Review: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

                                              Book: Ten by Gretchen McNeil
                                              Pages: 294
                                              Genre: Young Adult, Thriller
                                              Source: Library

Short Synopsis: Meg and Minnie get invited to an exclusive party but things start happening and friends start dying. Can anyone make it out alive?

My Thoughts: An interesting plot, but there were just too many unanswered questions that left me hanging.

SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.
It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.
But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.
Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?
--From Goodreads

This novel had a good story to it, but I wasn't too thrilled with the overall out come. In this story, Meg and Minnie get invited to a party on an island via e-mail. And though Meg has doubts about going, she and Minnie go anyway because no one dismisses a party invite from a popular classmate named Jessica. Once they get to the party, a few people have already arrived, including Meg's love interest, T.J. 

As the group gets settled in, there's a  freshly stocked fridge, and ready to be opened beer. The group seems to be getting along, even as their host, Jessica, has not made it to the island yet. 

And then things start happening. First Ben is mysteriously poisoned through his salad with added almonds and can barely breathe, due to the fact that he is deathly allergic. Then the group finds a home made dvd that has a strange and ominous message. And then people start dying. First is Lori who hangs herself, and everyone else starts following in mysterious deaths. T.J. and Meg must get to the bottom of things before it's too late, and their deaths are added to the list of their already dead friends. 

This novel had a good plot, and kept me interested enough, but there were a lot of unanswered questions that kind of left me feeling empty at the end. First, how did the killer get into Jessica's e-mail and invite everyone? Yes they could have hacked into it, but wouldn't someone in the group double check with an invite of a party before attending? And what about the food that was already there? How could there be an empty house with freshly stocked food? And didn't they think it was strange that Jessica didn't call to check up on them, even if the cheerleaders had to do something before going there? 

And once people started dying, why didn't anyone think to get help from another house? When the group first arrives, it states that there was someone else who was also having a party. So, obviously there were others there that could have helped. And the person that took Meg and Minnie over to the island was a bit fishy too, as he also states, "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" And though the girls ask why, it was easily dismissed. Why would he ask that if he didn't know something about the island? 

And don't even get me started on the characters. I really disliked Meg's best friend, Minnie, who seemed to take advantage of Meg in every situation possible, was delusional about her relationship with T.J. and was very selfish. I felt Minnie's actions were horrible, especially when people were dying, and her calling Lori's dead body an "it" didn't really sit well with me either. 

And though the novel is called Ten because there are Ten individuals who go to the island, I only counted eight individuals. First there's Meg, Minnie, Lori, Valerie, T.J., Gunner, Ben, and Kumiko. And how are the remaining people that made it out of the island are going to explain the death of their "friends"? I always have this problem with these type of novels when the last remaining people that make it out, never really get the chance to explain the deaths. Though some of my points might be very small to the whole overall novel, these are some of the main points that bugged me. Overall, I enjoyed the writing style, but I felt the author was trying a bit too hard to be ominous, and towards the end, everyone was pointing fingers at everyone as to who might be the killer, which destroyed friendships in the end. 

Would I recommend this book: Eh

Rating: I give this book a 2/5

Top 5 Monday Rants!

Hey everyone! It's a posting of Top 5 Monday Rants! This week's topic is, bookish/blogger related top 5 resolutions for the upcoming new year.

1) Try to read a new genre out of my comfort zone. After reading years worth of books, you get kind of comfortable to reading your favorite genres. Well, this upcoming year, I've decided to hopefully try and finish a book from a genre I don't normally pick up. One genre I've really avoided was historical romance. I enjoy reading romance novels no problem, but if it's historical, I tend to shy away from those. Maybe this year, I'll be able to pick one up.

2) Try to actually write and complete a novel, and do something about it. I always end up getting a good idea for a book, and I do happen to write a few thousand words, but then I always get stuck with Writer's Block. I always come to a part in my story and can never get around to completing a story. Hopefully this year I'll be able to complete writing a full novel.

3) Maybe start a new reading challenge and actually finish it. I see people participating in them all the time and it looks pretty fun. I tried doing it my first year of blogging but never really finished as there were so many other great reads to complete. Maybe this year I'll be able to complete a reading challenge. I'm also open to suggestions on which reading challenges to sign up for, so feel free to let me know how your reading challenges in the past have worked out, and which ones you have participated in, in the comments section below.

4) Try to be less involved in the drama world of book blogging. This past year in 2012, there was A LOT of drama involved in the book blogging world. A lot of things happened this year ranging  from plagiarism, to a certain Indie Author making a banning list of book bloggers, to authors behaving badly on unhappy reviews. I also just recently found out that another author is having problems with a different author and taking things as far as a law suit because they had the same name, Carnival of Lost Souls which was apparently trademarked. And now that person who is doing the suing, is also targeting book bloggers who review Melissa Marr's Carnival of Lost Souls. Aside from all this drama, this upcoming year, I've decided to try to become less involved and just focus on reading awesome books.

5) And last but not least, as always, try to make new friends and keep in touch with old. You can never have enough friends, and it's always good to keep in touch with the ones you already know.

That's it for my Top 5 Monday Rants on my list of New Year Resolutions for 2013. Hope you enjoyed it and feel free to leave your own list of New Year's resolutions for 2013 in the comments section below. Happy Monday! :)

In My Mailbox!

Hey awesome readers! It's another posting of In My Mailbox, hosted by The Story Siren. This week I got...

From Library:

Vamplayers -- Rusty Fischer.

That's all the books I got this week. Be sure to leave your link so I can check out your awesome reads too :)

A Couple of DNFs

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?
Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.
But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.
And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.
In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?
--From Goodreads

What can I say? The summary sounds awesome right? But the main reason I couldn't finish this novel was the pacing. I felt it extremely slow, and quite frankly, a little lacking in the drama. I thought it was going to be a pretty creepy novel from the get go, but maybe my creepy-ness factor is a little broader than I thought. It also felt like it took a week to read the first hundred pages, which should not normally take that long for me. I felt the narrator was a bit too obsessive about becoming a killer and thinking what a killer would do next. I know that Jazz wanted to catch the killer to prove that he wasn't like his dad, but at times, it felt a bit repetitive. It's a shame, I really wanted to enjoy this novel, but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters, and lacking in overall excitement. I guess I expected it to be more creepy than it really was for me.

Until the day I met John Smith, Number Four, I'd been on the run alone, hiding and fighting to stay alive.
Together, we are much more powerful. But it could only last so long before we had to separate to find the others. . . .
I went to Spain to find Seven, and I found even more, including a tenth member of the Garde who escaped from Lorien alive. Ella is younger than the rest of us, but just as brave. Now we're looking for the others--including John.
But so are they.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They caught me in New York--but I escaped.
I am Number Six.
They want to finish what they started.
But they'll have to fight us first.
--From Goodreads

I absolutely enjoyed the first novel. I loved the narration of John Smith and his side of the story. The second was a bit difficult to get through with all the story jumping. This one, I could barely get past the first few couple pages. First, I was disappointed that someone else was narrating again. I felt there was too much going on. Maybe I'm a picky reader, but sometimes you know after a couple pages that you're not going the novel. This was one of those novels. I just wish that the series had remained with the same narrator than with the constant switching around. 

Review: Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter

                                          Book: Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter
                                          Shadow Falls #4
                                          Pages: 400
                                          Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
                                          Source: Library
                                          *Will contain spoilers

Short Synopsis: Kylie finally has a name for what type of supernatural species she is, but she's having a tough time actually knowing what it is, and what her powers contain. Kylie also finds it tough, being shadowed all day long, and if things couldn't get worse, the FRU is also pressing Kylie to be tested for what her powers may be.

My Thoughts: Wow. Another gripping novel. A great addition to the series, Kylie's life is even more complicated and drama filled than ever.

Even at a camp for supernatural teens, Kylie Galen has never been normal. Not only can she see ghosts, but she doesn’t seem to belong to any one species—she exhibits traits from them all. As Kylie struggles to unlock the secrets of her identity, she begins to worry that Lucas will never be able to accept her for what she is, and what she isn’t…a werewolf.  With his pack standing in their way, Kylie finds herself turning more and more to Derek, the only person in her life who’s willing to accept the impossible.
As if life isn’t hard enough, she starts getting visits from the ghost of Holiday, her closest confidante.  Trouble is, Holiday isn’t dead…not yet anyway.  Now Kylie must race to save one of her own from an unseen danger before it’s too late—all while trying to stop her relationship with Lucas from slipping away forever.   In a world of constant confusion, there’s only one thing Kylie knows for sure.  Change is inevitable and all things must come to an end…maybe even her time at Shadow Falls.
--From Goodreads

I very much enjoyed this novel, and love the series. Hunter makes it tough to put this series down, and it's always interesting to see what mess Kylie ends up in. In this novel, Kylie is being constantly shadowed as Burnett still feels that Kylie's life is in danger, but it's straining on Kylie's freedom, as there isn't much she can do when she wants to be alone. 

Aside from being shadowed all day long, Kylie now knows that she is a chameleon but doesn't know what it entails. She gets freaked out when her full powers show her as a full on human. Then she gets turned into a witch, with full witch powers, and manages to turn her pet Socks from a skunk back into a cat. And she also changes from a witch into vampire. 

And if things couldn't get worse for Kylie, she also has a ghost that looks like her camp councilor who looks like Holiday and finds out that it's in fact Holiday's dead twin, telling her that Holiday is in trouble. And on top of it all, Kylie also has boy problems. Lucas is being distant, and jealous at times, and also the fact that Kylie is not a werewolf seems to put a damper on their relationship. Kylie must figure everything out before it's too late. 

Wow. This novel had so much going on, and if you've read the first three in the installment, this is definitely not one to back out on. Kylie has so much going on in her life, it felt a bit tough to keep up at times. Though the novel was told through Kylie's perspective, I kind of wished that there was more going on with the other characters, like Kylie's friends Miranda or Della, or even Derek. 

It was interesting to read what was going on through Holiday's world with her dead twin, and with her ex-boyfriend coming back. I adored Holiday and Burnett's relationship and can't wait to read more about that. 

I wasn't a fan of the Kylie-Derek-Lucas love triangle. Lucas got on my nerves a lot as he was very distant with Kylie with all the secrets and the major secret her kept from Kylie at the end was definitely not a good way to handle things. In this novel, Derek is more open to Kylie as he seems supportive of her ghost issues and tries to help in any way possible, and accepts Kylie for who she is. The ending was very shocking and I definitely can't wait to see what happens next. 

Would I recommend this book: Yes! 

Rating: I give this book a 4.5/5

Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy New Years, and all that great stuff

Hey peeps in the blogging world! Just wishing y'all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May your happiness be great, and your new year be awesome :)

Top 5 Monday Rants!

Hey fellow readers! It's a posting of Top 5 Monday Rants. This week's topic is books that I'm dying to get my hands on in 2013. First up:

1) Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead (Bloodlines #3): In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next. Expected Publicarion Date: February 12, 2013.  -- From Goodreads

2) Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter (Heist Society #3): Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it's that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting--or stealing--whatever they want. No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale's family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother's billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there's no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won't let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother's will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company's fortune. So instead of being the heir--this time, Hale might be the mark. Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she's willing to save her boyfriend's company if it means losing the boy. Expected Publication Date: February 3, 2013. --From Goodreads

3) Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans: Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost—family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.
Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian—a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life—comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.
Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it’s not just her own redemption at stake… but the salvation of all mankind.
Expected Publication Date: January 15, 2013. -- From Goodreads

4) Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (His Fair Assassin #2): Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.
But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for? Expected Publication Date: April 2, 2013 -- From Goodreads.

5) The Elites: Privileged Positions by Emily Flint: Privileged Positions, a trade paperback original, is the first book of The Elites, a series of four books chronicling life at Les Chevaliers, an über-exclusive Swiss boarding school—a place where princes rub shoulders with the offspring of the world's business leaders and the only thing more impressive than the campus itself is the number of rich kids and royals gracing the quad.
Each book will center around one of four girls residing at Les Chev—A.J., recruited to the school on a skiing scholarship (something she is desperately trying to keep a secret); Raya, a Saudi Arabian party girl from a traditional Muslim royal family; Mei, adopted from China as a toddler by a Hollywood A-list actress; and Elizabeth, distant relation to the British Royal Family (and she'll never let you forget it). And then there's super-hottie André, the son of a Senegalese diplomat and captain of the boys' ski team. . . .  Expected Publication Date: April 23, 2013. -- From Goodreads

That's it for my Top 5 Monday Rants. They are obviously not all the books I'm dying to read, but ones that I'm totally looking forward to reading in the upcoming year. Hopefully I gave you all some good reads to look forward too as well. Be sure to leave your list of dying to read books in 2013 too! Happy Monday :)

In My Mailbox!

Hey readers! It's another posting of In My Mailbox, hosted by The Story Siren. This week I got...

From Library:

Girl of Nightmares -- Kendare Blake

The Butterfly Clues -- Kate Ellison

Try Not To Breathe -- Jennifer R. Hubbard

DVD selections

(Since they are both books-into-movies, I felt it was okay to post these):

One For The Money

The Hunger Games

Bought:

A Fractured Light -- Jocelyn Davies

Bought from used library store:

Salem Falls -- Jodi Picoult

About That Night -- Julie James

That's all the bookish items I received this week. Hope you all had a great book week too. Be sure to leave your link so that I can check out your awesome books too. :)

Review: Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin

                                          Book: Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin
                                          All These Things I've Done #2
                                          Pages: 350
                                          Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
                                          Source: Library
                                          * Will contain spoilers

Short Synopsis: Anya is finally getting out of Liberty Children's Facility, and because of her criminal background, she is finding it hard to enroll in a new school. Every thing's changed, as Win seems to have moved on, her sister's skipped two grades, and Anya's life is in danger. 

My Thoughts: Though it took awhile to get into, once it got rolling, I couldn't put it down. 

Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balanchine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record is making it hard for her to do that. No high school wants her with a gun possession charge on her rap sheet. Plus, all the people in her life have moved on: Natty has skipped two grades at Holy Trinity, Scarlet and Gable seem closer than ever, and even Win is in a new relationship.But when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is thrown right back into the criminal world that she had been determined to escape. It’s a journey that will take her across the ocean and straight into the heart of the birthplace of chocolate where her resolve--and her heart--will be tested as never before.
--From Goodreads

Anya is being released from Liberty Children's Facility and into freedom. As she tries to get back into normal life, she's figured out that so many things have changed. First Natty has skipped two grades, Scarlet and Gable are in a close relationship, and Win seems to have gained a new girlfriend. As advised, Anya tries everything to stay away from Win. 

But a photo appears of Anya and Win shaking hands, and Win's father feels threatened, and through blackmail, Anya lands back into Liberty. Anya plans an escape from Liberty and runs away to a Cacao farm owned by a distant relative. 

As Anya learns more about Cacao farming, things start to happen. With the death of Imogen, Natty's nanny, Leo, Anya's older brother, and an attempt on Anya's life, Anya has no choice but to return back home. Anya must find a way to find out who is ordering these hits, find a way to go back home safely, and to restore her father's good name. 

This is a series unlike anything I've ever read. The plot is very different and unique, as Anya tries to salvage her father's chocolate business in a world where chocolate is banned. So much is happening in this novel as each character is engrossed in their own problems. Anya is a strong, independent character that will stop at nothing to get her freedom from crimes that she did not commit. 

As soon as Anya is free from one situation, another seems to develop, never leaving Anya enough time to relax. First and foremost, family is important and Anya will risk everything to make sure that those she cares about are safe. The one main pain in Anya's plans seem to be Mr. Delacoix, Win's father, as he doesn't approve of their friendship, and with the election coming, will do anything to dispose of Anya. I hated how Win's father treated Anya and what he did to her just for his election. I also disliked how Anya started to contact Win's father after the election, and what she was planning to do, against Win's wishes. 

There's a lot of drama and second guessing who could be behind everything, and what their purpose was. I was shocked by a lot of the characters did in this novel, and by Anya's as well, as even though she's happy with Win, she goes against his wishes, and continues her path of trying to restore her father's good name. I wasn't too thrilled with the ending, and felt that Anya should have listened to Win. I could go on and on about this novel, but in general, a very action packed read, and I can't wait for the next one. 

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Rating: I give this book a 4.5/5.

Which Cover Did It Better? pt. 3

Okay, I wasn't originally going to post another one of these so soon, but these covers were creepily similar. If you thought my first two posts were scary close, check out some of these covers I found. First we have:

compared to:

Okay. Is it just me, or do these models look exactly the same, with the same position, just flipped? They weren't even trying to make it different. I literally thought I was looking at the same book. Next we have:

compared to:

I was on Amazon today, and there were plenty of covers with this style. And though they aren't completely the same like the first one, the style is the same, and isn't all that original. I swear, I saw like five or six covers with a female and a male holding hands.

And lastly we have:

compared to:

Is it just me, or do these book covers look like the same model as well, with a different colored dress and background? Sigh. By doing these posts, I think I'm getting more and more disappointed by people who approve of book covers. Can they try to make them a little more unique? Why do publishers, or even people who take the photos make it okay to have them reused by a different book? Do you as readers find it disturbing that there are so many related book covers with the same style or do you guys not care as much? Let me know what you think about similar book covers.

Review: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

                                      Book: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
                                      Pages: 468
                                      Genre: Young Adult, Romance
                                      Source: Library

Short Synopsis: Taylor's family goes back to their old lake house one more time, as her father struggles with illness.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this novel. The characters grow on you, making you devour the story, and wanting to know more.

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.
--From Goodreads

Taylor Edwards isn't too thrilled with the family's summer plans as they decide to return to their old lake house, but has no choice but to go. As she and her family return to their old summer lake house, she relives memories of past events, and is thrust back into the world with her former boyfriend and best friend, which she did not leave on good terms with. 

As Taylor continues the summer at the lake house, she manages to get a job, and a dog that continues to follow her around and thinks he lives at the house. For the most part, Taylor tries to ignore her ex-boyfriend, Henry, but they keep running into each other. As Taylor's summer is played out, she manages to come to terms with her former best friend and ex boyfriend, as well as trying to manage the inevitable fate of her father.

A bit lengthy, I enjoyed this sad novel as we discover what Taylor goes through with loss and acceptance. Second Chance Summer is all about do overs, and coming together as a family. When it comes to her own problems, Taylor is shy and not really all that independent as she tends to run away from her problems. But as the summer continues, she learns to face her problems, and that sometimes all it just takes is an apology. 

I enjoyed getting to know the characters, and the family as a whole. And though the dog wasn't part of the family in the beginning, it was cute and sweet how everyone became attached and how Murphy the dog finally did become one of them in the end. 

I wasn't to thrilled with how Taylor always seemed to run away from everything. Her past issues with her former best friend and boyfriend were definitely not the right reaction to deal with things. And Taylor's ex-boyfriend seemed pretty forgiving of Taylor, at least three times. When things got tough, Taylor seemed to run to pushing people away as a solution and made things a bit awkward. In general, a very touching, heart warming story about loss and acceptance.

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Rating: I give this book a 4/5. 

Teaser Tuesdays!

Hey readers! It's a posting of Teaser Tuesdays. Hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading, this week's teaser is...

Shadow Falls Camp is back in session with the most explosive installment yet.  A shocking new threat will rock Shadow Falls—changing it forever and altering Kylie’s journey in ways she never imagined.
Even at a camp for supernatural teens, Kylie Galen has never been normal. Not only can she see ghosts, but she doesn’t seem to belong to any one species—she exhibits traits from them all. As Kylie struggles to unlock the secrets of her identity, she begins to worry that Lucas will never be able to accept her for what she is, and what she isn’t…a werewolf.  With his pack standing in their way, Kylie finds herself turning more and more to Derek, the only person in her life who’s willing to accept the impossible.
As if life isn’t hard enough, she starts getting visits from the ghost of Holiday, her closest confidante.  Trouble is, Holiday isn’t dead…not yet anyway.  Now Kylie must race to save one of her own from an unseen danger before it’s too late—all while trying to stop her relationship with Lucas from slipping away forever.   In a world of constant confusion, there’s only one thing Kylie knows for sure.  Change is inevitable and all things must come to an end…maybe even her time at Shadow Falls.
The breathtaking fourth installment of the New York Times bestselling Shadow Falls series from author C. C. Hunter...Whispers at Moonrise.
--From Goodreads

My Teasers: "Kylie dropped down onto a living room chair while her two best friends stared at her with a mix of pity and leeriness. They thought she was crazy. Heck, maybe she was crazy. She thought the woods were calling her name and she believed she was a reptile. She leaned back and stared at the ceiling."
--P.g. 20, "Whispers at Moonrise," by C.C. Hunter. Shadow Falls #4

To play along with Teaser Tuesdays, all you have to do is:


• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Be sure to leave your links so I can check out your fun teasers too! :)

Boys of Summer

Hey everyone! I'm so happy to introduce The Boys of Summer by CJ Duggan, hosted by The Bookish Brunette. Here's more about the book:

It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.
Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.
To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.
How did she let her friends talk her into working?
After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.
All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.
It will be a summer she will always remember.
Warning: sexual references, and occasional course language. 

Goodreads link:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13562232-the-boys-of-summer

Author Bio:

C.J is an up and coming Australian Author. Her debut novel, a YA Romance 'The Boys of Summer’ is a coming of age love story set in a mythical small Australian Town in the mid 90's.
Whether juggling the pressures of a stressful day job, or be it the many realms of mundane reality? C.J has earned a name for her ballistic imagination and witty banter in her blog. Offering an honest, refreshing account with her daily rants of the world and her personal journey in being an Aspiring Author.

To find out more about C.J Duggan and her debut YA Romance
“The Boys of Summer” visit http://can-duu.blogspot.com/

Author Links:

WEB: http://cjduggan.weebly.com/ 
BLOG: http://can-duu.blogspot.com.au/ 
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/#!/CJ_Duggan
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002387829530
GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5779034.C_J_Duggan
FACEBOOK (The Boys of Summer) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cj-Duggan-The-Boys-of-Summer/207724915934429 

Top 5 Monday Rants

Hey fellow readers! It's a posting of Top 5 Monday Rants! Since the year's almost over, I decided to do a Top 5 Rant listing some of my favorite reads through out the year. They might not necessarily have been published this year, but I happen to have stumbled upon this year and loved. So, on to the list!


1) The 50 Shades of Grey Trilogy by E.L. James. Not particularly a fan of the erotic part of the story, I was more fascinated with the back story of how Ana and Christian came to be, and all the drama that got me sucked into it as well. This series was literally a major cause of commotion this year.

2) Slammed and Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover. I loved this story. More of a romantic based novel, it had a more forbidden relationship between a student and the youngest teacher at the school. It also has a unique tie in with poetry. I adored this series, and can't wait to read more from this author.

3) All These Things I've Done and Because It Is In My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin. Another interesting series. I loved the uniqueness behind this dystopian, where chocolate is banned, and a girl named Anya Balanchine is trying to restore her father's good name as well as her father's chocolate factory. It also has an interesting mob aspect to it and I can't wait for the next installment.

4) Between The Lines by Jodi Picoult. I loved how different it was than most other novels. And the fact that a girl was able to have a conversations with characters in the novel was something I've always imagined too. I loved how the girl in the novel also tried to save one of the characters from his unhappy role. A very different take on the fantasy genre, I also adored the beautiful illustrations that came along with it.

5) And, last but not least, The Trylle Series by Amanda Hocking. It was the first fantasy genre that I really enjoyed. I'm not much one for fantasy, and this series definitely got me back into it. I loved how it was set in a magical world, but instead of teleporting or doing something magically, it's still set within the states, within car traveling distance. And though there is a love triangle involved, I enjoyed the magical aspect to it as well.

Well, that's it for my Top 5 Monday Rants. Obviously there's a bigger list of great books that were read in 2012, but these were the ones that really stood out to me. Feel free to leave your list too in the comments section so I can check out your interesting list too. Have a happy Monday :)

Which Cover Did It Better pt. 2

Hey readers. I was browsing online again for some good reads and came across some very similar book   covers. I'll let you be the judge of which one did it better. First up:

Compared to:

And then I also came across these as well:

Compared to:

What do you guys think? Which cover did it better?

In My Mailbox!

Hey fellow readers! It's a posting of In My Mailbox, hosted by The Story Siren. This week I got...

Won: 

e-book copy of Betwixt -- Melissa Pearl

From Library:

Because It Is My Blood -- Gabrielle Zevin

Ten -- Gretchen McNeil

I Hunt Killers -- Barry Lyga

The Elementals -- Francesca Lia Block

The Rise of Nine -- Pittacus Lore

Whispers at Moonrise -- C.C. Hunter

Spin -- Catherine McKenzie 

Darkness Before Dawn -- J.A. London

Guitar Notes -- Mary Amato

My Double Life -- Janette Rallison.

That's all the books I got this week. Be sure to leave your link so I can check out your awesome books too. 

Review: A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

                                     Book: A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
                                     Pages: 390
                                     Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
                                     Source: traded

Short Synopsis: Skye is about to turn seventeen years old. It isn't until her birthday party that things start getting weird for Skye, as well as having two new guys catch her attention. But Skye is in far more than she's ever bargained for.

My Thoughts: I throughly enjoyed this novel, and it literally had me on the edge of my seat. It's a wonder why it took me this long to pick up.

On the night of Skye's seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites--like fire and ice--Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye's life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move--only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.
In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can't help falling for, and Devin, who she can't stay away from, the consequences of Skye's choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.
"A Beautiful Dark" is the first book in a captivating trilogy by debut author Jocelyn Davies.
--From Goodreads

Skye is about to embark on her seventeenth birthday, and spends it with her friends. On the night of her birthday party, Skye encounters two new guys who happens to catch her attention. Devin, and Asher. And if things couldn't get any weirder, Skye notices odd things about her that never happened before. Like for instance, the fact that her eyes changed to silver when they were normally gray, or the fact that a perfectly new boiler broke down. Skye doesn't know what to think.
Then she starts meeting up with Devin and Asher as they tell her that her dead parents were in fact angels, a rebel and the order, and that both her parents were in a forbidden relationship. Both Asher and Devin are angels from the rebel and the order, and they are here to protect as well as help Skye master her unique powers. And in given time, Skye must choose a side or suffer the consequences.
This novel took a little bit to get into, but as I kept reading, I was curious about the main character Skye, and was anxious to see what type of powers she could develop. And though I understand why they were constantly arguing, Devin and Asher were a bit infuriating at times with their constant back and forth banter, and Skye was most often caught in the middle.
The majority of the novel focuses on Devin and Asher trying to figure out what type of powers Skye could produce, and if she could control her powers. Another character that comes into play is Raven, who is an angel as well, but is furious at Skye for taking time away from her and Devin, as they were destined to be together, and now because of Skye, their destinies have become muddled. I'm usually not one for background history on certain issues, but I rather enjoyed reading the history on the two angel sides, and how they came to be, and what their purpose was. I loved and hated the ending, as it was a very jaw dropping ending, and am currently waiting for the next book through the mail. In general, a great start to an interesting series, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Rating: I give this book a 4/5.

Review: Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson

                                       Book: Vampire Crush by A.M. Robinson
                                       Pages: 416
                                       Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
                                       Source: Bought

Short Synopsis: Sophie's life has always been relatively normal, and always the invisible girl at school, until a small group of students transfers to Sophie's school, including Sophie's long ago childhood friend, James Hallowell. Ever since the new kids came to town, Sophie's life has been turned upside down, and Sophie has a sneaky suspicion that the new students might not be who they say they are.

My Thoughts: I loved this novel. And though the vampire genre is a bit overplayed, I still enjoyed this fast paced read, with a twist.

I swear, my life was always totally normal.
Normal house, normal family, normal school. My looks are average, I don't have any superpowers, no one's showing up to tell me I'm a princess —you get the picture. But when my junior year started, something not normal happened. There were new kids at school . . . new kids with a wardrobe straight out of a 19th-century romance novel, and an inexplicable desire to stay at school until sundown.
And on top of that, James Hallowell showed up. James, who stole my sandwiches in fourth grade and teased me mercilessly through middle school. James, who now seems to have the power to make my heart race any time he comes near.
But something weird is going on. Because James rarely goes out during the day. And he seems stronger than your typical guy. And he knows the new kids, all of whom seem to be harboring some kind of deep secret. . . .
--From Goodreads

Sophie, a strong, independent, and determined girl. All she wants to do is become Editor In Chief at her school's newspaper. She's so close to getting what she wants, Sophie will do just about anything. It isn't until new students arrive, and Sophie is assigned to do part of a profile on the new students. When the new students aren't as willing to give answers for Sophie's profile, Sophie doesn't know what to do. 

And then she meets her childhood friend, James. 

As Sophie gets to know the students a little more better, she discovers that they aren't who they seem to be, and in fact are vampires. Sophie learns that Vlad, one of the vampires that transfered, is in search of a young girl. Vlad thinks that this certain girl, is the one to bring his reputation in the vampire world back to power. It isn't until Vlad realizes that Sophie is the one he has been searching all along, that things start to go downhill from there. 

A very fast paced, and enjoyable read, I loved getting to know all the characters. Sophie doesn't always do the right thing, and is mostly filled with determination. She's a bit of a loner who avoids attention, and it isn't until these new students come to town, that she becomes a bit more noticeable. Vlad, one of the transferring students seems cool and sophisticated at first, doesn't start going a bit crazy until he realizes that Sophie is the one girl he wants. I also enjoyed reading about Sophie and James, as she rediscovers the connection they once had when they were little, and as James opens up to Sophie on how he became associated with Vlad and the other vampires that arrived.

It was interesting to read why Vlad was so interested in this special girl. He claims at first that she is a human girl that is said to cure vampirism. As it turns out, Vlad only wanted to find this special girl, as she is the one to bring Vlad's name back into power, if he is connected with her through marriage. In general, a very entertaining read with very interesting and likable characters, and a fun plot.

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Rating: I give this book a 4/5.

Teaser Tuesday!

Hey fellow readers! It's a posting of Teaser Tuesdays, hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading, this week's teaser is...

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.
--From Goodreads

My Teasers: "I looked around at the crowd, my eyes searching, even though I knew Henry wouldn't be there. But it wasn't until I knew he was absent that I realized how much I wanted him to be there."
--Page 436, "Second Chance Summer," by Morgan Matson.

To play along with Teaser Tuesday, all you have to do is:


• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Be sure to leave your link so I can check your your awesome teasers too! :)