Lost in the Bayou by Cornell DeVille

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Title: Lost In the Bayou

Author: Cornell Deville

Published by: Musa Publishing

Genre: YA Thriller

Review Rating: 4 stars, Recommended read.


GOODREADS BOOK DESCRIPTION:

It's the summer of 1963. It's hot and sticky. The locusts are droning in the trees, and Robin Sherwood and her brother, Andy, are in trouble. Their parents have disappeared, and their crazy uncle Conrad with the silver claw where his hand used to be has shown up. Unfortunately for them, he's planning on killing them so he can inherit the Sherwood Fortune.

They've run away to the bayou and the Voodoo Swamp in order to escape his crazy game. Robin would rather take the chance on becoming alligator bait than to face what's waiting for her in the cellar.

This is a YA thriller that will keep both boys and girls turning the pages



MY REVIEW:

Cornell Devill has written an amazing YA Suspense/Thriller novel, his writing is engaging and the character descriptions where written so well that I could picture what the crazy Uncle Conrad looked like vividly in my head. Cornell’s words flowed easily and I just kept turning the pages and before I knew it the book was over. You can see from his writing that he is a very talented author and I would read any of his other books.

Lost in the Bayou is a story of brother and sister who find out their parents are missing after their plane crashed. The search and rescue for their parents has been called off and now are presumed dead. The only living relative is their Uncle Conrad, during their first dinner together they realize that their uncle is crazy and is only there for their parent’s money. He seems to relate everything he says and does to the radio show the Lone Ranger. Uncle Conrad tells the children that he is only there to get what he rightfully deserves and that they are in his way. His plan is to kill the children so he will have everything to himself. He informs them that in the morning they will play a game and that if he catches them he will kill them. Coming up with an escape plan is there next step. They decide the best place to hide is deep inside the Bayou where dangers lurk all around them, but they both agree they will feel safer around the alligators then their crazy uncle.

Lost in the Bayou is written for a younger audience, the main character Robin is a 14 year girl trying to protect and take care of her 11 year old brother Andy. Cornell Devill has written both of these children in an age appropriate manner and his younger audience will connect with these two characters well. In saying that I believe even adults who read YA suspense/thriller novels would definitely enjoy Lost in the Bayou and I would definitely recommend this book to any of my friends.


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First Date by Krista McGee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


First Date by Krista McGee


GOODREADS BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Addy Davidson discovers God's unexpected plans for her life when a reality TV show turns her quiet existence on its head.
The orphaned daughter of missionaries, Addy is quite content to stay in the shadows and never draw attention to herself. But when she's selected for a reality TV show to try to become the President son's prom date-a show she didn't audition for-she's suddenly in America's spotlight.
The lights, the make-up, the competitions, and the blogs discussing every move she makes all make Addy incredibly uncomfortable. But through her time at The Mansion, Addy comes to realize that first impressions aren't always right, that hiding out may not be what God had planned for her life, and that her faith should affect everything she does. It may just be that her selection wasn't random at all and that she's on this show "for such a time as this."

MY REVIEW:

First Date is a YA Romance novel written by Krista McGee; Krista has done an amazing job at telling this story and keeping the readers emotionally involved. I feel a bit guilty for thinking in the beginning that I may not enjoy this book because it was Christian based novel. But don’t make that mistake this book is a good YA romance novel. It is full of romance, drama and Krista’s writing brings out true emotions in you, I laughed and at times was truly mad that there are so many shallow people in the world today. But like any good romance novel we are happy with the outcome of this story.



Addy has just been told that she is going to be on a reality TV show called “First Date” where the winner gets to attend the prom with the President’s son. Addy cannot for the life of her figure out why her principal and her uncle agree with each other that this would be great experience for her and the school if she won. The first time she meet Jonathon she blurts out she doesn’t want to be there, if anything this intrigues Jonathon more. Struggling with her faith, she experiences firsthand what it is like to be bullied by the other contestants and even the producer of the show. Knowing people are counting on her Addie prays that she pull this off. Meanwhile she feels an attraction to Jonathon and finds herself wanting to maybe stick around for a bit.



First Date is a fast light read and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA Romance novels. It is funny, romantic and I definitely will be reading Krista next book in this series Starring Me.





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Here’s my “Quote Me Tuesday” Meme:

"Because she had researched the paranormal extensively, Zach made her the team Occult Specialist"

From "Ghosts of Rosewood Asylum" by Stephen Prosapio

Stone Bearers by R.E. Washington

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Stone Bearers by R.E. Washington

GOODREADS BOOK DESCRIPTION:

There's a war going on and humanity is the prize.

Caught in a battle between two supernatural forces, five junior high students are killed. But Constance, Jonathan Avery, Maria, and Danielle return from the dead -- and they've changed.

They each carry a piece of a soul stone and with it they have extraordinary powers. Now they can summon weapons fro...moreThere's a war going on and humanity is the prize.

Caught in a battle between two supernatural forces, five junior high students are killed. But Constance, Jonathan Avery, Maria, and Danielle return from the dead -- and they've changed.

They each carry a piece of a soul stone and with it they have extraordinary powers. Now they can summon weapons from thin air and even start fires with their minds. With these powers comes a connection they never wanted, and coming back from the dead hasn't wiped away the grudges between them. When one of them loses themselves to the power, they are soon caught in a battle against themselves and an enemy that wants to make sure that this time they stay dead.

MY REVIEW:

R.E. Washington is an extremely talented author her writing style was so easy to read and the words flowed so well that before you know it your on the last page wanting more. Her descriptions were not overly done and you were engaged throughout the story. R.E. Washington starts off this book showing us the readers what it is like to be bullied and the effects it has on not just yourself but your close friends. The issue of bullying and the affects it has on young people today is a very important topic and R.E. writing and reactions were very realistic and handled with care and passion. Excellent writing!

So the story starts off around the bullying and Constance telling off a few people for not doing anything when they see this occur. When a teacher approaches the scene he sentences all 5 of the youths to detention, during the dentition chaos breakouts and Constance ends up saving the 4 other youth lives by an unusual manner.

Now Constance, Maria, Avery, Danielle, and Jonathon have to work together to learn to fight and keep each other safe. But can the bullies and bullied work together can they form trust enough to keep each other alive. Can Constance step up and be the leader of this mixed group and keep her friends from killing each other.

The Stone Bearers is a YA Paranormal novel, and I cannot wait for book 2 to be released to see what will happen next to this mixed group of young people. Also like to thank R.E. Washington for giving us at Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Fanatics R2R Group a copy of your book to review. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys YA Paranormal novels.



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Bridger by Megan Curd

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Bridger by Megan Curd

Bridger is one of the better books I’ve read this year; Megan Curd did a terrific job in writing this story her descriptions are great and the story bring us a different view on the fairy world. There is murder, mystery, romance and betrayal something every good book requires.

The story begins with the drowning of Ashlyn and Chris’s father, they are distraught and trying to understand what has happened. Struggling through the shock Ashlyn displays serge of power trying to get the paramedic to save her father. This is the first glimpse where we the readers know there is more to come.

Ash and her father were planning a trip to Ireland to visit their family and learn about her heritage, seeing the tickets is hard but she makes up her mind to continue on with the trip bringing her best friend along. Reluctantly her mother and grandmother agree that Ash may go, but her grandmother warns her to stay out of trouble and never go anywhere alone.

In Ireland Ash meets her extended family and some new friends, one in particular seems to have grabbed her attention. Liam who is tall handsome and seems very interested in her also. The romance is fresh and you can see why Ash is falling for Liam.

Then we are introduced to fairy realm and find out what some would say a dark side and good side. Finding out the Ash is a Bridger mean she can travel between both realms. Something only one other person can do.
When Ashlyn finds out she was the one meant to die in the pond that this was not an accident that took her father’s life but a plan of revenge. A different world opens up to Ashlyn and she finds out more than she ever expected about her families heritage. To save her family and friends Ash needs to figure out her abilities and use them to fight for her life.
This book has a great list of character, and you fall in love with all of them. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.



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Survival, a YA paranormal romance by A.M. Hargrove

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Survival, a YA Paranormal Romance (The Guardians of Vesturon Series, Book #1)

A.M. Hargrove  http://www.amhargrove.blogspot.com/
                          www.facebook.com/anne.m.hargrove
                          www.twitter.com/amhargrove1

GOODREADS DESCRIPTION:

Survival (Book 1 of the Guardians of Vesturon), a YA paranormal romance

"Maybe I was caught between the two worlds. I was having serious trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality."

While on a backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, nineteen-year-old Maddie Pearce finds her world has been thrown into a vortex and is madly spinning toward the impossible. Abducted by a mad psychopath, Maddie narrowly escapes with her life. But that is only the beginning. Her mysterious rescuer introduces her to a world that Maddie has difficulty accepting as reality. Will this strikingly gorgeous stranger be the key to her future or will she return to her mundane world, scarred from her experience? Follow Maddie as she is forced to make difficult decisions that carry her to mysterious places only to find that perhaps it was all for nothing.

MY REVIEW:

Survival like the title says is a YA paranormal romance novel, A.M.Hargrove has excellent writing skills this book is well written, the descriptions were good and not overly done, the character development was well thought out and it helped us know a bit about each person we encounter in the story. I was quite surprised on how much I was enjoying this book; it held my interest so much that I couldn’t stop reading and I ending up reading the whole book in one sitting. I really liked the fact that this book was a bit different from the other paranormal books I’ve read lately, instead of vampires or werewolf’s we were reading about beings from another world. Even though these beings are from another planet and more advance then us humans they are still very human like so it wasn’t as far fetch as you would think. There are some sad parts where I had to find my Kleenex and wipe my tears and then there were parts that I laughed out loud, I like when an author can make you feel actual emotions.

A brief overview of this story without giving too much away, I would say this is a story of a young woman who has had to deal with an enormous amount of loss in her life. She is a strong, independent and a heroic character, I love reading about strong independent women. She works through some of her losses and survives and heads to college. She ends up making a few good friends and her life seems to be going well. On a hiking trip during the holidays she ends up getting captured by a very evil man who likes to hunt and kill the women he has taken. Being the survivor she is she plans her escape. Barely surviving this horrific experience she is rescued by a tall handsome mysterious man who helps her recover from her injuries and they both end up feeling a strong connection to each other. Knowing that this cannot happen as they are both from different worlds he walks away. Soon he realizes his mistake and he goes back to find her, she is in the same situation as him she hasn’t been able to forgot him either. But is it possible for the two of them to be together, can she leave the only man she has ever felt safe with? Will the mad man find her again? Will she survive this time? These are all questions you have to go find out by reading this book.

I would recommend this book to any of my friends who enjoy the paranormal romance books; I also have to say that I cannot wait for book 2 to be released. In saying that I will admit when I finished the book I emailed the author right away hoping to find out how much longer I had to wait before I could read book 2. She did mention that it won’t be too long. Right now this book is on sale at Amazon for .99 cents and worth every cent and more. Please go pick up your copy.

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Celebrating My Followers in 2011 Giveaways

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LIEBSTER AWARD

Today I received the Liebster Award from Suzanne Paranormal Book Fan, Yah!! and Thank You.

Suzanne has a fantastic blog and writes great reviews:  check it out at

http://paranormalbookfan.blogspot.com/

So, as per rules for this award (copied from Suzanne):

In accepting the Liebster Blog Award, the recipient agrees to:

·         Thank the person who gave them the award and link back to that person's blog

·         Copy and paste the award to their blog

·         Reveal the 5 blogs they have chosen to award, commenting on their blog to break the news!

·         Hope those people in turn pay it forward by accepting and awarding "The Liebster Blog Award" to bloggers they would like to honour.

My chosen blogs are:

·         Karla - http://karlacc-bookaddict.blogspot.com/

·         Jade - http://onceuponawanderer.blogspot.com/

·         Lacy - http://www.laceyshoelaces.blogspot.com/

·         Kimberly - http://kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewer.blogspot.com/

·         Terry -  http://mybookboyfriend.blogspot.com/?zx=2236dd487225493c

I have chosen these blogs because they all have written great reviews that I enjoy reading and have fantastic looking blogs.  But besides that they are all terrific women on Goodreads who have answered my quesitons and taken the time to always be friendly and they are all just a great group of women. 

All the above blogs have under 200 followers, so if you like their blogs, please click on the follow button and let them know.   I'm sure very soon their blogs will all reach over 200 followers.

Darwin's Children by Natasha Larry

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Darwin’s Children by Natasha Larry

GOODREADS BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Life can get pretty complicated for any seventeen-year-old girl, but for a home-schooled telepathic black girl trying to survive in a prestigious private school in small-town Jonesborough, Tennessee, it can be maddening – especially when her telepathic father keeps eavesdropping on her thoughts!

Jaycie Lerner’s family isn’t the usual mom-dad-kid setup. Jaycie’s mom’s MIA, but Allison, her personal live-in ‘trainer,’ is more than a mom, with her own special abilities, like being able to lift cars and run incredibly fast. And Jaycie’s godfather John is more than persuasive – he can literally convince anyone to do anything.

As far as the rest of the world’s concerned, Jaycie’s on the outside looking in. The townsfolk love Jaycie’s pediatrician father, but she doesn’t fit in with ‘normal’ kids, and she doesn’t really want to. Most of her free time is spent training to keep her telekinetic and telepathic powers under control. But there’s one thing she can’t control – and that’s her feelings, especially when her best friend Matt is nearby. If only he knew what she was truly capable of…

Everything seems to be status quo for Jaycie until she receives a cryptic message from a stranger and meets a very unusual girl new to Jonesborough. Then all hell breaks loose!


MY REVIEW:

This is another great book that I recently was given to read and review by Natasha Larry, I was hooked right in the beginning, and the author did a terrific job describing Jaycie’s emotions and the life she leads on a daily basis. You automatically feel for Jaycie and it keeps you turning the pages as you want to know more. 

Jaycie has been homeschooled all her life but this year for some unknown reason her father decides to enrol her in a private school. Jaycie’s school life is hard she can feel emotions off her classmates and she has to keep barriers up so she doesn’t go out of her mind. On Jaycie’s first day of school she ended up freaking out hearing and feeling everyone’s emotions. So know besides feeling like an outcast’s she knows the mean girls at school thinks she is a freak. The only happiness Jaycie gets out of school is her art class where people actually talk to her. We also find out about Jaycie’s best friend Matt who attends public high school, and Jaycie still trying to figure out if Matt is just a friend or if she is in love with him.

Jaycie is a mind reader, empathy and telekinetic with enough strength to throw you across the room. Besides dealing with school she has to come home and train with her trainer/nanny Allison who is fast has super speed and strength. Her father is also a mind reader and the strongest one around, he can and does read Jaycie mind whenever he wants. Being a teenager is hard enough imagine what it would feel like knowing your father can hear what you are thinking. Especially when she spends so much of her time thinking of Matt and trying to figure out if he feels something towards her. On top of all Jaycie’s issues she knows that her powers are going to surge soon and she doesn’t know how this will affect her.

One day Jaycie is approached by a beautiful woman who later she finds out is a guardian, the guardian suggest to Jaycie that she should apply for a job at the Christians Book Store and befriend the young woman who works there named Haylee. Haylee is a sad withdrawn young woman who is dealing with an alcoholic mother who won’t find a job and she has some of her own deep dark secrets that she struggles with internally. Haylee has no idea that she has power inside of her.

As Jaycie and Haylee become friends and learn to trust each other, and help each other out they become like sisters. The two of them will then encounter evil, bad fairies and then go to the vampires for help.

This story intrigued me so much I didn’t stop reading it till I was at the end, the author created a story which leads us into a series called Darwin’s Children, which then of course I wanted to start the next book right away.

There is twist and turns and you cheer for Jaycie, Matt and Haylee, and hoping they all get their happy ending.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves YA paranormal. Now I will have to go read Unnatural Law, (Darwin’s Children book 2).

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Touch of Fate by Christine Amsden

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



GOODREADS BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Marianne can predict the future but is powerless to alter its course. After a lifetime spent coming to terms with an ability that has cost her much, including her marriage, Marianne moves halfway across the country to make a fresh start and salvage her relationship with her daughter, who has inherited her terrible ability.

Once there, Marianne is drawn to a group of women who share her ability. She starts to find meaning and purpose--until she finds one of them murdered.

In the wake of the murder, Marianne is once again caught up in predictions she is powerless to change. Complicating matters, she finds herself falling in love with the handsome Detective Derek Richards--a man who, her daughter predicts, will become an intimate part of her future.

Time is running out for Marianne. She must learn the truth--about herself, about her power, and about the murderer--before she becomes the next victim.

MY REVIEW:

This book has everything I look for in a novel, mystery, romance, drama and adventure and of course a handsome police detective. Touch of Fate is a paranormal read and the author Christine Amsden has done a great job writing this story it’s easy to read, words flowed nicely and kept me interest all throughout the book.

The main character Marianne who we find out has a special gift, of course we say gift but in reality sometimes to Marianne seeing the future is more of a curse. Marianne’s life has not been easy she has had many losses, and struggles with depression her most recent loss is finding out her husband was having an affair and dealing with the outcome of him leaving and moving on with another woman.

Marianne’s grandmother always told her that she may get the signs but there is nothing she can do to change the future or the events that will unfold. Marianne has learnt the hard way that her grandmother’s words are very true.

We are also introduced to Marianne’s daughter Gabrielle who has also been given her mother’s gift but is still fairly new at this point. Gabrielle and her friend want to go to a party on Friday and this leads to Marianne getting signs that her daughters best friend is in danger and will die in a car accident. When Gabrielle sees that her mother is having signs she wants to know what is going on Gabrielle pleads with her mom to help her save her best friends, ignoring her grandmother’s warning they set out to stop this event from happening.
The outcome of this changes things, their lives seem to fall apart, Marianne finds herself looking at a map trying to find a place to start over. Drawn to St.Louis she sells her house and she take steps to move on and start a new life with Gabrielle.

In St.Louis, Marianne makes friends with a group of women who share her ability to see the future, things seem to going well and she actually feels like she has things under control. But as her life seems to settle down her daughter is spiralling out of control, Gabrielle seems to enjoy warning people of things that will happen of course the outcome of this is not good.

Marianne’s new friend Jean is murdered in the parking garage and we meet handsome Detective Derek Richards who is investigating the murder. He knows things are not adding up and starts to questions the group of women to find out exactly what is going on. During the investigation Derek starts to have feeling towards Marianne and they both seem to show interest in one another. The romance here starts to blossom and Marianne comes clean about her abilities and what she thinks is going on.

Touch of Fate is written in third person and it’s great to see what each character is thinking and planning to do, Christine did a great job in keeping the reader’s connected to each character. I would recommend this book to anyone of my friends who enjoy paranormal, murder mystery and romance novels.

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Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows

GOODREADS BOOK DESCRIPTION:

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

MY REVIEW:
Incarnate is a very different type of story, it’s based around souls, most souls have lived thousands of lives, and every soul has talents so when the body dies their soul gets reborn into another body. The great thing is their souls can remember all their past life’s if they forgot some details they have like journals they keep. In this world they have very little discrimination because each soul can be born a woman or a man so the tolerance is there. I loved this concept.

In this world there is still a dark side there are people fighting dragon and sylphs and danger is around the corner, which of course intrigues us the readers.

Ana the main character in this book is born a new soul with no past lives, and is an outcast, Ana’s mother is very abusive and this has caused Ana not to trust anyone. It was like her mother enjoyed the fact that Ana feared her and enjoyed seeing Ana upset. Ana spent 18 years with her abusive mother and now that she has reached adult hood she plans on leaving and going to Heart to find out why she is different she has so many questions. As the story unfolds Ana does become stronger and it’s great to see her character develop into a more confident young woman.

Sam is another character in the book that you fall in love with, he shows Ana that people do care and Sam cares a lot. Sam’s sensitive and caring and the friendship that develops between him and Ana is great and of course we the reader love to watch this relationship develop. Ana’s life was hell with her mom and really believed that all the other people would treat her the exact same way so it’s hard for Ana to trust Sam.

Jodi Meadows does a terrific job creating this world and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series. The description and the music form images in your head while you’re reading this book and it’s fantastic.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves UF/PNR books.

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Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry

First I want to thank Marie Landry for giving me the opportunity to read and review her amazing novel.

This novel is about a young woman becoming her own person, finding herself and finding true love. 

Emma is a 19 year old woman, who has been raised by a very controlling mother she is demanding and critical; she has set impossible standards the no one including Emma could live up to. But Emma tried she worked hard all way through high school, yet her mother never recognized one of her accomplishments. Emma hoped one day her mother would at least show some pride in all Emma’s hard work but that day never came.

Emma realized that she has lived most of her life trying to get her mother’s approval and finally realizes she is never going to get it. With nothing to show for all her hard work Emma knows she has lost herself along the way.

With all her unanswered question Emma decides to go visits her Aunt Daisy for the summer, Aunt Daisy is an artist, she has a carefree soul, lives life to the fullest and Emma wishes she could be more like her. Emma travels to Riverview with plans of spending the summer with her aunt learning how to enjoy herself and hopefully figuring out whom she is and what she wants to do with her future.

The small town of Riverview is comforting and Emma feels at home for the first time in her life. Still not know what she is going to do with her life her aunt encourages her to just to relax and have fun.

Sitting in the park one afternoon Emma meets Nicholas Shaw, he is unlike any boy she has ever met. He is kind, respectful and very handsome; he enjoys life to the fullest he sees the small things around him and enjoys every moment. Nicholas asks Emma out on a date to show her around town. Emma is so nervous she has never gone out on a date; she hasn’t even had a first kiss. The romance that sparks between these two is amazing it is what us girls say what dreams are made from. Emma knows she is falling in love with Nicholas. The romance between these two is fresh, romantic and inspiring.

Life is wonderful and for the first time in her life Emma is happy. But things change, for two weeks Emma hasn’t seen Nicholas, deep down Emma knows something is wrong she finally goes to his house and confronts him.

Nicholas has been diagnosed with cancer. He offers her a way out but Emma knows she is in love with him and wants to be at his side every step of the way.

This story is about love, courage and strength and I will say it is one of the best books I have read this year.

Marie’s writing is fantastic; her words flowed so well you won’t put the book down, well maybe a couple times to wipe your eyes or blow your nose. I can honestly say I will be reading this book again and will be purchasing a hard copy of it when it is published.

I recommend this book to everyone. I know cancer is a deep subject but this isn’t about the cancer this is about the strength of love Emma and Nicholas have for each other and the love of their family and friends who stand by them to help them through the hardest times of their lives.

The question is can love really heal all things?





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The Dark Road Ahead by Vanessa Booke

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Dark Road Ahead
This is a short story or maybe a vignette, the authors writing is good, descriptive and I liked the moral of the story that you should always be careful of what you wish for.


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Saving June by Hannah Harrington

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


GOODREADS BOOK DESCRIPTION:

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again

MY REVIW:

We all know the feelings that accompany losing a loved one, but when the loved one has taken her own life those feelings I hope not everyone has had to feel. Guilt, anger, pain, grief and not truly knowing why or if you could of stopped it somehow, all those unanswered question are left for you to somehow deal and resolve.

This novel is about a young woman named Harper, who is a strong, confident, and says what she thinks, you feel for her so fast while you’re reading this book. Harper grew up in the shadow of her sister June, June was smart, pretty, organized, kind, seemed to have it all. Harper knew her parents wished she was more like June. Harper’s parents now divorced, her dads with a younger woman so many conflicting emotions going on inside her. Now Harper has to live her life not understanding why her sister committed suicide, no note left behind Harper starts to look around to find any clue possible.

This is where the journey begins, Harper steals June ashes and takes off for California to spread June’s ashes in the ocean, and this is where June always wanted to be this was June dream. Harper, Laney her best friend and Jake a young man somehow connected to June offers his help plus he is their ride.

Laney is the type of best friend you hope you had growing up or have, she is supportive and always there for Harper no matter what. Jake appears to be the bad boy type, obsessed with classic rock music, he believes music can solve everything. Harper knows Jake has a secret he isn’t telling anyone.

Put these three together on a road trip and what you get is a great story, it is funny and real and full of emotions. When Jake and Harper argue you can feel the attraction between them happening. The romance is yummy and you can’t stop reading.

The music is the other part of this novel that was great I found I wanted to go find the songs and download them, and the best part is the author added the playlist at the end of the book.

Overall this book was a great debut novel for Hannah Harrington; I would recommend this to anyone who loves YA romance. I will definitely read anything Hannah writes in the future.


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One Perfect Night by Rachael Johns

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


GOODREADS BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Peppa Grant's fellow employees may call their new CEO Mr. McSexy, but she's also heard that he's aloof and distant. Cameron McCormac certainly seems cold toward Christmas when she meets him at the company's annual party...but he's also the sexiest man Peppa has ever seen. And when he offers to forgive the damage she accidentally caused to his expensive car in exchange for accompanying him to his family's holiday get-together, she agrees.

Cameron needs a date to the family party to get his matchmaking relatives off his back. Their chemistry is instant and undeniable, leading to an incredible one-night stand. But Peppa wants love and family, while Cameron's only interested in temporary pleasure. When their relationship takes an unexpectedly serious turn, will he run the other way—or will he give love a second chance?

MY REVIEW:

This book from the beginning to the end is what I would say a true romance novel worth reading. The two main characters are both dealing with loss, pain and hurt, Cameron is dealing with the loss of his wife and is very scared to open up his heart again. Peppa has been dumped by her ex-fiancé who pretty much runs out and gets married to a co-worker instantly. If that wasn’t enough Peppa is also trying to deal with the loss of a baby finding out she may never be able to have children. 

So first we meet Peppa, at her Christmas work party they find out the entertainment for the children has came down with food poisoning, so Pippa runs out and rents a fairy costume so they don’t have to cancel the children’s party. On her way back she swerves to miss a cat and ends up side swiping her new boss’s fancy car. This is where Cameron comes into the picture and while she fesses up to him about the accident he appears not too worried about this, with a sexy smile he offers her a deal; if she attends his family Christmas party that evening as his date he will call it even and she won’t have to pay for the damages. Peppa agrees.

I really enjoyed this book, it was funny, romantic and of course you fell in love with Peppa and only wanted the best for her. It is well written and the characters were great it kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. If you love romance novels this is a book for you to read. 



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Something Different by S.A. Reid

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Something Different by S.A. Reid

GOODREADS BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Tired of his life's endless grind, family man Michael Maguire allows himself one night of deviation. Desperate for something different, he seeks a prostitute in notorious Brixton Park. But Michael, searching for a girl out of PRETTY WOMAN, instead finds blue-eyed, beautiful James Campbell. Tempted and stirred in ways he never imagined, Michael embarks on a sexual adventure with a rent boy from London's infamous Bethnal Green. And what begins as a purely sexual exchange gradually transforms into something else, as James finds himself in desperate circumstances and Michael is moved to help. Drawn increasingly to James, Michael finds himself facing up to the iniquities in his daily life. And finally he must deal with a horror that threatens to explode Michael's safe, conventional existence.

MY REVIEW:

This is the first book I’ve read by S.A. Reid she has an easy to read writing style and she tells a great story. I am definitely looking forward to reading more by this author. Something Different is told from both of the main characters point of view and was easy to follow, which is very important. I found myself really pulling for James and Michael right in the beginning. This is a truly a HEA m/m romance story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

We are first introduced to a man named Michael Maguire as the story unfolds you can sense the struggles he has with his life, work, home, children and marriage. One day Michael decides to step outside the box of what he calls his life and goes into the park where people pay for fast anonymous sex. As he is sitting there watching a young woman and older man disappear into the washroom he is approached by young man named James. James the cute rent boy with a great smile mentions to Michael that he has some great skills and can do anything a woman could do for him and possible even better. Michael seems to think about this and his options and decides to go with it and ends up taking James to the Holiday Inn.

This story is about the relationship that develops between Michael, a technical writer and James, Rent boy. Like I mentioned earlier the story is told by both points of view and is captivating, I couldn’t put the book down. The character development was great and made you like both of the character right away. 

This is not like Pretty Woman type of book where he comes in a swoops James off his feet, Michael help James to accomplish some important things in his life and makes him feel like he deserves these things. As for James he also contributes to their relationship in many ways by giving Michael the power and control to run his own life, becoming a new confident happier man. Both these men never seemed to smile till the met each other.

I also really appreciated how the author touched the subject of sexual abuse and to me was very realistic, I was glad to see how she wrote there is no difference in feeling of loss of control and or having no power being sexually abused by a woman or man.

Ok so in ending my review I want to thank the author S.A. Reid for giving the m/m romance group the chance to read and review your book. It means a lot when an author takes her hard work and gives it to the readers to review at no cost. So thank you very much for this opportunity.

I would recommend this book to all my friends who enjoy reading m/m romance. This book is not about sex this book about falling in love.

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