Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Currently Reading

I'm really at the point where this year isn't the year for reading and reviewing. It hasn't been the best year for my writing either. So many real life issues popped up in extreme ways that I haven't even cracked a book in almost a week. I'm trying to make the best of four months left in the year. We'll see how close I can get to that 100 book goal.

Many thanks to all those who have reached out with encouragement and kind words. I really appreciate them. Those messages keep me going even when I think there's no point. Though I do most of my reading and reviewing out of love -okay, addiction - to books, I treasure the many authors who have reached out to me.


The books I'm working my way through this week are:
Jackfish Reborn by Rejean Giguere
Say You Will (Summerhill Book 1) by Kate Perry
Prince Lestat by Anne Rice
Alive (The Generations Trilogy #1) by Scott Sigler
At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen
Stormbringer: Book 2 of the Wyrd (The Wyrd #2) by Alis Franklin
The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist #1) by Rick Yancey


Books that I've finished this past week include:
Those Secrets We Keep by Emily Liebert
Dark Hope (The Archangel Prophecies #1) by Monica McGurk
Dark Rising (The Archangel Prophecies #2) by Monica McGurk


Now that Fall has arrived, maybe snuggling with a book or two will boost my spirits more than ever. A cup of hot chocolate, marshmellows and wonderful books. Yay!

Until next time,
Kay B

Monday, September 21, 2015

Those Secrets We Keep by Emily Liebert

Release Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Penguin Group/NAL
Author Website:

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Sloane possessed the perfect life. She lived in a great neighborhood, married to a successful husband and had a beautiful daughter. However, she felt something missing after the passing of her sister that nothing seemed to fill. Needing time away to think, she and Hillary, her best friend, took the offer to stay a few weeks at Lake George where Sloane's aunt kept a house.

When Sloane's oldest and closest friend from college invited herself along for the vacation, old wounds and new hurts came out. These left the women broken from the weight of their own secrets and seeking healing comfort from whatever source they could find. Would these three women be able to pick up the pieces of their lives? Would others pay the price for their decisions?


Review:
I tend to search through NetGalley's offerings whenever I can't sleep at night.  That was how I found the latest offering by the author. Something about the premise of women not happy with having the security that most crave tugged at my mind. When I read the first chapter, I related with Sloane's quest to fill the gaping hole that recent events created in her life. Not because I have a beautiful daughter or a great husband ready to do anything I asked, but because the sting of losing someone closest to me turned my own life upside down.

Most of the book centered around Sloane and her two best friends, Hillary and Georgina. Each women carried the weight of a secret on their shoulders as they joined together for two weeks at a beautiful vacation home in St. George. Interestingly enough, both Hillary and Georgina embodied the attributes that Sloane desired most. Hillary was calm, rational and provided guidance whenever the events of the book spiraled out of Sloane's control. On the other hand, Georgina was carefree, wild and ambitious - everything that Sloane thought was missing in her life. As the story went on, the women found that their similarities tied them together much more than their differences. The author didn't let the women hog the spotlight. The men in their lives also spent part of the time coming to terms with their own issues and inadequacies while the women were at the vacation home. This introspection on the men's part helped give the book a balanced feel.

There was a smooth buildup in the book's pacing, easing me into the middle of Sloane's life. By setting the book in modern times, the author created a seamless transition from the reader's reality to the that of the Sloane and her friends. Using the natural settings of the shoreline, rocky alcoves, and lush green areas also brought the story to life and added a sense of calm though much of the women's lives fell apart. As the secrets bubbled to the surface, they became characters themselves and drove the story forward until the women were forced to deal with the secrets or run. What the women couldn't outrun were the consequences of their secrets and their choices. Whether they came clean or chose to harbor the secrets longer, the payment for that choice was clearly laid out for them.

Overall, I liked this story because it was easy to put myself into Sloane's, Hillary's or even Georgina's shoes and carry their respective secrets. While I can't imagine making the same choices, I could understand why the women did with the way the author structured the timing of the book. The contrast between the perceived reality of Sloane's perfect world and the true reality of her crumbling world view drove home the point that a person can never really know another person simply by looking in from the outside. People are truly complex creatures that always find a way to surprise a reader by doing the opposite of rational thinking when emotions and beliefs are put into play as well. This book should definitely be on your TBR if you're looking for an examination of friendship, love and relationship or simply love a great story about longing in all its forms.

Those Secrets We Keep by Emily Liebert is currently available in either paperback or digital (Kindle) forms at several online retailers. The following link provides the book's Amazon page for purchase.
Those Secrets We Keep by Emily Liebert


Monday, September 14, 2015

Dark Hope (The Archangel Prophecies #1) by Monica McGurk

Release Date: July 29, 2014
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
Series: The Archangel Prophecies, Book 1
Author Website:

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
After living with her overprotective, religious father since her parents' separation, Hope thought living with her mother might just be the thing she needed. She was more prepared than the average teen to live with the long absences her mother's job demanded. That was until she was blindsided by Michael, a good-looking, well-talking guy who gave her more attention than she knew how to handle. He became a shield against the guys tormenting her on the bus and throughout her school day.

Once assigned to pair up with another student for a paper, Hope's life turned upside down as secrets about her past surfaced to impact her present. She and Michael set out on a journey to discover the answers before time ran out. Putting their lives on the line to fight prophecy and mankind's own type of evil, they traveled across country on the promise of answer. Can she keep herself safe as she followed her heart? Will they be able to save the world without killing themselves?

Review:
One of my favorite things about NetGalley has always been the emails they send to entice you to read something outside your usual genres. This book, as well as the sequel, were available for reading. These books intrigued me by their delving into the fallen angel theories. I anticipated the teenage hormones and angst that came with the setting of a high school, but was a little surprised to find Hope more mature in some ways and really naive in others due to her upbringing.

The very beginning of the book laid the groundwork for her past - a victim of a child abduction found safe inside a hotel room as the abductor was found dead within the bathroom. The only reminder was a tattoo on her back, near her neck. From that moment her parents took two different paths. Her father went overboard to keep her safe from further harm, going so far as to quit his job and research any and all friends. Hope's mother wanted her to have a normal childhood, unmarred by the abduction. When they couldn't find common ground, they separated. Hope lived a fairly isolated life with her father due to the long work engagements that her mother's job demanded. There weren't very many people in her life, so these characters became distinct, reacting in different ways to the events of the story. Other characters appeared toward the end of the story, impacting the book in slightly-anticipated manner. Still, I found most of the characters held their own as the action moved toward that ending. Hope and Michael's characters began to blend somewhat near the end, but I do think that was in response to some of the events and my remembering that she was a teenager unaccustomed to life as an average teen.

I found the book contained something for everyone - romance, action, hormones, prophecy and angst to spare. However, that wasn't all there was to the book. The author used both Hope's abduction and one of her classes to open the discussion about human trafficking and how widespread the issue grew to include men, women and children here in the United States. While the voices on behalf of these victims grew louder over the past decade, there remained more work to be done in order to help those trapped in some very serious situations. I could tell how passionate the author was about the subject by the way Hope devoured whatever information she found and stood resolute in helping one victim regain her freedom. A portion of the proceeds from the author's book sales goes to helping end human trafficking and the victims left behind.

While I enjoyed a good portion of the book, I did find one aspect of the story more disturbing than entertaining. There were many layers within this story as the author combined theology, prophecy and real life issues to create a world where one teen girl might make a difference. Her rich descriptions of places and people helped Hope's world to come alive and to deliver the emotional roller coaster expected in today's YA books. Despite many good things, I found the relationship between Hope and Michael to be on an abusive collision course. To be honest, I felt disheartened when I reached that point in the book, because I'd enjoyed the story until then. Reading the rest of the book, I understood why some actions were taken, given their situations, but overall, it left me feeling really mixed about the book. I was glad that one character picked up on the same feeling. I'm interested to see how the sequel deals with all the groundwork that's been laid. If you enjoy your YA with a hint of darkness, prophecy and what-the-heck action sequences, then I would recommend this book for your TBR list.

Dark Hope (The Archangel Prophecies #1) by Monica McGurk is currently available at several online retailers including Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Amazon. It can be found in paperback or digital (Kindle) formats. The link provided below is for the book's Amazon page.
Dark Hope (The Archangel Prophecies #1) by Monica McGurk



Friday, September 11, 2015

#NeverForget

Today is the anniversary of a very dark day in our nation's history. With that in mind, I will not be posting a review. I'm going to be spending time with those I love and cherish today.

Reviews will resume on Monday.


Please never forget those who've been lost.

Until next time,
Kay B

Monday, September 7, 2015

Trollhunters (Trollhunters #1) by Guillermo del Toro, Daniel Kraus

Release Date: June 30, 2015
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Series: Trollhunters series, Book 1
Author Website:  , http://deltorofilms.com/

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
The innocence of childhood was ripped away from the town of San Bernardino, California as more children disappeared during the lazy, summer days of the 1960s. Jack and Jim Sturges spent Jack's birthday playing their favorite games up to the moment that Jack vanished and Jim's world shifted forever. That moment defined life for the Sturges family.

Now decades later, Jim Sturges Jr dealt with the paranoia and aftermath of his uncle's disappearance with the nonchalance his teenage years allowed. When a series of weird events raised questions about the history of his family, Jim Jr found a group of people who had some answers. But these weren't the ones he thought he'd get. Can Jim Jr set things right within the time given?  Or will everything be changed forever?


Review:
NetGalley sent me an email alert to let me know that this book was available for reading and reviewing. I was excited for a couple reasons. First, I love being part of the start of a new series for many genres. The excitement about a new world and the uncertainty of how the story played out were always at the top of my list with books in a new series. Second, I didn't know that Guillermo del Toro and co-authors wrote different series of books. I know that I'm behind in that knowledge, but I made up for it slightly by diving into the realm of San Bernardino and the Sturges family.

From the very beginning of the book, the authors made it clear there were at least two types of beings sharing one world. Of course, they weren't sharing very well since one species constantly snatched and ate the other! The human world was largely ignorant of the Trolls. This ignorance lasted until an abundance of child abductions forced the town to become hyper-vigilant. Yet, even with all the curfews and layers of security, Jack Sturges disappeared while playing with his younger brother, Jim. Thus began Jim Sturges' lifelong ambition to seek out the other world in the shadows, find the monsters who tore his family apart, and destroy them. His son, Jim Jr., wasn't keen on carrying on his father's work until the day he saw the trolls himself for the first time.

Because the book fell into the children/YA categories, I kept in mind that many of the over-the-top descriptions and outrageous characters would capture the younger reader's attention.  They would be able to identify with Jim Jr. and the other teen characters due to the authors' use of modern technology and situations that kids find themselves - dealing with bullies, school, and worrying over parents or girl/boyfriends. Now, a couple of characters were exaggerated a little too much for me to like them, but I felt they'd be a good draw for the young readers. The trolls weren't the cute, little ones we've all seen in cartoons or the old dolls from the 1990s. These were mean, nasty and gross creatures who wanted nothing more than to chomp a good kid or two for dinner!

I thought the book's pace was steady and revealed a decent amount of information as action propelled the story forward. Not a lot of scenes were filled with gross descriptions, but I loved how the authors really created the world of the trolls by exploring what their homes might have looked like and how the trolls family dynamics would be. Overall, the story entertained me, pulling me from the real world and into one where the imagination can run rampant. If you love reading books that push your creativity or enjoy something otherworldly with a hint of ickiness, then you really should try this book! Kids should too!

Trollhunters (Trollhunters #1) by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus is currently available for purchase at several online retailers and bookstores. The book can be bought in hardcover, paperback, audio-book and digital (Kindle) formats. Below is a link to the book's page at Amazon.
Trollhunters (Trollhunters #1) by Guillermo del Toro, Daniel Kraus


Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Currently Reading

And now we entered September, the realm of cooler temperatures and Friday football games! In this area there is a great rivalry between two high schools. Their first meeting on the football field ended with my old school winning. Now the heat is on for the next time they meet. These hometown clashes bring the community together even as the people stood on different sidelines. It's a weird thing to see, but watching how people react can inspire stories or novels. Every human interaction is fodder for the author's pen.

I'm still more behind on my TBR list than I'd like to be at this moment in time. I do feel happy that I'm making progress instead of staying stagnate. Alongside the pages I've devoured, I've also picked up a few hundred words on something that's not NaNo2012. I feel bad for that poor novel of mine, but I reached a point where I can't figure out what's going to happen next without forcing the story into a mold. That might ruin the story. I don't want to take the chance that I'll ruin everything I've worked so hard to achieve with the novel.


So far, I'm reading;
Jackfish Reborn by Rejean Giguere
Say You Will (Summerhill Book 1) by Kate Perry
Prince Lestat by Anne Rice
Those Secrets We Keep by Emily Liebert
Dark Hope by Monica McGurk


Book(s) Finished:
The Sacred Flame: A Novel by Nanette Littlestone


With the cooler temperatures, I find myself snuggling on the couch with a blanket and printed books more than using my Kindle. Is this the time of year when your reading picks up? Or do you still pick up the books whenever, wherever you can?

Until next time,
Kay B