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{September 28, 2014}   {ARC Review} Sacrifice by Brigid Kemmerer (Elemental #5)

SacrificeFrom Goodreads: Earth. Fire. Air. Water.

One misstep and they lose it all. For the last time.

Michael Merrick understands pressure. He’s the only parent his three brothers have had for years. His power to control Earth could kill someone if he miscalculates. Now an Elemental Guide has it in for his family, and he’s all that stands in the way.

His girlfriend, Hannah, understands pressure too. She’s got a child of her own, and a job as a firefighter that could put her life in danger at any moment.

But there are people who have had enough of Michael’s defiance, his family’s ‘bad luck’. Before he knows it, Michael’s enemies have turned into the Merricks’ enemies, and they’re armed for war.

They’re not interested in surrender. But Michael isn’t the white flag type anyway. Everything is set for the final showdown.

Four elements, one family. Will they hold together, or be torn apart?

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Kemmerer’s Elemental series has been my guilty pleasure for a few years now. And with this novel, Kemmerer has technically closed the story with this final chapter of the Merrick brothers, giving readers Michael’s story as it all comes to a head. And yet… I’m not certain it’s really over.

Let me explain.  Kemmerer has always woven a tale that pulls readers in from the get go.  Sacrifice is no different.  By this point in the series, the Merrick brothers and their friends are like a part of my family.  I know them so well because Kemmerer really knows how to create realistic, beautiful characters, and Sacrifice is no different on this end.  The brothers, who I’ve come to love, are again faced with hardship–perhaps the worst yet, and it tore my heart in two as I read.  The emotions are real, and I just adored everything about it.  Everything, except the ending.  The ending, while a resolution that works, comes on quite fast, leaving readers with questions. Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting the antagonist to be who it was, and I liked how Kemmerer threw me for a loop with the big reveal, but I didn’t understand all the aspects that went in to it. I reread it twice, but in all honestly, the ending was too neat; everything wrapped up much too quickly once all is said and done. And I still have questions. I have questions about the bad guy, about newcomer Irish, Hunter’s grandparents, the guides reactions to it all, and what’s going to happen next for the Merricks. Yes, a resolution is there, and I loved it, even though it happened a touch too fast for me and not everyone gets out unscathed, but even so, the potential for more chaos is there, too, and I’m waiting for more–for the other shoe to drop. This is a wonderful novel, and I truly enjoyed it… but I need a spinoff series…

Of course, Kemmerer did leave me stunned with one aspect that I knew was coming from the title, SACRIFICE, but still didn’t expect. I spent the next few pages hoping it’d be undone, but alas, it’s not. You might want some tissues. I think I was stunned enough that I didn’t even blink. No tears for me, it just… can’t be. Right? And it happens so fast that if you do blink, you’ll miss it. I really have no words. Except that you must read it. If this is really the end, then you just have to read it, but I’m still waiting. For more. I need more. The Merricks are a part of me now, and… I just need more. Four stars.

 

4 stars

I received this novel from Kensington Books, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This title releases on September 30, 2014.

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble

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Brigid Kemmerer HeadshotBrigid Kemmerer was born in Omaha, Nebraska, though her parents quickly moved her all over the United States, from the desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the lakeside in Cleveland, Ohio, and several stops in between, eventually settling near Annapolis, Maryland. Brigid started writing in high school, and her first real “novel” was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four brothers are the same boys living in the pages of The Elemental Series, so Brigid likes to say she’s had four teenage boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years. (Though sometimes that just makes her sound nuts.)

Brigid writes anywhere she can find a place to sit down (and she’s embarrassed to say a great many pages of The Elemental Series were written while sitting on the floor in the basement of a hotel while she was attending a writers’ conference). Most writers enjoy peace and quiet while writing, but Brigid prefers pandemonium. A good thing, considering she has three boys in the house, ranging in age from an toddler to a teenager. You can learn more about Brigid and the Elemental boys at www.brigidkemmerer.com.

Follow Brigid:

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Kemmerers Books____________________________________________

READ THEM ALL (I’ve given 5 stars to nearly every one)

Elemental Kindle | Nook (Book #0.5)
Storm Kindle | Paperback | Nook (Book #1)
Fearless Kindle | Nook (Book #1.5)
Spark Kindle | Paperback | Nook (Book #2)
Breathless Kindle | Nook (Book #2.5)
Spirit Kindle | Paperback | Nook (Book #3)
Secret Kindle | Paperback | Nook (Book #4)
Sacrifice Kindle | Paperback (Book #5)

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Book Depository | iBooks | IndieBound

Pre-order your copy of Sacrifice today!

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{August 17, 2014}   {Review} The Deep by Jen Minkman (The Island #3)

The DeepFrom Goodreads:

‘The world is never-ending.
I never realized just how much space there is – how far and wide the water around our island stretches out. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I may have believed that a second Wall ran around Tresco, containing the infinite waters so we wouldn’t all wash over the edge and plummet down into the depths.’

Leia and Walt are on their way to the Other Side, where the legendary land of Cornwall awaits them. Tony, their new friend, has told them that all wars of the past have been forgotten and the citizens of Bodmin and Dartmoor live in peace. People adhere to the tenets of an old religion that preaches forgiveness and non-violence.

However, Walt and Leia soon discover that even a peace-loving, ideal society like this one may have its flaws. While on a forbidden trip to Exeter, the old city of their ancestors, the two Islanders discover more about the new world than they ever bargained for.

Secrets run dark and passions run deep in this thrilling conclusion to the Island novella series.

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This third and final installment of Minkman’s Island series is just as good as those that come before it, and as Leia, Walt, and their family and friends leave the island to see what is beyond their horizons, the novel takes a more sinister turn. I really enjoyed this final conclusion, and the ante is definitely way up in this novel as evil lurks within Bodmin and Dartmoor.

Leia and Walt continue to be my two favorite characters of the series, though I truly enjoyed Alisa and Saul as well. And as they all get themselves into trouble, they must find a way to flee back to their own settlement across the water before it’s too late. Greed and power are a very real threat in the real world, and as Leia and Walt find out, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Though some of the adventures of the characters seems a little far-fetched to me, I also have a limited imagination and sometimes can’t pictures events within my head well enough for them to compute. Regardless, this fantastical novel definitely kept my attention and I enjoyed it very much.

This is a very innovative story, and it liked it very much, especially whereas the other installment in the series are novella length, and this final installment is that of novel length, adding more depth to the story and giving readers a broader scope of the world as it exists within the pages of this fun series. Four and a half stars.

4.5 stars

I was given this novel by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Kindle | Nook

 

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{April 5, 2014}   {Review} The Savage Protector by Tamara Rose Blodgett (Savage #5)

The Savage ProtectorFrom Goodreads: Queen Clara has chosen her future king but as the Wedded Joining draws nearer, the Kingdom of Kentucky’s sphere continues to degrade. Relations with the outside are non-existent and the beleaguered people housed within the confines of the kingdom will soon be loosed to join the fragment.

Calia and Evie join forces to escape the plan that Edwin has for Calia’s future. Frantic to locate the women, Maddoc, Jonathan, Philip and Daniel join forces to cinch the net of safety around the pair before it’s too late.

Calia doesn’t long for a future where a male is the answer. However, when biology and destiny collide, she will find the choice that she wants the least, may be the correct one.

Will Calia be allowed to remain true to herself by protecting those she has vowed to defend? Can she overcome her past and be healed by the love of her one, true soulmate?
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This is another beautiful novel written by the ever talented Tamara Rose Blodgett. Her ability to captivate readers with not only her storyline, but also her imagery, characterization, and intense action sequence always makes her novels a joy to read, and The Savage Protector is no different.

I was drawn into this fifth novel in the series from the very first page, and as Blodgett continues the perilous story of Princess Clara, the band, the spheres, and the fragment, I was riveted to the spot. I absolutely adore the writing in this series. A bit archaic in nature, this world Blodgett has created is beyond amazing, and she designs it perfectly, from the clothes and character mentalities to the language and mannerism, it flows off the page in perfection.

And the imagery? Wow. I don’t usually reflect on the writing in novels–I usually am too wrapped up in the story itself, but in Blodgett’s novels, her writing flows so beautifully that it’s impossible not to notice, and on many an occasion it brought me up short, going back and rereading the beautiful imagery Blodgett presents, even in the more dire of situations within the text.

“The mans flesh opened like a terrible flower in full bloom, blood pouring from the petals.”

“Though the temperature was not truly freezing, the bite of winter was evident everywhere, with small patches of the previous week’s snow surrounding stranded islands of blond prairie grass.”

It is just beautiful, and this, mixed with the heart-pounding sequence of events, is definitely a must read.

I also love the way Blodgett intertwines her story, shifting between character viewpoints throughout the novel. Though the entire novel reads in third person, events unfold simultaneously, which creates the need to follow different characters on their perilous adventures throughout the story, bringing each separate entity back to the main story and intertwining them perfectly. While this is indeed the fifth novel in this amazing series, and I do suggest reading these novels in order, all the novels in the Savage series read as beautifully as this, and I highly suggest you start from the beginning if you have not already done so.  Five stars.

5 stars

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

Kindle

And, if you haven’t yet read any of this series, make sure you pick up the first three books, which are currently FREE at the time of this post.

Kindle

The Savage Series

 

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{February 18, 2014}   {Cover Reveal and ARC Giveaway} Invaded by Melissa Landers (Alienated #2)

I cannot express how excited I am that the cover for Invaded is already out, just a few weeks after book one in the epic series, Alienated, released!!  Alienated is definitely an amazing 5 star read for me, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel, Invaded!!!  Look at all the pretty!!!

InvadedInvaded Synopsis: (spoilers ensue for those who haven’t yet read Alienated–read on with caution)

Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return?

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AlienatedAbout book one, Alienated:

“In a nutshell, Alienated is the story of valedictorian Cara Sweeney, who gets more than she bargained for when she agrees to host the nation’s first intergalactic exchange student, the gorgeous but emotionally-stilted Aelyx (pronounced A-licks) from planet L’eihr. The tone is light and humorous, but [Landers explores] some deeper themes as well.”

What do reviewers have to say?

“The storyline is out of this world and character development paired with authentic voice is superb. Filled with intrigue and suspense, this book will appeal to both sci-fi and contemporary YA fiction fans.” –VOYA

“Interstellar relations heat up in this start to a new romantic science fiction series. Landers [explores] larger social, ecological, and ethical issues in this tense, fast-paced read.” –Booklist

“The perfect blend of sizzling romance, action, and suspense.” –#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout

“Smart, funny, and epic. I am now awaiting contact from planet L’eihr.” Julie Cross, bestselling author of Tempest.

“Intergalactic exchange students? Yes, please! I fell in love with this story and couldn’t put it down.” Jodi Meadows, author of Incarnate.

Amazon Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Barnes & Noble | Book Depo (free international shipping) | Indie Bound

Check out A Book Vacation’s 5 star review of ALIENATED HERE!

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M.L.About Melissa Landers:

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds.

A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids.

She lives outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, “Sweetheart of Ohio.”

For more information, or just to say hello, visit www.melissa-landers.com.

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Swoon, swoon, swoon–both covers are amazing! And guess what?  YA Book Central has an EPIC giveaway going on on their blog, where you could win a signed ARC of Invaded–this book isn’t set to release until 2015, so hop on it!!  This is awesome, and even though I really want to win it, I wish you all good luck!!

Enter HERE!!!

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