Yearly Archives: 2013

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Review: Wait for You by J. Lynn

Title: Wait for You
Author: J. Lynn
Rating: ★★★★

Wait for You is a book about confronting the past and moving on. It’s a little bit cheesy, but mostly sweet.

Avery Morgansten is trying to move away from her past and start fresh in a place where no one knows hers story. She soon finds herself a couple of good friends as well as the attention of the guy with the ladies-man reputation, Cam. Avery knows she can’t do normal, her past has made sure of that, but Cm is determined to break those walls down.

This is where the cheese comes in. I’m not sure why there has to be a “reformed man-whore” in so many New Adult and Young Adult novels, because it is wholly unnecessary to me. I do not understand why this is a common thread uniting so many of the genres’ books, but in most situations, the novel would not lose a bit of impact if that detail was done away with.

Other than that, the characters and story are well-written and enjoyable. Brittany and Jacob are great friends the push Avery just enough. They know when they need to keep pushing and when to back away. They are exactly what Avery needs to make her fresh start.

Cam, ignoring his reputation, is a great love interest. He starts as her friend, even though he wants more, because he knows that’s what Avery needs. He pushes, but waits until Avery is ready before going to the next step. I honestly believe that he would have been a perfect character had he not had a ladies-man reputation. It was completely unnecessary and only made me feel annoyed with the novel.

Wait for You is a good New Adult novel that could have been great. It didn’t need the man-whore ploy and for me, that character point really takes away from the novel. That being said, it is still a good book that is a nice summer read.

If Wait for You sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

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Can’t Wait for Mondays: Champion by Marie Lu

The Legend series is one that kind of came out of nowhere and hit me in the face. I really hadn’t meant to read Legend, but a friend gave me the book and told me I should read it. I trust her judgment, so I picked the book up and read. Thank god I did. Legend hooked me right away, pulled me into the world of June and Day, and made me care. Then Prodigy came out and I had to have it right away. I needed to see what was going to happen next. And then I finished it and thought I would have to wait a year until getting my hands on the final book.

So imagine my surprise and joy when Lu told the world the final chapter in the Legend series would be released in November. I think the smile stayed on my face for a couple days and I had to explain that it was over a book being released earlier than I thought. Only true book lovers understood why that would etch a smile onto my face that wouldn’t leave.

Copied from the Champion book page:

He is a Legend.
She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Let’s be real, with a description like that, the sooner it can be released, the better. There’s only so much my heart can handle and I am certain Lu is going to push, bend, and break it in all the right ways before hopefully putting it together again. There are so many possibilities within this book that just thinking about what might be coming gets overwhelming.

Champion will be published on November 5th, 2013 by Putnam publishers. Let me know if you’ll be joining me as a midnight reader!

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Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Title: Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point series
Rating: ★★★★

I was a little worried about reading Pivot Point because I thought it had such promise, but it also could end up horribly confusing. Dealing with two futures in one book, alternating back and forth could either be fantastic or horrible. West is a new author and when I read something I’m a little nervous about, I usually like to choose from authors I already know, trust, and a love. Given all that, I decided to pick this book up and finally start reading.

All of my worries were for nothing. As if the feel of the stories being different wasn’t enough, at the beginning of each chapter, West makes it so clear that any possible confusion flies out the window. But like I said, the two futures felt so different that it was easy to tell which future they were in. The story set in the Compound has a tense feel, one that made me feel as though something just wasn’t quite right. Things looked to be too wonderful to be real. With the future outside the compound, things felt a little more relaxed and real. I wasn’t worried about whether or not what I saw through Addie’s eyes was real…even though it was a Search, it was real.

The two boys fit the two teen book stereotypes of boy next door and bad boy well, but just enough is different about each of their roles to make it feel unique. Duke is the bad boy, the cocky guy who gets what he wants and doesn’t really have to work for it. His moral compass is just a little bit off, but he’s also sweet in his own way. There are moments when his cockiness doesn’t get in the way of his character, when it makes him a teenaged boy. Trevor is the boy next door. He used to be the football quarterback, but a shoulder injury has changed his future and he’s not sure where his future will go now. He stands back, lets the relationship with Addie build from nothing before making a move.

Addie is a character I really felt like I could relate to. She’s trying to make her way through high school without drawing too much attention to herself. When she starts her search, it was interesting to see how her personality changes in each future. In one, it was easy to see her lose touch with who she is as she deals with her new life. In the other future, she brightened, becoming a better person because of the people around her.

Pivot Point is one of those books that I wish I had read sooner and yet wish I could have waited. The idea of waiting until the sequel is published to find out what happens next frustrates me. Pivot Point was so much better than I thought it would be that I just want the next book now. Instead, I’ll sit back and wait impatiently with West’s contemporary novel to help me pass the time.

If Pivot Point sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

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Review: The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon

Title: The One I Left Behind
Author: Jennifer McMahon
Rating: ★★★★

I love a good thriller. Something that makes my skin crawl, my thoughts get muddled, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I love it when a book leaves me confused and worried and tense. The One I Left Behind is one of those books.

Reggie was only 13 when Neptune, the serial killer haunting her town, took her mother. He removes the right hand of his victims on day one, and leaves their bodies on day five. But when Reggie’s mother is taken, her hand is found, but her body never surfaces. Just as this happens, Reggie’s friendships are being put to the test, and she needs someone to be there to help her through it all.

25 years later, Reggie has found a way to live beyond her past, becoming a renowned architect. The past still plagues her though. She doesn’t trust people enough to form solid relationships; she keeps people at a distance. When her mother is brought to a hospital, diagnosed with cancer, Reggie must head home to face the past she wishes would just stay away.

The story is told in the present and 25 years ago, through the eyes of 13-year-old Reggie. As an adult, she is starting to see that everything she thought her childhood was maybe wasn’t exactly as she remembered it. She’s having to face things she never thought would come up again and she learns truths she had never questioned as a child. Her mother is dying and still faces the demons of her past, now a shadow of the woman she used to be.

As a 13 year old, Reggie didn’t see the truth of her mother; she saw what her mother told her. Her aunt was trying to protect her, but all Reggie saw was an aunt who despised her mother. Reggie knew her mother was flighty, but she didn’t see the seedier side of her life. When the murders begin, she isn’t prepared for the toll they will take on her relationships, both with her family and friends. She’s trying to grow up, confused as to how to do so, and no one is there to help her.

In the present, all those old insecurities and problems arise once her mother is brought home. She must face the past and confront it head on in order to find a way to move forward with her life.

I must say, this book had me guessing the entire way through. I had a hunch, and while my hunch was correct, I was wholly unprepared for the reveal. I tried to figure everything out, look at all the little clues, but I didn’t see how they fit together until the very end. I was wrapped up in the mystery, trying to figure out Neptune’s reasons for what he did, wondering if understanding his head would help me see who he was. I felt a little like a detective as I read and I really appreciate a book that can make me feel that.

The One I Left Behind is about more than a serial killer. It’s about growing up, confronting the past, and learning that what you see isn’t always the truth. It gave me shivers and had me guessing on the identity of Neptune until the very end. If you’re looking for a good thriller, this is your book.

If The One I Left Behind sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Audible
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

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Can’t Wait for Mondays: Deception by C.J. Redwine

I was given Defiance to read last year and since finishing it, I have been anxiously awaiting the release of Deception. Redwine has created an extremely interesting world that got my heart pumping. The long wait is almost over, but it’s still so far away.

As taken from the Back Cover:

Baalboden has been ravaged. The brutal Commander’s whereabouts are unknown. And Rachel, grief stricken over her father’s death, needs Logan more than ever. With their ragged group of survivors struggling to forge a future, it’s up to Logan to become the leader they need—with Rachel by his side. Under constant threat from rival Carrington’s army, which is after the device that controls the Cursed One, the group decides to abandon the ruins of their home and take their chances in the Wasteland.

But soon their problems intensify tenfold: someone—possibly inside their ranks—is sabotaging the survivors, slowly killing them off. The chaos and uncertainty of each day puts unbearable strain on Rachel and Logan, and it isn’t long before they feel their love splintering. Even worse, as it becomes clear that the Commander will stop at nothing to destroy them, the survivors begin to question whether the price of freedom may be too great—and whether, hunted by their enemies and the murderous traitor in their midst, they can make it out of the Wasteland alive.

In this daring sequel to Defiance, with the world they once loved forever destroyed, Rachel and Logan must decide between a life on the run and standing their ground to fight.

I mean, come on. With a description like that, these last final weeks are going to feel so stretched out, time moving through molasses, until the 27th of August finally gets here. Then my plan is to read it and not stop until I’m done, maybe get a little food, and then give it another read.

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Review: Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

Title: Shadowy Horses
Author: Susanna Kearsley
Rating: ★★★★★

I read The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley because it was a kindle daily deal. I read Shadowy Horses because I loved Kearsley’s writing. She seems like the kind of person I could sit down with over a cup of coffee and just talk about all the interesting facets of history. She brings the old in with the new and blends them so well, it’s hard to imagine the two worlds not overlapping.

In Shadowy Horses, Verity has been hired on as part of an archaeological dig for a vanished Roman army troop. The dig is occurring under strange circumstances. The financier and leader or the group is supposedly a little crazy, Verity dated on of the guys working on the dig and is attracted to the other, and the granddaughter of the leader is an apathetic 20 year old who holds a little resentment towards her grandfather. In addition to the digging group, there’s the family that lives in the caretakers cottage: the cook, the groundskeeper, the fisherman, and the young psychic boy. Everything the dig is looking for is based not in fact, but in feelings.

Not only does Kearsley weave together a fantastic story about the archaeological dig and the relationships that form and stretch during the dig, but she also brings the past in and effortlessly weaves it into the story. The ease with which I could see both the past and the present coming together is a testament to Kearsley’s writing abilities. Not everyone can pull off something like that without making it feel cheap, forced, or odd. I can’t imagine this story without the touch of the past and the story that accompanies it; it is what makes this story so brilliant.

I loved the people in this novel, Peter and Granny Nan best. They were such characters that they didn’t even feel like characters in a book. They felt like real people whose words were transcribed for the novel. Everyone, even the more deplorable characters are written so well, you can’t help but like how bad they are.

I don’t want to give too much away, because this is a book you need to let unfold slowly, but I will say that even though I saw the ending coming, I still let out an “awww” when I reached it.

After only reading two of Kearsley’s novels, I know she’s an author I’m going to watch and buy obsessively. She does with history what I wish I could do; bring it into the present and weave it in so masterfully, it’s hard to know where the past ends and the present begins. This is definitely a must read book and a must read author.

If Shadowy Horses sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Audible
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

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Book Talk: Favorite Places Part II

Last Book Talk, I told you about my favorite places to read about. This time, I’m going to tell you about my favorite places to sit down with a good book.

When I’m at home, I have a chair. It’s a big armchair that my family has had for years. When we first got it, I was small enough and it was big enough that I could curl up is a little ball and sleep. I’m a little bigger now, but it’s still my chair. When I want to read, I curl my feet up, grab my book, lose myself. It’s my chair and everyone in my family knows it. I love to read there and always will.

The other place I enjoy reading when I’m at home is my bed. I’ve got a queen sized tempurpedic mattress with a remote control that raises and lowers my head and feet. Basically, it’s the best bed I’ve ever slept on. I love reading right before I go to bed and this bed was made for it.

The last place I love to read isn’t really one place, but rather a general location. I love getting into the mountains, breathing the mountain air, and reading. My family and I recently went on a vacation to Grand Teton national park and while we were there, we went canoe camping. It’s a lot of work, but so, so worth it. The view I had while reading is one of a kind and can’t be duplicated. There is simply no way to describe its beauty accurately, so I’ll share a picture. Even the picture doesn’t do it justice, but it does better than I could with just words.

Site 12b: 12b

This is the beauty that I got to read in front of for two days. I can’t believe I got to be there and I can’t wait to go back.

Where are you favorite places to read?

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Review: The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

Title: The Violets of March
Author: Sarah Jio
Rating: ★★★★★

This is only the second book of Jio’s I’ve read, but it’s another home run.

In The Violets of March, Emily is going through a bit of a rough patch. She’s getting a divorce and hasn’t been able to write a decent word since the publication of her first novel 8 years prior. At the suggestion of her best friend Annabelle, she travels to Bainbridge Island in Washington. It’s always had a special palace in her heart and Annabella thinks its exactly what she needs.

Once there, Emily finds a small notebook with a fascinating story unfolding on its pages. The story of Ester and the tragedy that befalls her is what draws Emily in and starts the healing process.

Every character in this book is wonderful. Aunt Bee is just eclectic enough, Jack is the sweetheart, and even the characters in the story within the story are well-written. They are what make this novel so engaging. They are what make the words on the page come to life and wrap you up in the beauty of the island.

There is a romance in this novel, but instead of distracting from the character building, it only aids Emily in the search for herself. The relationships in the novel only add to the fantastic characterizations.

Something else I love about Jio’s writing is how easily she can take me into the setting of the story. There is something about her writing that just draws you in so well that when she describes the water, you can see it, smell it, hear it, taste it, and feel it. You are immediately pulled in and even when you stop reading, everything lingers.

TheViolets of March is a superb novel about family secrets and finding out who you really are. It pulls you right onto Bainbridge Island and wraps you up in the sea breeze. I is another fantastic novel by Jio and only serves to prove that Jo is an author you must read.

If The Violets of March sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Audible
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

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Review: Torn by K.A. Robinson

Title: Torn
Author: K.A. Robinson
Series: Torn series
Rating: ★★★

This is a hard review for me to write. I wanted to like Torn, I really did. It sounded like the kind of book that would pull at my heart and make me emotional. There’s nothing really wrong with the novel (aside from one mistake I caught), it’s just that I was almost bored while reading. And I hate saying that, because I don’t like being bored while I read. I never want a book to be like that.

Chloe hasn’t had the easiest time growing up, but now it’s her first year of college and her two best friends are right there with her, ready to start fresh. That new beginning, however, doesn’t include falling for the resident bad boy.

There’s a love triangle in this book and I spent the greater part of the novel wishing it wasn’t so. There doesn’t really feel like there’s anything between Chloe and the two guys. One she ended up with because it felt easy and the other because of lust. I’m not saying either of those are bad things, but I don’t like when those situations are written as though it means immediate love. There was a moment when I admired Chloe’s character, but then the ending came and that moment had passed.

Drake is the bad boy of the novel. He’s a womanizer, in a band, and has a cocky attitude. Both boys are a little too possessive and neither one really give Chloe a relationship that makes her stronger. It was a little disappointing, to say the least.

I think the reason I wasn’t able to enjoy this novel as much as I wanted to was because I just didn’t feel that connection with Chloe. I didn’t understand her motivations or her actions. I felt like an outside reading a novel instead of a fly on the wall.

The one mistake that blatantly stood out was that of Drake’s car. The first time we read about it, it’s a 1969 Mustang. The next time we see it, it’s suddenly a 1983 Mustang. Normally I’d let something like that go, but since I wasn’t completely drawn into the novel, it stood out at me.

I went into Torn with high hopes. I wanted to enjoy it, but something just didn’t click for me. I’m sure there are people out there who will devour this book; I’m just not one of them. I will be reading the next book, if only because I hope a book with a little less teen relationship drama might draw me in more.

If Torn sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound
(Please note, the ebook edition has been released, with the paperback edition to follow in September of this year.)

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Book Talk: Favorite Places Part I

When talking about rook related places, there are two types. The first are those book settings that you adore and wish you could move to or visit. Then there are the places you love to read at, like the perfect corner or the comfiest rocker. This post will talk about book settings, the next will be about reading settings.

For me, there are a lot of book settings I love. Anytime snow is involved, I love it. If the book takes place in the mountains, I love it. However, there is only one setting I wish I could live in. Prince Edward Island and the Canadian maritime provinces.

Much like my crush on Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables, the settings of the novels hold a special place in my heart. I visited the provinces and they are every bit as beautiful as Montgomery describes. The island is one of my favorite places in the world and I long to go back to spend more time there, and not only because of the books. There is a feeling you get when you are in the provinces, a feeling I can’t really put into words. You don’t feel stressed, you don’t feel rushed, you just feel peaceful.

I am completely convinced that the maritime provinces are made up of magic. I fell in love with the provinces. Out of everywhere I have traveled and read about, the settings of the Anne of Green Gables novels are my favorite. I’ve seen more beautiful places, and I’ve visited more important places, but the magic you feel there is unbeatable.

Now that you know mine, share your favorite book setting (or settings). I’d love to hear about the places you love to read about.