Author: Jolie

I love to read. My favorite genres are women's fiction, romance, psychological thrillers, fantasy, young adult, steampunk, dystopian, LGBTQIA, and paranormal.

Sentinel’s Kiss (Sentinels of Babylon: Book 2) by Jamie K. Schmidt

Sentinel's Kiss (Sentinels of Babylon) by [Schmidt, Jamie K.]

Title: Sentinel’s Kiss

Author: Jamie K. Schmidt

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: March 7th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 216

POV: 3rd person

Series: Sentinels of Babylon

Necessary Evil – Book 1 (review here)

Sentinel’s Kiss – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (via Goodreads):

A fiercely protective bad boy. An innocent reporter in serious trouble. They shouldn’t work, but after he throws her onto his bike, there’s no going back.

If Josh Lehman learned one thing as a Green Beret, it’s patience. Josh founded the Sentinels of Babylon because he was sick and tired of watching scumbags cheat the system—scumbags like the man who murdered his sister. Of course, if Josh’s sniper rifle was linked to the death of his ex-brother-in-law, that might be a problem. The bigger problem is the nosy reporter who’s this close to exposing the club. Josh has to find a way to keep her hot mouth from talking . . . but he’ll be damned if he lets someone take her from him. Not on his watch.

Ashley Carver thought she’d do anything for a scoop. That was before her latest story leads to multiple attempts on her life. Ashley’s been investigating a homicide that has gone unsolved for five years when she uncovers evidence tying the vigilantes of the Sentinels of Babylon to a revenge killing. Now she’s in their crosshairs. But after Josh defies all notions of club loyalty to come to Ashley’s aid, soon they’re burning up the sheets—and taking on the world.

My review:

Sentinel’s Kiss is a wild book with action that takes place not only in between the sheets but out of them. This book continues the Sentinels of Babylon series which follows 4 friends who form a motorcycle club and who are vigilantes. They are the people who defend the innocent and make sure that justice is paid when the legal system fails the victims. Evil was a detective, Sentinel was a Green Beret, Warden was a correctional officer and Ryder was a CIA operative. On the top of their list….making sure that Sentinel’s sister’s killer, her husband, was killed.

Where do I start with Ashley? I was in awe of her sexual prowess and that she had next to no inhibitions. I mean, sex on the side of the road, in an elevator AND in a parking garage…..I was in awe of her. But, as I got into reading the story, the more I began to like her and the more I felt bad for her. She overcame so much to get where she was. I also felt that she was perfect for Josh. She was the ying to his yang. What I really liked about her was that she was a very determined reporter and she would go the distance for her story.

I loved Josh!!! He came across as such a bad boy but he was a softy at heart. I mean, he volunteered at the hospital and cuddled babies in the NICU as a tribute to his sister. And he did it shirtless (skin to skin), which made my ovaries melt. ((Swoon)). He was a ladies man too. Sentinel loved the ladies and they loved him back. But, once he got reinvolved with Ashley, there were no other ladies. I also liked that he was committed to bringing Stan to justice.

The sex between Josh and Ashley was over the top. The two of them were like bunnies, doing it everywhere and anywhere. The pages sizzled with their sex scenes. S-I-Z-Z-L-E-D. I had to fan myself a few times, that was how hot it got!!

The storyline with Stan (Josh’s sister’s husband) was wrapped up in what I thought a pretty satisfactory way. The only thing I didn’t like was that Ashley had to get hurt in order for it to go down. The other storylines were ended right around the same time Josh went to Massachusetts and there was only the Stan storyline.

I loved the end of the book. Talk about the ultimate HEA!!!

How many stars will I give Sentinel’s Kiss: 4

Why: This would make a great beach book and, to be honest, was a lot better than Necessary Evil. The plotline was more streamlined, the characters a lot more likable and the sex was through the roof hot. The vigilante theme wasn’t as in your face as it was in Necessary Evil but it was there.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, Language, and violence

I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Ill Will by Dan Chaon

Ill Will

Title: Ill Will

Author: Dan Chaon

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine

Date of publication: March 7th, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, General Fiction

Number of pages: 481

POV: Alternating 1st person and 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (via Goodreads):

Two sensational unsolved crimes—one in the past, another in the present—are linked by one man’s memory and self-deception in this chilling novel of literary suspense from National Book Award finalist Dan Chaon.

“We are always telling a story to ourselves, about ourselves,” Dustin Tillman likes to say. It’s one of the little mantras he shares with his patients, and it’s meant to be reassuring. But what if that story is a lie?

A psychologist in suburban Cleveland, Dustin is drifting through his forties when he hears the news: His adopted brother, Rusty, is being released from prison. Thirty years ago, Rusty received a life sentence for the massacre of Dustin’s parents, aunt, and uncle. The trial came to symbolize the 1980s hysteria over Satanic cults; despite the lack of physical evidence, the jury believed the outlandish accusations Dustin and his cousin made against Rusty. Now, after DNA analysis has overturned the conviction, Dustin braces for a reckoning.

Meanwhile, one of Dustin’s patients gets him deeply engaged in a string of drowning deaths involving drunk college boys. At first, Dustin dismisses talk of a serial killer as paranoid thinking, but as he gets wrapped up in their amateur investigation, Dustin starts to believe that there’s more to the deaths than coincidence. Soon he becomes obsessed, crossing all professional boundaries—and putting his own family in harm’s way.

From one of today’s most renowned practitioners of literary suspense, Ill Will is an intimate thriller about the failures of memory and the perils of self-deception. In Dan Chaon’s nimble, chilling prose, the past looms over the present, turning each into a haunted place.

My review:

Ill Will is not an easy story to read. Hopping between the early ’80s and between 2012-2014, the story follows Dustin Tillman as he slowly gets involved in a serial killer investigation and learns that Rusty, his adopted brother is getting out of prison after his prison sentence was overturned because a DNA analysis proved that he didn’t do it. Rusty was convicted of killing Dustin’s parents and his aunt and uncle. The story also follows Dustin’s son, Aaron, a strung-out junkie trying to cope with the loss of his mother and trying to figure out who killed his best friend, Rabbit.

*****************************

If you have triggers, I don’t recommend you read this review. There will be talk about child molestation and drug use.

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Like I said in the above paragraph, this is not an easy book to read. It deals with a wide spectrum of issues…..from child sexual abuse to mental illness to drug abuse, it’s there and it is not glossed over and made pretty. Which was one thing I liked about this book, it wasn’t pretty. It dealt with all these issues in a real-world sense. No one was mysteriously cured of their mental illness or drug use.

The Satanism cult angle was fascinating to read. I am old enough to remember the insanity over Satanic cults and the aftermath when it turned out that almost all of those memories were false. I really can’t comment anymore on that part of the book but I will say this. Read with a very open mind because not everything is what it seems.

I didn’t know what to feel for Rusty. I felt awful for him because of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother and her “boyfriends”. No child should go through that and the author did keep true to the abused child abusing other children. But, however, Rusty was a really screwed up dude as an adult. When the author wrote from his perspective, I got the chills and did wonder to myself “How long until he kills someone”. Even the fact that he had a mental kill list was scary.

Dustin was someone who truly scared me. He started off as a scatterbrained therapist and just morphed into someone else. I believe that his wife’s death along with Rusty being released from jail pushed him over the edge. To be honest, he had been on a slow slide into insanity since he was 11 and I think those two things pushed him over the edge. His obsession with the serial killer case that Aqil was working on him with even furthered the slide. It was sad to see it.

Aqil. Let’s talk about him and how he totally fooled me. Yeah, not happy about that and I think I groaned when it was revealed who and what he was. I was like “Why didn’t I see that coming!!!” Totally frustrating for me but very good on the author’s part.

Aaron was pretty dead on for a heroin junkie. Everything about him rang true. I did find it very sad that he slid into addiction after his mother died. I truly believe that it was a way to cope because his father was starting to flake out and his older brother was in college in a different state. But, even with his addiction, he still cared enough about what happened to his friend to go looking for the last person to see him alive. And oh boy, was he in for a surprise when he realized who it was.

There are a couple of twists in the story and I didn’t see two of them coming. The one with Aqil (which I already mentioned) and the one with what really happened that night and how Rusty went on trial. I will say this, I was disgusted and very surprised.

The ending was sad. NO HEA’s. Definitely no HEA’s. I do have a couple of questions about Aaron that I wish was answered. But with the way that the book was written, I don’t think that will happen….unless a book 2 happens.

How many stars will I give Ill Will: 3

Why: This was a really hard book for me to rate. I liked the storylines, they were pretty easy to follow. But my main complaint is with how the book was written. It would go from normal chapters to almost a split screen format with what looked like Dustin or Aaron’s running thoughts in them. There were a few chapters like it and it made it very confusing to read because I couldn’t follow the trains of thought. Maybe it would be better to read it in paperback instead of on my Kindle.

Will I reread: Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age Range: Adult

Why: Sexual themes, language, violence. Pretty descriptive scenes of child molestation, of murder sites and of murdered bodies. Also very detailed scenes of drug use.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Book Review: The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch: Book 1) by Rin Chupeco

The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch, #1)

Title: The Bone Witch

Author: Rin Chupeco

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Date of publication: March 7th, 2017

Number of pages: 400

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult

Part of a series: The Bone Witch

The Bone Witch – Book 1

Standalone: Yes

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha — one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice.

Memoirs of a Geisha meets The Name of the Wind in this brilliant new fantasy series by Rin Chupeco!

My review:

I had a very hard time keeping my attention on this book. The beginning had no problem keeping my attention. I mean, not a lot of books deal with necromancy in an almost positive way. The only books that I can even begin to think that even comes close to that are the Anita Blake series (before the series took a walk down the smutty side). It was the middle to almost the end of the book that I couldn’t focus on.

Not that I didn’t like the book, I thought it was great. I just got really bored reading about Tea’s training (her dance lessons, her music lessons, her history/current events lessons, her dealings with the other asha’s). That took up a huge part of the book and to be very honest, I almost DNF’d the book. Stress almost.

Then things started to get interesting. Tea learned how to “blood” her familiar (her brother, Fox, who she raised from the dead at his funeral), battled a centuries-old demonic creature (did she or didn’t she defeat it???), got promoted to Asha (a witch that can control elemental powers) and oust a rebel from her House.

I also loved that there was a strong Asian theme running through the books. The asha’s are kinda sorta like geisha. The demons resemble demons from Asian Lore. The clothing (the hua) that the asha’s wear is also very reminiscent of the kimono’s that the geisha’s wore/wear.

There are two very distinct storylines running through the book. One with Tea at the age of 17, exiled and plotting revenge. The reasons she was exiled is unknown and it is left open to be continued in the next book. The other storyline, which I outlined above, is being told to the Bard as an explanation and warning as to why she is doing what she is doing (I know, really confusing but it works in the book). Both storylines are easily distinguished from the other. So no confusion there.

The ending of the book was kinda left up in the air….which makes sense if there is to be a second book. I am curious as to how the second book is going to be and will definitely be reading it once it is published.

How many stars will I give The Bone Witch? 3

Why: Great book that I felt went on for a little too long. Like I said above, I almost DNF’d it because I lost interest about halfway through and had to force myself to read it. But once I got over the boring part, the book turned really good.

Will I reread: Maybe. Can’t really say yes or no right now.

Will I recommend to family and friends? Again, maybe.

Age range: Teen

Why: Very clean. No sex, some violence (not a ton and not very descriptive). But the descriptions of some of the demons and of raising the dead might frighten younger readers.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance copy**

Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse

Seven Days of You by [Vinesse, Cecilia]

Title: Seven Days of You

Author: Cecilia Vinesse

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Date of publication: March 7th, 2017

Genre: Young Adult

Number of pages: 337

POV: 1st person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (via Goodreads):

Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say goodbye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.

Jamie and Sophia have a history of heartbreak, and the last thing Sophia wants is for him to steal her leaving thunder with his stupid arriving thunder. Yet as the week counts down, the relationships she thought were stable begin to explode around her. And Jamie is the one who helps her pick up the pieces. Sophia is forced to admit she may have misjudged Jamie, but can their seven short days of Tokyo adventures end in anything but goodbye?

My review:

Seven Days of You is a story about a teenager who is leaving behind friends and a city she loves to go back to the United States. This book centers around Sophia and her relationships with her sister, her best friends and the boy who broke her heart 4 years earlier. Everything in the book takes place 7 days before she is supposed to fly back to New Jersey.

I am going to come right out and say it, I couldn’t stand Sophia. While she was 17, she acted more like a child and it really grated on my nerves after the first couple of chapters. I mean, take it when she found out that Jamie was coming back…..her jealousy of his and Mika’s friendship almost consumed her. She was so focused on him becoming Mika’s best friend that it ruined those chapters of the book. To be honest, I skimmed those chapters because she annoyed me so much. The rest of the book really wasn’t any better with her. She refused to listen to reason (ie Allison) when it came to her moving to Paris.

Jamie was another one who annoyed me. He took Sophia’s crap when he came home and didn’t say a word in his defense (even to David who let it “slip” that Jamie was adopted). He just let it roll off of him. At one point, I wanted to say “Dude, what happened 4 years ago is in the past. Man up and stop letting them push you around.” The only reaction that I saw him have, in the entire book, was when Sophia kissed David on her last night in Tokyo.

David, I couldn’t stand. He just oozed player from the first page and, to be honest, I wasn’t surprised when something major was revealed later in the book. And I hated his nicknames. Sofa? Really? When I heard that, I imagined a girl who just let people sit all over her. He was condescending and to be blunt, a jerk.

Mika was actually my favorite person in the book. She came across as true (as weird as that sounds) and she fought for Sophia’s friendship when that stuff with David went down. I wouldn’t say that I loved her but I enjoyed it when she appeared in the book.

My other favorite person was Allison, Sophia’s sister. She had her own issues, her girlfriend dumped her and she was hurting, but she looked out for Sophia the best way that she could. I mean, she even took her to that tower and out to lunch to try to find out what was wrong with Sophia. She cared and she didn’t want Sophia to get hurt by their father…who makes promises and then breaks them.

I did think the story was cute and loved that it was set in Tokyo. I think the author did a great job of capturing Tokyo through teenage eyes.

The end of the story was pretty standard with a hint of a HEA.

How many stars will I give Seven Days of You: 3

Why: While I liked the story and the location, the characters ruined the story for me. Sophia and David acted like toddlers, Jamie wouldn’t stick up for himself and Allison was an emotional mess and was absent for 90% of the story. The only person who I connected with was Mika and even she was a jerk at points in the book.

Will I reread: Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Language. Also sexual situations and underage drinking

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Crossing in Time (Between Two Evils: Book 1) by D.L. Orton

Crossing in Time (Between Two Evils, #1)

Title: Crossing in Time

Author: D.L. Orton

Publisher: Rocky Mountain Press

Date of publication: May 1st, 2016

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Dystopia, Science Fiction

Number of pages: 558

POV: Alternating 1st person

Series: Between Two Evils

Crossing in Time – Book 1

Lost in Time – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (via Goodreads):

Race against the clock through a dystopian nightmare. Climb naked into an untested time machine (carrying only a seashell and a promise). Wake up twenty years younger on a tropical beach, buck naked and mortally wounded, with your heart in your throat. 

This is a journey of love, loss, and redemption that will make your pulse gallop and your palms sweat, have you laughing out loud through your tears, and leave you flush with the sublime pleasure of falling in love.

My review:

Crossing in Time is a fast-paced dystopian/science fiction book that shows that love can cross time. The book alternates between Diego and Isabelle points of view and tells a love story that transcends time. It also tells the story of Harry, an unsuspecting college professor who is working on deciphering the mystery of a large metal ball that took out a hotel and its connection to an upcoming apocalyptic event. Fast-paced, Crossing in Time will keep you on the edge of your seat and wondering what is coming next while watching Diego and Isabelle’s love story unfold.

Isabelle was one of my favorite people in the book. She was so spunky and didn’t take anyone’s crap. From the beginning of the book, where she was buying the gun from the guy outside the burnt out Wal-Mart to dealing with her ex-husband (who I couldn’t stand) to her relationship with Diego…..she was strong. It was a hit with me because I love strong female characters. Even in situations which could be perceived weak, she was strong. A lot stronger than I could have been.

Diego, I liked too. You could see that he adored Isabelle. Everything he did in the book was for her……even in the later parts of the book. Even when he was separated from her, his thought was with her. Again, a big hit with me because this is a romance that will survive anything.

The romance between Diego and Isabelle took my breath away. The way it was written, the way it came across was beautiful!!!

The science fiction aspect of this book was interesting.  The clues left in the globe really didn’t make sense to me at first. But the more I read and the more that was revealed, they made perfect sense. This is also where Harry’s part of the story came into play. He was working on deciphering the clues when they are deciphered, it is found out to be the plans for a time machine. What I liked about this was that the author didn’t make it work right the first, second or third time. Heck, they weren’t even sure if it was going to work when they sent Isabelle through and didn’t know it worked until they figured out that the shell could be tracked. I loved it!!!

The end of the book was bittersweet. I was happy because of certain events that happened but also sad because of the unknown (if you want to know what I am talking about, read the book). The way the book ended definitely lead into book 2 and I can’t wait to read that one and see where Harry, Diego and Isabelle stories end up.

How many stars will I give Crossing in Time: 4

Why: I really enjoyed reading the book. The characters were memorable and the plot line was great. It did lag a bit in the middle but definitely recovered from it. The science fiction part of the story was original and well written too.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Pixie and The Green Book Mystery by Coraline Grace, Illustrations by Encarna Dorado

Pixie and the Green Book Mystery - Grayscale Illustrations

Title: Pixie and The Green Book Mystery

Author:  Coraline Grace

Illustrator: Encarna Dorado

Publisher: Wonder Bay Publishing

Date of publication: November 19th, 2016

Genre: Children’s book, Fantasy

Number of pages: 97

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (via Goodreads):

Pixie’s school day is an apple disaster, but a trip to the library changes everything. Fairy tales have come to life out of their books and danger is lurking. It’s up to our book-loving hero to get them out of the mysterious green book and back into their stories. But time is running out, Tick! Tock!

My review:

Pixie and The Green Book is a very cute children’s book that follows Pixie as she has an awful day in school and out. The only bright spot in the day was when her mother took her to the library. Pixie loves the library and was thrilled to go. But once she was there, she finds the usual librarian wasn’t there and her replacement was a mean older man who hushed her all the time. While Pixie is looking at the children’s section, she sees a glowing green book and what happens after she opens the book becomes an adventure to return fairytale characters to their books and to defeat the Book Guardian, who is trying to trap the fairy tales. Just what a girl who had a bad day needed!!!

This book was very easy to read with a simple plot line that was very easy to follow. Pixie definitely was very likable and I could see a child relating to her when reading the book. The Book Guardian was a bit scary (I read this out loud to my 3 and 9-year-old) but it wasn’t anything that would give kids nightmares. My 9-year-old actually said that he reminded him of his father…..lol (which made me crack up laughing).

The storyline with the fairy tales getting taken out of their books by the evil Book Guardian was very cute also. I liked the twist that the author put in as to where the fairy tales were going and I liked the paperback is better than electronic devices undercurrent.

The end of the book was a bit of a cliffhanger and I was left wondering about the pencils (read the book!!). Also, and this was my favorite part of the book was the glossary at the end of the books with words that kids who are reading it might not know. The author included very simple definitions and I thought it was great!!! Also, there were some questions if the book was being read in class (or if you were reading it to your child) that made the kids think about what they just read. As a mother with a child who has reading comprehension issues, this impressed me and I wish that all children’s books in this age/grade range would do that.

How many stars will I give Pixie and the Green book: 4

Why: This is a great read for anyone between the ages of 8-10 (or in grades 2-4). With a simple plotline, cute characters and a villain who was the right amount of scary, I can see children absolutely loving it. For the adults (and the children), a glossary of words that could be confusing and a question/answer section round the book out. Also, at 97 pages, this will keep a child’s attention.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Child

Why: Clean book with a very slightly scary villain.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Elysian Field by L.M. Fry

Elysian Field

Title: Elysian Field

Author: L.M. Fry

Publisher: ELEAH Enterprises

Date of Publication: March 1st, 2017

Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Number of pages: 327

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (via Goodreads):

Elysia Feldon lives an idyllic teenage existence. Her biggest concern is whether her best friend, Rhys, is in love with her childhood nemesis. That is until an invading tyrant takes everything she holds dear. Her father and Rhys go off to war, her village is attacked by raiders, and her home is burned to the ground. Alone and afraid, she struggles to survive until she meets other refugees. Together, they create a hidden sanctuary in the mountains and make a stand against the invaders. Tales of their escapades spreads, and the legend of the Shadow is born.

My review:

Elysian Field is a dystopian YA fantasy that takes place just outside of Washington D.C. The book follows a 16-year-old girl as she goes from a carefree innocent girl to a hardened woman who is determined to avenge her village after raiders decimated it.

I thought Elysia was kinda a brat at the beginning of the book. All she cared about was hanging out with her best friend, Rhys, avoiding her childhood bully, Nicolette, and trying to learn the healing ways from her mother. She found love with Rhys but that was very short-lived. Everything changed when all the men between the ages of 16 to 60 are drafted to fight in a war against raiders from the north. Then Elysia was the person who took care of her mother and 2 younger brothers. When the Mayor of her village came home and tried to warn them about the raiders, he was ignored. Which made me go, really. The guy comes home, tries to warn everyone and he is ignored/written off as mad.

I felt awful for Elysia when the raiders came. The village was razed to the ground, people burned alive in their houses and the dead burned in the middle of the town. I wanted to cry when she found one of her brother’s charred body in her house and then realized that she lost everyone. Her father, her mother, her boyfriend/best friend, her brothers in a single night. She was the only person from her village who escaped the raiders. She was also injured and saved by twins, Malia and Sofia, who had been held captive by Rogar, the leader of the raiders. It was stumbling upon a group of raiders who have had captives that they came up with a plan to rescue the captives by poisoning the raiders.

When Nicolette and Darius showed back up, I was waiting for the fur to start flying and for the other shoe to drop with her. Talk about a girl who was insecure…Nicolette was. She seriously annoyed the ever-living out of me when she was in the book. Now, it was mentioned that Rogar sent someone to spy on Elysia and it didn’t take me long to figure out who it was (want to find out who…read the book).

I was surprised when Elysia was kidnapped and given to Rogar. I shouldn’t say I was surprised that she was kidnapped, it was who did it and how it was done that surprised me. Who she met while she was in his palace (aka the White House) and what she sees sets the tone for the rest of the book.

I liked the romance between Rhys and Elysia. It was sweet and if things hadn’t happened the way that they did, then I do believe that it would have gone places. But the romance with Darius was the one that I think Elysia needed.

Now there is a huge twist in the story that took me by surprise and I kinda went “No way” when the book ended. I am interested to see where this twist is going to go in the next book.

The end of the story was pretty interesting and again, like I said in the sentence above, I am pretty interested in seeing where this is going to go in the next book.

How many stars will I give Elysian Field: 4

Why: I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked that you could see Elysia’s transformation from a teenager to a woman. I also liked that the author created a semi-love triangle. There are some aspects of the story that I am really interested in seeing where they go and who the new enemies will be. I inhaled this book, reading it in 1 day. Can’t wait to read book 2!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Don’t Tell a Soul by M. William Phelps

Don't Tell a Soul

Title: Don’t Tell a Soul

Author: M. William Phelps

Publisher: Kensington Books

Date of Publication: February 28th, 2017

Genre: True Crime, Adult Nonfiction

Number of pages: 496

POV: 2nd person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (via Goodreads):

Cherry Walker was a devoted, trusting, an uncommonly innocent young woman who loved caring for a neighbor’s little boy. But when she was asked to testify in court against his abusive mother, Cherry never got the chance. She couldn’t lie if her life depended on it–and it did. Cherry’s body was found on the side of a Texas road, after being doused with lighter fluid and set aflame.
Attractive, manipulative, and violent, mother of four Kim Cargill had a wealth of dirty secrets she’d do anything to keep hidden. This in-depth account by bestselling investigative journalist M. William Phelps takes you inside Cargill’s shocking trial–and into the mind of one of the most conniving female psychopaths in recent history–and on death row.

My review:

I used to read a lot of true crime when I was in my teens/early 20’s. I had books on Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, the Son of Sam and other lesser known killers. It was somewhat of an obsession of mine to read these types of books. I was obsessed with the psychological aspect. I wanted to know what made these killers do what they did and what was that breaking point where they resorted to killing. I stopped reading true crime when an ex-boyfriend of mine made a flip comment about my collection one day….which resulted in my donating all of my books (awful, I know :() But, my fascination continued. I watch ID and Snapped all the time. BK has made the comment that I probably know more than the police when it comes to this stuff.

So, when Kensington approached me to review Don’t Tell a Soul, I jumped at the chance….even though it was not the usual genre that I review.

This book gave me chills because KC was such an evil person. I mean, you would have to be to kill someone and then light them on fire, trying to hide their identity. Even before that, she was just a bad person. She abused and terrorized her children, abused and terrorized her husband and basically anyone that came within her radar and didn’t give her what she wanted. She manipulated people into doing things (like her friend who tampered with evidence). She had no sense of remorse for anything she did….including Cherry’s murder.

Like I said above, the psychological aspect of this book was fascinating for me to read. Could KC have turned out to be a better person if she got the psychological help that she needed? I don’t know. There are arguments about people like her. Some people say they are born that way (genetic) and others say that environment creates these monsters. My opinion is that it is a combination of both.

I am going to end this post saying that Cherry’s murder was a senseless one and that I hope her parents get some sort of closure when KC is put to death. While these types of reviews are supposed to be impartial, I connected with Cherry through what the author wrote about her. She was one of those rare innocent people whose light got extinguished well before her time.

How many stars will I give Don’t Tell a Soul: 4

Why: I couldn’t put this book down, even though KC scared me. This isn’t a book for those who have weak stomachs though. There are some pretty graphic descriptions of Cherry’s body and child/spousal abuse.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Late teen

Why: Violence and some pretty graphic scenes/pictures of dead bodies and child/spousal abuse (no pictures of that!!)

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Wait For It (Everything I Left Unsaid: Book 4) by M. O’Keefe

Title: Wait For It

Author: M. O’Keefe

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: February 28th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 272

POV: Alternating 1st person

Series: Everything I Left Unsaid

Everything I Left Unsaid – Book 1

The Truth About Him – Book 2

Burn Down The Night – Book 3 (review here)

Wait For It – Book 4

Can be read out-of-order from series: Yes

Where this book can be found: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

In a blistering novel of raw emotion and desire, a tormented woman teaches an alpha male that money can’t fix everything . . . but love can.

Tiffany : After fighting for a new life, I don’t want to play the victim anymore. However, with three kids to raise, I’m getting desperate enough to make a deal with the devil. My estranged brother-in-law, Blake, says he just wants to help, but he’s been trouble since I met him. I don’t know if I can believe this kinder, gentler Blake, and there’s a friction between us that has turned into the sweetest chemistry. He could be my salvation . . . or my downfall.

Blake : I haven’t always had Tiffany’s best interests at heart but I’m ready to make up for my sins. Besides, I can’t help admiring her: The girl’s a genuine survivor, tough and lean, with eyes of steel. But the more I get to know Tiffany, the more I want her. Every inch of her. Which means I’m about to make a bad situation a hell of a lot worse.

My review:

Oh. My. Good. Gravy.

I don’t even know where I should begin with this review because this book was that good.

Blake was a jerk. A huge jerk that I wanted to kick between the legs when he was introduced in the first chapter. He had to have some big ones to try to pay off his brother’s wife to disappear with her 3 kids. Huge gigantic ones. But when more of his backstory is revealed and I got to know him, I kinda felt bad for him. It must have sucked to live the way he did….thinking that money could solve everything.

I really liked Tiffany and felt a huge connection with her. She was the only one in the book, well besides Blake’s mother, who stood up to Blake. I absolutely loved it when she talked him up to $20G when he tried to pay her to disappear. She was a mother who was trying her best to let her children have normal lives, even though their father was an abusive jerk who terrorized them.

I wanted to cry when she said that she felt broken during the masturbation scene. It just showed how fragile she was and how low self-esteem she had. I mean, she was married to a man who enjoyed belittling her. That takes a toll on your self-esteem. I don’t care who you are, it does.

Tiffany’s parents were awful. Who turns their back on their daughter when they see that she is in an abusive relationship? At least Bea was there for her but still. A pretty crappy thing to do to your daughter.

The chemistry between Tiffany and Blake was out of this world and that first sex scene, it was out of the world. I got kinda mad when Blake offered Tiffany $500 for one night. How degrading. But what surprised me was that she took it up. WTH????

The end of the book was pretty good and I am glad to see that Phil got what he deserved.

How many stars will I give Wait For It: 4

Why: This was a fast paced romance with enough hot sex to ignite the pages. The underlying theme, domestic violence, was discussed in a way that is realistic. I got really attached to Blake and Tiffany and I can’t wait to see if there will be a book 5 in this series.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, violence, and language.

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Catch and Release (Fishing for Trouble: Book 3) by Laura Drewry

Catch and Release (Fishing for Trouble, #3)

Title: Catch and Release

Author: Laura Drewry

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: February 28th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 202

POV: 3rd person

Series: Fishing for Trouble

Off the Hook – Book 1

Lured In – Book 2 (review here)

Catch and Release – Book 3

Can be read out-of-order from series: No

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Goodreads synopsis:

The irresistible O’Donnell brothers return in a charming novel from the bestselling author of Off the Hook (“The perfect balance of sweet, sexy, and wonderfully romantic.”—Lauren Layne).

Hope Seaver is an up-and-coming TV producer tackling the hardest gig of her career: a reality show set at the Buoys, a scenic fishing destination owned by three handsome, stubborn brothers. Liam and Finn O’Donnell are willing to tolerate her crew for the sake of the business, but Ronan would rather chew off a limb than open up on camera. Somehow Hope has to convince him of her good intentions—and stop herself from swooning every time Ronan walks into the frame.

Ronan knows that he’s the reason his brothers gave up their old lives to run the Buoys, and he needs to make it worth their while. So if this out-of-towner with the kind eyes and dazzling smile wants to give them the free publicity they desperately need, Ronan can’t say no. He just won’t let himself get burned again by a double-dealing woman. But what if Hope’s good-girl routine isn’t an act? When Ronan lets his guard down long enough to catch a glimpse of the real Hope, he likes what he sees—enough to give love another shot.

Look for all of Laura Drewry’s heartwarming Fishing for Trouble romances:
OFF THE HOOK | LURED IN | CATCH AND RELEASE

My review:

After the heavy thinking book that I just finished and reviewed the other day, I needed something that was semi-light and didn’t need me to think a ton of the plot and the characters. Catch and Release are such a book.

I actually really liked Catch and Release. After reading Finn and Jessie’s story in Lured In (and really wishing that I had read Liam and Kate’s story), I was very interested in seeing what type of woman who Ronan would go for. And I wasn’t surprised.

I absolutely loved Hope. She was always ready (but the story about why she was always ready was heartbreaking) and had these odd facts that she spewed when she was nervous. And Ronan made her nervous, so she was always spewing out facts.

I like Ronan too and I got to understand what his role was in the family. Not only was he Finn and Liam’s older brother but he was their protector from an abusive drunk of a father. Even him telling Hope about how he used to stuff Finn in cabinets or send him to their treehouse to get away from their Da was heartbreaking.  I cried when he told Hope that.

The romance between Ronan and Hope was a slow burn. What I liked is that when they finally had sex, near the end of the book, the author chose not to go into it and let you use your imagination.

There is a huge twist in the story that I kinda sensed coming but when it happened, I was still a little shocked. I also didn’t blame Ronan for going off as he did. What did get me a little ticked off was how easily he blamed Hope for what happened and how Jessie, Finn, and Liam fell right in line with him. All Hope wanted to so was to tell Ronan she had no clue and they wouldn’t let her. Which, I guess, in hindsight, was a good thing but still.

The whole reality TV angle, I didn’t like. I am not a fan of reality TV and what happened in the book was a prime example WHY I don’t like it. Talk about a crappy thing that Luka did and I was really surprised that Ronan didn’t pitch her off the dock.

The whole stowaway dog storyline was great and I thought the name Hope gave him was pretty fitting. I kinda giggled at it. See, growing up, I had a dog named J.D. but it was after the whiskey. I liked Hope’s abbreviation better…lol.

The end of the book was pretty standard and there were HEA’s all around for the boys. I do wish that they author had put something up about mental illness, like an afterward with a number or website to call.

How many stars will I give Catch and Release: 4

Why: I thought this was a pretty good romance with a good storyline.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language

I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**