Review: The Song of David

The Song of David by Amy Harmon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Amy Harmon is a talented writer, and I don't think I will ever be disappointed after finishing one of her books. However, The Song of David wasn't as compelling as The Law of Moses. That book was so extraordinary that it would be difficult to top. David "Tag" Taggert was Moses' best friend, and this is his story. A brother broken by the loss of his sister, struggling with the decision to hang on or just let go. He and Moses friendship is almost immediate, and after traveling the world the two of them find themselves. They both put down roots, Moses with Georgia in Levin, and Tag by creating a city block of his favorite things. The bar he owns even though he doesn't drink, and the gym he trains in before his fights. His family consists of all of the people that surround him, officially known as Tag Team. While preparing for one of the biggest fights of his career, he meets Amelie. She's beautiful, and headstrong, determined to make the life she loves, but can't see as amazing as she imagines it to be.

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Review: Fade to Red

Fade to Red by Willow Aster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Willow Aster is one of my favorite authors, and everything she writes is gold. While Roxie & Beckham weren't my favorite couple, (Maby & Coen hold that spot), they were still better than most. If you haven't read any of Aster's other books, you should do that now, as in right now. Fade to Red is a great book, but it's not really on the same level as the first three.

Roxie is and will always be a dancer, but being a mother comes first now. When she gets the opportunity to dance on Beckham Woods tour, she almost lets it pass her by. Then she sees the money she'll be making, and knows that will go a long way to helping her provide for her son. Roxie has her own personal reasons for disliking Beckham, but he has high hopes of changing her mind. Ian & Sparrow from True Love Story are also included in Fade to Red, and their love for each other is inspiring. Unfortunately the happily ever after Beckham was going for has many issues, one of which is a psycho stalker.

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Review: Out of Time

Out of Time by Beth Flynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Out of Time will suck you in and keep you holding on to the very end. It doesn't matter if you have somewhere to be, things to do, or that you have to work tomorrow. You will absolutely need to finish this book now! Out of Time is written in three different time periods that alternate frequently. Luckily Flynn is awesome at making this transition easy. The first period of time is in the 50's with Grizz as a young boy, then the 70's when Kit is kidnapped and living at the compound, and lastly present day with Grizz's loved ones dealing with the aftermath of his execution. Out of Time is filled with secrets, and revelations, that will affect all of the people Grizz loves, even from beyond the grave.

***Spoilers***
In the beginning of the book we find out about Grizz’s early life with a sadistic father, and a vile stepmother. Grizz can take what they dish out, but even he can’t protect his little sister from the awful death at the hands of her own mother. Although he is very young, before he walks away, he ensures his father and stepmother’s deaths are equally as horrific. Leaving his home behind, with only a few belongings, and a picture of Ruthie he strikes out to form a life of his own. After living on the streets awhile, he ends up working at a motel for a man named Pop. Pop has secrets of his own, especially the one that lead him to murder a previous guest, after that same guest realizes Pop found his bag with almost a million dollars. This all happened before Grizz showed up, then going by the name Ralph. Weeks later, Ralph wakes up to Pop trying to molest him, and his gut reaction is to shove him away. He falls into a shelf holding the tv, which then falls onto Pop killing him instantly. He knew then that Pops wife hadn’t just walked out for no reason, she’d left to protect their son. For a while, Ralph continues on with his chores, and tells the guests his grandfather is bedridden, and he handles the day to day operations. Shortly after, a few bikers Red, Chops, and Dusty show up. Ralph overhears Red on the phone, and the man calling Red an agent. He tells Red he doesn’t care about the money, just find the bag. When asked, Ralph said he’s never seen an insurance salesmen there, but Red thinks Ralph may know something. He leaves Ralph info on how to contact him if he’s ever looking for work. Ralph tears the hotel apart, and finds Pops sons birth certificate, and he also finds where Pop hid the bag. He finds the money, and also the plates to make more. Sewn into the bottom is also a document. Red doesn’t know what it is, but he knows it’s important. After burning the counterfeit money, he hides the plates, and the document. Using the stolen birth certificate, Ralph then becomes Jason Talbot, and strikes out to join Red. This is the beginning of his life with the most notorious biker gang in south Florida.

At the end of Nine Minutes there were several secrets revealed. One of those being that Grunt is actually the father of one of Blue’s and Jan’s boys, and that they both played a hand in bringing down Grizz. We also learned that Grunt was actually Grizz’s son, and not Blue’s brother. This revelation, and the many secrets that follow shakes Tommy & Ginny’s once stable marriage. Ginny decides to stay with her friend Carter, who now lives with her husband Bill in the house that Grizz built for them. She couldn’t stay there, or let Tommy live there once Grizz asked her to marry Tommy, but could also never sell it. Being there brings up many memories of their time together, and the love they shared. She takes Grizz’s bandanna hanging on his motorcycle, and remembers the promise he made her that if she ever needed anything that Tommy couldn’t help her with, she could wear his bandanna and help would find her soon.

While Ginny is away Chicky’s daughter brings Moe’s diary that Chicky had held onto for years, and asked her to deliver once Grizz died. While reading it, Tommy realizes that the mysterious Wendy who orchestrated the brutal attack and rape of Kit (Ginny), was actually their good friend Sarah Jo. She tries to explain that she never meant for Kit to get hurt, they were only supposed to take her to the police so she could go home. That way Grizz would go to prison, and Tommy could finally have her. Tommy doesn’t believe that Sarah could possibly think Willow would have left it at that. He decides that Ginny can’t take any more betrayal, and tells Sarah to convince her husband to take one of the jobs he’s been offered outside of the country, and to let their friendship die. No one ever realized how much she hated Grizz, and blamed him for her father’s involvement with not only the gang, but lowlife biker whores. Before leaving he tells her “Jo, you should know better than to fuck with me. Especially now that you know whose blood is running through my veins. Get your ass out of town, or you’ll be sorry. This is your one and only warning.” Sarah Jo watches him walk away, and whispers to herself “Yeah, I know whose blood runs through your veins, and he’s gone for good. I never realized what an arrogant, scary son-of-a-bitch you could be, Tommy. If I’d known that, then I wouldn’t have tried to help you be with her. It’s me who shouldn’t be fucked with, and I guess you’ll have to learn that the hard way.”

We also learned about Tommy’s final meeting with Grizz before the execution. He explains that he had forgiven Tommy for the billy club lie, and that he knew Tommy wasn’t involved in bringing down the gang. He also knew Jan wasn’t smart enough to pull it off, and he’d recently realized who had been helping her. Matthew Rockman was Ginny’s friend from school, who never got over Grizz’s warning to stay away from her. He knew Grizz was responsible but could never prove it. He found out too late, but had given Blue explicit instructions on how to handle Jan, and Matthew Rockman. He also told Tommy not to be surprised when he was questioned for Jan’s upcoming murder. There was a plan in place, and it will look like it might lead to Tommy, but they won’t. Instead it will look like Rockman trying to frame Tommy, and when questioned, he can offer up information to further implicate Rockman. He also tells Tommy of the one secret that hasn’t ever been revealed, and can never be shared with anyone else. The bag he’d found as a young boy contained a document, that would bring down the worlds ruling elite. This elite group was more powerful than the US government, or any government. They were the ones calling the shots, from who was positioned in the white house, to the world’s economy. It also contained a timeline of future events things like the Berlin Wall, Vietnam War, future president’s etc. These events started in 1961, and Grizz had come across these documents in the 50’s. He had used this knowledge to get away with many things over the years. He had told them that if he died, that document would go public. He was surprised they didn’t get him out of jail when he was arrested for Kit’s kidnapping, especially when he was given the death penalty. Instead, they played him. He was to make sure that Kit and the baby moved on, so it wouldn’t look like she was waiting on him. He only expected to be in jail a few years, and be out long before Mimi remembered Tommy as her father. Instead they let him rot in prison for 15 years. He also explains that they had been bugging Tommy & Ginny’s house for years to make sure Grizz hadn’t ever told them anything. Since they never spoke of the past, it seemed like they were hiding something. Tommy needed to bring Kit home after the execution, and tell her everything he remembered about growing up at the motel. Enough information that they would accept Grizz was telling the truth about Tommy and Ginny not knowing anything.

Ginny returned to Carters to start cleaning out the garage which held all of the memories of her past with Grizz. Carter gave her a package that had been delivered for her containing her bible from when she was a child, with a letter from her mother. Delia explains that her real name is Alice Crespin, and she had been married to David Dunn her real father. They gave birth to twins, Josie and Jodi. Jodi had to stay in the hospital longer than Josie, and a few nights after they came home David was involved in a protest that went horribly wrong killing himself and many others. Some of his friends told her she needed to take the baby and run or she might face charges herself. When faced with losing both girls, she took Josie, and left Jodi (who was also called Cricket behind). She later learned Jodi died a week later. She renamed herself Delia Lemon, and Josie’s new name was Guinevere Love Lemon. After reading the letter she went out to the garage, and found Grizz’s favorite bike was gone. Carter confirmed that Grizz did somehow make it out, but didn’t want to put Ginny in the position to have to choose between her family and him. She also confirmed that it had been her that Grizz had watching over her all of the years since he’d been gone.

In the last chapter Grizz is riding the roads heading to Louisiana to find some connection to Kit, the only woman he’d ever loved. After a few days of riding back roads, he stopped in a diner to eat, only to find a sign that said “Bikers not welcome.” Of course he went in anyway. Inside he found a carbon copy of Kit, only this one had blonde hair, blue eyes, a foul mouth, and a British accent. Her name was Crickett, and he knew immediately this was Kit’s twin. The twin that was supposed to be dead. He was deciding if Kit should know about her or not, when he heard the news report on the TV. “A married father of two in South Florida still in critical condition, and barely clinging to life after police believe he tried to intervene in a convenience store robbery that left the store clerk dead, and the perpetrator still at large. There are no witnesses but police believe the 41 year old architect from Fort Lauderdale…” He looked at his pager to see if she’d need him, but it was off. As soon as he turned it on, his pager went off with message: She needs you. He was going home. To her. It was about fucking time.

In the epilogue, from Carter’s point of view, she is sitting in the waiting room surrounded by bikers, architects in business suits, and their friends from all walks of life. A loud wail caught her attention, when Sarah Jo walked into the room, and dramatically launched herself in Ginny’s arms. She told Ginny she caught the first plane into the US when she’d heard. She overhears Ginny say “Thank God you and Stan haven’t moved yet, Jo. I can’t imagine dealing with this without you.” Sarah Jo tells Ginny “We could never move now. I would never move and leave you here to deal with this. We’re staying.” Carter noticed something wasn’t right with Sarah Jo, she was crying but there were no tears. Ginny still had Grizz’s bandana in her hair. Carter had watched Ginny for years, and that bandana had always stayed with Grizz’s bike. Ginny had been wearing the blue bandana at Jason’s basketball game, and Carter had excused herself to go to the restroom to send Grizz the page within twenty minutes of seeing it. And that had been twenty-four hours before Tommy had been shot…


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Review: Alpha

Alpha by Regan Ure
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was lucky to find this book on Wattpad for free! Aside from all of the errors, it was a really good book. I was sucked in pretty quickly, and was able to relate well with Scarlett.

Scarlett lost both of her parents at the age of ten, and has since been raised by her fathers best friend, Gary. Before starting her senior year of high school, they move to a new area. Once she starts school, she learns quickly that things, and people are a bit different there. She meets Blake pretty quickly, and he finds her sarcastic attitude hilarious, which wasn't what she was going for. His best friend Cade is as intense, as Blake is lighthearted. She decides quickly that she doesn't want anything to do with either of them, even though she can't deny that she and Cade have an unmistakable chemistry. Meeting Keri gives her more to look forward to, especially since Keri knows what it's like to be the new girl in this school where everyone falls into their own group.

***Spoilers***
Cade tells Scarlett he can explain why she started noticing changes in herself when she turned 16. At first she is shocked, because only Gary knows about her strength, and senses increasing after her birthday. The reason she was given is probably the last thing she expected, but the more answers she gets, the more things start to fall into place. Regan has an interesting take on werewolves, and the rules that go along with being a member of the pack. Not only does she learn that she is a werewolf, but that she can only shift once she has found her mate. Of course Cade is her mate, because that makes everything perfect. Scarlett is still a little unsure about all of it, especially since she is used to doing whatever she wants, and she already had a future mapped out. Cade is extremely overprotective, and it drives Scarlett crazy. On the plus side, Keri and Blake seem to hit it off. Even though they can't ever be together, the four of them enjoy spending time together. As if all that wasn't enough of a bombshell, she also learns that she has a brother, Kyle. Her father was the alpha of Kyle's pack, when another alpha, Victor decided that he wanted Scarlett's mother. Victor's mate had died, and he was a lunatic. Since their pack was small, and had no chance of going against Victor's pack, they decided to leave to keep the pack safe. They knew Victor would come after them, and since he didn't know about Kyle, they left him to be raised as his uncle's child. When Scarlett was ten, Victor finally caught up with them, and killed her parents. She wasn't with them, and he never knew they had a daughter. He had spies in the other wolves territories, that he had given wolfsbane to hide their scent. To anyone else they smelled human. Keri is one of those spies, and also his daughter. When she tells her father there is a new female wolf in the area, Victor immediately recognizes her as her mother's daughter. He won't stop until he has her for himself. At the end of the book he kidnaps her, and beats the hell out of her. While trying to dose her with wolfsbane to keep her from shifting, she is able to get the syringe, and give it to him. With him unable to shift, she shifts to her wolf and kills him. but not before he injects her with air. Cade finds her right as she collapses, and her heart stops. He performs CPR, and thanks to her healing abilities, her heart is able to start beating again. Keri, and the other traitor who helped take her are brought back to Cade's territory with them. When Blake realizes that Keri was a spy for Victor all along, he is hurt, but when he finds out she is also his mate, he is devastated. The next book is their story!

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Review: Fury

Fury by Fisher Amelie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been almost two years since I read book two of The Seven Deadly series, and unfortunately I didn't leave a recap review. So basically I started out not really knowing any of the backstory, luckily these books can be read as a standalone.

Ethan is a little pathetic at first, sick as he is with losing his girlfriend to another guy. He is so heartbroken he spends each of his days exactly like the one before, drinking to oblivion, sleeping it off, and starting over the next day. That is until his old high school friend Finley shows up and knocks him over the head with a bit of common sense. He is so wrapped up in his own problems, which seem a bit petty considering, he doesn't even realize Fin is fighting her own battles. I will admit that once he finally pulls his head out his ass, he is perfect for her.

***Spoilers/ Recap***
Fin tells Ethan she is volunteering in Vietnam for a year, but he doesn't give it much thought in the beginning. As the day gets closer he accepts her noncommittal responses every time he asks her exactly what she will be doing. He reluctantly drops her off at the airport, and agrees to let her have her time. He learns a few days later, that her mother sold her to men when she was young, and she is going to volunteer in Vietnam to help young trafficked girls escape. When his dad tells him to go to her, and protect her, he takes off. She isn't thrilled at first, but is eventually glad he's there. After a few tough breaks, and only rescuing a few girls, Ethan is fed up with all of the corrupt police, and authority figures there. They make their already difficult, and dangerous job even harder. As part Native American, of warrior blood, and able to protect himself well, he strikes out on his own at night. He is able to rescue so many girls, but it eventually catches up to him. He knows the girls home, the women who work there, Fin, and the priest won't be safe because of his actions. Khahn and his minions are looking for him, and he has to kill Khahn in order to save them all. At the end he finds Khahn's base, and kills everyone there, rescuing 29 children, but leaving with several bullet holes, and only a tiny grasp of life left. After a critical touch and go period, he finally makes it, and he and Fin head back to the states. They stay long enough to save their money, and then escape to live life on the tropical beach of Costa Rica.

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Review: Never Never: Part Two

Never Never: Part Two by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I wish these books were longer!! It feels like no time goes by, and then I'm finished. It took five months for book two to come out, so I will be extra specific with the recap below. Imagine waking up every 48 hours not knowing who you are, or where you are. Then imagine spending the next 2 days trying to figure it out, only to start all over when it happens again. Charlie & Silas are experiencing just that. Not only are they trying to find out who they are, they are also trying to find out why this keeps happening to them. Someone wants them to forget, but they desperately want to remember.


***Spoilers/ Part 1 & 2 Recap***

In Never Never Part 1, Charlie and Silas both lose their memories at the exact same time. It takes them a while before they realize that it happened to both of them, and then they try to put as much together as they can. Over the two days they spend trying to figure out who they are, they learn that they are both seniors. They have been together four years, but they were both cheating on one another. Their fathers once worked together, but Charlie's father is now in prison. Her mom is a drunk, they used to have money, and she has a little sister. Silas family is wealthy, and his dad hates Charlie. His brother covers for him any chance he gets, but no one else knows what is happening to them. At the end of the book Charlie & Silas are on Bourbon street, visiting a tarot card reader. While in the shop, the two of them notice a picture of a gate, the same picture Charlie has hanging in her room. Silas took the picture, but neither of them know when it was taken, or where. They argue over the reading, because Silas thinks it's crap. Charlie wants to know more, especially when the reader draws a blank card, and said she had never seen it before. Charlie gets upset, and decides to take a cab home. He lets her leave, but no one has heard from her the next morning. While looking for her at her house, he sees a letter addressed to Charlie. He takes it, and after reading it he learns that they both lose their memories every 48 hours. They write down what happened to them, and anything they learn and mail it to themselves so they know what's wrong when the lose their memories again. Silas is reading the letter when he realizes he only has 3 minutes until he loses his memories again. He writes down all that they have learned, and also that Charlie is out there without a phone, or an id, and soon she won't know who she is. His last sentence is "Charlie got into a cab on Bourbon street last night, and no one has seen her since. She doesn't know about this letter. Find her. The first thing you need to do is find her. Please."

In Part 2, Silas wakes up again not knowing who he is, but he has all the answers he needs in his hands. While reading everything about himself that he should already know, he also learns that this Charlie, whom he's never met is also out there somewhere not knowing who she is. She doesn't have the notes, and he has to find her. Janette, Charlie's sister is really worried that she never came home, and no one has heard from her. Silas only knows that she got into a cab on Bourbon street. Over the next two days he gathers all of their notes, old letters, and Charlie's journals trying to piece things together, and find a place that she might have gone to. He goes back to the tarot card reader, and asks again about the gate in the picture. She tells him the inscription on the gate, Jamais Jamais is French, and translates to Never Never. When he tells her he is looking for someone, she says "the girl". He tells her yes, that they were both there last night. She says "I remember, but that only makes one of us doesn't it?" When he questions how she knew that, she tells him it's not that simple. That during their reading his card was blank. She's heard of it happening before, but its never happened to her. Silas asks her what else she knows, and she says "What I can tell you... the only thing I will tell you... is that you need to remember what it is that someone so desperately wanted you to forget." Silas asks his brother if he has ever heard of a place called Jamais Jamais, and he tells him that is Charlie's old house. When he finally finds it, it's dark and he can't find a way in. He decides to sleep there because it's isolated, and search in the morning. His brother Landon finds him there in the morning, and he decides to tell him everything. At first he doesn't believe him, but still gives Silas the answers he has to give. Landon tells him that there was some kind of audit and missing money when their dad, and Charlie's dad were business partners. Their dad found evidence proving that Charlie's dad was guilty, but the files were taken before he could turn them over. His dad has always blamed Charlie, but he finds out it was him. He took them to protect Charlie. He also tells Silas, that Ezra, their housekeeper reluctantly told the police she found a sheet with blood in his room last week when they questioned her about Charlie's disappearance. When the two of them go back to Jamais Jamais to pick up Landon's car, he learns that a woman Janice Delacroix bought the home. He doesn't know the name, but is told she is some tarot card reader with a daughter they go to school with. Her daughter's name is Cora Delacroix, but everyone calls her The Shrimp. This is the same girl that Silas thought might know something about Charlie's disappearance. Meanwhile Charlie keeps waking up in a locked room, in what she thinks is some kind of hospital. They keep drugging her, but she manages to keep the last dose of pills in her cheek. When a new nurse arrives, she is able to overpower her, and take the keys. As she is running through the home she's been locked in, she finds a way out only to run into Silas about to be eaten by a massive dog. She kills the dog with the same pipe she used to over power the nurse. He takes her to a hotel, because they will both lose their memory in a few hours, and he wants to make sure he tells her what's going on before, and that they are together when it happens again. They both have to go to the police, and let everyone know she is safe, but not before they figure out who they are first. At the end of the book, they wake up together and eat breakfast. Landon joins them and the clock ticks down to 11:00, but the book ends a just a few seconds beforehand.

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Review: One Plus One

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed One Plus One.. It wasn't a five star book, and didn't even live up to it's predecessors, but it did it's job. First I should disclose that I only noticed the price of this book after I had paid for it. Being stuck in an airport terminal calls for drastic measures. I could have read it on my computer, but sometimes there just isn't a replacement for holding the real thing. So was it worth $17, probably not. It took a little too long to get going, but once it did I was committed.

Single mothers often work hard at making everything fine. Giving every bit of themselves to their children, without ever thinking about themselves. Jess is a prime example of selflessness. Her no good husband walked out two years ago, and she has done everything she can to keep her little family together. Her stepson Nicky isn't one of the cool kids, and because of this he suffers the unfortunate fate of being the local bullies favorite target. Her daughter Tanzie is a math whiz, and has been offered an opportunity of a lifetime. Ed Nichols finds himself the unlucky chauffer to his cleaning lady Jess, her goth-like son, and the child prodigy Tanzie. Though he agrees only because he can't find a way to back out, their road trip turns into more than any of them thought possible.

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Review: When It Rains

When It Rains by Lisa De Jong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When It Rains is not a book you read in public. It was heartbreaking, and so accurate at portraying how absolutely unfair this life seems at times. I honestly don't know how you can read it, and not get even a little emotional. So be forewarned, don't read in public and have a few tissues nearby.

Kate & Beau have been best friends since they were children, and everyone expects them to end up together one day. I think they were expecting the same. Unfortunately one night forever changed both of their lives, and left Kate unable to overcome it. Beau tries to be there, and help her through it, but he can't help her with what he doesn't understand. Kate can't seem to overcome her secret, and eventually watches Beau leave her behind. Asher is new in town, and that's quite obvious when he focuses his attention on Kate. She feels the chemistry, that invisible pull, but resists. Asher doesn't quit, and with him Kate feels safe. She doesn't have to be the girl she was before, only the girl she is now. With his help, and persistence, Kate is able to start living again. For the first time in years, she is happy, and looking toward a future. Then it's all ripped away, destroyed again, this time by someone else's secret.

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Review: Arsen: A Broken Love Story

Arsen: A Broken Love Story by Mia Asher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

All of my GR friends rated this book very highly, which is enough for me to pick it up. Unfortunately I just didn't feel the same way. The first 75% was a struggle for me to get through, and I kept finding myself interested in doing anything else to avoid it. I couldn't figure out why everyone loved this book. It could be the cheating that didn't sit well with me, or the fact that I disliked Cathy. It's hard to imagine a husband like Ben who loves Cathy with everything he has, being possibly replaced by Arsen. The last quarter of the book was a bit redeeming however, which is why I rated it 3 stars. As much as I disliked Cathy, my heart broke for the situation that she created. The epilogue makes me think the consequences of her actions will be ongoing, but I hope that isn't the case. I'll quit here, and pretend there is a HEA! :)

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Review: Nine Minutes

Nine Minutes by Beth Flynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nine Minutes.. I must have missed the meaning of that title. Ginny was the latchkey kid of two stoner hippies. She pretty much raised herself, and was able to take on a lot of responsibility at a young age. At fifteen she was kidnapped by a notorious motorcycle gang, and during her time with them she witnessed many cruel, violent acts. It might be her personality, or her ability to cope with her situation, but Gin makes the best of her time with her captors. Grizz is the leader, the most ruthless of them all, and yet he cares for her like she has never been cared for before. The characters of this book all grew on me. I like these awful people, root for their love, and somehow hope they all make it out unscathed.


***Spoilers***
Gin is surprised to find the man who owns her, also loves her. The fact that he cares for her, and shows her a side that no one else sees is endearing. Idk if it's Stockholm Syndrome, or what but I was hoping it would have all worked out for Kit and Grizz. Kit is her new nickname, and everyone in their gang has one. Kit and Grizz do love one another, and despite their situation that much seems real. Grunt the youngest of their group was one of my favorites, as well as Moe. Blue's wife Jan spills some of their secrets as a way to get back at her husband when he leaves her, and tries to take their two boys. At the end of the book, a lot of secrets come out when Grizz and his gang are taken down. Grizz gives up a lot of information to keep the people he cares about safe. When Grizz knows he will never leave prison, he asks Kit to marry again, so that when their daughter was born she would have a father. Naturally because they had always been close friends she turns to Grunt. They did love one another, and went on to have another child. A short time before Grizz's execution was to take place, a reporter wants to do a story on them. Kit gives her most of the story, but asks that she leave out the part about her losing her virginity to Grunt, instead of the way it was originally planned. She agrees not to put it in the story, but does tell Grizz hoping he will tell her something juicy as a way to get back at Kit. What we find out towards the end is that one of Blue's boys actually belongs to Grunt, and apparently he had a hand in bringing down Grizz. He had it planned, because he had been in love with Kit his entire life. Grizz took him to watch over her, and he grew up watching her from afar. We also learn that Grunt is not actually Blue's little brother, but Grizz's son. I don't know if those two things are the secret that Grunt has to tell Kit before the end, hopefully there isn't more. The next book in the series seems to take place from Grunt's POV, starting around the time that Kit arrived at their compound.

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Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Though she is only five books in, Kasie West is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Somehow The Fill-In Boyfriend is able to keep you engaged, while making you laugh, and possibly do a little soul searching. Luckily I didn't give the books description more than a cursory glance, or I may have decided against it. Reading books about teenagers in high school got old after the first few hundred or so. Then again, I guess I could move out of the young adult section... Thoughts for another time.

Gia's boyfriend decides that in the parking lot prior to prom is the best time to break up with her. He is pretty much the definition of a douchebag. That wouldn't be so bad except for her friends don't believe he even exists. Showing up without him will only prove them right, or at least they'll think so. She decides to employ the stranger in the parking lot to be her date, reasoning to herself they can break up tomorrow, and no one will even have to know. Unfortunately the stand in boyfriend is harder to forget than the real one, and if she plans to keep seeing him everyone will know she lied.

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Review: Vision in Silver

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With the Cassandra Sangue unable to cope with life outside of the compounds, escaping their prison has only changed their problems. Living in the compound under the control of the overseer, the blood prophets were given small breaks outside their sterile cells, and taught of the outside world through images in a book. They were only given enough information to interpret the prophesies they had when their skin was cut, for their captors profit. Simon and the rest of the terra indigene (others) freed the blood prophets, but with only Meg's experience to go by they lost a few of them to suicide before they figured out how to help them. Meg is busy working for the Lakeside courtyard, and helping Simon with the blood prophets. The HFL (Humans First and Last) movement is inciting the hatred some humans have for the Others. The humans have a short memory, because there has never been a time when they have gone up against the Terra Indigene and won, though they keep trying.


***Spoilers***
Detective Montgomery's daughter Lizzy makes her way to Lakeside by herself, carrying only a suitcase and her favorite bear. Her mother Elayne was dating the head of the HFL Nicholas Scratch, but she was killed in the train station before they were both able to flee the city. The police from Toland call Lakeside wanting to interview Lizzy and retrieve the bear. Simon offers him one of the apartments at the courtyard, so that Lizzy is safe while they find out what's going on. The wolves find a bag of jewels hidden inside the bear, and replace them with glass from the Crows shop before giving the bear to Burke at the police station. Wealthy donors were donating their jewels to the HFL, and then claiming the Crows stole them and collecting the insurance. Without the money those jewels represented, Scratch and his lackeys are getting desperate. They end up finding out that Elayne's brother was working with Scratch, and he's the one who hid the jewels there. In Lizzy's diary, they find that Elayne has spilled all of the secrets she had on the HFL, including the fact that the current food shortage was all planned, so they could blame the Terra Indigene and bring more people to their side. At the end of the book, a few of the crows, and several of the human pack go to the outdoor market to shop and let the crows have some fun. It was all set up, and the HFL attacked their group. Luckily Meg was able to give them a little warning, but Crystal, one of the crows and Lawrence Macdonald the human police officer were both killed. Many of them were hurt, but the betrayal will have far reaching effects. The earth natives living in the courtyards are like a buffer for those living in the wild country. Humans are only allowed to lease a small amount of land, because they have things the others want, but in the end they are no more than clever meat. Simon finally receives word from the wild country about their plans following the attack, and they have declared a breach of trust. Their message to him is this: The sweet blood has changed things. You have changed because of her. We are intrigued by the humans who have gathered around your courtyard, so we will give you some time to decide how much human the terra indigene will keep.

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Review: Orphan Train

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I picked up Orphan train for some trip, but never read it. I recently found it in a suitcase, and decided to give it a go. I had no idea that this was a real thing. The Orphan Train was a welfare program that transported orphaned children from crowded Eastern cities of the US to foster homes located largely in rural areas of the Midwest. The orphan trains operated between 1853 and 1929, relocating about 250,000 children. Many of the children were adopted for their labor, in a kind of indentured servitude. While reading Orphan Train, it made me sad to know what some of these children, who had already lost everything, experienced at the hands of the people who were supposed to help them.
Orphan Train follows the lives of one of the train riders, Vivian, and a modern day orphan simultaneously. Molly is trying to make it the last few months in her current foster home before she ages out. She gets in a little trouble, and ends up doing her community service at the home of a 91 year old wealthy woman, who also happens to be one of the train riders. As Molly helps Vivian clean out her attic, they discuss the possessions she has collected in almost a hundred years. They soon realize how similar their stories are, and both understand how important they are to one another. I would have liked for the story to continue a little more, as it ended abruptly, but I guess that is for the readers to determine.



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Review: Made

Made by J.M. Darhower

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



If you haven't read the first two books in the Forever series, there will be spoilers below.

Oh I loved this just as much as Sempre.. Corrado is cold, and calculating. I couldn't ever figure out where Celia's devotion came from, but Made makes things really clear. As a hit man for Cosa Nostra, his job requires him to be ruthless, but very few people ever see the man that Celia sees. He has loved her since he was a child, and will continue until the day he dies. Made is 530 pages starting when Corrado was a small child, and spanning the remainder of his life. Darhower gives us a glimpse of all the things that happened before Carmine & Dominic came into the picture. Antonio as Don that Sal could never live up to. Ericka Moretti is more callous than her husband could ever dream of being, making it easy to understand where Katrina gets it from. Vincent's love for Maura, and all that took place for them to have their short time together. Love, love, loved it!



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Review: Soaring

Soaring by Kristen Ashley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Amelia was married for almost two decades, to the love of her life. She couldn't have asked for more. She, being the heiress of a multi-million dollar company, and her husband working as a neurosurgeon, meant she spent most of her time doing things for her family. With two teenagers, and several charity organizations, she always had things to do. When her husband informed her he was leaving, and marrying another woman. She loses it. She goes so far that she eventually loses the respect of her children, who want nothing to do with her. Then her husband packs up the kids and moves across the country to Maine. Amelia decides she has to pull her self together if she is ever going to win back her children. She packs up and follows them, buying the beautiful home called Cliff Blue. Her sexy firefighter neighbor piques her interest, but she is quickly shut down. He has no intention of anything happening between himself, and his new neighbor. Amelia is disappointed, but knows she should be focusing all of her attention on her children.


***Spoilers***
Luckily Amelia's children Pippa, and Auden don't take much convincing to forgive their mother. Once they see that she has no intention of causing any more drama for their father, and only wants to repair her relationship with them they are all for it. It takes a little time, and lot of love but they do begin the process of getting back to where they once were. During this time, Micky, the hot firefighter next door is trying to stay away from Amelia. It only takes a few dates with other men before he gets off his ass and makes his move. He and his children Aisling, and Cillian all call her Amy. I don't know why I don't like that, but it's annoying. Amelia grows close to his children, and she is concerned when Aisling starts slipping into a bad place. Micky, and his ex Rhiannon both try to find out what's wrong, and even Amelia gives it a try. Then when the families are supposed to meet for the first time, both Aisling and Pippa grow pale at the sight of one another. Apparently Pippa's bff Polly is a bully, and makes Aisling's life miserable. Pippa doesn't say anything, but she doesn't stop it either. After a major drama they are all able to work everything out, even Pippa and Aisling. Mickey and Amelia get married, and both of their families become one at Cliff Blue.



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Review: Confess

Confess by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'm not sure how to review this book. Confess was definitely interesting, and unlike any other book I have read. I was eager to finish it, and a little surprised at how it all turned out. Auburn was endearing, and her roommate was awesome. Adam's family was absolutely awful. I hated them, and hated them even more once I was aware of the depth of their evilness. Owen was different. He's not the typical male love interest, but just as good. He has secrets of his own, and respects Auburn's need to withhold her secrets. Confess is such a great title, and the reasoning for that will come to light once you read it.



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Review: Bound by Flames

Bound by Flames by Jeaniene Frost

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Frost is one of my top three authors, but Bound by Flames wasn't up to her normal standards. Usually her books not only grip you from the beginning, they are also funny. Not so with this one. There is one other book in the Night Prince series, but that's not due out until 2016. I'll add a spoilers section at the bottom for a quick review.

Bound by Flames starts out with Vlad & Leila hosting a masquerade ball. They have invited all of the top players in the vampire world. With Laila's touch, she will be able to find out which one of them has betrayed them to Mihaly Svilagyi, Vlad's oldest nemesis. Vlad knows that Mihaly is equally as determined to destroy him, but he doesn't fear for his own safety. His concern is for Leila. Though she does have a few gifts that are unique to her, she is still a new vampire and wouldn't stand a chance up against the centuries old Svilagyi. Of course women are headstrong, and hell bent on showing their men they are just as useful in a battle as their spouse. Leila is a bit reckless, and Vlad is more than a bit overprotective. Neither of them see eye to eye on how to proceed, but they will both stop at nothing to protect each other.


***Spoilers***
Vlad uses Maximus to infiltrate Svilagyi's inner circle. Everyone knows that Vlad threw Maximus out of his line, and therefore his protection. Which means they also know that he would never have a chance to earn his way back in. This makes him the perfect person because no one would ever suspect he was actually working for Vlad again. Without Maximus' knowledge, Svilagyi targets Vlad's home while he isn't there, and Leila is captured. Maximus suggests skinning her alive so she won't have a way to access Vlad through his essence trail left on her skin. All of this is recorded, and then mailed to Vlad along with her skin. Leila can't believe that Maximus would betray her. When Svilagyi decides his next form of punishment will be raping Leila on camera, Maximus volunteers for the job, saying that will hurt Vlad more since he was once a friend. He actually pretends to rape her, while telling her that he had her skinned to remove Vlad's protective aura so she could reach him, and gave her the location where she is being held. He is also able to sneak her blood which she has been deprived of. Leila is rescued, but it isn't until the end that Vlad is able to destroy Svilagyi. While trying to link to him, she is spelled with a self destruction spell that makes her want to kill herself. Mencheres isn't able to break the spell, which lets them know whoever made the spell is extremely powerful. In the end the spell backfires, and links the caster to Leila. Killing either of them will break the spell, but if one of them dies, so does the other. They find out that the necromancer who cast the spell is the son of Vlad's brother, and his wife. He knew she cheated, and the kids weren't his because theirs was an arranged marriage. He didn't know that she cheated with his brother. All this time his nephew (stepson?) was raised by Svilagyi, and he has been seething with resentment. He disappears at the end, but not before telling Vlad that he isn't through with him.



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Review: Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson

Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Shifting Shadows includes ten short stories, all of which are centered around the world of Mercy. Each of them gives a little more insight to some of our favorite characters. It's not necessary to read in order to read the series, but I enjoyed it. :)



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Review: Dead Heat

Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson, and Alpha & Omega series are both old favorites of mine. No matter how long passes between each new book, I know I am in for a good one.

Charles Cornick is the son of the Marrock, Bran Cornick. Bran is the Alpha of all Alpha's, and Charles is his enforcer. He and his wife Anna who is an Omega wolf travel to Arizona looking to buy a horse from one of Charles' old friends. Anna is able to meet Joseph, and his wife Maggie. Joseph is the human son of Hosteen, the local alpha. He is old and dying, but refuses to be changed. While they are there visiting, they run into a little fae drama. The two of them, with the help of a few friends must track down the fae responsible for endangering the family members, of the local pack. I do hope this family makes a return, especially the kids. Joseph and Maggie's son Kade is married to Chelsea, and they have three children Max, Macky, and Michael.



***Spoilers***
Shortly after arriving they overhear a call from Chelsea saying she is in trouble. They arrive at their house to find her almost dead from self inflicted cuts, and the resulting blood loss. She is witchborn, but was spelled by a fae with the compulsion to kill her kids, and then herself. She was able to overcome the compulsion by cutting herself until help could arrive. They know that Chelsea has lost too much blood, and Charles tells Kade to choose between letting her go, or changing her. They do end up changing her, and Anna is able to help her stay calm through the change with her Omega powers. They soon find out that the person who put the spell on her was a changeling fetch. An inanimate object spelled to replace and resemble a real person. The fetch replaced a young girl named Amethyst that attended daycare with Mackey. Now that they know who cast the spell, they need to find the fae who kidnapped the young girl. The doll collector is an evil fae that had been put on a leash by the Gray Lords for a while. He collects children, and keeps them for a year and a day. They find Amethyst locked in an attic, along with over twenty other children's bodies. Neither Charles nor Anna are convinced that the person the FBI has in custody is the person responsible. The Doll Collector is capable of tearing a werewolf to shreds, so the person who went willingly to jail facing only human captors isn't convincing. They were right, as that person turned out to be a fetch as well. The real fae responsible was posing as a principal at the daycare, and comes back for Mackey. Joseph and Maggie both lose their lives protecting her, giving Charles and Anna the opportunity to kill it. In the end Charles agrees that while losing Joseph was painful, he wouldn't trade that for all of the good times they had. After realizing this he agrees to adopting a child with Anna.



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Review: You Were Mine

You Were Mine by Abbi Glines

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I was a little iffy about how this book would turn out. Bethy isn't my favorite character, and I just wasn't sold on her getting to move on after what happened to Jace. Plus I just hate her name. Glines did a good job of not completely erasing Jace, but showing that everyone deserves a second chance. Tripp was ok, but they're better together.

Mason is up next, and from the teaser at the end, it looks like it will be really good.


***Spoilers***
Tripp & Bethy spent a summer together falling in love on Rosemary Beach. She was sixteen, and he was eighteen. His family didn't approve, and she was too young for him. He knew if he stayed, and followed the path his family had in mind he could never be with her. He needed to escape that life, and make a new one. A life that he could bring her back to when he went back for her. I don't know why he didn't tell her of his plans, but he left her without telling her why. He didn't get the message until it was too late. Bethy was pregnant, but had an abortion after not hearing anything from him. He was devastated, and so was she. Years later she moved on, and fell in love with Jace. They made a life together, but then he died trying to save Bethy from drowning. For two years she has lived in a fog. Heartbroken, and guilt ridden for the part she played in the death of her fiance. Tripp just brings up bad memories,and she wants nothing to do with him. He's determined to wear her down, and almost does. It's not until after she finds out that she miscarried, and didn't have an abortion that she is able to move on. She's ready to live, and Tripp is ready to live with her.



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Review: Never Never

Never Never by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Well that was unexpected.. Charlie & Silas both lose their memories at the exact same time, during third period. They allow their friends to fill in some of the pieces, until they realize that the other lost their memories as well. Then they find that sticking together, and working to find out what's going on is their only choice.




***Spoilers***
Never Never 2 won't be out until May. Over the two days they spend trying to figure out who they are, they learn that they are both seniors. They have been together four years, but they were both cheating on one another. Their fathers once worked together, but Charlie's father is now in prison. Her mom is a drunk, they used to have money, and she has a little sister. Silas family is wealthy, and his dad hates Charlie. His brother covers for him any chance he gets, but no one else knows what is happening to them. At the end of the book Charlie & Silas are on Bourbon street, when she decides to take a cab home. He lets her leave, but no one has heard from her the next morning. While looking for her at her house, he sees a letter addressed to Charlie. He takes it, and after reading it he learns that they both lose their memories every 48 hours. They write down what happened to them, and anything they learn and mail it to themselves so they know what's wrong when the lose their memories again. Silas is reading the letter when he realizes he only has 3 minutes until he loses his memories again. He writes down all that they have learned, and also that Charlie is out there without a phone, or an id, and soon she won't know who she is. His last sentence is "Charlie got into a cab on Bourbon street last night, and no one has seen her since. She doesn't know about this letter. Find her. The first thing you need to do is find her. Please."



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Review: Closer to the Edge

Closer to the Edge by T.E. Sivec

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I promise I didn't cry.. Well I tried not to anyway. The fourth and final book in the Playing with Fire series was quite the tearjerker.. I was a little confused when I first started, because I thought maybe I should have remembered some of this from book three, but it's written like that. You will slowly be filled in a little bit along the way, with the final part at the end.

Cole leaves Olivia without an explanation when he is given the opportunity to avenge his friends deaths. As a Navy Seal, he hasn't been able to overcome the guilt he felt losing his brothers in their last mission. Instead of explaining this to Olivia, he tells her not to wait for him. He walks away breaking her heart in the process. What he doesn't know is all of the horror she experienced as he spent nine months on a mission in the Dominican Republic. His family is basically the psychotic portion of a Lifetime movie. Somehow she keeps it all together, until she comes face to face with the man who broke her.



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Review: The Ruby Circle

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Fantastic ending to a great series. The Bloodlines series is a spinoff of Mead's Vampire Academy series. Richelle Mead has a way with words that will suck you into her story, make you love her characters, and delivers in a big way. I was sad to see the VA series end, and I'm sad to see this on end as well, but that only means she will have more time to write something else.
At the end of book five, Sydney had been rescued from the re-education center that the Alchemist had been holding her in. Just as she gained her freedom, and sanctuary at the Moroi Court, they learned that Jill was missing. After a month with nothing to go on, they finally get a clue as to where she is being held. Sydney, Eddie, & Mrs. Terwilliger all set off following the clues, and leaving Adrian behind to cover for them. They have to find Jill to secure Lissa's place as the Moroi Queen, but also because she's their friend. They also need to help Nina and Neil find Olive. While trying to do just that they are overcome with more obstacles, and regardless of exactly how things turn out, their lives will be forever altered.



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Review: A Different Blue

A Different Blue by Amy Harmon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I'm not going to lie, I cried my eyes out! A Different Blue was much better than I expected it to be. Amy Harmon is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Blue Echohawk hasn't had an easy life. Abandoned at the age of two, and left with a complete stranger; she has no idea who she really is. Her entire life is one big question mark. Growing up not knowing where she came from, who her parents are, or even her real name leaves Blue drifting in the wind. She's a nobody who uses sex to feel wanted. Her tough girl exterior is a front she puts on for the world to see, never allowing anyone to see the real Blue Echohawk. That is until Darcey Wilson shows up her senior year. He's a new teacher, and has a unique way of drawing his students in, and making learning fun. He sees right through Blue's hard exterior, and is intent on helping Blue find her way.



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Review: Locke

Locke by Harper Sloan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I've been wanting to read Maddox & Emmy's story. Maddox is one of my favorites, and even though I knew there was some baggage there, I didn't know how much. After what he's experienced, it's no wonder why he is so closed off, and hard. Emmy is so sweet with her determination to help Maddox with his demons. Fortunately he is able to wake up in time when she needs a little help fighting her own. Not a lot happened in this fifth installment of Corps Security. Maddox is determined to win Emmy over, and we get an update on the rest of the guys and their lives.



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Review: Puddle Jumping

Puddle Jumping by Amber L. Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I wasn't really expecting to like Puddle Jumping very much. It seemed like an okay Sunday afternoon read. It has a good rating on Goodreads, so why not. Puddle Jumping is unlike most books in that it gives an up close, and personal look at those that we see as different. There are people who are labeled as special, or different. It's common to interpret that to mean they're lacking something. When we should be careful to remember that no matter what, all people want the same things. Safety, security, love, and acceptance are universal necessities.
Lilly is reckless from a very young age. She runs outside in a thunderstorm, and rides a mattress down the stairs. Colton is quiet, reserved, and also has Apergers. He is very matter of fact, speaks the truth plainly, and isn't accustomed to pleasantries. Lilly is determined to be all that he needs, and to show the rest of the world how wonderful he is. Their relationship is difficult, but their love is real.



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