Book Review - When Lightning Strikes , By Kathleen Rovner

I think this is a week of Mondays, or at least it feels that way.  Just so much to do and not enough of me to get it all done.  Some days I just think that I spread myself too thin.  It happens, but let me tell you, I am not a fan of it.  I am exhausted.

That being said, I have been reading, a lot.  So there will be reviews coming, because, well, books!

On with the show....

BLURB:

Julie Marin is a talented dancer, and her family has the means to make sure she can live her dream. Her life is close to perfect—until the night she leaves practice late and gets attacked.

Then her world takes a terrifying turn. With no notice, her family has to pack up and move overnight. And they won’t even tell her why.

Now everyone around her has secrets—her brother, her parents, and the disturbingly alluring Lucas Black, a new teacher at her school. And there’s definitely something going on in the small town the Marins move to.

When Julie finds herself drawn to the arrogant but handsome Rory, nothing makes any sense. Is she just paranoid, or is she going crazy? Will these secrets destroy everything Julie has worked for—or destroy her as she fights against them?

A 300 page young adult fantasy with romantic suspense.  

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Book Title: When Lightning Strikes

Author: Kathleen Rovner

Publishing Date: May 7, 2015

Page/Word Count: 217 pages

Pros: Great idea, great characters

Cons: got a little lost at times, some ideas didn't seem fully fleshed out

Overall rating: Good book

Impressions: Fasted paced from the get go, some spots were slow.  Some things were lacking a "body" if you will.

Review:

I received this book in exchange for an honest review (LoP or Lovers of Paranormal)

So I had high hopes for this book.  The idea was great and I liked most of the characters. Unfortunately some parts just felt rushed or lacking in information. The idea behind the story was a well thought out idea, and I can tell that the author wanted to make sure it was done well.  Sadly I felt lost in some areas, like the idea was there but the words never made it to the page.

Julie was a good character, but I could not love her.  I just didn't feel like I connected with her.  I felt like she was annoying at times.  I feel like her part of the story was actually the parts that were lacking something for me.  I think she needed to be flashed out more. The parts of the book that I got the lost the most in involved her and her random trains of thought.

I think that with a little work this book could be a great one.  With a little fleshing out of things it cold become one of those series that everyone loves.  I just don't see that yet.

I loved the hanger at the end though.  That little tidbit was enough to make me want to know what happens next.  I am willing to give the next book in the series a try, with the hope that things get fleshed out better. 

Stars: 3 out of 5

Amazon Link: Buy it here

Goodreads Link: Click here

Book Review - The Darkest Frost, Volume One, By Tanya Holmes

So I have been doing some blog roaming.  I looked at other people's reviews and how they lay out.  They all seem so very professional, so I decided I would redo how I lay out the reviews a little bit.  I wanted things to seem a bit more like someone who knows what they are doing, even if I really never know what I am doing, lol.

That being said.......

BLURB:

When the ghost of her best friend begs for her help, psychic detective Denieve Knight goes undercover as a live-in domestic to catch a killer. She sets her sights on the most likely suspect: her friend’s mysterious employer, Doctor Braeden Frost.

Dubbed "Dr. Death" by the press, the notorious hematologist is linked to nineteen other suspicious fatalities—all are former patients. The brooding recluse is a man of many secrets, the darkest of which may be lurking beneath the leather gloves he never removes.
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Book Title: The Darkest Frost, Volume One

Author: Tanya Holmes

Publishing Date: June 11, 2015

Page/Word Count: 83K

Pros: Great characters, engaging story

Cons: I hate but love the cliff hanger :)

Overall rating: Highly Recommended

Impressions: Great story flow and I was not able to put it down once I started reading it.  It left me wanting more, which means I am going to need that second volume, like yesterday. 

Review: Over all this book is a great book.  The characters are not the stiff, cold types.  You can love them, hate them, and can relate to them at times.  This book kept me engaged the whole time.  I just couldn't put the book down, or rather the Kindle.  I had to know what would happen next.

I knew we were going to be left with a cliff hanger.  I will be honest, I love them because I always get more of my favorite characters from the authors when they do that to us.  I just hope that I don't have to wait long for the next one.  I was left with the whole "WHAT!!! NO!!!!" feeling because I just wasn't ready to let these characters go.

I can't touch on the story too much or I will give things away.  The book is well written though and the story doesn't skip around or leave you wondering what is going on.  You have enough information given to you that you aren't having to reread things to try and get what they are trying to say to you.  

I can say that when I was trying to figure out the big secret, I was left surprised that I was wrong with what I thought was going on. Trust me, you need to read this book!

Excerpt: 

Braeden tore away leaving me feeling cold, like the only leaf on a barren tree, a leaf left to tremble alone in the wind. He raked a hand through his hair while he paced the floor. He was tortured and scared, a man barely hanging on by a thread. 

Seconds dragged until he said thickly, “I don’t understand any of this.” 


“Because it makes no sense, right?” I snatched my barrette up with trembling hands and started fussing with my hair. “I’ve only known you a little over a month, yet it feels like a million years. And now I’m thinking—” 


“Don’t.” He stalked back over to me and grabbed my hands. “No more talking. No more thinking.” His voice was rough and desperate. “Because if I allow myself to ponder this insanity—to try and understand it…I swear, I’ll go mad.” He inhaled deeply and pressed his forehead to mine. “I knew you were trouble the moment I saw you in that window. God help me.”

Stars: 4 out of 5

Amazon Link: Buy it here

Goodreads Link: Clink here

 

Book Review - Semi-Charmed, By Isabel Jordan

I love summer.  The days last longer, the sun is out, and the mornings are calm and quiet.  I hate one thing, mosquitoes.  My area of Texas is one that has been getting the rain that floods us, so that means we have the little flying vampires all over the place.  I was trying to get into the whole walking in the morning thing again, before work, and they made a meal of me.  Who knew you could develop an allergy to the little buggers?!

So I have a great book for you today!  I picked it up because they are reading it as a book of the month in the Goodreads group, Lovers of Paranormal.  I have been trying to get more involved in the groups I am in.  I have grabs some new books to review as well. So keep your eyes open!

On with the show...

BLURB:

Psychic and paranormal PI Harper Hall isn’t that surprised when her business partner skips town. Really, she can’t help but feel it’s her own fault for trusting a guy named Romeo in the first place.

But if Harper wants to consult for the police on a high profile case, she’ll need a new partner-- preferably one with some supernatural skills of his own. Enter Noah Riddick, a slayer left jobless by the legalization of vampirism.

Riddick’s dark secrets and shady past have forced him into exile from human society--an exile he was completely comfortable with until gorgeous and exasperating Harper waltzed into his life. Now, all too aware of how…unlifelike his life has truly been, he agrees to partner with her (as if saying no to Harper Hall was ever really an option).

Fighting vampires, making immortal enemies, engaging in semi-sadistic interrogation techniques, staging daring rescues…it’s all in a day’s work for this paranormal odd couple. But falling in love? Well…that’s a little trickier. Even for the Semi-Charmed Harper Hall.

Semi-Charmed is a full-length paranormal romance novel, completely free of cliffhangers, with a HEA. For readers 18+ only. 
------------------------------

Book Title: Semi-Charmed

Author: Isabel Jordan

I was so glad that I decided to pick up this book and join in on the reading for the month.  Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.  I fell in love with the whole idea and the way the author laid out the story.  She didn't rush things and let it go on it's own.

To start with, the characters were great. I love Harper and can't wait to see if Isabel does more with her. I think that she is well developed and thought out.  I also love that we get a taste of her past, that always helps when you are trying to get to know your characters.  I find that it is harder to connect when you can't see how a character got to be who they were once  you start reading the book.

Noak.  What can I say about Noah.  He is almost on my list of book boyfriends.  I think that if he happens to show up in another book and he is still the dark, brooding man Isabel wrote, he will definitely make that list.  He is hard to like a first but you can tell he is struggling with what he was always taught and what he is feeling.  It can't be easy to always hide that you have emotions and then meet a woman who forces you to let those feelings out.  

Over all, this book was a great read and I had to finish it once it was started.  It was definitely a good thing that I didn't start it too late in the day or I never would have gotten any sleep.  That is definitely the sign of a good book. I am hoping that we will get to see more of these characters in the future.  We have a great psychic, a hunky vampire hunter and all the friends and family needed to make a great series.  (Hint Hint)

Pros: Great story, great characters, great book

Cons: Need more books!!!

Overall rating: OMG, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

Book Review - Remote, By Lisa Acerbo - Book Tour

I am finding that I love doing book tours.  I have found some wonderful authors and I get to expose others to those books and authors.  It is actually something I was expecting would be part of my book reviewing.

Description:

When technology fulfills every dream, reality becomes a nightmare.

Below the streets of New State, the undergrounders fight to remain free of the technological control of the world above. Every night, Yara risks her life fighting New State’s deadliest weapons, the drones. Half human and half machine, their living half tortured until everything human is gone, the drones have only one objective. Kill. And they do it with exacting precision.

Yara is good at her job and committed to her raids on New State. Until one of those raids brings her face-to-face with Joshua, a New State citizen who doesn’t quite fit her preconceived expectations. After a couple of awkward encounters, he shows her the meaning of hooking up—a computer simulation that allows people to live out their fantasies—without the complication of emotional entanglements or physical reality. But what Yara feels for Joshua is very real. And it’s punishable by law.

As she and Joshua grow closer, she convinces him to leave New State for her underground cause. But as the unrest between New State and the underground escalates, and the drones move in to destroy her world, nothing goes as planned. Families are arrested, loyalties are strained, and Yara’s forced to choose between her people and her feelings. The wrong choice could mean the end of her people, and reality could slip away—forever...

------------------------------

Book Title: Remote

Author: Lisa Acerbo

Ok, I loved this book.  It started out a little slow for me but once I got started I couldn't put it down.  I loved the whole idea that Lisa had with the storyline, the characters and the way she had things go.  It was very well thought out and the flow was great for the story.  This was definitely not one of those books that rushed into things.

This book is not one of those that goes from point A to point B in a matter of days.  This book takes place over months.  You have the initial meeting of Yara and Josh.  You see how their relationship grows through out the book and it's not a 24-hour "I love you" romance.  It progressed naturally and there were definitely hiccups in the road as they went.

The concept of this book is very appealing.  We get to see a world where technology has taken over.  It almost feels like our current times.  We all spend so much time with our faces in our phones, on our computers.  I can imagine that this is the direction we are going.  It is definitely good to see that there are still people that would want the world to not be connected.  

I think the only downside I saw in the books is that Yara didn't get much time with Josh in New State.  I would have loved to see her more connected, so that she could really understand what he did everyday, and what he lost.  I think that would have helped her really understand everything he has been going through later in the book, as well has give them a better understanding of the New State way of things when they do go to make changes.

Pros: Great storyline, great characters

Cons: I would have loved more time for Yara in New State

Overall rating: Highly, highly recommended!!

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Excerpt:
 

“Hi,” he called out.

Yara’s heart hammered, and adrenaline coursed through her limbs. She turned to run.       

“Wait,” the stranger whispered. “I won’t turn you in. I’m out here too.” He obviously didn’t realize that Yara was a rebel. He might not know it yet, but he would soon. Still, he didn’t sound dangerous. Maybe Yara could take care of him. She had never had to kill anyone totally human, but she had trained to do so. At this point, she didn’t think she would need to. The skinny boy didn’t look like a real threat, either.

She turned back toward him and attempted what she hoped was a look of death and destruction.

Instead of being scared, he smiled at her and brushed the hair out of his eyes. Even in the shadowy street, Yara could see the color was a beautiful emerald green. She had a hard time looking away, until his voice jarred her back to reality.

“I’m Joshua15111,” he said robotically. “What are you doing out here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Enjoying the night sky,” he replied, each word clipped and succinct. Unable to make prolonged eye contact, he looked toward the stars.

“Aren’t you supposed to be hooked up to an alternate universe, enjoying battle, boobs, or whatever perverted fantasy you want to conquer tonight?” Yara asked, and then instantly regretted her words.

“Hey, it’s not like that. You know how it is.” For the first time, his voice took on a more humanistic quality. He sounded peeved.

She grunted in response. She didn’t know anything of the sort.

Joshua15111 looked at her briefly, quizzically. “Wait, do you know that? Are you one of them? The rebels?”

Oh no. “What rebels?”

“Are you for real? Everyone knows about the rebels. You must be one. Are you a rebel? That’s so cool.”

Me and my big mouth. Fear finally overtook her. Vague ideas about running away from or fighting the stranger flitted by, but Yara’s feet felt like concrete blocks. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to form a coherent sentence if he asked her something about the underground.

Bio:

Lisa Acerbo is a high school teacher and holds an EdD in Educational Leadership. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughters, three cats, and horse. She is the author of Apocalipstick and has contributed to local newspapers, news and travel blogs including The Patch and Hollywood Scriptwriter.

Lisa Acerbo is a high school teacher and holds an EdD in Educational Leadership. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughters, three cats, and horse. She is the author of Apocalipstick and has contributed to local newspapers, news and travel blogs including The Patch and Hollywood Scriptwriter.

Author Links

Twitter

Facebook Author Page

Remote Facebook Page

Website

Buy Links 

Etopia Press

Amazon

BN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Book Review - Rarity From the Hallow, By Robert Eggleton

Have you ever read a book that leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth?  You have such high hopes going into it because it starts off one way and when you get the ending it is definitely not what you were expecting? I have read many books are just like that, no hope of saving what was a great start to a story.

I have been slowly redoing some things and the site is looking a little different.  I also have come up with a small banner to put at the end of reviews when I am posting elsewhere.  It just makes sense to me.

On with the show....

BLURB:

Lacy Dawn is a little girl who lives in a magical forest where all the trees love her and she has a space alien friend who adores her and wants to make her queen of the universe. What’s more, all the boys admire her for her beauty and brains. Mommy is very beautiful and Daddy is very smart, and Daddy’s boss loves them all.

Except.

Lacy Dawn, the eleven year old protagonist, perches precariously between the psychosis of childhood and the multiple neuroses of adolescence, buffeted by powerful gusts of budding sexuality and infused with a yearning to escape the grim and brutal life of a rural Appalachian existence. In this world, Daddy is a drunk with severe PTSD, and Mommy is an insecure wraith. The boss is a dodgy lecher, not above leering at the flat chest of an eleven-year-old girl.

Yes, all in one book.

Rarity From The Hollow is written in a simple declarative style that’s well- suited to the imaginary diary of a desperate but intelligent eleven-year-old – the story bumping joyfully between the extraordinary and the banal.
------------------------------

Book Title: Rarity From the Hollow

Author: Robert Eggleton

So I went into this book thinking that it would be a fun, enjoyable read.  I had read the e-mail that I got about the book and thought, "This will be a fun read for me."  I did get this book in exchange for a honest review, and here it is.

I am not sure when but somewhere in this book I went from happy, liking the book, to thinking that I am struggling to finish this.  I am sure that some will love this book, think it is brilliant. I am sadly not one of those people.  This is one of those books that left me with that sour taste in my mouth.

The start of this book showed great potential.  As a working social worker out in the real world, I could see where the two girls were coming from.  They were both living in homes where there was abuse, neglect, and such.  They were easy to relate to because they were real.  I could even understand why Lacy was talking to things, the trees and such.  The abused tend to "leave" their body and try to distance themselves from the things going on around them.  I could see this being what she was doing.

It wasn't until later, when things changed for Lacy that I started to feel like the story was falling apart.  I was good with the idea of the story when it was first presented, but as I read on it got hard for me to like.  I just stopped feeling like I could relate to the characters, to the story as a whole.

I get that this is fantasy/science-fiction, but for me this was just hard to follow.  The plot started to fall apart for me and actually toward the end I felt like it was just a joke.  I really wanted to like this book. I just think the character turns, changes and what not really turned me off on the whole idea.  The story was just not working for me in the end.

Pros: Great start, interesting characters in the beginning

Cons: The story fell apart.  The characters stopped being interesting

Overall rating: I am torn.

 

Book Review - Runes, By Ednah Walters

So I didn't get much sleep last night, all because of a book.  I started reading and I couldn't stop until I was done.  It has been a while since I was kept up by a book.  Usually I can make myself sleep, but last night that was not happening.  Since that did happen, I decided that I needed to share the book with you all.

On with the show...

BLURB

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.
------------------------------

Book Title: Runes

Author: Ednah Walters

So I got this book from Amazon for free.  I find some of the best books that way.  This was no exception.  I loved, loved, loved this book. It was a random pick for my before bed reading and it just so happens that once I started it I couldn't stop.  This book had me in it's grasp!

I loved the characters.  Raine was a bit annoying at times, but she was a teenager so it was to be expected.  If a teenager is not annoying you at some point, then there is something wrong. Raine was a well developed character though, and the pain she has already felt by the time the book starts is enough to make her more real.

The love triangle in this one is predictable, but that is not a bad thing.  I knew as soon as each male was introduced that we were going to see it happen.  I am not sure which guy I am rooting for either.  Both have their qualities.  I know that Raine has made up her mind already, but I think that she needs to keep an open mind.  I tend to go for the underdog types, and the best friend is the underdog in my opinion. 

The whole idea of this story is new, which is rare in the urban fantasy genre right now.  There are so many series popping up that it is hard to find something that is not like everything else.  This one is definitely different.  We all need something new and fresh in the genre.

Without giving away the ending, let me just say I was so upset that I had to turn off my Kindle.  I can't wait t get my hands on the next one.

Pros: Characters, Storyline, Idea

Cons: The ending killed me.

Overall rating: Highly, highly recommended!!

Book Review - Pretty Maidens All in a Row, By J.M. Brown

I hope that everyone that celebrated the 4th had a great time.  I always enjoy seeing the kids around here setting off their fireworks.  The little ones are always so in awe of the lights and colors. Once they are no longer afraid of the loud cracks they are the happiest little ones around.

So I am slowly working through all my books that need to be reviewed and here is yet another.

And for your reading pleasure...

BLURB:

Mary Elizabeth Grange, also known as Beth to her friends, is little more than a child when she is noticed.. Her lanky, developing body and her childlike ways do nothing to dissuade his hungry eyes and his needy imagination. She glides through life happily, doing what happy teenagers do, but to him she becomes everything. Every flip of her long curly ebony hair, every smile, every gesture speaks to him as he quietly moves in the shadows, for no one ever sees him. His small, inconsequential world narrows even further, real life recedes. Fantasy, like a blazing fire consumes him. Then their worlds collide in one brutal and obscene act as he brazenly flings reality aside and allows the delusions to totally devour him. Her world destroyed, Beth must fight for her very sanity. Then at the farthest end of her nightmare and many miles away, happiness and love are finally within her reach. Much to her bemusement, she starts to receive flowers from a secret admirer. Things start to take on a darker tone and she senses anything but affection from the gifts being left to her. But how can this be related in anyway to the vicious serial killer in her home state who is killing women that look so much like her? The answers will only be attained if she dares to fight the biggest battle of her life. 
------------------------------

Book Title: Pretty Maidens All in a Row

Author: J.M. Brown

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the get go this book kept me engaged.  It was definitely a page turner and one that will keep you reading until the very end.  This is one of those books that you can't put down until you are done. Once I finally had the time to sit down for more then 30 minutes I couldn't stop reading until I had the book done.  

The characters are well done and fully fleshed out.  I loved that it was not set in the current time.  I think that it shows a writer's ability when they can write in the past and have it fit so well. This writer showed that she has the ability to write in the past and do it well.

The story was one of those that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I actually loved that we got a good picture of the stalker's mental illness during the first half of this book. His progression into full madness was wonderfully written.

I think the only issue I had with this book is the character changes that happened mid action in the chapters.  I am glad we got to see so many different angles of things going on, but the sudden character changes left me confused at times.  There were several times that I needed to go back and read things again.  It made it hard to keep up with things at times.

Over all, this book was a well written book, and it is definitely one that everyone should read.  It will keep you on the edge of your seat, it will keep you guessing and really it has a little everything for you.  There is mystery, thrills and even a little romance.  You get everything you could ever need in a book in this one.

Pros: Great story, well thought out characters

Cons: Sudden character POV changes

Overall rating: Recommended!

     

Book Review - Going Viral, By Dustin Stevens

Happy 4th of July to all my American readers!  I know that I said that I would be getting more done on here while I was on vacation, but I have been slacking.  I think the idea of doing nothing has been far too appealing. I plan to catch up, but who knows what will happen.  For me vacations mean slacker time. (Well save for the massive amounts of laundry I have been getting caught up on.)

And for your reading enjoyment...

BLURB:

Three years ago, Charles Doyle was an average American millennial. At twenty-eight years old he was content to still live in the bedroom he grew up in, working as a manager at the fast food chain he first joined in high school. Upon the death of his father, Charles realizes there might be something more for him out there and decides to try his hand at the potential of social media for introducing himself to the masses.

Starting as a web series of self-exploration, Charles soon finds himself seduced by the allure of faceless followers. What began as a first cigar or shot of whiskey soon escalates much faster, an entire new persona developing.

Told after the fact, Going Viral follows first-person insight into the mind of a man that in just six short months manages to go from an anonymous face in suburban America to internet novelty to ultimately death row inmate Chaz D. 
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Book Title: Going Viral

Author: Dustin Stevens

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

So I had no expectations going into this book.  It is not my normal read, but that didn't stop me from devouring it.  It was an excellent book and I am very glad that I agreed to read it.

The characters were well thought out.  I started out liking them all but as the book went on I started to change how I felt about Charles, Chaz D.  As he moved forward with his whole video for each thing he does, I start to dislike him, a lot.  It says a lot when you can connect enough with a character and then start to dislike that character.  That is a well written characters.

This book definitely speaks about how our current society is acting.  Everything is online, out there for everyone to see and for some reason as soon as one video is posted, the next has to be more over the top, more extreme.  You see all of this in the book.  As we go from one video to the next, things progress until  you get to the ending, the actions that lead Chaz D. to end up on death row.

This book is a definite read for everyone! 

Pros: Well developed, thought out, clear.

Cons: none

Overall rating: Definitely would recommend this one