Perfect Chemistry

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Where She Went

Where She Went
By Gayle Forman

4.5 Stars

From the back cover...It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

My thoughts….Breathless, this book is just beautiful. I am going to be brief because I feel anything I say will spoil this book. I was a little hesitant with the story being told from Adams point of view, since I had already attached myself to Mia. But listening to Adam broke my heart. I found myself pissed at Mia, how dare she hurt Adam like this?? What is wrong with her, he loves her so much, why is she doing this? she came back to her body because of him?

 Like the first book, I laughed, I cried, every emotion possible I felt it.

Darkest Mercy

Darkest Mercy

Melissa Marr


5 Stars


From the back cover...The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

My Thoughts…What a perfecting ending to a great series! There was closure for every characters story. I loved how each character was a narrator in this book. If you’re a fan of this series you are going to want to read this book! I am very sad for this series to end, but I think Melissa Marr ended it perfectly.

Angel Burn

Angel Burn

By L.A. Weatherly

4.5 Stars

From the back cover…Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow than Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil. In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L.A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip — and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.

My thoughts….Loved it, loved it. This is the first ‘Angel’ book  I have read. I am broadening my paranormal reading.  I have a huge to be read list, and probably over half of the books on my list I can’t remember why I put them on my list or what the book is even about. So when I decided to read this book my first thoughts was the normal perception of Angels, which are beautiful heavenly creatures that look over human’s best interests ….BUT that if the complete opposite for this book. The dimension where the Angels live cannot sustain them anymore. The Angels substance that the Angels feed off is not being created anymore and the closest substance the Angels can find to feed off is human’s energy. Alex is a badass---super sexy, confident, and the best Angel Killer (AK) out there. You are attracted to Alex from the get go if for no other reason than he is a bad boy. But you fall in love with Alex when his walls come down and you see what makes Alex tick. Since Alex was 5 years old he has been trained to be an AK, in one way or another he has lost he entire family at the hands of Angels. He now hunts them with a vengeance. When he gets the order to kill Willow, it is like any other hunt. But when he sees Willow he realizes that she is not full Angel, she is half human as well. Alex can see she isn’t like the Angels he has killed, she doesn’t even know she is part Angel and she doesn’t feed on humans.  Until Alex can figure out what is going on and speak to someone at the CIA that gave the order to kill Willow he just stays in the shadows and watches her.  Alex finds out that the CIA has been compromised by the Angels and it is the Angels themselves that gave the order to kill Willow. Alex is now protecting Willow with his life while he figures out why the Angels want her dead so bad. The more they feel in love with each other the more I feel in love with them. I could have cared less that the Angels were the badguys in this book, they could have been aliens for all that it mattered to me, I loved Alex & Willow and there stories. The action in the book was a plus. I can’t wait for the second book to come out, but since this book is an ARC it is going to be a while before I can get my Alex & Willow fix.

The Goddess Test

The Goddess Test

By Amiee Carter

4.0 Stars

From the backcover…Every girl who has taken the test has died. Now it's Kate's turn. It's always been just Kate and her mom--and now her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall. Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld--and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests. Kate is sure he's crazy--until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.           If she fails...

My thoughts…What a great book! Very different from anything else that I have read or have on my ‘to be read’ list so it was a nice change in from my normal paranormal reads.  Very refreshing to read—a Greek Myth, with a twist. I felt drawn to Kate right away. For the last four year Kate has taken care of her sick mother who has cancer. Kate’s mother seems ready to let go of all her pain and die, but she is holding on for Kate’s sake. She wants Kate to be ready when she dies, she wants to make sure Kate will be okay but after 4 years of the illness Kate is still having a hard time facing the truth of what is to come.  Enter Henry aka Hades. Henry has had 100 years to find a girl that will take the 7 tests and pass them all. If he is unable to do this then he will cease to exist and his successor will take over ruling the Under World. Henry has all but given up but will try one last time…. After a horrible accident happened to a classmate while Kate was with her, Henry offers to bring her classmate back to life if Kate accepts his bargain. Kate agrees without even finding out what she has really agreed to which is to go to Henry’s house/world/dimension and take 7 tests. If she passes she will be Henry’s bride and a goddess.  If she fails she will go back to life as she knew it and will not remember Henry or anything that happened while with Henry and Henry, he will cease to exist.  But so far every girl who has taken the test has been murdered, no failing the test, no going back to life as they know it, but gone for good. Henry’s character is a little harder to figure out. I never really understand how he feels about Kate. At times I feel like he is falling for her and other times I feel like he could care less about her. I get that he is tired of the girls getting murder, that he wants it to stop, that he feel guilty, that it is his fault but I feel that he could of done more to stop  or prevent or figure out who was doing the crime.

Even though most of the story happens at Henry’s house, I love it, it is somewhere I would love to visit, mingle with the different people--- stay a couple of days and explore. Almost every character is connected to person of Greek Mythology and it was interesting trying to figure out who was which Greek God. The book kept you guessing right to the end.

I would recommend this book to those of you who are into YA/paranormal who want a book that is a little different than the current best sellers.

The Vespertine

The Vespertine

by Saundra Mitchell
3 Stars

From the back cover: It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

My thoughts…A Victorian era story  meets paranormal, what’s not to like?.  From reading the reviews and the back cover of this book I thought this book was going to be great,  but I did not feel the book lived up to all the hype. I liked it, but I didn’t like it. I was drawn to this book because of its cover, it is beautiful, I also liked the concept of the story. The book was beautiful written, easy to understand and was very detailed, but there was just a lot of open ended starts in this book. I found myself bored waiting for the 'big bang' in the book, the reason why Amelia had these powers or how she got the powers, etc.  I got to a point where I was just skimming through the book looking for the reveal but the part where the book grabbed my attention but it never came. I am not sure if there is going to be a second book---maybe if there is  that book will answer all the questions the first one left unanswered.

If I Stay

If I Stay
Gayle Forman
4.5 Stars 

From the back cover: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

My thoughts…I loved this book. 90% of the time a book cover is what draws me to pick it up and read what it is about, and I loved this cover. This book had it all---I found myself laughing, crying, having my breathe taken away, my heart melting or  hurting, every human emotion I felt while reading this book. When reading the back cover you really don’t know what this book is about, but after reading some reviews I went ahead and bought it.

Mia was in an accident that she has no memory of. You are with Mia as she pieces together what happened. She has an “out of body” experience. She can see and hear everything that is going on but that is it. She doesn’t know how to get back in her body and she doesn’t know if she wants too. As she is piecing together the present events, you learn about her past. The author flows in and out the present to past with ease. When something in the present triggers how she met someone, how she felt about someone, a characteristics that defines one of the characters or Mia herself you are brought back to the past to find out about that person and what they meant to Mia. You learn why every character in the story is important to Mia; how in one way or another Mia loves them and they are part of her, an extended family. In the end Mia has to decide will she stay alive, will she fight to be with all the people that love her, or will she go be with those of her family that died in the accident….the story keeps you on the edge to the very end, I had no idea which choice Mia would make….

Past Midnight, Raising the Dead & One Hundred Candles

Past Midnight

Raising the Dead

One Hundred Candles

by Mara Purnhagen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Past Midnight

From the back of the book...Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear. All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive….

Raising the Dead

From the back of the book...Charlotte Silver's world is like no one else's...

As the daughter of the famous Silver Spirits paranormal investigators, Charlotte Silver is used to all things weird. But when coffins start floating down her street during a flood, life turns extra strange. And wonderful, when her friend and crush Noah signs on to help Charlotte and her folks in the aftermath. Cemetery cleanup might not sound exciting, but as shocking discoveries and a lurking stranger come to light, Charlotte learns that sometimes, raising the dead can bring unexpected rewards.

One Hundred Candles

From the back of the book...It's taken a long time for me to feel like a normal teenager. But now that I'm settled in a new school, where people know me as more than Charlotte Silver of the infamous Silver family paranormal investigators, it feels like everything is falling into place. And what better way to be normal than to go on a date with a popular football star like Harris Abbott? After all, it's not as if Noah is anything more than a friend….

But my new life takes a disturbing turn when Harris brings me to a party and we play a game called One Hundred Candles. It seems like harmless, ghostly fun. Until spirits unleashed by the game start showing up at school. Now my friends and family are in very real danger, and the door that I've opened into another realm may yield deadly consequences.

My Thoughts…I would rate all of these books a 3.0-3.5 stars. I love Young Adult Books, but sometimes it is hard to tell which books are actual Young Adults and which books are actually Teen Books, since both genres are for the most part grouped together. I found this to be more of a Teen book---maybe middle school age. It was a very easy read, easy to understand, easy to follow, easy to read without realizing how long you had been reading but I also feel it would appeal to a younger reader then me. Charlotte Silver wants a normal life. After moving around from state to state, country to country, Charlotte’s parents have agreed that they will stay in one city, the same house for an entire year in order for Charlotte to have her senior year of high school at just one school. Charlotte’s parents are paranormal-normal gurus, they write books, they investigate, and they even have their own TV show. They have been around the world and back conducting investigations. Charlotte just wants normal, maybe a chance to have friends and go on a date or two. I can relate with Charlotte’s character for wanting normal for just one year, her senior year. I think it is great that she has finally has someone she can consider a best friend, and also that the best friend is not freaked out about Charlotte and her families occupation. Charlotte as likes Noah, which Noah is good for Charlotte but he doesn’t seem to return the affection except in the friendship sense. Charlotte doesn’t seem to like confrontations, and there was several times where if she would of just opened her mouth and told her parents what was going on some of the events would not of happened….but then I guess there would be no story then and then where would we be? Charlotte’s life was normal for about 2 months and then the paranormal were unleashed.

I probably would read the next book in this series to see how the characters grow. I am not sure how many books the author has wrote but book 2 was better than book 1.5, which was better than book 1, so hopefully book 3 will be just as good.

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The Betrayal of Maggie Blair

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair
by Elizabeth Laird

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What I liked most about this book was that some of the characters, places and events were real. The author is related to a few of the characters, did research on their history, and visited places where they lived.

Growing up in Scotland during 17th century was not easy. Maggie Blair was 16 years old and was convicted of being a witch. Maggie’s mother died during child birth, and her father died in an accident when she was young. Maggie’s grandmother raised her. Her grandmother wasn’t an affectionate person to say the least. You didn’t get much information on Maggie’s grandmothers up bringing but you could tell she had a very hard life. Everyone thought her grandmother was a witch….I guess being a hard, practical woman living off what the land has to offer, being superstitious and believing in / practicing all the old wife tales makes you a witch. Since Maggie’s grandmother was a witch she had to be one too, and was sentenced to be hanged, then burned next to her grandmother. Maggie escapes….with help of friends she travels to her uncles.

At her Uncle’s she is greeted with more turmoil as her Uncle is arrested, and the only person that can help save him is Maggie.

Maggie is betrayed first by her community, then by a family friend, who she thinks of as an uncle. She is faced with trial after trial that would break any ones spirit but Maggie make is through it, and chooses the path that will make her happy.

I am a new reader to historical fiction, which I think this book falls under. At first I thought this book was going to be paranormal in nature, but it isn’t. Also you don’t find out that the author is related to the characters until the end of the story----I would have liked to have known that going into the story. This was an easy read, it was steady paced and I didn’t lose interest in the story.

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The Vampire Voss

The Vampire Voss

By: Colleen Gleason

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is probably the longest it has taken me to read one book. I found this book was hard to get sucked into but wanted to give it a shot. I am torn between 2 & 3 stars, I am going to give it a 3 for effort. This book was a mix between historical fiction and paranormal love.

Voss is a vampire, he cares for no one but himself. Life is a game to him since his life is never ending. He loves to find out secrets and weakness about other vampires and flaunt that in their faces or charge others for he knowledge, which has caused him to have enemies. As he tries to gain knowledge from the sister of a vampire hunter that he plans to sale, something happens….he falls in love with the vampire hunters sister Angelica. Angelica has what is called the sight. She can see into the future and see when one is to die, she can see the exact moment they die. This gift is usual to both humans and vampires which has put her in danger and Voss feels protective of her but also has the bloodlust for her that comes with being a vampire.

This book was very descriptive, I found it to be too descriptive at times, it was as if words were just being used to fill the page not to enhance the story. Also the story went back and forth between the present and past a lot. It was distinctive when it was done though. I would be half way through a page, confused non the less, before I realized that we had changed from the present to the past or vise versa and would have to go back and reread to apply that part of the story to wear it belong.

Overall, I like the underlining moral to the story.

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Boys that Bite by Mari Mancusi

3 Stars
From the back of book...Technically Sunshine can't get killed-because she's immortal. Well, not quite yet. Due to the worst case of mistaken identity with her dark-side-loving twin sister at a Goth club called Club Fang, Magnus, a vampire hottie, went for Sunshine's innocent neck. Now if she doesn't reverse it in time, Magnus will be her blood mate forever and she's doomed to be a blood-gulping, pasty, daylight-hating vampire. That would seriously bite.

And now, after the unfortunate slaying of the vampire leader, Sunshine, her sister Rayne, and Magnus must find the one thing that can solve her problem: the Holy Grail. They wish it were a joke but it's not. It's absolutely necessary that Sunshine gets out of this in time, because somehow she scored the hottest prom date in her school, the mouth-watering Jake Wilder. So she just can't be a vampire for the prom-let alone the rest of eternity.

My thoughts...The book was an easy read. I love the relationship Sunny & Raine have, that they really love each other even though they are complete opposites. They are very sarcastic to each other, which reminds me of the relationship I have with my own sister. The back of the book gives you the rundown of book and I don't have much to add to it without spoiling. I thought that it was silly that the one thing that could turn Sunny back into a human was the Holy Grail. Also the valley girl talk was a little bit much for me which may be my age speaking. This is a book that either you like and will kept reading the series because it is a fun easy read or you will stop with book one and not think twice about it.

I will probably give book two a chance to see if I can overcome the few things a didn't like about book one.


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Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

3.5 Stars

From the back cover:

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

My thoughts: Two years ago Andi's brother dies. Everyday since then she blames herself, she is in so much pain and constantly thinks about ending her own life to end the pain. To numb the pain she drugs herself up daily. And the only other thing that keeps her sane is her music, her guitar and even lately that does not seem to be helping. Her mom is worse off then Andi is, hardly talking, never leaving the apartment, hardly eating and painting portrait after portrait of Truman. Andi's dad has never played a big picture in her life and after the death of her brother is never to be seen....Until he receives a letter from Andi's school about being expelled or not graduating if she doesn't turn her grades around and start on her senior thesis. Andi's dad comes home, put he mom is a mental hospital and takes Andi with him to Paris where he is working on a big project for work. Andi's thesis is on composer Mahlerbeau who is French. Since Andi is in Paris she can do a lot with her thesis, research, go see the house Mahlerbeau lived in etc. While in Paris Andi and her father is staying with a family friend that is going to be opening up a museum with the French Revolution artifacts. One of those artifacts is going to be a journal that Alexandrine Paradis wrote with her account of the Revolutions. With reading the journal and the accounts that Alexandrine went through it hurts but also start to help health Andi and she see the world through someone elses eyes. Also why Andi is out and about in Paris she meets a young man that she is drawn too, he loves music as much as Andi does. He also sees that Andi is in pain and won't give up until he now why. He also helps Andi start to heal.

I really enjoyed this book. You feel, really feel for Andi and the pain she is going through. I liked that everyone’s story (Andi, Alexandrine, Truman) is pieced throughout the entire book, so you are constantly wanting to what happens next. Towards the end there are several chapters that I didn't care for, but overall I would recommend to read. I am new to historical fiction but I am liking it.





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Flecks of Gold by Alicia Buck

3.5-4.0 Stars.

My thoughts: Overall I liked the story line. It has everything I like in a book, adventure, girl meets boy, secrets and the twist---magic. I loved Mary's strong, sarcastic, but loving character. I did feel the plot was easy to figure out, it didn't really keep me guessing once you connected the first couple dilemma’s Mary was in and the rest where easy to figure out. There were several typo's & repeat sentences in the book, which bothered me for whatever reason. At times I felt there was too much detail that then confused me and at other times I felt there wasn't enough detail. About a third of the way in I figured out the parts that confused me and then I didn't mind the overage of details. But with that said I did enjoy the book.
From that back cover: Mary Margaret is not the type of girl to fall in love, especially after seeing what a string of bad relationships has done to her mother. That's why it's so weird when Mary finds herself strangely attracted to Kelson, a guy at her new school. It's almost . . . unnatural. What she doesn't know is that she's been put under a spell. And when Kelson kidnaps Mary's mother and takes her to his home world, Mary will have to rescue her by relying on something she never knew existed, magic. Flecks of Gold is an enchanting blend of fantasy, action, and even a little romance. Get lost in this world where magic is commonplace and danger lurks where you least suspect it.
My Summary: Mary has always stayed in the shadows, with one thing standing out her gold eyes. Her dad left before he knew her mom was pregnant. As long as Mary can remember she has always been more like the adult and took care of her mom. Mary doesn't mind and she has a great relationship with her mother. Mary has always seen 'flecks of gold' on the outside of her vision but never understood what it was until Kelson kidnapped her mother. Mary follows Kelson to another world to find her mother. She finds out that this world has magic there. Also that the color of one’s eyes, is a way of telling/showing your status (King/Queen, Noble, etc.) There is a language barrier Mary runs into, as well as this new world is nothing like earth. There are no cars, TV’s, radios, nothing that is technology related. Books are rare but there is the magic. Mary learns to use the magic quickly with the help of others. She is a fast learner and has rare magically powers. She surprises everyone she meets since she should not have any magic at all let alone the rare magical powers she posses. Mary has a long trip ahead of her to get her mother back and discover who she really is and meant to be.
I believe this is the authors’ first published book and look forward to reading more from her in the future as she grows her writing.

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Crusade

4.5 Stars

From the back of book: For the past two years, Jenn has lived and trained at Spain’s Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun.

Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated — and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose.

Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she had held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself — and her heart.

My thoughts....there is a lot more to this book then the back cover can even begin to cover. Jenn is constantly fighting with her Dad over their difference in opinion about the vampire race. Her Dad is supporting the vamps, playing safe, and will not allow Jenn to speak unkindly of the vamps for fear of what might happen. That sad part is that I believe her Dad actually wants to or does believe there are good vamps not all are bad. Jenn cannot believe her Dad since he was raised to stand up for the better Cause, which in this case would be the human race. Jenn has always been close to her grandparents and respect who and what they have done.

Jenn runs away to train at Spain's Sacred Heart. She wants to be a hunter; actually she wants to become The Hunter. Jenn is always second guessing herself though. Every class that passes the rigid training has one person that is chosen to get a special elixir that gives the human great strengths. This class is different than the rest though, one person will become "The Hunter" and 5 others will become "hunters". With the Vampires gaining more strong holds there is a high turnover rate of hunters, so hopefully sending team out will help solve that problem.

When Jenn has to return to the US for her grandfather’s funeral, she realizes how much worse of the US is then Spain,  the vamps have taken over in the states and the humans have let them. Jenn fears for her little sister. The story sucked me in at the point that Jenn returns to the US and I could not put the book down until it was finished. Once in the US she is betrayed, loved ones die, someone special to her is taken, and Jenn is going to have to trust herself or more people she loves could be hurt.

This book has a little of everything....Falling in love with the wrong guy, vampires, werewolves, witches, magic, priests.....and then some. For those of you that are love reading about the supernatural this is a great book. Just start it early in the day so when you get to about pg 50 or so and get sucked in you have time to finish book at a decent hour of the night.

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The Lost Saint

4 Stars

From the back cover: A family destroyed. A love threatened. An enemy returns. Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with he werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town. But as the two grow closer, Grace's relationship with Daniel is put in danger -- in more ways than one. Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her -- not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

My thoughts...Daniel and Grace's relationship is going great. Daniel is training Grace on how to use her new found abilities and teaching her the balance those abilities so that the wolf doesn't have too much power over Grace. Life is starting to get back into a normal pattern for every one. Grace's Dad is constantly gone following up on leads to where Jude might be. Grace's Mother is not taking well that Jude ran away, so she is either completely withdrawn ignoring the whole family or being a hyper protective parent involved in everything, this changes on a daily basis. But Daniel starts to be secretive and seems to be pulling away from Grace. Which in turn sends Grace running to Talbot for help....then the trouble all begins.

A couple of things that bug me, I know this is a young adult/teen read so this might just be my age speaking but it bothers me how fast Grace runs off to Talbot, It was a week maybe of Daniel being secretive, and all Daniel said was that he just need a little time and he would explain everything to her. But the first chance she gets she is off with another boy, and keeping just as many secrets from Daniel as he is keeping from her, I thought Daniel and Grace loved each other. The other part that bothered me as well was that when Daniel became secretive it was very abrupt and mean to Grace, if he needed a little time that is all he should of said. But I guess that is teenagers for you.

I can't wait for the third book to come out and see what happens next.

The King's Mistress

4 Stars

From the back cover: History has not been kind to Alice Perrers, the notorious mistress of King Edward III. Scholars and contemporaries alike have deemed her a manipulative woman who used her great beauty and sensuality to take advantage of an aging and increasingly senile king. But who was the woman behind the scandal? A cold-hearted opportunist or someone fighting for her very survival?

Like most girls of her era Alice is taught obedience in all things. At the age of fourteen she marries the man her father chooses for her, dutifully accepting the cost of being torn from the family she holds so dear and losing the love of her mother forever. Despite these heartbreaks Alice finds that merchant Janyn Perrers is a good and loving husband and the two settle into a happy life together. Their bliss is short-lived, however, unraveled the dark day a messenger appears at Alice's door and notifies her of Janyn's sudden disappearance.

In the wake of this tragedy, Alice learns that her husband kept many dangerous secrets—secrets that result in a price on her own head and that of her beloved daughter. Her only chance to survive lies in the protection of King Edward and Queen Philippa, but she therefore must live at court as a virtual prisoner. When she is singled out by the king for more than just royal patronage, the stakes are raised. Disobeying Edward is not an option, not when her family is at risk, but the court is full of ambitious men and women, many of whom will stop at nothing to see her fall fron grace. The whispers and gossip abound, isolating Alice, who finds unexpected solace in her love for the king.

Emma Campion paints a colorful and thrilling portrait of the court of Edward III—with all of its extravagance, scandalous love affairs, political machinations, and murder—and the devastating results of being singled out by the royal family. At the center of the storm is Alice, surviving by her wits in this dangerous world where the choices are not always of her own making. Emma Campion's dazzling novel shows that there is always another side to the story.

My Thoughts: I would give this book a 4.5. I would have given it a 5 but the last 50 or so pages I could barely make it through. I understand the importance of those pages because they tie up every last tid bit for the book but it wasn't attention grabbing.

This is the first historical fiction I have read, and I must say I loved it and will continue to read this type of books.

I feel for Alice's character. Being married at 14 and throwing her heart into that marriage, then finding out that marriage will determine the rest of your life. I give it to her for making the best she could out of every situation that she was put in. She did what she thought was best for her and her children's future and in alot of the situations she was put in she didn't really have a choice being not of noble blood, but she still did what she could to better the situation.

I liked that this was just one book, not a series of books. Most of the YA books I read have book after book, so it was nice to know I only had to read one book to have the full story!

Nightshade

4.5 Stars

From the back cover: Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything-- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

My thoughts: I love Calla's character. She is strong, sexy, and confident alpha wolf of her pack. She is soon to be Ren's mate and is excited & scared all at the same time. As a female alpha she is not allowed by the keepers to ingage in any type of physical activities with boys, and being a 17 yr old with raging hormones this is proving hard for her to do specially since Ren keeps throwing himself at her. Ren being a male alpha does not have the same rules, he does not have to remain "pure" until he is united with Calla. I love Ren's character, he is a sexy, confident, cocky but funny character that really does have feelings for Calla and she is starting to realize that the more time they spend together.

The problems start when Shay enters the picture. Calla had saved him from a bear and then did the unthinkable by giving him here blood to save him. That is against the rules she is only allowed to give her blood to pack members, not only that but she shifted from human to wolf in front of him. When Calla show up to school on Monday, Shay is a new student and this freaks out Calla even more, since she thought she would never see him again. Shay has the hots for Calla and is not not scared or intimidated by the wolf like most humans are. Shay also is living with a Keeper which brings up the question why is the human living with a keeper. Calla & Ren's pack has been instructed to keep an eye on Shay as well to keep him safe. Calla has been instructed by her keeper to spend time with him because he likes her. As she spends time with him she starts to question everything that she has been taught and believed her entire life. She also starts to have feelings for him which she shouldn't....she is promised to Ren....she is starting to fall for Ren as well the more time they spend together....so who will she choose????

I can't wait for the second book to come out so that some of these questions are answered. I read to escape life for a while and this book defiantly did that for me.