Sunday, July 31, 2016

Doc by Mary Doria Russell

Born to the life of a Southern gentleman, Dr. John Henry Holliday arrives on the Texas frontier hoping that the dry air and sunshine of the West will restore him to health. Soon, with few job prospects, Doc Holliday is gambling professionally with his partner, Mária Katarina Harony, a high-strung, classically educated Hungarian whore. In search of high-stakes poker, the couple hits the saloons of Dodge City. And that is where the unlikely friendship of Doc Holliday and a fearless lawman named Wyatt Earp begins— before the gunfight at the O.K. Corral links their names forever in American frontier mythology—when neither man wanted fame or deserved notoriety. @goodreads


 MY REVIEW:


  4 STARS 


He began to die when he was twenty-one, but tuberculosis is slow and sly and subtle. The disease took fifteen years to hollow out his lungs so completely they could no longer keep him alive. In all that time, he was allowed a single season of something like happiness.



This book is an historical fiction book. There are many things that are true historical facts wrapped around some great fiction by the author. There are a couple of mentions of Tombstone in the book, but this is mostly about Dr. John Henry Holliday's (Doc) life as a child and then growing up to become a great dentist and living in Dodge City.

I really enjoyed all of the things I learned about this man and I can't help myself in picturing Doc and the gang in Tombstone. It's still one of my favorite movies, because of Val Kilmer's role. In reading THIS book, the parts that had Doc conversing was a dead ringer for him in the Tombstone movie.

I felt really bad for Doc (or anyone) having tuberculosis. All Doc wanted to do was to be a wonderful dentist. Although, he became a card man, a gunfighter, and whatever else you want to call him, he was a very respectable acting man in real life. 


When he arrived in Dodge City in 1878 Dr. John Henry Holliday was a frail twenty-six-year-old dentist who wanted nothing grander than to practice his profession in a prosperous Kansas cow town. Hope-cruelest of the evils that escaped Pandora's box-smiled on him gently all that summer. While he lived in Dodge, the quiet life he yearned for seemed to lie within his grasp.

I was hoping there was going to be more about Doc and Wyatt's friendship. Well, Doc was friends with all of the Earp's but it's mostly about Kate and Doc. I just didn't like her in this book at all. There are some scenes with Wyatt but I would say more with Wyatt's brother Morgan.

One of Doc and Wyatt's good friend John Horse Sanders was burned up in a barn fire in the book. Doc identified him for sure by his dental work. But Doc also found a blunt force trauma to the back of his head and he knew that John had been killed. No one would look into it though, until later when Wyatt came to town. Doc eventually finds out what happened and it's a shame, but those were the days.




Doc was a very interesting character and a very nice man to the people most made fun of or just plain ignored. He didn't put up with any stupidity either though.



Overall I enjoyed the book and really loved reading about Doc, I think there should be more books written about him. "You will always be a daisy, Doc."

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"Let us consider the plight of the rattleshake," Doc suggested softly, eyes on the cards. "The rattlesnake is feared and loathed, and yet he has no claws, no legs. He does not look for fights and gives fair warning if he is threatened, but if he is attacked, he cannot flee. All he has is his mouth . . ."

Partly, it was the fancy way he talked. Partly, it was the slow, slurry sound of Georgia. Mostly, it was just that the dentist didn't think like anybody else. Wyatt looked away and back again. "I don't know what in the hell you're talking about, Doc."
 
GOODREADS REVIEW:
 
 
 
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
 

Finders Keepers by Stephen King

A masterful, intensely suspenseful novel about a reader whose obsession with a reclusive writer goes far too far—a book about the power of storytelling, starring the same trio of unlikely and winning heroes King introduced in Mr. Mercedes

“Wake up, genius.” So begins King’s instantly riveting story about a vengeful reader. The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.

Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later, a boy named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after thirty-five years.

Not since Misery has King played with the notion of a reader whose obsession with a writer gets dangerous. Finders Keepers is spectacular, heart-pounding suspense, but it is also King writing about how literature shapes a life—for good, for bad, forever. @goodreads


MY REVIEW:


4 STARS 

Did anyone else notice the little smiley used as the dot after Mr. on the front of the book? I have had this book for a couple of months and been reading on it for a few days and finally noticed it. I thought something spilled on my book and was trying to rub it off until I figured it out! Lol, I thought it was cool, the smiley, not thinking something spilled on my book!
 :

I enjoyed this book with the new and old characters. I thought it was well written and all of the characters were nicely played.

**** MILD SPOILERS****

The story is told in two time lines and ultimately makes its way to present day. In the 90's a nutcase named Morris Bellamy kills a famous author named John Rothstein. He then steals his money from the safe and a collection of Rothstein's books that have never been published.

Morris panics and hides all of the stuff away in an old trunk at the back of his family house in the woods. Then Morris goes to jail on a totally different charge where he gets what he deserves from his cellmate in my opinion.

Jump ahead to 2010 and you have a family living in Morris old house. The parents are having a hard time financially when Mr. Saubers was hit by Mr. Mercedes in the City Center Massacre. Now Mrs. Saubers is the only one bringing in a little income. They have two children named Pete and Tina.

One day Pete is out in the back woods and ends up finding the truck with all of the money and novels in it. Pete proceeds to send anonymous envelopes to his family over the few years and it helps them out of their money issues. He keeps and hides the manuscripts in the house.


 :

When the money runs out, Pete tries to find a away to sell the manuscripts without getting caught. Well, this doesn't go over too well, especially after many years, Morris is let out of jail.

Pete's little sister, Tina gets in touch with Holly and Mr. Hodges at their place of work called Finders Keepers. They decide to help find out what is going on with Peter. It was nice to see some of the old gang back together. Even Jerome comes home from Harvard to visit and he gets in on the hunt for answers. We get an appearance of Odell, Jerome's dog. :-) I have to mention that because I love dogs and I loved Odell in the first book.

Anyway, things finally get figured out and some peeps die and some craziness happens and more peeps die but mostly it works out.

Also Mr. Hodges keeps going to visit Mr. Mercedes in the hospital. Hodges thinks he is faking his craziness or veg state, whatever you want to call it. I'm really hoping something more happens with that in the next book!

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GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1246799751

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Finders-Keepers-Novel-Hodges-Trilogy/dp/1501100076/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1469967694&sr=8-1

Friday, July 29, 2016

Hunter Undone by Eden Ashe

A psychic gypsy. A demon hunter living in the shadows.

Tyler Wade’s entire life revolves around hunting down and killing the things that go bump in the night.

Shay Evernight embraces everything Tyler fights against. She talks to ghosts, she has terrifying visions of his future, and she’s determined to help Tyler's mother. His long-dead mother.

When the truth of his mother’s disappearance comes to light, demons start popping up around town, and Shay’s visions get more terrifying. Can two people who have spent their lives in the shadows of their secrets come into the light together as war clouds gather? @goodreads


MY REVIEW:

4 STARS 


Okay, I have had a "judge a book by its cover" moment! I couldn't help myself :-D. It sounds good though!!

7-29-16 99 cent on kindle, also on kindle unlimited.

Well this book was a lot of fun. I needed some fun today =)

Tyler Wade is a demon hunter and he has been called back to his home of many years ago to find out some information about his mother. Shay Evernight has visions and talks to ghosts and she has been talking to Tyler's mom. Shay is the one that brings him back home.

Apparently there are some evil things brewing in his old home town.

Shay has a very bizarre family, they deal in magic and other things. People in the town are a little wary of them, but they love Shay. She is a nice person and not like her family at all.

Tyler and Shay do not hit it off at first. Tyler just wants to find out what's going on and get out of town.

Not long after being there, Tyler runs into a demon. Such fun right? He can sense them around. And it shows up at the pub in the middle of everyone having a grand time.


 :

Tyler makes short work of that one and people are freaked out of course.

Deacon is the chief of police and he knew Tyler from a child. But now he's all freaked out too with demons being around. Even though, he still helps Tyler get to the bottom of things because Deacon has a love interest in the book too that he wants to protect. We come to find out the demons are sent after Shay. And no, I can't tell you why because you can read it yourself. Tyler does get some help from a couple of this other demon hunters at the end. I'm hoping we will see some stories involving them as well in the next books.

And you all know that Shay and Tyler finally get over themselves and get together. YEP, there are some sexy scenes in the book.




I thought this was a great little book to read when you want something a little different for the day. And um, yeah, the cover =) I couldn't help myself and at least I enjoyed the book! 


GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1712475395

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Hunter-Undone-Hunters-Willow-Creek-ebook/dp/B01F2J6MAA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469811720&sr=8-1&keywords=hunter+undone

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Ripple by Heather Smith Meloche

When their too-adult lives lead them down self-destructive paths, these broken teens find a way to heal in this YA novel perfect for fans of Ellen Hopkins.

With her impossible-to-please grandmother on her back about college and her disapproving step-dad watching her every move, Tessa would do anything to escape the pressure-cooker she calls home. So she finds a shot of much-needed power and confidence by hooking up with boys, even though it means cheating on her boyfriend. But when she's finally caught red-handed, she’ll do anything she can to cover up what she's done.

Jack is a prankster who bucks the system every chance he gets—each transgression getting riskier and riskier. He loves the thrill, and each adventure allows a little release because his smug smile and suave demeanor in the face of authority doesn’t make life at home with his mom any less tough. He tries to take care of her, but the truth is he's powerless in the face of her fragile mental health. So he copes in his own way, by defacing public property and pulling elaborate pranks, though he knows in the end this’ll only screw up his life even more.

As they both try not to let their self-destructive patterns get the best of them, Tessa and Jack gravitate toward one another, discovering the best parts of themselves in the process. An honest portrayal of the urges that drive us and finding the strength to overcome them. @goodreads


MY REVIEW:

4 STARS 


 :

OMG! This book was painful to read at times. The things the people go through in this book, I can't even!

This is a story about Tessa and Jack.

Tessa lives with her mom, stepdad and little sister Willow. Tessa's stepdad is an alcoholic. Things are not all that great. Tessa's grandmother (who is the mom of her biological dad that walked out on Tessa and her mom) is rich and owns a business called Leighton Custom Homes. She wants Tessa to go to the U of M and work at LCH and take over one day. Tessa wants to be an artist, but she feels forced to do what her grandmother wants because of reasons I won't say due to no spoilers.


 :

Jack and his mom move in next door to Tessa and her family. Jack's mom used to be a big attorney and still does some tiny cases. She was always an alcoholic, but now she's worse and she has schizophrenia. Jack's father left after a tragedy happened and caused Jack's mom to lose it. Jack's dad wants him to come and live with him but Jack needs to take care of his mom. He goes to school, gets in trouble, is very smart though, and he works a few different jobs to try to pay the bills. He also plays the violin.


 :

Tessa has a boyfriend on the football team and his name is Seth. But Tessa does some terrible things to try to make herself feel better. They are not good things and she knows it but for now she feels that is all she has got.

Jack is a trouble maker. He doesn't do really bad things, mostly funny stuff that does get him into a lot of trouble. It's sort of a way to get his mind off all of the bad things in his life. But he's also a good guy, he plays his violin for the nursing home. He's just stuck.

Tessa and Jack find each other and can be honest with each other with their most terrible secrets. They don't have to be afraid of each other. This does take some time to happen but it's nice to find a true friend and they do have a love interest with each other. But this isn't a big time love book. It's about people going through things and helping each other. It's really bittersweet.

There is a moment in the book when something else bad happens that I should have seen. I am usually good at that, but it slipped right by me. One of those parts that breaks your heart for so many people and almost gets someone killed! This is why I like reading with other people so we can talk about the OMG moments!

Anyway, I thought the book was really good. I loved most of the characters even with their flaws. Well, okay the not so good characters were very well played as well.

I also like that the author put in some websites at the end concerning, sex, alcoholics and mental health. All of these things are real and need to be addressed and people helped if they can be.


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For guidance with alcohol/drug abuse and mental disorders contact: samhsa.gov

*I would like to thank Penguin Books and The First Reads Program for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1711915172

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Ripple-Heather-Smith-Meloche/dp/0399175903/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1469747913&sr=1-1

Forgive me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Today is Leonard Peacock’s birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather’s P-38 pistol.

But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate, Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school’s class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.

In this riveting look at a day in the life of a disturbed teenage boy, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made—and the light in us all that never goes out. @goodreads


MY REVIEW:

3 STARS 


 :

I had this idea that I would love this book a lot, but I just didn't. I love these kinds of books because they touch on real things in life, sad things. I just didn't feel it with this book.

Leonard is going to kill his ex-best friend and himself. We don't find out until near the end why he wants to kill Asher and then himself. I feel like it would have been better if we got some more insight into the bad things that happened with these two boys. I would have felt more connected to Leonard that way.

Leonard goes throughout the day giving gifts to his friends and teacher. Maybe some are not necessarily friends, but people that touched him in some way. Although, I didn't like his story line with Lauren. He was pretty much an a••hole with her.

I liked Leonard's teacher Herr Silverman. He was a kind teacher and he understood a lot more than people would think. But, I really couldn't stand Leonard's mother, she was horrible to him. That just had to be a sad existence with her.

Leonard has so many things going on in his head. And he picks the day to kill Asher and himself on his own birthday that his mom didn't even remember.




Overall I liked the idea of the book and the character of the teacher. I just wish there was a little bit more to the story. But I'm so glad there are many more than can love it and get more out of it than I did because that's what it's all about ♥

GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1711743969

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Forgive-Leonard-Peacock-Matthew-Quick/dp/031622135X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469723421&sr=8-1&keywords=forgive+me+leonard+peacock

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

And I Darken by Kiersten White

No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point. @goodreads


MY REVIEW:


5 STARS 

 :

Vlad Dracul's heavy brow descended like a storm when the doctor informed him that his wife had given birth to a girl.

Oh, little did he know that he would have one of the most brutal, bad@ssed girl known to man!

Lada waved the knife at him in answer to the question she did not understand. Vlad raised an eyebrow. He was wrapped in a fine cloak, an elaborate hat on his head. It had been nearly a year since Lada had seen her father. She did not recognize him.

"Lada!" the nurse whispered. "Come here at once."

Lada stood as tall as her short, stocky legs allowed. "This is my home! I am the Order of the Dragon! I kill infidels!"


I am totally in love with the character of Ladislav Dragwlya (Lada). She is beyond bad. She just doesn't care and she will attack anyone. She wants to be equal with men. She doesn't care to be married off. She doesn't care to do women stuff. She trains to be a soldier, a warrior woman. She bad to the bone from the get go.

Radu had braced for another blow when Aron's shout made him open his eyes. Aron was spinning in a circle, trying desperately to dislodge Lada. She was not supposed to be here, but somehow her presence was unsurprising. She had jumped on the boy's back, clasping her arms around him and pinning his arms to his sides. Radu could not see her face through her tangled drape of hair until Aron twisted to the side, revealing Lada's teeth sunk into his shoulder

I wish I could have been like her with all of the bullies in school :-)

Radu is Lada's younger brother, but she doesn't coddle him or give him comfort like a normal sister. She will take up for him but she will smack him around as well. Although, when they get a little older she's not as bad to him.

I was thinking this was going to be a cool book about the awesome Vlad and his kids but Vlad is like a little sissy compared to his daughter Lada. They sort of switched places.

This book took a lot of time building up to what I'm hoping is going to be an awesome saga. With that ending I do believe so.

Vlad let Halil Pasha take Lada and Radu to the Ottoman Court. He turned them over to an enemy. Although, he wasn't bad to the kids. He gave them schooling and decided to marry Lada off when the time came. Oh and that decision went down well, so she got sent off to another place with one of the sultan's sons to do more schooling with the son, Mehmed and her brother Radu.


Lada spoke with a quiet, clear voice, and the room hushed in surprise. No one expected the girl to speak. She was probably not allowed to. Radu knew Lada would not care either way. "On our wedding night," she said. "I will cut out your tongue and swallow it. Then both tongues that spoke our marriage vows will belong to me, and I will be wed only to myself. You will most likely choke to death on your own blood, which will be unfortunate, but I will be both husband and wife and therefore not a widow to be pitied.



There is no one like her. To be that brutal and not take no sh*t in those times is just beyond coolness!

Lada eventually started training with the Janissaries. They are a form of soldiers that are paid a good wage. She became friends with them when she didn't take crap from them either. She eventually got her wish of becoming one of them, but oh so much more.


"Not very pretty for a whore." The soldier behind her tugged on a strand of her hair. She ducked under his arm, grabbing his wrist and twisting it behind his back to pin him. It was a trick she learned under the harsh tutelage of Mircea and perfected by practicing on Bogdan and Radu. The soldier shouted angrily and tried to pull away, so she twisted harder, pushing up against the joint. He yelped in pain.

"You are prettier than I." She put more pressure on his arm. "Perhaps you could offer yourself as whore instead."


She's amazing!

Lada, Mehmed and Radu bond, as much as Lada allows herself to bond. I really enjoyed all of that storyline. There are some love interests in the book but they don't really go too far with that because it's more about kicking arse and getting the story set up. 


Lada huffed, exasperated. "Very well. What exactly does a friend do?"
"I have never had one. I was hoping you would know."
"Then you are even stupider than you look. Radu is the one who makes friends. I am the one who makes people want to whip me."

"Good. In the spirit of friendship, I must tell you that I am bitterly jealous of the time you spend in the Janisssaries' company. I want you to stop training with them.
"And, in the spirit of friendship, I must tell you that I do not care in the slightest about your petty jealousies. I am late for my training." She hooked her foot behind Mehmed's ankle, then slammed her shoulder into his, tripping him and throwing him to the ground.


 :

At some point Mehmed becomes sultan when his father just decides to retire. There is a whole other story line going on there too, but I don't want to give out spoilers on certain things. Lada does end up saving a bunch of lives and there are more wars and what not.

Either way, I loved this book. I love Lada and I look forward to the rest of the books! Please be good!


 :

"Not Dragwlya," she said. "Lada Dracul. I am not longer the daughter of the dragon." She lifted her chin, sights set on the horizon. "I am the dragon."

  
 
GOODREADS REVIEW:

 
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
 
 

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

A star quarterback and a feisty detective play for keeps in this sporty, sexy, sassy novel—a long-awaited new entry in the beloved, award-winning, New York Times bestselling author’s fan-favorite Chicago Stars football series.

Piper Dove is a woman with a dream—to become the best detective in the city of Chicago. First job? Trail former Chicago Stars quarterback, Cooper Graham. Problem? Graham’s spotted her, and he’s not happy.

Which is why a good detective needs to think on her feet. “The fact is...I’m your stalker. Not full-out barmy. Just...mildly unhinged.”

Piper soon finds herself working for Graham himself, although not as the bodyguard he refuses to admit he so desperately needs. Instead, he’s hired her to keep an eye on the employees at his exclusive new nightclub. But Coop’s life might be in danger, and Piper’s determined to protect him, whether he wants it or not. (Hint: Not!) If only she weren’t also dealing with a bevy of Middle Eastern princesses, a Pakistani servant girl yearning for freedom, a teenager who just wants to fit in, and an elderly neighbor demanding Piper find her very dead husband.

And then there’s Cooper Graham himself, a legendary sports hero who always gets what he wants—even if what he wants is a feisty detective hell bent on proving she’s as tough as he is.

From the bustling streets of Chicago to a windswept lighthouse on Lake Superior to the glistening waters of Biscayne Bay, two people who can’t stand to lose will test themselves and each other to discover what matters most. @goodreads


MY REVIEW:


5 STARS 

And to think, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book because I don't care for football. Yeah, I don't like football, don't judge me =) But, it's freaking awesome. I laughed and laughed some more. I thought I was going to croak I was laughing so hard. The character of Piper Dove is awesome! I want her as my best friend. She's full of snark, she's kind and she can spout off one liners like no one else! and she's super smart too! And she can kick butt! Obviously she's cool, you get it?


She gave him a faintly pitying look. "So rich and yet so dumb." It felt good to see what he couldn't. "The reality is that you're so used to everybody bowing and scraping that you don't understand most people only show you their best side. You've forgotten how many creeps there are. All your fame has made you a babe in the woods when it comes to living in the real world."

••••••

Heath grinned. "I like this woman."
"No mystery why," Coop retorted.
It was a mystery to Piper, but she had something more pressing on her mind. "This is clearly not working," she declared as Louise went off to gather more dresses Piper didn't' want to wear. "I'd freeze to death in every one of these. Not to mention that I can't do my job if I'm worrying the whole time about my . . . my cooter hanging out!"
That cracked them both up, clearly signaling that it was time for Piper to take charge. "Louise, you and I need to talk . . ."

•••••

He jutted his jaw. "You're riding high right now, but once the boss stops boning you, he won't even remember your name."
A fireball exploded in her head, and she dug her finger into the middle of his chest. "Meet me in the alley after closing, you scumbag. Then we'll see who has the biggest set of balls."
She'd finally pierced his swagger. "Are you serious? You want to fight me?"
Not exactly. But just because he was big didn't mean he was quick, and maybe she'd get lucky. Probably not, but maybe. She curled her lip at him. "Why not?"
He puffed out his chest. "I'm not fighting a chick."
"Afraid I'll get you pregnant?"
He stepped back, as if she were contagious. "You're a lunatic, you know that?"
She grimaced as he stalked off. He was quite possibly right.




OMG! I could sit and write excerpts on this book all day, but I will stop.

So Piper is a private detective and Cooper is a retired football player that owns a nightclub. Through some crazy circumstances, Piper gets hired to watch Cooper's employee's. She also ends up being a body guard in a sense.


 :

It seems there are some things going on at Cooper's club right under his nose and wonderful Piper is on the case. As you can figure they end up having a love connection but it's actually a really good one. It's not some (lets put the whole book on the sideline so we can have sex every 5 minutes) it's an actual story line with wonderful characters and a great plot.

Piper is staying in one of the two apartments over the club. Jada and her mother live in the other one and I just love Jada. She is funny and does some crazy stuff. Of course there are a lot of crazy stuff in the book. There is also good deeds, sex, love, snark, bad guys, guns, fights, and some other stuff that I probably left out.

As far as I know, since I'm crazy, this is the first book by the author I have read but if all of her characters are as cool as Piper than I want to read many more books from her!


*I would like to thank William Morrow for a print copy of this book for my honest review.* 

GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1704884132

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/First-Star-See-Tonight-Chicago/dp/0062405616/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469554320&sr=8-1&keywords=first+star+i+see+tonight

The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner

The powerful story of two teenagers finding friendship, comfort, and first love in the days following 9/11 as their fractured city tries to put itself back together.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, sixteen-year-old Kyle Donohue watches the first twin tower come down from the window of Stuyvesant High School. Moments later, terrified and fleeing home to safety across the Brooklyn Bridge, he stumbles across a girl perched in the shadows. She is covered in ash and wearing a pair of costume wings. With his mother and sister in California and unable to reach his father, a New York City detective likely on his way to the disaster, Kyle makes the split-second decision to bring the girl home. What follows is their story, told in alternating points of view, as Kyle tries to unravel the mystery of the girl so he can return her to her family. But what if the girl has forgotten everything, even her own name? And what if the more Kyle gets to know her, the less he wants her to go home? The Memory of Things tells a stunning story of friendship and first love and of carrying on with our day-to-day living in the midst of world-changing tragedy and unforgettable pain—it tells a story of hope.@goodreads


MY REVIEW:

 4 STARS 


 :

On the day of 9/11, Kyle is trying to hurry home to Brooklyn. They let out school so everyone can try to get home. On the way he sees a girl looking over the bridge. He thinks she's going to jump. He grabs her arm and makes her come with him. She's wearing white angel wings.


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The story is written in two different views. One from Kyle and the other from the girl which is written in bits and pieces. Fragments of memories she can't quite grasp. She doesn't even know her name. She feels like she's falling apart, but doesn't know why.



Kyle does the best he can for a teenager. He has a girl to take care of that can't remember anything. An uncle that was in a accident and pretty much paralyzed. His dad is in the middle of the chaos trying to find survivors. His mom and sister are stuck in another state. So it's up to Kyle to take care of all three of them all the while worrying about what it is going to happen to his dad.

Kyle finally gets the girl to talking and watching tv. He gets her to eat and she seems to get along great with Kyle's uncle. And slowly, over time, with Kyle's help and the tv, she remembers who she is and it's pretty heartbreaking.

This is a beautifully, sad story about coming of age in a world that has went so wrong. The strengths that each person has to go through and help others. The fear of no seeing family members again. Many, many fears.

I thought this was a heartfelt book and I loved all of the characters. They were beautifully written and I cared for each one of them. 


*I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*




And we will never forget
 
GOODREADS REVIEW:
 
 
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
 

Sunday, July 24, 2016

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

'On what slender threads do life and fortune hang'

Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas' epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialised in the 1840s.

Robin Buss' lively translation is complete and unabridged, and remains faithful to the style of Dumas' original. This edition includes an introduction, explanatory notes and suggestions for further reading. @goodreads


MY REVIEW:

5 STARS 


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ALL THE FREAKING FEELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I never in a million years would have thought I would love this book! I never thought I would like something like this book. I never thought I would fall in love with Dantes! I never thought I would have so much anger, sadness, despair and happiness in this book! I never thought, did I!

*********SOME SPOILERS**********

Edmond Dantes was a wonderful man of 19-years-old. He had a woman he loved and was going to marry named Mercedes. A loving father. And he was going to be captain of the wonderful ship, Pharaon.

The the jealous bastards or just bastards in general ruined life for Dantes.


1. Danglars
2. Fernand
3. Villefort


I hate these men with such a passion I just wanted someone to kill their evil selves.



All of the jerks had a hand in putting Dantes in prison for 14 effing years! Yeah! For what? For NOTHING!

Dantes was in such despair he was going to starve himself to death. I can't even!

Then one night Dantes hears a scratching sound and soon realizes someone is tunneling. Dantes decides to tunnel as well. At some point the two of them tunnel to each other. Dantes gets to meet Abbe Faria, the mad man (so they say) in the cell next door. Abbe Faria thinks he's tunneling out to freedom but he made a miscalculation. But Dantes and Abbe devise a new plan and this takes some years to do all of this tunneling. But the Abbe is old and sick and having seizures. He's not going to be able to make it so Dantes waits with him. He is like another father figure to Dantes. And who in the hell but Dantes would wait and not leave his friend. Because Dantes is good and kind and loving.

Abbe Faria is also the one that opens Dantes eyes to who the culprits were that put him in jail. Poor Dantes couldn't see this at the time and he couldn't read what we were reading so he had no clue. Abbe Faria also tells Dantes about tons of gold and jewels that he has hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. He makes Dantes remember everything about getting there and where to find the treasure.

Unfortunately, Abbe Faria dies and it was so sad. Dantes was so grief stricken over his friend. Dantes decided to leave then as he had nothing else to stay for and he put himself in Abbe Faria's place all wrapped up waiting to be buried. Well, he doesn't actually get buried but thrown out to sea and luckily Dantes managed to save himself.

We go on to read of the tale of how Dantes get to Monte Cristo and soon he is beyond rich and he is so smart and reading to get IT DONE!

And Dantes doesn't just run off and kill people. He's smart. He tears down their houses, their world without them knowing who he is until the bitter end. And all of the riches they acquired while he rotted in jail was disgusting. Anyway, some people did die but that's of little importance.




Dantes is also kind to all of the people that were kind to him or tried to help him while he was in jail. He's such a wonderful person. Yes, I know I keep saying that. He helps Morrel and his family when they were about to lose everything. They even lost the Pharaon but Dantes brings him a new one without Morrel even knowing where the ship came from. Dantes gave them money. He helped the family even after Morrel was gone. I cried and cried at his generosity.

And to sit and read of all the plans and all of the people crumble.

The only person to recognize Dantes, even with his disguises, was Mercedes. But she went and married freaking Fernand and had a kid. Dantes was friends with Mercedes son but things could never be good for them again. And it's so, so sad for so many involved.

Oh, and Dantes called himself "Sinbad the Sailor" and "The Count of Monte Cristo." Of course I guess if you own a rock and gold and jewels and many other things, you can call yourself anything you want! :-)

I can't sit here and go on and on about the book. It's freaking 1276 pages! I'm not that good of a reviewer to tell you something good about that many pages. Just know. . . THIS BOOK is freaking AWESOME! If you have been debating on reading it and afraid of it's size, who cares, just read it. I mean you can take two months or however long to enjoy Dantes and his adventures, but don't let the "tome" bother you. It's not boring at all! NOT ONE BIT!

I give it all the stars!




Sail on dear, Dantes!

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GOODREADS REVIEW:


AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:


Friday, July 22, 2016

The Dead Boyfriend by R. L. Stine






I don't have a blurb to the book as this was an ARC and I can't find one on any resources. The back of the ARC has a blurb but it uses a different name for the boyfriend so I'm just going to leave it at this and you can read my review.

MY REVIEW:

3.5 STARS 

3.5 Stars

*I won this book in the GOODREADS FIRSTREADS giveaway*

***Mild Spoilers***

I love Fear Street, I read them like crazy growing up and I'm hoping I still have some old books in boxes around here. This one was good and made me think of my old crazy old school books where I yell at everyone in the book because they are being stupid.



I liked the end and I didn't like the end.

1. B/C that ending would be so cool if you take out your thoughts of "it can't work that way."

2. B/C there is no way someone could die and you put out a book about it and someone not go to jail.

Caitlyn is the main character of the book and she's a nut! She is crazy in everything she does. She has two best friends that try to keep her in hand, but NOT. Then she meets some guy at the mall named Blade and immediately has a connection to him. I don't mind insta-love because I have that in my fantasies in my head, but this is just cray! And then some randomness happens to Caitlyn after work and she goes and buys a knife, which her friends tell her is dangerous.




Then we have cray number 2 which would be Deena Fear. She's all about spells and making people do things and some other stuff I won't even get into.. plus she thinks that Blade is hers and Caitlyn's. For real?



Then Blade gets into a mortal accident and he's out of the picture... or is he? Bring out the creepy Deena Fear and let her get her spell on.




So without giving out any more mild spoilers, I'm just going to say I did like the book because it's Fear Street. And be for real, what is not crazy in a Fear Street book. People are dying, screaming, killing, driving like nuts, doing spells, seeing ghosts and dead people. You name it, Fear Street will have it.

Anyway, it was a fun little ride and made me think of my childhood reading some spookies and that's all that matters. Well, this isn't spooky but I digress!


GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1704791553

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Boyfriend-Fear-Street-Novel/dp/1250058953/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469227806&sr=1-1&keywords=the+dead+boyfriend

The Ferryman Institute by Colin Gigl

In this stunning, fantastical debut novel from a bold new voice in the bestselling traditions of Christopher Moore and Jasper Fforde, a ferryman for the dead finds his existence unraveling after making either the best decision or the biggest mistake of his immortal life.

Ferryman Charlie Dawson saves dead people—somebody has to convince them to move on to the afterlife, after all. Having never failed a single assignment, he's acquired a reputation for success that’s as legendary as it is unwanted. It turns out that serving as a Ferryman is causing Charlie to slowly lose his mind. Deemed too valuable by the Ferryman Institute to be let go and too stubborn to just give up in his own right, Charlie’s pretty much abandoned all hope of escaping his grim existence. Or he had, anyway, until he saved Alice Spiegel. To be fair, Charlie never planned on stopping Alice from taking her own life—that sort of thing is strictly forbidden by the Institute—but he never planned on the President secretly giving him the choice to, either. Charlie’s not quite sure what to make of it, but Alice is alive, and it’s the first time he’s felt right in more than two hundred years.

When word of the incident reaches Inspector Javrouche, the Ferryman Institute's resident internal affairs liaison, Charlie finds he's in a world of trouble. But Charlie’s not about to lose the only living, breathing person he’s ever saved without a fight. He’s ready to protect her from Javrouche and save Alice from herself, and he’s willing to put the entire continued existence of mankind at risk to do it.

Written in the same vein as bestselling modern classics such as The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde and A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore, The Ferryman Institute is a thrilling supernatural adventure packed with wit and humor. @goodreads


MY REVIEW:

4 STARS 


Charlie Dawson has been a ferryman working for The Ferryman Institute for many years. He gets assignments from his manager and gets them set up from his navigator and off he goes with his special key. This key takes him to the person he needs to talk into going through their door once they are dead. It's a very heartbreaking job that Charlie has to do and he's the best the Institute has at completing.


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Charlie is tired, very tired. He has tried to transfer out for years now but they keep turning him down. They just can't let their best man go. But geez, it's making him crazy. It's been over 200 years! But one day Charlie gets a letter from the president of the institute that says "Be a ferryman or save the girl."

Well this is a no brainer. How many times has Charlie wanted to save a life, too many to count. The woman he is going to save is Alice Spiegal. The way they meet is totally off the wall and crazy and funny.

I loved the character of Charlie and Alice, but I must say that Alice is my favorite character. She's a little OCD, okay, a lot OCD and other issues and she's funny and snarky. Oh, she can bring the snark. I want to add so many excerpts but I won't so it can be fresh to the reader!

When Charlie saves Alice it gives this jerk named Javrouche an excuse to come after him because it's against the law to do what Charlie did AND no one can find the letter from the president.

Needless to say there are all kinds of crazy stuff that goes down after this point. I loved most of the characters and the story line itself. The author has set the book up for a sequel if that is to be a plan for the future.

I think a lot of people will love Charlie and Alice and a few others as much as I did, they are one of a kind. That much is for sure :-)


*I would like to thank Netgalley and Gallery Books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*


GOODREADS REVIEW:

 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1699870558

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Ferryman-Institute-Novel-Colin-Gigl/dp/150112532X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469213087&sr=1-1&keywords=the+ferryman+institute