{December 4, 2013} {ARC Review} These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

From Goodreads: It’s a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.
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I really enjoyed this novel in the beginning. It caught my attention right away and drew me in—the spacecraft, the elegance, the social rift between Lilac and Tarver—I really enjoyed it all. However, as the novel went on, I began to feel like their time on the planet was dragging on a bit too long for my liking. It almost felt like Cast Away or The Life of Pi in that there were limited characters and little action as the story went on. I tend to need constant interactions to stay focused, and there were definitely times that I felt this novel was lagging, but on the other hand, there were many times that it was fast-paced and interesting as well, especially when the phenomenon began to happen to Lilac. I can’t go into much detail here without giving anything away, but know this: there is a creepy paranormal element that makes its way into this story, and it’s really unique and interesting. I’m afraid it’s a little beyond my comprehension, as it were, because at the end there, I wasn’t sure exactly what was happening anymore, but even so, this curve in the story definitely took me by surprise and, when all’s said and done, I enjoyed it, even if I’m not 100% sure what exactly happened there at the end.

What I loved the most about the novel is that it’s a flashback. We learn early on that Tarver is being questioned by higher ups about his time on the planet with Lilac, and as Tarver responds in clipped and sarcastic manners, we learn what he is attempting to hide from society, including his feelings for Lilac and exactly what happened on the planet.

The end leaves a little to be desired, which makes me wonder if there will be a sequel? I didn’t feel like it resolved much, but in truth, it’s not a bad place to end their tale, either, so I guess we shall have to wait and see. If you’re looking for something completely different with a side of creepiness, then I suggest you pick this one up. Three and a half stars.

Disney Hyperion has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on December 10, 2013

{December 3, 2013} {Review} Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

From Goodreads: Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they’ve known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin’s orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously–and at great risk–documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father’s prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

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My book club picked this novel as their first read of the school year, and let me tell you, I was not happy. I didn’t want to read this book. I teach about the holocaust, WWII, Stalin, and I really didn’t want to read another book on the topic. Not at the beginning of the school year. I didn’t want to deal with anything depressing—and truth be told, I was completely sure I wouldn’t like it, that it’d be like all the other books I’d read about the holocaust. So I put it off, and I put it off… until the night before our first meeting and we’d talk about it. What kind of Book Club advisor would I be if I didn’t at least try to read the book? So I began reading it, and do you know what happened? I couldn’t stop. Between Shades Of Grey is absolutely amazing—it’s a haunting tale that is unlike any I’ve ever read on the subject, and it’s beautiful. It’s a story few really hear because Stalin’s reign of terror and his “camps” are usually swept under the mat—not many really know what he did to his people. Yet Sepetys lays it bare for her readers, and this story, her message, can’t be ignored.

This is a novel that will catch readers unawares, ripping out your heart and leaving you raw and bleeding for Lina, her family, and all those she comes in contact with as the story unfolds. It’s heart wrenching, and yet, it’s a must read. Even if you don’t want to cry, even if you don’t want to feel raw inside, you need to read this novel. Sepetys’ writing is breathtaking, as is her story of fear, hatred, rejection, and redemption. The characters will melt your heart and you will cry out at the injustice of it all, and you will remember it long after the final page. And we need to remember. For all those who experienced this. For all those who died. Remember. Five stars.

I borrowed this novel from the library.

{December 2, 2013} {Review} Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

From Goodreads: Things Fall Apart tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first of these stories traces Okonkwo’s fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives, and in its classical purity of line and economical beauty it provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society.

The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, and which elevates the book to a tragic plane, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo’s world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries. These twin dramas are perfectly harmonized, and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. Things Fall Apart is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within.

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I really didn’t like this novel when I was in high school. But as an adult, I have found that my understanding of the “classics” and my enjoyment of many of them has indeed changed drastically. Books I hated as a teen are now interesting and hold meaning for me, because I finally get them. But, this is not the case with Things Fall Apart. I disliked it as a teen, and I still dislike it now, mainly because it’s written in a way that just doesn’t appeal to me.

While I understand the purpose of this novel—why it’s important and why it’s taught in high school—the execution of the story itself grates my nerves. It’s extremely choppy and to the point, telling the reader in clipped sentences instead of showing the reader through imagery and interesting details. And though it’s a fairly short novel, the narrative style of the text makes it seem extremely long, and it just didn’t hold my attention.

As events unfold, readers are told what’s happening as if we’re a bird looking in–we aren’t a part of the story, and events jump from one to another so quickly that little import is given to each scene. And, there is little description to pull me into the story or to make me connect with the characters; instead we’re just told how Okonkwo feels, what he does, and the retaliating actions of the tribe. It is unfortunate, but I have no sympathy for Okonkwo because he is an awful man, beating everyone and refusing, even under the guidance of his tribe, to let things go. While trying to be the epitome of what he deems a “man” is supposed to be, Okonkwo misses the mark tenfold through his lack of compassion, and even his people see him as wanting in this aspect because he cannot, and will not, change. It leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth, and though I understand the message, I personally don’t like this book in the least. One star.

I borrowed this book from the school library.

{November 30, 2013} {ARC Review} Demonica by Will Davis

From Goodreads: When spoilt eighteen year old Miranda suffers a terrible accident she survives, but her face is hideously scarred.

Unable to bear what has happened to her, she locks herself away. Her only companions are Veronica, her cruel and beautiful mother, and Nelly, the sympathetic housekeeper.

As time passes Veronica inflicts cruelty after cruelty on her disfigured daughter. Lonely and filled with despair, Miranda is astonished when Bernard, Veronica’s handsome younger boyfriend, takes an interest in her circumstances.

For Bernard believes there is an operation that can restore Miranda’s face. But it will involve committing an unspeakable crime. A decision that will haunt her for the rest of her life…

In the tradition of Angela Carter and Daphne du Maurier, Demonica is a terrifying modern fairy tale.

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This is a novel of betrayal that runs deeper than any other I can think of. A mother who torments her daughter due to a lack of beauty; a daughter to obtains the ultimate revenge in the worst possible way against her mother. Any yet, neither find happiness in their evil ways, and it’s impossible not to hate them, but also impossible not to pity them as the story unfolds. The characters in this novel are awful, absolutely awful, but readers won’t be able to tear their eyes away as they learn of the tragedy that befalls Miranda, watching as she attempts to cope with her lot in life, especially as her mother torments her more each day. One would think that a tragedy like this would change a person, but in the end, it doesn’t, and like the bad accident that starts it all, readers just can’t look away.

I cringe to think that people really do harbor so much selfishness and hatred within themselves that they’d be willing to so utterly destroy another, and yet that’s exactly what Veronica and Miranda do to one another. It’s appalling; but so well written that it pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go until the very end.

Miranda’s very matter of fact way of telling her story adds a depth of poignancy that allows readers to truly see her heart, and though it’s hard to understand her actions and her hurt, her soul is bared wide for the reader. In truth, the story is superbly written. I loved obtaining Miranda’s insights about the accident, and the fact that she knew how petty she was, and commented on it many a time, made her very real to me as a reader. Would I like to get to know her in real life? No. I’d probably be one of those people on the sideline that quietly thought to myself that she got what she deserved, but in the end, no one, not even evil, despicable Veronica–a woman not fit to be a mother—or Miranda—a selfish, unrepentant young woman—deserve what befalls them in the end.

This is a story that will haunt you as you read it, and keep you up way into the night wondering just how far a human can fall to allow these things to happen. Five stars.

Hashtag Books has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel prior to its release tomorrow, December 1, 2013, in exchange for an honest review. This is a MUST READ.

Find it on Amazon.

{November 29, 2013} {ARC Review} Game by Anders de la Motte (Game #1)

From Goodreads: Follow the rules and everybody gets hurt . . .

One Sunday morning after a long night of partying, Henrik “HP” Pettersson, a slacker with a lot of ego and very little impulse control, finds a cell phone of an unfamiliar make on a commuter train. Through insisting and slightly uncanny messages that refer to him by name, the phone invites him to play a game. HP accepts without hesitation.

The rules are that HP must complete tasks that range from childish pranks to criminal acts, as allocated by the mysterious Game Master. HP is the perfect contender & alienated from society, devoid of morals, and desperate for fame. His completion of the assignments are filmed and uploaded onto a protected server where viewers rate the Players performances.

The Game starts out innocently enough and then becomes increasingly risky, threatening the safety of someone close to HP. He is determined to become a superstar, but when the dark and tragic secrets of his family’s past are at stake, HP must make a choice. Will he suffer the humiliation of defeat, or will the need to win push him to the limit no matter the cost?

First in a fast-paced and riveting trilogy, Game will leave you guessing. Follow the rules, and everybody gets hurt . . .

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I’m sorry to say that this novel didn’t captivate me as I’d hoped. With the beautiful cover and the intriguing synopsis, I went into this novel with high hopes. Unfortunately, I came out of it a little less than impressed. It started out really interesting, but as the story unfolded, it began to lose steam. While HP was in the game, I was highly interested in the outcome and the scenarios happening around him, but once he was out of the game, which happened all too quickly, if you ask me, everything just sort of petered out. HP became extremely petty and hard to digest. His character is quite obnoxious, and as the story mainly follows him, it became difficult for me to care because he was such an awful person.

The novel also through me for a loop as is also follows HPs sister, who is also a cop. Initially I confused myself thinking they were lovers, but then realized they were brother/sister and that there was another man involved in her life, which made more sense, but also proved to be a little less than interesting as her life somewhat droned on and I didn’t really care for her, either. Overall, this novel wasn’t exactly for me as it lacked likeable characters and lost my attention fairly quickly. I am hoping that it picks up in the second novel, which I do plan to read, and its outcome will determine if I read the third installment. Two stars.

Atria Books has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on December 3, 2013.

**Update: I have read all the books in this trilogy AND I really enjoyed BUZZ and BUBBLE. I suggest you try this series and see–books two and three definitely made up for book one.**

{November 29, 2013} {Review} The Lady Who Cried Murder by Lauren Carr (Mac Faraday Mystery #6)

From Goodreads: Fame comes at a price. Some pay with their privacy. Others pay with their pride. Khloe Everest paid with her life.

Determined to get her pretty face in front of the cameras, Khloe Everest fakes an abduction only to make a grand entrance in the midst of a press conference held by Spencer’s Police Chief David O’Callaghan.

Three years later, after failing to catapult her notoriety into a long-lasting celebrity, Khloe Everest returns to Spencer upon her mother’s sudden death and seemingly finds another weapon to propel herself into the spotlight. Unfortunately, someone kills her before she can make this entrance.

In Lauren Carr’s sixth Mac Faraday Mystery, Mac and his friends come up against reality stars, politicians, has-beens, and wannabes. Mac also finds himself face-to-face with an old foe from his past who had managed to escape arrest during their last encounter. Now, Mac sees that his adversary has only become more powerful, and dangerous, with the passage of time.

Intent to not let this killer escape again, Mac and his friends need to put all of their talents together to put a stop to a cold blooded lady killer.

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This story is a little bit different from the other Mac Faraday novels, or so I felt, in that we learn who the killer is fairly early on in the novel. Thus, we are swept up into a cat and mouse game in which our heroes and heroines try to stop the killer before he/she attacks again. But while the reason behind the murders seems clear enough, this is indeed where Carr springs her twist on her readers, flooring us as the truth, the whole truth, becomes known and it turns out not everything was exactly as it seemed.

Carr is a master story-teller, and her mysteries never cease to amaze and captivate me as I read. I have really come to love the Mac Farady series, and all the many characters, from Gnarly to Archie, and all those in-between; these are wonderful suspense novels full of witty banter, hilarious situations and, of course, enough mystery to enchant an audience from start to finish.

I always love with when authors cross their series, and in this novel, we have this wonderful cross over as Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates grace us with their presence, and I adore them! They add a wonderful element to the already wonderful Mac Faraday series, and if you haven’t read any of the Lovers in Crime series, then I highly suggest you do to better get to know there awesome characters.

What really stunned me about The Lady Who Cried Murder is that is stems from Carr’s own experience with a bully, and her intense look at how people interact with one another provides an extremely eye opening and intriguing read. Though it was a little different from what I’m used to with Carr’s writing, this was another great read, and I highly recommend it. Four stars.

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

{November 29, 2013} {Black Friday Extravaganza} Four $50 Giftcards Up For Grabs, a LIVE Facebook Party, and a Spotlight

It’s time for the awesomeness that is Black Friday, and the biggest names in Fiction are coming together to help YOU kick off your Holiday Shopping!

Come help us spread the word for a chance to win one of FOUR $50 Giftcards and other prizes!!!

7 PM EST will kick off the LIVE Facebook Party where you can win one of 50 books, don’t miss it!

Authors:

Lisa Collicutt
Bethany Lopez
Jennifer Lane
T.M. Franklin
Diana DeRicci
Dawna Raver
K. A. Last
Tia Bach
Rick Chiantaretto
Andrea Heltsley
CL Foster
Samantha LaFantasie
A.M. Hargrove
JD Nelson
Sharon Bayliss
Alexia Purdy
Diane J Reed
Meradeth Houston
Leigh Talbert Moore
Erica Cope
C. R. Everett
N.L.Greene
Cherie Colyer
Diane J Reed
Shannon Mayer
Katie Jennings
Raine Thomas
Julia Crane
Lizzy Ford
Tawdra Kandle
Amy Harmon
SM Reine
JM Gregoire
Heather Hildenbrand
Eliza Tilton
Peggy Martinez
Nicki Elson
Faith Sullivan
JA Huss
Alyssa Rose Ivy
Jennifer Snyder
Liz Long
Hart Johnson
Cambria Hebert
Karice Bolton
Amber Garr
S. M. Boyce
Carrie Butler
Lynn Rush

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Spotlight:

Synopsis:

Behind the Faerying Mysts, hidden from Mortal eyes, is a land where gods and creatures of myth and legend dwell. And in the Mortal Realm, their Princess is hidden away.

Quinn Sinclair lives an ordinary life with her less-than-loving mother in Conifer, Colorado, clueless of her true nature. On the night of her birthday, a staggering betrayal sends her life spinning out-of-control. As she struggles to pick up the pieces, a vision of a man with haunting tourmaline-blue eyes begs her for help, and she is transported into a Magykal battle-forever changing her life.

Arik Morgaine-Demigod bad boy and outcast of the Magykal Realm-tried to avoid contact with Princess Quinn for eighteen years, not wanting to make good on an old threat. But the fates have other plans. Arik can no longer deny his growing desire for Quinn, or the need to protect her from those wanting to control her burgeoning powers. Can the two of them come together and save the Magykal Realm from being destroyed by the Darkest of Magyks?

New Adult. Recommended for 18 and above. Mature themes, sexual situations, and profanity.

Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Colour-Wielders-Novel-ebook/dp/B00EQLLNPK

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About the author:

Dawna Raver is an author of erotic romance and romantic urban fantasy. When she’s not spending time in her fantasy world, Dawna loves football, reading, and pretending she’s a top chef in the kitchen. Oh, and fawning over her dogs and husband, sometimes in that order.

She also write NA romance under D.L. Raver.

Connect with Dawna:

http://dawnaraver.com

https://twitter.com/DawnaRaver

https://www.facebook.com/DawnaRaver

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Make sure you join the Facebook party tonight so you can win titles like the one above!

{November 28, 2013} {ARC Review} Silent Echo by J.R. Rain

From Goodreads: Not much could drag Jim Booker out of a peaceful, if lonely, retirement and back to late nights, crime scenes, and chases. Jim Booker is done with detective work and would just like to enjoy a cup of coffee on a sunny day. But when an old friend shows up with a case about an old flame, Booker can’t say no.

What starts as a missing persons case soon delivers more than he bargained for, and when Booker’s own past offers clues, it’s clear that no one else can solve this mystery. But there’s a catch: Booker was given six months to live eight months ago.

Author J.R. Rain shows us that when it seems there’s nothing left to live for, there’s also nothing left to lose. His characters will take a chance on danger, doubt, even an unlikely romance—as long as they get a cup of coffee first.

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I think this novel had a lot of potential, but I was highly annoyed by the main character, which made reading it rather anticlimactic for me. Jim Booker is dying, and I do understand that, but it seemed that every other page found him talking about his impending death, and not in a way that readers are able to sympathize with him, either. Truth be told, he was a jerk to everyone around him, so he never really endeared himself to me, and in the end, I couldn’t have cared less what happened to him, which is unfortunate.

The mystery itself was well done, and it took me a while to figure out who the murderer was, though looking back I think I should have picked up on it a lot sooner than I did. In this respect, I think Rain did a good job presenting his murder mystery, and having a main character willing to take any and all chances due to their own impending death was a great idea. Overall, I was highly interested in the mystery aspect of the novel, but I really would have liked to have been able to care about the main character a little in order for this to be truly enjoyable. Two stars.

Kindle First was extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel for free, prior to its release December 1, in exchange for an honest review.

{November 27, 2013} {ARC Review} No Dawn For Men by James LePore and Carlos Davis

From Goodreads: In 1938, Nazi Germany prepares to extend its reach far beyond its borders. The key to domination lies in a secret that would make their army not only unbeatable, but un-killable.

MI-6, knowing that something potentially devastating is developing, recruits scholar and novelist John Ronald Reuel Tolkien to travel to Germany to find out what this might be, using the German popularity of his children’s novel THE HOBBIT as cover. Joining him there is MI-6 agent Ian Fleming, still years away from his own writing career but posing as a Reuters journalist. Together, Tolkien and Fleming will get to the heart of the secret and they will face a fury greater than even their prodigious imaginations considered possible.

Both an astounding work of suspense and a literary treasure trove to delight fans of either author, NO DAWN FOR MEN is a nonstop adventure.

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It took me a little while to warm up to this novel, and I’m not 100% sure why. In all honestly, I don’t feel like it’s written in any different fashion than LePore’s other novels, and I’ve always been able to jump right into those. But this time, it took me a little while to wrap my head around everything that was going on in this novel, and I actually put it aside for a few days thinking I might just not have been in the right mood. That seems to have done the trick, because when I picked it up again, I was able to glide right into the story, which is awesome, might I add, and the story flowed seamlessly together, which is what I’ve come to expect from a LePore novel.

Though it took me a little while, I really enjoyed this novel and once I was able to begin making connections between the story and The Lord of the Rings series, I was in heaven. I was a little curious about how much of the novel was based on fact and how much on fiction though, because it’s quite obvious that some is fiction, but other elements made me wonder, so I asked James LePore himself. And this is his awesome response:

“The book is a mix of the real and the fictional. Tolkien was in Berlin in 1938 to talk to a German publishing company about publishing The Hobbit in Germany. The book actually was believed by many ardent Nazis to support their ideology. He turned them down when they asked him to sign an oath saying he was not a Jew. He wrote them a famous letter which you can see here. This letter, when I first came across it, was one of the inspirations for the novel.”

“Fleming was a Reuters correspondent in the thirties covering events in pre-war Europe. There is no record of his being in Berlin in 1938 but there is a consensus among his biographers that he was doing more than reporting, likely doing political and military assessments for MI-6.”

“Tolkien was actually in the Somme offensive in WWI as a signalman, and did lose three very close friends there. Fleming’s dad, Valentine, was also in France in WWI. The meeting between the two described in the Prologue is fictional. The adventure regarding the amulet, raising the dead, etc., is wholly fictional, but gave Carlos and I a chance to have Tolkien and Fleming experience things that would one day end up in their work. For example, the scene at Gestapo headquarters where Fleming is nearly tortured is a fictional precursor of the actual scene in Casino Royale where James Bond is tortured. We believed as we wrote that both Tolkien and Fleming fans would have fun recognizing these inspiring moments.”

In all truth, I find this amazing, and the amount of research that went into LePore and Davis’ novel just floors me, because it was a lot! And being able to pick out the connections was amazing, especially for me as a fan of The Lord of the Rings. I’ll admit I’m not as familiar with Fleming’s work aside from a few of the James Bond movies I sort of watched once upon a time (never did read the books), so I didn’t make many connections with Fleming’s side of the story, but I really honed in on Tolkien, and the novel is just amazingly written. I loved the characterization, the sleuthing, the mystery, and the fear that at any moment they could be caught.

If you are a fan of Tolkien or Fleming, then I highly suggest you pick up a copy of No Dawn for Men. It’s very well written and a sequel in which Tolkien and Fleming are tracking down a secret atomic bomb formula in France in WWII is already in the works. I can’t wait. Four stars.

Story Plant has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

{November 22, 2013} {ARC Review} Pawn by Aimee Carter (The Blackcoat Rebellion)

From Goodreads: YOU CAN BE A VII IF YOU GIVE EVERYTHING.

For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.

If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked – surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister’s niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.

There’s only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed, and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that’s not her own, she must decide which path to choose and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she’s only beginning to understand.

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As I started this novel, I became a little bit wary as I realized that the main character, Kitty, was contemplating becoming a prostitute, a subject I don’t want to read about, ever. And I just had a really tough time understanding her choice here, especially because she had a boyfriend who wanted to marry her. As Kitty came closer and closer to her first “night,” my stomach began to twist in very uncomfortable ways, but thankfully, prostitution is not what the story is about at all. While I was ill at ease for a little while there right in the beginning of the novel, Carter pulls a complete 180 and changes direction so fast that I nearly had whiplash—in a good way. The prostitution gig was left unfulfilled and out of mind, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief and really get into the story. And this is where the story took off for me: as Kitty wakes up to herself Masked. Asked for the performance of her life, the only way to survive is to pretend to be one of the elite, and while that does sound kind of awesome, Carter aptly exposes all the evils that come with such a job. Suddenly, Kitty has lost what little control she thought she had over her life and must pretend to be the niece of the Prime Minister, a sick and twisted man set on ruling the country indefinitely. And from here, it’s one plot twist after another, and the events that unfold will leave readers glued to the pages and desperately wanting more when it’s all said and done.

Kitty Doe is a very strong female lead, and while I disagreed with her decisions in the beginning, I really liked the person she became as the novel progressed. Surrounded by a family full of deceit and lies, her life hanging by a thread, Kitty is pulled in multiple directions at once as “family” members push, cajole, and demand her obedience or resistance. Fast paces and full of life, this story is one I’d definitely love to see on the big screen, especially as there are so many characters I love to hate. Throughout it all, it was a constant guessing game as I tried to figure out who was truly evil, and who was acting out of love, and I found it just as hard to trust those around Kitty as she did, especially as the characters seemed to change allegiances daily.

Overall, this is a breath taking read that will leave readers full of emotion, yearning for more, and hoping against hope for a revolution like no other. Five stars.

Harlequin Teen has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on November 26, 2013.

{November 21, 2013} {Review} The Unchosen Life by Danka V.

From Goodreads: One soul mate… One true love… And the fact that they are not the same person!

People believe that every soul has its other half somewhere in the world. A soul mate or so I’ve been told, and they spend a lifetime seeking that other half, hoping to find it… I don’t need to hope anymore because mine found me… And tried to take my life! Today, twenty-four years since I was born, I finally do believe that there is a true love in life and that somewhere out there, there is that other one who will, once they show up, complete your own soul. But I learned much too late that they are not the same thing! My name is Elena Wolchek and this is my story.

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I am sorry to say that this novel just wasn’t for me. From the get go, I didn’t like the main character, Elena, and her attitude towards others. I get that she’s extremely different and beyond smart, but the way she interacted with others, and her petty nature and inability to back down, apologize, or take others seriously grated on my nerves as I read. I also had a hard time with the transitions within the novel because I felt like not enough was happening to keep my interest. We meet characters only to have them banter and disappear for quite some time. They do eventually reappear, but by that time I was no longer thinking of them and it just felt a bit disjointed to me—probably because I just couldn’t get over my dislike for Elena. Overall, I personally didn’t enjoy this novel, but I feel like others may be able to overlook Elena’s personality flaws and really get into the story, because in the end, the storyline is there and it’s interesting; it just wasn’t for me. One star.

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

{November 20, 2013} {Review} The Hermitage House Miracle by Malcolm Ater

From Goodreads: The Hermitage House Miracle starts with a deep hook. “I’ve given you the last six years of my life, and for what? To always be running from one town to another? Never having a life of my own just so you could live?”

As Jamie lay alone in bed, not knowing his mother had just been killed while driving drunk, he was filled with disturbing thoughts. His mother’s last words to him before going out did not make sense. He was even more confused when she had added, in a drunken slur, “If I had a lick of sense I’d have let old Ernie do what he wanted!”

Why had his mother said she had given him the last six years of her life when he was twelve years old?

After being sent to live at the Hermitage House for Children, Jamie begins to have a series of strange and troubling dreams. Each dream is about a little blond-haired boy who has a little sister and a mother and a father. But the mother is not his mother who was killed in the car accident and he had never known his father. Yet his dreams are always about the same family, especially the little boy and his dog. And the father programs computers and makes games, even promising to build the boy a video game so lifelike the boy will think he’s actually inside it…

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This is a novel that seems extremely realistic and true to life, but then takes on aspects of fantasy and the paranormal, giving it an edge that can be a bit jarring should readers not be ready for it. And yet, it’s a very well written story that warms the heart as it unfolds. Jamie, now living in an orphanage, only remembers the past six years of his life, but as he begins to make friends and interact with others, a luxury he hadn’t known while his mother was alive, he begins to piece together his life through his vivid dreams and a video game that mysteriously appears in the arcade.

And as it unfolds, readers learn the truth behind Jamie’s lack of memories, behind the dog howling on the wind, and about his mother. A quick read, this novel will leave you hugging your children close as you realize Jamie’s reality and note that the bond between parent and child remains long after the line is cut. Three stars.

Acorn Book Services has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read this novel, via Netgalley.

{November 18, 2013} {ARC Review} Sia by Josh Grayson

From Goodreads: When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle.

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This is a very lighthearted and ultimately happy story, but seems to lack a bit in terms of character building and climax. It starts off extremely riveting, and watching Sia struggle to understand her identity and live with the homeless caught my attention right away—it’s interesting and there are struggles and hardships that abound. However, as Sia is reunited with her family, I felt that the story lost steam, plateauing and focusing on all Sia’s good deeds. Suddenly, there really aren’t any true threats or adversaries standing in Sia’s way as she begins to make changes in her life, and she’s an all around good girl, which is great, but not so interesting.

It is almost as if Sia has a magical touch, changing everyone and everything she comes into contact with as she turns over a new leaf, having no memory of her previous misdeeds. But the problem with this is that there is no adversary standing in her way to make it difficult. Sia wakes up not knowing who she is, she’s told about her past, revolts against it, and everything falls into place for her as she changes not only her life, but that of her family and entire school, as well. Sound a little far-fetched? Well, it is. Sia tends to have an all too easy time of it all, making up her mind to do something and everything working out; even her issues with her former best friend aren’t really hardships because Sia drops her easily since there’s no true ties between them that she can remember. Truth be told, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for everything to come crashing down and the antithesis to take over, but that never really happens. Instead, Sia accomplishes everything she sets her mind to, which in the end makes this a very happy go lucky story, but doesn’t add much in the area of real character development or hardships, which in my opinion, is what really makes a story. It seems, instead, that the biggest opposition Sia comes up against is that her newfound crush, Kyle, can’t commit to Sia’s changes as quickly as everyone else, but that’s not really much of an opposition, as far as I’m concerned, and so I thought it fell a little flat. Two and a half stars.

I received this an ARC of this novel from the author, via Netgalley, prior to its release on November 20, 2013

{November 17, 2013} {Recently Released Series} Only For You by E.L. Todd (Forever and Always #1)

E.L. Todd just released a new adult series, the Forever and Always series, and it’s getting rave reviews!!!

Check it out:

Synopsis:

When Scarlet realized Penelope was dumping Sean, her best friend, she was devastated. Penelope was the love of his life, the woman of his dreams. Scarlet knew how far her best friend was going to fall and she had to catch him. Scarlet became Sean’s rock and helped him through a very painful breakup, but her own hidden desires bubbled to the surface in the process. When they finally gave in and slept together, she thought it was the start of their new relationship. Unfortunately, Sean didn’t feel the same.

Humiliated and heartbroken, Scarlet moved across the country and found what she least expected. She rekindled her damaged relationship with her brother, who she hadn’t spoken to in a year, and her brother’s best friend was attractive and interesting. Their relationship was natural and unforced, and she was immediately drawn to him. Would she be able to get over Sean, forget about him, by sleeping with Cortland, or would that just be another repeated mistake?

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And a quick excerpt:

“What do you want to see?” she asked.

“I get to pick? You never let me pick.”

She shrugged. “Today’s your lucky day.”

“I guess I should get dumped more often.”

She smiled at me. “What do you want to see?”

“Nothing with love or that chick-flick shit.”

“Okay,” she said. “That’s fine. I don’t care what we watch.”

I laughed. “Since when?”

“Just pick,” she said, pinching my side.

“I want something with guns, explosions, and death and stuff.”

She rolled her eyes. “You are so cliché.”

“Hey,” I said. “What happened to me getting to pick?”

“I said you could pick the movie. I never said I wouldn’t make fun of you for it.” She stepped toward the ticket booth and pulled me along with her. “How about the new James Bond movie?”

I nodded. “That works.”

“And it has hot chicks in it.”

“You think I didn’t already know that?” I laughed.

She glared at me for a moment then stepped toward the window. She ordered our tickets, which I paid for, despite her protests, and then we walked inside. I didn’t like it when Scarlet paid for anything. I knew she had a mound of student loans hanging on her shoulders. My entire education was paid for by my parents but Scarlet didn’t have that luxury. I offered to help her pay back her loans, but being the stubborn woman that she was, she refused any aid I offered. My parents loved Scarlet like their own daughter. If I asked them to pay off her debt, they would do it in a heartbeat. But, of course, Scarlet would never let that happen either.

“Do you want something from the concession stand?” I asked.

She raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”

“What?”

“Is that a serious question?” she asked. “I always want something from the concession stand.”

“That’s right, I forgot. You’re a fatty.”

She smiled at me. “A hot fatty.”

I whistled. “Smokin’.”

We stood in line, and when it was our turn, I ordered. “Just a medium popcorn, please.” I opened my wallet to grab the cash when Scarlet spoke.

“And a bag of skittles, milk duds, and another medium popcorn.”

I stared at her, dumbfounded. “I thought we would share a popcorn?”

“I’m hungry.”

I laughed. Scarlet never failed to surprise me. I pulled more money from my wallet and handed it over. We grabbed our snacks and walked into the auditorium.

“I thought were going to dinner after this,” I said.

“We are.” She sat in her chair and started shoving the popcorn in her mouth. Her candy was sitting on the arm rest, ready to be devoured immediately afterwards.

“Are you starving or something?” I laughed.

She glared at me. “No. I just like to eat.”

“Apparently.”

She threw a piece of popcorn at me, and it hit me on the shoulder. “I work out.”

“Thankfully.”

She threw another piece of popcorn at me.

The movie started and I stared at the screen. I leaned back in my chair and watched the unstoppable action of the movie. It was a nice distraction from the disturbing reality of my mind. Halfway through the movie, Scarlet leaned her head on my shoulder but I didn’t mind the touch. I thought she was just being affectionate, but then I realized she was eating from my pail of popcorn because she already finished hers.

“You are unbelievable,” I whispered. I laughed quietly, trying not to disturb our neighbors.

You can buy Only For You on Amazon

____________________________________________________________________________

The other two novels in the series are also available:

Book 2: Forever and Always

Book 3: Edge of Love

{November 17, 2013} {ARC Review} Soar by Alyssa Rose Ivy (The Empire Chronicles #1)

From Goodreads: In the city that never sleeps the Chronicles continue…

Serving coffee is temporary, just like Casey’s year off from school. She’s going to come up with a plan to stay in New York City and go back to college, and that plan does not involve dating a paranormal creature—let alone two.

Running the supernatural society of New York is not as fun as it sounds, especially when you still have to answer to your ex-girlfriend’s fiancé. Toby doesn’t mean to bring Casey into the chaos of his life, but he can’t resist the girl who makes him smile when he thought no one else ever could.

Jared’s in New York checking out a security risk for his best friend, the king. He plans to return to New Orleans quickly, but not if it means losing his chance with the brunette who pretends she wants nothing to do with him.

In over her head with a bunch of winged creatures who most definitely are not angels, Casey has to figure out who to trust with her life and maybe her heart.

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Readers are happily thrust back into the world of the Pterons in this spin off series to the Crescent Chronicles, meshing together new and old characters alike. Casey, the new heroine of his novel, is in much the same boat as Allie was when she first learned of the Pterons, yet she’s vastly different. I like Casey, but I also found her wishy-washy attitude between Toby and Jared a bit jarring. She had a hard time making up her mind about who she liked more, and it made me mad. I have a tendency to want my heroines to go with the first good guy that captures their heart, so when it’s a battle between two lovers, it takes me time to change allegiances, and I don’t always do so, even though the characters do. I am kind of miffed about Casey’s final choice, truth be told. However, I have a feeling that it’s all going to change for both Jared and Toby based on the final few pages and their twist of events, one I never saw coming!

I feel kind of bad for Toby in this novel, which I wasn’t expecting going in. He is stuck missing Allie–and while I admit he didn’t handle things too well in the first series and I kind of hated him, I do feel sorry for him just the same, which is why I was hoping he’d catch a break in this novel, especially because he seems so much nicer. And while the break does seem to come, the appearance of Jared muddies the waters and it seems that Toby may never meet his other half.

I enjoyed that our main characters from series one are also side characters in this novel, so even though it’s a new heroine, my faves are still there in the background, helping to make sense of it all for Casey. And, again, based on the twist here at the end, it looks like we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Levi and Allie in the next installments in this lovely spinoff series, too, which is a huge plus because I really enjoy them.

One aspect that really intrigued me in this novel is the appearance of the shapeshifters; I really want to know what they’re doing, and why they’re doing it, but Ivy doesn’t give too much away, leaving me yearning for the next installment already… especially based on the twist at the end. Four stars.

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

{November 16, 2013} {Review} Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter #7)

From Goodreads: Harry Potter is preparing to leave the Dursleys and Privet Drive for the last time. But the future that awaits him is full of danger, not only for him, but for anyone close to him — and Harry has already lost so much. Only by destroying Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes can Harry free himself and overcome the Dark Lord’s forces of evil.

In this dramatic conclusion to the Harry Potter series, Harry must leave his most loyal friends behind, and in a final perilous journey find the strength and the will to face his terrifying destiny: a deadly confrontation that is his alone to fight.

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The end. Finito. Terminé. It is done, and I’m having a hard time accepting it. The wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter has so enraptured me that I have been able to think of little else while reading this amazing series. While many of the novels themselves are on the long side, I still feel as if more could be said. Spanning from around 300 pages at its shortest to over 850 pages at its longest, the series itself encompasses over 4000 pages that grip readers and bring them into this world through amazing themes, events, characters, and connections to the real world. Likewise, it presents a fantasy world that allows our imaginations to run rampant, especially in regards to the question of “what if.” What if it really did exist…

This seventh and final novel in the Harry Potter series is just as amazing and gripping as the first (and all those that come in-between). Of course, it follows in its predecessors footsteps with its dark undertones as Harry, Hermoine, and Ron attempt to find the final horcruxs before their battle with Voldemort. The wizarding world is in chaos, and people, both magical and muggle, are dying left and right…

From the very beginning, the novel strums our emotional cords as the magic surrounding Privet Drive is about to expire, sending the awful and repulsive Dursley family away once and for all as their safety is now in question. Although these muggles are ones we love to hate, Rowling finally adds a piece of sentimentality in the form of Dudley, and readers just know that this is going to be an emotional read from beginning to end. How can it not, as it dives deeper into the recess of good versus evil.

While absolutely amazing, the death toll in this novel will leave readers in a somber mood for days, because even though they are fictional characters, they have become a part of our lives just the same. And while I wish Rowling didn’t do it—I’d love for this to have been all roses and butterflies—it just wouldn’t carry any validity or as much steam has Rowling not made these difficult decisions to kill off some of our most beloved characters.

And Snape? While I still find his actions appalling, in this novel I can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness for him, and rejoice in his ultimate decisions because we finally know the absolute truth behind the man we’ve hated for so long. Just writing this review of such a riveting novel brings all the emotions to the forefront again, and I cannot say it enough: this series, this book, this world, is amazing. Five stars.

I own all these books and movies.

{November 15, 2013} {Review} Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6)

From Goodreads: The war against Voldemort is not going well; even the Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet, as with all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate—and lose a few eyebrows in the process. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it’s the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort—and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is another amazing installment in the Harry Potter Series. On the plus side, the wizarding world is once again standing behind Harry and Dumbledore, aware that they were telling the truth about the return of Voldemort. On the negative side, however, many have met a premature death in the fight against pure evil. These are dark times, and though it seems impossible, the events that unfold in this novel are even more ominous than those that came before it.

This is the first time readers are given a glimpse of the life that Tom Riddle led before becoming Lord Voldemort, beginning with his ill-conceived birth, and taking us through his time and actions in an orphanage, and his acceptance and studies at Hogwarts. Finally, we are able to begin to put together the pieces that made Voldemort who he is today—a killer intent on ruling forever and riding the world of mudbloods—anyone who isn’t a pureblood witch or wizard. I really enjoyed this backwards glance into the life of our foe, Voldemort, as the puzzle-pieces began to come together and it is impossible not to be curious about the life and times of someone so inherently evil. Readers learn much about Voldemort’s heritage, and perhaps the most important detail comes to light in this novel in terms of his life: the horcruxes. As the truth becomes clear concerning how Voldermort survived his backfiring curse the night he attempted to kill Harry, and with this knowledge, the race against time begins.

This is an extremely engaging novel and, though sinister in tone and ominous in nature, it is an amazing tale that will leave you glued to the pages; it will haunt you long after it’s over, especially as the unthinkable happens in this novel, an event that had me so aghast that the tissues by my side were not enough to do it justice. It is the beginning of the end, and while I do not want this amazing world that Rowling has created to end, I am more than ready to see justice served. Five stars.

I own all these novels and movies.

{November 14, 2013} {Review} Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (Harry Potter #5)

From Goodreads: Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected…

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If there was only one thing I was allowed to say about this novel, it would be this: “I hate Umbridge!!!”

Unlike the first four novels in this series, I was less familiar with the many events that take place in this fifth installment as it’s the longest book and also the worst movie, in my opinion. The movie itself was excessively choppy and off kilter, as far as I’m concerned, so I didn’t watch it as much as the first four movies. But, where the movie is stifling and inconsistent, the novel contains in-depth detail and really brings home the many atrocities and difficulties that Harry and his true friends face during their fifth year at Hogwarts, and re-reading this novel has given me a new appreciation for the storyline that the movie so vastly failed to portray.

As much as I hated everything that was happening to Hogwarts and Harry, especially as the entire wizarding world, it seems, stands against Harry, this novel has some great themes, especially for young adults struggling through their own identity crisis as they battle their way through high school. And it really shows just how much people would rather look the other way than see the truth, or deal with anything unpleasant, which can again be equated to the real world as the entire bullying epidemic has come to the forefront.

What I found to be the most interesting aspect of this novel, however, was the way the Ministry of Magic attempted to control Hogwarts and its teachers, subjecting them to multiple unfair observations and write-ups, firing at will. This is not so different from the reforms happening in the real world, with states and the government attempting to flay teachers based on poor student performance without taking anything else into consideration. And though I really doubt tgat Rowling was thinking about education reform when she wrote this novel, I found that it still had a very heavy social commentary on education and the powers that be attempting to control it with little to no knowledge of teaching or how the system really works. With the Ministry’s long reaching hands now up to its elbows in the running of Hogwarts, the system begins to crumble. A very interesting concept indeed. Five stars.

I own all these novels and movies.

{November 13, 2013} {Review} Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4)

From Goodreads: The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can’t wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there are spells to be learnt, potions to be brewed and Divination lessons (sigh) to be attended. Harry is expecting these: however, other quite unexpected events are already on the march…

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This fourth installment in the awesome Harry Potter Series marks the start of a much darker tone, yet it is perhaps my favorite of the series to day. It also is the last of the series that I am quite familiar with in movie form–so I am quite looking forward to reading books five, six, and seven since I am less familiar with all that happens in them.

This novel is so well written—the entire world created by Rowling is by far one of the best I’ve ever immersed myself in, and this is the first novel in the series to actually make me cry. While the others are extremely well written, I feel as if the first two novels are much lighter a fluffy, though they hold their own evils; they are in no way like this fourth novel, following the deaths of many, one of which is a very awesome character we’ve learned to love. Even the third novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, with it’s escaped prisoner on the prowl and dementors attempting to suck the life out of wizards and witches alike, didn’t feel nearly as dark or foreboding as this.

Opening with a murder, death eaters terrorizing muggles, and then the advent of deadly games, this novel is the first to put a darker spin on these lovable MG/YA novels. And I love it. While I do love the first three novels, this one takes a fun world and makes it darker, adding real threats and testing the reader’s emotions on a whole new level. It’s superb. Five stars.

I own all these novels and movies.

{November 12, 2013} {Review} Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3)

From Goodreads: Harry Potter is lucky to reach the age of thirteen, since he has already survived the murderous attacks of the feared Dark Lord on more than one occasion. But his hopes for a quiet term concentrating on Quidditch are dashed when a maniacal mass-murderer escapes from Azkaban, pursued by the soul-sucking Dementors who guard the prison. It’s assumed that Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry to be. But is it a coincidence that he can feel eyes watching him in the dark, and should he be taking Professor Trelawney’s ghoulish predictions seriously?

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Rowling has, once again, written a gem that keeps adults just as entertained as it does the MG and YA age group for which it was written. This world is just… amazing. The series transports me to another world that I am highly invested in, and Rowling sheet amount of detail and her ability to interlace the plot and twists throughout her ongoing series just amazes me. This is a series that I will continually come back to time and time again because it’s a classic. A must read.

This third installment in the amazing Harry Potter Series is actually extremely different from the movie, and I didn’t realize it–even though I’ve read these books once before (7 years ago, so apparently I’ve forgotten). I guess I need to watch the movie again, maybe I just didn’t see it before, but Snape is definitely a lot nastier in this novel than I’ve ever perceived him to be in the movie. It’s like the escape of Sirius Black has made Snape into a crazed monster, which I guess it has, in a way, knowing what I know about Snape’s love for Lily Potter, but this is the first time his true colors seem to be coming out. While he was definitely a “meanie” in the first two books, Rowling takes his character to a whole new level in this novel, and I was appalled by his behavior!

I originally thought Snape’s antics on the big screen to be slightly humorous, and he’s one of my favorites in the movies, truth be told, but in the novels he’s completely awful and full of hate—no redeeming qualities can be seen in this book, and he really made me angry! I understand his prejudices against Harry, and I know his back-story from the text, but I didn’t ever see him as being such an awful person before now. And he is. I mean, I knew he was the resident sourpuss and that he was mean to students, but rereading his actions in this novel gave me a brand new perspective that I either hadn’t seen before, or had forgotten existed; Snape takes hatred to a new extreme. The way he treats the students, all of them, really, is inexcusable. Perhaps I’m seeing him in a new light as I’m now seasoned teacher myself, and I wasn’t when I first read the books, but regardless, Snape’s actions within this book made me livid. The way he talks to Hermoine, Ron, and Harry made me cringe; he’s just an unacceptable person—no matter how much you dislike a person, you just don’t treat them the way Snape treats Harry and his friends. You just don’t.

Rowling definitely presents Snape in a different light than the directors in the movie, possibly because the directors didn’t want viewers to hate him to the extreme, but even so, I was floored by just how different the portrayal really is. At least now I completely understand why some of my friends have always been so adamant about their hate for Snape. Wow. Just, wow.

But, despite Snape’s actions, I adored this novel, especially the explanation and replaying of events through the unique time changes that are presented. Just in case you haven’t read the novels or seen the movies, I won’t go into too much detail here, but I personally felt that this novel does a much better job handling the time change than the movie does because I never felt like events were being repeated, whereas in the movie I thought this portion dragged on a little too long. Rowling keeps it short and sweet, though, in her novel, explaining it perfectly, and I highly enjoyed this aspect. And, if you’ve only seen the movie and haven’t read the book, then you’re seriously missing out. In this instance, it isn’t even a close second, the novel completely beats out the movie. No contest. Go read it. Five stars.

I own all these novels and movies.

**Update: I have read all the books in this trilogy AND I really enjoyed BUZZ and BUBBLE. I suggest you try this series and see–books two and three definitely made up for book one.**

It’s time for the awesomeness that is Black Friday, and the biggest names in Fiction are coming together to help YOU kick off your Holiday Shopping!

Come help us spread the word for a chance to win one of FOUR $50 Giftcards and other prizes!!!

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Authors:

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Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Colour-Wielders-Novel-ebook/dp/B00EQLLNPK

Make sure you join the Facebook party tonight so you can win titles like the one above!

E.L. Todd just released a new adult series, the Forever and Always series, and it’s getting rave reviews!!!

Check it out:

Synopsis:

You can buy Only For You on Amazon

The other two novels in the series are also available:

Book 2: Forever and Always

Book 3: Edge of Love

To Search for Reviews, Type Book Title Below:

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Update: I have read all the books in this trilogy AND I really enjoyed BUZZ and BUBBLE. I suggest you try this series and see–books two and three definitely made up for book one.

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It’s time for the awesomeness that is Black Friday, and the biggest names in Fiction are coming together to help YOU kick off your Holiday Shopping!

Come help us spread the word for a chance to win one of FOUR $50 Giftcards and other prizes!!!

7 PM EST will kick off the LIVE Facebook Party where you can win one of 50 books, don’t miss it!

Authors:

Spotlight:

Purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Colour-Wielders-Novel-ebook/dp/B00EQLLNPK

Make sure you join the Facebook party tonight so you can win titles like the one above!

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E.L. Todd just released a new adult series, the Forever and Always series, and it’s getting rave reviews!!!

Check it out:

Synopsis:

You can buy Only For You on Amazon

The other two novels in the series are also available:

Book 2: Forever and Always

Book 3: Edge of Love

Share this:

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To Search for Reviews, Type Book Title Below:

Pages

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Recent Posts

A Book Vacation’s TOP READS — 5 STARS ALL AROUND

Goodreads: Currently Reading

2019 Reading Challenge

2019 Reading Challenge

Goodreads Recently Read

Top Posts & Pages

Nominated in 2015 for BEST BLOG OF THE YEAR, and BLOGGER OF THE YEAR by the UtopYA Academy

Nominated in 2014 for BEST BLOG OF THE YEAR, BLOGGER OF THE YEAR, and UTOPIAN OF THE YEAR by the UtopYA Academy

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**Update: I have read all the books in this trilogy AND I really enjoyed BUZZ and BUBBLE. I suggest you try this series and see–books two and three definitely made up for book one.**