{Book Review} Lucky Number Four by Amanda Jason

Title: Lucky Number Four
Author: Amanda Jason
Published by: C.A. Kunz LLC
Publication Date: January 5, 2014
Genre: New Adult

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Blurb:

Pandora Ann Phillips' life is just normal-crazy

Her mom's a psychic, her dad's mom is a snob, her mom's parental units are "too down to earth" and her best friends are newlyweds. Okay, so her best friends being newlyweds isn't really abnormal, but living with them in a cramped two-bedroom apartment definitely is. Sex, sex, sex is totally on their minds. Actually it's not only on their minds, but it's on the kitchen table, couch, on top of the washer...well, you get the picture.

Being a celibate (not by choice, mind you) full-time college student, and an almost full-time barista, Pandora can't afford to lose anymore sleep. So, she seeks out a new place to lay her head. Enter three "drool worthy" male models that are looking for a fourth roommate and they want her...and won't take no for an answer.

Hilarity ensues as Pandora's life turns completely upside down, and she begins to wonder if it will ever be the same again!

Man, I had to scroll up and hide those enigmas on the cover so I could concentrate on my review and ignore the three brutally handsome men's lips smirking at me. Talk about sidetracked. Wowza!

I think I bought into the hype a little too much on this one, not to say it wasn't cute and funny and an all together good read, I just expected so much more from a story of three men and one woman sharing an apartment. I waited for hijinks to ensue, the boys bringing girls home at all hours of the night, heck, even all three of them fighting for her attention, but none of that happened. Not once, and it made me sad.

What did not make me sad is the actual interaction I experiences through multiple characters in the book.

Pandora decides to take a gander at a loft apartment she found advertised in a grocery store, hoping to find somewhere she can study and sleep without the oohs and aahs of sex creeping into every second of her day. Her newly married roommates haven't moved past the honeymoon stage yet, and she's going insane. And seeing her best friend's penis when she wanted a drink late one night gave her the creeps. She needed a new place to live, but being a broke college student didn't leave her with many options, so she chanced the before mentioned apartment.

Once introduced to the three yummy men, they wanted her as their roommate, no one else, so they resorted to bribery and just a little bit of blackmail. By the time she finished talking with Drew, she realized he'd offered Kevin and Julie, her best friends, an apartment in another part of the building and they'd accepted, so she literally had nowhere to live, except with three exceptionally hot men. How her life must suck!

Throughout the book, we catch a glimpse of which of the guys might be interested in her, and honestly, if you look at all the clues, you'll figure it out far before she does.

I'm going to interject something here... I'm getting a little tired of every girl in every book I read thinking she's nothing special. Come on guys, let's write about some girls who have some self-esteem. It's perfectly okay to think you're pretty, actually, it's healthy, because when Dora decides to tell her roommates they only want to hang with her because they've taken her on as a charity case, I wanted to scream. And to have to hear another friend say "you really don't see yourself, do you?" sends me running in another direction.

These are three famous models. They wouldn't hang out with you if they didn't want to. Pandora wasn't their kid sister, or even kid sister's best friend.

SPOILER - HIGHLIGHT THE TEXT IF YOU WANT TO READ THE SPOILER

Once Pandora finds out who her admirer is, it's off for some fun in the sun, but not before some unprotected sex in the bed. This is becoming a trope I'm tired of reading about. Maybe it hits too close to home, I don't know. But getting pregnant out of wedlock was not as fun as these authors make it seem. The guy rarely says "Oh Happy Day" and does the Snoopy dance even when they've been dating for years, much less a couple of months, and the girl, well, I, personally, was a complete mess.

SPOILER OVER

Outside of what I revealed in the spoiler sections, there were definitely some twists and turns I never saw coming, and yes, my eyes teared up once or twice. There was a lot of "tell" and not enough "show" in Lucky Number Four. And while I know what happened to two of the three guys, I'm left wondering about one. He seems to have just disappeared somewhere near the end.

Would I recommend this book to a friend? Absolutely, after a warning that the hype around it has been built up, and if you're looking for a steamy, sexy read, this might not be it. If you're looking for something fun and entertaining... go for it!

{ARC Review} Deeper by Blue Ashcroft

Title: Deeper
Author: Blue Ashcroft
Published: August 3, 2013
Self-Published

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Blurbs:

Rain Wilson isn’t ever going to love again.

It’s a promise she made the day her boyfriend died in a water park accident, one she still blames herself for. Now she’s a senior lifeguard in a new town with a new pool and she’s just going to keep her head down and everyone safe.

Until a mysterious guy follows her into the waves at the pre-season bonfire and kisses her senseless. It’s just one mistake, and Rain is determined to put it behind her, until the dark haired, blue eyed hottie turns out to be her new co-supervisor Knight McAllister.

Knight is hot, tatted, and carrying baggage of his own. He’s not happy about having Rain for a co-supervisor, and he’s even less happy about his attraction to her.

But between lifeguard drama, hot underwater kisses, and a growing attraction between them that can’t be stopped, Knight and Rain are being pulled deeper into their pasts, and realizing that sometimes too much broken can make a relationship impossible.

Then again sometimes it’s the broken parts of us that fit together best.

When I read the synopsis of Deeper, I immediately pushed the request button from Netgalley and smiled like the Cheshire Cat when I was approved. Hot, tatted lifeguards, bonfires, oceans, waterparks... what's not to like? The names Knight and Rain definitely caught my attention. I think I'd melt at the feet of a lifeguard named Knight, seriously.

Short synopsis:

Rain left her home and moved to a place no one knew her after a tragic accident, involving one of her coworkers at the waterpark she worked at the previous summer. She felt responsible for the accident, and came to her new job determined to save everyone--the patrons and her staff. After all, a supervisor should be held accountable for everything happening during their shift. But what happens if when things go beyond her control? She's not one to ask for help, but she's going to have to learn to work with the most infuriating man she's ever known, her co-supervisor, Knight. Unfortunately, they met under less than perfect circumstances and he's less than happy to have her as his partner.

Knight has his own set of tragic circumstances, which lead to his need to protect everyone, especially females he cares about. And when you mix a person who is overprotective with another person who is willing to put herself in dangerous situations so others aren't hurt, well, the waters get a little rough. Knight also lost someone, his girlfriend who he loved. He's not afraid to move on, but he may have chosen the wrong person to fall for, because Rain has a set of rules she's bound herself to--no love, no sex, no life. Okay, maybe the "life" part isn't in there, but Knight believes she isn't really allowing herself to live. Maybe he's right.

My Thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed Deeper. The plot kept me intrigued, I needed to know what happened next. Knight interested me and Rain interested me. I enjoyed the suspense of each of their stories, for a while, but then I became frustrated. Pieces of their backgrounds are fed to us in flashbacks, but they're trying to be in some sort of a relationship while keeping their entire pasts from each other. No way will this work without some major damage being done to both of them, hurting each of them more.

Obviously, with only 3 stars, there were a number of things that didn't hit me right. I've read a number of NA books that use rape as an emotional heart string, most do it tastefully and bring it around to a lesson or to educate young women on ways to handle certain situations and how to go about reporting the incident and how to find counseling and so forth. AND, they have a single incident, not multiple accounts of inappropriate sexual contact.

Off the top of my mind, I can think of at least three, if not more, instances of inappropriate groping and flat out rape. And other than for the sake of building tension and putting either Amy, Rain, or young girls at the water park in uncomfortable situations, there was little reason behind the plotting. Rain had already done her maturing and growing between the previous summer and the current summer, so it wasn't like the incidences led to an epiphany and she suddenly turned from a weak girl to a strong woman. Knight didn't learn from his past mistakes and suddenly learn to keep girls who'd been raped from committing suicide, something that was never in his control anyway.

Also, the blurb does a horrible job of describing the true details of the book. Rain never actually had a boyfriend. She was never in love. In fact, one part of the book implies Rain meant to reject William, so all the misery she's put herself through is actually for nothing. So this was also a bit off-putting.

But, Knight and Rain's chemistry was undeniably hot. Even with Rain's "no sex" policy, their make-out sessions raised the hairs on my arms and put butterflies in my stomach. Their interactions always appeared sincere and very realistic. The friendships between the coworkers at the water park formed bonds and looked out for each other, the kind of place I would have loved to have worked, friends I would have loved to have made.

Final Opinion:

While I enjoyed the book, I suggest readers be warned of the numerous inappropriate and unwanted sexual situations between young women and men ranging from college-aged to adults. Knight and Rain are both enjoyable characters who have needs. Knight is hoping Rain can fill the holes in his heart, and Rain is refusing to let anyone love her or love anyone. Maybe they can help each other, or maybe they'll fall apart. You'll have to read to find out. 

{A Kelly M Review} Hidden by P.C. & Kristin Cast

Title: Hidden
Series: House of Night #10
Authors: P.C. & Kristin Cast
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: Atom

Synopsis:

At last, Zoey has what she wanted: the truth is out. Neferet's evil has been exposed, and the High Council is no longer on her side -- but she's far from done wreaking havoc in the vampyre world. First, a mysterious fire ravages the stables. Then, Neferet makes a devastating move that will test them all.

With the seeds of distrust sown and Darkness breeding chaos at the House of Night, everyone must band together -- but that's proving to be more difficult than ever before. The twins are barely speaking and the House of Night's former enemy, Kalona, has now become their warrior, pushing their trust to the limit. To top it off, Zoey is pretty darn sure she might be losing her mind. She saw something when she looked at Aurox through the Seer Stone that she can hardly explain to herself, let alone her friends. Is it possible that Heath has come back in a different form? Is that why Zoey's so intrigued by Aurox, when it's so obvious that he's dangerous? And who would believe her if she told them? Zoey knows that following her instinct about Aurox might be just what they need to defeat evil . . . but if she's wrong, it could cause the destruction of those closest to her.

With the tension at a breaking point and friendships on the line, can the nerd herd come together to stop the spread of Darkness before it's too late?

Okay so this is the tenth book already. I seriously want to finish this series but it’s getting too much now. End the damn thing! But when I got a copy of it from Penguin Books SA I decided to read it just to get it out of the way. The series is getting too long. It’s one of the reasons why I haven’t bothered to buy the last two books of Morganville Vampires. I got sick of it. Luckily, Hidden actually didn’t fail to hold my attention. A lot of things happened that left me going: “Excuse me? What the hell just happened?!”  So I was really pleasantly surprised by this book. I don’t regret that I read it at all and I just want the next book, but it really should be the last book.

The story literally begins where it was left off. Neferet has finally been outed and has been shunned by the high council. It follows to show how Zoey and her gang with the kelp of Thanatos has to deal with the chaos Neferet is trying to create. I know, what’s new right? Well Zoey’s grandma gets kidnapped by Neferet and basically the entire book is how she needs to be saved. It’s quite interesting on how they do it.

You also find out that they have a traitor in their midst and honestly that was the WTF moment for me. It was like WOW. It happened so sudden and really without any explanation, so I’m hoping for one in the next book.

Aphrodite is by far my favourite character of them all. She made me laugh so much and I like that I haven’t gotten tired of her. She still comes up with new things that made me giggle. I think if there was no Aphrodite, I would have suffered tremendously throughout the book. She also finally learns how to use her gift of prophecy correctly.

Zoey finally grew up. After ten books it has finally happened people, and I literally heard an angle choir singing hallelujah. I don’t like calling female characters annoying because everyone does that and I really hate it because they never give a reason. It’s so easy to say ‘oh she is so annoying.’ I however do not find Zoey annoying, what grates my nerves is how she substitutes swear words for other words. She would use bullpoopie instead of bullshit. I mean honestly? You just don’t have to swear then, there are so many other words you can use instead of a substitute. After a while I wanted to rip out every page with that word in, but she does grow up and she finally takes a stand and acts like a high priestess of Nyx should, so I am very proud of her.

It felt to me like everyone basically grew up in this book. I saw more of mature thinking and decision making than bumbling idiotic teenage drama and silly decisions. I’m really proud of the people the characters turned out to be or who they are starting to become.

All in all this wasn’t a total train wreck. Those of you, who want to give up on the series, don’t. It might be long but I think the end result will be worth it. I really enjoyed this book.

{A Kelly Coffee Review} The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
Series: Millennium #1
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Knopf

Synopsis: Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch—and there's always a catch—is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

This is an Adult book and contains sexual content, strong language and violence. Recommended for mature readers.

 

Okay, I know I'm a little behind with this one, but it's been sitting on my To-Read list for a while. Having finally got through it (it's unusual for me to take a month to get through a book), I'm a little on the fence about this one.

The good: if you're into detailed, intricate plot lines, this one is for you. There's a number of running story lines which are integrated very well with one another. There's a great building of character and individuality that made the characters very real. The cookie crumbs that are laid out and how the main mystery comes together are all very well done. As for the reading, it was both easy to get caught up in, but pretty easy to put down and come back to. Because of the almost episodic nature of the breaks in the book, it's easy to find stopping places as well.

The hiccups:

And I call them hiccups because they're not things that are innately wrong, just things that didn't work so well for me. The writing is a little awkward, which I attribute to translation more than anything, but it was noticeable, especially at the beginning. Once I got used to it, it didn't bother me so much, and the writing isn't particularly flowery so overall it reads pretty smoothly. But it was still dense so while smooth, it wasn't fast. I was driven nuts by the use of Kronor, because I just had no frame of reference for how much money anything really was (and since money and expense is a big deal throughout the book, it's annoying). I wasn't agitated enough to look it up, but it was still irritating.

But my biggest hang up with this book was my indifference and borderline dislike of Mikael Blomkvist, the main character. I wanted to like him. I actually liked him quite a bit when portrayed by Daniel Craig, but I just couldn't quite root for the base character. I loved Lisbeth, but while she is a main character, she's not the main character, and the end of the book kind of broke my heart a little bit (and not in the good way).

So, overall, a worthwhile read for both Lisbeth and the pure intricacy in the mystery. It's worth it to see what all the fuss is about from the source, but the end broke my heart in the wrong way and didn't really encourage me to pick up the next one. 

{Book Review} Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines

Title: Fallen Too Far
Series: Fallen Too Far #1
Author: Abbi Glines
Self-published
December 14, 2012

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Synopsis:

To want what you’re not supposed to have…

She is only nineteen.

She is his new stepfather’s daughter.

She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother.

But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.

Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…

Blaire just may have fallen too far.

Sorry girls, I know I'm going to take some heat for this one, but a person can't help what they feel.

First, I want to state that I LOVE Abbi Glines, I've loved every book she's ever written and I love Fallen Too Far. The storyline is intriguing, Rush is another of Abbi's hot playboys, and though I feel like Blaire fell a little short, she's a good character. 

Blaire's forced to leave all she's ever known after her mother died. She sold her house and moved to Florida with her dead-beat dad; except, when she arrived, he'd taken off to Paris with his new wife. Her son greets Blaire, well...one of her sons, that is. Outside of Grant, Blaire's arrival is unwanted, to put it kindly. Rush is outright rude and Nan is a flat-out bitch, excuse the language but this girl has not one redeemable quality. I'm really not sure Rush is redeemable, I believe he could be but his character lacks depth. Needless to say, Blaire falls helplessly in love with Rush, Rush tries to push her away because he's hiding some major secrets, then he can't help himself anymore and gives in. Then, in a most unfortunate way, all the secrets are revealed, leaving Blaire confused and pissed...with good reason.

That's a very short overview of the storyline, and no matter how it sounds, I sincerely loved the plot and the characters, I just didn't buy the whole thing this time. Things feel a little rushed. I'm a  fan of insta-love, yes I said it...hate away. I love the concept of love at first sight, I love the fairy tale aspect to it, especially in YA because teens tend to be impetuous, but this isn't YA...it's New Adult. Oh how I do digress, back to Fallen Too Far. Blaire catches Rush in some questionable positions, pun totally intended, then is willing to forego everything and invite him into her room under the stairs. I'm not going to lie...the fact he asked her to sleep under the stairs completely offended me. The fact she agreed, and felt grateful, could not be explained.

I liked Blaire because she refused to be pushed down. After everything she'd been through, she could have easily accepted Rush's offer and "mooched" off him and his trust fund for quite some time. However, she immediately starts applying for jobs, finds one, and starts saving her money. She's not afraid to defend herself, physically at least, and works hard with a firm set of morals. She's determined not to become a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who plays with the elite. She's flawed and a bit naive, like any heroine should be. 

Rush, is well, the spoiled child of a world famous rock star, except that's not all there is to him. It takes a while for Abbi to explain what he does with himself when not partying the summer away, but she eventually gets there. He's messed up, done some stupid stuff, but hasn't everyone. The biggest secret he's keeping involves his sister, Nan, and he only did what he did because he loves her. Now he's regretting his actions and will pay the price for them.

Like I said earlier, Nan is a rich bitch who's always gotten her way. Nothing she does in the book makes me feel the least bit sorry for her...even when the secret's revealed.

Woods may be my favorite character in the book. He's rich, his dad own's the country club and he'll inherit it eventually. We don't see it, but I suspect he works hard...even though he spends most of his days on the golf course. He's flirtatious, but he knows when to pull back. He realizes Blaire's interests lay elsewhere and he stops pursuing her, though he's still a good friend to her. 

I'm not sure how I feel about Bethy. I'll let you know after the next book.

Contrary to the popular opinion...I thought the ending was perfect. Yes, I'm biting at the nail to get Never Too Far, but Blaire did what she needed to do for her and I'm okay with that.

DISLIKES:

~Um, I wasn't sold on the story. Some things seemed a little unbelievable. Why did Blaire like Rush so much? I didn't really understand. Blaire's complete innocence, yet abrupt change once her and Rush hooked up. I could never imagine myself pursuing someone in this manner.

~Okay...this one will probably get me kicked off the internet, but definitely out of Texas. I felt like the second amendment was being shoved down my throat. I get the first reference to Blaire's gun and I get why she felt like she needed to defend herself, she was frightened, but when she pulls it out the second time, there was no reason other than anger. It made her seem even more off-balance than she already did.

~EDITING!!! OMG! I nearly put the book down a few times. Please, oh please, edit your books and then edit your editor. Know the difference between to/too and was/were. Use commas where they're needed. Double check spelling of characters' names. The only thing that kept me from setting it down was my love for Abbi. Her books are typically well edited and flow much better. I'm thinking maybe she was in a hurry to put Fallen Too Far out, but I'd rather wait a little longer and have a better book.

~If you're going to write about sex, write about it. Please do not refer to a girl's vagina as her ache. Seriously, who says that. I'm not asking for crass, nasty words, but ache? Really? Also, before a condomless ride, multiple issues should have been addressed. Blaire had seen Rush with multiple partners in a couple of weeks time...multiple as in several, not a couple. She was a virgin who wasn't on birth control. I sort of see a storyline for Never Too Far emerging and I hope I'm wrong, because I hate to see Blaire go down that road with Rush and their crazy ass family.

{A Kelly Coffee Review} Shadow Sight by E.J. Stevens

Title: Shadow Sight
Series: Ivy Granger #1
Author: E.J. Stevens
Genre: Supernatural/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Sacred Oak Press

Synopsis: Some things are best left unseen...

Ivy Granger's second sight is finally giving her life purpose. Ivy and her best friend Jinx may not be raking in the dough, but their psychic detective agency pays the bills--most of the time. Their only worry is the boredom of a slow day and the occasional crazy client--until a demon walks through their door.

Demons are never a good sign...

A demon attorney representing the water fae? Stranger things have happened. And things are about to get very, very strange as a bloodthirsty nightmare hunts the city of Harborsmouth.

There's blood in the water...

Kelpies have a reputation for eating humans. Unfortunately, Kelpies are the clients. When an Unseelie faerie this evil stalks the waterways of your city, you have to make hard choices.

The lesser of two evils...

For a book that I thought would be right in my wheelhouse, this was not what I expected. There is incredible potential in this book/series, because there are actually a number of interesting ideas and takes on familiar concepts that I appreciated.

To start, she has a world that includes demons, witches, vampires and faeries, and I think she does a reasonably good job balancing all of those magical and supernatural mega-powers.  Just the variety in the base gives the world a lot of places to go and a lot of angles to consider. Second, her main character, Ivy, is psychometric--she gets visions from touching emotionally charged objects/people. That is a tetchy ability to land your main character with because it could be so socially detrimental, and I think that the realities and practicalities of living with a powerful (and uncontrolled) ability like Ivy's are very well addressed and represented. The consequences and hazards of living with psychometry are treated realistically, and Ivy has issues because of it.

I have to say, for such a short book, I really struggled with this one. I liked her take on vampires, couldn't decide how I felt about the demon, and was touch-and-go on her treatment of the fae. I almost feel like the shortness of the novel does it a disservice, because there just isn't that much time allotted to really sink into the world before it's falling apart around the reader. Ivy was an interesting character, but no one really jumped to life for me.

For some reason, it just didn't hold my attention. I was never sucked in, never felt like I couldn't walk away from it, was never emotionally invested. I don't know why, but for me, there was no connect. My overall impression of the book is that it's strangely forgettable. I was left with no strong impression or feeling about it, vaguely annoyed at the love element thrown in at the very end. My suspension of disbelief was stretched to its very limits and I wasn't even annoyed by it. I just didn't get any emotional investment. It's as if the bubble that Ivy tries so hard to live in, to keep herself separate (with good reason, mind) has saturated the story, so that there's a layer of fuzz between the reader and the action. Something about it made me feel like I was reading a premise or an outline--all the big stuff is there, now fill it out and don't forget the emotion.

That being said, I am intrigued enough by the world and the concept that I would read the next one, just to see if it fills out better, if I can sink into her world more and connect. The base its solid. I just need to feel the story, not read the outline.

{A Kelly Coffee Review} Other Side of Forever by Shannon Eckrich

Title: Other Side of Forever
Author: Shannon Eckrich
Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
Genre: YA/Paranormal fantasy

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Allie Anderson's telekinetic powers are anything but useful--she can't bring her father back, can't stop her mother's downward spiral into alcohol, and can't keep her from falling in love with Ethan Bradley. Loving Ethan is easy, but it comes with a hefty price: Ethan is prohibited by his people from interacting with mortals--because he isn't mortal himself. When Allie and Ethan's love is discovered, there's someone who will do anything to keep them apart. If Allie can't learn to control her powers and fight to save Ethan, this dark entity will make every attempt to stop her beating heart. And if that happens, not even the energy of an immortal can bring her back.

First thing about this review is that real life sort of interrupted me between accepting the read/review for this book and actually getting around to reading it. I say that because by the time I got around to it, I had forgotten what the blurb said and started reading it with a completely clean slate. It means I didn't know about her take on mortals and immortals, which is a prime part of the suspense of the novel and probably made it a much better read. I kept thinking "I swear I didn't have a vampire book on my list, and things aren't quite right for vamps anyway..." At the same time, the mystery had me intrigued and it was a genuinely different twist on the idea. 

The building and the pacing in the beginning of the novel are very good. I seemed to blink and be 20% in. The author does a good job of keeping you in the dark (provided you've forgotten the blurb), and not telling you until the last minute. The concept as a whole has great potential. It's different, I love me some immortals, and it's a bit unexpected, especially in a time where the market is flooded with vampire/werewolf paranormal books. 

That being said, there were a couple of things that really irked me about this book, and the more I read, the worse they got. The prime one is an issue of dialogue. Of all the problems I have with books, that usually isn't one of them, but in this book it definitely was.  It was awkward in places, dialogue tags that didn't seem to match with what I was "hearing" the characters say (you know, someone says something sarcastically except the answer isn't actually a sarcastic one?), and progressing to some dialogue that was just painfully out of place. Things that made me stop and re-read and assure myself that, yes, that was actually in quotes, she did actually just say that. There are mini-info dumps in dialogue with language that no modern day teenager would use (at least, none that I've ever known). I realize that I'm a bit more of a critical reader than most, but I shared the first example that really tripped me up with a friend and was asked if it was a historical novel; the language is that out of context. It isn't everywhere, but once it begins, it rather continues, making what had been an effortless read a lot more stilted and unnatural for me. 

The second is the action sequence at the end of the book. Having been through a few lately whose action sequences were their strengths, this one was definitely a weakness, up to and including the trite villain monologue (again in that weird not quite right language). There wasn't a rush for it, no drive to see from one moment to the next, a lot of fuzzy, in-and-out pacing (it's deliberate, but very awkward), it just didn't read very smoothly and didn't drag me to the finish line. 

The characters are more-or-less just kind of there. I never got very strong mental images of most of them. I think the potential for this idea and these characters is there, I'm just not entirely sure that it's been fully realized yet. However, if you're looking for a contemporary paranormal read and are over vamps and werewolves, based on strength of concept alone, you should definitely give Other Side of Forever a try. I'd pick up another book from this world, just to see where she goes with it.

{A Kelly Coffee Review} The Orphan Factory by James & Lance Morcan

Title: The Orphan Factory
Series: The Orphan Trilogy (#2)
Author: James & Lance Morcan
Publisher: Sterling Gates
Genre: Action/Suspense

Synopsis:

An epic, atmospheric story that begins with twenty three genetically superior orphans being groomed to become elite spies in Chicago’s Pedemont Orphanage and concludes with a political assassination deep in the Amazon jungle.

The Orphan Factory, a coming-of-age spy thriller novel, is book two in The Orphan Trilogy and a prequel to The Ninth Orphan. Go on another frenetic journey with the ninth-born orphan as he busts out of the clandestine orphanage he knew as home and goes on the run across America.

In the late 1970’s, in Chicago, Illinois, the secretive Omega Agency initiates the Pedemont Project – a radical experiment utilizing genetic engineering technologies – to create twenty three orphan babies with the plan to turn them into the world’s most effective assassins.

One of the prodigies will rebel: meet Number Nine, an orphan with a mind of his own.

In 1998, when Nine reaches adulthood and graduates with honors from the Pedemont Orphanage, he is already an adept of the deadly espionage arts. Ordered by his Omega masters to assassinate a survivor of the Jonestown tragedy in Guyana’s Amazon rainforest, Nine is forced to draw upon all of his advanced training just to stay alive.

 This is the second book in the Orphan Trilogy series, even though it's a prequel. I enjoyed this second installment, but it took a bit to get there. The beginning starts slow, with a goodly amount of (often repetitive) exposition. There's a lot more telling than showing going on. However, once Nine makes up his mind to leave, the book begins to move, reminding me why I plowed through the first book so quickly. The details about how he makes his way, his decision-making, and watching the characters feels not unlike reading a movie script. It's very clear, easy to picture and definitely keeps you reading. 

The following plot and action pulls the reader along, almost without realizing it. The suspense and tension is well-done, the sense of danger immediate. There is a rather unfortunate epilogue tacked on that sort of killed my enthusiasm for another book in this world, but overall, a satisfying read. If you enjoy action/suspense novels or conspiracy theories, you'll enjoy "The Orphan Factory."

{A Kelly Coffee Review} Time Untime by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title: Time Untime
Series: Dark Hunter #17
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Synopsis: The Mayans aren’t the only ones with a 2012 prophecy…

Long before recorded history, there was a Keetoowah warrior so feared that everyone trembled before his wrath. Only a brutal betrayal by the one closest to him could defeat him. But not even death was the end of a man so strong.

The Time Untime approaches…

Kateri Avani has been plagued her entire life with dreams she doesn’t understand. Images of places she’s never been and of a man she’s never seen. Her quest for answers has driven her to Las Vegas where she hopes to finally silence the demons in her mind.

What she never anticipates is coming face to face with the warrior who has haunted her her entire life. One who belongs to a world the scientist in her refuses to believe is real.

Ren Waya came back from the dead to keep the prophecy he began from coming true and ending the world. For thousands of years, he has fought the same evil that once possessed him. But now that evil has found the one person he can’t fight. The one person who, against his will, holds the most sacred part of him.

His heart.

But if he doesn’t kill Kateri, the deadliest of evils will reemerge and destroy everyone else on the planet. It was a sacrifice he made once.

Will he be able to make it again?

Okay, I am an unabashed Sherrilyn Kenyon fan. Her books usually come out and are done within the next day or so with me, so Time Untime left me a little confused. There were things I liked a great deal about it--mostly Ren--but there were things that I liked rather less. I managed to put this book down for a couple weeks and kind of forget about it. Not sure I've ever done that with an SK book before. There is a lot of old, old history in it, and I'm a history buff, so it's cool, but even for me and my love of things old and crazy names, keeping things straight in this book was occasionally a bit of a challenge. I especially got sort of confused when we go from Cherokee history to Mayan and exactly how that all tied together. The other thing this book did that bugged me was it got a little long-winded. Towards the end you have a number of nearly page-long paragraphs which are not only preachy, they're repetitive. At the end of the day, I'm not quite sure the mix of Maya and Cherokee worked for me, and that was disappointing. I mean, the name of the book is Time Untime, but it's mentioned early, then nearly forgotten--so much so that by the time I picked the book up again, I thought the one mention I saw of it was the first time I'd seen it. Maybe it was implied for a good portion of the novel, but not referred to enough. It was sort of "generic apocalypse, must stop the end of the world" feeling than a specific "this is the Time Untime" deal.

The pacing is good. When I was reading, I was in it, but Time Untime never had me so wrapped up that I could not walk away. Neither did it give me that keyed up feeling that a really good suspense or action scene will. It was a good read, but not the level I'm used to. I'm ready to get back to the Greeks and Atlanteans.

{Review & Blog Tour} Never Say Never by Kailin Gow

Title: Never Say Never
Series: You & Me #1
Author: Kailin Gow
Publisher: The Edge Books
Publishing Date: August 13, 2012

Website  Blog  Twitter  Facebook  Goodreads

Blurb:

What girl wouldn't want to be surrounded by the sexy guys from the hottest teen rock sensation in the country?  18-year-old Never "Neve" Knight, not only is surrounded by the hottest boys to hit the music charts, but she is the band's lead singer. As the band's lead singer and manager, Never formed and shaped the band to where it is today, a band on the rise and on the brink of being signed by a label. As one of the guys, she knew each of the band members since they were all snot-nose ten-year-olds. While her boys were the cutest guys and they would protect her like knights, she couldn't date any one of them and ruin the chance at being signed with the record label of her dreams. That changes when one of the band members suddenly drops out of the band, and in walks Danny Blue, with his dreamy blue eyes, hot body, and British accent. Suddenly, Never's solid world has turned to mush, and her rule for not dating one of her band members is seriously challenged. Can she keep her head straight and get her band signed with a label without losing her heart?

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is off to a fantastic Thursday! Today, as part of SupaGurl Tours, I'm hosting Kailin Gow's rockin' book, Never Say Never. A book about rock-n-roll and sinfully hot boys, how much better could it get? 

Never Say Never is a quick, fun read. Neve, AKA Never Knight - coolest name ever, is the lead singer of an up and coming band. She's also the daughter of rock legend, Keith Knight. For the time being, Neve's content to behave like any other college student. She's living in the dorm, going to classes, and jammin' with her band anywhere they can get a gig. Neve refuses to use her dad's name and connections to make it big-time and would prefer no one know who she is. Unfortunately, with a name like Never Knight and a voice legends are made of, Neve's secret is impossible to keep.

As the lead singer and band manager, Neve has her hands full trying to keep her all-male band mates in line. Three of who have decided she's the girl for them and one sees her as a sister, thank goodness. Neve has one rule, one rule she refuses to break - Don't date inside the band. Ever. Well, unless one your band members is injured and the mysterious Danny Blue walks into the picture. Immediately, Neve is drawn to Danny's talent and charisma, but not only is he part of the band, he also teaches one of Neve's music history classes. Oh, and did I mention he's broken into little tiny pieces? Now, we all know what forbidden love and broken boys equals. Trouble...with a capital T.

I did have a couple of problems with the book, neither of which stopped me from reading the story in its entirety, but they did keep me from falling head over heels in love with the book. I really enjoyed the story line of this book, though I felt the relationships were forced, and not just Neve and Danny's, but the entire band's. Danny's character was well-developed, but I felt the others fell a little short. 

However, if you're looking for a hot MATURE YA book, Never Say Never is a fun and refreshing read I'd highly recommend.

Author Info:

Kailin Gow is the author of over 100 books, with the majority of them for young adults. Her most popular series are:  The Frost Series, PULSE Series, Desire Series, Wicked Woods, Steampunk Scarlett Novels, and more.  A full-time author, she is also a producer, having worked in radio, television, and film.  She grew up in Southern California, lived in Texas and England, and has traveled extensively around the world.

{Review} Breaking Free by Beth Moore

Breaking Free by Beth Moore

As reviewed by: Shalena Douthit

Title: Breaking Free
Author: Beth Moore
Genre: Christian/Inspirational
B & H Publishing

Synopsis:

A best-selling book now available in paperback for the first time!

Do you want to know God and really believe Him?

Do you want to find satisfaction in God, experience His peace, and enjoy His presence? Do you want to make the freedom Christ promised a reality in your daily life?

In Breaking Free , Beth Moore embarks on a study of selected passages from the book of Isaiah, drawing several parallels between the captive Israelites and today’s Christians, in order to show how to make freedom in Christ a daily reality. Moore teaches readers to remove obstacles that hinder freedom by identifying spiritual strongholds in their lives and overcoming them through the truth of God’s Word—truth that will set us free.

Moore starts the book off with a challenge….memorizing the word of God. That in its self gets my mind rolling with a slight tinge of anxiousness. Moore emphasizes verses from Isaiah which help one’s mind to “break free” from the stronghold of idols, pride, legalism, prayerlessness, and unbelief and to make “Him to become God alone to you with a powerful story to tell."  Many self examples are used to paint the picture of overcoming these strongholds.

The use of Hebrew/Greek words and definitions made the book a little boring to me. To say that I became closer to God after reading the book is an understatement. There were some great points made but I just didn’t get the “Aha” moments I was expecting to get. This book was written to be read along with taking the Bible study and I feel like I would have received more from it if I had been in a study with other women. This was a first book by Moore I have read and I pray that I can read others and get a chance to have a better opinion of her work.

{ARC Review} The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Immortal Rules
Series: Blood of Eden #1
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Release Date: April 24, 2012

Website│Facebook│Twitter│Goodreads

Amazon│Barnes&Noble

Synopsis:

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

A dystopian vampire-ruled society...what's not to like? The Immortal Rules is the first book in Julie Kagawa's new series Blood of Eden. I absolutely adored her Iron Fey series and feel she is off to a great start with this novel. Julie's world-building and character development amaze me. Her worlds are always imaginative but, somehow, still realistic. Her protagonists are strong-willed, both mentally and physically, but also humanly flawed.

Summary:

The world in The Immortal Rules is dystopian, meaning that society is oppressed and disintegrating under some type of government...in this case, vampires rule. Humans are either Registered or Unregistered. Registered meaning that the vampires keep track of you, collect blood for their feeding from you, and, in return, the vampires provide you with food and necessities. Unregistered humans are able to easily slip through the cracks, because, in the vampires' eyes, they didn't exist. This also means the Unregistered aren't given a meal ticket, leaving bands of misfits to scavenge for food and supplies. If an Unregistered is caught stealing, imminent death is certain..

Allie is a young Unregistered living with three other teenagers in an abandoned schoolhouse, struggling to survive. They depend on each other for food and protection. Lucas, Rat, Stick, and Allie attempt to stay under the radar of the Prince of their city. Before her death, Allie's mother taught her to read, a rarity in this particular society. Knowledge of any sort can cause humans, Registered and/or Unregistered, to become Taken and used by the vampires.

It doesn't take long for Allie to lose more than just her parents. She loses the only friends she has ever known and her own life as a human. Nothing can keep her from dying, but Kanin can make her immortal. Kanin is bluntly honest with her. She will, from the point she turns, always be a monster. Nothing changes that fact. She will kill a human, no matter how hard she tries not to...it will happen. Even with this information, Allie makes the only choice she can, she allows Kanin to turn her and teach her how to become a vampire. 

Allie's journey with Kanin is only the beginning. Once he has taught her all he can, she must set off on her own path and learn to survive without his protection. Along the way, she discovers a group of humans searching for Eden...the proverbial promised land. The choices she makes along her travels will eventually define her as a person and a vampire. She begins to realize that hiding her true nature is going to be extremely difficult...especially as her feelings for Zeke grow into something more than friendship. Holding on to her humanity is important to Allie and the lengths she takes to save her new friends might be the one thing that gives her away.

My Opinion:

I loved the storyline. A dystopian vampire society is a unique and intriguing concept. I also appreciated the fact that Julie made no qualms with including Christian beliefs and ideologies in The Immortal Rules. Her candor with not only Allie's, but with all of the going-to-Eden pack's, beliefs--or loss of belief, as the case maybe--is refreshing to see in writing. 

Allie is a strong female lead, who does what she must to survive, but...she also has flaws and battles internally about what is right and wrong. Occasionally, she makes the wrong decisions and suffers the consequences of her actions. Although she is a strong character, it took me a while to "like" her.

Several things about this novel didn't bode well with me. First, I am a dialogue-from-the-word-go girl. I love character interaction and character driven literature. I felt like there was too much world-building and information dumping in the first quarter of the book. For me...it dragged. Second, I didn't feel like all the "vampire lore" was needed. Honestly, Julie's vampires were traditional...they didn't sparkle, they couldn't go out in the sun, they had to live off human blood, they were virtually immortal...all of this was explained in great detail. If you've read a vampire novel...even Twilight, where the vampires were not your everyday vamps...you know these specifics about traditional vampires. Lastly, and I know many disagree, but I needed more romance in this book. I love romance and I don't mind the insta-love thing if it's written believably. There is very, very little romance in The Immortal Rules.

The Result:

All things combined...awesome and not-so-awesome...I am giving this book 3 Stars. However, I don't want anyone to get the wrong message...I loved the book and YES, I will be reading the rest of the series. Julie's writing continues to captivate me and take me to unique and interesting worlds.

*I acquired this copy of The Immortal Rules from NetGalley and HarlequinTeen in exchange for my honest review. 

{Review} The Monster's Daughter by Deborah Bryan

Title: The Monster's Daughter
Author: Deborah Bryan

Website │ Twitter │ Goodreads │ Amazon

 Barnes&Noble│Smashwords

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Ginny Connors figures she's gotta be imagining things when her father starts showing signs of being a bloodsucking fiend. Still, she hangs a cross on her bedroom door. Just in case.

When Ginny discovers people aren't the guests but the main course at her father's New Year party, she wishes she could save the day with garlic pancakes. Instead, she must face the limits of her daydreams, and attempt to stop the monster her father has become.

The Monster's Daughter tells the story of a young lady who must face the sins of her father and prove she's not like him. He's a powerful vampire who lives on the darkside. Ginny, the favorite daughter, must protect her sister and her friends from his wrath. Sadly, she doesn't win every battle...which is part of the reason I enjoyed this novel so much. It's nice to see everything not go the way it is supposed to...at least sometimes.

Ginny's story isn't a long one, taking only a couple of hours for me to devour once I had time to FINALLY get to it. I enjoyed her boyfriend, Joey. He stuck beside her and helped her in any way he could...even when he didn't know Ginny's secret. The only thing I found somewhat off-putting is Ginny's reaction to certain horrific events. It appeared as if she simply accepted these great losses, with no real WTH?, and moved on. I definitely could have used a little more emotion on her part.

I love the unique spin Ms. Bryan put on the whole YA Vampire Phenomena. Ginny wasn't looking to become a vampire, much the opposite honestly. She did what she had to do to protect humans in general...not just her boyfriend. This novel is definitely told from a fresh and inventive outlook. I recommend The Monster's Daughter for all vampire enthusiasts. 

*I received an ebook from the author in exchange for my honest review.

{Review and Blog Tour} Until Next Time by Amy Lignor

Title: Until Next Time

Series: The Angel Chronicles #1
Author: Amy Lignor

Website │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Goodreads 

 Amazon │ Barnes&Noble│Smashwords

Synopsis:

How does a girl choose between the one who steals her heart and the one who owns her soul?

Matt and Emily were created for a specific job. Raised and trained as the ultimate angel/warrior team, they are sent down to save, defend, judge and forgive, depending on the 'life' they've been assigned. What they don't realize is that the power of human emotions, such as love, anger, passion and fear can take over even the best of souls, causing them to make mistakes and follow paths that lead to confusion and heartache.

When the reason for their training is finally revealed, the angel/warrior team find themselves thrust into a world they know nothing about. Matt takes over the life of Daniel, a young man with a great deal of baggage. Emily becomes Liz, a girl living in a remote village who relies on nothing more than her own strength to survive. A violent storm erupts one night, and framed in the window of Liz's establishment is a frightening face. Let in by the soul of a Good Samaritan, the two visitors bring with them a past full of secrets that could literally change an angel's path and a warrior's plans.

From murder to redemption, this angel/warrior team must find a way to keep the faith they have in each other in a world that's ripping them apart.

Until Next Time is a timeless story about faith, destiny, and true love. Although there were some rough spots, overall, I truly enjoyed this novel. The story was unique and intriguing. The characters were charming and likable. The world building...dynamic. Miss Lignor put her own unique and enjoyable spin on angel lore.

Emily and Matt are angels who are trained to inhabit the Earth as souls of humans. They are each one half of a whole and ultimately belong to each other. When they are sent to Earth, their memories are erased assuring that the information they gather is unbiased. This also means that they don't remember one another yet they must work together to accomplish their missions.

From the beginning, Matt knows he loves Emily and never questions his commitment. In my opinion, it seemed like Emily liked Matt as a friend and needed him in order to be secure. His role in her life appeared to be codependent instead of  a true meaningful love.

The story moved a little slow at first but when Liz (Emily) met Jason and secrets began to be revealed, everything moved at a better pace. Faith made me smile with her brazen attitude and witty banter. Charles was every bit Faith's perfect match. Charles' and Jason's backstory captivated me and is what eventually pulled me into the book. So many secrets...

I enjoyed all the characters but found it difficult to attach to any of them. I believe part of the reason for this was due to the writing style. Emily's and Matt's stories were told from two separate points-of-view. Emily and Matt were the Heaven version and Liz and Daniel belonged on Earth. Throughout the novel, they were pulled back and forth between the two planes. About the time I was getting into one storyline, everything would change.

While I can't put Until Next Time on my favorites list, I do highly recommend it for lovers of all things angelic.

*I was given a free ebook of Until Next Time in return for my honest review and participation in the blog tour. No money changed hands.

About the Author:

Amy Lignor began her career at Grey House Publishing in northwest Connecticut where she was the Editor-in-Chief of numerous educational and business directories.

Now she is a published author of several works of fiction. The Billy the Kid historical The Heart of a Legend; the thriller, Mind Made; and the adventure novel, Tallent & Lowery 13.

She is also the owner of The Write Companion, a company that offers help and support to writers through a full range of editorial services from proofreading and copyediting to ghostwriting and research. As the daughter of a research librarian, she is also an active book reviewer.

Currently, she lives with her daughter, mother and a rambunctious German Shepherd named Reuben, in the beautiful state of New Mexico.