The House on Serpent Lake
by Brenda Hill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for Readers Favorite
Lindsay and Eric met and married later in life, it was a second marriage for the both of them, each having a child from the previous relationship, but they were good together and very happy, well at least they had been but recently Eric had seemed to be pulling away. Lindsay hoped that it was just work and the passing of his aunt, but now that they were in Crosby to look at the house on the lake that Eric inherited, Lindsay felt strange. It started with the knowledge of how the house had looked in the past, of where things were even though she had never been here before or even seen pictures of the house. Then there was the strange smell of Bay Rum aftershave, only she seemed to be able to smell. Was she going crazy or was it something else? The House on Serpent Lake is the story of two couples in love, a past live and regrets. Author Brenda Hill has created a compelling story that felt natural.
The House on Serpent Lake is a bit supernatural in the ghost that inhabits the house, a bit paranormal in that Lindsay can interact in some ways with the ghost, and a bit romance or love story. There is the history of the house and the family that Lindsay needs to uncover to help her to understand what is going on, and then there is Eric's disbelief and his leaving her alone in the house. This was a well written book and an enjoyable read that I liked. It is reasonably clean and would be fine for most readers of any age. Although I couldn't help be feel like I had read this story or something like it before, and maybe I have in a past life, it wasn't enough to stop me from reading, in fact it made me want to read more to find out if I had read it before.
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Bitch Witch
by S.R. Karfelt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for Readers favorite
Sarah Archer is trying everything in her power to be a good person and not to use witchcraft to benefit herself, which is what her mother and her aunt did all their lives. Unfortunately a late night run to Target in the middle of PMS and a rude woman honking at her in the parking lot was more than Sarah could take. When she allowed her inner bitch to come out the aftershock of the spell was way bigger than Sarah expected, and an innocent man is swept up into the mix. Bitch Witch is a tell of good vs evil, well really more like dark vs light instead of true evil. It is the story of Sarah trying to live her life but without following in the footsteps of her mother and her aunt. Author S.R. Karfelt creates a fun, easy and almost comedic at time story of life and love.
Bitch Witch is the story of a woman who doesn't want to be the same as her family before her, but has no real idea how to go about it. She works a clerk job to keep her mind occupied and keep herself from using the dark magic that courses through her veins. Author S.R. Karfelt has taken a modern story, a woman with a desire to be something different than her ancestors, but making clumsy attempts at it. When Paul is swept into the afterschock of her spell, he becomes a friend and confidenate that allows Sarah to find her way in the world. This is aqq reasonably clean book with no real sex or bad language, I defientely would recommend it to all readers. I found the idea of a woman breaking away from her past and trying to forge her own life away from what she has always saw her mother and aunt do as a refreashing plot line.
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Alawahea: The Azellian Affairs, Book One
by Sara L Daigle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
(I still hate the 5 star rating system, this deserves more like a 4.75, but I don't have that option)
Reviewed for Readers Favorite
Tamara is working to finish her college degree in a time when the Earth has found out that there are other plants out there with life on them, and in fact has been sending and receiving ambassadors for over 50 years. This year is going to be different as the Azellian ambassador has proposed having a sort of foreign exchange program at the University with four Azellian students coming to Denver to study for the year. Tamara is excited because her grandfather had been the ambassador to Azelle years ago, and she is interested in learning, even if her grandmother is having a hissy fit about it all. The thing is that there are secrets in Tamara's life and past that are on a collision course with the Azellian students, and nothing is ever going to be the same. Alawahea, The Azellian Affairs is the first book in a series that introduces the reader to another culture and begins the story of interactions, fears, differences and similarities. Author Sara L. Daigle has created a story that is captivating and realistic, the fears and prejudices that are projected towards the Azellian's are the same fears and prejudices that we as humans project on anyone we don't know much about, and the problems it can lead to are enormous.
Alawahea, The Azellian Affairs is the first book in a new series that looks to be both entertaining and thought provoking. All the characters were so well written and developed that, as a reader, I felt a connection to them each from the start, and it was easy to get caught up in the story and following them and wanting only the best for each one. Author Sara L. Daigle has created an environment in the story that is so realistic and believable that you feel like you are part of the story as the reader. I think this is a great book for all readers, and I definitely think it is a time, when a book that causes the reader to look at pre-conceived prejudices and how we think and treat someone slightly different than ourselves, is much needed and should be read by many people. Will it change attitudes? Maybe of a few, those open to understanding and that in and of itself is worth the read alone.
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Don't Hide From Me: Luc (The McCabe Brothers, Book 4)
by Lorhainne Eckhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Don't Hide From Me is the fourth book in the McCabe Brothers series and focuses on youngest brother Luc. If you have read the previous books, it helps set the scene for this book, although it probably could be read on it's own.
Luc is having the hardest time of the brothers, and part of that is because Luc wants a relationship, marriage and a family, and that hasn't always been available to him, since Luc is gay. Now, things are changing and Luc is refusing to be anyone's secret, he wants it all, the same things his brothers all have.
This book is really a conclusion to the series in a way, focusing on Luc, but at the same time tying up any loose ends from the previous books, and wrapping up the McCabe Brother's into a neat little package.
I have no problem recommending this to readers of any age, just know they storyline going in so that you aren't caught off guard if you aren't open to reading the story. It is a good story line, and the family dynamics that you find in this book relate to a great number of people.
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Don't Stop Me: Vic (The McCabe Brothers, Book 1)
by Lorhainne Eckhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for Readers Favorite
Vic McCabe has come a long way over the years, he is a successful contractor and developer, but there is something missing in his life. He holds almost everyone at a distance, but after the one mistake in his life when he was a teenager, he isn't about to let anyone get close to him again. When a determined reporter shows up at his office wanting to know about the past, she won't take no for an answer, and when she worms her way into his house, he lets her know that what happened in the past is off limits, it's not his story to tell and he refuses to let it hurt anyone again. To prevent the story from going to press, he has to find someone from his past, someone who doesn't want to be found. Don't Stop Me is the story of Vic years after a tragic incident that changed everyone's lives. Author Lorhainne Eckhart melds a classic bad boy, good girl, misunderstanding story into a completely modern and current romance.
Don't Stop Me is a well written story that develops in the wake of 9/11 and the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York. It cold easily be a true-life story, in that is plays into the the fears of people in that time period and the overzealousness of some to bring someone, anyone to justice, and to make someone pay, even if they had nothing to do with anything. Author Lorhainne Eckhart wrote a wonderful story that will tug at your heartstrings, and maybe make you rethink some positions on people. I found the book to be a good story, but my own sensitive nature, dislike of racial and ethnic profiling, and background in seeing some of these things occur to friends in college, made it difficult for me to read. It just came too close to real life for me to be comfortable, but at the same time, I think it would be a great book to make someone who has never experienced anything of the sort think about what can happen. Not sure what the author has planned for the next books in the McCabe brothers series, but even with my issues reading this one, I look forward to finding out.
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Wolf with Benefits (Pride, #8)
by Shelly Laurenston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
So I was walking through the library yesterday, trying to kill a little time before I picked the kids up from school and wandering the shelves is how I find some of the best books, and the title and cover of this one peaked my interest.
Toni is the "normal" sister in a family of prodigies, and she has made it her mission to control and keep them all on a schedule and out of trouble. The thing is Toni is just as talented as her siblings, but in a completely different way - she can manage ten prodigies and keep them all under control and the fighting to a minimum! No one person can do that, in fact it takes a team of people to try to do her job at home when she actually takes a "real job".
Ricky Lee is in security, and he just happens to run into Toni, and finds her fascinating and he is willing to do whatever it takes to spend some time with her. Of course he is only thinking about fun in the beginning, but before he realizes what has happened he has found himself not wanting to be without her, ever.
I laughed out loud throughout this book at some of the one-liners and jokes, insults and general conversations between the characters! The book begins with Toni waiting with the kids to get an autograph of a hockey player, as Ricky Lee starts to take interest in her, one of the smallest siblings looks at him and says "Are you my Daddy?" Of course Ricky Lee is taken aback, but come to find out this is Toni's trick at keeping men away from her, she has taught all the kids to ask that of any man who approaches her. It is so funny! There are so many other great lines and comebacks that you'll be laughing and falling in love with the characters the whole way.
When I picked up this book, I had no idea it was the EIGHTH book in a series. Oops! Now anyone who has read my reviews knows that I absolutely hate, despise with a pain reading books out of order. The thing is that I never knew I read this book out of order until I went to write my review and found the look list! Opps!
This book was so well written that it doesn't depend on you having read all the books in order. You can easily read this book and understand the story just fine. Of course you do start wondering about other characters in the book, and I was hoping when I got on Goodreads to write the review I would find more books about the other characters, so I was excited when I found out that there are seven books in front of this to read! Yeah!! Back to the library I go to find them all!!!
This book is definitely a fun read, and I am excited to read more in this series.
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Graveyard Rose: A Gothic Fantasy Romance (The Rose Chronicles, Book 1)
by Ginny Clyde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Set in the time of fancy dresses and horse drawn carriages, yet not your average paranormal romance. Nothing about Lena is typical, she may wear the fancy dresses to parties when required, but she is a Guardian, the only female in the ranks and she works hard to prove her worth. Far away in Transylvania, The Graveyard Rose tells us the story of a time when a select group of families were appointed as Guardians and their job was to protect the land from the upstart vampires and werewolves. At this time the werewolves are not organized, they do not hunt in packs yet and they haven't been able to access their humanity while in the wolf form. Not only does Lena protect the land, but she protects her younger sister and would do anything for her. Author Ginny Clyde tells the story of her struggles in a patriarchal society and her desire to just take care of her family.
The Graveyard Rose is titled as the first book in a series, but a note inside the book mentions that it is part one of a full novel. However you want to think of it, this book starts off the story of Lena and her life, the area where she is living and the situation going on in that time. Trouble is, it ends just as it is getting intriguing! Of course that is just another good way for author Ginny Clyde to make sure that you are reading the next book. This book has adventure and hints of romance. It combines fantasy, paranormal, historical and gothic. It is reasonably clean, so I would be more than willing to allow my middle schooler to read it. Good read for adults and younger as well!
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The Lonely Hearts Club (Southern Charmers, Book 2)
by Sandra Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Cypress Falls is a sleepy little town in Louisiana, that gave rise to three sisters. The twins, Georgia and Ginger and their older sister Risa. At one time, Georgia and Risa sang together in a local band, but that is all water under the bridge, and food for a long held grudge that probably is being held against the wrong person. Georgia and Ginger now live in LA, and are coming home for Risa's only daughter's wedding. With sibling rivalry, old boyfriends, and lost loves it is bound to be an eventful weekend. The Lonely Hearts Club is the story of three sisters, each lonely in their own ways and for very different reasons. Author Sandra Edwards weaves an old-fashioned tale of younger sister making it big and older sister feeling slighted together with ex's and might-have-beens to form a heart-warming tale of second chances.
The Lonely Hearts Club is the second book in the Southern Charmers series, and who doesn't love a story about some good ole southern men, with looks and charm. As the story develops we learn the long-time grudge between Georgia and Risa is really only one sided, and it is being fueled by someone who uses it to their advantage. Old feelings are rekindled and new romances bloom in the garden and backyard of the south. Author Sandra Edwards does an amazing job making you feel for each character and see their side of things. I found myself wanting to smack certain self-involved characters that were using the sisters for themselves and judy waiting, impatiently for the truth to come out and the sisters to find their place again together. This is a wonderful book, nothing you wouldn't want your teen to read. Great for all ages of readers!
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Whisper: A Lakeview Novel (Lakeview Academy Series, Book 1)
by Stacey R. Campbell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Lakeview Academy is a centuries old boarding school on 300 mountain acres in Canada, that started out for boys and now admits girls and boys for 8th thru 12th grades. It also holds its own secrets and resident ghosts, or so the stories go. Leigh is in her senior year, but her best friend Blakely's, who graduated last year, younger sister Halle is starting this year and Leigh is going to be her "big sister". Halle is overjoyed about the ghosts, the mysteries and secrets of the school and she can't wait to find out more. It helps that the original building that housed the founder's family is being renovated this year. The seniors are tapped to clean the attic since they are the only ones on campus at the time. Halle tags along with Leigh, and in the process finds an old diary. Whisper is the story of the adventure that follows as Halle entrusts a few seniors, Leigh and her roommate Christi, her boyfriend David and his best friend Callum, who just happens to be a descent of the founding family; to help find a lost treasure mentioned in the diary. Author Stacey R. Campbell creates an engaging and compelling story that make you want to keep reading and find out what happens.
Whisper is actually the second book in the Lakeview Academy series, but it stands on its own quite well. I did not read the first book, and was able to follow along without problem, although now I do want to go back and read the first. Enough key information was relayed in this book that you are not lost. Not only do you have this treasure hunt going on, but you have this tension between Callum and Leigh, which has been going on since their first year. Author Stacey R. Campbell does a wonderful job writing characters that you want to know, you want to read, and you find yourself rooting for and wanting to see them find what they are looking for, among other things. This book is a great read for middle school on up readers. It is clean, there is no sex, although there are references to it, it's not actually seen or described, and there is no violence at all. I would be willing to let my 6th grader read this book. Enjoy readers!
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Cain's Coven (Begotten Bloods, #1)
by Kristin King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Claryn hates crowds, and is not in the mood for this bachelorette party, but there is no way Kelley is letting her get out of it. It gets even worse when Kelley invites Justice, the guy from the burger joint to join them, and then makes him Claryn's date for the wedding. The thing is, he seems to understand Claryn's fears and issues with men and even more he is willing to work around them, of course Justice has his own secrets.
Cain's Coven is the story of brothers Justice and Chess as the fight and survive in the world. Claryn is drawn into their world, although Justice tries hard to keep her at a distance, he just can't. Outside of them, in the world at large lurks an evil that threatens young woman in the area, even Claryn. Author Kristin King molds dynamic characters in Chess, Justice and Claryn that you come to like and feel for easily and quickly in the story.
Cain's Coven is not your typical vampire novel, in fact there is not much of it that is typical. There are even times when you forget that there are vampires because that is really not the main focus, it is more the whole nature of the relationships and what is going on in the world in general. You've got an online computer game people are playing with the promise of immortality if they win, which has created some disgruntled few who won and found out there wasn't immortality at the end. They are not bent on slaying vampires. Then Author Kristin King decides to throw in a serial killer lurking in the community to mix things up a bit. There is no lack of action or down time in the story, it really keeps you turning the pages and engrossed in the story all the way through. This is a great read for all ages, teens, young adults and up. There is no sex, mild violence - and I do mean mild especially for a vampire story, this is very mild. I feel comfortable letting my middle schooler reading this one. Enjoy!
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Witch of Death
by Chrys Fey
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
As a Detective, what do you do when your victim is floating five feet off the bed? Well you call in another Detective, who just happens to be a witch, what else. Liberty Sawyer is a witch, and she takes her abilities seriously and does what she can to prevent and help the police, including her Uncle. She can't help it if his new partner is good looking, and a real pain in the butt because he refuses to believe anything she says. Witch of Death is a short story about Liberty and Reid's interactions as she helps them with two murders, and hopefully to prevent a third, and as Reid comes to believe in something he doesn't understand. Author +Chrys Fey writes a well thought out story, with emotional impact. When Liberty makes a point to Reid, you can feel the tenseness in her body, the stress and power in her voice and the strong stance as she says it. Not every author can do that for the reader.
Witch of Death is a short story, I for one, really wish is had been about twice as long. Not that I wanted any more murders or anything, but more interaction between Liberty and Reid would have been great between the confrontation and the call for help. This is a quick read so great for a traveling book. Author +Chrys Fey really thought out the story, it makes sense to flows well and there is nothing in it that doesn't need to be. Of course it could be longer if the author added a bunch of filler, but sometimes it's better not to have all of that stuff. There is no graphic violence, although the deaths by magic are described and no sex, so this is a clean book for any reader. Not sure you want to try a paranormal or supernatural story, this is the one to start with, short, just enough to get you feet wet and make you want more.
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Emma... to Begin Again
by Debbie Brown
My rating: 4.3 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
For five years Emma has put off coming back here, back to the place she called home. She just couldn't bear it at first, and it was easier to put it off than to deal with it, but now she was going to have to deal with it. It still hurt, her parents were gone, killed in a plane crash on their way to her graduation, now she was left alone. Emma....to Begin Again, is the story of Emma, deciding to stay at her parents old farmhouse, to tend the few animals and grow a garden, to start anew. Author Debbie Brown throws in a twist when one day Emma sees what has to be a plane crash but she never sees a plane, as she follows the trail, she finds an injured man, that she takes home and nurses back to health. Adding him into her quiet life is another new beginning. As time goes by and we learn the heritage of her stranger, another even larger twist is in store for Emma and the readers. Take a little Native American folktale, add in a touch of romance, a little fantasy, and a bit of science fiction and you have this book.
Emma....to Begin Again, is a wonderful title, and as I started to read the book I thought it was talking about her decision to stay on the farm. Little did I know that as the book would go on Emma would be faced with a number of circumstances that would force her to begin again. Author Debbie Brown does a spectacular job of taking an old Native American folktale of the Star Brother and weaving it with a realistic modern life, adding in just enough science fiction and fantasy to make it believable. This is a perfect book for all readers. There is no sex or violence in the book at all, so it is perfect for teens, young adults as well as adult readers.
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Second Nature (Blood at First Sight Series, Book 1)
by Marie Lavender
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Alec is not your ordinary drop-dead handsome man, he is a vampire, and he smells the most amazing blood he has ever met. He is looking for it when he finds it at a festival. Desiree is a young woman with a broken heart and soul. She has been unlucky in love, but she thinks she is ok. Alec has to know more about her, he wants to know her not just have a taste of her blood, which is something he has never done. Desiree is strong than she thinks and her mind is even stronger, she is able to resist the normal Vampire mind thoughts, and Alec knows there is something special about her, but it also puts her in danger. He takes a bold step and kidnaps her, taking her to his house. Second Nature follows Alec and Desiree as she begins to learn about Alec and trust him. Along the way, they find something more than they ever thought possible, but they both know in reality, it can never work, right? A human and a Vampire? Author +Marie Lavender gives us a different look into the Vampire-Human relationships.
Second Nature by author +Marie Lavender is not your typical vampire novel. Alec is a lone vampire, he does not live in a group, or family. Vampires do not mix with humans at all other than to take the amounts of blood they need, but only that much. So when Alec is taken with Desiree this is something he is completely unprepared for and has no idea how to handle. Desiree has no idea vampires exist, but takes the news relatively well. Given her unlucky past with her ex-husband she has a hard time trusting Alec, but he works to win her trust. In reality this is much more a romance novel, it is the story of Alec and Desiree, the fact that they are human and vampire is secondary. Anyone who enjoys a good romance should read this one, it is an emotional read!
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Crave: An erotic romance novel
by Amelia Gates'
My rating: 4.9 of 5 stars
**If you have been reading my reviews long you know two things. 1. I rarely give a 5, because that is perfect and no book is perfect. 2. I rarely do erotic! It's a touchy subject, some people are offended, some want me to do more, I can't make everyone happy. This was a request, and it could, maybe border on the line of being marketed as a Romance-Sizzle. So it's here! Don't email and yell at me, if you don't like it, don't read the review - just skip it!! **
What do you do when the man you have invested everything into all the sudden tells you it is over and to get out? You put four years into this and he gives you no reason nothing? Well you head to your best friends of course.
For Keira, her best friend just happens to be the incredibly sexy Kevin. They have been best friends for ten years and she knows she can count on him. He lets her crash in his spare room, and after three months, he finally decides that he is dragging her out to the club. Which turns into a disaster when a woman Keira has never met calls her a bitch and starts a fight. Once the other woman is escorted out, things get heated between Keira and Kev, but he stops it before they go too far.
As Keira tries to get her life back together and on track, it seems like everyone knows something about her life that she doesn't. And then there is the animal like attraction to Kevin she has felt ever since the night at the club, but Kevin is the party-boy, she wants to settle down and have a family, she wants stable, not excitement.
Things continue to get more and more complicated as Keira goes back to her ex Jimmy and the safe, stable, boring life. The one she thinks she wants so that she can have a family. Things just don't seem to be adding up, he is lying to her, she can tell, and the password on his phone, what is going on. Kevin seems to know something but he keeps saying it is not his tale to tell.
Follow along as Keira struggles to find out what she really wants, who she really wants and does falling in love and settling down really mean that you have to become stale and simple. Can't love always be exciting?
This has got to be the best romance novel I have read this year, yes the intimate sex scenes between Keira and Kevin are pretty intense and detailed, but I sure didn't mind them at all. I found myself envying her just a little bit at times. Thank goodness the boring crap with Jimmy was left out of the book! The story is about more than just the sex, it's about loving someone, waiting for them, about not knowing what you want, mistaking safe and secure for boring and stale. Instead of calling it a erotic romance, I would say its a romance laced with erotica, because the romance is more important. To be completely honest this book had me laughing and crying, and crying with Keira, and begging her to talk to Kevin and yelling at her to ignore Jimmy and that he wasn't worth the tears, and that was at the beginning of the book before I learned his secrets. Even is your don't normally read anything erotica or never have, give this a try!!
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The Witch Who Cried Wolf (Cry Wolf, #1)
by Sarah Mäkelä
My rating: 4.1 of 5 stars
Mia is a shy little flower of a witch, and Jessa is her best friend, who runs and owns an herbal shop in town. Some people realize that she is really a witch, but most just come for the fun of it and the novelty. When a client asks Mia to make a potion, he doesn't give her enough information and the healing salve goes wrong. Now Mia has werewolves hunting her down and threatening her family and she doesn't really now which camp to believe.
Ethan has just spent the last year plus on deployment overseas and he is looking forward to being home, even if he isn't exactly looking forward to spending time with Mia. It's not that he doesn't like Mia, that's just it, he's been in love with her since seventh grade, but you just don't go after your best friends little sister, it is just not done.
This year, when Ethan gets involved in the werewolf attack on Mia, and then see's the treatment that a bad boyfriend subjects her to, it is almost more than he can handle.
This is a cute story of friends figuring out their places with each other long after college and if it's ok to finally date your best friends little sister or not. A story of a witch and a werewolf and a friendship and partnership to help each other when one is injured, but also to keep the supernatural hidden from the rest of the world.
Definitely a young adult type story, one sexual scene, not too explicit, but enough to be mentioned. Fun, enjoyable story for anyone who likes the witch, werewolf, paranormal genre.
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The Distance Between (Bobbie Lamont, #4)
by Zelmer Wilson
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
With college graduation only recently behind her, Bobbie Lamont had given up on life, she thought she had experienced all life had to offer and that she would never find love again. Enter Miller, a young and somewhat different seventeen year old, who spent the summer teaching Bobbie that there was so much more yet to experience in life. The Distance Between is the story of young love, and not so young love, of a seventeen year old and a twenty-two year old, but who have so much in common, and who teach each other how to live again. Author Zelmer Wilson takes a typical girl been dumped response, there is nothing else out there, and turns it into a new adventure with someone completely unexpected.
The Distance Between is a unique look at emotions and thoughts. Bobbie is a deeply emotional person, writing everything down into millions o pages of diary, yet when she is dumped by her latest boyfriend, she is ready to give up. To run into another reader/writer like herself in Miller, even if he is five years younger than her seems like the lifeline she needs and it becomes just that. Author Zelmer Wilson not only writes about the life o this one character, Bobbie Lamont, but about the need of all people to be able to connect with someone that sees the world the same way they do regardless of age or distance. Although the book is filled with a lot of drinking and smoking, typical of the time period that it is written in, I still feel it is a good read for young adults as well as adults. There are some good things to be learned here.
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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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Little Red Gem
by D.L. Richardson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Ruby was having a bad couple of weeks, things just didn't feel right between her and boyfriend Leo, and this is when she really needed them to be the most right. In a fit of anger Ruby drives away from Leo and is killed in a car crash, but her ghost is left behind to wander the earth, trying to get the one answer Ruby didn't get from Leo before the crash, who much he really loved her. Little Red Gem follows the ghost Ruby as she tries to follow Leo, and her old friends and find out what is going on. As young teenagers, this love is eternal and the most important question to Ruby, she has to know. D L Richardson write a tell of teenage love, mixed with rock and roll, and the everyday issues surrounding teens.
D L Richardson does an amazing job blending music into this book. Not only is Leo in and band and writing his own songs, but Ruby was in a band and writing her own songs. A number of original songs, written by the author, specifically for the book are in the book which is unique and fun, making it more relevant to teens. Little Red Gem deals with a number of issues that face teens today including drinking and pregnancy. It also presents parents that are flawed and have made mistakes, who are maybe a bit more understanding and not your typical sit-com parents. This is a great book for teens and young adults, even adults will enjoy the book. A fun read.
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Seduce Me (The Heart Series, Book 1)
by Angela Estienne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Imagine waking up in the hospital to find that you have been asleep for five days, and the last thing you remember is driving home from dinner with your fiance'. That confusion is exactly where we begin the story with Jasmine, or Jazz to her friends. She soon finds that her fiance' Greg died in the accident and that his parents blame her for his death. Seduce Me (The Heart Series Book 1) follows Jazz as she picks up her life, moves to a completely new place to try to start all over, to move on after Greg and put her life back together. She is haunted by puzzling nightmares of the accident, and then there are mysterious flowers from H.H., who seems to know what is happening in her life even before she does. Add in a handsome, rich playboy by the name of Luke Heart who seems to have eyes for Jazz and you have a sizzling story. Angela Estienne weaves it all together, and throws in a few twists and turns and unexpected events to keep you on your toes too.
Seduce Me may be the story of Jazz rebuilding her life after Greg's death, but there is plenty of romance and sizzle in the story. There are flashbacks to times between Jazz and Greg that introduce you to their particular relationship and it hints at themes of mild BDSM and role playing in their private lives. Angela Estienne weaves these romance, sizzle, mild BDSM themes together with overcoming grief, rebuilding and mystery to create a definite womens novel that is worth the read.
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Midnight Awakening
Midnight Breed Novel, Book Three
by Lara Adrian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Midnight Awakening is the third book in the Midnight Breed series. Even though it is a part of a series, and it is best read in order, if you happened upon this book and read it without knowing of the first two books, you would be able to follow the story and enjoy it well enough.
This book finds us focusing on Tegan, who is a first generation breed and his struggles over the many centuries he has been around, his hurts and how he has shut his emotions down so deeply so as to not awakening the feelings that almost killed him in the past. He has fought the dreaded Bloodlust and come out on top, but it cost him the ultimate sacrifice. Tegan is over six feet tall, has the glyphs and the sexist thing, he is described at one point in a pair of blue jeans with the top button undone. The image of this is enough to make my knees go weak! Something about the glyphs and the muscles of these Breed males just does me in!
We are re-introduced to Elise, who has been raised all her life in the Darkhavens, but after the deaths of her mate and her son, she has taken it upon herself to fight the rogues herself. Elise is also the sister-in-law to Sterling, or better known as Harvard, and he has always wanted her for his own, even when she was married to his brother. This truth comes up, Elise never realized it in all the time she lived with Sterling.
We also travel to Germany in this book and met, Andreas, who is a Darkhaven member, but one who has been helped by the Order in the past and is willing to go out of his way to help them now. He is above the corruption that is being found in the Darkhavens in the previous books, and most likely in the future books as well.
I loved the book, as well as the first two, loved the way it was written and how the story and characters flowed. I got into them and wanted to know more about them and to find out what happens. But I find that the more I read the books, the less I feel able to reveal in the reviews, because I don't want to give away too much, and I kinda feel protective of the story's now that I have read so far into the series.
All I can say is it is gonna be a LONG wait for the next book to get here next week!
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