RELEASE DAY!!! Widower's Aura IS HERE!!!

Title: Widower's Aura

Author: A.J Renee

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 18, 2016

Synopsis

Living in a world full of colors, Sofia Brazier escapes a career gone south as a juvenile probationary officer in New Orleans. After moving to the small town of St. Fleur, Sofia opens a photography business in hopes of ridding her life of all the dark auras surrounding the damaged souls she once tried helping. Her comfortable new life is upended when widower, and ex-security-forces-turned-handyman hunk, Noah Tyler enters the local pub.

Noah attempts to avoid the voluptuous beauty who has captivated his every thought. That is, until his daughter vandalizes Sofia’s building and effectively seals their fate. After cutting his daughter a break, Sofia begins tearing down the walls he built after his wife’s death.

Just when life finally seems worth living for Noah, Sofia finds herself the victim of a string of crimes. Can he protect Sofia when he failed to protect his own wife?

Order your copy today!

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Excerpt

Noah felt the hair on the back of his neck rise before he even saw her. Her skin shimmered with sweat. A bright blue tank top hugged her breasts, short black athletic shorts clung to her curves, and bright blue sneakers covered her feet. The woman’s legs went on forever. He indulged in a brief fantasy of running his hands up those tan legs, hips, and up to her ample breasts. As his pants got tighter with a growing erection, he forced himself to turn and grab a drink of water.

For his sanity, Noah wanted to ignore her presence. Too bad he needed to speak to her. He couldn’t ignore what she was doing for Lexi. “Excuse me, Sofia?”

“Hello, Noah.” She smiled and continued to the bottom step of the house’s porch.

Noah walked toward her. “Can I talk to you?”

Her eyes locked on his with discomfort, “Yes?”

When they were a few feet apart, her smell hit him hard. Her sweat had yet to mask the sweet smell of peaches. She wasn’t covered in the strong perfume smell so many women seemed to bathe in. He noticed she wore no makeup either. The woman was truly stunning. He placed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

“I wanted to thank you for what you’re doing for Lexi. You had every right to press charges, but I’m very grateful you didn’t. She’s a good kid…” He looked up at the second floor of his house, almost expecting to see Lexi standing at her window. “She’s just had a rough time, and I can’t snap her out it. I hope this close call does it.” He found himself wanting to tell Sofia more, but there was no point. Lexi would do her time with Sofia, and he would walk away with as little contact as possible.

Her head tilted to the side, Sofia’s knowing eyes pierced him. “Sounds like you both have been having a rough time.”

Her comment took him off guard. “Yes. No. Yes.” Noah struggled to breathe at the thought of how rough these last two years had been. When he looked at Sofia, he expected a confused look or even pity but not compassion. Yet her eyes sparkled when she gave him a small smile. Why did he always feel as if she was looking through him or reading his mind?

About The Author

AJ Renee loves to travel and see family and friends whenever she gets a chance. She has a love of music, movies, and anything that can make her laugh. AJ believes in reading books with humor and mystery that end in a happily ever after to help ease our minds and hearts of life’s daily struggles. She currently resides in Nevada and spends her time with her air force husband, three young daughters, dog, and cat.

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BotW: Dorothy Must Die

Okay, so am doing this week's post via my phone, so all the flashy bits will be added when I get back to my computer. I know, the month of May started with a bang and kind of died. I did read quite a bit during the month and I will be working on posts for you lovelies.

Anyway, back to the reason you are here today....this week's Book Of The Week!!!

Rarely do I use the book that I am currently reading, but this book has earned that honor.

As you can tell from the title of this post, this week's book is....

Dorothy Must Die

Have you read it? Thoughts? I am in love with it so far and am completely suckered in for the full series ride on this one.

Review: The Young Elites

Title: The Young Elites
Author: Marie Lu
Format: eBook (Kindle)
Pages: 336
Date(s) Read: July 21-24, 2015
Rating: 5

Summary: 
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. Teren Santoro works for the King.  Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger society.  Their lives will collide in unexpected ways.  Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side and that Teren is the enemy, but is this the case? 

Review: 

Marie Lu has been one of my favorite young adult authors since I read the Prodigy series.  This one, however, is above and beyond her first series.  I love this, I always have. This was no exception, and I am definitely going to have to get my hands on the second book in the series. 

I think the biggest reason I absolutely love Marie Lu's writing style is because she has a way of taking older tropes and archetypes and giving them a new and unique spin.  The world for this is something that feels almost familiar, and that makes you feel complacent...until the rug is yanked out from under you and the world you know is twisted upside down.  

Adelina Amouterou is a malfetto; marked and ostracized by her community. She survived a virus that killed so many before her.  Her hair, silver, or shock white.  One eye, and a scar to match lost because of the virus.  She is flawed.  That makes her even more likable.  I absolutely adore this protagonist.  Her darkness, her almost anti-hero qualities are absolutely wonderful to me.  

There is more to Adelina than I have already said, at least in small quantities...however to give more away would lend itself to bringing a few spoilers into play and I don't like doing that.  

The Young Elites is both epic in scope and yet full of specific, near poetic detail. The prose provide us a glimpse into Marie's background of design. The ending was absolutely crushing, and unexpected.  I am quite glad that I actually took the time to read this book, and I am looking forward to the continuation of this series. 

Review: Throne of Glass

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Format: Ebook (Kindle)
Pages: 432 
Date(s) Read: July 6-15, 2015
Rating: 4 (Originally 5)

Summary:
After serving a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged home before the Crown Prince.  She's offered her freedom, but on the condition she acts as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.  When her opponents begin turning up dead, it is up to Celaena to find out who is killing them off (if she can) before it's too late. 

Review: 

Okay, in the time it has taken me to review this book, I've opted to give it one less star than I originally gave it at the time.  This, however, does not mean that I enjoyed the book any less.  It was a very good read.  

I was more or less hooked from the very beginning, the plot at least to me wasn't entirely as solid as it could have been.  Little things here and there kept throwing me, and it did give me a bit of a vibe for the Poison Study series by Maria Snyder.  However, it had its moments that pulled it enough away from that series to ensure that it could and would ultimately stand on its own.  Premise, however, does at least to me scream Poison Study because our dear heroine is rescued from prison, given a chance to live, no further charges, however if she fails then there is only death. 

The writing was very good, and I do commend Maas on her talent.  The prose was good, and ultimately I will be finishing the series - hopefully I'll manage to skip over the cliches that tend to abound in her writing and the rest of the series continues to diverge from it's likeness to Poison Study.

Book of the Week: 9/27-10/3

Hello lovelies!  Welcome to the start of another week! Another Sunday, which means it's time to share with you this week's book of the week!  This week also heralds the start of my FAVORITE month of the year...OCTOBER!  The month of Halloween...so please refrain from being surprised when my books of the week/book of the month for next month are mostly from the horror genre!  This week's however is not, so worry not readers! 

This week's book is a book that I've recently finished reading and I actually found that I liked quite a bit.  Hopefully you'll like it as well! Without further adieu here is this week's book of the week! 

Stork

Wendy Delsol

First of all, let me just say how absolutely GORGEOUS this cover is!  It is so pretty, so fresh, so white and so delightful to look at.  I've even had a friend say that the cover model looks like a young Tori Spelling, and I'm almost inclined to agree with her. 

This book also comes with a series commitment...yes, it is book one of three! I will be getting the other two books at some point and reading through those.  

Stork is Wendy Delsol's debut novel, and gives a nod to Hans Christian Anderson as well as Norse lore.  Katla LeBlanc has moved from Los Angeles to Minnesota, and soon discovers that she is a Stork.  Part of a mysterious society of women, that is tasked with a very unique and interesting duty.  

This is only part of Katla's struggles as a transplanted teenager, she is still struggling to find her flock at school - and of course boys are involved.  There is Wade, the jock she messed around with and now ignores her, and there is also Jack, the farmboy editor-in-chief at the school newspaper. 

There are things about her life that she doesn't know, things about her past that she isn't entirely aware of.  However, as homecoming approaches, there is something that is discovered that binds her fate to Jack's in a way that neither of them could even begin to fathom.  

I greatly enjoyed this book, and I do hope that you will as well if you get a chance to read it! 

Book of the Week: July 11 - 19: Shatter Me

Welcome to this week's book of the week!  This post almost didn't make it until some time tomorrow because I simply could NOT decide on a book to pick for this week's book of the week.  So, with out further adieu...

Shatter Me

Tahareh Mafi 

Seriously, look at this cover.  I've looked at all the covers on goodreads and this is by far one of my favorites.  However, I like some of the covers of the foreign language prints A LOT as well.  Anyway, this book...this book about killed me.  Seriously, all the damn feels.  All the things. 

At the beginning of the story we meet Juliette, who has not touched anyone, not been touched in 264 days.  Simply because, the last time she touched someone even as an accident...she was locked up by The Reestablishment for murder.  Murder.  

However, in the 264 days Juliette has been locked away, the world is crumbling.  Diseases are killing the population.  Food is scarce.  Birds do not fly anymore.  Even the clouds are the wrong color.  

The Reestablishment claims that their way is the only way to bring things back into something akin to normalcy.  However, Juliette has a choice...she can either be used as a weapon or she can be a warrior.

Go.  Read.  This.  Book.  You'll be glad you did! 

Review: The Moon Dwellers by David Estes

Title: The Moon Dwellers
Author: David Estes
Format: Audio
Publisher: Podiium Publishing

Narrator(s): Julia Whelan, William Damron

Overall: 5/5
Performance: 5/5
Story: 5/5

Review:

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I have fallen in love with this book by David Estes, and to be able to get a chance to hear one of my favorite books performed I jumped at the chance and was honored to be one of the ones selected for a free copy of this book.  Adele and Tristan are two of my favorite characters.

Listening to Julia Whelan voice Adele, I feel she is absolutely the perfect fit for this spirited young woman.  The life she brings to Adele, from the very beginning of her story, to the fight and her interactions with her two friends Tawni and Cole has me riveted.  It only further cements that Adele is by far one of my favorite female leads.

Listening to William Damron as the voice of Tristan, my heart beats a bit faster.  He is very, very close to the voice I imagine Tristan having (I've read the book on Kindle as well) and fall in love with him all the more.  Strong, dedicated, and at the complete opposite social spectrum from Adele, yet he fights in the war between the tri-realms just as Adele does.

Tristian and Adele are tied together from the very beginning and their backgrounds are different, their stories unique.  One fights to get out of the Pen and ultimately learn the truth about her parents past...the other seeks to make something good out of his troubled life, leaving the lavish lifestyle of a sun dweller and the President's son.

I highly recommend reading this book in audio, together Julia Whelan and William Damron bring a new dimension of life into this post-apocalyptic dystopian tale spun by David Estes.  Decidedly a five star read.

Review: The Wizard of Time

Title: The Wizard of Time
Author: G.L. Breedon
Dates Read: June 3-5, 2015
Format: Ebook (Kindle)
Pages: 296
Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis: Gabriel Salvador is thirteen, and he has been having dreams about the future.  Gabriel's dreams always come true.  Especially the dream he had where he will drown, it is only a matter of time before that dream becomes reality.  At the moment of his death, he is plucked from his timeline and becomes an apprentice time mage and part of an elite team of mages who are fighting the War of Time and Magic, and travel through history to do so. Throughout the story Gabriel goes to Victorian London, Aztec temples, Samos, Scotland, and battlefields of Alexander the Great, among other places as Gabriel learns about his abilities as a time mage, and joins the battle to protect the timeline. 

Review: 

I originally picked this up as as freebie on Amazon, and like most of the books on my TBR pile it took a bit for me to finally get to it. However, I was surprisingly pleased with what I'd found in just under 300 pages.  I have always enjoyed reading fantasy/sci-fi/etc simply for the escapism that is provided by the stories spun by talented writers.  I read to indulge my imagination and escape my own reality. 

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I started this story, would I find the amount of realism that is required in fantasy stories?  Could I picture myself in Gabriel's world, experiencing what Gabriel is experiencing?  Can I relate to this story? Ultimately the tale that was spun was one of pure brilliance.  

I easily fell in love with the characters.  The fact that Breeden crossed genres only made this tale all the more interesting.  The story is intelligently written and this is shown in the seamless way that his story crosses genres and age groups.  I was not expecting the captivating, adventurous, vibrant, unpredictable and emotive tale that I was presented when I continued to delve into this story.  The historical backdrop, the scientific explanations - everything was plausible, believable and in truth one of the best fantasies I've read in a while.  

It's stories like this that once again remind me why I read young adult stories.  However, even if you do not enjoy reading young adult, but still enjoy a good fantasy story then I would gladly recommend this story to you.  You will definitely enjoy the trip you take with Gabriel and the other mages.

Book of the Month: June 2015: The Moon Dwellers

The Book of the Month showcase for June is....*drumroll*

The Moon Dwellers by David Estes

When I first started my blog David was one of the first authors that I interviewed, one of the first authors that I seriously started reviewing and instantly I'd come to love his writing.  Unfortunately my collection of his works is lacking, but I will be fixing that as soon as I can.  I am very fortunate to have met him, and I'm quite glad to share with you this series because it is one of my favorites. 

I am also currently re-reading this book, and continuing the series as I've the first three books, I'm missing book four.  I will probably also be re-reading his Evolution Trilogy...and the first two books in The Country Saga...which The Earth Dwellers ties into...which is the fourth book in the Dweller's Saga...as well as The Country Saga...!!!!! 

This book, the first in the Dwellers, has been included on Buzzfeed lists, and is DEFINITELY one of those books you should read if you love YA Dystopia, and if you loved The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  Seriously...it is that good.  

David Estes is by far one of my favorite YA authors, and it is a pleasure to have gotten to know him and lose myself in the fantastic worlds he has created.  If you've never heard of him...I highly encourage you to check him out and start reading his stuff.  It is that good.  

BotW: June 21-27: Game of Thrones

Chances are, unless you've lived under a rock you know about Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.  This series is currently a widely watched series on HBO, and like most of you who have read this series...you are waiting patiently to know when book number six will FINALLY be published! *stares at George R.R. Martin*

This week's book of the week is....

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin 

This series, is absolutely one of my favorites...despite the fact that pretty much every one of my favorite characters DIE! Seriously...why the senseless killing George? I mean really? Why must you kill everyone that I enjoy reading about! 

That image right there ultimately sums up each and EVERY thing I have to say about the Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin.  I am, still, like everyone else who has read the books anxiously awaiting the publishing date for book number six! 

Review: Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Witches of East End

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Format: E-book (Kindle)

Date Read: December 5-7, 2013

Rating: 3/5

Recommend: Maybe

Summary: The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid, live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

Review: 

Okay, so I've become addicted to the television show based on this book.  I am, however not a fan of this book.  It took me a bit to get into it, but ultimately I did end up finishing it in about a day and a half or so (minus a few hours of probably much needed sleep).  I much prefer some of the nuisances of the television show, and definitely prefer the characters as they are portrayed on the television show better than they are portrayed in print - which is ABSOLUTELY something that is unheard of coming from me. 

I do like the characters, don't get me wrong, I just prefer the versions of the characters from the -television- show rather than those exposed in print. Lynch me if you must! 

Bibliophile's Wish List 12.10.13

Welcome to the newest edition of Bibliophile's Wish List! The three books featured this week are out the tenth or later of the month. Enjoy!

This one, drew me because I like thrillers and the idea of the story being told is one that drew me and I have a feeling this one will suck me in entirely! So, hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on it sometime soon! This one releases 12.10.13 and is available in multiple formats.

Maeve Conlon's efforts to keep her forgetful father out of jail might finally reveal her deepest, darkest secret in this searing breakout novel from Maggie BarbieriMaeve Conlon's life is coming apart at the seams. Her bakery is barely making ends meet, and one of her daughters spends as much time grounded as the other does studying. Her ex-husband has a new wife, a new baby, and a look of pity for Maeve that's absolutely infuriating. Her father insists he's still independent, but he's slowly and obviously succumbing to Alzheimer's. And now, her cousin Sean Donovan has been found dead, sitting in his car in a public park, shot through the head.
There was never much love lost between Maeve and Sean and she's not exactly devastated by his death, but suddenly the police are poking around asking the family questions. It's just one more hassle Maeve doesn't have time for, until she realizes that her father, whose memory and judgment are unreliable at best, is a suspect in the murder. Maeve is determine to clear his name, but is she prepared to cope with the dark memories and long-hidden secrets that doing so might dredge up?
In a dramatic departure from her Murder 101 series, Maggie Barbieri will mesmerize readers with this gripping novel about family, justice, and the choices we make that define who we are.

Historical romance, one of my favorite genres (so long as it is done right and actually keeps well to what's in the time period).  This story, however, I think I will enjoy reading and sinking my teeth into.  Mainly because I LOVE the name of one of the daughter's Elspeth, is one of my favorite historical names. Also, this one is the first in a four book series, so we will see how things go!

On a bitter December day in 1785, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of master blacksmith Liege Lee in York, Pennsylvania. Just months from becoming a master blacksmith himself, Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship and move west. But Liege soon discovers that Silas is a prodigious worker and craftsman and endeavors to keep him in Lancaster. Silas becomes interested in both of Liege's daughters, the gentle and faith-filled Eden and the clever and high-spirited Elspeth. When he chooses one, will the other's jealousy destroy their love?In this sweeping family saga set in western Pennsylvania, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. Love's Reckoning is the first entry in The Ballantyne Legacy, a rich, multi-layered historical quartet from talented writer Laura Frantz, beginning in the late 1700s and following the Ballantyne family through the end of the Civil War.

This one, the cover first caught my attention and then I read the blurb below, and it made want to try and get my hands on a copy of this book.  The look into America's criminal justice system seems interesting, and I'm curious to know what sort of skeletons are rattled in Penelope's family's closet.

This highly thought-provoking, sometimes amusing and always life-affirming novel illustrates one family's experiences with America's criminal justice system. As Penelope searches for the truth about her father, she rattles the skeletons in her family's closet and shakes up the complacency of her community, which has tried to sweep the past under the rug. With both perception and compassion, the author creates a colorful cast of characters while challenging the wisdom of imprisoning the mentally ill.On the cusp of adulthood, Penelope begins to understand that she has grown-up in a web of silence. The denial in her family and small Minnesota hometown is so thick that she does not know how to cut through it, that is, until she begins a seemingly innocuous pen-pal correspondence with someone in another town. Little by little, Penelope unravels the secrets meant to protect her from the truth. She proves herself to be stronger and wiser than anyone could have predicted and leads the way to healing.
In the lives and interactions of the major characters in this story explores the sprawling psychological geography of America's criminal justice system and its profound effect on everyone it touches, even its most ardent proponents. While dealing with a serious, challenging subject, this book is also filled with warmth and likeable characters. The odyssey of Penelope concludes on a faith-affirming note with a parade of surprising revelations.

Review: Call of the Herald by Brian Rathbone

Title: Call of the Herald

Author: Brian Rathbone

Format: Kindle (E-book)

Read: Dec 19-26, 2012

Rating: 4/5

Recommend: Yes.

Summary: "Echoes of the ancients' power are distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in mankind's deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken, and old fears ignite the fires of war" This quote summarizes this story quite well, and is the blurb on Goodreads.

Review: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the author for supplying this book to me.

Epic fantasy is something that I enjoy greatly. This was definitely one of the books that will make it on my favorite fantasy lists, I'm not sure which list it will end up on, but it will end up there. Mr. Rathbone's writing makes me feel like I am reading something by Tolkien or Terry Brooks. It has the feel of Lord of the Rings, Shinnara and even touches of Paolini's Eragon saga mixed through it. It was comfort read for me, because I enjoy all three of these series and to find someone that has combined them so well, has made me quite pleased.

This particular novel is comprised of three stories, where you are emersed in Godsland and weave the story of Catrin Volker, revealed to be the Herald of Istra, as well as the stories of her companions and Guardians.

Catrin's story is mesmerizing, and I find myself addicted to the weaving of her tale. She is a teenager when the discovery of her newly awakened power sends her on a journey, the end result of this journey – to save all of Godsland. You are immediately drawn into the story and Rathbone's writing keeps you lodged within this world he has crafted. Occasionally, there are touches of speech that is too modern for the time period crafted, but they are few and far between and easily passed over when they occur.

The story is highly detailed and at times can get difficult to follow, but it is that level of detail that makes this epic adventure all the more impressive. The points of view shift through out the story, and and there are times when you need to stop and think to remember where a certain character fit into the story, but ultimately everything is well written, well composed and an engaging and fantastical read.

I am eager to sink myself into the next book in this series, The Dawning of Power has certainly become part of me. Will Rathbone continue Catrin's story, that has yet to be seen, but the door is indeed left open to the possibility of it occuring. You will find yourself becoming attached to the characters much like I did.

COVER REVEAL!!!!! The Lost Trucker by Rose Dewallvin!

Welcome to Confessions of a Bibliophile! Currently one of the stops hosting this awesome cover reveal for Rose Dewallvin's The Lost Trucker (The Trucker Saga #1).

Synopsis: 

Meet Faith Anne, she is 21 almost 22 years old. Small town girl from Mobile, Alabama; lost her momma at a very young age so she was raise by her coal mining father and two brothers. She is a spark of life and is as fiery as a firecracker and as gentle as a kitten.All she is looking for is who she was before she had her heart ripped out and shattered by her boyfriend of 6 years. The only logically thing she can think of is to leave, leave the small town, the comfort, her family and friends and try to find herself again. So she runs… Tells everyone not to find her and that she will be fine. Little does she know that someone dark and powerful would cross her path and throw her into a whole other world!Meet Ryder, he is 26 years old and is as beautiful looking as he is dangerous looking. He seems to have a cloud of darkness hiding over him. He has lived a hard life and lives an even harder life as a trucker. But little does he know that his world is about to crash right into Faith’s.Will these two be able to handle each other, will they be able to conquer each other’s demons together and come out together on the other side?Or will Ryder remain The Lost Trucker…..

Even the back cover is fully of yummy! 

Are you  looking forward to meeting Ryder? I know I am! I see this yummy trucker landing a spot in my dreams...and fantasies! 

Excerpt: 

“Ryder, I need to run upstairs really fast and use the little girls room.I will be back in two shakes of a monkey’s a**.” I move out of his hold onme physically and mentally. What is it about him? He said that there issomething about me that is captivating, what about him? There is nothingcaptivating about me. He is making things up. Either way, I am not going tofall for those games, never again. I am not going to be fooled again.   I do my business and wash my hands then head back out the door tohopefully save whatever this thing tonight was going to be. “You readynow?” Ryder says as I walk back down the stairs. I walk over to thepassenger side of the car and open the door. “Yep.” I pop the P and sit my ass down in the car.   Layla owns a brand spanking new Ford Mustang; electric blue with racingstrips down the middle and of course it is a drop top. The top is up thisafternoon because it is starting to get cold at night here.  “Are you gonna be like this all night? I’m sorry okay. I didn’t mean tobe mean and nasty like I was. But I wont apologize for throwing you over myshoulder because if it's necessary again I will do it again, and over myknee next time too.” He says while focusing on the road as we whip out ofthe truck stop and start down the road for the next little town where thereis an amazing dive bar.  “How do you know that I will even give you a chance after what you justpulled? That was some bull**** Ryder; some nasty f*** could have taken apicture to save in their spank bank for later. Ugh, I feel nasty now. Ifeel like one of those girls that wonders around the lot at night.” Ishudder again at the thought and I grab my hand sanitizer just for goodmeasure.   Ryder starts laughing so hard that I think he is going to crash the carand I grab a hold of the ‘oh shit’ handle. “You….you…oh…my…god…Babe! You’renothing close to a ‘lot lizard’. That’s some funny sh** right there. Spankbank, huh? Can I have some pictures of you for mine??” He gets the biggestand sexiest smile on his face that I have ever seen. He looks me right inthe eyes and all I can do is stare back at him. I have no idea how toanswer him so I just focus on the song that’s playing on the radio; it’sDef Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me. I reach over and turn it up a littlebit more and I can feel the bass pumping in the car and it makes me feellike it would be a good night to do some drinking and dancing. I need agood night out. “Do you know how to dance, Ryder?” I say to him willfocusing out the front window.  “You bet your sweet ass I know how to dance baby.” He says as he reachesover and runs his finger down my arm. I instantly get goose bumps.

Review: Survival by A.M. Hargrove

Title: Survival (The Guardians of Vesturon #1)
Author: A.M. Hargrove
Rating:  5/5

Summary:   Nineteen-year-old Maddie is abducted by a psychopath, and manages to narrowly escape with her life.  However, her rescuer is an enigma, and opens up Maddie to a world that she has trouble accepting as reality.  She then has some choices to make, to return to the mundane world, or to follow this mysterious stranger who may have some key to her future.


Review:    This book is by far one of my favorites, and it is so full of emotions.  I laughed and cried and laughed again.  It also helps that there are some swoon-worthy sexy men in this story (Rayn and his brothers).  With the amount of well thought out characters in this book, A.M. Hargrove, did an epic job of ensuring that we knew who was speaking and when, especially during the final scenes of this book when the point of view constantly jumped around. 

I fell in love with Maddie as a female lead, she is fun and carefree, but she has her own skeletons to deal with – the death of her parents and keeping her emotions bottled up instead of talking about them. She is one of those characters that are easy to like, however, there were a few inconsistancies with her that I was able to get past for the most part. 

Rayn, how could you not fall in love with him?!  He is sweet and caring and pretty much everything that a girl could want.  I love reading his point of view, his love for Maddie and the conflict that it creates in him, and yet you still know that he would do anything for her.

The different points of view was well managed, and the transitions between the points of view was handled in such a way that there was no confusion. One of my biggest issues was the initial switch from Maddie to Rayn and we had to once more experience everything all over again but from a different perspective.  It however, did nothing ot chance the story or give us new information other than further show us Rayn’s feelings for Maddie, which didn’t need quite so far a trip back in time. 

I have to bow down to A.M. Hargrove for her absolutely wonderful imagery.  The descriptions of the scenery, mountains, and etc, was so very beautiful, and it made me wish that I was there.  The creation of this world made me want to hike again and there is no such place here where I could adequately hike and emerse myself in something as vivid as this world that she’d created.  Her writing style, is definitely one that I enjoyed and kept the flow of the story done quite well.  In truth the only issue I had with this book was the cliff-hanger ending! Seirously?! GAH!

If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com

My reviews can be found here:

http://www.caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
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Review: Moonstone (Unbidden Magic #1)

Title:  Moonstone (Unbidden Magic #1)
Author:  Marilee Brothers
Rating: 4/5

Summary:  Allie lives in Peakcock Flats, Washington with her mom.  Every day life has the typical filler of every fifteen-year-old’s life: high school bullies, snarky drama queens, bad-guy dudes with charming smiles.  Oh, Allie also has this prophecy to live up to about saving the world from evil.  Her psychic abilities are jump started by an electrical jolt from a TV antenna which brings forth a hippy-dippy guardian angel and the gift of an incredible moonstone pendant from the town “witch,” who just happens to be Allie Emerson’s next door neighbor. 


Review:  The story starts off a touch strange, but it quickly becomes exciting and more suspenseful as you progress.  Kudos to Marilee Brothers on her first attempt, and as a self published book there are a few flaws, but that is to be expected, and they did not bother me too much, except for the failure to set the ‘rules” so to speak for the many magical talents Allie is now in possession of by the end of the book. 

Allie’s powers are telekinetic and they are amplified by the moonstone pendant that she is given by her eccentric neighbor, however, there are others that want the pendant as well, and now Allie’s world is filled with quite a bit more than your average high school drama, she has now started her part in the age old battle between good and evil, however she isn’t sure who she can trust. 

The characters are pretty well developed, and they are the type you can either love or hate.  Allie just wants a normal life, and actually wants her powers to go away when they first manifest themselves.  She is also more grown up than her mother Faye, who you just want to shake and smack some sense into.  Junior is the local bad boy, former gang member and now trying to right his wrongs and keep himself out of trouble.  I love the interaction between Allie and Junior and the potential for a budding relationship is so strong, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.

If you have any questions, comments or recommendations you can contact me at simplicity.kindreth@gmail.com
My reviews can be found here:
http://www.caedyslibrary.blogspot.com
http://www.tumblr.com/caedy
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/caesreviews