Children's Book : Friends Through Sand And Stone: (Children's Picture Book On The Value Of Forgiveness And Friendship)
by A. M. Marcus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Author Assaf Marcus has once again managed to take a wonderful concept of forgiveness, and put it into a story that children of all ages can comprehend and understand. This is definitely a must read of parent, teachers, anyone who deals with children.
Although this is written for younger children. I am planning to share this with my junior high daughter. This is a tough time for that age and they are going to have a lot of issues in school this year where there are going to be hurts from their friends. This is the perfect book to help them through these hurts. I wish I had known about this book when my older daughter was in junior high!!
As an added bonus for those people using this with the younger children, the author included a free coloring book to help to reinforce the lessons of the book. Wonderful idea and perfect way to get everything across!
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Second Skin (Skinned) Book 2
by Judith Graves
My rating: 4.4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Through the visions of Marie, Alec's mom, and Alec himself, and the sights given to her by Wade, Eryn knew what was to come, and she didn't like it one bit! In order to save the town of Redgrave she would have to give in to her inner wolf, and it would cost someone she cared about their life. She wasn't ready to face that, but whether she was ready or not, the showdown was approaching. Second Skin (Skinned Book 2) finds Eryn still caught between Alec and Wade, still trying to find out what happened to her parents, and still unsure of herself. Things are getting more hairy and deadly in the town of Redgrave, this time, all the parties are going to have to work together if they want to save the town. Author +Judith Graves weaves teenage feelings into this story of friendship, betrayal, romance and good vs evil.
Second Skin is the second book in the Skinned series and continues right where the first book, Under My Skin left off. It has the main characters, a small band of teenagers fighting the paranormal in the town of Redgrave and keeping most of the town from knowing anything about it. Of course there is the local sheriff, Logan, a vampire of the worst sense that has his own agenda keeping the kids on edge too. Author +Judith Graves weaves many layers of story into this novel, friendships, romances, family, betrayals, and so much more. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning page after page until all the sudden you are at the end and wanting more! This is a wonderful book for young adults and adults alike. I also feel comfortable in recommending it for middle school readers and younger as parents see fit.
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The Mystic Wolves
The Mystic Wolves, Book 1
by Belinda Boring
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Darcy and her best friend Jasmine are watching the guys play backyard football. Of course they are yelling and teasing them at the same time, which the guys love but have to act like they don't. At one point Darcy says something that has Mason, her future husband and Jasmine's brother on his way over. The sparks that ignite between them is the stuff that you can only get in the best of stories, it never happens in real life, and man is it wonderful to read!
After the game, as they are getting read to eat, they realize they are out of steak sauce. Now the guys can't go without steak sauce on their meat, so Jasmine and Darcy offer to run into town and grab some. Mason doesn't want them to go without him or one of the other guys, but the girls plead, really its just the store and back what could possibly happen.
When a former handyman and friend of the pack Gary aims a gun on Darcy and tries to kidnap Jasmine, things go from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. How will Mason react? an Darcy forgive herself? Why Jasmine? What else is going on and is anyone else in danger?
The is a werewolf romance, and I am going to put it out there to start, it is the best thing I have read in a long time!! First off, there is NO SEX! Mason and Darcy are waiting on their wedding night, but there is a lot of really steamy kissing, and there is a deep connection between them that is mental and emotional that makes the kissing seem even more intimate than sex at times. That being said, I am perfectly comfortably letting my teenager read it, but I wouldn't let some of her friends. It's not classified as a young adult, but I think that some could handle it, and the purity until marriage ideal would be good for some to learn.
Aside from the werewolves, you also have witches and vampires in the supernatural community. As the series progresses the community will expand even more and you will find more shapeshifters than just werewolves. In this story, everyone in the supernatural community works together, they are not fighting each other, which really leads to a peaceful existence.
The romance and love between Darcy and Mason will have you taking a cold shower after reading this book. I am just in awe of the author's ability to weave such detail and emotion into the characters and their actions and feelings and not make it all seems cheesy, but to make it come across as real and genuine.
Even if you aren't into the werewolf or supernatural genre, if you are looking for a romance to rock your world, then this is it!!
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Arielle: Immortal Awakening
Immortal Rapture Series, Book One
by Lilian Roberts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Arielle has always been a bit different, she can read the mids of some people. Aside from that, she has searched, never really dating all that much, looking for a prue and true love, one that resembles that in her favorite novel. Sebstain is far from normal and her knows it, but he has spent his entire life looking for the one person her can truly love. While Arielle is on vacation, Sebstain spots her and knows that she is the one, but it takes him almost two months to work up the courage to talk to her. Now he can't imagine life without her, there is only one problem. Arielle is a human and Sebstain is immortal. How will Arielle take the news, and how will Sebstain keep her safe from another immortal that has vowed to destory all he loves? Lilian Roberts gives us a new and differnt paranormal story, no vampires but immortals and blends it with a deep and immediate love story. Arielle Immortal Awakening is the first book in a series that will follow Arielle and Sebastain to hopefully answer the qestions.
Arielle Immortal Awakening is scheduled to be the first book in a series, and be forewarned, it does end on a bit of a teaser, which will have you waiting impatiently for the next book. The idea of immortals has been around in stories with the vampires and other paranormal creatures, but there was always a price to their immortality, with vampires it was blood. That is not the case here, but yet there is a deep ad quick love that develops that results in trust questions only because of the speed in which they fall. Lilian Roberts has done a wonderful job in giving the reader a new look into the paranormal romance genre and this is defintely a book for those who are looking for a heart-stopping romance. Although it is a romance, it could actually be read by young adults as well as adults.
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UNREAL
by Riley Moreno
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Just finished with college, best friends Julie and Kim decided to take one last fling before starting real life with jobs and futures. They have no real plans, they are just going to drive and enjoy their week with no rules before settling down. Seems so easy, so many kids have done the same thing over and over through the years, yet nothing is ever as it seems.
On their first stop for lunch, the girls take up with a pair of clean looking college guys, only to find their worst nightmares are waiting. Kim, so worldly and beautiful, surely she can be the strong one and get them out of this mess. Julie, the innocent and sheltered child, can she have the strenght to get out and get home?
Ethan has his own demons, and never thinks he will be involved in anything like what he got himself into. New client, and for some reason he felt the need to impress, now they are taking him into their secret world. A world he never knew existed but one he wants no part of. How to get out safe and keep the account is his main focus until he is left alone with Julie. Now she is his main focus.
You have two distinct storylines that start and later merge into one, which is wonderful storytelling on the part of Riley Moreno. Each person has their own scars already and then to deal with what is happening is ever tougher. Who will become the strong one? Who will be able to survive?
Although there is some sexual references in the novel, and given that the girls are kidnapped you would expect them. They are not overly graphic, in fact the author does a wonderful job of allowing you o understand what is going on but at the same time keeping the information and details to a minimum. Wonderfully skilled writer in the author to do such a good job with this terrible topic.
This is definitely an adult book, but the whole premise of the story will have you wanting to hug your daughters and remind them again just how dangerous it can be to go with someone you just met. I was truly moved by the story.
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Mary of the Aether
by Jeffrey Aaron Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Living in a small town can have it's ups and downs. For Mary everyone knowing her and her father, who seems to be much too old to actually be her father, is one of the downs. Mary would rather live where she can fade into the background more easily. Mary has never fit in, and now at fourteen, her father spins an unbelievable tale that she is a Lightbearer from another world, and the last of the kind. Talk about not fitting in anymore, now she is going to stand out, unless she can keep people from knowing. The worst is that there are Lookers out there searching for her. She's not sure she can turn to the only friend she really has in Kristen, she has a big mouth, but maybe the guy she is crushing on. Aiden is a bit like Mary, not really an outcast, but not the most popular boy in town either. Can he be the one to help her? Mary of the Aether follows her story once she learns of her true nature, and what happens as she is searched out by others who want to destroy her. Jeffery Aaron Miller once again uses his unique knack for writing about other worlds to draw you in and to have you totally engaged in the story.
Jeffery Aaron Miller is a wonderful writer, who can take you to a fantasy world yet still keep you in touch with the real world and it's own conflicts. Mr. Miller just has a wonderful knack or ability to create these other worlds that are mixed with our own world, and yet the issues of growing up in this world, poverty and unpopularity, are intertwined with the lofty goals of the other world. There is so much in his storytelling to admire and to recognize for the youth of today. I find his writing and storytelling abilities to be fascinating. Mary of the Aether is another series that follows Mary and her truth as a Lightbearer and her quest to preserve that as the last living Lightbearer. This is a great book for the young adult and teens. The issues they face in the real world are dealt with, while giving some adventure and fun to the whole story with the other world and it's own realities.
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The Concealing
by D.E.L. Connor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Five teens, the best of friends, find that they are not only friends, but they have a mission in life. They are Spirit Warriors, they can move their own spirit to share the body of an animal, then back to their own body. What a trick to learn when you are 15! Spirit Warriors follows these five friends as they are brought to a time when they are needed to use their powers to defeat an evil. They have trained and looked for the evil for awhile now, but when they are finally confronted with it, they are surprised. It came in a disguise that no one would have expected and almost lead them into trouble.
The Spirit Warriors is well written and entertaining, and with the main characters all being in the middle teens, they bring in a world of issues from that same teen life. This makes the story good for the teen and young adult market, while keeping the topics of abuse and homosexuality, which are mentioned in a brighter light. As the discussion progresses one night, one of the guys admits his true leanings to the friends, and the discussion is nothing short of heart-warming. Nothing of the actually abuse is described but more alluded to, and so I find that they way the kids work through finding out these things to be beneficial to readers. The abuse is never talked about, but only realized after the fact and then the fight to make sure people know what really happened is encouraging.
Some will say this is the perfect book for girls, and while there are three girl teens in the main cast, there are also three boys throughout the book, two in the original circle of five, and a newcomer that will end up playing a large role in the end. I find that it has a mix that although girls will get it and enjoy it, there is still enough action and adventure to interest the boys as well. It is a coming-of-age novel that has to deal with the harsh realities of life, and at the same time, it entertains you with the spirits.
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The Anonymous Girl
by Holy Ghost Writer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The title and the author name of this book sparked my interest, I mean really, who wouldn't want to at least check out something written by someone calling themselves "Holy Ghost Writer"? After an author name like that, I found the whole book to be full of the same devil-may-care attitude and adventure.
Zaydee is in prison, and refusing to give her real name, so she has been nicknamed Princes Jane Doe in the press, but prison is nothing to Zaydee. This woman is a brilliant mind, a genius, and a top notch hacker. She is so confident in herself and her abilities, yet at the same time she is not completely cocky. She is independent and capable and is ready to rule her own world. This is the kind of character that you would want every girl to read about. The confidence and independence are traits that should be encouraged in young girls today. She is also a female in the world of computer hacking and internet stock trading, which are male dominated fields, so she is a role model in that respect as well for all girls. But, this is not a young adult or kids book, this definitely has some adult moments in the book, a couple of intimate encounters between characters, so I can't come out a recommend it to girls, but I love the character for girls to read about.
The book is so fun and there are so many things going on at one time, that sometimes you aren't sure exactly what Zaydee is planning next. There is buying and selling stocks, there is money making, there is just so much more and I can't tell you anything more than to tell you that you just have to read the book. You will enjoy the journey and adventure that Zaydee takes you on and the friends and confidants that she makes. They make the world seem like the good guys, or lesser bad guys can overthrow the corrupt good guys. This is a follow up to a previous book, and I did not read the first book, but had no trouble reading this book. It stands alone quite well.
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The Torn Holding Kate Series
by LaDonna Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .
Heartwork Village is a summer camp of sorts for kids who have been having troubles. Katie is dealing with the effects of her parents divorce and runs with the wrong crowd. Trip tries to save his little sister from the physical and sexual abuse of a step-father only to kill the man. They are all sent to Heartwork Village, but it is no normal camp. Quantum mechanics is at work, and the campers "jump" into alternative realities to help one team member work through the issues that brought them here in the first place. The Torn revolves around a group of kids. Katie, who is torn between Trip, the big muscular guy that provides her with safety, and Corey who provides her with eternal love. LaDonna Cole weaves a coming of age story into a soul-searching experience novel, with the adventure of these quantum jumps. An amazing mix of storylines and ideas to keep everyone interested.
When you think of reading a novel set in a camp for troubled teens, The Torn is not what you think of at all. The teamwork that is required by the teens to complete the jumps, the trust and the openness that they must share is amazing. Each jump, for each person is a wonderful lesson for the reader. The characters all deal with things that the everyday teen will be facing and so the whole book is inspirational and encouraging. LaDonna Cole gives the reader romance, adventure, fantasy and at the same time answers to deal with some of the most pressing problems of youth today. The feelings of worthlessness, self-hatred, parental divorce, abandonment, unloveable, and so much more. Parents and adult will find it a warming read, and even may find information to help them talk to youth dealing with the issues.
Book Two - Holding Kate Series - The Keepers
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