Review: Rippler by Cidney Swanson

I think I have finally been drug out of my reading funk by this great book. It was intriguing and fast paced so as to keep me reading from start to finish. I had a lot of "false starts" over the last month. I would read a few chapters, put it down to do something else and then never really have the drive to get back to it. Rippler, on the other hand, kept me reading almost "cover to cover". I read the first 78% of it (I was reading on my Kindle so I only know the percentage not the page) in a single sitting - only stopping because it was after midnight and I knew I needed to get up the next morning!

Book Description: Samantha Ruiz has a freak gene that makes her turn invisible, or ripple. She can’t control it, and it’s getting worse. Afraid of becoming a lab-rat, Sam keeps her ability secret, until fellow runner Will Baker sees her vanish into thin air. Will promises secrecy and help, and Sam begins to fall in love. Together, the two discover there are worse things than being a scientific curiosity. Someone’s been killing people who possess Sam's gene. A mysterious man from France sends letters that offer hope for safety, but also reveal a sinister connection with Nazi experiments. The more time Sam spends with Will, the less she can imagine life without him. When Sam uncovers secrets from her past, she must choose between keeping Will in her life or keeping Will safe.

About the Author: Cidney Swanson is the author of The Ripple Series. She began writing at age seven; her first novel began with “Ouch,” and her characters have been suffering ever since. Cidney lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband, three kids, two cats, one dog, and entirely too much rain.
Connect With Cidney on Facebook

Read a Sample of Rippler

Buy the Book: Rippler: Book One in the Ripple Series (Volume 1)

Here's What I Think: Most of you know that I am a bit of a book nerd. I love to read books - especially books in a series. I am part of a book club full of moms - mostly - that just love to read in their spare time. Rippler is the book that was chosen for my October book club and so of course I was willing to give it a shot. I mean isn't that the whole point of a book club - to try titles you wouldn't normally pick up on your own?
Well Rippler was one of those wonderful surprises. It is an incredibly well thought out and complete novel. It has action, fun, romance, mystery, and a twist of science-fiction. Sam and Will make this wonderfully well-rounded companionship - that goes so much deeper than just a partnership. The whole idea behind the book - it's hard not to spoil it by giving much detail - is intriguing because while it's hugely impossible - being able to be invisible - it has an element of plausibility - the idea that our genes can be tweeked and changed by singular interventions in our conception. I love love love stories like this. They use some of the simplest most basic concepts that we know about our lives and change them just enough to make us think "What If?"

I had the amazing honor of actually meeting the author of this book and getting to find out more about how the book was written. As a reader, I have always had this idea of how a book was written - and I now know that I was incredibly wrong! The way that a story evolves and grows can be vastly different from the first idea. I was so happy to be able to tell the author that she is a very talented character creator. The characters in this book are so clearly defined without be specifically labeled and categorized. I am planning to start the next book in this series - Chameleon - tomorrow so that I can be sure to have it read before the third in the series is released at the end of the year.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post. These are my real and true thoughts.

Review & Blog Tour Stop: Telling Lies by Cathi Stoler

Telling Lies
by Cathi Stoler

How many lies does it take to get away with murder? Magazine Editor Laurel Imperiole is vacationing in Florence, Italy, with Aaron Gerrard, Chief of Detectives of New York City's 13th Precinct Identity Theft Squad. A chance encounter brings Laurel to a startling realization: she's just bumped into a dead man: Jeff Sargasso, an art dealer and husband of a close friend who supposedly died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. When he vanished, Sargasso had been brokering the sale of a priceless masterpiece that was lost during World War II to CEO Alfred Hammersmith and billionaire Miayamu Moto. Hammersmith perished along with Sargasso on 9/11, and it is believed that the access codes to the $15 million deposit--ten percent of the asking price--died with them. Could Sargasso have faked his own death to steal the money? The painting's whereabouts are unknown. Laurel enlists the help of private detective Helen McCorkendale, and together they follow the threads that lead from Florence, Italy, to New York. On the way, the women tangle with Israeli Mossad agent Lior Stern and several stop-at-nothing collectors. All are determined to have the painting for themselves. Ignoring Aaron's advice, Laurel puts their volatile relationship in jeopardy. As Helen and Laurel search for Sargasso, the painting and the money, they find themselves enmeshed in a sinister skein of lies that could end in death.

Here's What I Think:While the the concept of this book is grabbing, I am not totally sure that the execution is there. The characters are not fully developed and the plot line has a few holes in it. Having said that, I did enjoy the book. The author's writing voice is there and read, she just needs to work on the structure of the story as a whole. If you are looking for a book that is worth your time, but doesn't require your undivided attention, this is the one for you. 

 

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this book for review purposes, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review & Giveaway: Jane Was Here by Sarah Kernochan

Jane Was Here by Sarah Kernochan

Book Description: A thriller that explores reincarnation, Jane Was Here follows a mysterious young woman, who calls herself Jane, who turns up in a small New England town. She claims a fragmentary memory of growing up in the town, yet she has never been there before in her life. Upon her arrival, strange and alarming things begin happening to some of the town's inhabitants. As Jane's memories reawaken piece by piece, they carry her back to a long-buried secret, while the townspeople hurtle forward to a horrific event when past and present fatally collide. A centuries-old mystery will resolve, and karma will claim its due.

About the Author: Sarah Kernochan has won two Academy Awards for her documentaries Marjoe and Thoth. As a screenwriter, she has written many films, among them Nine and a Half Weeks, Impromptu, Sommersby, and What Lies Beneath. She also directed her film All I Wanna Do, starring Kirsten Dunst. Jane Was Here is her second novel. She lives in New York City with her husband, director James Lapine.


Here's What I Think: This book is another slow starter but really grabs your curiousity by about page 80. I am struggling a little with my review of this book because I don't like to give the plot away in any book and I can't really talk about it without doing just that. This story is a real mystery and very thrilling. I spent a lot of time thinking "Wait...what?" just as I thought I had it all figured out, I was proven wrong. It is a great story, written sort of in the style of a movie -probably because the author is also a screenwriter.

WIN IT!! - ONE Very Lucky BMWL2R Reader will get a copy of Jane Was Here by Sarah Kernochan

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Review: Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

Book Description: This is an intriguing YA urban fantasy in the tradition of Holly Black and Wicked Lovely. Set in New Zealand, Ellie's main concerns at her boarding school are hanging out with her best friend Kevin, her crush on the mysterious Mark, and her paper deadline. That is, until a mysterious older woman seems to set her sights on Kevin, who is Maori, and has more than just romantic plans for him. In an effort to save him, Ellie is thrown into the world of Maori lore, and eventually finds herself in an all-out war with mist dwelling Maori fairy people called the patupaiarehe who need human lives to gain immortality.
The strong, fresh voice of the narrator will pull readers in, along with all the deliciously scary details: the serial killer who removes victim's eyes; the mysterious crazy bum who forces a Bible on Ellie telling her she needs it; handsome, mysterious Mark who steals the Bible from her and then casts a forgetting charm on her. All of this culminates in a unique, incredible adventure steeped with mythology, Maori fairies, monsters, betrayal, and an epic battle.



About the Author: Karen Healey is a New Zealander living in Australia. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne. She's writing a dissertation on the fan culture of American superhero comics, but her real expertise lies in discerning which of the Birds of Prey is objectively the most awesome (it's a tie between Oracle and the Huntress).

Here's What I Think: I can always go for a YA sci-fi book and this was a great one! This book is an interesting mix of mythology and romance that keeps you turning the pages to find out just what will happen to Ellie next despite it's slightly slow beginning. Not really a knock to the book as it has become my understanding that books that take place in an "alternate" yet "parallel" universe (set in what we know as the real world with the addition of something totally unreal like fairies) tend to require a bit more stage setting so that you can understand what's happening. As with most books in this genre, there isn't anything hugely ground shaking or life changing in the story, its merely an entertaining bit of literature that I read and didn't feel that I wasted my precious reading time - which in my opinion is saying a lot!

*BTW I usually can find the same cover art as the one that I read, but for some reason I just can't find a digital image that matches mine, so if you are like me a often scan the bookstore shelves for the cover art more than the title - be aware, it might not look like the above image.

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this book for review purposes, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes by Larry Peterson

Book Description: Willie Wiggles hates his slippery feet. He just slips, slides and spins all over the place. But what he hates even more are the special shoes that have been made for him that will help him to walk just like all the other kids. Willie thinks that they are the "stupidest, ugliest shoes in the whole world."

Discover how sometimes we worry about things about ourselves when actually there is nothing to worry about in the first place.

About the Author: LARRY PETERSON was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. As a freelancer, he has written many newspaper columns for local publications. "Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes" is his first children’s book. Peterson has lived in Pinellas Park, Florida for the past 30 years.

Check out his blog - http://www.slipperywillie.blogspot.com/

Here's What I Think: I always love books that have a message and there is no better message than accepting each other's differences. This children's book takes it a step further and reminds us to accept our own differences. I also like the Peterson was able to convey his message without it being totally obvious that a lesson was being learned. My sons loved the illustrations of this book as well as the story.

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this book for review purposes, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review & GIVEAWAY! The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox

The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox

Book Description: Dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and an evil queen – all these and more can be found in The Magic Warble, an enchanting tale of adventure and friendship.
Twelve-year-old Kristina Kingsly feels like the most unpopular girl in her school. The kids all tease her, and she never seems to fit in. But when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift, she suddenly finds herself magically transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and the evil Queen Sentiz.



In Bernovem, Kristina not only fits in, she’s honored as “the chosen one” the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz’s control. But it’s not as simple as it seems. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous “Magic Warble” in its final resting place. And she must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen’s “zelbocks” before she reaches her destination. Guided by her new fairy friends, Clover and Looper and by Prince Werrien, a teenage boy, as well as an assortment of other characters, Kristina sets off on a perilous journey that not only tests her strength but her heart.



About the Author: Victoria, known as Vicki, was born in 1966, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. She has one older sister, Jeannette. When Vicki was 7, she moved with her family to British Columbia. In her early twenties Vicki moved to Western Washington and now resides in Marysville WA. She has been married to her husband Russ, for nineteen years and they have three children; Toby, who is fifteen, Kristina, thirteen, and William, eight. She has home schooled her children for the past nine years, and she also teaches elementary school art. Vicki’s other family members are, a Chihuahua, named Pipsy, two cats, Frodo, and Fritz, and two parakeets, Charlie, and Paulie. She did have a pet rat named Raymond when she started writing The Magic Warble, but sad to say, he has since passed away of old age. Vicki enjoys writing, painting watercolors, watching movies, hanging out with her family, and chauffeuring her kids around to their many activities. Her favorite author is C.S. Lewis, and one of her fondest memories is when she was twelve. She would sit at the kitchen table and read The Chronicles of Narnia to her mother while she cooked dinner. These magical stories were very dear to Vicki and she remembers wishing, If only I could go to Narnia like Lucy and Susan. Vicki hopes that maybe, she can touch someone with her story in a similar way.


Here's What I Think: If you are looking for a book to read along with your tween daughter- this is it. The story is intriguing and captivating enough to keep your own interest while whimsical and interesting enough for a young reader. The book lists as being geared to kids aged 9-12 but even my 14 year old niece enjoyed it. The book is a great study in character development as each character has it's own moment, all while not allowing the book to become overly descriptive. The same goes for some very vivid imagery. I really enjoy the great messages in this story that make it easy for a young girl to relate, and I love Kristina's story.

WIN IT!! - ONE Very Lucky BMWL2R Reader will get a copy of The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox


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This Giveaway will end on July 31st at 11:59PM PST. Winners will be selected the following day and have 48 hours to respond to the email notification.

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this book for review purposes, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review & GIVEAWAY! Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand (2 Winners)

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

Book Description: Meredith Martin Delinn just lost everything: her friends, her homes, her social standing - because her husband Freddy cheated rich investors out of billions of dollars.Desperate and facing homelessness, Meredith receives a call from her old best friend, Constance Flute. Connie's had recent worries of her own, and the two depart for a summer on Nantucket in an attempt to heal. But the island can't offer complete escape, and they're plagued by new and old troubles alike. When Connie's brother Toby - Meredith's high school boyfriend - arrives, Meredith must reconcile the differences between the life she is leading and the life she could have had. Set against the backdrop of a Nantucket summer, Elin Hilderbrand delivers a suspenseful story of the power of friendship, the pull of love, and the beauty of forgiveness.

About the Author: Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her five previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.Here's What I Think: If you are looking for the perfect book to read while lazing about in your backyard this summer, this is it. Its the classic tale of one woman's life getting turned upside down in the blink of an eye. This book looks closely at the ideas of friendship, grief, loss, family dynamics, and trust. I have always enjoyed the imagery of Hilderbrand, and she delivers another great read in Silver Girl. Connie and Meredith are well thought out characters that you route for every step of the way.

WIN IT!! - Two Very Lucky BMWL2R Readers will each get a copy of Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

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This Giveaway will end on July 31st at 11:59PM PST. Winners will be selected the following day and have 48 hours to respond to the email notification.

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this book for review purposes, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione (Lords of Deliverance, Book 1)

Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione (Lords of Deliverance, Book 1)

Book Description: They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.

About the Author: Larissa Ione is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Demonica and Lords of Deliverance series. She also writes sexy contemporary romance stories for Samhain and Red Sage, and has a novella coming out with Kensington in September 2011. Her alter ego, Sydney Croft (pen name with romantic suspense author Stephanie Tyler), writes erotic paranormal action-adventure.
 

An Air Force veteran, she has been a meteorologist, EMT, and professional dog trainer. She is now lucky enough to write full time while living a nomadic lifestyle with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, son, and an extremely high-maintenance cat.

When not writing, she can be found reading, playing RPG's on the computer, and watching re-runs of Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Supernatural.


Here's What I Think: This book is a spin-off of the Demonica Series by Ione. In Sin Undone (book 5 of the Demonica Series) Ione introduces us to the Lords of Deliverance - briefly but specifically and my attention was grabbed right away. And Eternal Rider did not dissapoint. Once again Ione has created a word that is so full of life and excitement you are immersed from the first chapter. Ares and Cara are characters that you care about and what to read about. I am very interested to read the next book in the series of four.

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this book for review purposes, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11)

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11)

Book Description:With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...

About the Author: Charlaine Harris (born November 25, 1951 in Tunica, Mississippi) is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing for over twenty years. She was raised in the Mississippi River Delta area. Though her early works consisted largely of poems about ghosts and, later, teenage angst, she wrote plays when she attended Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. She began to write books a few years later.

After publishing two stand-alone mysteries, Harris launched a lighthearted series "starring" Georgia librarian Aurora Teagarden, with Real Murders, a Best Novel nominee for the 1990 Agatha Awards. Harris wrote eight Aurora titles. In 1996, she released the first of the much darker Shakespeare mysteries, featuring the amateur sleuth Lily Bard, a karate student who makes her living cleaning houses. Shakespeare's Counselor, the fifth--and last-- was printed in fall 2001.

After Shakespeare, Harris created The Sookie Stackhouse urban fantasy series about a telepathic waitress who works in a bar in the fictional Northern Louisiana town of Bon Temps. The first of these, Dead Until Dark, won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001. Each book follows Sookie as she tries to solve mysteries involving vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. The series, which now numbers nine titles, has been released worldwide.

Sookie Stackhouse proved to be so popular that Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under, announced he would undertake the production of a new show for HBO based upon the books. He wrote and directed the pilot episode for that series, True Blood, which premiered in September of 2008. It was an instant success and was quickly picked up for a second season.

In October 2005, Harris's new mystery series about a young woman named Harper Connelly debuted with the release of Grave Sight. Harper has the ability to determine the cause of death of any body. There are now three Harper titles (GRAVE SIGHT, GRAVE SURPRISE, AN ICE COLD GRAVE) with a 4th (GRAVE SECRET) to be released in 2009.

Harris has also co-edited three very popular anthologies with her friend Toni L.P. Kelner. The anthologies feature stories with an element of the supernatural, and the submissions come from a rare mixture of mystery and urban fantasy writers.

Professionally, Harris is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the American Crime Writers League. She is a member of the board of Sisters in Crime, and alternates with Joan Hess as president of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance. Personally, Harris is married and the mother of three. She lives in a small town in Southern Arkansas and when she is not writing her own books, she reads omnivorously!

Here's What I Think: I have been an avoid reader of this series and loved every minute of it - until now. This latest installment was something of a let down. It's not that it was particularly bad but it just was. Nothing special happened, nothing really exciting occurred. The best that I can describe it is that I think Harris wrote an extra long installment to the series and the publishers broke it up into two books. I say this because a lot of new plot lines are opened up in Dead Reckoning that are not really brought to a close by the end, so there will definetly be another book or two. And I will read at least the next one, but if I once again feel like "nothing happened" I will likely be done with this series, as sad as that makes me.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review & Blog Tour Stop: When Did I Get Like This? By Amy Wilson

When Did I Get Like This? By Amy Wilson

Book Description: When Did I Get Like This? is the hilarious story of one mother’s struggle to shrug off the ridiculous standards of modern parenting, and remember how to enjoy her children

Over the last seven years of long days with little children, I have had many moments of joy, calm, and peaceful reverie.

This book is about the other moments.
Before I became a mother, failing at something did not shake my fundamental belief in my capabilities as a human being. But now that I am the mother of three children under the age of seven, I have one overriding daily thought: I suck at this.
What kind of mother feeds her kids dinosaur chicken nuggets? Three times a week? What kind of mother lets hand washing after using the toilet slide, as long as it was just Number One? And then I wonder: When did I get like this? Why do I doubt my parenting abilities, day after day? Why does motherhood, a job as old as Eve, have me teetering daily on the edge of sanity?
With each new stage of motherhood, I tell myself I will never again be suckered by the question, “Don’t you want what’s best for your children?” And yet, time after time, I am. Sometimes, I am right to obsess. Other times, the record will show, it has been distinctly counterproductive.
I’m working on it . . .


About the Author: Amy Wilson is the author and performer of the one-woman show Mother Load, which started off-Broadway, and has been touring the country ever since. She made her Broadway debut in the Tony-Award-winning play The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and has appeared in dozens of other plays in New York City. On television, she was a series regular on Norm and Daddio, and appeared on Felicity, Ed, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Deadline, Boston Common, and All My Children. Her film credits include Kinsey, Kissing Jessica Stein, Keeping the Faith, and Ira and Abby.

Her writing appears regularly in Babytalk magazine, on parenting.com, and on CNN.com’s “Living” page. Her favorite productions are her three young children, whom she raises with her husband in New York City.


Here's What I Think: This book speaks to every single woman who swore they would never become their own mother but inevitably did anyway! I love Amy's voice in this book, it reads like a couple of girlfriends chatting over a much need latte in the bookstore while their kids harass the story-time reader. She doesn't pull a single punch in this very realistic, not to mention hilarious book about the real world as mom! All those things that you were sure you were the only person to ever feel, think or experience are laid out in this great read. If you are a mom - you need to read this book. You will laugh, you will cry and you will totally relate to some part of this book.

 

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this book for review purposes, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: Pirate Vs Pirate by Mary Quattlebaum

PIRATE VS. PIRATE: The Terrific Tale of a Big, Blustery Maritime Match by Mary Quattlebaum, illus. by Alexandra Boiger

Book Description: Who is the mightiest pirate in the world? Bad Bart and Mean Mo both want that honor. And so they hold a series of contests: swimming with sharks, hurling cannonballs, and eating hardtack. Aarrr! The final contest—treasure counting--will decide the winner. This lively story, full of sea-dog lingo, will appeal to both girls and boys. Boys will root for Bad Bart, girls for Mean Mo—and in the end … well, that’s a BIG swashbuckling surprise.About the Author: I grew up in the country in a large family (7 kids), with lots of pets (dogs, cats, hamsters, goats, horses, turtles, chickens, ducks). My earliest memory is of my dad reciting nursery rhymes to me and my brothers and sisters, right before bedtime. We could each choose one. My favorite was “Hickory Dickory Dock,” and one of my sisters always wanted “Little Bo Peep.” Here's What I Think: My boys just loved this book. They are really into pirates right now so were thrilled by this pirate themed book. The story is easy to read and entertaining to even me - which is an aspect of children's stories that is often ignored. After all, the parents have to read the stories to their children and after the tenth time it has to at least be interesting. The illustrations in this book are also really great, very whimsical. All in all I would say this book would make a great summer reading book.

This is an epic tale of adventure, filled with seadog lingo as two rival pirates--Bad Bart, the burliest boy pirate, and Mean Mo, the maddest girl pirate--meet and hold a contest to declare the best pirate in the world. All their bluster turns out for naught as they fall head over heels in love. For more information and some fun pirate activities, go to Mary Quattlebaum's website

 

 

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this book for review purposes, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: Lover Unleashed by JR Ward

Lover Unleashed by JR Ward - The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 9

Book Description: Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?

About the Author: J.R. Ward worked in healthcare in Boston and spent many years as Chief of Staff at one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation. She lives in Kentucky with her husband.

Here's What I Think: This is most definitely my very favorite series of all time. And once again I am totally fascinated as to how Mrs. Ward can keep coming up with new and exciting stories about the same group of people!! I mean every book is completely in and of itself a new adventure. She does keep a running chain of events but those are all background plots that just keep the lives all the characters going. I just love that each book has more than just the main plot going, and has a specific focus on two characters throughout - in this installment Payne and Manny. This was such an interesting story as they are two people thrust into a world that either knows much about. Their attraction is instant - as is usual for these stories but it is so confusing to the both, it really takes a while for them to understand it. I also love that this story took root way back in Vischous' book, in a very mystical foreshadowing of just one word - "Brother". If you have not yet read this series and you love an intense love story with lots of action and bit of paranormal activity (they are vampires) than you need to get started. Ward writes in such a way that you want to believe it is real!

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: River Marked By Patrica Briggs

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Book Description: Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now. About the Author: Patty steadfastly refuses to write a biography. She considers them narcissistic, and besides, she'd rather write something interesting!

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...



Here's What I Think: Often times when a series has as many installments as the Mercy Thompson series (this is the 6th book), the stories can become redundant, and this was my biggest fear with this book. But my fear was never realized. Briggs created a whole other plot that went down a completely different path. Really only two of the characters from the previous books play main roles in this book - Mercy and Adam. Don't get me wrong other staple characters are still part of the story, but they don't play a main role in the integral plot of this story. This storyline dives into Mercy's Native American Heritage and ventures into the legends and myths of the old tribes. I really enjoyed this book and dare say it is my favorite in the series since the second one. My favorite part of this story was actually a sideline that delves into the truth about who or rather what Mercy's father was. If you haven't read this series, it is very interesting and covers the whole supernatural/paranormal gamut when it comes to types of characters.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

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Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie

Book Description: In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.About the Author: Ally Condie (www.allycondie.com) is a former high school English teacher who lives with her husband and three sons outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, running, eating, and listening to her husband play guitar. Here's What I Think: This books falls into the Hunger Games/Maze Runner idea of an alternate way of life set in the future. The world has become a very planned and sanitary and safe place for Cassia and her family and friends. The book is very well written and even leads you to believe that this life might be better in the first half of the book. Each meal is delivered to your kitchen with your name on it and no one else can touch it - portioned and fortified just for your body. Every activity - even running on your treadmill - is planned out for optimal enhancement of your body. Even your  life mate is selected for you based on a number of criteria including personality, and the genes you both have which will produce the perfect baby. The book starts with something of an anomaly when two kids that actually know each other are matched. This rarely happens, as usually you are matched with someone from another city that you have never meet. But it all goes awry when she sees a different face on the microcard she is provided to learn about her match, even though she has known Xander her whole life and knows everything about him. I really liked the plot of this book. It is always interesting to think of the "what ifs". I did struggle with the voice of the book, as it is written the way that Cassia thinks. So sometimes the thoughts are incomplete, but all in all it is a great story. Yes it another YA book, but again the only thing that makes it YA is the lack of sexual overtones as well as foul language. It's a great story for an adult or a teenager. The next installment of this triology - Crossed - is due out in November of this year.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one… until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow — between perfection and passion.

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Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Book 1 of the Mortal Instruments Series)

Book Description: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.About the Author: Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Teheran, Iran and spent much of her childhood travelling the world with her family, including one trek through the Himalayas as a toddler where she spent a month living in her father's backpack. She lived in France, England and Switzerland before she was ten years old. Since her family moved around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book under her arm. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles where she used to write stories to amuse her classmates, including an epic novel called "The Beautiful Cassandra" based on the eponymous Jane Austen short story (and from which she later took her current pen name).

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon.

But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

After college, Cassie lived in Los Angeles and New York where she worked at various entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids where she reported on Brad and Angelina's world travels and Britney Spears' wardrobe malfunctions. She started working on her YA novel, City of Bones, in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favourite city. She turned to writing fantasy fiction full time in 2006 and hopes never to have to write about Paris Hilton again.
Cassie's first professional writing sale was a short story called "The Girl's Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord" in a Baen anthology of humor fantasy. Cassie hates working at home alone because she always gets distracted by reality TV shows and the antics of her two cats, so she usually sets out to write in local coffee shops and restaurants. She likes to work in the company of her friends, who see that she sticks to her deadlines.


Here's What I Think: This was the book select for my IRL book club and I was hopefully to get engaged by it. It did not disappoint. The book does not dillydally in getting to the juicy part of the story. It is filled with imaginative characters and an intense storyline. Though it is definitely a YA selections (not much language or sexual situation) I would call it a cross between True Blood (because Clary is thrust into a world that she was born into but shielded from by a good intentioned family member) and The Hollows (because she has a means to combat the Demons, but just has a lot of learn). My fave character is Jace. He is so determined to be the big strong arrogant man but can't get past his heart of gold, no matter how hard he tries. The plot of this book lends itself easily to being a series without being redundant. I have already started the second in the series and I am enjoying the energy and pace of the story immensely.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

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Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner By James Dashner (Book 1 in Trilogy)
Book Description:When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

About the Author: James Dashner was born and raised in Georgia but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his wife and kids. He always had the dream to be a full time author, and it finally came true in 2008. He's currently loving every minute of it (he'll let you know if he gets sick of writing and needs a job).Here's What I Think: So this is supposed to be a Young Adult book (actually listed as being for Grades 6-10), but I am not sure I could have grasped the complexity of this book at that age. The story is very intense and has tons of depth. The path of the plot keeps changing and changing until you have no clue as to the outcome. I love how complete each of the characters are in their construction, they each have a very specific persona. Really the whole concept of the book is incredible - a group of teenage BOYS are able to create an entire civilization complete with food gardens and animal farms.  Everyone has a specific job and does it for the good of the whole. Then there is the idea that a group of "scientists" would capture all of these children, swipe their memories and then put them into a giant maze like lab rats is just appauling. The book does come to seemingly final conclusion - so please be sure to read on through the epilogue. That is what sent me racing to my computer to order The Scorch Trials on my Kindle, the minute I finished The Maze Runner. The third installment is supposedly due out in March but I have not found a solid date.

He did several books with a small publisher before breaking onto the national scene with THE 13TH REALITY series and THE MAZE RUNNER (a lead title for Random House in Fall 2009). Learn more by checking out his website, http://www.jamesdashner.com/.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet