Book Review: The Vincent Brothers by Abbi Glines

Title: The Vincent Brothers
Author: Abbi Glines
Publisher: N/A
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Edition: Kindle
Source: Bought
Synopsis: He may have given her up without a fight, but Sawyer Vincent is far from over losing the girl he’s loved all of his life. Instead of giving up his best friend and the girl he thought he’d spend forever with, he gave Ashton and his brother Beau his blessing. However, adjusting to seeing Ashton wrapped up in Beau’s arms isn't easy. Complicating everything even more, Ashton’s cousin Lana is in town for the summer. Sweet, kind, soft-spoken Lana, who gets under his skin. Just being near her makes him forget all about Ashton and his broken heart. Lana is everything he wanted Ashton to be except she isn't Ashton. She lacks the backbone to stand up for herself and confidence that Ashton wears like a crown. 

Lana McDaniel has lived her life in her cousin's shadow. While Lana struggled with her grades no matter how hard she tried, her mother praised Ashton's intelligence. She hadn’t been blessed with Ashton’s blond hair and flawless skin, but that didn't keep her mother from lamenting her naturally red hair and freckles. But none of that would have mattered if Ashton hadn’t always had Sawyer Vincent wrapped around her finger -- the only boy Lana wanted. Once Ashton let Sawyer go, Lana had been so sure that he’d move on. Determined to make Sawyer finally see her, she'd talked her mother into letting her spend the summer with Ashton. But Sawyer is still in love with Ashton, and Lana isn’t going to be anyone's rebound girl. No matter how yummy Sawyer Vincent’s kisses taste.

Rating: 4/5

Review: I just finished this book this morning and I must say that Abbi Glines has yet to disappoint me with her books. I haven't read a book of hers that I that I haven't liked. I think this was a perfect sequel for The Vincent Boys.

Sawyer and Lana's relationship was so much different than Beau and Ashton's, I think it surprised me a little bit. It was so innocent and just all out sweet. Sometimes in this book, though, Sawyer annoyed me. He was so "Ashton, Ashton, Ashton" in the beginning. It was annoying. Lana was awesome, and it seemed like she was the complete opposite of Ashton which I think Sawyer needed.

My favorite parts in this book were the camping scene and the scene where Beau gets to talk to his real father about how proud his dad was of him. Camping in books is always amazing and in the other scene I was tearing up. It was the perfect scene for them. The ending of this book was amazing too. I think the ending fit the characters.

In the end, this book is freaking great! I recommend this series to everyone, no wait I recommend Abbi Glines to everyone. Her books are amazing and I cannot wait until her next book comes out.

Book Review: The Other Slipper by Kenechi Udogu

Title: The Other Slipper

Author: Kenechi Udogu

Publisher: Self published

Publication date: Sept 27th 2011 (Smashwords edition  - Oct 19th 2011)

Edition: First, Kindle

Pages: Not Applicable (e-book)

Source: From Author

Synopsis: When Jo finds a lone glass slipper on the night of the royal ball, she realises that there is more to the seemingly ordinary object than meets the eye. Searching for its owner, she is led to the palace where the princess sets her on a journey that thrusts her into an unexpected world of magic and illusions. It soon becomes clear that there is a lot more to her mission as she discovers startling secrets about her past and struggles to embrace her destiny. 

Rating: 3/5

Review: This book was okay in my opinion. I don't know why I didn't love it, I guess I don't like many books written like a fairy tale retelling as I originally thought. The book was very, very slow. It picked up a bit on the journey to return the slipper to it's original owner, but it was still very slow.

One thing that I liked about this book was the characters. I loved Ron, he kind of reminded me of Ron from Harry Potter. I don't know maybe it was the name, but his character personality reminded me of J.K. Rowling's Ron. Onto Jo, she was kind of annoying, she was too stubborn. I like to think that there is a line between stubborn awesome and stubborn annoying and Jo crossed it. Locke was kind of boring.. he didn't really add much to the story. This is one of those books that I actually really loved the villain. Verne was a lot less one dimensional than the other characters.

In the end this was a okay read with just a few things that weren't that great. I don't like to write reviews like this, but this book was just a little bit hard to get through, I think that is why it took so long for me to read it.

Book Review: Remembrance, Vengeance by Michelle Madow

Title: Remembrance
Author: Michelle Madow
Publisher: DreamScape Publishing
Publication Date: July 25, 2011
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 315
Source: Bought
Synopsis: Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

Rating: 4/5

Review: I loved this story so much. I was pleasantly surprised by it! This book has probably been on my kindle for like 6 months or something like that. I have a problem with starting books from authors that I haven't read books written by them. I have no idea why, but it happens. I am really happy that I gave this book and this author a chance though.

Before I read this book, I has heard something about it being inspired by Love Story by Taylor Swift. I could tell, It was amazing, I've always been a fan of Taylor Swift. I even set up a Taylor Swift playlist to listen to while I read this! That being said, while I was reading, the song Teardrops On My Guitar came on and I probably looked pretty funny freaking out cause it said Drew... I am kind of ashamed of my self haha.

So onto the actual book. The idea of reincarnation is a personal favorite of mine for books. I love the idea of second chances and in other series (*Cough* The Immortals by Alyson Noel) they get like a million chances. I love that idea and I think that Michelle Madow did a brilliant job with that idea. Hooking it to the story of Pride and Prejudice was a great idea.

The romance in this book, between Lizzie and Drew, was rather intriguing. I could not put this book down, I swear. I was waiting for the romance and Madow did not disappoint. My favorite scenes had to be the lake scenes! At the first one, I was this (---) close to jumping up and down, happy dancing! My family was looking at me like I was crazy, smiling down at my kindle like a freak. haha

In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, young and old. I cannot wait until I start reading Vengeance in a little while! :)

Book Review: The Ghost and the Goth series

Title: The Ghost and the Goth, Queen of the Dead, Body and Soul
Author: Stacey Kade
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: Oct. 14, 2010, June 7, 2011, May 1, 2012
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 281, 272, 316
Source: Bought
Synopsis: 

Book 1: Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star… and newly dead.

I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?

Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.

I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation? - Synopsis of the first book, From Goodreads.

Book 2: After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea. 

Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.

Book 3: 
The Ghost

I’ve been trapped in the body of Lily “Ally” Turner for a month now. Talk about a fashion crisis on an epic scale. What worries me more, though, is sometimes I catch Will looking at me like he thinks I’m Lily...or that he wishes I were. Without the good looks of my former self, I don’t know who I am, or if who that is is good enough. I need out of this mess. Now.

Will and I have been looking for a solution, one that would separate me from Lily without killing her. But it’s not going well. Then, when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, we run into Misty, my former best friend and boyfriend-stealer extraordinaire, who claims she’s being haunted...by me. Seriously?

I’m determined to get to the bottom of who’s pretending to be the spirit of Alona Dare (while I’m pretending to be someone else) and then get the heck out of this body. Or die trying...

The Goth

I’ll admit it. It’s really weird to look at Alona but see Lily. I do know the difference, though, contrary to what Alona might be saying. And Alona is more than a pretty face to me, not that she would believe that.

Our one lead for some help in this messed up situation might be a page torn from the yellow pages-—the “Psychics” section-—I found in my dad’s stuff. One of the “fakes” seems a bit more real-—and odd-—than the others. Before I can investigate further, though, Alona is off and chasing a ghost that’s probably nothing more than a figment of Misty’s guilty imagination. Now Lily’s family is freaking out because she didn’t come home, my mom is ordering me to stay out of it, and something is definitely wrong with the person formerly known as Lily “Ally” Turner...

Rating: 5/5 (for all of them!)

Review: So I basically had a read-a-thon with this series! I had heard so many good reviews about this series and I decided to give it a try. I am super glad that I did! I decided to put all three of these reviews in one post because Body and Soul was the last one.

I loved book 1. I think this one was my absolute favorite. It introduced the characters so well! This is the best book that I've read in a long time, by far.  Book 2 kind of dragged a bit. Well not really dragged it just wasn't as exciting as the others. The thing with Mina, I don't even know.. I did not like her one bit. At all. The last book... OhMyGosh.. It was amazing! Not as good as the first one but definitely really close up there in second place. For most of book 3, I thought there would be no happy ending. I am a sucker for happy endings so at the end I literally got up from my reading spot and hopped up and down happy dancing. My family, if they had seen, probably would have sent me to an institution.

At the end of these books, I was super sad. I did not want this series to end. I recommend this series to everyone. I loved the concept, the characters, the plot. This was just an awesome series, I can guarantee that I will probably read this series over and over again. :)

Book Review: Hym and Hur by Phillip Frey

Title: Hym and Hur
Author: Phillip Frey
Publisher: Phillip Frey
Publication Date: January 14, 2012
Edition: Kindle
Pages: 35
Source: Author
Synopsis: In this fantasy-comedy Hym and Hur are a young couple who never age and have been in love for more than a century.  They also possess an array of magical abilities, two of which are either to play pranks on humankind or to perform good deeds.  Enacting both at the same time is now what gets them into trouble.

    The prank Hym and Hur have come up with must first be agreed upon by Death, who happens to be a rambunctious, difficult character.  Once agreed upon, the prank is set in motion.  But then Hym and Hur soon discover Death had tricked them into a contract with dire consequences for all of us.

    During their attempt to break the contract, Hym and Hur try to save the relationship of an earthbound couple, knowing they are truly meant for each other.  A good deed that will bring Hym and Hur even more trouble.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: To start off this review, let me tell you I actually liked this story. I've never really been a fan of short stories, they end too soon. This one I would have loved to see this story a little bit longer. I think that maybe a better back story for the characters would have been really appreciated.

The characters are one thing in particular that I really want to share about. These characters were very comical and they felt very thought out to me. Hym is a personal favorite, I loved his practical jokes! Even if there were only a few. Death was hilarious! He was amazing in his first scene. I didn't get a very strong impression with Hur, I have no idea why. Sarah and Archie's relationship was very cute.

There were a few scenes that I found very memorable in this story. The first is the bar scene with death, very funny. :) I loved Death, I don't know why but I did. The zombie scene was another memorable one. I love zombies! I really didn't think that there would be any in this story, but it was great and very comical. The last one that I want to announce is the Iraq scene. I teared up a bit to put it simply. It was very sad and I think it put that realistic aspect in there that the book neede.

To conclude this review, I want to say that this story is one I would recommend. I enjoyed it and I'm not really a fan of very short stories. This story is one of those ones to read when you have a break or something to just relax and enjoy.

About The Author: Phillip Frey grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where he performed as a child actor at The Cleveland Playhouse.  The day after he graduated high school he moved to Los Angeles.  While attending Los Angeles City College he performed in many of their plays while also performing in local theater. 

    He then moved to New York where he performed with The New York Shakespeare Festival, followed by The Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center.  With a change of interest Phillip wrote, directed, and edited 3 short films, all of which had international showings, including The New York Film Festival.

    With yet another change of interest he returned to Los Angeles to become a produced screenwriter.  And now more recently, "Dangerous Times" and "Hym and Hur" are Phillip Frey's  first works of narrative fiction.

Author's Website: Phillip Frey

To Buy The Book: Amazon, Apple Itunes, Diesel, Kobo, Barnes And Noble, Smashwords, Sony

Book Review: Black Dawn By Rachel Caine

Title: Black Dawn
Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Edition: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Synopsis: With its eclectic mix of vampire and human citizens, Morganville, Texas, has always been a risky place to call home. But with the invasion of the vampire’s deadliest enemy, Morganville isn’t just in danger—it’s dying…

Ever since the draug—mysterious creatures that prey on vampires—took over Morganville, the lives of student Claire Danvers and her friends have been thrown into turmoil. Most of the town’s residents have evacuated, but Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael have chosen to stay and fight.Using the city’s water system to spread, the draug have rapidly multiplied. Things in Morganville look grim, especially since vampire Amelie—the town founder—has been infected by the master draug’s bite. 

Now, if Claire and her friends don’t figure out how to cure Amelie and defeat the 
draug, it looks like Morganville will become little more than a ghost town…


Rating: 5 out of 5

Review: Ok Let's start with this: Rachel Caine continues to be one of my favorite authors! Her books continue to surprise me and make me love them every time I read one. This book was amazing. I probably could have finished this in one sitting, but sleep got in the way. This was one of those books that you don't want to ever put down, but life gets in the way of it.

My favorite part in this book was probably the dream sequence that Shane has. It was perfect. I liked how it was a dream while also being a manifestation of his worst fear. Something about the over all book that was amazing was that we could see what everyone was feeling and thinking, I think that make's Caine's books even better, seeing things from one person's point of view like the earlier books wasn't as fulfilling as the books that have multiple point of views. Call me crazy, but one of my favorite viewpoints in this book was Oliver's. I liked that we got to see things from his point of view because he's shown as this old and cold vampire that has no feelings whatsoever in earlier books, then BAM! you get to see inside his head. It was very fascinating to here what was going on in his head.

Oliver/Amelie:  I loved was the Oliver/Amelie relationship. Their relationship seems like a long time coming thing. I mean they were enemies first, that is a classic cliche that I still manage to love! I can't wait to see their relationship play out.

Shane/Claire: In this book, their relationship in my opinion hit an all time high. The intimacy between them was almost tangible. I think that Shane's dream really accelerated their relationship for the better.

Micheal/Eve: Even though they were in a fight through most of the book, they still managed to fix up most everything. I didn't like how Michael got hurt but, I loved when Eve stabbed him when he tried to scare her though, because you can't beat Girl Power. I was routing for her! I swear during the whole epilogue, I was smiling like, "They finally did it!".

The down side to this book was that the first couple chapters with the draug were kind of drawn out. It seemed like she could have shorten those and added more of other things. I also would have enjoyed more interactions between the Glass house residents, it seemed like there wasn't as much in this book as there was in the earlier ones. Even though it had it's downsides, it still was a great book and I will probably read it over and over.

In conclusion, this was a amazing read and I recommend this and the whole series to everyone! :)

I cannot wait for the next one! As soon as I finished this book, I stopped by Amazon and added it to my cart! :)

Book Review: One Of Them By A.D. Duling

Title: One Of Them
Author: A.D Duling
Publisher: Unlisted
Publication Date: Sept. 21, 2011
Edition: Kindle Edition
Pages: 106
Synopsis: Vampires & Werewolves....we know about them, read about them....but do they really exist? 
Evie Patterson has found out they really do. Now caught between a sticky situation of Vampire vs. Werewolf, Evie must decide which side she will join before she will become one of them... - From GoodReads

Rating: 3 out of 5

Review: When I started reading this book and through most of the beginning half of it, it seemed like a Twilight knock off. I don't like Twilight, but I decided to stick with it and finish.

I liked this book but it wasn't the best book I've read lately. I really liked the twist in the middle, with the transformation.

There isn't much that I want to right about this book, it was great, but not one of my favorites so the recommendation isn't as enthusiastic. It is a good book, but it isn't a must read. It's more like "If the book is free, buy it to pass time for novels you are waiting for".

I still can't wait for the sequel, The Other Vampire, though so you can tell that I liked it.

Book Review: Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate

Title: Fallen In Love
Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: Jan. 24, 2012
Edition: Hardcover First Edition
Pages: 201
Synopsis: Unexpected. Unrequited. Forbidden. Eternal. Everyone has their own love story. 


And in a twist of fate, four extraordinary love stories combine over the course of a romantic Valentine's Day in Medieval England. Miles and Shelby find love where they
least expect it. Roland learns a painful lesson about finding-and losing love. Arianne pays the price for a love so fierce it burns. And for the first -and last- time, Daniel and Luce
will spend a night together like none other.

Lauren Kate's FALLEN IN LOVE is filled with love stories . . . the ones everyone has been waiting for.

True love never says goodbye. . . - From GoodReads


Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Review: First off, I love this series and I had really high hopes for this book... They weren't met.

In the beginning, I thought that this book was number 4, as in a continuation of the series, I was very disappointed that it wasn't. Then I read it, and was even more disappointed in it.

Shelby and Miles: I actually like this part of the book. Surprisingly. Their romance was new and refreshing, because it wasn't centered around Luce this and Luce that. This was my favorite part of the book. :)

Luce and Daniel: Mushy, Lovey Dovey Horribleness. That is all.

Roland: I liked reading about his story. It was heartbreaking and tragic but it was realistic to me. He knew deep down that Rosaline was going to move on, he had to see it for himself.

Arriane: To me this story was kind of far fetched. And it's not because of the genders. It was the plotline. It didn't make sense to me, I'm sorry.

I hate Mr. Love Triangle! This series is a Mr. Love Square. No. Luce kind of reminds of Elena from the Vampire Diaries and Bella from Twilight, I absolutely abhor books that have female heroines like that. They think that they are so horrible yet they have all these guys running after them that they don't appreciate at all.

And another thing.. When is Cam going to get some love?? Seriously?

Book Review: The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb

Title: The Fetch
Author: Laura Whitcomb
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: Oct. 25, 2010
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 384
Synopsis: Calder is a Fetch, a death escort, the first of his kind to step from Heaven back to Earth.The first to fall in love with a mortal girl. But when he climbs backwards out of that Death Scene, into the chaos of the Russian Revolution, he tears a wound in the ghost realm, where the spirits begin a revolution of their own. - From GoodReads

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review: To start this off, I absolutely loved this book from the moment I started it! I really liked the whole historical part of the book the most. The Russian Revolution is, in my opinion, a great historical event to write a paranormal genre book about.

The whole aspect of the death fetch was amazing. It seemed really original, I've never read anything that is even remotely close to that. It kind of reminded me of a reaper but different, it was a really great way to show how souls could enter a world after ours.

The romance with Anastasia and Calder was refreshing during the whole book too. It wasn't sappy, lovey dovey like most of the supernatural books out right now and that was a nice change.

Overall this book, in my opinion, is a must read! I normally don't read historical fiction, but the author did a wonderful job bringing paranormal aspects into it.