CLP Blog Tour: Review of Vivid by Andrea Murray

When Vivian Cartwright was five years old, she witnessed her mother’s death. Now, sixteen-year-old Vivian only wants a normal life—hard to accomplish when you possess the power to control energy. Her entire life she has feared her power and its connection to her mother’s murder. She has kept her ability a secret from everyone except her guardian, Charlotte, who has hidden Vivian from the man responsible for her mother’s murder. Her secret is safe until Vivian subconsciously defends herself at school using her power. After this first use of her gift in many years, Vivian’s power seems to take on a mind of its own, increasing in strength and demanding to be used. This increase in power also brings dreams of her mother’s death and the mysterious man connected with it. When she is assigned to tutor the would-be boyfriend of Trista Parmer (a.k.a. the biggest diva in school), Vivian cannot deny the electrifying connection that she feels for the boy, Easton Garrett. In her desire to get Easton away from Vivian, Trista doubles her efforts to humiliate Vivian, forcing Vivian to use her supernatural gift over and over. With each use, Vivian fears she is losing control and discovers her powers are growing—maybe too much—bringing her unknowingly closer to the man who murdered her mother.~Goodreads

Vivid by Andrea Murray
Published: December 2011
Source: I received this book from the author via CLP Blog Tour in exchange for an honest and thoughful review.
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble




MY THOUGHTS:

First, I have to say don’t let the cover fool you; if you’re like me I tend to judge reading a book by the cover which is totally ridiculous but true. I would have completely missed out on a great story if I didn’t stop to read the synopsis. I really wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I started reading this book, this book was definitely one of those books that you pick up to read and it totally surprises you. I was definitely hooked within the first few chapters.

Vivian has always known she was different and has had to hide all of the things she could do, she lives with her Aunt Charlotte since he witnessed her mother’s murder at the age of five.  She’s a good student, good niece and tries to stay out of trouble. But, she finds that she is the prime target of bullying by the “queen of the popular kids” Trista and over the years it has made it hard to control her powers since certain emotions tend to trigger her power.  Her only comfort at school is her best friend
Abby who is ridiculed as much as Vivian is.

Vivian has to deal with the popular group who seriously go out of their way to bully Vivian and Abby. I really felt bad for her; I mean I seriously don’t ever remember school being that divided and if so I don’t remember popular kids tormenting anyone. The characters in this book took bullying to a
whole other level.

I really enjoyed Vivian as the protagonist; does she get bullied around a lot? Yes, but at the end of the day Vivian always tries to stand up for herself when every else just deals with what’s dished out at them.So for that I love her. I think her best friend has an interesting personality,she’s not afraid to stand up for herself but at the same time she’s insecure and sometimes I had no clue what she would do. She was totally random in her actions.  Easton was a character that started growing on me by the end of the book, but I’m not sure I bought the romance;it was just way too fast for me.

I think what grabbed me most in the story was the fact that your taking this journey with Vivian, she’s not sure about all of her abilities and she’s learning what her strengths and weaknesses are along with the reader.I liked the mystery factor of the story surrounding the murder of her mother.

This story definitely left me wanting more, I still have so many unanswered questions, and I just realized book two has been released so I will definitely be grabbing a copy of it. Overall this story definitely was good it was slightly slow starting up for me but then out of nowhere things start happening and it really picked up towards the end, definitely had me wanting more. I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a change from the typical paranormal books out there.

4 out of 5 stars

About The Author:

Andrea Murray has been teaching English for longer than most of her students have been alive. She has taught everything from junior high language arts to concurrent credit freshman composition. She lives in a very small town in Arkansas with her precocious daughter, energetic son, and racecar-driving husband. When she isn't writing or reading novels for her students, she's probably watching reality television or cheesy science fiction movies. In addition to Vivid, Andrea has also written Vicious, the sequel to her first novel.

Review: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

Deep in the shadowy foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies a dying town…My name is Amelia Gray. They call me The Graveyard Queen. I've been commissioned to restore an old cemetery in Asher Falls, South Carolina, but I'm coming to think I have another purpose here.Why is there a cemetery at the bottom of Bell Lake? Why am I drawn time and again to a hidden grave I've discovered in the woods? Something is eating away at the soul of this town—this withering kingdom—and it will only be restored if I can uncover the truth.   ~Goodreads

The Kingdom (Graveyard Queen Series) by Amanda Stevens
Published: March 27, 2012 by Harlequin Mira via Netgalley
Source: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and thoughful review.
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble


My Thoughts:

There’s something about Mrs. Steven’s books that make them so hauntingly beautiful.Maybe it’s the words she uses or the emotions that come across the page clear as day but, there something there that makes me want to drop everything and read her books as soon as it’s released.

I loved The Restorer, the first book in the Graveyard Queen Series it was definitely one of my favorite books in 2011 and this book is no exception. The world building is fantastic and unlike other ghost stories I’ve read, this book will definitely have you sleeping with the lights on. The words seem to come to life and give off this scary and mesmerizing emotion that you can’t shake. I want to keep reading the book but yet at the same time I am afraid to find outwhat will happen next.

The story is the continuation to The Restorer and it follows Amelia Gray to another restoration job in Asher Falls. From the minute Amelia arrives she know ssomething is off kilter, everyone there is mysterious and strange. Amelia sets off to start her restoration project but she instead finds herself entangled in a mystery that is much older and deeper than she could ever imagine.

The story definitely takes creepy to another level. The writing is captivating and once you find yourself pulled in to Amelia’s world it’s hard to disentangle yourself from it. If I thought that the idea of ghost feeding off of your warmth and energy was frightening it does not compare to what lurks after twilight in Asher Falls. I loved that we learn more about her family, and at times I feel really bad for Amelia because she really has no one to confide in about what she’s going through and she’s utterly alone.

The story was definitely fast paced and pulled me along for a crazy and at times terrifying ride, whenever I thought that maybe I had figured out the plot I was thrown a curve ball until the last minute. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

4.5 out of 5 Stars.

Review: The Last Page By Lacy Camey

Norah Johnson is at a crossroads and is in desperate need to heal after a highly publicized breakup from her major league baseball player boyfriend. To escape, she moves to her summer home at the beach with her sister and best friend where she journals, attends therapy and works on her pending clothing line. When a gorgeous stranger finds her lost journal, he seeks to find the author and make her fall in love with him. But is Norah ready to love again?

The Last Page by Lacy Camey
Published: August 3, 2011
Source: I received this book from the author/CLP Book Tour in exchange for an honest and thoughful review.
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Nobles


MY THOUGHTS:

It’s bad enough to go through a break up and dealing with the grief and pain of a broken heart let alone have it publicized on national TV and tabloids but, yet this was what Norah had to endure. Norah’s ex-boyfriend, Truett was a famous major league baseball player, think A-Rod, Derek Jeter and the breakup made her a target for the paparazzi.

After that horrid day, Norah’s life had completely fallen apart and she dealt with the break up in a self destructive way. She does nothing as her life and career falls apart and basically sits on the couch for weeks at a time drowning in her sorrows. Her family has finally had enough and they ship her to the family summer home with her sister for a few weeks where she seeks help from a therapist. In the summer home surrounded by her best friend and sister is where Norah finally learns to overcome all of the obstacles that she was dealt, and starts to slowly see the light at the end of the tunnel.

What I love about the story is that the characters were so relatable. I could totally understand everything that Norah was going through and I loved that she had such a supporting family and best friend. Ms. Camey did a great job of making me feel everything that Norah was going through at the time. Norah was a great character although there were times when I felt like smacking her and telling her that the truth is right there open your eyes.

The only issue I really had with the book is I felt that the storyline with her sister and boyfriend wasn’t really needed, or maybe it wasn’t developed enough for me. It didn’t take away from the story though; it just kind of felt like it was thrown in.

I truly enjoyed this story and although it’s not happy go lucky from the get go, it was what made it more realistic, and had me completely hooked.



You can find Lacy at the following places:

Twitter
Website
Facebook

Review: Torn By Erica O'Rourke

Everyone has secrets.

Even best friends.                                                 Swirling black descends like ravens, large enough to block the glow of the streetlights. A dull roar starts like a train on the 'L', a far-away rumbling that grows louder as it pulls closer, until it's directly overhead and you feel it in your chest, except this doesn't pass you by. Verity, white-faced and eyes blazing, shouts through the din, "Run, Mo!"

Mo Fitzgerald knows about secrets. But when she witnesses her best friend's murder, she discovers Verity was hiding things she never could have guessed. To find the answers she needs and the vengeance she craves, Mo—quiet, ordinary, unmagical Mo—will have to enter a world of raw magic and shifting alliances. And she'll have to choose between two very different, equally dangerous guys—protective, duty-bound Colin and brash, mysterious Luc. One wants to save her, one wants to claim her. Which would you choose?

Torn by Erica O'Rourke
Published: June 28, 2011 by Kensington Teen
Source: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and thoughful review.
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Nobles



My Thoughts:


“I woke up to the smell of Lysol and the end of the world. In my defense, I didn’t know it was the end of the world at the time. I didn’t know anything, and it was better that way.” Pg. 1

Maura “Mo” Fitzgerald has just gone through what could be considered the worse day of her life, she just witnessed her best friend, Verity’s murder and finds herself laying in a hospital bed. Her life will never be the same again. Mo has been surrounding by secrets her entire life; she just didn’t realize it until now. Her world begins to fall apart as the one constant she knows has been violently ripped away from her. Mo struggles with dealing with her best friend’s death, wanting to seek revenge and trying to find out who she is.

I loved that Mo was an ordinary girl that was dropped into a magical world and there was nothing extraordinary about her, she was just “Mo” a shy, 17 yr old girl who has lost her best friend. This book has magic, deceit, and romance. It’s about a girl who has to get over her insecurity issues in order to seek the revenge that she so desperately wants. Everything Mo does reverts back to the question what would Verity do. She has lived so much of her life in the shadows, and is trying to set her own path.

The title of the book is excellent and very fitting for the story as Maura is torn between two worlds and two guys. The love interest tension is very high and believable but I’m not sure how I feel about Colin. Luc I could completely see the relationship; the struggle to choose whether or not they should fight what they feel. But, with Colin I’m not so sure I knew when it shifted from friends to something more, it almost seemed forced. But, don’t let this derail you, this book is definitely worth picking up.

This story was unique with its mob references and the magical world built around the four elements, fire, water, earth, and air. I love the author’s use of flashbacks; they transport you from the here and now to the past in an instant without any difficulty or choppiness in the reading. This story was fascinating and full of suspense; with each page that I turned I was eagerly waiting to find out what piece of the puzzle Mo would discover next. But, what I loved most about this book is that the book showed Mo's character grow within the first book, I didn't have to annoyingly wait two or three books before she became the person you knew she would become.  I really enjoyed this story and would give it 4 stars.

Mo’s journey isn’t over, it’s just the beginning and I am eager to see where the author takes us next. The next book in the series will be released in February 2012.

On a Side Note:

I went to the author’s blog the other day and found out that she post these awesome postcards from Verity addressed to Mo while she was visiting her aunt in New Orleans. I thought the concept was original and very cool.

You should check it out: Erica O'Rourke

Review: Lor Mandela-Destruction from Twins by L. Carroll

Lor Mandela Destruction from Twins by L. Carroll
Published February 2010
Source: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Nobles

Part I (Destruction From Twins)
When a selfish enchantress seeks to steal mystical powers from her twin sister, she sentences the world of Lor Mandela and its inhabitants to death. In an effort to preserve itself, the soul of the planet appoints a Child of Balance named Audril Borloc who must solve a prophetic riddle known as the Advantiere. All hope seems lost, however, when shortly after her fourth birthday, Audril disappears without a trace.
Desperate to save their world, Lor Mandelan spies travel to Earth in search of the little girl with black hair and bright blue eyes-traits that on Lor Mandela are exclusive to the ruling family, Borloc. Instead, they find seventeen-year-old Maggie. While the age difference between the girls is obvious, Maggie has the Borloc traits-evidence enough for the eager spies. They devise a plan to get Maggie to Lor Mandela, but will their scheme be successful? And what if they have the wrong girl? Who will save Lor Mandela then?
Part II (And So It Must End)
Maggie Baker has always wished for a more eventful life. Unfortunately, she is about to get it. Following an earthquake that no one seems to have felt but her, her mundane existence is thrown into a roller-coaster ride of twists and turns as she suddenly finds herself bouncing back and forth between her hometown of Glenhill, Iowa and the distant world of Lor Mandela. On this strange planet, Maggie must learn who to trust, and who to fear. More importantly, she must find a way to convince the Lor Mandelans that she is not the Child of Balance, and her family and friends in Iowa (and herself for that matter) that she is not going insane.
Amid fighting a two-headed creature, being captured by a lawless band of Shadow Dwellers, and falling head-over-heels for the enchanting son of an evil warlord, Maggie sees the lines of the Advantiere unfold around her. It isn't long before she discovers that her blasé reality could be the real fantasy, and that the fate of an entire world may actually depend on her.

My Thoughts:

This story is one of the best fantasy stories that I’ve read in a while. The story starts off in Lor Mandela a different planet where the fight for power has turned deadly. All it takes is one person’s greediness for power to ultimately causes a series of events that ends up turning the world of Lor Mandela upside down. This catastrophic event leads you on a whirlwind adventure to find the “child of balance” the solution to the problem.

We meet Maggie Baker who is an ordinary teenager living on earth, strange things start happening to her as the people of Lor Mandela believe she is the child of balance. As Maggie fights to keep her sanity, she has to prove to her family and friends as well as herself that she’s not losing it and these things are really happening to her.

The adventure never stops as I’m sucked into this captivating and highly addictive world that the author has created. The world building was fantastic as I could actually imagine this enchanting world of Lor Mandela full of Squankis, Shadow Dwellers, and Rynolts. All of the characters were well developed and they grew on me, I shared their happiness, hatred, and frustration. The story flowed beautifully between the two worlds, Earth and Lor Mandela.

There were twist and turns in the storyline that made me question myself and then when I thought I knew the answer, the author through me another loop. There was magic, adventure, betrayal, romance and deception.

This is definitely a story that everyone should read. I loved this book and can’t wait to read the second book, talk about cliffhanger.

Review: Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park
Published: April 2011
Available for purchase via Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Flat-Out Love is a warm and witty novel of family love and dysfunction, deep heartache and raw vulnerability, with a bit of mystery and one whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees romance.


Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it.


When Julie’s off-campus housing falls through, her mother’s old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side … and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.


And there’s that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That’s because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie’s suddenly lonesome soul.


To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that … well … doesn’t quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer. {Synopsis from Goodreads}

Let me just get this out there, I LOVED this book. This is one of those books that captures your attention and pulls you through the book at an alarming speed. I didn’t want to put the book down; I stayed up to obscene hours of the night reading just because it was that good.

Julie Seagle has always tried to fit in but hasn’t really found her place in the world. She believes that college is the new start for her, so she embarks on this journey in Boston miles away from everyone she knows. She finds herself a victim of a craigslist scam and with no home or money; she does the only thing an eighteen year can she calls home. Out of pure desperation she finds herself staying a couple of days with her mom’s college friend. This is where the journey begins for Julie.

This story was about finding yourself and helping others in the process. You also get a look into the lives of a very dysfunctional family. Julie finds herself tangled in the mix of what makes this family run and how they deal with some of the issues that they are faced. The romance in the story wasn’t rushed but perfectly paced and the timing of the events was on point. I didn’t’ feel like I was being rushed through the story at all. Usually when you read a book you connect with the main character and don’t always connect with the secondary characters, this isn’t the case in this book. I connected with all of the characters, Julie, Celeste, Matt, Finn and Erin they each brought something to the story with their unique traits. The story was intricately woven to pull you through this emotional rollercoaster ride with Julie.

I loved the Facebook updates in the beginning of each chapter, I thought they were genius. There was also a sky diving scene that I loved, the description had me mesmerized and ready to jump out of a plane.

This is one of the few books that actually stole my heart and I was sad to see it end. This book had me enchanted well after I turned the last page.

I am not a very big fan of YA contemporary but this story was the exception. If you haven’t read it, you definitely need to. You would be so glad you did.

I give this book 5 stars!

Review: Deadly Intentions by Candace Poach

Goodreads Synopsis: When Lisa Claxton starts her own cleaning business on Paradise Island, she may finally profit from her talent for whipping a house into shape--in more ways than one. A valuable Claxton heirloom, a golden bowl, is missing, and Lisa has tracked it down to a local home, which she quickly gets herself hired to clean. But when she arrives she finds a dead body--and flees right into the safe arms of an irresistibly handsome man. . .
But She's About To Find So Much More. . .
Injured Navy SEAL Brian Knight came to his grandfather's house to recuperate. He didn't expect to be greeted by a frightened beauty--or to get mixed up in her scheme. But Brian has to pursue the killer who invaded the house--and he's determined to pursue Lisa as well. Soon, the two are up against ruthless thieves whose intentions are more than deadly.

Publisher:           Kensington Books
Release Date:     5/1/2011
Purchase:           Amazon
                        Barnes & Noble   



My Thoughts:

I wasn’t sure how I would like this book, but once I picked it up the story flowed really well and I found myself hooked. Lisa is a woman on a mission to find a stolen heirloom and somehow she always finds herself in some kind of danger. Lisa lives in a small island where everyone around her either knows her or is related to her. Lisa is dealing with a lot of emotional baggage and believes by returning the bowl that this may be the way to redeem herself in her families eyes. Her family has roots that are deeply rooted in the island and their family history means everything to them. 

With the help of her sister, Lisa starts her own cleaning service and that’s when the trouble starts. Through some conniving and scheming she gets the contract to clean the house of the person she believes currently has the bowl in their possession. On her first day of the jobs she stumbles upon a murder scene and then things spiral down from there.

This story is full of suspense, mystery and romance. Some of the plots I figured out early on and knew where the writer was going with the story but it still kept my interest and the writing was engaging enough that I kept turning the pages.

The switching of narrators was a little confusing at times but after the first few switches, I got the hang of it and it didn’t really stop the reading flow.

Overall I enjoyed the story and would definitely read more books by this author.

If you like mystery and suspense you should try it out.

I give this book 3.5 stars.

*This book does have mature themes, so it isn’t suitable for anyone under the age of 18.

Review: Happy Birthday To Me by Brian Rowe

Title:    Happy Birthday To Me (Birthday Trilogy Book 1) By Brian Rowe
Source: Author provided a copy for review.



Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Cameron Martin has a huge problem: he’s aging a whole year of his life with each passing day!

High school is hard enough; imagine rapidly aging from seventeen to seventy in a matter of weeks, with no logical explanation, and with prom, graduation, and the state championship basketball game all on the horizon. That’s what happens to Cameron, a popular pretty boy who's never had to face a day looking anything but perfect.

All Cameron wants to do is go back to normal, but no one, not even the best doctors, can diagnose his condition. When he finds love with a mysterious young woman, however, he realizes his only hope for survival might be with the one person who started his condition in the first place..

My Thoughts:

Cameron Martin is your typical popular high school student. He’s an all-star basketball player, good grades, popular, with the prettiest girl in school as his girlfriend.  The first couple of pages he was arrogant and a jerk and I really wanted to grab him and slap some sense into him.  

But, then one day he wakes up and he’s a day older, he’s aging one year for each day that passes. Cameron doesn’t know what’s happening to him or how to explain it. This is where I fell in love with Cameron; he had so much determination and persistence to keep pushing forward when the end loomed so close. I personally don’t know if I was in the same situation if I would do some of the things he did, and I admire him for that.

As Cameron learns when you are faced with some of the toughest challenges in your life that is when you know who will stay by your side and who will bolt at the first sign of trouble. When you realize that life is shorter than you thought your priorities tend to change, and you start to analyze what kind of person you are.

By the end of the book Cameron had redeemed himself in my eyes and he was no longer the self-absorbed person that he once was.

From the beginning, I was mesmerized by the story and writing. Mr. Rowe does a great job of capturing your attention and weaving a great story. There were moments when I teared up just a little and had to reach for a tissue. Yes, there were times when I knew exactly where the story was leading to, but it didn’t matter because I still wanted to know how Cameron would deal with the obstacles in his way.

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend that you give it a try. I can’t wait to read the second book to see where the author will take the story next.

I give it four stars.

You can purchase the book at:

Amazon

Review: Shade By Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade (Shade #1) By Jeri Ready-Smith

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be.
With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

My Thoughts:

I read this book over a week ago and I couldn’t write the review until now. It was hard getting the words out that would do this book justice. This was one of those books that held you from the beginning to the end and had you on the edge of your seat wanting to find out what was going to happen next. I was in love with the characters from the beginning, the beginning of the story reminded me of the stupid things you do when you’re a teen before you realize that there are serious consequences for your actions.  The characters were beautifully written and you could completely relate to them.

The story was based on The Shift and the people who were born after it who could see the ghost lingering in our world and the people born before who could not. The story starts off tragically with the death of Aura’s boyfriend Logan. Because she was born post-shift she was able to see his ghost after he died. This is where the heartaches begins, what would you do if you thought you lost a loved one, but then were able to still see them in ghost form. Would you hang on to what’s left or would you try to help them and yourself move on?
Aura’s mother died when she was young and all she has left of her is a diary with pages torn out.

Her mother writes about Stonehenge and she decides that she would study this for her school project. She meets the swoon worthy Zachary who seems to understand everything she is dealing with.  Aura struggles with dealing with her love for Logan and her magnetic attraction to Zach. Throughout the book there were tons of musical references and I loved it.

I felt Aura’s anger, pain, suffering and I wept like a little girl. The story was beautifully written and I couldn’t put it down until I read the last page which was a cliffhanger and then I grabbed my tablet and downloaded Shift.

I would highly recommend this book. I give this book 5 stars.

I can’t believe I didn’t know about this series earlier, I am a fan for life now. I’m off to read Ms. Smith-Ready’s adult series, Wicked Games.


Here’s the trailer for Shade:

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Review: Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda

 

Devil's Kiss (Billi SanGreal#1) By Sarwat Chadda
Release Date: 5/7/09
Publisher: Hyperion

Goodreads Description:

There's Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself....And Billi SanGreal.

As the youngest and only female member of the Knights Templar, Bilquis SanGreal grew up knowing she wasn't normal. Instead of hanging out at the mall or going on dates, she spends her time training as a soldier in her order's ancient battle against the Unholy.
Billi's cloistered life is blasted apart when her childhood friend, Kay, returns from Jerusalem, gorgeous and with a dangerous chip on his shoulder. He's ready to reclaim his place in Billi's life, but she's met someone new: amber-eyed Michael, who seems to understand her like no one else, effortlessly claiming a stake in her heart.
But the Templars are called to duty before Billi can enjoy the pleasant new twist to her life. One of the order's ancient enemies has resurfaced, searching for a treasure that the Templars have protected for hundreds of years — a cursed mirror powerful enough to kill all of London's firstborn. To save her city from catastrophe, Billi will have to put her heart aside and make sacrifices greater than any of the Templars could have imagined.

My Thoughts:

This book held me and didn’t let me go the ride was full of twist, turns, and emotional upheaval. As a teenager your emotions are everywhere, this is the time in your life when you are trying to figure out who you are, it’s complicated enough without adding the fact that you’re training to become a Knight of the Templar.

Billi is only 15 and lives a life unlike anything you can imagine, she spends hours fight training, learning Latin, folk lore as well attending school and trying to pretend to be a normal teenager. To top all of this off her only friend, is thousands of miles away in Jerusalem and she hasn’t seen Kay in a year, she feels abandoned and alone.

In the beginning you might see Billi as a little annoying but what can you expect, she’s only 15 and she has this huge responsibility sitting on her shoulders.  She deals with things the best way she knows how, and throughout the book you watch her grow.  Sometimes you forget that this is a YA story because of the style in which it was written. The description of the Temple where Billi spends all of her time was so descriptive that I felt like I was standing outside a window peeking through. The story of the Knights of Templar and their history was intricately woven throughout the book as your watched Billi on her journey to Knighthood as she deals with the card she’s been dealt. From the first line “Killing him should be easy; he’s only six” till the last I was captivated and eagerly turning the pages to find out more. I stayed up late at night depriving myself of sleep just so I can finish the story; I was hooked and couldn’t put it down until I devoured the last word.

I have no clue why I haven’t heard about this series before, it is brilliantly written and I would recommend that everyone run out and purchase it.  Mr. Chadda you have definitely made me a fan for life. Dark Goddess was released in January, and I'm going to start it next.

I give this book five stars.

Favorite Quotes:

“There’s so few of us, but we keep the darkness at bay. Why? Because we’re ruthless. We bring nightmares to the monsters.” He leaned closer so he could whisper it. “Fear is a powerful weapon.”

“Billi, without a soul we lose that one part of us that’s divine, the breath of God.”

About the Author: 

Sarwat Chadda was brought up on teh adventures of teh great medieval heroes like Saladin and Richard the Lionheart. His passion for storytelling grew from his love for the history, culture, and myths of Europe and the Middle East.

Sarwat used to be an engineer, working on projects like the Channel Tunnel and Hong Kong Airport, but now he writes full time. He has traveled widely, from China to India, from Nicaragua to yemen-- but there's no place like home, and home is London. Devil's Kiss is Sarwat's first novel.

You can find the author at the sites listed below:

Author Website
Twitter

Review: Die For Me By Amy Plum

Die For Me (Revenants#1) By Amy Plum
Release Date: 5/10/11
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Netgalley (Thanks! HarperTeen & Netgalley)


Goodreads Description:

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.
Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.
Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.
Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.
While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?


My Thoughts:

After the loss of their parents, Kate and her sister Georgia move to Paris to live with their grandparents with the hopes of starting a new life. As with reality everyone deals with death differently. Georgia threw herself into socializing and partying while Kate secluded hereself from the world until she met Vincent.

There were moments when I cried my eyes out, because of the emotional war going on within Kate and then there were times when I couldn't keep a smile off my face. The story took place in Paris and Ms. Plum did such a great job of describing the city with its breathingtaking architecture it was if I was there strolling down the streets. I loved everything about this book, and the concept of Revenants was unique and unlike anything I have read before. The relationship between Kate and Vincent was not rushed and you were able to see it bloom. The story was paced just perfect and the supporting characters each had a strong personality that you couldn't help but like.

This story wasn't about just the romance between two characters but it was also about a girl who loses both of her parents and the aftermath of what happens. You watch Kate deal with the inner turmoil that is left when you lose a loved one; she struggles to find herself and wonders how she can continue to go on and what could possibly be worth it. Then you watch  as the thin shred of hope that she has held on to comes to life and reminds you that there is hope after all and everything hasn't been lost.

On a side note, this book was really an emotional read for me since I have dealt with the lost of a parent. The words that were written on the pages could have been my own as I was reminded of a difficult time in my life.

I can't say enough about how much I really loved the story. I would give this book four stars and recommend that everyone should run out a buy a copy of it when it's released on May 10th.

Review: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

The Restorer (Graveyard Queen #1) By Amanda Stevens
Release Date: 4/19/11
Available: Barnes & Noble & Amazon
Publisher: Mira
Source: Netgalley (Thanks! Mira & Netgalley)



Goodreads Description:

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.

It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer and to his other victims lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.



I love stories that include ghost, they have always intrigued me more than any other paranormal stories. I don't know what it is that draws me to these books, but I love them!

Amelia was nine years old when she saw her first ghost while working with her dad in the cemetery that he was the caretaker at. Her father told her there were rules that you must follow in order to keep living your life without ghost interfering.

Rule 1: Never acknowledge the dead, look at them, speak to them or let them sense your fear.
Rule 2: Never stray far from hallowed ground
Rule 3: Keep your distance from those that are haunted. If they seek you out, turn away from them, for    they constitute a terrible threat and cannot be trusted.

These were the rules that were instilled in Amelia, and she lived her life by these rules until she meets Detective John Devlin. The mysteriously aloof; Detective John Devlin needs her help with a murder that has occured at The Oak Grove Cemetery her latest restoration project. Helping Devlin goes against everything that her father has taught her because Devlin is haunted by not one but two ghost. Amelia finds herself in a predicament because he was referred to her by Camille Ashby who contracted her for the Oak Grove Restoration project, she is highly connected and burning a bridge with her could mean no additional contracts. Amelia relunctantly agrees and finds herself tangled in a web of deception, politics, and ghost. 

This story was beautifully written, with lots of suspense, twist and turns. The characters were well developed and I love how Ms. Stevens weaved the back stories of the characters through out the book. The story progressed at a great speed and I built an emotional tie with the characters. At times I was
 creeped out and other times I wanted to cry. The setting of the book was in Charleston, and it reminds me of old money, historical sites, and creepy cemeteries much like Savannah does.This is one of those books that when you finish and walk away you are still recounting what happened days after you turned the last page.


I would give this book 5 stars and recommend this book to everyone I know. 

The author's website is Amanda Stevens. She is also on  Twitter.

Review: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test
By: Aimee Carter
Release Date: April 19, 2011

My Review:

It’s really hard to put it into words how much I loved this book, it was compelling and had me mesmerized from the first sentence to the last words typed. On her 18^th birthday Kate Winters spends the day driving her mom who is terminally ill with cancer to her childhood home to spend the last few days/weeks of her life. Kate has grown up before her time because she spent the last four years of her life taking care of her mother instead of being a regular teenager and attending high school. Her mom is her stability and she would be lost without her, and Kate isn’t quite ready to say goodbye yet. Kate’s mom wants to know that her daughter will be happy before she leaves her that she would have a sense of purpose so she makes Kate enroll in the high school in her home town because she wants her to start living her life again. Kate has to start over in a new town, new school, and new friends. She has the pleasure of meeting Ava who is the ultimate rich, popular all American cheerleader type who thinks Kate is trying to steal her boyfriend. In an attempt to teach her a lesson Ava invites her to a bonfire party in the woods and then tries to leave her there, something catastrophic happens and this is where Kate’s life drastically changes. She has a choice to make and a bargain to uphold.

Without giving too much of the story away, I wanted to mention that I loved all of the different characters that you meet, they are each unique and all possess some trait that makes you love them even with all of their flaws. I loved Kate as the heroine because I could relate so much to what she went through, sitting on the sidelines and not being able to do anything to help the one you love, its heart wrenching and I even cried and certain points in the story.  She was so determined to do the best with the choices that she had and I commend her for that. This story was beautifully written with twist and turns in the plot that was completely unexpected. Ms. Carter did an excellent job of world building and captivating the reader. I can’t wait for the second book to be out to see what happens next in Kate’s journey.

Everyone should pre-order this book today. I loved it and will definitely read it again once I buy a hardcover copy of it.

Review: Any Man of Mine

I have to admit that I’ve never read a Rachel Gibson novel before I received this ARC. I am glad I was given a chance to read this story, it was fun, entertaining, and heart breaking at times.

The story is about Autumn Haven who has just experienced the tragic loss of her mother, she doesn’t know her father, and her brother is in the Navy and is deployed. After arranging the funeral, packing up the last of her mother’s belongings, and selling the house. She decides that she needs a vacation to help her deal with everything. She books a one week vacation to the beautiful Las Vegas where she meets trouble (a handsome hockey player named Sam) and this is where her life changes forever.
This book was compelling and captured my attention the entire book because I could relate to the characters. Things weren’t too farfetched where you might say that never happens. Everything Autumn, Sam, and Connor went through are things that regular people deal with on a daily basis. Autumn’s character really grew through trial and error,and she learned the hardest lesson of all forgiveness.It teaches you that the choice you make always has consequences whether it’s good or bad.

Rachel Gibson has an excellent way of writing a story where you feel the character’s emotion. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone I know. I think I just found my new favorite contemporary romance author.