Ultimate Kill | Review

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Ultimate Kill
Author: Kristine Mason
Series: (Ultimate CORE, #1)
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Author
Publication Date: April 15th, 2014
Pages: 344
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When the past collides with the present, the only way to ensure the future lies in the ultimate kill…
Naomi McCall is a woman of many secrets. Her family has been murdered and she’s been forced into hiding. No one knows her past or her real name, not even the man she loves.
Jake Tyler, former Marine and the newest recruit to the private criminal investigation agency, CORE, has been in love with a woman who never existed. When he learns about the lies Naomi has weaved, he’s ready to leave her—until an obsessed madman begins sending her explosive messages every hour on the hour.
Innocent people are dying. With their deaths, Naomi’s secrets are revealed and the truth is thrust into the open. All but one. Naomi’s not sure if Jake can handle a truth that will change their lives. But she is certain of one thing—the only way to stop the killer before he takes more lives is to make herself his next victim.

My opinion

Naomi is a strong woman who was forced into hiding since her "ex-boyfriend" became a stalker, murdered her family and did other horrible stuff. She's never been able to establish herself and feel totally safe.

She met Jake a couple of years after she ran away and changed her identity. but then she got scared and ran away again. Jake was so in love with her that he didn't forget her and 5 years later, he finds her and talks to her.

Naomi thinks that since 8 years had passed and she has never heard of her stalker again, she was safe. But then, the same day Jake visits her and finds out all the truth about the woman Naomi was, the stalker begins sending her messages by exploiting bombs and killing a bunch of innocent people per hour.

Naomi knows she has no choice but to go to him, but Jake is not willing to let her go again. And so it begins.

It's a long, heavy book, I should warn you that. The beginning is a little confusing but when you move on in your reading you begin to understand it all.

Naomi is a strong woman and Jake is a decisive strong man, they both make a cute couple and I liked them as characters, but I think they were very repetitive sometimes… maybe it was because all the situation was mortal but I heard a lot of "I love you no matter what" "We'll be together forever" "Always" "I promise" "Nothing will change my feelings for you" and they said it so much it seemed they were trying to convince themselves, not their partner. Aside from that, it was a good thriller, if a bit predictable it had some good stuff. Not as bloody as it may sound because, even though it had some creepy scenes, I expected a little bit of more… torture, I don't know. Maybe I'm a sadist.

I liked all the characters, Harrison and Vlad were awesome too. Christian, Santiago and Richard… well, I was scared from them but I liked Santiago in a way.

The story was good, original, a little too much dramatic and romantic and with a lot of action. And I'm going to repeat again, maybe not too long but very heavy, less dialogue and more descriptions that were too long for me. Maybe the author should have made the reading a bit more concise but that's my opinion.

At the very end it became really predictable (except for two seconds that really shocked me). I liked it but it was super dramatic. Anyway, it was a good book, not the best book about criminals but pretty good. I recommend it to everyone with a little sadistic vein lover of good criminal novels.

About the author

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I didn’t pick up my first romance novel until I was in my late twenties. Immediately hooked, I read a bazillion books before deciding to write one of my own. After the birth of my first son I needed something to keep my mind from turning to mush, and Sesame Street wasn’t cutting it. While that first book will never see the light of day, something good came from writing it. I realized my passion, and found a career I love.
When I’m not writing contemporary romances and dark, romantic suspense novels (or reading them!) I’m chasing after my four kids and two neurotic dogs.

My rating

Final Mend (Review)

Final Mend
Author: Angela Smith
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Source: Author
Publication Date: June 23, 2014
Pages: 267
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A recovering alcoholic, Jake Inman has found a new, healthier addiction: training for his successful triathlon career. But when his manager is murdered and beloved goddaughter kidnapped, another obsession takes hold: doing whatever it takes to find Brandon’s killer and keep Amy safe. Jake turns to a private investigator for help in solving the case, and though he finds temptation in her whiskey-colored eyes, he knows he must resist his attraction, or risk losing his heart.
After a devastating case, Winona Wall has turned her back on her skills as a private investigator, preferring a quiet life as a part-time bartender. That is, until Jake storms into the bar, demanding her help in tracking his missing godchild. Unable to resist Jake’s charm, she reluctantly agrees. But even after Amy is found unharmed, Jake insists Amy’s mother was more involved with her kidnapping than the police suspect. When the situation takes a turn for the worse, Winona must trust her instincts in order to save them all—and avoid falling in love.

My opinion

Final Mend is the story of Jake, a recovering alcohol who has now a successful triathlon career. But everything changes the day that his cousin and only family left is mysteriously murdered and her 7-year-old goddaughter Amy goes missing.

Then Jake looks for Wionna and beg for her help in order to find Amy.

Wionna is a retired private investigator with a dramatic past. She's now a half-time bartender and volunteers in the animal refugee in the little town she lives in with her newly found long lost brother.

Then Jake arrives and messes with Wionna's world. He would do anything to find little Amy. Jake suspects Amy's mother Lillian has something to do with her kidnap but nobody believes him so he hired Wionna to investigate her.

♡

And that's how everything starts. It's a short book but still I felt like I was reading it very slowly, I couldn't progress a lot, had to take some rest or so. Anyway, Wionna is a strong independent woman and i liked her as a character even though we don't get to see her abilities as a private investigator, since she's retired I can understand that but I was hoping she would fin out more stuff or so, she wasn't very useful in that way.

I liked Jake, he was willing to fight for what he wanted, and that was his little goddaughter Amy, the only persona he cared about after Brandon's (his best friend) death.

The other characters were also nice, but I felt like they missed something. I like Chayton even though he wasn't in many scenes and I really liked Garret. They all missed a bit of personality, I often confused Regean and Naomi.

Anyway, it was an entertaining book with a good story even if it was a bit predictable. Not a lot of crime and mystery, but more drama and love. It was a nice reading and I have nothing else to say.

About the author

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During her senior year in high school, Angela Smith was dubbed most likely to write a novel, and that has been her dream ever since her mother read Brer Rabbit to her and her sister so often that they were able to recite it back to each other before actually learning to read. She’s always enjoyed stories about the adventure of love, and getting involved in the legal field developed her love of suspense. A certified paralegal, work gives her perfect fodder for her romantic suspense stories. When not caring for her small farm or spending time with her husband of two decades, she enjoys off-roading, crafting, reading, and dreaming of the places she’ll visit one day.

My rating

Played | Review + INT Giveaway

Played
By: Liz Fichera
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: FFBT
Publication Date: May 27th 2014
Pages: 352
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
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This Game Is Getting All Too Real

He said: I like to keep under the radar and mostly hang out with my friends from the rez. But when I saved Riley Berenger from falling off a mountain, that rich suburban princess decided to try to save me.

She said: If I can help Sam Tracy win the heart of the girl he can't get over, I'll pay him back for helping me. I promised him I would, no matter what it takes.

My opinion

Riley is this Pink Girl. She's a smart blond (weird, huh?), she over thinks everything, plans a lot and is full of energy and words. She also sketch a lot.
Sam is this Native hot and strong guy that is a gentleman, mysterious and very nice (also adorable).
They both get to know each other in a Leadership event when they get paired for a scavenger hunt. At the beginning they hated each other because Sam hates Riley's brother and is being rude to her so Riley is angry at him for being rude. Riley is kind of blinded by anger and does something really stupid, she falls from a tree to a side rock that excels a mountain and she can't climb back because she's really hurt. Then Sam goes down with her and stays with her taking care of her and everything. They become really close friends and share a deep secret.
The next day they're rescued and Riley is decided to help him win the heart of the girl he loves. And that's when everything starts.

I loved that. How they hated each other and then they became so close. I wanted all the story to take place in that cliff or whatever, it was probably my favorite part.
I didn't like Riley so much, she's a dumb blond but smart. I mean, she's really smart (according to this book) but she acts super stupidly almost all the book.
Sam on the other hand is really smart and nice, he's a quiet guy with a lot going on. I loved him, I could relate more with his attitude.
I liked Drew, Riley's best friend, but unfortunately she isn't in a lot of scenes of the book.
And Ryan and Fred. Ryan didn't convinced me, I liked him but meh. And Fred is an amazing girl, at least that's how it sounds, I want to read about these two in Hooked.
The book is kind of fatty, it's long and with a bunch of scenes and I liked that.
It's narrated by both, Riley and Sam. I didn't like much Riley's parts, she thinks in a weird very girly way. I loved Sam's parts, he's so harsh with himself but at the same time so adorable.
I liked Sam's friends a lot! Well, just Trevor and Martin, I want to know a bit more about those two.
The ending was perfect, I really liked it. A bit before the ending in their "adventure" everything seemed a bit predictable and forced, but then it became better an easier to read.
And I think that's it, it isn't a very original topic but it has really nice parts, I liked it.

About the author

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I'm an American author living in the American Southwest by way of Chicago.
Born and raised in Park Ridge, Illinois, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, after college, never expecting to live more than one year among cactus and people who’d never seen snow. I was wrong. It certainly didn't hurt that I met my future husband in Phoenix too.
Most of my stories are set in the American Southwest because I think the desert is a cool place. Living in Phoenix, I'm surrounded by Native American culture and influences, not to mention intriguing Hohokam petroglyphs and centuries-old canals. There are over 20 tribes in Arizona and I'm lucky to be neighbors to the Gila River and the Salt River Indian Communities.
When I'm not busy writing my next novel, I like to travel, visit museums, support local theater productions, hike, and pretend that I'm training for a triathlon. In no particular order, I've been chased by javalinas, rattlesnakes, coyotes, and even one curious black bear.

 My rating

 #QoD What would you have done in Riley's and Sam situation at the mountain?

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Daughter of Chaos | Review + INT Giveaway

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Daughter of Chaos
Author: Jen McConnel
Publisher: Month9Books
Source: FFBC
Publication Date: March 25th, 2014.
Pages: 308
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Witches must choose the path they will follow, and Darlena Agara is no exception. She’s been putting it off long enough, and in her case, ignoring it has not made it go away. In a moment of frustration, Darlena chooses to follow Red Magic, figuring she had outsmarted the powers that be, since there’s no such thing as Red Magic. But alas, Darlena’s wrong (again) and she becomes a newly declared Red Witch.
Her friends are shocked and her parents horrified by the choice Darlena has made. As a Red Witch, she now governs one third of the world’s chaos. She is the walking personification of pandemonium, turmoil, and bedlam, just as the patrons of Red Magic would have it to be.
But Darlena believes there must be more to Red Magic than chaos and destruction, and she sets out on a journey to achieve balance. Only doing so puts her at odds with the dark goddess Hecate, who simply will not allow Darlena to quit. She encourages Darlena to embrace who and what she is and to leave good magic to the good witches. If only Darlena could, life would be simple, and she would not be the Daughter of Chaos.

My opinon

Darlena is normal girl… well, witch. She doesn't know what path to follow yet: White, Green or Black. The Withe's the good one, the Black is the kind of bad one (not actually bad but not very loved by all witches) and the Green that's a balance between the previous two.
When Hecate, Queen of Witches, appears at her place and demands her to chose a path, Darlena panics and choose a path that she thought didn't exist: Red.
At the beginning she's freaked out because she gets expelled from her school and her parents treat her like she was a bomb. But the she begins to learn a little bit about what Red magic really is: Chaos.
Darlena has to face the decisions she made and choose a patron that will be her teacher and will help her along the way, but that's a bit difficult when all the gods are fighting for her attention and some of them are even willing to harm her in order to be her patron.

Let's begin this saying that I liked Darlena, she's a little impulsive and sometimes she doesn't think well the decisions she make but I liked her character.
I kind of expected some of the plot twists this book has, but it was still good, with a lot of action and that.
I really like Justin but he confuses me a little with his moods. Rochelle's pretty cool with all her dark magic and so.
Darlena's mother plays an important role and I like her character too.
My favorite godess were Aphrodite (even though she's a little bit too obsessed with love) and Persephone, I've liked her even before I read the book, I think she's pretty cool. I also loved Hades, he's cute.
Anyway, the book is fast to read because it's intriguing and keeps you wanting more, it's not that long and has a fair end. I like that it doesn't leave you incomplete like others do even though it doesn't answer many of my questions.
I gave it a 4 because I didn't like the final end, it was quick and without a lot of harm or action. I hoped there would be more blood and more disaster since she's the Daughter of Chaos, but well…
I really recommend it if you like books with action, a little bit of romance and that talk about these different kind of witches that have gods as patrons, that's a new idea and it's definitely awesome, I think that was my favorite part: the originality with the gods.

About the author

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Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller.
A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. She's a graduate of Western Michigan University, and she also earned her MS in Library Science at Clarion University of Pennsylvania.
When she isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college.

  My rating

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Thrall - Review

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Thrall
Author: Jennifer Quintenz
Publisher: Secret Tree Press
Source: The author
Publication Date: May 1st, 2012
Pages: 281
Goodreads
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Braedyn is a normal girl just trying to survive high school with her two devoted friends, Royal and Cassie. Together they’re doing a pretty good job of shrugging off the slings and arrows cast their way by the popular crowd when a new boy, Lucas, moves into the house next door. Suddenly Braedyn finds herself falling in love for the first time.
But as her sixteenth birthday approaches, Braedyn discovers humankind is at war with the Lilitu, an ancient race of enticing demons that prey on human souls. Her father is a member of the Guard fighting against the Lilitu - and so are the new neighbors, including her crush, Lucas.
As her world starts to unravel at the seams, Braedyn learns the right answers aren’t always clear or easy. And as for “good” and “evil” – it all depends on how we choose to act.

My opinon

Braedyn is a normal girl that lives undisturbed in her school full of douche bags.
Then Lucas moves next to her and he's instantly the main objective of all the girls in the zone, he's hot and nice and cute.
And then Braedyn turns 16 and boom, suddenly she's hot as hell and all the boys want to be with her, she becomes very popular.
But apart from that, Braedyn has a big problem: she's a demon.
She's adopted, her father raised her so she could be on their side: demons hunters.
And Lucas is a demon hunter, and he doesn't know she's a demon.
Now she's turned apart between her true nature and her love for Lucas.
Between her dad and the ones that are just like her… but planning destruction.

Without another word he slid toward me, slipped his arms around me, and drew me forward into a kiss. Our lips met and the jolt of electricity I felt in my stomach dwarfed every kiss I'd imagined us having. My willpower broke, swept away by the force of my feelings. For one moment, nothing was real beyond that kiss.

Braedyn is kind of exasperating sometimes, but I think she handles the situation just like any other teenager would do it.
I like her friends, Royal and Cassie. Royal is really cool and Cassie… well, I think she could have done better in a certain part, I mean, I know how hard it must be, but she should have given the punch back, harder. Or just say "Yes, so what?". I don't know.
For Lucas… well, he's cute and hot and everything so yeah, he's lovable.
And the rest were really cool too, Braedyn's father, Lucas' sister-in-law, etc.
The book is kind of slow even if it's not that long, I don't know, it was intriguing but no that much.
And I really liked the theme, it was original and really well handled. I liked that.
I don't have much to say to yeah, I'll leave it like that.
I liked it and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good story about demons.

About the author

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Jennifer Quintenz is a film and television writer, author, and graphic novelist. She has written for Twentieth Television, Intrepid Pictures, and Archaia Studios Press. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son.

  My rating

Thanks to the author for providing an ebook for the review!

Side Effects May Vary (Review)

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Side Effects May Vary
Author: Julie Murphy
Publisher: HarperCollins/ Balzer + Bray
Source: FFBC
Publication Date: March 18th, 2014.
Pages: 336
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What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?
When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.
Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

My opinon

First we have Alice, this tough girl who really know how to kick an ass and she has cancer, she's dying and she knows it.
Then we have Harvey, he is such a sweet nice boy and he's totally in love with this Alice girl even though he knows she'll break his heart.
Alice has a list and Harvey helps her to finish it before she dies.
They're both the perfect couple and Alice has already assimilated that she's going to die in matter of days.
But then the miracle happens and she gets the amazing news: she's in remission. She will live.
But how can you live a life you though you've already lost?
She will now have to face the consequences of all she've done.

“I knew how to die. It was the living that scared me.”

I really didn't know what to expect from this book and it was awesome. At first I said "Oh, another cancer book, well, I don't know if it will be good after TFiOS but let's see". And it has nothing to do with TFiOS. Alice knows that she is going to die and she faces it in a really cool way, not totally mature (because she wants revenge before dying) but not in a childish scared way, she faces it as a teenager (it kind of reminded me to this movie with Dakota Fanning: Now is good).
Anyway, she did a lot of things she wouldn't dare to do when she had her whole life ahead of her, but she was going to die so she did what she did because there were no consequences. I mean, I totally get it, I would do the same in a situation like that.

“On that cold night in January it all slipped into place for me and she became my everything and my everyone. My music, my sun, my words, my hope, my logic, my confusion, my flaw.”

The problem? She dragged along Harvey with her, and he's such a nice cute boy. It wouldn't have been a problem if she died because they'll both be happy and Harvey would have his memories. But she didn't, she lived and now she has to face the consequences.
The book is narrated in first person by Alice and Harvey, in the past and present. It may sound a bit crazy and confusing but the author really handles it very well and it makes you be intrigued about the actions leading to the present and what's happening in the present too with Alice and Harvey.
It's a romantic book. A bit of comedy, a lot of drama.

"I didn't want the easy kind of love, I wanted the crazy love, the kind of love that created and destroyed all at the same time."

I loved the characters and I loved the way Julie writes.
It was an awesome book that I recommend to anyone who wants to read a dramatic love story when the main character doens't die and has the opportunity to live again.
I really loved Alice and her tough character. She was the perfect girl for fighting against cancer, and she won.
The decisive point for the 5 stars was the end. And it was so fucking good I had to give this book a 5 stars rating.

About the author

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Julie lives in North Texas with her husband who loves her, her dog who adores her, and her cat who tolerates her. When she's not writing or trying to catch stray cats, she works at an academic library. Side Effects May Vary is Julie's debut novel.

  My rating

Solving for Ex (Review)

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Solving for Ex Author: Leigh Ann Kopans
Publisher: Self-published
Source: FFBC
Publication Date: February 11th 2014
Pages: 300
Goodreads
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1 crush on your best friend +
1 gorgeous, scheming new girl +
1 Mathletics competition =
1 big mess
SIMPLIFY.

Ashley Price doesn’t have much in life after being bullied so hard she had to leave her old school to live with her aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. But the camera she borrowed from her best friend and secret crush Brendan, and her off the charts math abilities, make things a lot more bearable. Plus, since Brendan is the captain, making the school Mathletes team should be easy.
But when gorgeous new girl Sofia rolls in and steals Brendan, Ashley's place on the team, and her fragile foothold on the Mansfield Park Prep social totem pole, it’s on. Sofia is everything Ashley left her old school to escape. The only thing Ashley didn’t count on is Sofia’s sexy twin brother Vincent.
Vincent is not only the hottest boy in school, he’s charming, sweet, and he’s got his eye on Ashley. He’s also not taking no for an answer. There's no real reason Ashley shouldn't like Vincent, but with the battle lines being drawn between her and Sofia, Ashley’s not sure which side he’s on. Or which side she wants him to be on.
She does know Sofia is trouble with a capital T, and she’s determined to make Brendan see it.

My opinon

Ashley is this cute girl obsessed with mathematics and his best friend Brendan.
She doesn't trust people easily and she doesn't have a lot of friends since she was bullied in her previous school. The only one she has is Brendan, and she's madly in love with him, but he's clueless.
So a new year is about to begin and there are two new kids at school. Brothers. One girl, one boy. They are perfect, hot and smart, funny and loved by everyone.
The the girl, Sophie, starts to flirt with Brendan. And the boy, Vincent, with Ashley.
AT first Ashley is broken hearted since Brendan is drooling for Sophie all the time. But then Vincent comes and he's so sweet and perfect and nice and she can't waste that opportunity when every other girl in the school is dying for him and he only has eyes her.
Anyway, with all that, the drama begins.

Ever since happiness heard your name, it has been running through the streets trying to find you.

I have to say I didn't what to expect form this book but it was a really nice surprise, it made me like a little bit more maths but they're still mean to me so… The math theme is a good original thing and it's cool because in that school Ashley's in being in the Mathletes is considered a cool thing.
The characters are awesome, they're normal teenagers (a little bit smarter tho) that like to party (or maybe not) and have a lot of drama in their lives.

Every night you turned me down was worth it, if all I ever get is just this one.

I liked Ashley, she wasn't a super strong girl everyone loves as a character. But she was real, a normal teenager with a conflicted life.
I the other hand, I loved Brendan too, but he was very naive and so clueless sometimes, I just wanted to slap him and tell him "Open your fucking eyes".
Vincent and Sophie… oh these two. I never totally understood Vincent and his weird ideas but I loved him most part of the book. Sophie? I hated her all along.
The book has a good size and it's easy to read and intriguing enough to make you want to read more.
In conclusion, I really liked it, it was a nice chick lit and I recommend it to everyone who wants to read something lovely, light and with a bit of math humor (I loved the jokes).

About the author

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Raised on comic books and classic novels, Leigh Ann developed an early love of science fiction and literature. As an adult, she rediscovered her love for not only reading, but also writing the types of fiction that enchanted her as a teen. Her debut novel, ONE, is about a girl with only half a superpower, the boy who makes her fly, and her struggle to make herself whole.
Leigh Ann, her husband, and four children live in Columbus, Ohio. When she’s not immersed in the world of fiction, you can find her obsessing over the latest superhero movie or using her kids as an excuse to go out for ice cream (again.)

  My rating

The Promise of Amazing (Review)

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The Promise of Amazing
Author: Robin Constantine
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: edelwiss
Publication Date: December 31st 2013
Pages: 371
Goodreads
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Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.
Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.
One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

My opinion

Wren is a normal good girl. She works for her mother in the family's catering hall and gets good grades at her school for good girls: "Sacred Heart".

Grayson is the cool popular boy of his school "St. Gabe", he is the captain of the Lacrosse team, he's really smart and hot and he has a whole future ahead of him… until he gets expelled.

In one of the parties in Wren's catering hall their paths cross when Wren saves Grayson's life.
She thought that would be it, she saved his life and period, they would never see each other again. She didn't know how wrong she was.

I kept thinking of her eyes, the depths of them, the way she looked right into me, and I wasn't afraid of what she'd find.

It's like an almost 3.5 I really liked it but I didn't find anything new in this novel. A girl who saves a boy (thank God it's not the other way around) and a fresh simple love of teenagers.
The characters are good, realistic and really easy to read.

It's a 371 pages book and still, you read it really fast and it doesn't have extra explanations.

The book is told by the point of view of the two characters in first person. I liked that because I could understand both sides. I preferred Gray's narration but Wren's wasn't bad at all.

I would have loved to know more about both character's friends, but it was okay like that.
It's the first book of the author and I congratulate her because it's good book with a good and lovely story that you can read in a summer afternoon in a french coffee place with a delicious coffee and a cute muffin.
I liked it and I recommend it to anyone who wants to read a light, lovely and juvenile romance.

About the author

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Robin Constantine is a born and bred Jersey girl who moved down South so she could wear flip-flops year round. She spends her days dreaming up stories where love conquers all, well, eventually but not without a lot of peril, angst and the occasional kissing scene.

My rating

A Shimmer of Angels (review)

Talking about: books

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Title: A Shimmer of Angels
Series: Angel Sight #1
Author: Lisa M. Basso
Publisher: Month9Books
Source: NetGalley
Publication Date: 29 January, 2013
Pages: 321
Goodreads
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Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?

My opinion

When I finished this book I immediately put it 5 stars. I thought about it for some seconds and then it changed to 4. And now, that it's been a while, I realized this book is more a 3. The characters and the story weren't in my head time enough for being a 4.
Anyway, everything starts with Rayna, a girl who sees wings, majestic wongs in weird people. The girl is totally sane nevertheless she is on her first day at school after getting out of a mad house. Totally sane but she sees wings, so she stops and start pretending she doesn't to convince herself the wings are just in her imagination.
But she arrives to school and, guess what? The new boy has wings. Immediately she gets scared and get away from him. It's actually kind of silly and dumb, really dumb. I mean, the wings have never even touched her and the people in the wings never did anything to her, she actually doesn't have like a real good reason to be afraid, she just doesn't want to believe she is crazy but her reactions are ver exaggerate if you ask me.
The point is she just pretend she doesn't see this guy, she continues with her 'normal' life and goes to her very first day of work. But again, guess what? Another angel. But this one has black wings… wings she had never seen before. Her reaction was the same, but in this case it is kind of justified because of the scenario. And that's how it all begins.

“What would angel lips taste like? Sunshine? Marshmallows? Or something altogether different? Maybe buttered-popcorn jelly beans.”

Personally, I hated almost all the characters.
Rayna is a very clumsy girl (she keeps throwing things, tripping and almost dying) and also her reactions are kind of dumb and exaggerate. Sometimes she isn't THAT bad, sometimes she does things I would probably have done the same, so she was a good character but sometims I just wanted to hit her hard to see if she reacted the proper way.
Cam… he is another bipolar. An angel in the golden wings. He's sweet and cute in one momento and the next he is as cold as an ice cube. I don't think he was a good character, I wanted to hit him more times than to Rayna.
And then we have Kade *sights* with him the story is saved. An angel in the black wings. A fallen angel. At the beginning he was very arrogant, but then he became a bit sweet. Kade is the only character in the book that is totally worth reading (yeah, I'm team Kade). But I found a couple of situations really weird (and all his past intrigues me).
Anyway, the only character I liked were Kade and Rayna's best friend, he is so hilarious and funny.
Now let's talk a bit about the villain, Az. The book doesn't talk much about him and his intentions… I actually expected more of a villain with such creepy plans, but well.

“When you're wearing a smile, it's easier to pass yourself off as happy.”

The topic… is good, nevertheless it's not a story that will stay forever in your mind, it's kind of the conventional story of angels and the end it's pretty much predictable (I expected something more dramatic).
The story is pleasant and easy to read, that's a plus that will keep you reading until the very end, it's really a quick story you can read in a calm afternoon.
It's a good book so that's why it stays with the rating I'm giving.
I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a simple lovely story about angels with a lot of romance and a bit of action.
Finally, I wold like to remark that beautiful cover it has, it's… angelical.

Sobre la autora:
Lisa M. Basso was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She is a lover of books, video games, animals, and baking (not baking with animals though). As a child she would crawl into worlds of her own creation and get lost for hours. Her love for YA fiction started with a simple school reading assignment: S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. When not reading or writing she can usually be found at home with The Best Boyfriend that Ever Lived ™ and her two darling (and sometimes evil) cats, Kitties A and B.
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Thanks to NetGalley for the ebook.

Muted: short story (Review)

Title: Muted
Author: Jessica Bell
Publisher: Vine Leaves Press
Genres: Cyberpunk, Dystopian
Pages: 28
Goodreads
Buy: Amazon
Source: Author, for review
Publication Date: May 25th 2013
Synopsis:
It's illegal to wear clothes. In some streets, it's also illegal to sing. Concetta, a famous Italian a capella singer from before "the change," breaks these laws. As punishment, her vocal chords are brutally slashed, and her eardrums surgically perforated. Unable to cope living a life without song, she resolves to drown herself in the river, clothed in a dress stained with performance memories. But Concetta's suicide attempt is deterred, when she is distracted by a busking harpist with gold eyes and teeth. Will he show her how to sing again, or will the LEO on the prowl for another offender to detain, arrest her before she has the chance?

My opinion

I started to read this short story in the morning, I didn't knew it was that short. I really love the beginning, it tells us a piece of Concetta's harsh life.
The story is really, really short, that's why I can't tell you a lot about it.
It's written in verse, which I really loved because it was a different way for me to read a story, and it was amazingly written, I loved the words she used and the way she arranged them.

“What’s the fucking point?”

You have to admit that the plot is really original and tough. It's a dystopian world, and it's hard to live in it.
The beginning, as I said before, it's wonderful. It leaves you with your mouth opened and saying "Oh my God, what a shock".
The cover is pretty cool and I think it's perfect for the story. It really has a potential.
We don't get to know that much Concetta, but we get to know the important things about her and some of her ideas.
Also, we get to know somethings about the Queen and the LEO men. And of course, we get to know a bot of the harpist, and I think he's marvelous, the way the author describes this man is just… magnificent.
And finally, the whole scenario. The world where wearing clothes it's illegal and singing is too in some streets. The world where the singer can't talk or smile, just sing. That world it's original and really creepy. I wouldn't survive a day in that place, I guess the author really capture the scent of a futuristic, scary, awesome world. I'm really thrilled and I want to know more about that world, about the Queen, about Concetta, and of course, about the harpist.
Finally, I can't say much about this short story without spoiling it, so I'm just saying that I loved it and I really recommend it, it's very original and I think it's worth a try.
Beside, I will love to read a book about all this if Jessica decides to write it, it will be awesome.

About the author
If Jessica Bell could choose only one creative mentor, she’d give the role to Euterpe, the Greek muse of music and lyrics. This is not only because she currently resides in Athens, Greece, but because of her life as a thirty-something Australian-native contemporary fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter/guitarist, whose literary inspiration often stems from songs she’s written.
Being the daughter of a semi-famous rock ‘n’ roll duo from Melbourne, she grew up surrounded by song. For a while it seemed logical to travel the musician’s path, especially when her first band, spAnk, hit it off in the Melbourne indie music scene back in the late 90s. Although she spent her years writing and recording dozens of songs she decided she also had a love for the written word, and began to pursue a career as a writer.
She started as a poet, drawing from her musical background and etching her thoughts and feelings into verse. Those stanzas soon turned into sentences and paragraphs, and eventually into published books.
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