Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Release Day Review: The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris

Title: The Fine Art Of Pretending
Author: Rachel Harris
Series: Book One in the Series of the Same Name
Published By: Spencer Hill (September 30, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Contemporary
My Rating: 4.5 Stars!

Book Desription:
According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.









I knew from the moment I opened the first page and read it that Aly and I were going to be great friends. I love when a first chapter, a first page, can capture me right away and I feel that instant connection with a character. It is so rare when it happens, which makes it all the better and memorable when it does.

I wasn't wrong about that first page either. As Aly's tale unfolded I grew to love her and Brandon more and more. There is just something that is so hard for me to resist when it comes to a sweet slow burning friends to lovers story. In fact, I CAN'T resist them and seldom even try.

Throw in Harris' ability to draw a person in with her incredible writing abilities and you have a story that I completely was wrapped up in and didn't want to end.

This was such a heartwarming adorable read. This book will be one of my favorites of the year simply because it made me smile and even get teary eyed while reading it and lately, it has taken a lot for me to do that, especially in this genre.  For me to be able to walk away with this one a happier, more relaxed person, with a warm fuzzy feeling inside should be enough for anyone to pick this up too.

Simply put, this was stinkin' adorable and I loved every minute of it and can't wait for the next book to be out. 









*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Monday, September 29, 2014

Review: Whisper the Dead by Alyxandra Harvey

Title: Whisper the Dead
Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Series: Book Two in the Lovegrove Legacy
Published By: Bloomsbury Children's (October 7, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Historical Paranormal
My Rating: 4.5 Stars!

Book Description:
Cousins Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope are all dealing with what it means to be a Lovegrove. For Gretchen, it means she often feels like her head is going to explode. As a Whisperer, Gretchen constantly hears the whispers of other witches' spells. And while this does help her to know when one of her own spells is going wrong, the incessant buzzing and pain the whispers cause makes it difficult to use her gift.

But when something evil begins to menace Mayfair, Gretchen must find a way to master her power. Along with her cousins, a madcap named Moira, and the icy yet irresistible Tobias Lawless, Gretchen faces deadly threats and unimaginable loss in the hopes of preventing the terrible Greymalkin Sisters from rising again. 

The second book in The Lovegrove Legacy trilogy, Whisper the Dead will leave readers spellbound.







“One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, and four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told.”

I adore this series and it just keeps getting better and better as it goes. While this is the second book, it by no means suffered from the dreaded second book syndrome, in fact it was quite the opposite for me.

It was even more daring, exciting and action filled and I loved every single minute of it.

While told in multiple point of views, and done quite well I might add, each book is definitely centered around one girl in particular and this time that girl was the feisty Gretchen and I couldn't have been more thrilled. 

I loved her after the first book. There is something to be said about a fierce woman who speaks her mind and goes after what she wants, especially in a time when woman were suppose to be anything but mild and meek.

Oh goodness I loved everything about this story. To the darkness that is the Seven Sisters and Greymalkin House to the lies and betrayal and yes, even death of those the girls loved to the heart fluttering romance and almost non stop action and wonder, it didn't take long until I was wrapped right back up into the vivid wonderful world that Harvey created and I didn't want to escape it. 

I love Godric, Tobias, Emma, Gretchen, Cedric, Cormac, Theo, Pip, Moira, One-Eyed Joe, Penelope...really this is full of characters, that just after two books, really have become my friends and people I care about. 

So many twists I didn't see, so much deceit but also the wonderful bond between the cousins and new acquaintances that makes this story really special and really stand out among others like it, it all why I can't seem to get enough of it. 

It has just the right blend of rich historic detail of the times, with the alluring paranormal, a touch of danger and mystery, with a swoon worthy romance,  that just make it irresistible. 

I devoured this up and when I came to the ending I felt lost and I wanted more. I needed to know how it all ended and sadly, I will have to wait until the next book is out to see how it all comes together. To see how gets their happily ever after and how it all ends.








*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Review: Burying Water by K.A. Tucker

Title: Burying Water
Author: K.A. Tucker
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: Atria (October 7, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: NA Contemporary
My Rating: 4 Stars!

Book Description:
Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him?

Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Welles doesn’t know how long it will be before Water gets her memory back. For her sake, Jesse hopes the answer is never. He knows that she’ll stay so much safer—and happier—that way. And that’s why, as hard as it is, he needs to keep his distance. Because getting too close could flood her with realities better left buried.

The trouble is, water always seems to find its way to the surface.








This is only my second Tucker book but I can say with complete confidence that it is also my favorite.

I didn't have any expectations whatsoever going into this one other than getting a little escape from the outside world, which I did get but I also got a wonderful story that was every bit as mysterious as it was revealing.

A story that wasn't all rainbows and sunshine but rather gritty and realistic in its complicated simplicity. 

One that left me turning the pages and pondering the back and forth narration between Jesse, Water and the then and now.

This kind of back and forth doesn't always work and even less so seamlessly but I have to hand it to Tucker, she pulled it off pretty well. It has just the right amount of predictable and it did the unpredictable. It didn't take me long to be completely wrapped up in the story and invested in the characters outcome. 

I truly enjoyed this and it gave me just what I needed to let me get away for a few hours and really enjoy the budding  forbidden romance as well as the horrifying mystery of what really happened to Water.

This was very well done and made me a fan of Tucker's. 




*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Mini Review: A Princess by Christmas by Jennifer Faye

Title: A Princess by Christmas
Author: Jennifer Faye
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: Harlequin (October 7, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Author (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 3 Stars

Book Description:
A royal kiss under the mistletoe.Prince Alexandro Castanovo arrives in snowy New York intent on protecting his royal family from scandal. And when Reese Harding, down-to-earth and heart-stoppingly beautiful, finds room for him at her inn, it seems like the perfect twist of fate.

Not long ago Reese's world came crumbling down, shaking her foundations. But this enigmatic stranger intrigues her! She's learned to be wary of secrets, but when she discovers Alex's true identity, might there be enough magic in the air to make this regular American girl a princess by Christmas.






I can always count on Faye to deliver a sweet, heart warming romance. She has a knack for creating wonderful down to earth characters that you immediately can't help but fall in love with, her latest novella, falls right into that same category.

I couldn't help but love every single minute of this read as it warmed my heart and put me in the mood for the magic of the holidays.

If you are looking for a light fun holiday romance this is the story for you. 





*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Friday, September 26, 2014

Review: Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Black Ice
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: Simon & Schuster (October 7, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Mystery
My Rating: 4.5 Stars!

Book Description:
Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late. 

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage. 

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target. 

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally? 






ep·ic
ˈepik/
adjective:
informal
particularly impressive or remarkable.

That word is what I think of when I think of how I felt all throughout this story. It was epic, plain and simple. 

Not like her YA paranormal series at all so if you are hesitating on reading this one because you didn't love her other books, don't be. This was full of intrigue, mystery and ended up being quite the thrill ride of never knowing who you could trust or what was going to happen next. I absolutely loved it.

I don’t' want to go into too much detail but I was constantly on edge with this read never knowing up from down or right from wrong. It was a thrill ride that I cherished every minute of and just couldn't get enough of.





*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Review: Lailah by Nikki Kelly

Title: Lailah
Author: Nikki Kelly
Series: Book One in the Styclar Saga
Published By: Feiwel and Friends (October 7, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Fantasy
My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Book Description:
The girl knows she’s different. She doesn’t age. She has no family. She has visions of a past life, but no clear clues as to what she is, or where she comes from. But there is a face in her dreams – a light that breaks through the darkness. She knows his name is Gabriel.

On her way home from work, the girl encounters an injured stranger whose name is Jonah. Soon, she will understand that Jonah belongs to a generation of Vampires that serve even darker forces. Jonah and the few like him, are fighting with help from an unlikely ally – a rogue Angel, named Gabriel.

In the crossfire between good and evil, love and hate, and life and death, the girl learns her name: Lailah. But when the lines between black and white begin to blur, where in the spectrum will she find her place? And with whom?

Gabriel and Jonah both want to protect her. But Lailah will have to fight her own battle to find out who she truly is.









Even though I absolutely adore a good vampire book, it seems good ones have been in shortage. Before you know it, most original ideas have been done and done again and yet again and before you know it, you are left with the same story just different characters and let's face it, after awhile it gets old and boring and it just loses it's appeal. 

Which just might be why I loved this as much as I did. A mix of supernatural creatures, ideas, and theories with a whole new twist and plot line. Something dare I say unique and fresh?Yes, I do dare say so.

This wasn't perfect and gasp it has a love triangle but it was one that worked because....well, it just did because it fit the whole good versus evil theme of the story. I don't want to give too much away so that is all I am going to say about that. 

It has a few well done overly used tropes and a love triangle that kept me from giving this four stars, but overall, it was original and so very much fun. I was sucked right into the storyline and while some things were easy to see from the start, others weren't. In fact, just when I thought I had things figured out, I found I was completely wrong and had to start all over again, guessing at what was really going on. What was really happening and who Lailah really was and what it meant to the rest of them.

Outstanding characters. Some I truly liked and others I really didn't but all again, very fitting to the story. I am so very excited to see where book two will take us and what more is in store for Lailah, Gabriel, Jonah and all the others. 




*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Cover Reveal: DeadGirl by B.C. Johnson

Curiosity Quills is excited to reveal the cover for urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance DeadGirl, by B.C. Johnson, which is scheduled for release November 6, 2014. The fantastic cover was designed by Andy Garcia.  



Deadgirl, by BC Johnson - cover




About DeadGirl: 
Dead is such a strong word …   Lucy Day, 15 years old, is murdered on her very first date. Not one to take that kind of thing lying down, she awakens a day later with a seemingly human body and more than a little confusion. Lucy tries to return to her normal life, but the afterlife keeps getting in the way. Zack, her crush-maybe-boyfriend, isn’t exactly excited that she ditched him on their first date.   Oh, and Abraham, Lucy’s personal Grim Reaper, begins hunting her, dead-set on righting the error that dropped her back into the spongy flesh of a living girl. Lucy must put her mangled life back together, escape re-death, and learn to control her burgeoning powers while staying one step ahead of Abraham.   But when she learns the devastating price of coming back from the dead, Lucy is forced to make the hardest decision of her re-life — can she really sacrifice her loved ones to stay out of the grave? Add DeadGirl to your Goodreads 'to-be-read' list.   --



B. C. Johnson - bio pic 


About by B.C. Johnson: Born in Southern California, B.C. Johnson has been writing since he realized it was one of the few socially acceptable ways to tell people a bunch of stuff you just made up off the top of your head. He attended Savanna High School in Anaheim, and an undisclosed amount of college before deciding that weird odd jobs were a far greater career path.   This lead him to such exciting professions as: aluminum recovery machinist, lighting designer, construction demo, sound mixer, receptionist, theater stage hand, wedding security, high school custodian, museum events manager, webmaster, IT guy, copywriter, and one memorable night as the bouncer at a nightclub. He is trying very hard to add “vampire hunter” and “spaceship captain” to that list.   He currently lives in Garden Grove with his supernal wife Gina, his half-corgi, half-muppet dog Luna, and his new half-grayhound, half-living-tornado-of-destruction Kaylee. He also spends time with his two brothers, his parents, and his close friends, whose primary pursuit are usually healthy debates about movie minutiea. When he’s not working or writing, he’s been to known to pursue all conceivable geeky avenues of interest including but not limited to video games, the sort of TV shows/movies Benedict Cumberbatch might star in, graphic novels, podcasts, funny gifs, the whole thing.   He’s also been known to apply his special brand of hyperbole and mania to pop-culture humor essays for various websites that can be found on his homepage, bc- johnson.com. B.C. also has a high school noir short story called “The Lancer” available on Kindle.   Deadgirl is his first novel. Find by B.C. Johnson Online: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Cover Reveal: Stay by Alyssa Rose Ivy

We are very excited to bring you the cover for Alyssa Rose Ivy's STAY! STAY is a New Adult Paranormal Romance and the third book in Alyssa's The Empire Chronicles Series. STAY will be releasing October 20, 2014!!

Stay

Cover designed by Phatpuppy Art

Add STAY on Goodreads!

About STAY: Nothing could possibly get worse. Everything and everyone that could be in jeopardy already is, and Jared knows that he is The Society's only hope. If he doesn't find a way to escape he fails everyone including Vera, the bear shifter he can't seem to get out of his head.   Casey and Toby are in love. Head over heels in love, but is their love strong enough to survive a magic so powerful that Casey's mind is no longer in her control? Vera will do anything to help her sister, and unfortunately that means she is well acquainted with Jared, the most frustrating man she has ever met. Now she has to find a way to fight her annoyance and growing attraction long enough to help save Levi and Allie. Racing against the clock, all four must face their greatest fears to save The Society and all the people they love.


Alyssa Rose Ivy- Author Photo


Alyssa Rose Ivy Bio: Alyssa Rose Ivy is a New Adult and Young Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.      

Twitter | Author Goodreads | Pinterest | Website | Facebook

WoW Pick of the Week



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It is a chance to share those new releases were are super anxious to get our hands on and read.

I am always on the lookout for something original and I absolutely loved this author's debut series a few years ago so when I saw she had something entirely new out  I knew it would be another book I would just have to read.

She has a talent for creating unique situations, worlds, and characters. I can't wait to see what she has done with this one.

So what do you think? Something you are interested in too or does this just not appeal to you at all?





Release Date: February 24, 2015

Book Description:
Identical twins. Identical DNA. Identical suspects. It's Pretty Little Liars meets Revenge in this edge-of-your-seat thriller with a shocking twist.

When they were little, Lexi and her identical twin, Ava, made up a third sister, Alicia. If something broke? Alicia did it. Cookies got eaten? Alicia's guilty. Alicia was always to blame for everything. The game is all grown up now that the girls are seniors. They use Alicia as their cover to go out with boys who are hot but not exactly dating material. Boys they'd never, ever be with in real life.


Now one of the guys Alicia went out with has turned up dead, and Lexi wants to stop the game for good. As coincidences start piling up, Ava insists that if they follow the rules for being Alicia, everything will be fine. But when another boy is killed, the DNA evidence and surveillance photos point to only one suspect: Alicia. The girl who doesn't exist. As she runs from the cops, Lexi has to find the truth before another boy is murdered. Because either Ava is a killer…or Alicia is real.




Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Review: The Fall by Bethany Griffin

Title: The Fall
Author: Bethany Griffin
Series: Stand Alone (possible sequel)
Published By: Greenwillow Books (October 9, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Fantasy/Horror
My Rating: 4 Stars!

Book Description:
Madeline Usher is doomed.

She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.

Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.

In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.










I was memorized by Griffin's debut duology last year and devoured every single book. Her dark attention to detail and the vivid images she presented were hard to resist. Throw in a classic retelling of a Poe story with lots of equally dark twists and you have one heck of a story. I was so very excited to learn she was doing writing another one and was eager to start it.

I shouldn't have expected anything less from her latest twist on an old Poe tale, The House of Usher.

Once again this was deliciously dark and macabre. Everything you would expect from an Edgar Allen Poe tale with those small steps Griffin takes to truly make this her own story. 

This one is hard to explain except to say that if you like those dark stories that will keep you thinking, keep you guessing and completely mess with your mind, this is one you need to try and experience for yourself.

I loved every single minute of it and ended up devouring it. 

The ending left me feeling empty and longing for more as well as guessing if there would be a book two, which I am really hoping there will be. I wasn't ready for Madeline's tale to be over or the Usher curse to be broken. 







*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Monday, September 22, 2014

Review: In A Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis

Title: In a Handful of Dust
Author: Mindy McGinnis
Series: Book Two in the Not A Drop To Drink Series
Published By: Katherine Tegen (September 23, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Dytopian
My Rating: 4 Stars!

Book Description:
The only thing bigger than the world is fear.

Lucy’s life by the pond has always been full. She has water and friends, laughter and the love of her adoptive mother, Lynn, who has made sure that Lucy’s childhood was very different from her own. Yet it seems Lucy’s future is settled already—a house, a man, children, and a water source—and anything beyond their life by the pond is beyond reach.

When disease burns through their community, the once life-saving water of the pond might be the source of what’s killing them now. Rumors of desalinization plants in California have lingered in Lynn’s mind, and the prospect of a “normal” life for Lucy sets the two of them on an epic journey west to face new dangers: hunger, mountains, deserts, betrayal, and the perils of a world so vast that Lucy fears she could be lost forever, only to disappear in a handful of dust.

In this companion to Not a Drop to Drink, Mindy McGinnis thrillingly combines the heart-swelling hope of a journey, the challenges of establishing your own place in the world, and the gripping physical danger of nature in a futuristic frontier.











I fell in love with McGinnis' writing after reading her debut novel and was eager to dive right back into the harsh and desperate world she had created in Not A Drop to Drink. I was looking forward to seeing Lucy and Lynn again and hopefully find them in a better place, both emotional and with the world around them.

And while the world was somewhat better, what I was really impressed with was the growth in Lynn. It is unbelievable the change that came over her from not only Stebb's but Lucy's influence as well, I loved it and ate it up.

The world they live in is far from ideal or even loving but it has hope and it has potential even with disease running rampant and water still in serious demand you can see humanity slowly coming back, for Lynn, for Lucy and for others as well.

I don't even know how to express how truly great these reads are. They aren't filled with light and airy moments or even loving moments but instead those moments in life that really make a person and define who they are. The choices between love and hate, right and wrong and humanity and cruelty. 

This is raw and it is real, so very real that you can't help but feel transported there. You feel for their struggles, inner and other and you are right there with them. Helping them, guiding them and hoping like heck they make it through what ever trial they are currently endearing.

McGinnis is a fabulous writer. One that draws you into their world and makes you love the harshness and the hard truth of it. You can't put it down once you start it and when it is over you are left feelign lost and bereft. 

These are the reads you need to experience for yourself to really get the full impact of the world and characters she has created, to truly understand their struggles and their triumphs, either way, you won't be sorry that you did once you do. 








*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Review: Remember Me by Romily Bernard

Title: Remember Me
Author: Romily Bernard
Series: Book Two in the Find Me Series
Published By: HarperTeen (September 23, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller
My Rating: 4 Stars!

Book Description:
Wick had thought her troubles were over.

But she should’ve known better.

Not only is she embroiled in a new murder case, which starts with a body with “Remember Me” carved into it and doesn’t stop there, but she also discovers new evidence surrounding her mother’s suicide…which leads her right back to her imprisoned deadbeat dad. And she has to deal with her flirty new hacker friend, Milo, sniffing around—which her boyfriend, Griff, isn’t too happy about.

The pressure might be too much as secrets—including Wick’s own—climb to the surface.

Remember Me is an edge-of-your-seat thrilling read that’ll have readers turning the pages at lightning speed! The paperback of Find Me is on sale simultaneously, and a digital original novella from Romily, featuring Griff, is on sale just a few weeks before!







What do you do when you find an amazing sequel to an amazing first book? You throw a party that's what and you shout it from the rooftops about how amazing said book was.

So this is me, on the roof, screaming my head off.

Yep. I really did like this that much. I loved the thrill ride Find Me was but it was nothing compared to the twisty bumpy make me want to up chuck ride this turned out to be. 

I liked Wicket in the first book, but I think I loved her in this book. So strong and brave even when she doesn't think that she is. She isn't just a pretty face that can hold her own in a fight, no, the girl is a downright computer genius. A smart girl that loves fiercely and is always trying to do the right thing even when the right thing isn't so black and white.

This was a fabulous sequel. It isn't often that we get really great second books in trilogies, or even series but this is one of them. One that really shows how much the author has grown as a writer and how much her characters in her stories are growing right along with her. 

There were some twists and turns I didn't see coming and didn't even expect and some that I did but all of them just added to the mystery and overall feel of the story. 

Once again Bernard created a wonderful cast of characters and an even better suspenseful action packed mystery and I loved every single minute of it. 

I can only imagine what is in store for us in book three. 







*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*

Friday, September 19, 2014

Review: Sacrifice by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: Sacrifice
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Book Five in the Elemental Series
Published By: Kensington Teen (September 30, 2014)
Source: ARC Copy Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review)
Genre: YA Fantasy
My Rating: 3.5 Stars

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

Michael Merrick is used to 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 out for his family, and he’s all that stands in the way. 

His girlfriend, Hannah, gets that. She’s got a kid of her own, and a job as a firefighter that could end her life without a moment’s notice. 

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. There will be blood on the ground tonight…







I have loved this series and the Merrick boys from the very beginning but Michael has always been my favorite. There is just something about his strong quiet presence throughout the story that has always appealed to me. When I saw that the very last book would be from his prospective I was thrilled.

To say I was anxious and a bit nervous going into this was understandable. We all want those beloved series and characters to get their happily ever after and we want it to be realistic and true to the storyline. WE want al of our time and investment in the books to have been worth it. To mean something in the end. To leave a lasting and yes, happy impression on our minds and hearts forever.

To say I am somewhat in shock still from all that transpired (or lack of transpiring) would be an understatement. Actually I am feeling at a bit of a loss for words, something that let's face it, rarely happens with me.

I love this series. I love the Merricks but the boys lack of appearance and support to Michael in this was, well, it was shocking.

I got everything I wanted from Michael but where was Nick, Chris, and Gabriel throughout the story? Where was their strong presence? This was their story just as much as Michael's and I guess I figured they would play a stronger role in it regardless of who was narrating. I wanted them all present at every moment but of course that was ridiculous and couldn't really happen. I couldn't be in all of their heads every moment of the story. 

Was I expecting too much? Were my hopes and dreams set too high? 

Possibly.

And honestly they might have been. I wouldn't say this last installment lived up to all the others, but it was good, the ending, was good just not the greatness I have come to expect from Kemmerer. 






*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*