Book Review: Finding Monsters

Finding Monsters

                       By Liss Thomas

Book Description:
Monsters are real but they're not what we'd expect. Their realm lays hidden only to be found in darkness. They watch their humans, the little ones and keep them from the dark portals leading to their world. To touch is forbidden... but not all follow the rules.
Missy has been fighting to live her entire life, but when she finds herself in a realm of unique and sometimes deadly monsters, she discovers just how much of a survivor she really is. Accidentally transferred to this mysterious realm by her monster and only friend, Charlie, he finds himself weak and unable to protector her. The only way she can defend herself and him, is to become a monster herself. But an unknown dark stalker watches her progress and if he steals her power, he will unleash a scourge on both his world and the world she left behind.

My Review:
Finding Monsters is a Young Adult novel, but don't let that discourage you from reading it. It's well written, has great characters, and the story is a great one. Liss Thomas definitely hit it out of the ballpark with this story. It's well written, has a great plot, and the characters are really like-able.

 I can honestly say I've never read anything like this before. We are taught all our lives that monsters are scary, bad, and evil. All they want to do is come steal us away from our families and take us to who knows where. Well in "Finding Monsters" Liss Thomas changes that perception with one of the main characters, Charlie. Charlie is a sweet monster who is in charge of the portal linking earth to the monster world hidden under Missy's bed. He watches over the portal, but of course also watches over Missy during that time. Missy has had cancer her entire life and just has one wish...to be a normal teenager. When her time comes Charlie thinks he can make that dream come true. Sadly, with one kiss Charlie seals both of their fates. With that one kiss Charlie and Missy become bonded and when Missy starts to die so does he.

The first half of the book was a bit slow, but there was never a moment where I felt I was bored with the story. I still wanted to know what was going to happen next. The second half definitely went a lot faster when Missy is pushed into the monster realm. Missy has to fight for herself and for Charlie, and who knows if she can do it.

Well actually I know, but if you want to know then you'll have to read the book for yourself. If you'd like to buy it for yourself then check out the link below. At $0.99 cents you can't pass it up, it's such a great read that is totally safe for your young teen.

Amazon.com: Finding Monsters




Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Book Review: Hidden Under Her Heart

Hidden Under Her Heart

By Rachelle Ayala

Meet The Author:

How did you first decide that you would become an author?
I always enjoyed writing short stories or satires, but never took it seriously until Michal jumped off the pages of Scripture and into my imagination. Here was a woman who was much maligned and misunderstood, because she was too independent and dared to defy authority in a time when women were viewed as property. Michal loved David before he became King. She defied her father to save his life, but was repaid with his marrying other wives and concubines. Her most famous act was to scold David for dancing lewdly in front of the Ark of the Covenant, which at this point, she is never heard from again. To me, there is an unfinished story begging to be told and while studying Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary, I found a comment on 2nd Samuel 3:5 that led me to believe that David actually loved Michal and there was a tragic reason why she never had a son who became king. Obviously I mixed fantasy with fact, motivated by the need to tell Michal's story in a way that is affirming to this great woman who saved not only David, but the line to Jesus Christ, yet was unappreciated and scorned by most preachers.

Is there any special way you come up with the ideas for your books?
Ideas take life on their own. I honestly don't know where they start, but once I start, I play out scenarios in my mind as if I were watching a movie. My most creative times are when I'm jogging. So I should do that more often. I start with a general conflict and set of characters, and from there, the story comes together as I write and daydream. For example, while working on Knowing Vera, I introduced a minor character named Krista. I thought about her background, what she wants, dreams about and why? Something comes to mind about protecting dugongs. What's a dugong? Why is this knocking on my brain? I google it and discover they are severely endangered and subject to poaching. Now I have a potential storyline. I add in a murder, then the who, why, when, where? and of course we must have LOVE. So let's take the twin brothers in my current Work in Progress and see how they can mix things up.

Why do your books all seem to have very different themes? They almost seem written by different people.
That is strange, isn't it? My voice changes with each book. I'm not very good at replicating anything, even myself. I like the freedom of living in the world of the current set of characters, absorbing everything from them, and immersing in their reality. But after I finish one book, there's a period of divorcing myself from one set of characters and moving in with the next. It is actually quite an emotional process for me and makes me sad and excited, like falling out of love with one person and back in love with someone else. 

Tell us about your upcoming work?
Knowing Vera is the next book in my contemporary "Chance For Love" series. If you've read Broken Build and Hidden Under Her Heart, then you already know Vera, to some extent, but not really. Vera has a flirtacious but tough public face and hides her emotions under a don't care attitude. But in Knowing Vera, she is forced to take off that veneer and face her fears as well as the secret she hid, that her father jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge because he was suspected of murdering a wealthy woman, one who happens to be her current bed buddy's late mother. Vera is unable to give him the usual brushoff because he suffered a crippling injury where he lost his leg. The story deals with admitting feelings to yourself and discovering that love is not real unless someone truly knows the real you, not just the illusion you portray.

Have your children read your books, if so what do they think about them?
My daughter (who's over 18) has read my books. She actually beta reads for me and gives me suggestions and feedback. She probably thinks her crazy mother has all sorts of strange ideas to write about and is amused.

Who are some of the authors you enjoy reading?
Melissa Foster, for her dramatic situations and characters that pull you in. Melisa Hamling, for the intensely sweet way her characters fall in love, Tracy Sumner, for her historical women who are ahead of their times and strong, unyielding men that can't resist them, and Mary Forbes for that intense addictive love story you can't get enough of. 

Thanks for answering my questions, anything else you would like to add?
Thanks for having me, Sally. I enjoy writing and the fact that I never know what adventures are in store for me next. But most of all, I enjoy the reactions I get from readers. I'm fulfilled when I have made a positive difference in someone's life.




My Review:
This is the third book I've read and reviewed from Rachelle Ayala and she never ceases to surprise me. There were so many things going on in this book, but not too much that I got lost. It does touch on some controversial issues two being racial issues and abortion.

So in this story we meet MaryAnne Torres and Lucas Knight, both seem like strong characters in the beginning. Sadly, we find out really soon that looks definitely are deceiving and they are both pretty damaged people. Now for me I found it kind of annoying with their back and forth indecisiveness. I grew up in a single parent household so I learned really quick that I'd have to be strong. So sometimes when reading stories where the woman is the "come and save me" type, well it turns me off. I kept asking myself, "Why won't she just say what she wants?" Then I started saying, "Why won't he just make up his mind?!" It got a little tiresome at times, but not to the point where I wanted to stop reading. It was really an emotional rollercoaster and kind of had me thinking, "How much more could one person take?" When the topic of abortion came up it was aimed more towards a prolife angle. I'm pro choice but I never felt like it was being forced upon me. Rachelle touched a bit on the religious reasons and that the child should have a chance at life. She also showed the other side of that with MaryAnne first choosing abortion as the better choice for her at the time. Now she ends up changing her mind, but not because she found god, but because she felt that adoption was a better choice. I think Rachelle really did it tastefully and I think it made me think about abortion and the other options out there. I'm still prochoice though, but I can say I am a little more open to seeing other views.

At the end I think it all turned out well and even though this is a romance story, there wasn't much love-making. So it wasn't racy at all and a really great read. Rachelle Ayala's books always have a religious theme to them, but they never feel like she is trying to hard. I'm not a religious person so this makes it a easy read for me.


Links: Amazon.com
Website: http://rachelleayala.me/
Twitter: @AyalaRachelle


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Book Review: Crime and Passion

Crime and Passion 

by 

Chantel Rhondeau

This book is a mystery romance book leaning more towards mystery throughout the book. You start off the book with the main character, Madeline Scott, finding a dead body on the beach. Well Chantel Rhondeau wasted no time and it was non-stop for the rest of the book. It literally took me less than a day to read this book because I couldn't put it down. Now while it was a great read it wasn't all peachy.

There were times where I was extremely frustrated with the back and forth relationship between the two main characters, Madeline Scott and Officer Donovan Andrews. I wanted to scream with his crude bad boy image and her weakness to it. I know C Rhondeau was trying to make Madeline seem like a strong woman, but it was really evident that she wasn't. It wasn't endearing though, for me and my opinion it was pretty darn annoying. If she were a friend of mine it would get old pretty quickly. I'd be rolling my eyes at her, "Do you think he really likes me? A like-like and not like the women that he bedded within a day? I can change him, right?" No, you can't change him! As strong as she was for overcoming her own past issues it was totally over shadowed by her low self esteem. I wanted her to either own her decision in her relationship with Donovan, or lack thereof, or she needed to completely walk away.

Now for Donovan...oh he is definitely a man that I would totally hate. He is like a male peacock strutting around trying to impress the females. Sure he opens up and you find out he has had some bad times in his life. Okay not just bad, but pretty darn horrible yet it still doesn't convince me that he is a good man. Now he may be a good person, but to me he would make a horrible boyfriend. All throughout the book the things he did and said were totally unacceptable. When he automatically moved his clothes into Madeline's house my first thoughts were...how is that okay? How is she not saying anything about that!?

As frustrated as I was with the romance portion of the book there was never a moment where I wanted to stop reading. Sure the flip flopping between the two was a little annoying. Sure their sweet endearments were a bit over the top. But Chantel Rhondeau kept the story moving forward which didn't give me the chance to truly "get over the book".  Once I got annoyed with the relationship, boom something else happened which carried you into a different direction. There weren't too many racy moments in the book, but a lot of lovey dovey "snippets".  I wouldn't recommend you letting your 10yr old read this, but if an older teen got their hands on it I wouldn't be too worried. The mystery definitely gives you a chance to take a breather from Madeline's and Donovan's up and down relationship. I did kind of know what was going on, but didn't have the whole picture. So by the end of the book I was thoroughly surprised at who the murderer was and why they did it. I think if you really like crime or romance books then this is definitely a book you should pick up.

You can check out more from Chantel Rhondeau HERE at her website.
Also if you'd like to purchase Crime and Passion you can do it HERE.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Book Review: Haven - A Stranger Magic

So I couldn't wait to read Haven: A Stranger Magic and I can assure you it definitely did not disappoint. I downloaded the book for my kindle, but it never even made it there. I opened it up on my pc to read while I "worked" on some blogging. I thought it would be a nice break in between typing up stuff and editing photos. Let's just say that I've been typing up and editing photos today because they never got done yesterday. Once I got started reading I couldn't stop, it had caught me.

The books starts off pretty quickly with you meeting Sam Dolcome, who is a seemingly ordinary teenager. At 13 his life is just regular, everything is regular for him. His frustrations about being just a regular kid are really prevalent throughout the book. It's almost a restlessness inside himself that just wants more. In a way it's no different from any other teenager who feels that they can take the world head on and conquer it. There is a major obstacle in that whole idea though...a secret. A secret that Sam's mother has kept from him and from his older sister Sarah.

Sarah is another great character who I think most people would love to hate. She is the typical popular girl with the typical attitude to go along with it. She is rude and mean to everyone and anyone and yet because of her looks she gets away with it. Now don't think that Sarah likes it that way because she really doesn't. You find that she is just as lost as Sam is and just wants to be a regular girl. She is far from regular though and I don't mean her pretty looks. Let's just say that water, anger, and her equals no bueno.

Another key player in the story is Travis who seems to have a great nose for chocolates. Seriously I thought I had a thing for chocolate. Travis is a bit of a geek, loves sci-fi and has a touch of ADD. He and Sam are best friends, which we all know its great to have friends especially when you're being chased by a horde of spiders.

Towards the end of the book D.C. Akers finally reveals the secret and why the kids' mother wants so desperately to keep it that way. There is some dark people coming and I know it'll only get better so I'm waiting for book two to be finished. This was a great story that was well written, the characters are well developed and likeable, the story is believable as well. I know its a story about magic, but D.C. Akers does a great job of really bringing it to life. It's a story that could take place in my neighborhood which would be totally cool.

Now while I did get my copy to review for free you can purchase Haven: A Stranger Magic over on Amazon.com. And... it's only $0.99! Seriously it should be worth so much more because its a great book.


About The Author:

Like many who enjoy the fantasy genre, Akers started reading it as an adolescent. He was fascinated with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Bram Stoker's Dracula. He currently enjoys reading works by Dean Koontz, Heather Brewer, J.K. Rowling, and Rick Riordan.

Akers enjoys creating a fantasy world with compelling storylines, while injecting humor and a touch of drama into the action as he did with his first book Terra Vonnel and the Skulls of Aries, which has received rave reviews.

"I start every story with this thought: Where can I take my audience now? To me it's about the journey, the escape into a world filled with the fantastic and the unexpected. There is nothing like an adventure that takes you further from reality with every turn of the page."

D.C. Akers was born in Texas and attended Crowley High School. After spending several years working in accounting, Akers began to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a writer.

Website: www.dc-akers.com
Facebook: FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorDCAkers
Twitter: @DC_Akers





I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Book Review: Joyland by Stephen King

I walked to get my mail a few days ago and inside a large envelope I found Stephen King's newest novel: "Joyland". I was pretty stoked as Stephen King happens to be one of my favorite writers. He's a classic writer in his own right and some of his novels will never be forgotten. Joyland surely won't disappoint and has a feeling of a great 70's murder mystery novel. It's starts off with the main character - Devin Jones who at 21 was recovering from a broken heart. He finds a summer job at Joyland, an amusement part that has an unsolved mystery - a murder.

For most of the beginning of the book it focuses on Devin's summer at Joyland. The emotions he goes through having lost his first love, and his meeting of "The boy in the wheelchair and his dog".  This story seems to have it all so it's definitely a book that you'll want to pick up and read. Stephen King definitely delivers with another great novel. I couldn't put this book down after I read the first page. I normally don't get into murder mysteries that much, but with Kings' great writing style there never seemed to be a dull moment. So who killed the girl in Joyland? Well you'll just have to read the book and find out.


You'll be able to get your own book on June 4th, but you can pre-order at Amazon.com.


Excerpt:

I had a car, but on most days in that fall of 1973 I walked to Joyland from Mrs. Shoplaw’s Beachside Accommodations in the town of Heaven’s Bay. It seemed like the right thing to do. The only thing, actually. By early September, Heaven Beach was almost completely deserted, which suited my mood. That fall was the most beautiful of my life. Even forty years later I can say that. And I was never so unhappy, I can say that, too. People think first love is sweet, and never sweeter than when that first bond snaps. You’ve heard a thousand pop and country songs that prove the point; some fool got his heart broke. Yet that first broken heart is always the most painful, the slowest to mend, and leaves the most visible scar. What's so sweet about that? Through September and right into October, the North Carolina skies were clear and the air was warm even at seven in the morning, when I left my second-floor apartment by the outside stairs. If I started with a light jacket on, I was wearing it tied around my waist before I’d finished half of the three miles between the town and the amusement park. I’ make Betty’s Bakery my first stop, grabbing a couple of still-warm croissants. My shadow would walk with me on the sand, at least twenty feet long. Hopeful gulls, smelling the croissants in their waxed paper, would circle overhead. And when I walked back, usually around five (although sometimes I stayed later—there was nothing waiting for me in Heaven’s Bay, a town that mostly went sleepybye when summer was over), my shadow walked with me on the water. If the tide was in, it would waver on the surface, seeming to do a slow hula. Although I can’t be completely sure, I think the boy and the woman and their dog were there from the first time I took that walk. The shore between the town and the cheerful, blinking gimcrackery of Joyland was lined with summer homes, many of them expensive, most of them clapped shut after Labor Day. But not the biggest of them, the one that looked like a green wooden castle. A boardwalk led from its wide back patio down to where the seagrass gave way to fine white sand. At the end of the boardwalk was a picnic table shaded by a bright green beach umbrella. In its shade, the boy sat in his wheelchair, wearing a baseball cap and covered from the waist down by a blanket even in the late afternoons, when the temperature lingered in the seventies. I thought he was five or so, surely no older than seven. The dog, a Jack Russell terrier, either lay beside him or sat at his feet. The woman sat on one of the picnic table benches, sometimes reading a book, mostly just staring out at the water. She was very beautiful. Going or coming, I always waved to them, and the boy waved back. She didn’t, not at first. 1973 was the year of the OPEC oil embargo, the year Richard Nixon announced he was not a crook, the year Edward G. Robinson and Noel Coward died. It was Devin Jones’s lost year. I was a twenty-one year-old virgin with literary aspirations. I possessed three pairs of bluejeans, four pairs of Jockey shorts, a clunker Ford (with a good radio), occasional suicidal ideations, and a broken heart. Sweet, huh? Copyright © 2013 by Stephen King

About Stephen King: 
Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. Among his most recent are the Dark Tower novels, Cell, From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, Hearts in Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and Bag of Bones. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Children's Book Review & Giveaway

Children's Bookset

So while I was shopping at HEB for my monthly groceries I came upon these really cute children's books. I loved how they were illustrated, all by different people. They had a pretty big selection of books but I opted for the more well known ones. I chose 8 books that I thought most of us had read growing up. They're all great to help get the kiddos to bed, spend some time with them, and for them to get better with reading.

First up is the Gingerbread man illustrated by Gail Yerrill. If you don't know what the book is about well its about an old woman who wants to eat a tasty treat so she bakes a gingerbread man. Well I know I wouldn't want to get eaten and neither did the gingerbread man because he jumped up and ran away. This is a classic story retold by Louise Martin and will definitely get your little one laughing.

The next story on the list is Rumpelstiltskin which is illustrated by Erica-Jane Waters. I loved the vivid colors she used in the book. They are definitely eye-catching and will grab your little ones attention. If you aren't familiar with the story its about a miller who told a huge tale to the king about his daughter. His lies put his daughter in a pretty bad spot, but Rumpelstiltskin comes to her rescue? Be careful what you ask for.

The third book is Beauty and the Beast illustrated by Jacqueline East. The story isn't the same Disney story, in this version the girl is named Beauty and she has two sisters. Her father is a merchant who loses everything and gets lost in a forest only to be confronted by the Beast. I thought it was a bit iffy on the message though - she refuses to marry him until the very end when he turns into a human. Maybe beauty is skin deep, at least thats what I got from it.

I absolutely adore the illustrative work by Polana Lovsin. The story is the same one we all grew up with. I think the illustrations definitely bring this story to life. If you aren't familiar about the story its about a little duckling that is ridiculed about his looks. Everyone sees his "ugly" gray feathers and he feels horrible about it and hides himself. Well once he grows up he finds out he wasn't so ugly after all.

Little fact: a baby swan is actually called a cygnet, but I don't think "The Ugly Cygnet" would sound sa good.

The cute illustrations done by Erica-Jane Waters makes you almost forget the fact that Hansel and Gretel is about a witch that wants to eat children. I mean seriously some children's books are so out there, but it made sure you stayed close to home. For those of you who don't remember the story - Hansel and Gretel's step-mother take them into the woods and leave them because they can no longer care for everyone in the family. The meet a witch at a gingerbread house and have to fight for their lives.

Jack and the Beanstalk is another story that sort of strays from the story I remembered. This version Jack meets the giants wife who helps him while he is basically stealing from her husband. The story ends the same though with the giant dying after Jack cuts the beanstalk down. This version is illustrated by Gavin Scott whose drawings are bit more rough with a childlike look to them.

Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs is the 7th book that I'll be giving away and its illustrated by Jacqueline East. This story stays true to the stories I grew up with as well as the Disney story. Evil stepmother jealous and crazy goes after poor Snow White for being "fairer" than her. Handsome prince comes to kiss her and voila she wakes up and they wed. We all know the story and I for one am still waiting for my handsome prince to come whisk me away to some palace far away.

The Princess and the Pea was actually a story I didn't really remember ever reading. I know I heard of it a couple of times but didn't really remember it. Apparently princesses' have very sensitive backs because she could feel a teeny tiny pea underneath tons of mattresses.                                                  

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Book Review Plague Nation by Dana Fredsti

Plague Nation by Dana Fredsti

Synopsis: 

Sequel to the thrilling zombie novel PLAGUE TOWN. The undead have been defeated in Redwood Grove, CA, but reports of similar outbreaks are coming in. What seemed to be an isolated event is turning into a pandemic. The last thing Ashley Parker wanted when she went to college was to join the military, but she is one of a select few who are immune to the virus. Gifted with enhanced speed, strength, and senses, she’s recruited by a shadowy international organization that’s existed for centuries, its sole purpose to combat the zombie threat.

Dark secrets begin to emerge, and when an unknown enemy strikes, Ashley and the other zombie hunters—known as “wild cards”—embark on a desperate mission to reach San Francisco. If they fail, the plague will sweep the nation unchecked. And the person she cares for most may die. Or worse.

My Review:

So I was very excited to get this book because I loved the first book, Plague Town. Ashley Parker is a kick-ass character and I really like her, so was excited to see what happened to her next. I also wanted to see what would come of her relationship with Gabriel. Things between them seemed to have cooled off though, but I'm sure it isn't all over for them. Plague Nation is full of zombie action with Ashley and the other wild cards traveling to try and reach a new lab - their old lab was destroyed. Wild cards are people who were somehow immune to the plague that turned everyone else into zombies. Sadly not everyone makes it to the end, but obviously not everyone is going to live in a zombie apocalypse.

The book was a bit repetitive in the beginning - fight zombie, kill zombie, fight zombie, kill zombie, but towards the middle is when you get that - WHAT? moment. Someone is trying to stop Ashley and the wild cards from finding a cure to the virus. Yup there are some very evil humans that see nothing wrong with the whole world going down in one zombiefied boom.

Overall this book really delivered and was a great match to Plague Town -which I absolutely loved. While some of the pop culture references blew me off, honey boo boo...really; they didn't kill the fun. It was filled with a funny, strong, wise-cracking heroine just trying to save the nation...or world. Yup I'm sure the next book will end up being Plague World - and hopefully Ashley and the rest of the wild cards will finally bring an end to the zombie virus.

You can also check out my review to the first book in this series: Plague Town. 

Revamped by Ada Adams

REVAMPED

BY ADA ADAMS

Synopsis:

A simple mission turned deadly.

Nineteen-year-old vampire Dawn has led a sheltered life within the confines of her father’s presidential headquarters. Upon being sent on a mission to revamp four goofy misfits into guardians of a peaceful little town of Angel Creek, Dawn believes that all her dreams have finally come true. What starts off as a simple task, turns into something unexpected, changing Dawn’s life forever and leading the action-loving, thrill-seeking vampire teen on a path of mystery, danger and intrigue.

 

My Review:

There is one major twist in ReVamped and that's that vampires are out in the open and are accepted by humans. You have shows such as Next Vamp Idol and Transylvania Shore, um yea I see what you did there Ada. Humans love vampires and are so accepting that they have a Scarlet House, which is much like the human White House.

The characters were well developed and center around, Dawn, the daughter of the Scarlet House - aka Vampire president. She's super cool and highly trained in martial arts and other combat. Her main job is to train younger vamps to defend themselves, even though vampires and humans live peacefully together. Things start to get "Fun" when rebel vamps start causing all kinds of problems thus putting the humans in danger. Dawn's father sends her on a special mission entrusting her to train a group of vampires living in a small town. Only problem is they totally suck at being vampires and Dawn has to train them from the bottom up.

ReVamped does have some underlying romance to go along with the sci-fi, fantasy them, but it is realistic. No angsty teenage girl meeting a equally angsty boy and falling in love within the span of 5 seconds. I'm not sure if angtsy is a word, but whatever I'm using it! Vampires are actually vampires with no stupid sparkling in the sun. Please don't read this book thinking you're going to find some vampire love and its just going to be beautiful, because you won't. You will find a great written book with an awesome thought provoking plot and awesome characters that will have you reading this book cover to cover without a break.

You can find Revamped over on Amazon.com: HERE

Also all available Ada Adams books: HERE

You can find her website here (although it hasn't been updated): HERE

Legend of the Oceina Dragon Book Review

Legend of the Oceina Dragon

by JF Jenkins

Synopsis:
Lord Oceina approaches the island Of Oceina when it is time for the giving of a sacrifice. This sacrifice enables the island people to live without fear of the other dragons nearby, and live life without worrying about the lives of their people.

The sacrifice must be a virgin, no older than 18 years old, of pure blood; this sacrifice is given to Lord Oceina as a trade for peace, safety and protection for the island residents. The residents find the sacrifice is just and acceptable and even the bearer considers them self to be worthy and special to be chosen. They approach their day of sacrifice to only find it is not what the past has portrayed but a whole different meaning to the word sacrifice.

There are four dragon species, representing different elements and each having their own qualities and abilities which are indescribably mystical.

Darien is the youngest of his species, Lord Oceina being his father hands Darien his sacrifice on his 18th birthday. His birthday gift if you may call it that - her name is Tai. A sacrifice I'm sure they will both remember.


My Review:
I've read a few of J.F. Jenkins books and this one definitely doesn't disappoint. I really love reading books that are in a series because I think it allows the reader time to get to know a particular character. J.F. Jenkins does an excellent job on allowing the characters enough room for growth as well as the plot. It is a YA romance novel, but it shouldn't be labeled with just that because its full or mystery and suspense. 

The characters are well thought out and really likeable. The setting is amazing and I would love to see into the mind of J.F. Jenkins because I don't know how she came up with Oceina.

Darien was a great character and my favorite in the book. He is definitely a great guy and I can't wait to read more about him and to see how he matures, because he has a lot on his plate. 

Tai is just a regular girl and is chosen to be the "sacrifice" to the dragon king. She obviously doesn't know what that means and ends up having a hatred for Darien even before she meets him. Talk about being confused when she finds herself falling in love with the "enemy". That's always a fun time isn't it?

I can't wait to read the next installment in the series and hope it is as good as this book, although I'm sure it will be.

You can find J.F. Jenkins books over on Amazon.com: HERE
Also at Barnes & Noble: HERE

A Rodeo Man's Promise Book Review

A Rodeo Man's Promise 
by Marin Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Description: Winning dominated Riley Fitzgerald's mind…until the day he met Maria Alvarez. Now, all the rodeo champ can think about is winning Maria's heart—a task that may be tougher than busting broncs. As a struggling teacher of at-risk teens in an impoverished, gang-infested neighborhood, Maria doesn't trust the affections of a rich, hot-shot cowboy, especially one who's ten years her junior. But she can't deny the attraction between them—and luckily, Riley's never been one to back down from a challenge. There's only one thing that's more important to Riley than earning another world title, and that's earning Maria's trust. He's got one chance to prove to Maria that he's all the man she'll ever need, and she's the only woman he'll ever want.
My Review: The two main characters are Riley and Maria and the two of them cross paths early on in the book and never seem to spend much time apart after their initial meeting. Maria is older than Riley by about 10yrs, but that doesn't stop the young cowboy from pursuing her. Having had a failed engagement Maria is very guarded and tries hard not to let Riley in. The two grow closer as Riley helps Maria and the at risk teens she works with. Obviously we all know where this is going. Maria comes to terms with the fact that she is attracted to the much younger Riley and finally gives in, sort of, to his advances. As guarded as she is she makes Riley really work at capturing her heart.

Although this book is a romance novel there isn't really any adult situations and is a pretty innocent read. The book is short and to the point, but tells a great story. I kind of wished there was a part two to see where the two end up.

Drinks, Drama, & Degrees - Book Review

Drinks Drama & Degrees 
by Vermel Kinmon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoyed the story as it's something that I could see happening between my friends and myself. The story is told in a real way with real characters. I can relate to a lot of the feelings that they went through. The story was about 4 African American teens going off to college and the growing pains they all had to go through. They each had their own hurdles to jump over and for the most part they all dealt with them. Their names were Destine, Jordan, Ericka, and Mya and they all went to TSU for college. Tons of drama in this book and I think a lot of women have gone through the same type of drama the characters went through.

I think I would have liked to have seen Destine and Jordan become friends again, but you can't have it all.

Now I did find a bit of typos and misprints, but I knew what the author was trying to say so it didn't take away from the story. I think that is something that will need to be addressed by the publisher and not so much the author.

Wrestling Reality - Book Review

Wrestling Reality: The Life and Mind of Chris Kanyon Wrestling's Gay Superstar
by Chris Kanyon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When I first read the description of the book I was interested. While I am not a huge, nor was I ever, a big fan of wrestling this book offered more. I wasn't too familiar with Chris Kanyon, but google was able to fill in the gaps. It must have been so tough for him to not only let people in on his homosexuality, but to battle with depression at the same time. Towards the end of the book I so wanted it to be a joke. Like psych he really didn't commit suicide and is laughing his butt off somewhere. He was such a like-able guy and someone that I feel anyone could have gotten along with. Having dealt with depression myself and having lost my older brother to suicide I was a bit scared to read this book. It wasn't about his death, but about his life. He had a great life and I just wished he had seen that, just as I wish my own brother had seen it.

If any of the other wrestling books out there are like this one, then I'll be reading a whole lot more. Thank you to the editors/publishers, the Klucsarits family, and Chris himself for letting all of us read his story.

Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea

Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea
by Morgan Callan Rogers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I actually thumbed through this book as I was reading another and landed on a page in the middle of the book. The words "hot tuna" stuck out and drew me in.

This books is about a girl named Florine and the turbulent waters she faces in her teenage years. The story mainly begins when Florine's mom, Carlie, goes missing on a trip. Florine was 12yrs old when her mother went missing and she struggled to move forward and realize that her father was trying to do the same thing. The next 6yrs go by with Florine and her three friends: Bud, Glen, and Dottie growing up in The Point. Florine's struggles with her father moving on to find some closure and attention had her reeling. Then disaster strikes as her rock, her grandmother, dies and leaves her "alone".

The other characters in this book were mainly her father, Leeman; her grandmother, Grand; and her father's gf, Stella. All the characters were pretty much likable except for Stella. She had liked Leeman when they were kids and left The Point only to return to him married. She kind of came across as really desperate and basically preyed upon a broken man. But that is just my opinion.

This book is a great read and I'm glad I had a chance to read it. The only thing that could have made it better was some kind of closure on Carlie's story. What really happened to her? Do I see a sequel in the future?

Mirrored Book Review

BY FREDERICK J, ARCENEAUX

Mirrored has a lot going on - murder, suspense, romance, and voodoo? Set in Thibodaux, Louisiana on an old plantation that was the scene of double murders. It's new owner, Christine Albright, doesn't know what she is getting into. She meets the only survivor of the murder, Celestine Badeau who is now a teenager and seems to have more in common with Christine than she knows. Both women have had a run in with some bad paranormal stuff, and I definitely wouldn't want to be either of them.
Meeting Celestine actually opens up some really bad old wounds for Christine and it threatens to undermine everything she has overcome thus far. Thrown into the mix is a budding romance with a gentleman named Jonathon. The paranormal element in the story is well written and thought out. This book could have made out well without the romance part in it because it kind of hurts it. The way Jonathan and Christine address each other kind of turned me off. I really couldn't deal with someone calling me honey, sweetheart, and darling when I've just met them. Also the length of their romance left a sour taste in my mouth. It was just way too short for me to see a couple falling that deep in love in such a short period of time. That could just be my opinion, but for me it would not be the norm. 

Overall the supernatural elements save this story as I loved being scared at 1am after reading it. Those parts were really put together well and if Frederick were to rewrite the romance part, I'd be completely sold.

Book Review: Randomveus Volume 1

 RANDOMVEUS VOLUME 1

 

The story takes place in a really vivid and colorful place called Randomveus. Randomveus is well...totally, completely random. It seems like everything and anything is possible here. Anything that you can imagine can happen in Randomveus. You start out delivering packages with the main character, Raimundo. He has to deliver a package to a huge foot with a mouth? Yea, remember I said RANDOM. Raimundo is a courier and he has a pretty complicated life. He turns out to be wanted for some "unknown" reason. Which is actually just unknown to you, but not to me because I've read the book. He ends up being chased all around Randomveus dodging umm... random things all for some money and chowder. Yes you read that correctly, CHOWDER. Apparently there is some awesomely fantastic chowder and Randomveus and people are willing to kill for it.

Randomveus is so stylized with its bright colors and smooth lines. Its full of action and has a wide arrange of characters who are well developed, even if they are completely random. If you like Japanese manga then you will really like this comic book. It is well drawn and, believe it or not, has a good story behind it.





  
Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: Cherubs

CHERUBS

Cherubs starts off in Heaven following a pack of misfit cherubs that aren't really needed anymore. They're all pretty much chilling when the first murder in Heaven takes place. Yes, that's right I said the first murder in Heaven. I didn't know murders could occur there, definitely not the band of cherubs who were quickly accused of it. So the group does the only thing they can think of at the time...run to Earth! Of course when they arrive no one on Earth thinks twice about some tiny baby looking men with wings is weird. Hey it's a comic, anything can happen.

Once they arrive on Earth they meet Mary, not that one of course. She is on the run as well and they band together to fight evil. Of course you'll have to read the book to find out if they come out on top or not.

Cherubs is filled with detailed whimsical illustrations and gritty writing. It was a good short read and left me wanting to read more. Bryan Talbot and Mark Stafford did a great job on this book and can't wait to read/see more from them.
  


Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: The Curse of Dracula

THE CURSE OF DRACULA

  
The Curse of Dracula is definitely for the more mature reader. It doesn't have anything too out of control, but I wouldn't really like my 10yr old read it either. The story opens with a man being attacked by a swarm of vampires. A group of vampire killers feel generous enough to help him out, or maybe they just really enjoy killing vampires. You'll definitely recognize Van Helsing as no real story about vampire killing would leave him out. It is set in more present times, which I really liked. I also liked how the author adapted Dracula into a more modern villain. Dracula can make you or break you, literally, in this story. I seriously wouldn't want to go up against him. 

The story ends in a surprising way so I won't let the cat out of the bag. You'll have to read it if you want to find out if Dracula gets defeated. Hah, that's kind of funny to say that...as if Dracula could ever be defeated! Overall it was a great quick read full of a great story and good illustrations.   




Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: Billy Fog and The Gift of Trouble

 Billy Fog and The Gift of Trouble

Billy Fog consists of three sections: poems, bestiary and miscellaneous. The illustrations throughout the book are kind of roughly drawn, but it fits perfectly with the feel of the book.

Billy Fog is just your typical young boy that finds himself in trouble. He has his pet cat that he essentially torments, but deep down he loves him. Sadly one day he finds his cat has died and realizes just how much it meant to him. He spends a lot of the time trying to find a way to bring his pet back. I think we've all felt the loss of a pet and wanted so much to be able to bring them back.

The bestiary is full of fantastic creatures. Every page has tons of information on them plus some helpful tips if you should ever happen to meet one. The miscellaneous section has a sort of catch all for poems and stories, but none really stray far from the main story of Billy Fog.  

The book has a more dark feel to it so I don't really know if it would be for younger children. I think preteens and up would really like it. It is really well written and I enjoyed the illustrations from cover to cover.




 Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: Retrovirus

RETROVIRUS

The story opens up 38,888yrs ago with cavemen warring with each other. It then shoots back to the present day with the main character, -- Wallace.

She works on retroviruses and meets up with two men who have something of high interest to her. They won't give her all the details but what she sees definitely gets her blood boiling. She wants in and is whisked away to Antarctica to join other scientists studying, "Ringo". -- finds out really quick that the company she is now working for, BioPharm, has not been up front with her. Actually nobody has as all the other scientists also know things are not on the up and up.

They drawing style is very classic comic book. There were some moments the illustrations got a little rough, but it didn't break the flow of the story. This comic definitely plays on our fears of germs and the havoc they can wreak. It was a good short read, so you should pick it up!


 Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.

Book Review: Tune

 TUNE

Tune focuses on the life of Andy Go, a college student that majors in illustration. Andy lacks the drive and will to finish college, thinking he knows enough already, and quits. This obviously doesn't sit will with his parents who force him to go out and get a job -- any job. Of course it'll have to be a REAL job because drawing comics could never get him anywhere really...

With his resume in hand Andy sets out to find the job of his dreams, and when that all fails he starts to look elsewhere. He goes all over the city looking for a job getting rejected left and right until his last interview. He's hired as a zookeeper? Well Andy's parents are happy he got a real job even though Andy isn't too thrilled about it. He'll be away for at least a year and sadly thats where the book ends. I hope to read more about Andy and his new job as a zookeeper in the next volume because I was totally left hanging.

This was a great read and the story seems really interesting. If you like reading some good mangas then this should be a book for your list.

 Disclaimer: I received this book in order to do a review courtesy of Netgalley, all opinions are my own and no further compensation was given.