tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26500290130332486842024-02-20T16:39:37.900-08:00Let Us Read!Wife, Mom, Book HoarderAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-14423667166337228252016-05-28T14:57:00.000-07:002016-05-28T14:57:24.483-07:00Pretty Baby<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23638955-pretty-baby">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=letusrea-20">Amazon</a></div>
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Pretty Baby</div>
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By: Mary Kubica</div>
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Published:July 28th 2015</div>
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380 Pages</div>
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<b>About The Book:</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can't get the girl out of her head...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Heidi Wood has always been a charitable woman: she works for a nonprofit, takes in stray cats. Still, her husband and daughter are horrified when Heidi returns home one day with a young woman named Willow and her four-month-old baby in tow. Disheveled and apparently homeless, this girl could be a criminal—or worse. But despite her family's objections, Heidi invites Willow and the baby to take refuge in their home.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Heidi spends the next few days helping Willow get back on her feet, but as clues into Willow's past begin to surface, Heidi is forced to decide how far she's willing to go to help a stranger. What starts as an act of kindness quickly spirals into a story far more twisted than anyone could have anticipated.</span></div>
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I picked up this book based solely on reading the jacket. I had never heard of this author, or the story. Coincidentally, I had already purchased The Good Girl by this same author, but had not read it yet. It comes after this story, anyway. </div>
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I was not reading a ton when I picked this book up, and it was one that I could not stop reading. It is utterly dark and creepy. It has a Girl on the Train feel to it, and almost as creepy as Gone Girl. It starts off innocent enough with Heidi seeing this teenager and her baby at the train station and then wanting to save them. But once they come into her home..... it is crazy and twisted. If you like thrillers, you will want to read this book. I had to take a week off from reading after I finished this one because I got so worked up over it. In a good way :) </div>
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5 stars!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-26810573157705134172016-05-28T14:33:00.003-07:002016-05-28T14:33:55.716-07:00Come Away With Me<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
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Come Away With Me</div>
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Karma Brown</div>
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Published:August 25, 2015</div>
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368 Pages</div>
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<span id="freeText886908267488234126" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">One minute, Tegan Lawson has everything she could hope for: an adoring husband, Gabe, and a baby on the way. The next, a patch of black ice causes a devastating accident that will change her life in ways she never could have imagined.<br /><br />Tegan is consumed by grief, not to mention her anger toward Gabe, who was driving on the night of the crash. But just when she thinks she's hit rock bottom, Gabe reminds her of their Jar of Spontaneity, a collection of their dream destinations and experiences, and so begins an adventure of a lifetime.<br /><br />From the bustling markets of Thailand to the flavors of Italy to the ocean waves in Hawaii, Tegan and Gabe embark on a journey to escape the tragedy and search for forgiveness. But they soon learn that grief follows you no matter how far away you run, and that acceptance comes when you least expect it.<br /><br />Heartbreaking, hopeful and utterly transporting, Come Away with Me is an unforgettable debut and a luminous celebration of the strength of the human spirit.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">I found this book based on a recommendation from another blogger. This book really surprised me. I felt like I was kind of reading and reading and reading, and getting more and more irritated with Tegan. I get, she just went though and awful misfortune, but at the same time I wanted to yell at her to get up and get on with life! I don't usually get like that over a book, but this one really struck a nerve. At one point I felt so frustrated, I was thinking I wouldn't be finishing it. But then I decided to power though. OH.MY.GOD! I am so glad that I did. I blinked, and in an instant my feelings about this book were entirely different and I could not stop reading. This was a book that kept me up way past my bed time. 5 stars for this one, and anyone who reads it will not be disappointed!! Karma Brown, I can't wait to read more of your stuff!</span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-67634753080932485232016-05-28T14:24:00.000-07:002016-05-28T14:24:08.592-07:00Find Her<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Find Her</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Published:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Lato, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">February 9th 2016 by Dutton</span><br />
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Flora Dane is a victim.</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Flora Dane is a survivor.</em><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has spent the past five years reacquainting herself with the rhythms of normal life, working with her FBI victim advocate, Samuel Keynes. She has a mother who’s never stopped loving her, a brother who is scared of the person she’s become, and a bedroom wall covered with photos of other girls who’ve never made it home.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Flora Dane is reckless.</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">. . . or is she? When Boston detective D. D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime—a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him—she learns that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who’s determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape. And now it is all up to D. D. Warren to find her.</span><br />
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<b>My Thoughts:</b></h3>
Lisa Gardner has done it again! After months in a serious reading funk, this has pulled me out of it! While I'd heard this book started off slow, I felt like she got right to the point. Flora is trying to save others from going through what she went through for over a year at the hands of her kidnapper. She is someone who is going to go to extremes to make sure others don't go through what she did.<br />
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While I didn't feel like this book was necessarily slow to begin, there was a definite build up to the story. About half way through, I was becoming a little bit confused because there seemed to be several characters and I was having a hard time keeping them straight. However, by the end, I was on the edge of my seat and so the number of characters didn't even matter! I was crazily trying to find time to pick up where I'd left off so I could crack this mystery and find out who done it! I ditched lunch with co-workers a couple times so I could read while I ate. I took the book with me to my son's little league game and was able to finish while the first game was wrapping up. I was so lost in this book, that when I got to the end I let out a long, loud sigh and felt a bunch of eyes on me, like I was a crazy person. That's what I call getting lost in a book!<br />
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As a big fan of the D.D Warren series, I was very excited to hear a new installment was coming out. I was wondering how Lisa would top the last one. Sometimes it seems like there's no way an author can top the last one without becoming formulated and predictable. She surpassed my expectations and not once did this book feel formulated, and it certainly wasn't predictable! This book gets 5 stars from me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-44627228956018290902015-11-22T13:54:00.000-08:002015-11-22T13:54:10.709-08:00We Are Called To Rise<div style="text-align: center;">
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We Are Called To Rise</div>
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By: Laura McBride</div>
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Published: June 3,</div>
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Summary via Goodreads.com</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">An immigrant boy whose family is struggling to assimilate. A middle-aged housewife coping with an imploding marriage and a troubled son. A social worker at home in the darker corners of Las Vegas. A wounded soldier recovering from an injury he can't remember getting. By the time we realize how these voices will connect, the impossible and perhaps the unbearable has already happened. We Are Called to Rise is a boomtown tale, in which the lives of people from different backgrounds and experiences collide in a stunning coincidence. When presented the opportunity to sink into despair, these characters rise. Through acts of remarkable charity and bravery, they rescue themselves. Emotionally powerful yet tender and intimate, We Are Called to Rise is a novel of redemption and unexpected love.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">This was a GREAT book. I think I experienced every emotion possible while reading this book. To my surprise, it's the author's first book. It was written as though she's been an author for many years. I really liked her style of writing. She gave me a clear picture of exactly what was happening in this story.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">My heart was hit the hardest by the little immigrant boy. His family has migrated here from Albania. He is with his Father, Mother and little Sister. The family runs an ice cream truck. He is the center of this story, and what ties the other 3 families together. We also meet a soldier recovering from a gun shot wound at a hospital in D.C. and a woman in her early 50s who's been socked with the realization that her husband is leaving her for another woman.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">These chapters segwayed well from 1 to the next, however it would have been nice if there was a little more order to that. We'd go from one to the next to the next and then maybe focus on someone for a couple of chapters, so when you got back to 1 of them, it was hard to remember where you left off.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">This story was building and building for me. I was on pins and needles wondering what was happening next. And then. it was done. I have so many unanswered questions about this story and really hope the author will write a sequel to answer them. </span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-86304997187656872792015-11-22T13:41:00.000-08:002015-11-22T13:41:52.263-08:00November 9<div style="text-align: center;">
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November 9</div>
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By: Colleen Hoover</div>
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Published November 10, 2015</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.</span></div>
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My thoughts: (Spoilers included)<br /><br />I love, love, LOVE anything written by Colleen Hoover. Every time I open a book she's written, I become excited to see what's she's come up with next. I've read all of her books, in order. Every one of them has had something I didn't see coming. A twist so unexpected, and generally gut wrenching, that even though I know to expect this I never see it coming. No matter how prepared I am.....</div>
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This book started out like a conversation with an old friend. I felt comfort reading Colleen's words. However, this old friend was dark and had a past. A sad past. Fallon is an 18 year old who has survived a trauma that completely changed the course of her life. Once an actress with the world at her fingertips, now surviving the ghosts of her past. The day that we meet her, she's ready to pick up the pieces and move on, start something new. A new chapter in her life that will begin on the other side of the country.<br /><br />Ben and Fallon meet by chance in a diner in California. Ben steps in to help Fallon out and from there their friendship, or relationship takes off. It starts out as an experiment: Lets have no contact with each other until next year on this date (Nov. 9) and do this for 5 years. By then we'll know.... and during this time, each pushes the other to pursue their dreams/goals/relationships. This goes on pretty well the first year, and then the next Ben is faced with tragedy. More tragedy than he should have experienced in his young life. This is a key turning point in the story. As time goes on, they start to learn more about each other, as they only spend 1 day a year with each other. </div>
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Before this experiment can reach the 5 year mark though, Fallon is faced with the reality of who Ben is. And here is where it gets sticky for me. Colleen Hoover gets 5 stars for this book, because her twist in this one hit me like a punch to the gut when I read it. Immediately. And the whole build up to that moment... I was so captured by this story, I couldn't stop! I sacrificed a lot of sleep to plow through this book in just a few days :) But once I got done, and had some time to ponder the book, I wasn't sure how I felt. It wasn't as intense as her usual twists, which scares me because I don't want her to become a formulated, predictable writer. Her stories are stories that I look forward to and put the release date on my calendar so that I can run out and buy them.</div>
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I have some questions, that maybe someone who has already read the story can answer for me... (Hence, spoilers included): I do not understand how Ben's mom and Fallon's dad were involved. So, he saw his name in her cell phone? But I don't get why that had anything to do with Ben's next actions. I felt like that was a very unanswered part of the story. </div>
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All in all, this was a great book. It was very well planned out, and it certainly gained my attention. I have high hopes that Colleen's next book will blow me away! she has so much talent and I can't wait for what is in store for her.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-75521082099997019832015-11-11T04:25:00.001-08:002015-11-11T04:25:15.624-08:00Pretending to DanceWhen I saw that Diane Chamberlain had a new book out, I was so excited. Her book, The Secret Life of CeCe Wilks was the book that introduced me to her and had me at my library reading every one of her books!<br />
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Summary from Goodreads.com:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Molly Arnette is very good at keeping secrets. She lives in San Diego with a husband she adores, and they are trying to adopt a baby because they can't have a child on their own. But the process of adoption brings to light many questions about Molly's past and her family—the family she left behind in North Carolina twenty years before. The mother she says is dead but who is very much alive. The father she adored and whose death sent her running from the small community of Morrison's Ridge. Her own birth mother whose mysterious presence in her family raised so many issues that came to a head. The summer of twenty years ago changed everything for Molly and as the past weaves together with the present story, Molly discovers that she learned to lie in the very family that taught her about pretending. If she learns the truth about her beloved father's death, can she find peace in the present to claim the life she really wants?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="color: #181818;">My thoughts: </span>(and they contain a lot of spoilers)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">I teeter on 3.5-4 stars with this one. The summary made this book sound like a murder mystery. It sounded so dark and suspenseful. It wasn't. It was a story of a teenage girl and her father. Her father has a debilitating disease and is wheelchair bound. The oddity to her situation is that both her biological and adoptive mother live in the same family community. Her dad was in a relationship with her mother, and the mother took off when she found out she was pregnant. Her did didn't know of her existence until she was little. By then, he was married to the woman who would come to adopt Molly.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">That was the real twist of the story. As far as her mother murdering her father, it was really her mother acting out her father's wishes. Nothing more than that. Unfortunately for Molly, she cut everyone of importance out of her life and by the time she was ready to face reality, some of the people were no longer living. <br /><br />She also kept her childhood a big secret from her husband. When she starts to tell him, his reaction was basically like, that's it? I felt exactly the same way. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">The story, however, was very well written. In true Diane fashion, you are sucked right into the pages and can experience the heart ache and sorrow that Molly felt as a confused teenager. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">I really do love Diane's books, and I hope that the next one holds up to my expectations a little bit more.</span></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-67734762635066068732015-10-24T16:23:00.001-07:002015-10-24T16:46:19.565-07:00The Paper Swan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow! It has been ages since I've felt the urge to blog. There has been so much that has happened this year, and lately I really feel the want to get back into my book reviews. I'd like to do something a little in depth than my normal short reviews on Goodreads.com. I am starting with the most recent book that I read and hoping to work back a little bit. And forward. Here, there and everywhere....</div>
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My good book friend, Brandie over at <a href="https://bookjunkie54.wordpress.com/">https://bookjunkie54.wordpress.com</a> suggested this book to me. She has never failed me when recommending a book. After all, she did introduce me to the great Colleen Hoover! I ordered this book right away after reading her review, but it sat on my counter for a good month. You see, I started a new job a few months ago, and the stress from it has greatly taken away my reading time. Which is why I have decided to get back into blogging. It will force me to read!</div>
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Moving on, I read this book pretty quickly as I couldn't put it down! </div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">They lie.</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">For 21 days she held on.</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">But on Day 22, she would have given anything for the sweet slumber of death.</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Because on Day 22, she realizes that her only way out means certain death for one of the two men she loves.</strong></div>
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This book was beautifully written. It tells a story full of emotion. Lots of love, lots of anger, lots of bad things, and also a lot of good. This is Skye and Esteban's story. We meet Skye in the beginning, as she is a victim of a kidnapping and is forced to spend time on a boat in the middle of the waters with her kidnapper. Just the 2 of them. She has no idea why he's taken her or what his plan for her is. She is, however, filled with anger and disgust. </div>
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Her kidnapper is a very dark man. He does the minimum to keep her alive: feeding her, clothing her, providing her with a bed to sleep in, a shower to clean in, and freedom to move about the boat. He is also filled with anger and disgust. </div>
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This story weaves through time, taking us back to Skye's childhood, which was one of privileged and excess. She lives in her father's mansion and has everything her heart could ever desire. MamaLu takes care of her, and she looks to her as her mother. Esteban, Mamlu's son is Skye's protector and very best friend. He and Mamalu live a life that is the total opposite of Skye's. Though Mamalu takes care of Skye, she and Esteban live in the servant's quarters; hardly a life of privilege and excess. </div>
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Circumstances come about and Esteban and Mamalu are taken from Skye's life, as she and her father are whisked to another location. Skye is left to wonder what has become of her mother figure and her best friend, and Esteban wonders why Skye left him. </div>
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As the story moves on, we begin to see the beautiful friendship that these 2 had as kids, and how it has blossomed as they've grown up. </div>
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When I started reading this book, I went into it thinking that the outcome would be completely different. From the first page to the last, there were so many twists that I didn't see coming. There were times that I felt utter disgust with both Skye and Esteban. There were moments I wanted to cheer them on. There was a lot of sadness. There was so much sadness at a couple points, that I could feel my heart break for almost every character in this book. I love the way the author painted this story. It was full of description, I could have been in the story because it was written so well.<br /><br />I don't want to say too much more than this, because I don't want to give it away. This is a story that you must read. I am completely unfamiliar with this author and have to say, for my first read by her, it was really a great one!</div>
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This book is easily a 5 star read for me.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-3535793147349665162014-05-16T14:52:00.002-07:002014-05-16T14:52:31.070-07:00Nash (Marked Men #4)Nash (Marked Men #4)<br />
By Jay Crownover<br />
400 pages<br />
Published on April 29 2014 by William Morrow Paperbacks<br />
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Summay via Goodreads.com<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Will their past determine their future?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down... and now he’s trying to do it again.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">My review:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I think this was my favorite of the series so far. Nash came from a troubled, unloving home. He's moved past that, mostly and is a thriving and independent man now. He and Saint, highschool classmates, cross paths at the hospital where he is with his ailing father. Saint held a torch for him when they were kids, but felt like he led her on and then made fun of her behind her back. Apparently this ruined her dating life and her ability to trust men. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I kept waiting and waiting for the big reveal of what he did to her and when it was finally told, I did kind of have to roll my eyes. To me, even my highschool self, that didn't seem like something that would make me react how she did.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Aside from that, this book was amazing. Jay Crownover has such a way with words, and more importantly, the written word. This series has been great for me to read. By the time I got through the 4th book it really opened my eyes up to my own youth and that I am sure many of my classmates were dealing with similar home lives, such as the characters in these books. They've given me a bit of a different out look and if I could go back, I may do some things differently.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">5 stars!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-73140738801373252412014-05-16T14:38:00.002-07:002014-05-16T14:38:49.959-07:00Missing YouMissing You<br />
By: Harlen Coben<br />
400 pages<br />
Published on March 18th by Dutton Books<br />
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Summary via Goodreads.com<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">It's a profile, like all the others on the online dating site. But as NYPD Detective Kat Donovan focuses on the accompanying picture, she feels her whole world explode, as emotions she’s ignored for decades come crashing down on her. Staring back at her is her ex-fiancé Jeff, the man who shattered her heart—and who she hasn’t seen in 18 years.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Kat feels a spark, wondering if this might be the moment when past tragedies recede and a new world opens up to her. But when she reaches out to the man in the profile, her reawakened hope quickly darkens into suspicion and then terror as an unspeakable conspiracy comes to light, in which monsters prey upon the most vulnerable. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">As the body count mounts and Kat's hope for a second chance with Jeff grows more and more elusive, she is consumed by an investigation that challenges her feelings about everyone she ever loved—her former fiancé, her mother, and even her father, whose cruel murder so long ago has never been fully explained. With lives on the line, including her own, Kat must venture deeper into the darkness than she ever has before, and discover if she has the strength to survive what she finds there.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">My Review:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Let me start by saying that I am a HUGE fan of Harlen Coben. I've been reading his mysteries for about 5 years now. This is probably the best mystery I've read all year.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Kat and Jeff broke up several years before and she never really felt like she had closure. She never really understood his reasoning for leaving her. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Fast forward 18 years and he reaches out to her on an on line dating website. Or is it him? I can hardly begin to recap this story for you, because it honestly took me all over the place. There were highs and lows. There were some really dark and unhappy parts, as well as some happy.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">If you like a good mystery, then you must check this book out!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I would give this more than 5 stars.</span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-53360461786317787502014-05-16T14:17:00.002-07:002014-05-16T14:17:46.119-07:00Keep QuietKeep Quiet<br />
By: Lisa Scottoline<br />
352 pages<br />
Published April 8, 2014 by St. Martin's Press<br />
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Summary via Goodreads.com<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Jake Buckman’s relationship with his sixteen-year-old son Ryan is not an easy one, so at the urging of his loving wife, Pam, Jake goes alone to pick up Ryan at their suburban movie theater.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">On the way home, Ryan asks to drive on a deserted road, and Jake sees it as a chance to make a connection. However, what starts as a father-son bonding opportunity instantly turns into a nightmare. Tragedy strikes, and with Ryan’s entire future hanging in the balance, Jake is forced to make a split-second decision that plunges them both into a world of guilt and lies. Without ever meaning to, Jake and Ryan find themselves living under the crushing weight of their secret, which threatens to tear their family to shreds and ruin them all. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Powerful and dramatic, </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Keep Quiet</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"> will have readers and book clubs debating what it means to be a parent and how far you can, and should, go to protect those you love.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">My review:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This was a book full of mystery and suspense. Lisa Scottoline has been one of my favorite authors for a few years now, and its because of books like this. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I couldn't stop reading this book. I had a hard time setting it down to make dinner on a couple of occasions. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Ryan is a typical teenager, not overly fond of his dad, hiding away with his cell phone and what have you. But one decision can change his life for ever. He talks his dad into letting him get behind the wheel of a car on his permit even though its after hours. Not only that, tragedy strikes and it turns out Ryan is dabbling in some drugs. Jake makes a split second decision that sets this story in motion, going at top speed with no looking back.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Jake's wife is a judge with a chance at a huge promotion. However when she gets wind of what's happened, her career is hurt as well. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Jake thinks he's made the best decision he could to protect his son, but it's opened up a box of deeply buried secrets from the past. And the ending will leave you feeling as though you have been put through the ringer.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This was a 5 star read for me</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-44607768580101510532014-04-10T14:25:00.001-07:002014-04-10T14:25:44.201-07:00Tempting FateTempting Fate<br />
By: Jane Green<br />
Published March 25, 2014<br />
St Martin's Press<br />
352 Pages<br />
<br />
Summary via goodreads.com <br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">When Gabby first met Elliott she knew he was the man for her. In twenty years of marriage she has never doubted her love for him - even when he refused to give her the one thing she still wants most of all. But now their two daughters are growing up Gabby feels that time and her youth are slipping away. For the first time in her life she is restless. And then she meets Matt . . .</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Intoxicated by the way this young, handsome and successful man makes her feel, Gabby is momentarily blind to what she stands to lose on this dangerous path. And in one reckless moment she destroys all that she holds dear.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Consumed by regret, Gabby does everything she can to repair the home she has broken. But are some betrayals too great to forgive?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">My Review:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I love Jane Green. I've been reading her for years. Over the past few years, her books have taken a twist from being typical chick lit to being more in depth stories. I especially loved her last book. So many twists and turns and it wasn't your run of the mill chick read. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This book started out along those same lines. It was really a good book and I read it in just a few days. However, in thinking back on this story the beginning was almost too rushed. It would have been nice to have some build up, rather then jump right into the night that Gabby was going out with her friends and met Matt. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The build up to the affair even just didn't seem too thought out. It was very rushed and not too realistic to me. However, once it came out and once the story got going with that I couldn't put this book down. It was really eye opening. It was very real. It no longer felt like just a story. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I had no idea how this story was going to end. And as much as I did like the ending, it was almost a little to good to be true. But at the end of the day, it was wonderful to see a family overcome such heart ache and come together as one.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-64591231725016430702014-04-03T12:40:00.000-07:002014-04-03T12:40:00.442-07:00RomeRome (Marked Men #3)<br />
By Jay Crownover<br />
Published Jan. 7th 2014 by William Morrow Paperbacks<br />
387 pages<br />
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Summary via goodreads.com<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Sometimes the wrong choice can be just right . . .</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Fun and fearless, Cora Lewis knows how to keep her tattooed "bad boy" friends at the Marked in line. But beneath all that flash and sass is a broken heart. Cora won't let herself get burned again. She's waiting to fall in love with the perfect man—a baggage-free, drama-free guy ready for commitment. Then she meets Rome Archer.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He's stubborn, rigid, and bossy. And he's returned from his final tour of duty more than a little broken. Rome's used to filling many roles: big brother, doting son, supersoldier—but none of those fit anymore. Now he's just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the dark demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer through it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes a blinding flash of color in a sea of gray.Perfect may not be in the cards, but perfectly imperfect could just last forever .</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">My Review:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This book wasn't my favorite out of the series. I really liked Rome, though I felt like he went from angry guy to happy go lucky a little too quickly for reality. All things considering, he has a good head on his shoulders and seemed to do ok once he worked through all of his demons.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Cora is one character I am not a fan of. She's kind of rubbed me the wrong way the entire time and so having a book that focused on her wasn't my cup of tea, but I wanted to read it anyway because this series is awesome! I feel like Cora went way overboard with trying to fix everyone's problems. It was almost annoying. But, I loved the chemistry between her and Rome, and I can't wait to read more about them in the next story!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-59949244254313237642014-04-03T12:32:00.000-07:002014-04-03T12:32:32.767-07:00JetJet (Marked Men #2)<br />
By Jay Crownover<br />
Published May 28th, 2013 by William Morrow Paperbacks<br />
416 Pages<br />
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Summary via goodreads.com:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">With his tight leather pants and a sharp edge that makes him dangerous, Jet Keller is every girl’s rock and roll fantasy. But Ayden Cross is done walking on the wild side with bad boys. She doesn’t want to give in to the heat she sees in Jet’s dark, haunted eyes. She’s afraid of getting burned from the sparks of their spontaneous combustion, even as his touch sets her on fire.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Jet can’t resist the Southern Belle with mile-long legs in cowboy boots who defies his every expectation. Yet the closer he feels to Ayden, the less he seems to know her. While he’s tempted to get under her skin and undo her in every way, he knows firsthand what happens to two people with very different ideas about relationships.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Will the blaze burn into an enduring love. . . or will it consume their dreams and turn them to ashes?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">My Review:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I loved this book. Just about as much as the first book. Jet and Ayden both felt something for each other, but held off for a year or more before giving in. Both have pasts and upbringings that they're ashamed of, yet both are able to work through all of that because they finally realize they are capable and deserving of love and happiness.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This book roped me in from page one. I just love this author's style of writing. She is captivating, moving and keeps my attention from the first page to the last.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">5 stars. easy.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-72596434358048456052014-03-27T04:26:00.000-07:002014-03-27T04:26:14.346-07:00RuleRule<br />
A Marked Men Novel<br />
By: Jay Crownover<br />
Published December 2012 by Jay Crownover books 327 pages<br />
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Summary via www.goodreads.com:<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight--A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want--and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other</span><br />
<a name='more'></a>My Review:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I was not sure what this book was all about. I had seen this in stores, but for some reason had it in my head that this was erotica and along the lines of 50 Shades of Gray. Something I am so far over... But at the library the other day, it caught my attention and I thought I'd take it home and give it a shot. It took me under 48 hours to read. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This book was really well written and it was very realistic. Shaw has been in love with Rule since she was 14. Both have had to suffer through the heart break of losing his twin brother and both have really dysfunctional family lives. This should just push them together, right? No. Shaw is the furthest thing from Rule's mind. In his mind, his twin brother and Shaw had something going on, so she is off limits. Everyone assumed she had had something going on with his brother. When in reality that couldn't be the farthest thing from the truth.<br /><br />Rule is a 22 year old womanizer. He has issues so deep that he refuses to get close to anyone other than his friends. But eventually Shaw breaks those walls down and he discovers what it means to truly give your heart to someone and let them in.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I loved this book from start to finish. I am sad that it's over and that I won't get to read about Shaw and Rule anymore. Like I said, this relationship is pretty realistic. They've known each other since they were kids and have a foundation to build on. This was not really your run of the mill romance sort of book.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I can't wait to read the rest of the Marked Men series. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This book was easily 5 stars for me!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-10020612988066858812014-03-19T17:42:00.001-07:002014-03-19T17:42:43.609-07:00Four Seconds To LoseFour Seconds To Lose<br />
By: K.A. Tucker<br />
Published Nov 4, 2013 by Atria Books<br />
396 Pages<br />
<br />
Summary via www.goodreads.com:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">When a gorgeous young dancer walks through his door, a strip club owner must decide whether to follow his rules or his heart in the third novel by the author of </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">One Tiny Lie</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"> and </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Ten Tiny Breaths</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine-year-old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her can't get distracted by romance.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, and that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her</span><br />
<a name='more'></a>My Review: **SPOILERS INCLUDED***<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This is the 4th book in the Tiny Breaths series. I have loved them all so far. This one, while I found to to be a page turner and one that I couldn't put down, didn't do it for me as much as the others.....</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This book started out really strong. We meet Charlie and Cain in this story. They're perfect for each other, minus some secrets. Charlie is running from her past under an assumed name. Cain is dealing with the death of a past love. He clearly pics up on the fact that she's not as professional of a dancer as she claims to be. He knows there's more to her but looks the other way.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Cain was in love once with a girl named Penny. Penny was killed by her fiancee and Cain has always regretted not telling her how he felt, thus leading to her death because she got involved with a bad guy.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Charlie, it turns out is working as a drug deliverer for her step father, who has been using her to make these drops since she was little. She has a big plan to save money and get away for good. Working in Cain's club as a dancer is merely a stepping stone, and one that will help her to make a lot of money.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Along the way, these 2 can't fight the fact that they have feelings for each other and Charlie's plan to run gets put by the wayside, until a drop that goes horribly wrong. She knows she has to leave in order to protect Cain and herself.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">While this book had all the makings of a great book, there was something missing. It seemed drawn out and like there was such a build up, but then we never really got over the hump. I read this book in 2 days. And don't get me wrong, it was still a great book. After the first 2 though, the author has a lot to live up to because those were REALLY good books. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I think what got me was the ending. So, in the end, Charlie's step father, who was a very dangerous man was killed. However, it was just like that. She's been running and plotting and running and plotting for the whole book and in a matter of 2 pages the step dad is killed. It seemed too easy when she was running for her life before. Then what really got me is the fact that we knew Charlie was using an assumed identity. In the very end we hear that her real name is Penny. Penny was also the woman Cain loved who died. It just didn't seem to be that thought out. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I have high hopes that K.A. Tucker's next book is going to be her best yet. She is one of my favorite authors and I just love her writing style.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This book, all things considered, was a 4 star read for me.</span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-86476558524507925822014-03-17T08:11:00.001-07:002014-03-17T08:11:20.817-07:00Dark PlacesDark Places<br />
By: Gillian Flynn<br />
Published May 5th 2009 by Crown<br />
345 pages<br />
Summary via www.goodreads.com:<br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details–proof they hope may free Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club… and maybe she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started–on the run from a killer.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">My Review:<br /> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I am a big fan of Gillian Flynn and am so glad I finally was able to read this book. I have to say, this was by far the darkest that I've read of hers. Mostly because the other books felt a bit far fetched, and this one felt like it could really be a real situation. In fact, I am sure this has been a real situation.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Libby seems to have some from a dysfunctional background, and then her entire family was murdered, at what we suspect to be the hands of her brother. The poor kid had no one to help her cope. She did some unbelievable things as a teenager that had everything to do with how she did or didn't deal with losing her family in such a gruesome way. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Ben was kind of a goony kid through out the whole book, but I really had a hard time believing he'd actually been the killer. In fact, I had no clue until they announced it toward the end. As the story went on I started thinking it had to be Len the Lender. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Backing up though, I felt really bad for Libby that she was left homeless and family-less at a young age and was so troubled that no one really could deal with her, nor did they seem to try to. I think had I been the aunt I would have put her in intense therapy for a lot of years and done everything in my power to help her. In the end, she's living alone and the only person who seems to be in her camp is the lawyer we meet in the beginning. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I do think that her being contacted by the Kill Club did somehow help her work through things. Sick as that sounds.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The kill club: this fascinated me and creeped me out. I am sure this kind of thing goes on, but how do people become so consumed with a crime that they start a club to figure it out! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Gillian's style of writing is so great! After I read Gone Girl, and had no clue what the next step was in every chapter, I thought I'd figured things out. I read Sharp Objects and still was shocked at all the twists and turns. So, by this book I'd decided to just read and not try to guess what was next. I wouldn't have figured it out anyway. It was dark and gruesome, but I could not put it down! She is a genius writer in that respect. You never know. No matter how much you think you get her writing style, you'll never know what's coming next.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The ending of this book did disappoint me though. I'd really thought there'd be this huge thing. What with all the build up during the entire book. We end up with a couple of pages explaining that the mother hired a hit man to kill her and leave her kids with the insurance money. That is almost too desperate. And then the killer kills one of the other siblings, not just the mom. And the 2nd daughter is killed by Ben's creepy girlfriend because she's figured out that he got the girl pregnant. That was really too much. I mean, I am sure it has happened, but what a reach! to have her killing one girl at the same time a murderer is hacking up the rest of the family and they just sit there in the room like nothing else is going on? Anyway, the ending fell flat for me. I really expected so much more. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Alas, I really liked this book! While things could have been done differently, it kept my interest and I read it in a short amount of time. It was hard to put down! I really look forward to the movie adaptation of this book!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This was a 4 star read for me. </span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-82791699078800903312014-03-03T16:31:00.000-08:002014-03-03T16:31:18.547-08:00Second HoneymoonSecond Honeymoon<br />
By: James Patterson and Howard Roughan<br />
Published by Little, Brown and Company Jan 1, 2013'<br />
432 Pages<br />
Summary via Goodreads.com: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">A walk down the aisle, a resort hotel, a drink on the beach...for these unlucky couples, the honeymoon's over. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">A newlywed couple steps into the sauna in their deluxe honeymoon suite--and never steps out again. When another couple is killed while boarding their honeymoon flight to Rome, it becomes clear that someone is targeting honeymooners, and it's anyone's guess which happy couple is next on the list.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">FBI Agent John O'Hara is deep into solving the case, while Special Agent Sarah Brubaker is hunting another ingenious serial killer, whose victims all have one chilling thing in common.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">As wedding hysteria rises to a frightening new level, John and Sarah work ever more closely together in a frantic attempt to decipher the logic behind two rampages. SECOND HONEYMOON is James Patterson's most mesmerizing, most exciting, and most surprising thriller ever.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a>This book jumped into the excitement right off the bat, starting out with the first murder. Tying in with murders of anyone with the name John O'Hara. The two situations are running at the same time while Agent Brubaker and Agent O'Hara race to solve them.<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I had a hard time separating what exactly was going on with these murder situations. I wasn't sure if they thought the same person targeting John O'Hara's was also killing the couples on their honeymoon. I don't know if was supposed to know this or if it was something that wasn't divulged until the end. There were also a couple of times where I was sure Agent O'Hara had been killed, only to see that he was still alive. I wasn't sure if I was confused or if I had missed something or what.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Aside from that, this was a great book. I love mystery, thrills, suspense and all that is involved in a murder mystery story. This book was kind of slow moving, but for me it was great. It gave me a chance to mostly digest all that I was reading as I went along. It was also exciting and suspenseful enough that I had a hard time putting it down.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I gave this book 4 stars. James Patterson is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-35236517836012831282014-02-20T15:08:00.000-08:002014-02-20T15:08:27.787-08:00Rescued (Wreaked #2)Rescued By Priscialla West<br />
Release Date: February 24,2014I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review<br />
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Summary via Goodreads.com<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The conclusion to USA Today bestselling author Priscilla West’s New Adult Novel Wrecked.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Wrecked should be read before this book.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Lorrie’s semester started off hopeful but ended in disaster. Now, she’s even more lost and confused than she was at the beginning of the year. As Lorrie flees to the only family she has left, she has to come to terms with how things ended with Hunter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Hunter has fought for so long to keep the truth from Lorrie in an effort to protect her, but that has only caused more heartache and pain.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Realizing his mistake, Hunter has made a vow to get Lorrie back, but is it too late?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Will Hunter be able to overcome his own demons and help Lorrie through her pain, or are they destined to keep hurting each other?</span>My Review:<div>
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I was SO excited to get this book a week early. I'd read it about a month ago and was having a hard time waiting for the conclusion, as this is the follow up book to Wrecked. You can see my review if you look at my January postings.</div>
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I felt slightly disappointed with this book. There was so much build up from the last book and this one left me feeling like there needed to be a conclusion so the author just kind of slapped one together. The story wasn't developed nearly as much as in the last book. There could have been so much more done with this book. </div>
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Hunter runs to find Lorrie in about the second chapter. With the way things were left, they were able to jump back in each other's arms way to quickly. I would have loved more build up with that. </div>
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I was unsure about the step father's role in this story. I understand he killed her mom, but it felt really dragged out with how he lured her to the prison, only to have killed himself. And again, there was no more development to that story line.What did I like about this story? A lot. Hunter and Lorrie made it work. They are real life people finding their way in a relationship.</div>
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I liked that Hunter's illness was addressed and played a significant part of the story. </div>
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I loved the ending. I loved knowing that years later they were still together.What would I have liked to see? A third story. I feel like this book could have had another hundred pages added to it. Stronger story lines, and more details all together. A third book could have really focused on the conclusion and been a full story on its own some 4 years down the line in the world of Lorrie and Hunter.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>Over all, I gave this book 3 stars. This is a new author to me and I loved the first book so much, that I will continue to read her other books.<br /><br style="background-color: white;" /><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-70227490329735241652014-01-10T15:58:00.001-08:002014-01-10T15:58:59.849-08:00WreckedWrecked (Wrecked #1)<br />
By: Priscilla West<br />
ebook: 286 pages.<br />
Published: Dec 11, 2013 by Blackbird Publishing<br />
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Summary via Goodreads.com: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Two years ago, Lorrie’s mother was murdered. But that wasn’t the end of it. Reeling from the tragedy, Lorrie’s father spiraled into alcohol, depression, and finally suicide.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The two most important people in Lorrie’s life are both gone but she’s still alive.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Trying to recover from the tragedy, Lorrie returns to campus, ready to pick up the pieces of her life. All Lorrie wants is to get back to “normal.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Then she meets Hunter. The man, the legend, “the Hammer.”</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Hunter is a cage fighter who takes on every fight like he’s got nothing to lose. His life is a tangled mess of girls, booze, and fist fights. And while it may seem like he’s got a devil-may-care attitude, he’s fighting a private cage-match with a monster he can’t defeat.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Lorrie knows that Hunter is the exact type of guy she should stay away from, especially in her fragile state, but Hunter has other ideas.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">As Hunter and Lorrie grow closer together, will they be able to overcome their pain and heal each other? Or will they both end up wrecked?</span><br />
This was so well written, I have very few complaints about it. First of all, I didn't feel like we were thrown into a relationship starting with page 1. This book moved along gradually, watching Hunter and Lorrie build a friendship and then a relationship.......<br />
<a name='more'></a>My review:<br />
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We meet Lorrie as she's heading back to college after losing both of her parents,tragically. She's trying to find her new normal in life. Early in the story, she is standing near a pond reading a letter from her dad, when she gets distracted and falls in. She is saved by Hunter, who, off the bat seems like a great guy with a guarded past. Lorrie takes off after their first meeting without even knowing his name.<br />
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A while later she stumbles upon him cage fighting in a bar. They end up talking and sparking a friendship. Hunter would like to take it further, but Lorrie is in no place to do so. Hunter shares a little bit about his past with Lorrie. Lorrie shares nothing other than her parents are both dead.<br />
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As time goes on, its obvious that Hunter is head over heals for her, and really she feels the same but is so afraid of hurting him, or being hurt that she goes to extremes not to start a relationship with him. Eventually though, she can't deny her feelings any longer and the 2 share an intense couple of weeks together.<br />
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Then things take a hit. Lorrie gets some unexpected news from her past and goes almost into seclusion. When she finally snaps out of it Hunter is no where to be found. When she does finally find him, she is filled with questions he can't seem to answer.........<br />
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Where to begin? I liked Hunter off the bat. I liked Lorrie too although her hesitation to fess up to Hunter about her feelings did start to drive me crazy. Hunter was so clearly over the moon for her and I was so glad when she finally owned up to her own feelings.<br />
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The ending of this book had me longing for more. It was the most intense ending I've read in a long time. Thankfully, the next book comes out soon. I don't want to write too much more than this because I don't want to give anything else away.<br />
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There were just a few things I didn't care for. Ada. She was kind of a piece of work. I felt like when Lorrie finally found Hunter and he was walking outside with Ada, Ada's attack on Lorrie was so uncalled for. And then Hunter walked away with Ada instead of explaining anything to Lorrie.<br />
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Gary's attack on Lorrie in the end. How was any of this her fault? Hunter is an adult, capable of making his own choices. I didn't feel that was warranted. If anything, Gary should have been glad she showed up when she did.<br />
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I didn't like the way she left things. I get she had her own demons to fight, but the man she loved just took a beating during a cage fight in front of her. Instead of going to see him in the hospital she took off..... I felt that was a strange thing to do. Postpone your own stuff.<br />
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Alas, that will make book 2 even better I am sure!<br />
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This book was an easy 5 stars for me!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-77280642538677628032014-01-07T10:07:00.003-08:002014-01-07T10:07:50.755-08:00Where My Heart BreaksWhere My Heart Breaks<br />
By: Ivy Sinclair<br />
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<span itemprop="bookFormatType">Paperback</span>, <span itemprop="numberOfPages">182 pages</span></div>
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Published August 29th 2013 by Smith Sinclair Books</div>
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Summary Via Goodreads.com<br />
Trust is in short supply for Kate at the start of the summer before her senior year of college. Her parents sentenced her to spend it under the watchful eye of her aunt at the famous Willoughby Inn. It was further proof that she was a prisoner in, and not the decision maker of, her life. Nothing she does is good enough to prove that she learned from the mistakes of her past.<br /><br />Almost immediately, Kate finds that her new summer home holds another person who understands the unfairness of her situation better than most. Reed Black has had his own share of tragedy and regrets, but instead of trying to fight his reputation, he embraced it.<br /><br />Sparks fly between Kate and Reed, but his mixed signals remind Kate that she needs to watch her step. He is one temptation she can't afford to indulge in, no matter how strong her attraction to him. If she isn't careful, she'll lose more than her heart.<a class="actionLinkLite" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18310841-where-my-heart-breaks?from_search=true#"></a><br />
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My review:This was a great book. It started off with a bang and didn't slow down at all. We are introduced to the 2 main characters, Kate and Reed, right off the bat. They meet as Kate is driving into a new town to work for her aunt for the summer. Kate gets a flat tire and is on the side of the road attempting to change it when Reed stops to help. The chemistry is there from that moment. However, they both try to fight it due to their pasts and their attempts to make a clean break and have a nicer future.<br />
This was also a very short story and I'd love to see it rewritten with a lot more story and detail. For example we know Kate has had a rough semester in college. She's been partying and hanging out with a "boyfriend" who couldn't be more worse for her. There are also references to the fact that she was doing drugs as well. I got the impression it was related to the boyfriend, though we never really were told what led her to this one semester of partying. Why didn't she behave this way before?Was it all just because of the boyfriend? I would like to know a little more detail about what led her to this path.<br />
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Kate's Aunt: she comes across as very cold, and she makes it known she's going her sister a favor by taking in Kate for the summer and employing her. She rats out any sort of "bad" behavior to Kate's mom who seems incredibly cold and unreasonable for someone who wants so badly for her daughter to get her life in order. I would love for some more character development of the Aunt.<br />
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Reed: We do get the full story on why he's so closed off. He has a bad reputation, although no one will really say why. Just that he's bad. He's bad for Kate. Of course Kate is instantly drawn to him. Reed's story is probably the most fully developed in this story, though the only thing not really told is what is wrong with his mother.<br />
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Millie: The best friend everyone should have. She keeps Kate in line, yet when Kate is in the middle of a crisis, she is on the first flight to help. She gives good, sound advice and isn't afraid to make Kate mad.<br />
Sam: The good boy. He is described perfectly by Kate. He is a great guy. He's caring, sweet and good looking. He also probably always gets the short end of the stick.<br />
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This was such a wonderful story, I just don't feel that the author did it justice by making it so short. If I could beg for it to be written again and add a couple hundred more pages, had have that come true, I'd be very happy. I especially want to know more about Kate. She seems like she really does have it all. However, it was very sad that her parents really wrote her off because she chose to stand on her own 2 feet. I want to see more about what happens to Kate and Reed then just a few pages of an epilogue.<br />
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This story was a 5 star for me and I was honored to get a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-24887054366873587012014-01-05T12:48:00.001-08:002014-01-05T12:48:50.169-08:00Sunset Bay Sunset Bay
By: Susan Mallery
Published Feb.11, 2009 by PocketStar
Paperback 342 pages
Summary via goodreads.com
L.A. accountant Megan Greene has a successful job, a handsome cardiologist fiancé, and a doting father. Surely they make up for her estranged sister and hypochondriac mother...and a niggling sense that something, somewhere, got lost along the way. But then Megan's life falls spectacularly apart. Faced with the knowledge that neither her father nor her fiance; are the men she thought they were, she is loath to trust Travis -- the high school boyfriend who never quite left her heart. But his reappearance stirs dreams she once reluctantly packed away, and forces her to confront her relationship with her sister -- a bond that has been strained to the limit but has never quite broken. And amid the turmoil lies the promise of a future Megan never expected -- one that may turn out to contain everything she really needs....
****My Review (This does contain spoilers) ******
I must start by saying what a huge fan of Susan Mallery I am. I love and adore her Fool's Gold series and can not get enough of them. I am also a sucker for a good romance story.
This book fell flat for me. It was just very unbelievable, even by romance novel standards. It begins in 1998. Megan is the daughter of Tina and Gary. She's a daddy's girl all the way. Her mom frequently tells her she's ugly and will never be popular or have a boyfriend. She has a younger sister who is pretty and popular and seems to be her mother's pet. The sister has no real relationship with the dad, and Megan has no real relationship with her mom.... They talk briefly about the one boyfriend Megan had a couple of years ago, but he did something (we never really know) and he went to prison at age 16. Suddenly Megan is at a party and the boyfriend is there! (they're only 18 here). He is with another girl and is trying to make it obvious to Megan he doesn't want anything to do with her. Only he really does, so 5 minutes later they're making out in the parking lot and then they sneak off to Vegas the next day. Her sister figures it out and blabs to the dad. When they return the dad is very upset with her. And to make matters worse, the boyfriend, who's name is Travis, decides to that he needs to run away from his enabling mom and his drunken abusive dad. He tells Megan he loves her and she has to choose right then and there. Him? or her family? Mind you, she is 18 and has never had a real relationship other than Travis when she was 16, and then again at 18 when they see each other and in 5 minutes are in love and sneaking off to Vegas.....
She doesn't choose fast enough and he leaves......... Fast forward to 10 years later when things get really unbelievable. Megan is engaged to Adam, a snake of a man who is a cardiologist. Megan is confronted at work by an attorney who tells her Gary is not her dad, someone else is. That someone else has died and left her an inheritance. She confronts her drama filled mother, and as she does, her father over hears. Immediately, Gary, the man who has loved her and raised her like she was his own, the man who never knew she wasn't, decides he wants no relationship with Megan. Completely washes his hands of her. This is where it gets far fetched to me. Not only does he sever ties with the daughter he was closest to when her world, as well as his comes undone, but he leaves her mother and the mother insists it's somehow Megan's fault. This goes on and on through out the book. The mom telling Megan its her fault, so she needs to pay her bills and take care of her.
Next, Megan finds out her lovely Dr. finace has been cheating on her most of their relationship. He tells her that he plans on being loyal once they're married. And then can't understand why she wants to end the relationship. He must come to talk to her a dozen times and tell her she's being unreasonable. Because a marriage should be based on lies and cheating. I guess....
Finally, Travis. They run into each other 10 years later when she's gone to Vegas to distract herself from what is supposed to be her wedding day. They spend the night together and Then Adam ends up at her door in Vegas begging for another chance. Travis takes off refusing to listen to Megan. All the while, his home situation is just as unbelievable. His dad has been in jail for years. Travis had called the police and turned him in for some illegal activity he discovered his dad doing. The mother blames Travis for the father being in jail. Then when he goes home to help his mom with her failing business, he realizes a long time friend has been skimming their books and turns him in. The mom turns on Travis.
Finally by the last couple of pages Travis and Megan get it right and end up together. Forever.
I think seeing Travis and Megan's relationship grow more in this book instead of maybe 3 or 4 encounters would have helped it a lot. Having the father not turn on Megan, or having that whole thing handled in a more believable way would have made this a better book. I can see Travis's situation. His mom is an enabler and was bound to blame her teenage son for every problem with the dad. That's semi believable.....
I am leaving out more, just because these are the 3 main situations and the rest was just as unbelievable as the rest.
This book was 3 out of 5 stars for me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-75399737919930257672014-01-01T12:11:00.002-08:002014-01-01T12:11:39.942-08:00Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy****DISCLAIMER**** I am still having formatting issues. Please bear with me as I work through them
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy
By: Karen Foxlee
Published: Jan.28, 2014. 240 pages. Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Summary via Goodreads.com:
Unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard doesn't believe in anything that can't be proven by science. She and her sister Alice are still grieving for their dead mother when their father takes a job in a strange museum in a city where it always snows. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a prisoner of Her Majesty the Snow Queen. And he has been waiting for Ophelia's help.
As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will be tested. Along the way she learns more and more about the boy's own remarkable journey to reach her and save the world.
A story within a story, this a modern day fairytale is about the power of friendship, courage and love, and never ever giving up
My review:
I have not read a Children's book purely for my own entertainment. I usually will read a chapter with my son occasionally. I was sent this book by the author to read prior to the release date,and I am very glad I dug right into this.
This book was really magical. It had everything: a normal girl, her sister and father. Museum exhibits that come to life. The villain. The Hero. Love. Sadness. Happiness. Freight. And so much more. The story begins with Ophelia and her family at the museum. They have just lost their Mother/Wife and are still grieving her loss. The father takes a job at a museum putting together a sward exhibit. While they're there, Ophelia goes exploring and discovers a boy living in a room. They can see each other just by peering through the small key hole. Ophelia is introduced to magic and mystery as soon as she encounters the boy. She has a mission she needs to accomplish in order to save the boy, and the world from the evil of the Snow Queen. There are a lot of terrifying moments as she moves about to accomplish this mission before the world is taken over by the evil Snow Queen. Ophelia deals with many issues in this book. Like the exhibits coming to life, specifically the Misery Birds who are something I never want to encounter.
It is as this mission unfolds that the real world and the magical worlds collide. What seems real isn't and what isn't real seems that it is. There are some characters who play a dual role in this story, and it has you guessing from start to finish. Ophelia is a brave little girl. For someone who has just encountered so much pain and heart ache, this almost gives her the chance to work with her mom and have her mom by her side as she follows instructions to get from point A to B to C........
This book uses so much imagination, and that alone makes it a worthwhile read. I felt lost in the images of the museum, the time travel, the history and so much more. Books like this make me want to share them with all the children I know. In today's age, we are so lost in the world of technology, and focused on moving at the speed of light. Children should all be able to read a book of this type and find their creativity. Open up their minds and explore the museum with Ophelia.
I have never been a big fantasy reader. I have always been kind of turned off by the thought of it, but this has opened up a new genre of interest for me. This book is listed as appropriate for ages 8-12, and honestly I think that kids of all ages, from 8 to 100 will love to read this. I plan on letting my son read it once his reading pile gets a little smaller.
This book was 4 out of 5 stars for me. I wish the author much luck and success with this book, and give many thanks for allowing me to read it early!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-41734484589129926742013-12-19T10:30:00.001-08:002013-12-19T10:30:34.436-08:00The Upside of Letting Go ***DISCLAIMER**** I am having trouble with the formatting on blogspot for some reason. Once I figure it out, I'll edit this, but I wanted to get my review out while it's fresh in my mind
The Upside of Letting Go
By: Nacole Stayton
E-book 183 pages Published April 19,2013
Summary via Goodreads.com
Haley Martin is no stranger to loss. One tragic event takes her entire family, leaving lingering nightmares to torment her at every turn. She decides the only way to let go of those nightmares is to literally move away from all that is familiar. Boarding a Greyhound bus, she leaves behind her past filled with heartbreak and misery, in hopes of starting a new life.
By accident she meets Kyler King, a beautiful young man with a tragic past as well. He has no interest in settling down with anyone. With a reputation as being emotionally unattainable, he uses this façade to hide the burdens he bears every day.
As Kyler and Haley’s physical attraction becomes deeper, the secrets they have kept hidden threaten to surface. An unannounced visitor causes their pasts to collide with their present. Will their secrets prove to be too big of an obstacle, hindering their happily ever after, or will letting go be the key that locks their bond forever?
My Review: (spoilers included)
This book had so much potential. It had a great story line, it had raw emotion, it had highs and lows, and the chemistry between the main characters was wonderful. With that said, it didn't feel well written to me. It was very choppy. I loved the story line between Haley and Kyler. However, I felt the beginning was really rushed. Haley steps off the bus as a sullen and angry person looking to make a change and that change happens within 5 minutes when she meets her college roommate, Lucy. There are just so many loose ends. The day that she meets and becomes best friends with Lucy, they walk to a frat house where Lucy gets into it with some chick and the chick's friend starts a fight with Haley, but then we never hear what happens. its just pushed under the rug. I would liked to have seen more character development and build up rather than a short story that jumps from here to there. The reflective parts, where Haley is telling us what happened with her family were great! It gave me so much more insight to Haley and what her former life had been like.
I understood the need for the book drifting from one season into the next, but here would be a great opportunity for development. What did they do while winter turned to spring? Sure it made for a quick read but with the context of this story and all the tragedy in it, I wanted more. More description. More of them!
Lucy seemed to really drift out of the story after awhile. and then all of a sudden she's back in at the end and is pregnant. Well did she marry Kevin? Are they shackin' up? She went from being one of the spot light characters to barely mentioned. The same with Kevin. He wasn't even really in it after Haley and Kyler got together.
Some of it just seemed way over the top. Haley was in the hospital. Looking into a mirror and upset so she takes her I.V. stand and throws it into a mirror. Ok. Um, what about her arm that has needles in it from said I.V? Or, when Jude has his accident and Haley, who is an LPN, rushes to the ER only to be grabbed by a co-worker and she, Haley, uses a crash cart on another patient. I didn't realize LPNs had such ability. We are then left in the air to know what happened to Jude. it's not until the very end that its reveled he had a motorcycle accident.
I did like a lot about this book. I loved how Kyler went from bad boy womanizer to only having eyes for Haley. I loved their relationship when they'd have things figured out. I loved the story line all together. I just wish that things made more sense and that the writing had more flow to it.
One final note. When an author uses the word ANYWAYS that just drives me nuts. You're an author. That's not a word!
This book was 3.5 out of 5 stars for me. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-60897921071011039012013-12-17T08:11:00.001-08:002013-12-17T14:11:47.808-08:00Walking Disaster by Jamie Mcguire<p>Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2)<br>
By: Jamie McGuire<br>
Paperback, 433 pages<br>
Published on April 2 2013 by Atria <u>Books</u><br></p>
Summary from Goodreads.com:
"Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.
In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.
Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes."
My Review:
<p>I was hesitant to read this book. I'd read the first book, Beautiful Disaster, and loved it. Did I want to chance ruining that by reading the male's perspective? Eventually, I did. I'm very happy that I did.</p>
<p>I will usually check reviews on books, and one for this book jumped out at me. Someone gave it 1 star, starting it was the first book just recycled..... That fueled my fire to read it.</p>
<p>I do recommend reading the first book prior because there are some parts of Abby and Travis's story that get glossed over in this book. </p>
<p>I felt like the beginning was a bit shaky. Between both books I never understood the cardigan and pearls reference cause it only came up once. Abby trying to cover up her past... It didn't really come across that way to me. Travis of your typical bad boy with a good natured side. He is easily someone from my own past. He's lost, jumping from girl to girl, drinking and fighting. His temper really would have turned me off instantly but it's almost part of his charm. </p>
<p>Abby is strong willed, stubborn and has some anger of her own. As many times as these 2 break up and make up by the end it can drive you crazy, as the reader. I find myself saying, can you guys just get it together???? In both books! </p>
<p>I won't give it away, but this is really a great book. And so back to the recycled review.... Yes a lot of it is recycled, but coming from a different perspective. It just shows you that 2 people can go through three same exact situation and have different experiences. Personally, I do like getting the other POV. It adds depth to a story. In this case you really get to understand that Travis has walls built up and it helps to understand the first story a little better.</p>
<p>This was a 4 out of 5 star read for me. Keep them coming, Jamie! I love your work.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650029013033248684.post-3384714106831137982013-12-16T05:14:00.001-08:002013-12-16T05:14:15.895-08:00On Deck....<p>This week's read is Walking Disaster by Jaime McGuire. I can't wait to write about this one!</p>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00460304676601400729noreply@blogger.com0