(ARC) Book Review (311): The Summer I Found You - Jolene Perry

The Summer I Found You

by Jolene Perry

Publication: 1st March 2014
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Pages: 240
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
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All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.

Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?

My Thoughts.

The Summer I Found You is the first book of Jolene's I've read that wasn't co-written with another author, and I have to say that I loved it!

The concept and storyline was new to me, before this book I'd never read a story regarding this topic, it's about a young soldier who was injured in a bomb explosion in Afghanistan, that not only killed his friend but cost him his right arm, pardoned from the army and having to learn to live with his disability, Aidan is depressed, with everyone he knows seeming to be uncomfortable around him and unsure of exactly how to carry on a conversation in case they offend him somehow, until he meets Kate, his cousins best-friend, who says whatever she's thinking and who jokes around with him about only having the one arm.

But after becoming friends, and then a couple Kate is still keeping a secret from Aidan, she has Type 1  Diabetes, happy that someone doesn't know she has it and furthermore that she's not questioned about her blood sugar level every five minutes, she keeps putting off telling him, afraid that he won't want anything to do with her when she does reveal to him her disease, but once Aidan finds out that she's been keeping this from him, can their relationship survive this kind of deception this early on, or this the end of them as a couple for good?

With a storyline that you don't see a whole lot of in YA contemporary novels, this was a breath of fresh air, a fantastic story with loveable characters, you can't go wrong by picking this book up.

I give this 4/5 stars.

Jolene grew up in South-central Alaska. She’s lived in Anchorage, near the Alyeska ski resort, on a cabin on an island on a lake, and then in a boring old house.

Jolene kissed a boy on her high school graduation night. One she’d wanted to kiss for a long time. They got married two years later, have built two homes together, survived military deployments, law school, student loan debt, and two children.

Jolene plays the guitar, takes pictures, and loves to hike. She doesn’t like rivers, but loves the ocean. She loves to fly, but gets motion sick. Her ultimate vacation would be to sail through the deserted islands in The Bahamas. Two years ago, she got that wish when her parents retired on a sailboat.

She taught high school French when she was only a few years older than her students, and then taught middle school math with her degree in political science and French.

She spends grocery money on designer fabric, shoes, and books.

Jolene cannot express how many times she wished she could write a whole novel. And now she has. Many times. Life is good.

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(ARC) Book Review (310): The Bride Insists - Jane Ashford

The Bride Insists

by Jane Ashford

Publication: 4th March 2014

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Pages: 384

Genre: Historical Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: Amazon+Barnes & Noble+The Book Depository

When governess Clare Greenough learns she's inherited a fortune, the good news comes with a catch: it will be held by her cousin until Clare can find a husband. 

To stave off ruin, Jamie Boleigh, the seventh Baron of Trehearth, agrees to marry Clare under the condition that she keeps the money, a provision he hopes to overturn. Their passionate relationship becomes a battle of wills. 

When the cousin tricks Jamie into betraying his wife, he'll have to prove the truth or lose her forever.

My Thoughts.

There's nothing like discovering a new historical romance author, especially one you were never aware of and whom also has a healthy back catalogue to their name, Jane's writing is engaging, a delight to read and add to that this was a great story to get lost in.

Clare is a Governess who inherits a fortune after the death of an Uncle, her joy at this news soon turns to disbelief when she is told that the only way her cousin Simon will release the money is if she's married, not letting that stop her she goes to her solicitor inquiring as to whether he knows of any men short on money, who would be willing to marry her only on the condition that they sign a contract to agree that Clare will be in charge of her own money, enter Jamie, Baron Trehearth who after the death of his Father has been left with a lot of debt and no means to afford to keep his house and lands out of the banks hands.

With the idea that Clare will eventually come around to the idea, after they're married that she'll relinquish the funds to him he agrees and they wed, once arriving at Trehearth, Clare discovers that Jamie has kept two important details from her, namely his twin ten year old sisters: Tegan & Tamsyn, who are out of control and insist on dressing and acting like boys, add in the downtrodden state of the house and gardens and their work is cut out for them.

In time they both develop feelings for one another but all that is changed when Clare discovers that Jamie has gone behind her back about her finances, fleeing to London to put some distance between them while Jamie figures out exactly why she's mad at what he did, will he figure it out in time to save their marriage or will it be too late?

I adored this book the storyline, characters and setting made this for a book that I didn't want to put down, so absorbed I was in this world that Jane had created with her vivid descriptions and details, I will definitely be hunting down her other works, she's got herself a new fan and I will definitely be awaiting all her future releases.

Highly recommended for fans of well written historical romances.

I give this 5/5 stars.

About Jane Ashford

Jane Ashford discovered Georgette Heyer in junior high school and was entranced by the glittering world and witty language of Regency England. That delight was part of what led her to study English literature and travel widely in Britain and Europe. Born in Ohio, she has lived in New York, Boston and LA.

Jane has written historical and contemporary romances. Her books have been published in Sweden, Italy, England, Denmark, France, Russia, Latvia and Spain, as well as the U.S. She has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book Reviews.

Some of Jane's posts around the web:

Did you know that the law in the Regency period made married women legal nonentities?

Do you enjoy animal characters in fiction? I love writing them. And my own pets have been an inspiration.

Check out my "Author Override" at Under the Covers and a guest post at USATodayabout favorite character types.

You can find my posts about my writing desk (picture on my Facebook page), steamy settings and on the beginnings of Once Again a Bride.

What are some of your favorite things about the Regency period? I listed a few of mine on Kim's blog.

Fabulous author Grace Burrowes was kind enough to host me at her blog. See the interview here.

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Book Review (309): Just Like Heaven (Sweetland #2) - Lacey Baker

Just Like Heaven (Sweetland #2)

by Lacey Baker

Publication: 26th November 2013

Publisher: St Martin's Paperbacks

Pages: 368

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Buy It: • The Book Depository •• Amazon •• Barnes & Noble • 

•B-A-M •• Chapters •• IndieBound •• Powell’s 
Ebook: • Kindle • • Nook • • Kobo • • iBooks • • St. Martin's Press •

As a successful criminal prosecutor, Preston Cantrell thrives in the hustle and bustle of Baltimore. Much as he loved his grandmother, the cozy streets of his hometown aren’t enough for him—not when he can make a real difference in the city. To get back to his career, all he needs is a new home for the energetic puppy he inherited. But when the gorgeous woman who arrives to adopt finds the dog more appealing than he is, Preston’s determined to plead his case.

Heaven Montgomery is still shaky after an accident almost claimed her life—and her doctor thinks having a pet would help her deal with the post-traumatic stress. The plan is for Heaven to take her new puppy back home to Boston…but Sweetland’s warmth and charm is irresistible.Why should she rush back to the chill and snobbery of her city? In Just Like Heaven by Lacey Baker, Heaven’s learning, with Preston’s help, that life doesn’t always care about the plans you’ve made. Sometimes you just need to let fate—and love—create its own sweet magic. 

My Thoughts.

Just Like Heaven is the second book in the Sweetland series by Lacey Baker.

I just adore this series, I love the fact that the series focuses on the Cantrell siblings: Quinn, Michelle, Raine, Preston, Parker and Savannah, brought home to Sweetland after the death of their Gramma and left to them in her will her bed and breakfast establishment as well as a puppy each, also brothers and sisters, and it's because of Preston wanting to give his puppy Coco away that we get to meet this books heroine Heaven.

Heaven arrives in Sweetland just planning to stay a couple of days to pick up Coco and be on her way, with her life at a standstill after an explosion at work which she was accused of setting up, she finds herself at peace finally, away from her controlling parents and spending her days as she wants to ,  falling into the rhythm of the towns day to day business she finds herself helping out at the inn as well as hanging around with lawyer Preston, who when he was younger had a reputation with his twin Parker as a ladies man, earning themselves the nickname Double Trouble Cantrells,

With Heaven and Preston starting a will they won't they relationship, and Heaven deciding to permanently move to Sweetland, it's up to Preston who is situated in Baltimore to finally decide whether he wants to move back home to be with Heaven and his siblings once and for all.

These books are so well written, once you pick one up its extremely hard to put it back down until again you've reached the very end.

With four more siblings to go I have a fair idea of whom they'll be partnered up with with, I can't wait to see how right I am and to discover their stories and just what Lacey has in store for them all.

Great series, I highly recommend!

I give this 4/5 stars.

ALL ABOUT LACEY

Lacey Baker is one of the luckiest women alive. Why? Because she gets to live out her life’s dream of writing emotionally fulfilling stories about relationships. A Maryland native she lives with her husband and three children in what most would call Suburban America, a townhouse development where everybody knows each other and each other’s kids. Family cook-outs, reunion vacations and growing up in church have all inspired Lacey to work towards her dreams and to write about the endurance of family.
For Lacey, the writing bug bit early, when she was a sophomore in high school. From that point on she’s been writing stories that depict the power of love and spirit of living. A homebody at heart, Lacey enjoys watching old movies and waking up to a nice hot cup of green tea.
Homecoming is the first book in Lacey’s Sweetland Romance Series. This series holds a special place in Lacey’s heart because it centers around a Chesapeake Bay community where crab season is the best time of the year and hometown roots are tradition—two things Lacey believes in wholeheartedly!

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Book Review (308): The Orphan Choir- Sophie Hannah

The Orphan Choir: A Novel

by Sophie Hannah

Publication: 28th January 2014

Publisher: Picador

Pages: 288

Genre: Mystery/Paranormal

Age Appropriate: 15+

Buy It: Amazon+Barnes & Noble+The Book Depository

A MOTHER WITH AN EMPTY NEST IS BEING HAUNTED BY A GHOSTLY CHILDREN'S CHOIR. ARE THEY GIVING HER AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE THAT ONLY SHE CAN HEAR, OR ARE THEIR MOTIVES MORE SINISTER?

Louise Beeston is being haunted.
Louise has no reason left to stay in the city. She can’t see her son, Joseph, who is away at boarding school, where he performs in a prestigious boys’ choir. Her troublesome neighbor has begun blasting choral music at all hours of the night—and to make matters worse, she’s the only one who can hear it.

Hoping to find some peace, Louise convinces her husband, Stuart, to buy them a country house in an idyllic, sun-dappled gated community called Swallowfield. But it seems that the haunting melodies of the choir have followed her there. Could it be that her city neighbor has trailed her to Swallowfield, just to play an elaborate, malicious prank? Is there really a ghostly chorus playing outside her door? And why won’t they stop? Growing desperate, she begins to worry about her mental health.

Against the pleas and growing disquiet of her husband, Louise starts to suspect that this sinister choir is not only real but a warning. But of what? And how can it be, when no one else can hear it?

In The Orphan Choir, Sophie Hannah brings us along on a darkly suspenseful investigation of obsession, loss, and the malevolent forces that threaten to break apart a loving family.

M Thoughts.

The Orphan Choir is the first book of Sophie Hannah's that I have ever read, so I don't really know whether this is her normal writing style or not, I'm unsure what I actually think of this story, sure it was a fast read, I finished this in less than a day but I'm not certain I liked the storyline, that may also have something to do with the main character Lou whom I disliked a lot.

I find that once I don't like the main character I find it hard to care what happens to said person, Lou I feel had no redeeming qualities that I could see, I felt like I was stuck in the head of someone that was on their way to/escaped from a mental institution, erratic in both her thinking and actions her thought processes were interesting to say the least, her attitude was all woe is me, it seems that any little thing that happened in her life was in her thinking a conspiracy against her, and after a while it got very tiring to continuously keep reading about.

Her feelings for her husband Stuart was almost childlike in the way that if he disagreed with her or upset her in any way, shape or form then immediately she was no longer in love with him or disliked him, until the time he did something that made her happy then she was going on about how great her husband was.

The ending I was a bit confused with, I never really understood why Lou suddenly started hearing or seeing the things that she did or for that matter the whole Pat Jervis part, I don't really understand either the point of Pat's part in the story, I didn't feel the book needed it at all.

If you're after a quick read with a bit of a paranormal twist thrown in then give this book a go.

I give this 3/5 stars.

Sophie Hannah is an internationally bestselling writer of psychological crime fiction, published in 27 countries. In 2013, her latest novel, The Carrier, won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards.  Two of Sophie’s crime novels, The Point of Rescue and The Other Half Lives, have been adapted for television and appeared on ITV1 under the series title Case Sensitive in 2011 and 2012.

In 2004, Sophie won first prize in the Daphne Du Maurier Festival Short Story Competition for her suspense story The Octopus Nest, which is now published in her first collection of short stories, The Fantastic Book of Everybody’s Secrets. Sophie has also published five collections of poetry. Her fifth,Pessimism for Beginners, was shortlisted for the 2007 T S Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A-level and degree level across the UK. From 1997 to 1999 she was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, and between 1999 and 2001 she was a fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. She is forty-one and lives with her husband and children in Cambridge, where she is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College.  She is currently working on a new challenge for the little grey cells of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s famous detective.

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Book Review (307): Sweet Thing (Sweet Thing #1) - Renee Carlino

Sweet Thing (Sweet Thing #1)

by Renée Carlino

Publication: 7th January 2014

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 320

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: New Adult

Buy It: Amazon+Barnes & Noble+The Book Depository

"You have to teach your heart and mind how to sing together…then you'll hear the sound of your soul."

Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She's an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love.

When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father's café, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists. She's denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passions-for him, for music-but her father's legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more.

My Thoughts.

To say that I loved this book was an understatement!

I ravished it completely, then once I had finished reading this fantastic book I couldn't stop thinking about it and then I felt depressed because the story was finished and I just wanted more!

I loved the story, plus the fact that unlike most other new adult contemporary books none of the two main characters had huge secrets that were primarily jeopardising their potential relationship, it was just two people who became friends and then roommates, throw in a little bit of unrequited love at the start via the male lead Will, and voila you end up with this story.

Mia has come to New York City to take over and run her Father's cafe after his death, undecided on what to do with her life she just takes it day by day, until Will (whom she sat next to on the plane to NYC, and was attracted to) walks through the cafe's doors one day, it's not long until Will moves into Mia's apartment.

Unbeknownst to her Will is in love with Mia, but she's in the mindset that he's just a struggling musician, or so she thinks, and she doesn't want a relationship with someone who doesn't exactly have a proper job, kind of like her parents, who separated when she was younger.

Sooner or later she ends up driving Will away, and it's only then that she realises her true feelings towards him, and her unresolved feelings towards her Father's death that she never came to terms with.

But true love will always win out, and I love the way that this book's storyline ended, perfectly and with no questions left unanswered.

I will definitely be awaiting future releases from Renee, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, her writing is captivating with lovable characters that will warm your heart.

If you're a new adult contemporary fan, what are you waiting for, you need to pick this book up!

I give this 5/5 stars.

Renee’s first friends were the imaginary kind and even though her characters haven’t gone away, thankfully the delusions have. She admits she’s a wildly hopeless romantic and she blames 80’s movies staring Molly Ringwald for that. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she’s not at the beach with her boys or working on the next book, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate.

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Book Review (306): Phoenix Island - John Dixon

Phoenix Island

by John Dixon

Publication: 7th January 2014

Publisher: Gallery Books

Pages: 320

Genre: Thriller

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon+Barnes & Noble+The Book Depository

The judge told Carl that one day he'd have to decide exactly what kind of person he would become. But on Phoenix Island, the choice will be made for him.

A champion boxer with a sharp hook and a short temper, sixteen-year-old Carl Freeman has been shuffled from foster home to foster home. He can't seem to stay out of trouble, using his fists to defend weaker classmates from bullies. His latest incident sends his opponent to the emergency room, and now the court is sending Carl to the worst place on earth: Phoenix Island. 

Classified as a terminal facility, it's the end of the line for delinquents who have no home, no family, and no future. Located somewhere far off the coast of the United States and immune to its laws, the island is a grueling Spartan-style boot camp run by sadistic drill sergeants who show no mercy to their young, orphan trainees. Sentenced to stay until his eighteenth birthday, Carl plans to play by the rules, so he makes friends with his wisecracking bunkmate, Ross, and a mysterious gray-eyed girl named Octavia. But he makes enemies, too, and after a few rough scrapes, he earns himself the nickname "Hollywood" as well as a string of punishments, including a brutal night in the sweatbox. But that's nothing compared to what awaits him in the Chop Shop: a secret government lab where Carl is given something he never dreamed of. 

A new life. . . . 

A new body. A new brain. 

Gifts from the fatherly Old Man, who wants to transform Carl into something he's not sure he wants to become. 

For this is no ordinary government project. Phoenix Island is ground zero for the future of combat intelligence. 

And for Carl, it's just the beginning. . .

My Thoughts.

I can honestly say that I'd never heard of this book before receiving it for review, and I like to think that I'm well aware of all current releases that I'm likely going to want to read, however somehow this book slipped under my radar and what a pity that would have been, I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Everything about this book was great, from the concept which was extremely well written and entertaining, full of action and nail-biting suspense, this story had me on the edge of my seat, so invested in this world and it's lead character Carl I didn't want it to end.

Carl has gotten himself into trouble one too many times, only sixteen and too young to be jailed he is instead sent to Phoenix Island, a sort of military camp for orphans that has ulterior motives and dangerous secrets that may just get you killed, when he discovers a diary written by a former orphan he realises that he must find a way to escape before the same fate befalls him.

I'm hopeful that there will be a sequel as I think that there is enough of a storyline to continue on with, and I want to see Carl have a fitting conclusion to his story.

A wondefully well-written novel that should appeal to readers that love their action/suspense stories that come with a bit of a twist then this is definitely the book for you!

Highly recommended.

I give this 4/5 stars.

I'm the author of PHOENIX ISLAND (formerly known as DISSIDENT), coming January 7th, 2014 from Simon & Schuster / Gallery Books. First in a series of sci fi thrillers for teens, PHOENIX ISLAND is the basis for the upcoming CBS TV series INTELLIGENCE, starring Josh Holloway (LOST), Marg Helgenberger (CSI), and Meghan Ory (ONCE UPON A TIME), which also debuts January 7th. 

Before all this dream-come-true stuff happened, I taught English at Springton Lake Middle School, where the course hid under the bland name "language arts" and where I was blessed with the coolest students of all time. I miss them now that I'm writing full time, but the constant companionship of my excellent dog, Scout, is powerful compensation.

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Cover Reveal: The Queen Of Zombie Hearts (White Rabbit Chronicles #3) - Gena Showalter

I have a plan.

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.

Either way, only one of us is walking away.

In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice 'Ali' Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers; until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters; and the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing and turning Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

Expected publication: September 30th 2014 by Harlequin Teen