January definitely wasn't the only well written part of the book. I loved all of her roommates when she makes her way to college. They all have their own distinct personalities and flavors and, as a college student myself, definitely get the feeling of a true dorm experience. :) I think it was because of how well A.M.'s writing flowed that let you get wrapped up in the story so much. Like I said before, I haven't read the first books of the series but I was able to get sucked right into the characters and plot because of how well they were written. Honestly, Determinant had just about all you could ask for in a fun book. It had lots of action and adventure paired with some romance and a crap ton of suspense. Also aliens. lol... can't forget the science fiction aspect! I actually really REALLY liked the sci-fi stuff. It gave me a hankering for my old DVDs of Star Trek: The Next Generation :P