Just Sittin' Here...Waitin' on Wednesday #26

Time for a
WOW!
This wonderful meme is based on the one started by Breaking the Spine
 
 
Ink (The Paper Gods, #1)
 Title:  Ink
(The Paper Gods #1)
Author:  Amanda Sun
Publisher:  Harlequin TEEN
Expected Publication Date:  June 25th, 2013
 
I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.


On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.
-Goodreads
 
 

Adult Urban Fantasy: " A Brush of Darkness" is a Very Light Read

A Brush of Darkness (Abby Sinclair, #1) 
Title:  A Brush of Darkness
(Abby Sinclaire #1)
Author:  Alison Pang
Format:  Print
Publisher:  Pocket Pooks
Rating:  3 stars
The man of her dreams might be the cause of her nightmares.
Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.
-Goodreads


My Thoughts
This is very fun and imaginative read that proves that there is room for the adult reader in the land of Faery and Fae.
Abby Sinclair is a young woman struggling to find her way in not one, but two worlds.  Having lost her life as a dancer and her mother in a horrific accident that also took the life of her mother; Abby is now the Touchstone to a now missing Faery and dealing with her feelings for the dark and mysterious Brystion, an incubus with secrets of his own.
The thing that makes Abby so likeable is that she is so imperfect.
 Examples include:
1.  She has all these powers and doesn't know what to do with them.
2.   She plagued by nightmares involving her mother.
3.   She has seizures and a steel plate in her head.
4.   She can't find her boss.
5.   She has the hots for an incubus!  Voluntarily!!!!  Hello????

The against-all-odds love/lust story between Brystion/Ion and Abby is just YUMMY.
They have a natural chemistry and a flowing tit for tat banter that is fun to watch.  Top that off with the fact that Brystion has so many dark secrets and a missing sister.
(I could go on...)    

The world that Ms. Pang builds in this book is just bursting with all sorts of sups. Though this is a good thing for the most part; there is so much going on with the myriad of supporting cast, that it is very easy to lose track of the main plot at times.
Another downside to this enchanting read is the fact that it takes so long to come to the meat and potatoes of the story and when you do, you're not really sure what it is.  Is is the love story or the the mystery?
This is a light beach read that is full of fun and laughs. 

My Rating:

"Crewel" Is a Yarn That Has Spun YA Gold

Crewel (Crewel World, #1) 
 Title:  Crewel
(Crewel World #1)
Author:  Ginnifer Albin
Format:  E-galley
Length:  368 pages
Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Rating:  4.5 stars


Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.
 -Goodreads

My Thoughts
 Crewel is a breath of fresh air in the world of YA.  This is a book that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go even after you have finished.

Adelice Lewys is a girl with a gift that could give her freedom, power, and privilege in a world where all aspects of your life or tightly controlled.  All she wants however, is to be the daughter, sister, and person that she has been all of her life.

Get ready for the GUSH!
This book is PURE AWESOMENESS!
Adelice is the perfect blend of innocence and "learn fast and adapt smart".  Unforeseen circumstances lead to the loss of her ENTIRE family very early in the read, so she doesn't have them to guide her through the maze of plots, deceit, intrigue, loss, and manipulation that rules the day in this book.

The Men Her Life
Adelice manages to go from the sheltered "apple of her father's eye".  To the "deer in the headlights" of three men.

 Cormac-The Evil Bastard
The much older mouthpiece and figurehead for The Guild and Coventry.  He spends most of his time plotting and manipulating Adelice.  At least until she starts to catch on to what he's doing.  His overall his smugness and over all "I can do no wrong" attitude really starts to wear on the nerves after a while, and you really can't wait to see him be taken down a peg or two.

Eric-The Opportunist
It is hard to put him in a particular category.  He is a double agent of sorts.  While he spends a great deal of time flirting with Adelice, he is still the personal assistant to Maela, Adelice's trainer at Coventry, and number one nemesis.  He is one of those people who always seem to be at the right place at the right time.  Always a little too perfect, helpful, useful, and nosey.

Jost-The Secret
Adelice meets Jost on her first night in Coventry.  He is the head valet to Coventry and as such is privy to all of it's secrets.  He is the knight in shining armor of the story if you will.  Though he does have a few secrets in his past,   his motives in regard to Adelice are honorable.  Their relationship is and must be secret or the consequences would be deadly.

As if the three of them were not enough, there is also...

Maela-The Uber Bitch
Maela is an instructor at Coventry, whose job it is to train the new Spinsters.
She is also the Cormac's watchdog, very envious of Adelice's gift and the power that it 
could give her, and more than willing to resort to anything she has to in order to destroy her.

There are so many twists and turns in this plot, that you really don't have time to blink before there is another twist or turn that you can't believe.  Adelice has to deal with the loss of her world as she knows it, the evolution of her powers, being the center of varied plots, falling in love, and trying not to die.
This book is a slice of heaven and is perfect until the end.
The end is just there, very rushed and...
OPEN ENDED.

My Rating:


 



Bewitching Book Tours Presents: Moonlight & Mechanicals

Moonlight & Mechanicals (Gaslight Chronicles, #4) 
Title:  Moonlight & Mechanicals
(The Gaslight Series #4)
Author:  Cindy Spencer Pape
Format:  E-galley
Length:  381 pages
Publisher:  Carina Press
Rating:  5 stars

London, 1859

Engineer Winifred "Wink" Hadrian has been in love with Inspector Liam McCullough for years, but is beginning to lose hope when he swears to be a lifelong bachelor. Faced with a proposal from a Knight of the Round Table and one of her closest friends, Wink reluctantly agrees to consider him instead.

Because of his dark werewolf past, Liam tries to keep his distance, but can't say no when Wink asks him to help find her friend's missing son. They soon discover that London's poorest are disappearing at an alarming rate, after encounters with mysterious "mechanical" men. Even more alarming is the connection the missing people may have with a conspiracy against the Queen.

Fighting against time—and their escalating feelings for each other—Wink and Liam must work together to find the missing people and save the monarchy before it's too late...
-Goodreads

My Thoughts
  This book is the perfect blend of Steampunk ingenuity, flights of fancy, and romantic notion. Authoress Cindy Spencer Pape is a true spinner of Steampunk gold, and she has proven her metal yet again in this her fourth installment of The Gaslight Chronicles series.

Before I begin this review in earnest, I must first admit that this was my first experience with Cindy's work. I also had no idea that Moonlight & Mechanicals was part of a series; let alone that it was number four in said series.

Wink
Winnifred "Wink" Hadrian is a brilliant young woman. Too brilliant it seems for the rarefied gentry that her newly elevated station as a Lady of Victorian London would have her to be. That's quite alright with this fiery heroine; she's made of tough stuff, just like the mechanicals that she so skillfully engineers. If only she could be as sure in matters of the heart as she is with her wrench and gears.
Winks blend of forthright intelligence, street smarts, determination, and romantic vulnerability makes her a very likable character indeed. Though she is very brash, she is also very thoughtful and deliberate in word and deed. She is not afraid to buck convention in order to follow both her mind and her heart.

Liam
He is the perfect leading man, or should I say wolf. He is a man haunted by the brutality of his father and the loss of his mother. So deep is his pain that he has closed his heart to all love, rather than risk repeating his past.

Connor
Connor is perfect. He has it all breeding, a knighthood, money, but...
The one thing that he really wants is Wink.

The Plot
This story is billed as a Steampunk Romance. What they forget to tell you is that it is also a great Mystery. There is a plot afoot to kill the Queen and it is up to Liam, Wink, and a host of others to find the clues that will lead to the villainous masterminds behind it and stop them before it's too late.
This book is choc full of heart-stopping twists and turns that you just have to read to believe; as well as moments so tender and passion filled that you will never want them to end. 

My Rating:

  This review is brought to you
in cooperation with:



About the Author:

Award-winning author of over forty popular books and novellas in paranormal, historical, and erotic romance, Cindy Spencer Pape is an avid reader. According to The Romance Studio, her plots are “full of twist and turns that keep the reader poised at the edge of their seat.” Joyfully Reviewed said, her “colorful characters and plot building surprises kept me spellbound,” and Romantic Times Magazine says her “characters are appealing, and passionate sex leads to a satisfying romance.”

Cindy firmly believes in happily-ever-after. Married for more than twenty-five years to her own, sometimes-kilted hero, she lives in southern Michigan with him and two college-age sons, along with an ever-changing menagerie of pets.  Cindy has been, among other things, a banker, a teacher, and an elected politician, but mostly an environmental educator, though now she is lucky enough to write full-time. Her degrees in zoology and animal behavior almost help her comprehend the three male humans who share her household.



Newsletter group: http://yhoo.it/ni7PHo
 



Explore the Dark Side of Ever After with "Snow White Blood Red"

Snow White Blood Red (The Grimm Diaries Prequels, #1) 
Title:  Snow White Blood Red
(A Grimm Diaries Prequel #1)
Author: Cameron Jace
Format:  Kindle Edition
Length:  21 pages
Publisher:  Cameron Jace
Rating:  5 stars
  
What if all you knew about fairy tales was wrong?

Book description of Snow White Blood Red: A Grimm Diaries Prequel as told by the Snow White Queen:

I have always wondered why you never asked about my name. Was I so superficial to you? So stereotypical and mundane? Why did you treat me as if I were just the monster of the week? You know what I think? You never had the time to really hate me. You wanted to hate me, long before you even met me. You wanted to scrape my existence and avenge your childhood princess by laying all blame on me. What if they didn’t call me the Evil Queen, what if I told you the real story from my point of view instead of hers, would you ever think of me as an angel? Could I ever make you care? I know that deep inside of you, you adore me,but you’re just scared, afraid to admit how much you love the Snow White Queen.

This Grimm Diaries Prequels are a number of short books in the form of epistolary diary entries. The diaries are more of teasers for the upcoming series: The Grimm Diaries, allowing you to get a glimpse of what to expect of the series.
-Goodreads
My Thoughts
This first entry in the aptly named Grimm Diaries Prequel series, gives readers a glimpse into the mind and heart of a much different Snow White Queen than the one that has been so vilified in her tale's many recountings. 
She is allowed to tell a story that while short, gives a not so sweet view of the beloved Snow White.
In a tone that harkens back to a time when this famous yarn was more "shock and awe" than "sweetness and light" author Cameron Jace presents readers with darkly tantalizing story filled with blood, murder, mystery...and?

Many thanks to Mr. Jace for breathing new life into this classic story while still managing to honor the truth of it's dark origin.  His ability to fully explore the baser side of his characters motives, write a flowing story that maintains it's artistic integrity from beginning to end, and develop in his readers an honest need to know more about the people he so skillfully brings to life within the confines of a novella, makes him a literary force to be reckoned with.
Read a book that dares to ask...
Who's truth do you believe?
 
 
"They say the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the 
world that he didn't exist,
but the truth is that the greatest trick was convincing the world he was someone else."
 -The Snow White Queen
(Snow White Blood Red)

My Rating:

Celebrate Christmas the Undead Way with "I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus"

I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus: A Breathers Christmas Carol 
Title:  I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus:
A Breathers Christmas Carol
Author:  S.G. Browne
Format:  Print
Length: 208 pages
Psublisher:  Gallery Books
Rating:  5 stars

“One of America’s best satiric novelists” (Kirkus Reviews), S. G. Browne seamlessly gift wraps this horrific and hilarious sequel to his “extremely strong” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) zombie novel Breathers. He sees you when you’re sleeping . . . he knows when you’re undead.

How does the leader of a failed zombie civil rights movement from California rescue a group of his undead brethren and help a lonely Breather girl as he hides from a band of medical researchers while disguised as Santa Claus?

If you’ve never believed in Christmas miracles, then you wouldn’t understand.

Andy Warner has just escaped from a zombie research facility in Portland, Oregon, where he’s been subjected to experimental testing for the past year. With Christmas just days away, Andy figures that donning a jolly old St. Nick costume to throw off his would-be captors is just the ticket. But he never expects to encounter a sweet, lonesome nine-year-old girl who not only reminds Andy of the family he’s lost but who thinks he’s the real Santa. He also doesn’t count on being recognized as last year’s national quasi-celebrity by a clandestine group of decaying supporters who look to him for leadership. For the living and the undead, this unforgettable holiday tale will truly put on display just who is gnawing and who is nice. . . .
-Goodreads

My Thoughts
Andy's story is one that will tug at your heart, make your flesh crawl, have you seeing red, and tickle every funny bone in your body.  It seems that our undead narrator has had one hell of a year; going from a voice in the dark for zombie rights to a lab rat for tests unfit for the smarmiest of rodents.  It's a good thing that he can still manage some snark with his lips sewn shut...right?

This is a zombie read with real brains.  In fact, in most cases the zombies are not only smarter than the "breathers," but funnier and more compassionate as well.
After you get over the fact that Andy and his fellow zombies are suffering from various stages of decomposition; it is very easy to see how human they really are.  They still feel, need, want, and regret...I'm not too sure about the bleeding though.

This is the best zombie read EVER!  Adding it to your library should be a "no brainer.".and now

Notable Quotes:

"Although I've never had to deal with bloat, I know what it's like to struggle with your confidence.  After all, I used to be the poster child for zombies before I started eating Breather."
-Andy (I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus)

"Age and exercise is what tends to toughen up Breathers," I say, "especially when it comes to the legs, shoulders, and the butt.
So when hunting Breathers, it's a good idea to stay away from gyms and retirement communities."
-Andy (I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus)

"HO HO HO, HOW ABOUT SOME DOUGH?
(BEER AND WINE ACCEPTED)"   
(I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus)

My Rating:

Discover the Plight of "The King's Damsel

The King's Damsel (Secrets of the Tudor Court, #5) 
Title:  The King's Damsel
(Secrets of the Tudor Court #5)
Author:  Kate Emerson
Format:  Print
Length:  368 pages
Publisher:  Gallery Books
Rating:  4 stars
 
In the fifth novel in Kate Emerson's highly acclaimed Secrets of the Tudor Court series, a young gentlewoman catches King Henry the Eighth's roving eye.In 1533 and again in 1534, Henry the Eighth reportedly kept a mistress while he was married to Anne Boleyn. Now, that mistress comes to vivid life in Kate Emerson's The King's Damsel.
A real-life letter from Spanish Ambassador Eustace Chapuys, written on September 27, 1534, reported that the king had "renewed and increased the love he formerly bore to another very handsome young lady of the Court" and that the queen had tried "to dismiss the damsel from her service." Other letters from Eustace reveal that the mystery woman was a "true friend" of the Princess (later Queen) Mary, Henry's daughter by Catherine of Aragon. Though no one knows who "the king's damsel" really was, here Kate Emerson presents her as young gentlewoman Thomasine Lodge, a lady-in-waiting to King Henry's daughter, Princess Mary. Thomasine becomes the Princess's confidante, especially as Henry's marriage to Catherine dissolves and tensions run high. When the king procures a divorce in order to marry Anne Boleyn, who is suspicious and distrustful of Mary, Mary has Thomasine placed in Anne's service to be her eyes and ears. And that's when she gets the attention of the king...
Rich in historical detail and featuring a wealth of bonus material, The King's Damsel is sure to keep readers coming back for more in the exciting series.
-Goodreads

My Thoughts
It seems that all is lost for young Tamsin Lodge, when at 13 she loses both her father and brother, only to realize that she is now the ward of greedy social climber, Sir. Lionel Daggett.  Wanting only to procure Tamsin's fortune for himself and make in roads with the royal court; Sir. Daggett secures a position for his young charge in the service of Princess Mary Tudor.
Thanks to her quick wit, sweet disposition, and way with stories; Tamsin finds herself in the prime position of "princess' favorite".  A position that while enviable in some respects, manages to put the young Miss Lodge square in the cross hairs of both the "playboy king," Henry VIII and the conniving Anne Boleyn.
  
Kate Emerson is a master at writing "against all odds" reads, and this book does not disappoint.  You just want to scream at the book; when in the opening chapters, Sir. Daggett is allowed to waltz in and dismantle this young girl's life.
Just when you think that there is no way that you will ever possibly recover from the injustice of it all,  the young lady finds happiness and security in the service of Mary Tudor.
Don't take this to mean however, that there are no snakes among those Tudor roses, because with all the power struggles going on behind the gilded doors of court; the emotional roller-coaster of the first few chapters proves itself a  mere series of bunny slopes.  

Though this book is beautifully written and the characters fully expressed, the interactions between our heroine and the roguish King Henry don't  ring as true as those relationships based in clear historical fact.  This is where her romantic notions about Rafe, the son of a silkwoman, as well as the spying and intrigue that she involves herself in on behalf of her beloved Princess Mary,  act as a saveing grace of sorts.  The detraction from this otherwise delightful read that can not be overlooked however, is the rushed ending.  Unfortunately, the author's need to get the story finished and tie everything up in what is referred to at WTF as "the big bow," leaves the reader with quite a few trailing ends.
My Rating:


Book Sparks PR Presents: Enchanted by Starlight

Enchanted by Starlight
Title:  Enchanted By Starlight 
Author:  Tina L. Hook
Format:  Print
Length:  331 pages
Rating: 4 stars

Be careful what you wish for… Grace, Skylar and Alina are connected by destiny when an enchanted comet crosses the night sky. As their most secret ambitions ignite, their ordinary lives take a magical detour down a powerful but dangerous path.

Grace, emerging from her dejected childhood, develops the power to make men fall in love with her. Skylar leaves her impoverished past behind and pursues the social status she has always longed for. Without dreams of her own, Alina covets the power to unravel other lives and seeks revenge. As they crash into and slip away from each other in a cycle of envy, deception and love lost, these three women are forced to look deeper into their own hearts for the true meaning of enchantment.
-Goodreads


My Thoughts
This book is for every girl who has ever gazed into a star-filled sky and wished...

The stories of tragic beginings turned magically assisted triumphs are filled with so much deceit, scheming, and betrayal that they are enough to give those made famous by Grimm a run for their fairy dust.
Grace, Skylar, and Alina are three women whose most secret wishes are destined to become the sources of their greatest power.
As the saying goes however, and as the three ladies will come to learn, "to whom much is given, mush is required."
Grace and Skylar are the two characters whose usage of their "gifts" seem to inflict the least damage.
Alina, on the other hand is a cyclone of destruction with no qualms whatsoever about unleashing  her evils on anyone in her path.  Most of all Skylar, the person  that she most wants to be.


Comparable characterizations for the three ladies from the land of fairy would be:  

Skylar as Puss In Boots
Just as in the case of her feline counterpart, Skylar is determined to talk her way into the money, power, and influence that she feels has always been her due.

Grace as Cinderella
Just as the lovely Cinderella believed herself to be unworthy of the attentions of her prince, so too does Grace. Gifted with the power of love spell, just as in the case of Cinder, Grace now has the power to win any prince.

Alina as Maleficent
Alina has a well-sharpened axe to grind and she is willing to use her power to destroy all whom she feels have wronged her.  Just as her evil doppelganger did in "Sleeping Beauty", she even manages to curse a party or two. 
 
This unique mix of Contemporary realism and the whimsy of Fantasy will captivate audiences from beginning to end.  The three ladies and their entwining stories provide someone to love, hate, boo, or cheer and never give way to a dull moment.
This book establishes Tina L. Hook as an author to watch.

My Rating:
 

Adult Romance Review: 'Twas the Night After Christmas...A True Gift of a Read

 'Twas the Night After Christmas
 Title: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
(Hellions of Halstead Hall #6)
Author:  Sabrina Jeffries
Format:  Print 
Length:  368 pages
Publisher:  Gallery Books
Rating:  5 stars

A heartwarming Christmas romance from a beloved New York Times bestselling author!

Pierce Waverly, the Earl of Devonmont, has been estranged from his mother for most of his life. When his mother’s new companion, Mrs. Camilla Stuart, writes to tell him that his mother is seriously ill, he goes home. But when he learns that the lovely widow tricked him in order to effect a holiday reconciliation, he refuses to stay—unless she meets his “terms.” Somewhere between trying to seduce the beautiful Camilla and struggling with the cruel memories of his childhood Christmases, Pierce discovers that not only does forgiveness go two ways, but that love can blossom even in the coldest of winters.
-Goodreads 

This is a very touching story.  The overwhelming sense of loss and unabating hurt that Pierce Waverly carries with him as a result of the abandonment that mars his childhood permeates every aspect of his life; his love life most of all.
He finds no solace in his title as Earl of Devonmont, his wealth, lands, or his exclusive patronage of the most sought after mistress in London. Can the actions of a commoner bring about a Christmas miracle in the heart of this nobleman?

Sabrina Jeffries does a wonderful job of drawing readers into her story by making her characters emotionally appealing, even when said character is as his or her lowest.
Pierce Waverly is one such character.  Though he professes to be "utterly unlovable" throughout the course of this read; readers know that there is a heart of gold inside of him just waiting to be unearthed.

Lady Devonmont
A great deal of the story is spent both focusing on the guilt that Pierce's mother has over her past treatment of her son, and his resentment of her for it.  It is because of her profound guilt, that one is never quite sure whether, to pity, despise, or champion her in her want to reconcile with her estranged son.'s

Camille Stuart
Though the story is built around Pierce and Lady Devonmont, she is the character that is responsible for all of the moments that make this story great.  She is smart, witty, and willing  to do whatever she has to for those she loves.  That doesn't mean however that she is a pushover.  She manages to put the roguish Earl in his place on more than one occasion.

The Plot
This romance is sprinkled with secrets, betrayal, and affairs...not quite what one would expect from a Christmas read, but ooooooh so good.
The pacing of the book is such that by the time that the big plot revelations start occurring, one is already so fully invested in the characters of the book that you are just praying for the best for them all.
Lucky for readers that the "happy ending fairy" comes throug in a big way!

Reviewer's Note
I was not aware until researching this book for review that it was number 6 in a series.
It is written in such a way that it can stand alone perfectly, but after having read this awesome book; I can not wait to go back and add it's predecessors to my TBR!

  My Rating:

Bewitching Book Tours Presents: Mirror of Shadows

Mirror of Shadows 
Title:  Mirror of Shadows
Author:  T. Lynne Tolles
Format:  E-galley
Length:  200 pages
Publisher:  Troll Publishing
Rating:  4 stars

Ella McKaye returns home for her grandmother's funeral to find she's inherited a ton of money and a run down mansion she never knew existed, called Grey Manor. Her greedy mother is appalled when the will stipulates specifically that Ella can't give her any of the inheritance. She quickly throws Ella out of her home forcing her to take up immediate residence in the spooky old mansion.

Within minutes of entering her new home she has a strange interaction with a creepy old mirror in the main hallway and the ghostly inhabitants of the past get more and more agitated the longer Ella's there. Nearly fatal back to back accidents make Ella start to wonder if she's angered some ghost or if there is something more sinister at work.

Will Ella unravel the deadly mystery before she becomes a ghost herself? Or will fate take another one of the Grey ancestors to the grave. 
 -Goodreads

This is a a delightful New Adult read.  It is categorized as New Adult based on the fact that Ella. it's protagonist, is fresh out of college, making her over 18 but under 25.  This would also explain a lot of the naive trust that she shows in regard to the people and situations in which she finds herself.
Don't take her kind heart to mean that she is a pushover however, Ella proves herself  to be very smart, capable, funny, and just all around lovable as the story progresses.

Jeremy was a wonderful hero.  Dark, brooding, handsome, a cat lover, and a man with a mysterious past.  Who could ask for more?
As with all supermen, this one two has a fatal flaw.  His secretiveness about his past.  everyone else's past is revealed at some point, except his.  We have allusions to some non-murderous criminal behavior in his past, but not much else.

Matt is a great foil for Jeremy in his bid for romantic lead.  If it were not for his being such a class A jerk, the other things that he does would be a total surprise.  He is a great bad boy.

Boo Kitty is the real star of this show.  This is one fabulous ball of purr.  She steals your heart from the time that she enters the story.  She is always there for Ella and brings Ella and Jeremy together on more than one occasion.

This story is very well written, likable characters tug at your heartstrings and the story line flows in a very consistent way through the course of the read.  The paranormal aspect of the story does come up short, but that in no way diminishes the fact that this is a very sweet romance.


My Rating: 





Paperback-  Amazon    Barnes and Noble   Author site

Hardback-  Lulu   Author site 





 
About the Author:

T. Lynne Tolles is a lifelong avid reader of all things paranormal and now is a writer of young adult paranormal romances for readers 15 to 115. She grew up in the sunny California San Francisco bay area. She's the mother of two, wife to one and pet mom to three cats and Newfie dog.

Blood of a Werewolf is the first of five books in a series called, the Blood Series. Other titles include Somber Island and Mirror of Shadows - both unrelated to the series.


Website:  http://tlynnetolles.netfirms.com

Blog: http://tlynnetolles.netfirms.com/blog/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/tlynnetolles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T.LynneTolles.Author

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4132968.T_Lynne_Tolles

LibraryThing: http://www.librarything.com/home/tlynnetolles

Kindlegraph: http://kindlegraph.com/authors/tlynnetolles

Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/tlynnetolles


"My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece" Will Make a Home in Your Heart




Title:  My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece
Author:  Annabel Pitcher
Format: E-galley
Length:  211 pages
Publisher:  Little Brown and Co.
Rating:  5 stars

Ten-year-old Jamie hasn't cried since it happened. He knows he should have - Jasmine cried, Mum cried, Dad still cries. Roger didn't, but then he is just a cat and didn't know Rose that well, really.

Everyone kept saying it would get better with time, but that's just one of those lies that grown-ups tell in awkward situations. Five years on, it's worse than ever: Dad drinks, Mum's gone and Jamie's left with questions that he must answer for himself.

This is his story, an unflinchingly real yet heart-warming account of a young boy's struggle to make sense of the loss that tore his family apart.
- Goodreads
My Thoughts
This could have very well been a very gut-wrenching story, but the fact that it is told in the hopeful voice of a ten-year-old boy, who still possesses the uncanny ability to live life one moment at a time while still being aware of all happening around him, is truly amazing.

Jamie doesn't have all the answers.  He doesn't know why his mother ran off with the man from her grief support group.  He has no idea why his dad can't stop drinking, and understanding his older sister Jas, is definitely something that is not going to happen in the near future.
What Jamie does know however is that his sister Rose is dead, his father hates Muslims because he blames them for the bombing that killed her, and his best friend Sunya just happens to be one.
 
This book serves as a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit and our capacity to love in spite of ourselves.  While his father choosing to sit and soak in the sorrows of loss; Jamie is determined to find a way to live and love, while never losing his life's missing pieces.

This is a great  book for anyone who has lost someone that they love and is looking for the light at the end of grief's tunnel.
My Rating: