Galley Galore 3.0

Welcome to the third installment of Galley Galore here at Confessions of a Bibliophile.  Today's issue includes the reviews of four books that I absolutely adored.  All of which are available for purchase from Amazon.com and other fine retailers.  I received these books from Netgalley from the publishers for an honest and unbiased review.  I truly enjoyed all the books I am about to feature for you and highly recommend them to anyone who loves books with a touch of mystery, romance, and learning just how important one moment in our lives can be.

Now, enough idle chatter, on with the books! 

Book Blurb: Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who's becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra's abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl's frightening path to the truth.

This book made me cry, this book also gave me a more indepth understanding as to what drives people to cut, and how abusers use subtle manipulations to further harm their victims after the abuse has stopped.  This book made me sick at some points and yet I would greatly recommend this to anyone who cuts, anyone who has been a victim of abuse, or anyone who doesn't understand the mentality of a cutter or someone who has been sexually abused as a child.  I highly recommend not reading this without some tissues close at hand and forewarned you will get pissed off by the end of this book, but it will also touch your heart and it is one of those stories that will stick with you long after you've finished reading it.  Review: Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Book Blurb: This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie’s life. Now it’s the one she’d do anything to forget.

Maggie Reynolds remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party the night before. She remembers climbing the trail hand in hand with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can’t she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below—dead?
As Maggie’s memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding?
The latest novel from the author of The Tension of Opposites, One Moment is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.

This is another one of those books that will linger with you long after you've stopped reading.  It impresses upon you how important every single moment is, and how in the blink of an eye everything around you can change.  One moment things are going wonderful, everyone is happy and simply enjoying life and the next moment things have gone horribly, horribly wrong and the shroud of death hangs over a once happy gathering.  Friendships are tested, relationships are strained as Maggie tries to piece together those final moments up on the cliff, those final moments before Joey dies and her world is thrown into a spiral that she isn't sure she can get out of. Review: One Moment by Kristina McBride

Book Blurb: Oct. 11th, 1943—A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.

When “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn’t stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she’s living a spy’s worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.
As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage and failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy? 
Harrowing and beautifully written, Elizabeth Wein creates a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other. Code Name Verity is an outstanding novel that will stick with you long after the last page.

I love reading about different things concerning WWII and this book, though there is fictional elements to it, and the writer confesses to creating different jobs for the female roles in this story there is some level of truth to it.  I adored Elizabeth Wein's writing style and watching Verity struggle for survival in Nazi-occupied France while Maddie did her best to save her and further work for the resistance.  This book shows the development of a friendship through the struggles of War and how that friendship further blossoms as one friend tries to save another.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fast paced, emotional read that will linger with you long after you've turned the last page. Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

The galley for this was originally titled The Bastard

Book Blurb: To some men honor is just a word... 

Jeannette Boucher, a young French beauty from a family left penniless by the revolution, must marry against her will to save them all from ruin. But almost immediately after the vows are spoken, she learns that her old English husband is impotent—and in his desire for an heir, he plans to compromise her in the worst way. Determined to escape such a fate, she stows away on one of His Majesty’s frigates. But a woman alone is in constant danger. 

To Lieutenant Treynor, honor means everything...
Born a bastard to a wayward marquise, Lieutenant Crawford Treynor was given to a poor farmer to raise and was maltreated until he ran away to join the Royal Navy. Treynor is determined to prove he’s as good as any other man and rise to captain his own frigate. But once he finds Jeannette aboard The Tempest he must decide whether to return her to the man he knows would abuse her—or risk everything, even his life, to keep her safe.

So, this is my romance novel of the selections, and I have to say, I did completely enjoy it and it was quite a fun read and I loved the development of the characters.  Jeannette did get on my nerves at times and Treynor was at times annoyingly too masculine (yeah, I went there), but beyond that they are quite a unique couple and the struggles that they face are quite fun, especially when Jeannette stows away on a frigate, pretending to be a sailor...how does a woman hide so well among a ship full of men? Read this stunning story and find out! Review: Honor Bound by Brenda Novak

Review: Honor Bound by Brenda Novak

Title: Honor Bound (galley title The Bastard)
Author: Brenda Novak
Rating: 5/5

Summary:  Set in 1794, Jeanette the daughter of a family dispossessed French aristocracy has been married off to regain a bit of wealth for her family, however, her husband is impotent and has made plans to compromise her in the most heinous way in his quest for an heir.  Intent on escaping this fate she flees and disguises herself as a boy to stow away on a ship in Her Magesty’s navy. In the same time, Lieutenant Crawford Treynor, the bastard son of a wayward marquise had been raised by a famer and maltreated until he ran away to join the navy.  Now, he seeks to captain his own ship, however the presence of Jeanette has him in a quandary.  What shall he do? Turn her over or risk everything to save her?

Review: Brenda Novak has spun a stirring tale of intrigue, romance and absolute wonder.  The relationship between Jeanette and Treynor is almost entirely typical of all romance novels. However, this story is action packed and absolutely stunning in its imagery. 

Jeanette has been married off out of obligation to her family, and having survived France’s Revolution, her family, a member of the dispossessed aristocracy, she is now in England.  Still bearing their title, but they are impoverished, Jeanette is determined to relieve the hardships plaguing her family in her marriage to Lord St. Ives.  However, there is a hitch in the plan that is over heard by her brother, and causes Jeanette to flee the home of her husband and attempting to get into London where her influential cousin resides. 

Lieutenant Crawford Treynor is the bastard son of Lady Bedford, and was raised by a famer who mistreated him and such mistreatment caused him to run away at the age of fourteen and join the Royal Navy.  He moved quickly through the ranks from cabin boy to lieutenant, his life had not been easy, but he is a man of honor and has earned the respect of his men.  It is while The Tempest is moored in Plymoth that Jeanette learns that it will be sailing for London, she disguises herself as a thirteen-year-old boy and signs on as one of the crew. 

Two days on a ship to London is easier and a quicker way to travel than any other right?

Extensive background of naval sailing ships of the late 18^th century and lots of historical detail woven into the story made this a very entertaining historical romance, though not entirely certain as to the accuracy of the events but it reads quite realisitically, and the love story is wonderful.

Comments, Concerns, and Recommendations can be sent to me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found in the following locations:
http://caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/caesreviews
http://www.goodreads.com/karida

Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Title: Code Name Verity
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Rating: 5/5

Summary:  A British spy plane has gone down in Nazi-occupied France.  The pilot and passenger were friends, only one of the girls has a chance of survival, the other has perhaps lost the game before it has even begun.  “Verity” has been caught and has been given a choice, reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.  Will trading her secrets be enough to save Verity from the enemy or will things end horribly wrong?

Review: Elizabeth Wein has created a visceral read full of danger, resolve and survival that shows us just how far true friends will go to save each other.  This outstanding novel will linger with you as the last few pages are turned and the tale reaches its climactic ending. 

Two points of view make up this story, the first from Verity’s point of view, and the second from Maddie’s point of view.  Learning the story of each girl provides us with the fantastic insight of the life of a spy during WWII even though most of the positions were fictional.  The elements of this story are so vivid and realistic, and knowing some of what we know of this time period, it is hard to believe that there is a fictional element to it at all as you read it. 

The vivid imagery used by Elizabeth Wein is one that pulls you into the situations of the characters, and you feel like you are suffering with Verity, struggling with Maddie, and trying to survive as a spy during this nightmarish time in history.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves WWII stories as well as stories of everlasting friendship.   

Comments, Concerns, and Recommendations can be sent to me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found in the following locations:
http://caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/caesreviews
http://www.goodreads.com/karida

Review: One Moment by Kristina McBride

Title: One Moment
Author: Kristina McBride
Rating: 4/5

Summary:  It was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie’s life, but it only took one moment to make it the summer that she wanted to forget.  Joey is dead and Maggie can only remember bits and pieces of what happened, why Joey was acting so strange at a party prior to his death, where he went after taking her home that night, and why was Joey keeping secrets from her?

Review:  This book can serve as a poignant reminder that it only takes one moment to alter the path our life is on.  It takes one moment for things to go from good to bad.  The writing in this book is perfectly paced and the frustrations experienced by all of the characters are realistic and familiar to pretty much anyone who has experienced a tramatic event, been in a high school relationship, been cheated on or in truth lost anyone that they care about. 

This novel is the first I’ve read by this author and I find myself wanting to read more of her work to see if I can get the same love for her writing that I found in this particular novel.  This is another that I’ve received from Netgalley, and I am quite glad that I had a chance to read it.

Maggie and her friends are spending memorial day at their favorite spot, and ultimately climbing the cliff to finally make the jump with him that she’d never been able to make.  However, things go horribly, horribly wrong when Joey jumps and Maggie is left cowering on the top of the cliff.  As time goes on Maggie begins to remember bits and pieces of what happened before Joey died.  Attempting to fit the puzzle pieces together, she ultimately has to confront her friends and the truth comes out as to the odd behavior that Joey had the night before, and the hidden relationship that he’d had with one of her best friends.

This is definitely a book whose message will linger with you after you’ve read it and something that will make you think about each and every action you take throughout the course of your day and the effect that one moment can have upon the path our lives are on.

Comments, Concerns, and Recommendations can be sent to me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found in the following locations:
http://caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/caesreviews
http://www.goodreads.com/karida

Review: Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Title: Scars
Author: Cheryl Rainfield
Rating: 5/5

Summary: Fifteen year old Kendra was abused, and has started cutting.  However, someone is following her, leaving her cryptic messages that only she understands.  She can only remember the abuse, but she can’t remember the identity of her abuser. She finds solace in her art and her therapist and a classmate named Meghan who is possibly becoming more than just a friend.

Review: This book made me cry on more than one occasion and it made me sick in others to learn some of the tactics that abusers will go to in ensuring that their identity doesn’t come to the surface after time passes.  The mental games that abusers play with their victims the ‘training’ that was given to Kendra, when she was being abused, was absolutely unimaginable. 

She was trained by her abuser to cut rather than to talk about what had happened to her.  She had started recovering memories, recovering bits and pieces of the abuse she’d received when she was younger and the only piece that was missing was the identity of her abuser.  However, her abuser does not want his identity known, and goes to many different lengths to ensure that Kendra does not talk.  But, like all nefarious plans, things ultimately fall apart and the identity of her abuser is made known and other victims are soon sought because there was a very large chance that Kendra was not the only one that was abused by this man.

This book gives a chilling insight into the mind of the abused, and the things that they have to deal with on a daily basis and what sometimes drives them to begin self-harming.  Self-harm was a way to release the pain and to bring a sense of calm to the world around them.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has been abused, who self-harms, and who lives with the scars of a nightmarish past.  There are resources in the back of this book that are beneficial to anyone who has ever considered cutting.  Read it, and it is decidedly one of those stories that will linger with you long after the book has been closed.

Comments, Concerns, and Recommendations can be sent to me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found in the following locations:
http://caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/caesreviews
http://www.goodreads.com/karida