Based solely on my initial reaction for this book, I wouldn’t read it based simply on the title alone. As an avid hater of bees due to a rather intense phobia, Keeper of the Bees turns me off instantly when I look at it. Delving a little further in, the synopsis describes a cursed boy who has a hive of bees contained within his body that sting people to death. And you’ve pretty much got me running for the hills. But, if I look past the fear, this novel actually has an incredibly fascinating premise. The question now becomes whether or not I’ll be able to look past my fears to read it.

KEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways.

Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom. His face is a shifting montage of all the people who have died because of those stings. And he has been this way for centuries—since he was eighteen and magic flowed through his homeland, corrupting its people

He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Dresden

Essie is fascinated and delighted by his changing features. Risking his own life, he holds back his bees and spares her. What starts out as a simple act of mercy ends up unraveling Dresden’s solitary life and Essie’s tormented one. Their impossible romance might even be powerful enough to unravel a centuries-old curse.

Meh. That pretty much sums up my feelings for Dare You to Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch. Also, I feel like it should be New Adult based on the fact that there seems to be a potential set up for an FBI love interest.

When her FBI agent father is framed for murder, Kylene is forced to move in with her grandfather, back to the small town that turned its back on her, and the boy who betrayed her.

All Ky cares about is clearing her father’s name, but someone won’t let her forget the photo scandal that drove her away two years ago. As the threats gain momentum, Ky finds an unlikely ally in the rookie FBI agent sent to keep an eye on her.

Determined to expose the town's hidden skeletons, Ky unwittingly thrusts herself into a much bigger plot. They thought she’d forgive and forget. They’re about to learn they messed with the wrong girl.

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