Spooked????

TITLE: Spooked
AUTHOR: Tracy Sharp
PRINT LENGTH: 135 Pages
MY RATING:  ★ ★ ★ ★
PUBLISHED: September 11, 2012
LANGUAGE: English
RATING: Young Adult
GENRE:  Paranormal
PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon 

In this book we meet Lorelei who has an amazing ability. She discovers this ability by accident when she is just 4 years old. She can "steal secrets" from a person's mind. This is a very strange way to phrase mind reading, but it seems to fit as its a bit different than the standard mind reading. So at 4 years old she steals the memory of an old man who felt guilty for something in his youth, her father realizes what's happening and whisks her away and takes her to her aunts house where she is raised from then on. 

The book fast forwards to present day where she is a junior in high school. And basically all hell breaks lose in her small town. Girls are disappearing. And the mystery begins. I won't go into any details about the book because it is a good read and paranormal lovers will enjoy it since it is a quick read as well.

For character creation I believe the author did a good job. I could relate to Lorelei fairly well, and to the other young people she was involved with. I enjoyed that there wasn't this over the top romance aspect to the story yet it was just normal girl crushes on a guy kind of stuff. Nothing too serious or that oh my god I can't live without him type of love. Which I found refreshing.

The story itself has a good plot and moves along very well. The mystery of who is doing the taking of the girls is straight forward and it leaves you wondering until you go oh shoot I should have realized that already. And just when you think that is exactly the correct answer its poof gone and no way did you see it coming.

I can recommend this book as a good read for younger than 13 due to not having sex or cursing. The story itself leaves you gasping a few times but nothing over the top gory or scary. I think its a great read for tweens.

Details/Disclaimer: Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

All I can say is WOW!!!!! 5 Stars a MUST READ!

TITLE: Impassion
AUTHOR: B.C. Burgess 
PRINT LENGTH: 262 Pages
MY RATING:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
PUBLISHED: October 1, 2012
LANGUAGE: English
RATING: Young Adult
GENRE:  Paranormal
PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon 

SUMMARY: According to the fairy tales Layla read as a child, she’d stepped into one, but her perfect world has a price, and she may end up paying with her life…. Following three years of loneliness, twenty-one-year-old Layla Callaway suddenly has the extended family she always wanted, a beautiful home in Clatsop County, Oregon, her own prince charming, and the ability to perform astonishing magic. All should be well as she gets acquainted with the powers she never knew she had and the coven she never knew she belonged to, but she continues to mourn the circumstances that got her there while struggling to adjust.  Thankfully Layla has her prince charming – Quin Kavanagh – a gorgeous member of her coven who goes out of his way to take care of her. His gentle hands lead her everywhere, including realms of pleasure previously unknown, so when she learns of his playboy past and a hurtful secret he’s been keeping, her shaky world threatens to crumble. And it couldn’t happen at a worse time. Danger grows nearer. Obsessed with Layla’s ethereal beauty and immense power, Agro eliminates leads on his way to Oregon. But there’s a stranger lurking much closer to Layla’s new home, and he’s closing in quicker than anyone knows. Leaving a trail of tragedy in their wakes, both wizards crave what Layla has, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it.

REVIEW: 

I received this book from B.C for giving her the name of one of her characters. I was chosen from an online contest her facebook fan page and was absolutely thrilled when she chose my choice of Selena. And when I first read the book I actually laughed and thought she’s my character, I then immediately fell in love with Alana so much so that she was MY little girl, just like her mother is my character. Now this all aside, this book is AMAZING! Burgess has outdone herself with this book and I rank her up there with the likes of J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, and Michael Scott. I can easily picture her books on film.

In this story it picks up where we left off in Descension, Layla found her family, and has discovered she is a witch. She also has met Quin, who I have to say I adore! He is so loving and attentive and oh gosh just everything a woman would want in a man. I can honestly admit I am addicted to Quin.

Gah, I just want to tell you parts of the book I loved but I hate spoilers.  I will say that the plot in this book continued with the base story of Agro searching for Layla. I HATE AGRO! But it’s not just Agro that I hated, I hate his right hand man Farriss and ooooooo I do so love what happens there. *rubs hands together evilly*

B.C. Burgess has created characters that are not only loving, but so human that you completely forget your reading a book. You are LIVING their life.  I adore Layla, love Quin and all the family, Finley I am reserving judgement on, I can’t decide if he is bad to the bone or just misunderstood, and we know how I feel about Agro. As for my character Selena and her beautiful loveable cuddly little Alana all I can say is I want more.

I can assure you that this book is as good as the first if not better.  I loved how much time we get to spend learning about the magic that she is born with. I also love what comes out about Finley and no I will not spill the beans here but trust me its good! I truly do believe that B.C. Burgess has created a series which will stand the test of time. And will most likely wind up being a fabulous movie.

Well worth the read and I plan on purchasing the Hardcover series when she has it completed so that tells you something about how much I loved the first two books in this wonderful series.

Details/Disclaimer: Review copy was provided to me for winning her contest on Facebook.

Great 2nd book from Annalise Grey

TITLE: Embrace (Kane Wolves #2)
AUTHOR: Annalise Grey 
PRINT LENGTH: 177 Pages
MY RATING:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
PUBLISHED: August 29, 2012
LANGUAGE: English
RATING: Young Adult
GENRE:  Paranormal
PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon 

SUMMARY: Old traditions reign supreme in Sophie’s world. Stunning revelations about her ancestry threaten everything she has worked hard to build. The day is coming when she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice or risk losing everything, including her family. Can this female Alpha keep control amidst the chaos or will she be torn apart by the ones who should follow her?

REVIEW:

This book continues where we left off in Howl. Sophie is the Alpha of two packs but really doesn’t want to be the Alpha and in fact simply wants to be with her family. But strange things happen suddenly with the return of Daniel. Secrets that her Grandfather hid for years are now coming out and are important to the future of their pack. With these secrets and all the discoveries she can not only be Alpha for her pack but basically every pack. But it will come with sacrifices and the question is, is she .willing to make them. In the end she makes the only choice possible for her, and the perfect ending to this wonderful book even though not the end of the tale.

I definitely recommend this book and the others in the series. The pace was perfect and I just couldn’t seem to put it down until I reached the end. The story moves along quickly and always is in action of some sort. 

As for the Characters, I loved Daniel even though I thought he seemed to be so besotted with Sophie that it was almost crazy considering what a strong male he is. Then we have the romance aspect between Sophie and Daniel, her inability to commit due to her feeling overwhelmed by her feelings for him, and she comes off a bit wishy-washy at times. If I have to choose a favorite character from this series so far I would say it is Daniel, he seems loyal, brave, strong and yet so very tender with those he loves.

I thought the author truly set the stage for many of the scenes, especially the hunts which made me feel as if I was there. My 9 year old son saw my tablet sitting on the counter while I was cooking tea and he started reading I happened to be at a very intense battle scene and he immediately grabbed the book and started off with it fully intending to keep reading. So I can say that it even caught his attention with its vibrancy. The only thing that was unique is that the wolves strip down before shifting, which is a different take on it and I had a bit of trouble believing that men and women would strip naked in front of each other before shifting. And in a few scenes they shifted without stripping so there was a little bit of inconsistency in that aspect. But other than that there is nothing to complain about. 
All in all it was a fabulous read for both young and old alike.

Details/Disclaimer: Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Fun little read

TITLE: Willow (Blood Vine Series)
AUTHOR: Amy Richie 
PRINT LENGTH: 276 pages
MY RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★★
PUBLISHED: Augustl 24, 2012
LANGUAGE: English
RATING: Young Adult
GENRE: Paranormal
PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon 

Summary:

“Being a werewolf is harder than it looks. Everyone thinks it’s just morph at the full moon, kill, morph back. That’s not true. It’s a lot harder than that. Especially if you are seventeen years old.”

Willow has the worst luck. First she has to deal with her narcissistic foster mother, Bella; then of course there’s her horrid little sister Ivy; not to mention the pack of werewolves that belong to Bella. Now, they have to move and start a new school - again.

Just when Willow thinks things can’t get any worse, Blake shows up from a council she never knew existed to name her leader of a pack she never knew existed. How was she supposed to teach a bunch of teenagers how to be wolves when she herself hated everything about her life?

REVIEW:

Now this book is a great little read. It is 276 pages of non-stop fun. By the time I had finished reading the first chapter I just had to keep reading and before I knew it poof it was done.

I won’t go into ANY story details other than what the blurb says. Willow is a werewolf, and an unhappy one at that. She didn’t want to move, she doesn’t want a pack of her own and she sure doesn’t want to be a werewolf at all.  This book is a definite coming of age story. Willow discovers that not only does she enjoy being a wolf but that she likes being pack-leader. But this coming of age doesn’t come without quite a few bumps along the way.

The twists and turns the book take make you say okay what the heck, then when the story continues and shhhh can’t tell you but trust me you will go okay seriously are you really serious!

Personally I can say I loved the character of Willow, I mean who the heck wouldn’t want to be in charge of men and have them have to obey you? This story is a fun read and it’s very easy to follow. It’s great for the young adult or even younger or heck older too.  I for one will be waiting patiently for the next book in this fabulous series.

Details/Disclaimer: Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Kids get super powers oh boy!

TITLE: Project ELE (The ELE Series)

AUTHOR: Rebecca Gober

MY RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★

PUBLISHED: July 30, 2012

LANGUAGE: English

RATING: Young Adult

GENRE: Paranormal

PURCHASE LINKS:  Amazon 

Summary:

Millions have already died, and thousands more are perishing daily. As a last ditch effort to preserve the human race, the government implements Project ELE. With the earth heating at rapid speeds, all remaining survivors are forced to turn to F.E.M.A. shelters to wait out ELE's wrath. 

Fifteen-year-old Willow Mosby's life, as she knows it, ends the moment she walks through the shelter's door. Willow has to quickly adapt to the new challenges that shelter life demands, which includes making new friends and working a full time job.

Soon after making an interesting discovery, Willow and her friends start exhibiting strange abilities. Seeking answers, they embark on a mission to find out what these new abilities mean and whether they are a gift or a curse. 

This new adventure can send her world crashing down around her. The question is: Can Willow survive the fall?

REVIEW:

Project ELE is a page turner. We meet Willow who is in a shelter with her father and her younger brother and mother. I immediately fell in love with her younger brother because he just sounded so adorable. What happens next is a family’s worst nightmare. Willow, her father and mother all receive and accepted stamp on their passports but her younger brother does not, so the family decides that Willow and her father would go inside and they mother and brother would remain outside and hope for the family to be re-united in 3 years after the project is over.  I can say that the author did an amazing job at character creation because I so wanted to scoop Sebastian up and run off with him to protect him from the evil nurses and government officials. The same can be said for all the characters they all seem so very life-like.

The story continues with Connor and Claire and Alec meeting Willow and becoming close friends. They start to adjust to their new lives in the shelter and then they discover that strange and unusual things are going on in what is there new home.

If you like stories where the characters start getting paranormal powers and a bit of a mystery of who is behind it you will love the story. 

The only thing I didn’t like was how the book ended.  I thought it was a bit abrupt of an ending. I do recommend this book for YA and Adult readers alike.

Details/Disclaimer: Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

OMG What A READ!!!!

TITLE: Descension (MYSTIC)
AUTHOR: B.C. Burgess
MY RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
PUBLISHED: August 4, 2012
LANGUAGE: English
RATING: Young Adult
GENRE: Paranormal
PURCHASE LINKS: Descension (Mystic)

Summary:

Finding out you're the most powerful witch in the world should make things easy, right? Wrong! Join Layla as she abandons her lonely existence in Oklahoma and embraces a life full of magic, love, heartbreak and danger...


REVIEW: The magical spell that B.C casts upon you the reader will have you turning your pages faster and faster. Layla is a young woman only 21 years old, and in the last 3 years she has endured more than many people far older. Her time was spent working in a diner and taking care of her mother who had a stroke. Layla is struggling to overcome the loss of her mother when a secret changes her life. A secret her mother was sworn to protect to protect young Layla. Now with the death of her mother Layla not only has a fist full of money but also the knowledge that her mother isn’t her biological mother. Her father left her with Katherine for protection leaving her only a few measly clues as to her true history, and if she could unravel the clues then she will find her real family. With the help of her friends she leaves her home to travel to Portland to begin the search. I don’t want to give away too much of the book, I absolutely hate spoilers.

I will say that there she meets a young man Quin who has sworn to protect her and help her find out who she is. He breaks it to her quickly that he knows not only who she is but who her family is. And the entertainment we get while he is showing her magic is not only fun but you can actually picture the clearing and the actions of these two young people as they not only learn about her magic but also each other. This story does have an abrupt change in it from where we are in Layla’s perspective to being in her Father and Mother’s life. This is done in such a smooth way you barely notice and the heartbreaking and tragic love story that is the parents life is done in such a way to have you in tears. Even the enemy Media is done in such a way that you feel so sorry for her mental instability yet hate what she has done to this young couple. And Agro…. DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON HIM!

I read this book in one day, unable and unwilling to put it down until I finished the last page and then I screamed in frustration when it ended. I have added this author to my favourite’s and that is where she will stay.

I cannot believe how much emotion this author pulled from me. The entire story of the love between Layla’s biological parents had me in tears from start to finish. The pain of losing a loved one, I felt every second of that loss. The pain of giving up your child to a woman you hardly know, knowing you’re going to your own demise, practically tore my heart out.

I cannot say how highly I recommend this book to everyone. It far surpasses in my estimation even a 5 star rating. But since I can only give a 5 star then that is precisely what I will be giving this beautiful and talented author..

Details/Disclaimer: Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Antichrist 16: The Becoming (Antichrist 16 Trilogy)

OMG! What can I say about this book! First let me say I received this book from the Author for my honest review. It is a bit out of the norm for me to read a book that's title has ANYTHING at all to do with religion even slightly. I've studied far too many religions to want to read about them in my leisure time. That being said I can say this book was one of the most interesting, fun, intelligently written books I've read in a long time.

First we have young Nathan, who is 16 and finds out quite by accident that he is the antichrist. Okay and if that isn't weird enough his two friends Shayla and Cheeseman are his keepers. I absolutely loved Nathan. He is a fabulously written character. You fall in love with him. His little secret love for Shayla that isn't really all that secret is perfect and exactly what a 16 year old boy would do. Cheeseman has learning disabilities and is such a character. I could picture the three children together perfectly. That says a lot about the Author.

I won't go into any details what-so-ever about the story other than to say it was a delightful read. It kept you on the edge of your seat for the entire book. There is a lot of detail in the book but it never has an info-dump which is very good. The information she wants to give you is done in such a way that it entices you the reader to keep going. 

As for the religious aspect of the book. There is none! I mean sure she mentions the antichrist often and religion as in they go to church or how the preacher does his sermons but there is no preaching of hell fire and damnation if you don't believe. I personally hate that sort of thing. I think as the author wrote in her book that "souls cannot be lost and they don't need to be saved. All of that is a construction, a fabrication to gain and maintain control of a larger populace". It's nice to see that other people think the same thing and have the brains and the nerve to put it in writing. 

Kudos to C. J. Graves for her book and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to EVERYONE! Young or old alike!

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