Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” —Groucho Marx

Monday, May 25, 2015

Wild Blue Yonder by Megan Tayte-- COVER REVEAL




  • Synopsis:

IN A WARPED HEAVEN, SHE MUST CHOOSE HER FATE: OBEDIENCE OR REBELLION

When Scarlett Blake chose life-after-death as a Cerulean, she expected to grieve for all she left behind: her boyfriend, her best friend, her mother, her home. But at least Cerulea, her heaven, would be… well, heavenly. Right?

Wrong.

The world in which Scarlett awakens is very far from her idea of a utopia. Picturesque, sure, and serene. But there can be no paradise within the unforgiving walls of a prison, be they of cold, hard stone or beautifully blue water.

Now Scarlett faces her hardest decision yet: be a good, dutiful Cerulean, or be true to herself and fight for freedom.

And if she can find a way to escape, what then? Can she finally reunite with her lost sister? Can she save Sienna from the murderous Fallen? Can she evade her destiny with the Ceruleans?

Can Scarlett Blake ever reclaim her life-before-death… or must she let go of all she loves?
  • Author Bio:

Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess fireman. 'Write, Megan,' her grandmother advised. So that's what she did. Thirty-odd years later, Megan writes the kinds of books she loves to read: young-adult paranormal romance fiction. Young adult, because it's the time of life that most embodies freedom and discovery and first love. Paranormal, because she's always believed that there are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy. And romance, because she's a misty-eyed dreamer who lives for those 'life is so breathtakingly beautiful' moments. Megan grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in Robin Hood's county, Nottingham. She lives with her husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; her son, a budding artist with the soul of a paleontologist; and her baby daughter, a keen pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When she's not writing, you'll find her walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as she pursues her impossible dream: of baking something edible.
  • Website link and author Picture:
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Torque by Shauna Allen---a Review on Release Day

IT'S HERE!  IT'S FINALLY HERE!    And it was well worth the wait!!




SYNOPSIS:

The darkness that fills him . . . the pain . . . they call to me.
I see so much more than his crime, his past, his demons.
I see the promise . . . the man who fills all the empty spaces inside me.
I’m not the perfect, untouchable girl he thinks I am. I’m just dirty enough to take what I want.
Him.
~
I could never deserve her.
She is the light . . . the sun, the moon, a billion stars.
She gives me hope.
But hope is a dangerous thing for a criminal like me.
I am hopeless.
Infinitely flawed.
Tainted.

We are more than opposites.
We are the dangerously perfect collision of dark and light and pain.


FROM MY MIND'S EYE:

Whoa!  I believe Shauna Allen has taken her vitamins and grown to another level!   I loved her Cupid Chronicles series, but make room for the Jack Em Up series.....it is powerful and moving in its own right.    So beautifully written with heartfelt emotion and tenderness.

I love romance and stories that make a person feel and Shauna's writing is like a balm or prescription written just for me.   She writes not only the passionate throes of love, but also is addressing some sensitive topics that affect more and more of us in today's world.

The Jack Em Up series  centers around a garage owned by Blake Travers and his motley crew of mechanics.   Motley?   Okay, let's say Hotties!     Jesse Joyner definitely had the pages of Torque sizzling from start to finish and although he was an ex con, he was imprisoned for a valiant reason.   Beyond that he had a secret.   That one bit of baggage colored his perspective and sullied his life with darkness.

Rachel Chaseman, was his opposite...full of life, light and a love for Jesse that was unquenchable, unconditional and non judgemental; two characters whose passion for one another was palpable.

Allen  conveyed their love for one another in truly convincing prose, but even more awesome was how she handled Jesse's secret, Rachel's dissatisfaction with her career path and the surprise Rachel's Dad left her.    All of this contributed to a very satisfying and rewarding story....one of Shauna's best to date!

I'll be quite anxious to read the third in the series,  Throttle!   Love the surprises this author never ceases to amaze me with!

I rated this a 5 Wink read!

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  I received a copy of this book from the author or their representative in exchange for an honest review.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Confess by Colleen Hoover--A Review


You know, at one time, I thought I could be an author.    I have always felt a book is bubbling inside of me, waiting for release.  However, I now feel like I have not one original thought in my head and that it has all been written before.   And then I stumbled onto Colleen Hoover's writing and now I'm not so sure it's all been written before.     This author is amazing!!

Her stories are unique and her thought pattern is quirkish if not somewhat disturbing in a brilliant sort of way.  I want to be her when I grow up and I'm probably twice her age right now!  I love what she writes, how she writes and how I respond to it.   And I look forward to everything she has to offer.

Let's begin the review of CONFESS.



SYNOPSIS:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a new novel about risking everything for love—and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies. 


Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.


For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.


The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…


FROM MY MIND'S EYE:


From the start of this book, I had questions....so many many questions and so very little patience.   I truly couldn't wait for Colleen to reveal all she knew and that is what made the book unputdownable.   If that isn't a word, it should be!

Once again her characters were believable and quirky and O.M.G., I had an insta crush on Owen.    Owen and Auburn together were just waiting to ignite the flames of passion.   And I confess, I wanted the happy ever after for them.

I confess, I was surprised by the revelations that trickled forth throughout the story.  It all came together as smooth as a piece of glass by the end of the book.

I further confess, I am convinced Hoover has earned her position at the top of the best selling charts and I hope she will continue with a long
 and out of the box career!    I for one need these amazing reads that make me feel and appreciate the awesomeness of words.

My last confession is that I rated this amazing book a big 5 Winks!

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  I purchased a copy of this book for my personal collection.


Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Thirst by Thierry Sagnier






                                                         
SYNOPSIS:

 fortune in drugs is missing.Finding them starts with finding her.

Colin isn’t a cop. Joe is, but isn’t up for this. Mamadou was an excellent police officer back in Senegal, but in Washington DC he drives a limo. Josie’s just a girl—a recovering crack addict fed up with her parents and with Herbie, her boyfriend. She’s planning on giving him a piece of her mind. Trouble is, Herbie stole a shipment of drugs, and now he’s dead. And let’s not forget Mollie Catfish… 

Now the Zulu wants his drugs, Mamadou wants revenge, Joe just wants to do his job for once, and Colin wants to save his girlfriend’s daughter. All Josie wants is to remember what Herbie might have told her, what the Zulu insists she knows. If she doesn’t—she’s dead too. 

Mollie? She wants it all. 

Behind the polished marble of Washington DC, lies dark alleys where everyone thirsts for something. 

“Sagnier builds characters as solid, gritty, and as broken as a DC street, with prose lights up like monuments on a starry night.” — Michael J. Sullivan, best-selling author of The Riyria Revelations

FROM MY MIND'S EYE:

Loads of characters, suspense and somehow, it's all woven into one cohesive story.    Sometimes you read a book with a lot of characters and points of view and it feels choppy and you wonder what each chapter has to do with the overall book.   Thirst is not like that.   Chapters were presented from various points of view, from multiple characters, but Sagnier writes so straightforward, there is little confusion and somehow it all culminates into the aha moments appropriately and brilliantly.   Maybe that occurred for me because I did complete the read in two sittings.  I was hooked immediately.

The story twists and weaves between the lives of the multiple characters.....all of whom are as troubled as real people.....all of whom are consumed with the fails of humanity.  Colin is a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for 10 years, but what he encounters in helping his lover find her daughter is enough to cause serious falling from the wagon.    For every individual encountered, there is an agenda, be it hidden or exposed.

I feel inadequate to convey what I felt about this story.   I appreciated the grip the book provided,   enjoyed the twists and turns, never saw the outcome coming and felt character development was a really strong feature.   I look forward to reading more of Sagnier's work.

I rated this a 4 wink read.


Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  I received a copy of this book from the author or their representative in exchange for an honest review.


Thursday, May 7, 2015

The Wilderness of Ruin by Roseanne Montillo--A Review







 SYNOPSIS:

In late nineteenth-century Boston, home to Herman Melville and Oliver Wendell Holmes, a serial killer preying on children is running loose in the city--a wilderness of ruin caused by the Great Fire of 1872--in this literary historical crime thriller reminiscent of The Devil in the White City.

In the early 1870s, local children begin disappearing from the working-class neighborhoods of Boston. Several return home bloody and bruised after being tortured, while others never come back.

With the city on edge, authorities believe the abductions are the handiwork of a psychopath, until they discover that their killer--fourteen-year-old Jesse Pomeroy--is barely older than his victims. The criminal investigation that follows sparks a debate among the world's most revered medical minds, and will have a decades-long impact on the judicial system and medical consciousness.

The Wilderness of Ruin is a riveting tale of gruesome murder and depravity. At its heart is a great American city divided by class--a chasm that widens in the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1872. Roseanne Montillo brings Gilded Age Boston to glorious life--from the genteel cobblestone streets of Beacon Hill to the squalid, overcrowded tenements of Southie. Here, too, is the writer Herman Melville. Enthralled by the child killer's case, he enlists physician Oliver Wendell Holmes to help him understand how it might relate to his own mental instability.

With verve and historical detail, Roseanne Montillo explores this case that reverberated through all of Boston society in order to help us understand our modern hunger for the prurient and sensational.

The Wilderness of Ruin features more than a dozen black-and-white photographs.

FROM MY MIND'S EYE:

This was indeed a book of a different sort, and as a result, I am very torn in my review of the book.  It was definitely a historic look back into the 1800's of Boston and to the life and times of Jesse Pomeroy....a child serial killer when barely more than a child himself.  

The story of Jesse Pomeroy was most disturbing and truly sad.  I would have preferred that Montillo  provide an in depth work on what causes a person to be without remorse or to be so vicious.  And I was convinved there would be more to Pomeroy's story than rotting in prison or a mental institution.   But, his story was but a small part of this book.    The tale went from Pomeroy to various authors of the day, Herman Melville, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Nathaniel Hawthorne....the more famous authors of the day.  Although for myself, I enjoyed this glimpse into the lives and times of these authors, I saw very little relevance for them appearing in the book.   The connection with the Pomeroy boy was minimal and fruitless at best.

Montillo does have a very interesting writing style and her work flows smoothly and is easily read.  It was obvious that she thoroughly researched her topic.   If success is measured by how long a book stays with you, I am sure this one will be in some far recess for the remainder of my life and for that, I am rating the read a 3.5 Winks!





Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  I received a copy of this book from the author or their representative in exchange for an honest review.








Tuesday, May 5, 2015

A Beautiful Taste by Lilliana Anderson--A Review





SYNOPSIS:

It's never easy to go back. That's something chef, Bradley Rae is sweating bullets about as the date of his school's kayaking team reunion draws near. When his friend and teammate, Elliot Roberts, convinces him to go, he thinks he'll be fine going back there. After all, chances are, she won't be there at all. It’s been almost ten years. Maybe she she’s moved away. Maybe he won’t see her at all...

Dakota Morgan is a girl with many regrets, and Bradley Rae is on top of that list. You see, she did something - she didn't wait five minutes, and that tiny amount of impatience changed the course of her life forever. 

When her father sets up a fundraising reunion for their family owned kayaking club, her heart beats out of control when she sees Brad's name on that list. Part of her wants to refuse to go so she doesn't have to face him. But a larger part of her needs to see him, even if it's just a window into what might have been...

When Brad and Dakota meet again, will sparks fly, or will the past remain firmly in the past? And what about secrets? Can they survive the reality of what that one split decision, made all those years ago, has done? Or will they let it all go again?


FROM MY MIND'S EYE:

Well don't you just love the cover on this book?    I could get lost in the cover alone, allowing my imagination to take a romp.

Anderson's a Beautiful Taste is a part of six books in the Beautiful series, but can definitely be read as a stand alone and is considered contemporary romance or YA .   As romance stories go, it is a lovely tale and I was hopelessly in love with both characters, although  Brad Rae?    Big Swoon!

The characters were very well developed and fleshed out.  The story moved at a good pace with several surprises along the way.   And it ended at a good place.   I had not intended to finish the story in one sitting, but I found myself doing exactly that, totally intriqued and invested by the story at hand.

If you love romance, try Anderson's, A Beautiful Taste.    It'll surely warm your cockles on a lazy afternoon!

I rated this a 4 Wink Read!



Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  I received a copy of this book from the author or their representative in exchange for an honest review.


Friday, May 1, 2015

April Reading Recap


April was a particularly fast moving month and between great spring weather including lotsa sunshine, it was a difficult month for me to read.    So this month's recap is only five books.

Paranormal and western romance, (see above)







More fantasy which I loved!





 Young adult/dystopian from three Dutch authors

Last but not least, I read an exciting work by a new author, suspenseful spy thriller!


Hopefully next month will be more of a reading month, but I have some really thick books to read in May.

Happy Reading my friends!


Miss Beth