From Goodreads: “Love at first sight is so much easier when time moves in the right direction.”

Rebecca has just met Mark, and thinks he might be her ideal man. He’s funny. He’s smart. He has a time wormhole in his telephone that gives them access to unimaginable wealth. These all qualify as ‘PROS’.

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I am so sorry to say that this novel isn’t for me.  Personally, I had too many issues with the novel to enjoy it in the least, though I do think the premise is there for a truly great read.  Going in, I was excited as I liked the synopsis and the idea that Mark’s phone created a sort of time-travel experience, but upon reading, I found that I didn’t care for either of the main leads. While the beginning started off okay,  I soon found that the interactions between the characters, especially Mark and Rebecca, seemed a bit unrealistic and juvenile. Both have an obsession with sex, and for me, romance isn’t based on sexual attraction or physical release, so I didn’t see the romance aspect of the novel at all.  The sections were also quite choppy, jumping from one scene to the next without really setting the scene or the background to serve the characters and their situations justice, in my eyes.  And, as a teacher myself, I really had an issue with the fact that Rebecca talked about her relationship issues with her students.  That’s a huge no-no, and it turned me off immediately.  Truth be told, I think this novel has a lot of potential, and the ending was quite interesting, but I didn’t like the characters enough, or their plight, to really enjoy the novel at all.  Personal preferences, I guess.  One star.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: Henry Galloway is a seasoned MI6 officer who finally returns home, from India, on the eve of WW II. Galloway, who is in his retiring days, starts picking on his old acquaintances when he surprisingly finds that his protégé and friend, Michael Aniston, had fled arrest after charges of treason. However, Galloway believes in his innocence without any doubt. After all, he was one who relayed the orders in one of those incriminating missions. Believing that the Directorate is infiltrated and that he cannot start a search from within, he recruits the services of Zach Taylor, a fellow WW I veteran, who excels as a detective journalist.

Suddenly the novel shifts gear and jumps back in time tracing the unbelievable adventure of Idris, a Sudanese soldier in the army of the Egyptian Khedive, who joins the French invasion of Mexico in 1863. With a twist of fate, Idris crosses the Northern borders, into the United States, in the midst of the American Civil war, where he encounters a major battle, the result of which he bears witness to a terrible secret. He encodes his secret onto a parchment and leaves it in safe hands before returning back home and gets himself engulfed into obscurity.

A bunch of Confederate aristocracy, a British Governor-General and a discrete organization are on his track and are just about to strike gold when Zach Taylor jumps into action miraculously once again.

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I’m sorry to say that this novel just wasn’t for me.  Initially, I was reading a version the author gave me for review, quite some time ago, and truth be told, I had trouble following the story.  Upon contacting the author about it, I found that a newer, edited version was now available, and he sent me that instead.  I was very happy to note, as I began the new version, that it is much easier to read, and it flows more steadily, however, it’s still not for me.  Now, I loved the idea of mystery and intrigue, and the morphing of stories of the late 1800s and post WWII was very interesting.  I also enjoyed finding out the truth behind Michael Aniston, Henry Galloway, Idris, and the aristocracy, and how everything was connected, but the story itself still jumped around a little too much for me to really make a deep connection with any of the characters, or their plights. The novel itself seemed too move too quickly at times, and too slowly at others, and though I enjoyed the premise, it just wasn’t for me.  I think those who like war stories complete with mystery and intrigue will really enjoy this story though, as it has a very historic feel and contains a very interesting secret.  I, personally, can only give it two and a half stars, though.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: The cat’s answer to Sorry I Pooped in Your Shoe, Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed is a hilarious collection of full-color photos and letters of excuses and suggestions from cats to the people who love them—no matter what bad thing they’ve done! Inside Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed, writer and comedian Jeremy Greenberg presents a collection of laugh-out-loud letters and photographs that offer a cat’s eye view on common feline vs. human cohabitation conundrums. It’s the perfect gift for crazy cat lovers and anyone who appreciates hilarious (and so true!) insights into cat—and human—nature, including:

• Your cat sits on your laptop not just for warmth or attention, but to prevent you from interacting with the outside world. After all, isn’t the main reason to have a cat so you don’t have to waste time developing normal human relationships?
• If you spent a third of your life licking yourself, you too would occasionally forget to stick your tongue back in your face.
• Eating grass has medicinal purposes, and most cats believe grass should be legalized.
• The cat feels bad about barfing on your bed…because now it must get to up to go sleep on your clean laundry instead.  

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This is for us cat lovers out there.  I wouldn’t say I’m a “cat lady,” but I do enjoy the companionship I have with my two felines, and their awkward sleeping habits, as well as strange actions in general make me giggle on many an occasion.  I actually picked this one up on Netgalley because, not too long ago, my Bella did barf on my bed—while I was in it, no less.  I woke up to it, right below my chin, on my brand new comforter.  Best. Present. Ever.

This short picturesque storybook has real photos of cats doing awkward things, and Greenberg’s wit concocts a humorous letter from kitty for each one, explaining just why they do the things they do.  It’s great for a giggle and a smile if you’re looking for something light, a bit funny, and a little awkward.  Three stars.

Andrews McMeel Publishing has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read a copy of this book, via Netgalley.

From Goodreads: The future is divided by Perimeters: high-security gated communities where life goes on as normal. If you’re inside you’re lucky. If you’re outside, life expectancy takes a nose dive.

Riley is fortunate to have been born on the right side of the fence. But her life of privilege comes crashing down when someone breaks through and murders her sister.

She forsakes her own safety to go in search of the killer. Luc decides to go with her otherwise she’ll be dead before she’s past the security gate. But what awaits her outside is more unbelievable that she ever imagined.

Cut to the present day where Eleanor’s world is falling apart. This time next year, civilisation won’t be quite so civilised…

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I really, really enjoyed this novel!  Boland has created just the right mix of present and future interactions that it blows the mind.  One of the aspects I really enjoyed was the fact that this novel takes place in the future, as in, most of the action is in the future, it’s the future we’re focused on, which feels like the present, but it’s not.  The novel cuts back and forth between the future and present day, and it’s these small snippets of the present that show us exactly why everything is panning out in the future as it is.  I know, that probably sounds confusing, and I’m not explaining it well enough, but just know this: it works.  Very well.  Boland takes the idea of a post-apocalyptic world and flips it on its side by using the present/future to tell the story, instead of the past/present style that so many authors employ.

Another aspect that I really enjoyed was that Riley is on the right side of the fence, aka. the safe side.  In many of the post-apocalyptic novels I’ve read, the main character is usually outside trying to get in, and I found it unique and interesting that in Boland’s novel, Riley is on the inside trying to get out.  This change of perspective was awesome, especially as we learn that the inside is actually quite a nice, safe, great place, free from tyranny and hatred. It is the outside that is a mess…

Boland opens this riveting futuristic novel with the death of Riley’s sister.  As the intruder is believed to be an outsider, and then pinpointed as someone employed inside the fence, Riley takes matters into her own hands in attempts to catch the suspected murderer, since no one else is doing anything about it.  It’s too dangerous on the outside, and there aren’t enough people to be trusted out there, so… case closed.  But not for Riley.

I really enjoyed Riley’s resolve to find the murdered and bring him to justice.  While some of the situations and circumstances Riley and Luc, her long-time crush, get into seem a little far-fetched, Boland did a great job building up the world in which they live, explaining their ability to fight and their armor covered cars very well.  The back and forth narration giving readers a peak into the present, into the life that Eleanor lives and the tragedy that is about to strike in the terrorist attacks was amazing, and even though it took me a while to figure out how all the pieces fit together, I really loved the mystery of it all.  Eleanor’s story was gut-wrenching and poignant, but perhaps even more sad is the fact that her decisions in the present affect everyone in the future.  A ripple effect, as it were.  If you liked Mike Mullin’s Ashfall, then you really need to read this novel.  Four and a half stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: On Gay Pride Day in 1973, someone set the entrance to a French Quarter gay bar on fire. In the terrible inferno that followed, thirty-two people lost their lives, including a third of the local congregation of the Metropolitan Community Church, their pastor burning to death halfway out a second-story window as he tried to claw his way to freedom. A mother who’d gone to the bar with her two gay sons died alongside them. A man who’d helped his friend escape first was found dead near the fire escape. Two children waited outside of a movie theater across town for a father and step-father who would never pick them up. During this era of rampant homophobia, several families refused to claim the bodies, and many churches refused to bury the dead. Author Johnny Townsend pored through old records and tracked down survivors of the fire and relatives and friends of those killed to compile this fascinating account of a forgotten moment in gay history.

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One of the deadliest crimes against the LGBT population in American history occurred on June 24, 1973, an event that, at the time, was widely swept under the rug, hushed, and forgotten. Thirty-two people—husbands, wives, friends, lovers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters—died that day in the Upstairs Lounge Fire, a fire that quickly cut off the only stairwell exit and trapped the 60+ patrons celebrating in the gay bar that day.  Townsend’s novel is a history of sorts, giving a voice to the many that died in the fire, though it is untraditional in that Townsend has limited records to show his research.  Many of his interview dates and times went undocumented, and thus, the novel cannot be classified as a “true history,” though he does provide a bibliography for further research for inquiring minds.  As Townsend states in his forward, he wrote much of this novel in 1989-90, a time before the internet, and as an English major, focused more so on telling the story than documenting his sources.  Thus, this novel, while historic, is more of a memorial commemorating the lives that were lost that day.

Let the Faggots Burn is told in a series of vignettes, shedding background information on the bar, it’s patrons, survivors, media attention (or lack thereof), and the response of the world at large.  It was a time when homophobia was rampant and, in light of the massacre, many wanted to forget, refusing even to claim the bodies of their loved ones through dread of stigma.  It’s a very sad account, but it also gives life to the patrons’ memories, those that no longer have a voice, those that should be heard.

Townsend begins with the fire, then spends many vignettes familiarizing readers with each individual patron that died.  While this writing style leaves the chapters unconnected, in a way, it also brings everything together as most of the chapters all lead up to the events of the fire.  To break up the sole focus on the victims, though, interspersed are chapters that focus on the before and after as well, such as how the bar got its start, what happened to unidentified bodies, the injured, the lawsuit that followed, the churches response, and the survivors.  While some of it reads as a history text-book, much of the novel is written in a “story-like” fashion, allowing reads to connect with the characters and events as they unfold.  It is impossible not to feel anger, sadness, horror, and even terror as Townsend paints the portraits of the people who lost their lives and those who lost their loved ones in this fateful, awful event, and I, for one, hope the world never forgets.  Three and a half stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads: Love or Death? A simple question really. The choice seems obvious. But. What if you never knew love, what if your life was spent just trying to survive? What if you knew your fate before you were fully grown?

Love or Death?

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Truth: I bought this book because of the cover.  I know, I know… we’re not supposed to judge… but I do.  And I did.  And wow, that’s a beautiful cover! Covers sell, people.  They do. Seriously. And, I lucked out, as well, because the novel itself is pretty darn good, too.

I really loved that, from the very beginning, Hebert starts off every chapter with a “word of the chapter.”  It’s kind of catchy and informative, because I read the word and definition, and then couldn’t wait to see how it’d come up in the chapter.  It’s like a mini preview of what’s to come, and I highly enjoyed it (I also run the SAT Word of the Day for my school, so… I felt a little kindred here).  I also liked that, in the beginning, the chapters were told from overlapping perspectives.  One chapter would be from Dex’s point of view, and the next Piper’s, and they’d overlap just a little to give readers an inside to what was going on inside each character’s head as the events unfolded.  This overlap ebbed a little as the novel went on, but I still really enjoyed the alternating points-of-view, which is my favorite style as a reader.

I really enjoyed Dex’s character.  He has a huge struggle throughout the novel, especially as he must choose whether to kill or be killed, but I liked his resolve.  I did find that the situations kind of repeated themselves a bit every time Dex got an opportunity with Piper, and Piper’s a bit flighty, but regardless, it was still a fun read, and I wasn’t expecting the ending at all.  Overall, this is a cute light read that would be perfect for a lazy afternoon.  Four stars.

I purchased this novel from Amazon.

From Goodreads: The Conclave—a secret group with twisted ideals and freakish practices—has been wiped out, thanks to Arabella Sharp. Now there’s a new malevolence afoot. Fishermen are getting killed, their partially devoured bodies washing up on the shores of Scotland. Is the Ripper responsible? Or have the Conclave’s sinister experiments left behind something more monstrous? Abbie fears the worst when her beloved Dr. William Siddal vanishes. To save the man she loves, Abbie must comply with the Ripper’s dreadful orders—and put her own life in grave danger.

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I’m sorry to say that this second novel in the series just didn’t do anything for me.  Abbie is extremely wishy-washy, and her issues with William drove me a bit nutty.  I understand the idea of purity, but quite honestly, you can’t hold people accountable for their past relationships, and when Abbie starts doing this, I lost a bit of respect for her.  Add in her inability to do anything for herself, and her constant bad decision-making, and I was less than pleased with her character, overall.

Likewise, William jumps off the deep end in this novel, and his turn to alcohol and women made me lose all respect for him.  Maybe Abbie had a point that she couldn’t trust him, but still, she made that call prior to any of his indiscretions, and his indiscretions stemmed from jealousy and misery (not condoning it, but), so I still don’t see how she could make that call prior to the fact.

I truly felt like too much of this novel focused on Abbie’s inability to make good decisions and not enough on the monster that skulks through the waters.  I liked how we progressively learned more about this entity at the beginning of the chapters, but I also felt like it was drawn out and the in-between information concerning Abbie didn’t keep my attention well enough for me to really enjoy this novel.  Two stars.

Flux Books has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its widespread release on April 8, 2013.

From Goodreads: Moonset, a coven of such promise . . . Until they turned to the darkness.

After the terrorist witch coven known as Moonset was destroyed fifteen years ago—during a secret war against the witch Congress—five children were left behind, saddled with a legacy of darkness. Sixteen-year-old Justin Daggett, son of a powerful Moonset warlock, has been raised alongside the other orphans by the witch Congress, who fear the children will one day continue the destruction their parents started.

A deadly assault by a wraith, claiming to work for Moonset’s most dangerous disciple, Cullen Bridger, forces the five teens to be evacuated to Carrow Mill. But when dark magic wreaks havoc in their new hometown, Justin and his siblings are immediately suspected. Justin sets out to discover if someone is trying to frame the Moonset orphans… or if Bridger has finally come out of hiding to reclaim the legacy of Moonset. He learns there are secrets in Carrow Mill connected to Moonset’s origins, and keeping the orphans safe isn’t the only reason the Congress relocated them…
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This is a very intriguing story full of witchcraft and half-truths. Justin and his adoptive family of five have grown up learning that their heritage is one of debauchery and deceit. As the children of Moonset, they have been feared all their lives, shifted from one home to the next, treated like prisoners, and all for a good cause, according to Justin, who doesn’t want to turn out to be anything like his parents. However, not all is as it seems, and when the teens realize their safety is the last item on the Congress’ list, Justin and his family must fight back or meet the same end as their parents.

I have a real problem with adults that treat children/teens badly. And that’s all Justin and his family have ever known, really. The Congress has constantly moved them around, made comments about wishing they would have died alongside their parents, and stood back as entities threatened the teens, only stepping in at the last moment. I was heated throughout much of this novel, just like Justin, and while I do enjoy novels that give me strong emotions, I was so angry at the adults, and even some of the Moonset children, that it kind of took some of the fun out of this novel. No child/teen/adult should ever be treated the way these teens are treated—made fun of (by peers AND adults who are supposed to protect them), made to fend for themselves, refused help or training for protection, using them as pawns to draw out evil, constantly belittling them. Ugh. It sets my teeth on edge just thinking back on the story, and my shoulders are so tense right now it hurts.

Yes, the teens are the children of Moonset, but that doesn’t mean they’ll turn out just like their parents. In fact, the way the Congress treats them pushes them more towards acting out like their parents than if the Congress had been loving and caring from the very beginning… but then again, does the Congress want them to turn into their parents?? Perhaps… Tracey spreads a great message in this novel, one that speaks to the treatment of others as well as the fact that, regardless of our parentage, we are our own beings. And what I really liked about this novel is that, along the way, we realize that maybe, just maybe, Moonset wasn’t exactly what they’ve been chalked up to be. And neither is the Congress. Three and a half stars.

Flux Book has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its widespread release on April 8, 2013.

From Goodreads: Fiddlesticks killed her with his razor. Slit her throat and then forgave her.

Deep in the Appalachian woods stands the old Fiddlesticks cabin, the scene of a bloody double murder from decades past. Now the haunted cabin lures young thrill seekers who hope to hear the killer’s ghostly fiddle music. When a group of college students comes to call, Lisa Wilson–the daughter of a former North Carolina governor–is tragically murdered, and her flesh is mutilated with disturbing symbols.

Pisgah County sheriff Jerry Cochran is in hot water when the ball-busting politician shows up, threatening to tear the county apart in search of his daughter’s killer. But Nick Stratton–the handsome raptor center specialist and Lisa’s boss–is in even hotter water when evidence points to him as the prime suspect. As Nick turns to attorney Mary Crow for help, it’s up to the Pisgah County native to discover the truth. Did Nick do it? Or is there a deranged mountain killer on the loose?

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This mystery novel was a ton of fun to read.  I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters, especially as Bissell deeply fleshed them out for her readers.  This is my first Mary Crow novel, though it’s number five in the series, and what I really enjoyed was that this is a stand alone novel in which we get to know Mary Crow very well, regardless of whether we’ve read the other novels.  While I do love series novels that build off of each other, I also really enjoy the stand alone, and was very happy to see that this was the case with the Mary Crow novels.

Bissell opens The Music of Ghosts with a bewildering murder, thrusting readers into the chaos as we watch and learn about Lisa Wilson and the events leading up to her untimely demise.  I really liked the way Bissell did this as, truth be told, I wasn’t really a fan of Lisa, but I was interested in her and her friends, and their sleuthing of the abandoned Fiddlesticks cabin piqued my interest from the very first page.  With Lisa out of the way, the novel moves quickly into a case of whodunit as the five surviving members in the cabin, as well as the others who had contact with Lisa throughout the summer, become prime suspects.  Enter Mary Crow.  Struggling with her own set of problems and her promise to never take a murder case, Mary must decide whether or not to follow her gut and, in so doing, brings about the demise of some, including former relationships, and the triumph of others.

This novel is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, focusing on Mary’s heartbreak, Jerry’s murder case, Nick’s innocence, and the very real possibility that someone very near to the Fiddlesticks murders is exacting their revenge.  Bissell kept me guessing the whole time.  Four stars.

Midnight Ink has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to it’s wide-spread release on April 8, 2013.

From Goodreads: Ashton Garrison walked away from a privileged life in order to hide from the one thing she’s not willing to face. She knows she left behind a trail of pain, but in the long run, her betrayal will hurt less than the truth. She now has one goal: Live life to the fullest with no regrets and no attachments. She has high hopes that a move to new surroundings will provide the escape she desires, but what Ashton doesn’t count on is how fate always seems to find a way to screw up any good plan. Sometimes, when love comes knocking, the pull is too strong not to answer. Suddenly, what she thought she wanted to escape from is what Ashton now wants more than anything.

Nathan Lockton has one mission: find his target and complete the task he was hired to do—no attachments and no emotion necessary. He’s done it over and over again. What he thought was a typical lost-and-found job has turned into a life examining moment as Nathan is forced to deal with something he has always ignored–his feelings. Now faced with a decision, Nathan must choose to either follow his heart or complete the job.

Love can come when you least expect it. The question is: if the odds are stacked against you, how far are you willing to go for the one you love?

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Tiffany King is breaking into the new adult genre, and I must say, she’s doing a lovely job of it!  No Attachments, slated to release at the end of April, is a breathtaking journey through the fragile lives of Ashton Garrison and Nathan Lockton.  Told from alternating points-of-view, readers learn these magnificent characters’ fears, deep-rooted secrets, and how far they’re willing to go to protect their hearts.  This poignant and often times hilarious novel looks at the gritty aspects of love and learning to let go of the past in order to harness the future.

I absolutely adored this novel.  While filled with sexual tension and ultimately, relations, King treads lightly on the topic, making it an art form rather than a vulgar exploration of sex.  King gives just enough information without overdoing it, leaving much to the imagination, but much on paper as well.  It’s a fine like to walk for authors of all genres, as too much too fast can tip the scales into slutty and trashy, but King’s novel is soft and refined, focusing on aspects of love and romance, and even a prude like myself highly enjoyed it.

Ashton’s secret is hidden through much of the text, but enough foreshadowing leads the reader to see the truth much earlier, and it’s one that will have readers hoping they misread the clues.  It’s a raw look at life and love, and while the beginning is light and romantic, the story builds to a crescendo, and readers will want to have a box of tissues nearby as the story takes a turn and all is revealed.  I highly recommend this novel to college-aged readers and beyond.  Five stars.

I received an ARC of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.