Yearly Archives: 2016

30 12, 2016

Beauty (Everland Ever After #3)

Beauty (Everland Ever After #3)

Rachel2016-12-29T18:05:43-07:00December 30th, 2016|Tags: book box, fairytale, Fantasy, romance|0 Comments

Book Description: A faded matron and a blinded musician... but which is the Beauty and which is the Beast? Twice-widowed Arabella Mayor has made a place for herself and her son in Everland, selling and lending her beloved books to other bibliophiles in the sweet town. But she's running out of money, and ten-year-old Eddie is giving her fits, and their future is uncertain. Re-marriage might have once been an option, but Arabella knows she's past her prime, and isn't the Beauty she used to be. And as her beauty faded, so did her worth. What does she have left? World-renown violinist Vincenzo Bellini is at ease with his carefully cultivated reputation of a beastly recluse. After all, the fewer people looking at his hideous scars, the better. Ready to retire, he's trying to hide in Everland, but doesn't count on the townsfolk being so curious... especially a particular bookseller who reminds him of the life he abandoned long ago. Can he teach her that worth isn't tied to their appearances, or will he have to abandon his plans for a future here in Everland? I received this book in my book [...]

29 12, 2016

What I Love About Dublin

What I Love About Dublin

Rachel2016-12-29T13:11:47-07:00December 29th, 2016|Tags: adult, ARCs, fiction, romance|0 Comments

Book Description: Let’s suppose you are a heartbroken woman trying to get over the pain of a failed relationship. You’ve always wanted to see the world. What do you do? Perhaps you would do what Sarah does: travel alone to Dublin and leave your worries behind. She wants to start from scratch, to forget about it all; to enjoy the lush green countryside, the Celtic music, the famous pubs. However, her life turns upside down when she finds herself living under the same roof as Daniel, a handsome yet stubborn Irishman. Both Daniel and Sarah have their reasons for not falling in love, but love has other plans. Things become more complicated because love affairs are prohibited between housemates. This is an unbreakable rule that also applies to the three other residents: a shameless womanizer, an absent-minded musician and a new female best friend, intrusive and meddling. It’s a fun and exciting intercultural household for Sarah to adapt to! And as if that wasn’t enough, she also has to deal with Daniel’s heated misunderstandings, with an insistent ex-boyfriend and some compromising situations with a very sexy Frenchman. This is a new life [...]

20 12, 2016

Infamous

Infamous

Rachel2016-12-20T12:19:08-07:00December 20th, 2016|Tags: adult, ARCs, romance|0 Comments

Book Description: Justine Montgomery, daughter of a divorced beauty queen and TV magnate, is a tabloid disaster after her infamous sex tape. She’s so desperate to help save her family’s home she turns to her deal-making dad. Can she prove to him she’s cut out for a career in television or will she lose it all? Sawyer has his own past and a successful career is his only goal. Seeing Justine fail would mean the promotion of a lifetime, but things get complicated when he develops feelings for her. Suddenly, the lines between work, life, sex, and love are blurry. They will have to overcome the bitterness of a rejected ex, the controlling actions of her father, and the half-truths they’re telling one another to forge a lasting partnership both on the job and off the clock. I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. What else is there to say but I really loved this book. I was hooked from the start. I was interested to see where the story went and how it would develop as it went on. I personally like that it [...]

13 12, 2016

Rise: How a House Built a Family

Rise: How a House Built a Family

Rachel2016-12-13T21:06:37-07:00December 13th, 2016|Tags: adult, ARCs, non-fiction|0 Comments

Book Description: After escaping an abusive marriage, Cara Brookins had four children to provide for and no one to turn to but herself. In desperate need of a home but without the means to buy one, she did something incredible. Equipped only with YouTube instructional videos, a small bank loan, a mile-wide stubborn streak, Cara built her own house from the foundation up with a work crew made up of her four children. It would be the hardest thing she had ever done. With no experience nailing together anything bigger than a bookshelf, she and her kids poured concrete, framed the walls and laid bricks for their two story, five bedroom house. She had convinced herself that if they could build a house, they could rebuild their broken family. This must-read memoir traces one family’s rise from battered victims to stronger, better versions of themselves, all through one extraordinary do-it-yourself project. I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is not typically the type of book I would read, however I am glad that I had the opportunity to read it because I enjoy reading [...]

6 12, 2016

The Architect of Song

The Architect of Song

Rachel2016-12-06T21:00:48-07:00December 6th, 2016|Tags: book box, mystery, romance, suspense, young adult|0 Comments

Book Description: A lady imprisoned by deafness, an architect imprisoned by his past, and a ghost imprisoned within the petals of a flower - intertwine in this love story that transcends life and death. For most of her life, nineteen-year-old Juliet Emerline has subsisted – isolated by deafness – making hats in the solitude of her home. Now, she’s at risk to lose her sanctuary to Lord Nicolas Thornton, a twenty-seven-year-old mysterious and eccentric architect with designs on her humble estate. When she secretly witnesses him raging beside a grave, Juliet investigates, finding the name “Hawk” on the headstone and an unusual flower at the base. The moment Juliet touches the petals, a young English nobleman appears in ghostly form, singing a song only her deaf ears can hear. The ghost remembers nothing of his identity or death, other than the one name that haunts his afterlife: Thornton. To avenge her ghostly companion and save her estate, Juliet pushes aside her fear of society and travels to Lord Thornton’s secluded holiday resort, posing as a hat maker in one of his boutiques. There, she finds herself questioning who to trust: the [...]

5 12, 2016

Fallen to Grace (Celestial Downfall #1)

Fallen to Grace (Celestial Downfall #1)

Rachel2016-12-05T18:48:06-07:00December 5th, 2016|Tags: ARC, Fantasy, young adult|0 Comments

Book Description: Azrael's a wingless angel, and if that wasn't bad enough, she's the only one with a functioning conscience. Her bi-color eyes mark her as a moral hybrid, and when she breaks her enslavement to Manor Saffron by making a deal with a demon, she doesn't expect to become Queen. She’ll have to survive her new royal magic, convince a legion of angels she’s worth fighting for, and find the breach in her Faustian deal, or risk a new master with horns. I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I thought that this was an overall good book. It was a fresh take on angels and demons and I liked that. It kept me entertained trying to figure out what was going to happen and was intrigued with how the story came together. I like that you are seeing this take on how these Windborns are actually basically fallen angels. However, I must admit I did get confused at times when it was being explained how they were born and how the hybrids are made, why they are sold and that type of stuff. [...]

30 11, 2016

The Firebird Chronicles: The Gell

The Firebird Chronicles: The Gell

Rachel2016-11-30T22:56:09-07:00November 30th, 2016|Tags: ARC, Children, Fantasy, short story|0 Comments

Book Description: Enjoy exploring the world of the Firebird Chronicles series with this accompanying short story. It's Fletcher and Scoop's Beginning year at Blotting's Academy - the place where all story characters go to be trained. Join the young Apprentice Adventurers as they find themselves stranded on a rock in the middle of the ocean, with no visible means of escape. It's time for them to learn one of the basic lessons of stories - risks have to be taken. I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have read the second book in this series and this short story takes place between the first one and the one I read. I thought it was a fun read, I did miss hearing all of the different fun named places. I do get though it was a short story so they can't all be named. I still think the idea behind this series is fun and that it appeals to all ages, although I would say to the younger crowd, but I still enjoy reading it. I like that there are little life lessons that you [...]

29 11, 2016

Enchanting the Fey

Enchanting the Fey

Rachel2016-11-29T18:41:43-07:00November 29th, 2016|Tags: ARC, Fantasy, young adult|0 Comments

Book Description: The day Desmoree Shale was kidnapped and awoke naked on a slab in a Sydney morgue should have been the worst day of her life – but she’s not dead, barely harmed, and her would be assassin, Jax, is actually kind of… cute. Tempted by the idea of a mythical fairy-land, Des joins Jax in discovering the past her mother was determined to keep hidden. She quickly learns there was a reason for her mother’s secrecy. Finding herself smack in the middle of an eons-old war between two feuding Fey species, prophesized to take on a vicious beast, and pressured to unlock her magic is not what Des had been expecting. Now she must decide between a terrible battle in the new life she loves or returning to piece together the one she left behind. I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I must start by saying I really love the cover that Rebecca picked. I think it just flows well and is really pretty and eye catching. I love that those blue shoes she talks about is on the cover. I thought [...]

22 11, 2016

The Introvert

The Introvert

Rachel2016-11-22T16:50:49-07:00November 22nd, 2016|Tags: adult, ARC, dark comedy|0 Comments

Book Description: A vacuum salesman by day, the introvert lives a quiet life alone with his dog until a work relationship and a dark secret from his past team up to create an uncomfortable imbalance in his otherwise ordered life, one that soon finds him squarely at the center of a murder investigation. With his thoughts continually urging him to make people “red and open” and to “achieve it” with his girlfriend Donna, what follows is a sometimes brutal, oftentimes hilarious, and absurdist account of the life of one very anti-social and unexpected anti-hero. I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I thought this book was an interesting read. It was told from the first person perspective and you never even find out the name of the person telling the story. You get to really feel what he thinks and the thought process that is inside of his head. You can tell that there is obviously something not quite right about him with the fact that he sees people as open and red when he is upset with them. Which would indicate some sort of [...]

16 11, 2016

Puck (A Twisted Lit Novel)

Puck (A Twisted Lit Novel)

Rachel2016-11-16T19:15:41-07:00November 16th, 2016|Tags: ARC, Fantasy, young adult|0 Comments

Book Description: Life isn’t always fair, and no one knows that better than fifteen-year-old Puck. When she’s unceremoniously booted from yet another foster home, this city kid lands at DreamRoads, a rehabilitation wilderness camp. Her fellow juvenile delinquents include a famous pop star with a diva attitude, a geeky, “fish out of water” math whiz, and a surly gang-banger with a chip on his shoulder. The program’s steely director aims to break Puck, but she knows that every adult has a breaking point, too. Determined to defy this realm of agonizing nature hikes and soul-sucking psychobabble — even if that means manipulating four lovestruck camp counselors and the director’s dim-witted second-in-command — Puck ultimately gets much more than she bargains for in this “wondrous strange” outdoor odyssey inspired by Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was intrigued when I got the request to review this book because I enjoy the Midsummer Night's Dream story and thought that is cool it is a twisted version of it. Hence the name twisted lit novel. When I first started reading I [...]

8 11, 2016

Like a Closed Fist

Like a Closed Fist

Rachel2016-11-08T19:48:32-07:00November 8th, 2016|Tags: adult, ARC, romance|0 Comments

Book Description: It was harmless enough: her best friend's wedding. But for California girl Phoebe, forty-eight hours in North Carolina changed her life. No one is more surprised than Phoebe when she falls hopelessly in love with her dad’s much older, very married friend. Although she wants nothing more than to jump headfirst into an affair with Mitch, he refrains, telling her she’s just a kid. Determined to prove him wrong, young Phoebe learns the irony of best laid plans. She travels to North Carolina for a wedding and accidentally falls head-over-heels for two very different men: Mason, the hotel concierge, and Frankie, a captain in the Merchant Marines. Throw in two old flames and a hunky masseur and you’ve got a most complicated love hexagon in this cautionary tale of love, sex, grief, and growing up. I am excited that I am finally getting into doing some ARC requests and want to thank E.H. Nolan for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I thought the book was an interesting twist in the sense that the ending isn't like a typical romance in the sense of how it ends [...]

26 10, 2016

The Valley of the Horses (Earth’s Children #2)

The Valley of the Horses (Earth’s Children #2)

Rachel2016-10-26T20:41:31-06:00October 26th, 2016|Tags: adult, Fantasy, fiction, historical, romance|0 Comments

Book Description: This unforgettable odyssey into the distant past carries us back to the awesome mysteries of the exotic, primeval world of The Clan of the Cave Bear, and to Ayla, now grown into a beautiful and courageous young woman. Cruelly cast out by the new leader of the ancient Clan that adopted her as a child, Ayla leaves those she loves behind and travels alone through a stark, open land filled with dangerous animals but few people, searching for the Others, tall and fair like herself. The short summer gives her little time to look, and when she finds a sheltered valley with a herd of hardy steppe horses, she decides to stay and prepare for the long glacial winter ahead. Living with the Clan has taught Ayla many skills but not real hunting. She finally knows she can survive when she traps a horse, which gives her meat and a warm pelt for the winter, but fate has bestowed a greater gift, an orphaned foal with whom she develops a unique kinship. One winter extends to more; she discovers a way to make fire more quickly and a wounded [...]

12 10, 2016

Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson #2)

Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson #2)

Rachel2016-10-12T20:57:37-06:00October 12th, 2016|Tags: Fantasy, mystery, romance|0 Comments

Book Description: If you hang around with dead people, life can get pretty complicated. Take it from Charley Davidson, part-time private investigator and full-time Grim Reaper. Complicated is her middle name. The deceased find her very sparkly. Demons find her irresistible. And one entity in particular wants to seduce her in every way possible. When Charley and Cookie (her best friend/receptionist) have to track down a missing woman, the case is not quite as open and shut as they anticipate. Cookie's friend Mimi disappeared five days earlier. Mimi then sends Cookie a cryptic message telling Cookie to meet her at an nearby coffee shop. The coffee is brewing, but Mimi's still missing. There is, however, a clue Mimi left on the bathroom wall: a woman's name. Mimi's husband explains to them that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old high school friend had been murdered. The same woman whose name Mimi had scribbled on the bathroom wall. Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He's left his body because he's being [...]

29 09, 2016

Red Rising Trilogy

Red Rising Trilogy

Rachel2016-09-29T18:32:28-06:00September 29th, 2016|Tags: dystopia, Fantasy, sci fi, trilogy, young adult|0 Comments

Book Descriptions: Red Rising: "I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them." "I live for you," I say sadly. Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more." Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for [...]

21 09, 2016

Worlds of Ink and Shadow

Worlds of Ink and Shadow

Rachel2016-09-21T15:49:08-06:00September 21st, 2016|Tags: book box, fiction, historical fiction, owl crate, young adult|1 Comment

Book Description: Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The Brontë siblings have always been close. After all, nothing can unite four siblings quite like life in an isolated parsonage on the moors. Their vivid imaginations lend them escape from their strict, spartan upbringing, actually transporting them into their created worlds: the glittering Verdopolis and the romantic and melancholy Gondal. But at what price? As Branwell begins to slip into madness and the sisters feel their real lives slipping away, they must weigh the cost of their powerful imaginations, even as their characters—the brooding Rogue and dashing Duke of Zamorna—refuse to let them go. This is the book I received in my January Owl Crate book box. Yes it is from January, but mind you I have 2 book boxes I get a month and books I find on my own so trying to keep up with all those and school and work and life it gets me behind, unfortunately because I would love to just be able to read and read. Anyway I was never a huge fan of the Bronte works themselves I have read them and they are alright, but [...]

2 09, 2016

The Neverland Wars

The Neverland Wars

Rachel2016-09-02T15:26:05-06:00September 2nd, 2016|Tags: adventure, Fantasy, fiction, peter pan, young adult|1 Comment

Book Description: Magic can do a lot—give you flight, show you mermaids, help you taste the stars, and… solve the budget crisis? That's what the grown-ups will do with it if they ever make it to Neverland to steal its magic and bring their children home. However, Gwen doesn't know this. She's just a sixteen-year-old girl with a place on the debate team and a powerful crush on Jay, the soon-to-be homecoming king. She doesn't know her little sister could actually run away with Peter Pan, or that she might have to chase after her to bring her home safe. Gwen will find out though—and when she does, she'll discover she's in the middle of a looming war between Neverland and reality. She'll be out of place as a teenager in Neverland, but she won't be the only one. Peter Pan's constant treks back to the mainland have slowly aged him into adolescence as well. Soon, Gwen will have to decide whether she's going to join impish, playful Peter in his fight for eternal youth… or if she's going to scramble back to reality in time for the homecoming dance. I [...]

2 09, 2016

Update-Why I Was Away

Update-Why I Was Away

Rachel2016-09-02T15:03:59-06:00September 2nd, 2016|Tags: update|0 Comments

Wow! Well it has been a long time since I was able to publish anything on here. Let's just preface this with, my summer did not go as I had thought. I am working full-time and also working on getting my masters, so I have been taking class for the last 2 years straight including summer. This summer I actually didn't have to take a class and was just going to take one this fall. I was so excited to not have homework. I had plans of getting my house organized and doing a lot of reading and crafting. Well a couple weeks into my summer vacation on my Hubby and I's 5th wedding anniversary we had a pipe break downstairs while we were gone and it flooded the entire downstairs. Which then started the chaos that was my summer. They had to have someone come in and rip out all of our floor. We had carpet and laminate. Then they had to take the tile off the fireplace, they had to take all the kick boards off the cabinets in the kitchens and bathrooms and then they had to bring [...]

23 06, 2016

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2)

Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2)

Rachel2016-06-23T15:25:02-06:00June 23rd, 2016|Tags: all souls, book, Fantasy, fiction, review, trilogy, witches|1 Comment

Book Description: Historian Diana Bishop, descended from a line of powerful witches, and long-lived vampire Matthew Clairmont have broken the laws dividing creatures. When Diana discovered a significant alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, she sparked a struggle in which she became bound to Matthew. Now the fragile coexistence of witches, daemons, vampires and humans is dangerously threatened. Seeking safety, Diana and Matthew travel back in time to London, 1590. But they soon realize that the past may not provide a haven. Reclaiming his former identity as poet and spy for Queen Elizabeth, the vampire falls back in with a group of radicals known as the School of Night. Many are unruly daemons, the creative minds of the age, including playwright Christopher Marlowe and mathematician Thomas Harriot. Together Matthew and Diana scour Tudor London for the elusive manuscript Ashmole 782, and search for the witch who will teach Diana how to control her remarkable powers... I really enjoyed the second book in this series. I really like that this series has some thrills, romance, humor, and fun. I also really like reading a book again where it isn't a love triangle [...]

7 06, 2016

Voyager (Outlander #3)

Voyager (Outlander #3)

Rachel2016-06-07T15:19:31-06:00June 7th, 2016|Tags: book, fiction, outlander, review, voyager|0 Comments

Book Description: Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams. Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her...the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite or forever doom her timeless love. I must admit I went into this book with some hope, in the middle I thought I am not sure I will finish the series, and ended with yes I will continue onto the next book. I feel like with this series it is like [...]

26 05, 2016

The Nemesis Charm (The Firebird Chronicles #2)

The Nemesis Charm (The Firebird Chronicles #2)

Rachel2016-05-26T19:10:04-06:00May 26th, 2016|Tags: ARC, book, Fantasy, fiction, review|0 Comments

Book Description: They say only the dead can cross a Threshold, the dead and those who have faced a Nemesis Charm. When Apprentice Adventurers, Fletcher and Scoop, discover their mother has fallen under the curse of a strange sickness, they prepare to sail for its source, a Threshold, a doorway to the world beyond the Un-Crossable Boundary. But they are not the only ones seeking to cross the Threshold. Their old enemy, Grizelda, has heard that beyond the Boundary lives a woman with the same power as the Storyteller. With the help of a monster made with an undead heart, she plans to cross the Boundary and steal that power for herself. If she succeeds, the Academy, the island and everything in Fletcher and Scoop's world will be hers. I was very excited to get a chance to read this book because it is my first ARC book review! I was given a copy of The Nemesis Charm in exchange for an honest review. I have actually not read the first book however the 2nd book does well as a stand alone novel in the sense that I could figure out [...]