The 5th Wave

The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey

Publisher: Putnam

May 2013

ISBN: 978-0-399-16241-1

Pages: 457

Futuristic, Ohio

The 1^st Wave leaves the world in darkness.

The 2^nd Wave the lucky ones survive.

The 3^rd Wave the unlucky are the survivors.

The 4^th Wave makes sure you trust no one.

Now the 5^th Wave is starting.

Cassie is all about survival even if that survival means running from them. The ones that look like humans but aren’t.  The ones that roam around killing everyone they see.  The ones that have made sure that Earth’s last survivors are scattered everywhere.  Cassie knows the way to stay alive is to stay by herself.  Until the day she meets Evan Walker.  Evan is the only chance Cassie has of saving her brother but can she trust him?  He is also her only chance at saving herself. Cassie now is going to have to decide to trust or not.  She will also have to choose between defiance and surrender and between life and death.  So far Cassie has chosen to fight but now she has to decide if she is going to continue to fight or to give up. 

This is a great story about the resiliency of human nature and our will to survive.  This story has a lot of action and some really good twists to it.  It is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats and turning the pages just to see where this one will go.  It will also keep the reader guessing just whose side each character is on and who is who and just what are they fighting and for.  This is the first in a trilogy that will have reader mourning how long it will be before the next one comes out.  It will also have them eagerly awaiting the next release too.  The plot in this one moves along very well and is sure to pull readers into this new world.  The story is also done in first POV so while some might find this not to their taste if they try it they will not be disappointed in the least.  It helps readers really get into the minds of the characters and help understand why they react the way they do. This one not to miss.

I give this one 5 red roses

Revealing Us

Revealing Us by Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher: Gallery Books

September 2013

ISBN:  978-1-4767-2722-6

Pages: 320

Contemporary, California & Paris, France

Sara McMillan has gotten some of the answers she was seeking when she first started looking for Rebecca through Rebecca’s life and journals.  Now Sara is starting to live a life she never imagined would be hers when she first started looking for answers.  With her relationship with artist Chris Merit she has been able to share the secrets she has always hidden but now she has to find out what secrets Chris is hiding and find out if those secrets are too dark and deep for their relationship to be able to withstand or if they are too dark and will ultimately tear them apart.  As they continue the path they have started on they are going to have obstacle thrown at them and will need to see if they have what it takes to make this relationship last and if they will be able to find a happy ever after that neither one ever thought would be possible.

This books rounds out the series very nicely and gives a lot of answers to questions that readers were left with in the previous books.  The emotional journey the characters take will have readers hoping they will be able to find the happiness that Sara and Chris have earned in their lives.  The story also makes sure there is enough suspense that the reader is sure to be turning pages just to see what is going to happen next and gives some twists readers will never see coming.  While the pace of this one is a little slower than the two previous books the reader will not be disappointed with this one.  This has some emotional parts but it give the book and characters more depth that will have readers hoping everything will turn out well. 

I give this one 4 red roses

this was an ARC for review 

Master Undone

Master Undone: An Inside Out Novella by Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher: Pocket Star

August 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4767-3851-2

Pages: 66

Mark Compton is questioning everything in his life now that Rebecca is not longer a part of it.  He is feeling lost when he felt he had total control.  Now unsure of what now his life is and where it is going he meets a woman that reaches the deepest part of him.  A woman like none of those he has always attracted to before but one that seems to have the ability to heal him through his questioning.  The more he tries to forget her the more he desires her. 

This is a fast read and gives readers a different perspective than the series has given so far.  This is a nice interlude while readers wait for the next Inside Out book.  It also gives readers a few answers to some of the questions that have been raised through the reading of the books in this series.  This is definitely worth reading for readers that have read and enjoyed the books and novellas connected to the Inside Out books. 

I give this 4-1/2 red roses

Being Me

Being Me by Lisa Renee Jones

Publisher: Gallery Books

June 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4767-2721-9

Pages: 351

Contemporary, California

As Sara McMillan is continuing her search for Rebecca she is also being drawn more and more to artist Chris Merit.  Sara also has a strong desire to indulge in her boss’ demands.  The more Sara reads in Rebecca’s journals the more she is drawn to Rebecca’s life and what Rebecca writes about. 

Though with the mystery of what has happened to Rebecca unsolved trusting the wrong man could prove to be very costly for Sara if she is not careful.  Because while it seems she has found a safe haven to share her intimate secrets and explore her fantasies she needs to figure out if that safety is real or just an illusion.  Rebecca’s haunting words is also making Sara face a past she thought she had left behind. 

This one picks up right after If I Were You left off.  This story is not a disappointment in the least.  While it does tie up some of the loose ends left from the first book it gives the reader a few more to leave them dangling for the next book.  This is also a very emotional book that will have reader reaching for a box of tissue.  The plot of this one is very good and will have readers turning the pages just to see what the characters are hiding and what will happen next.  The reader will see the characters doing some emotional growing that makes them seem even more human.  This is one series that is definitely living up to what is being said and to readers’ expectations.   While most books that end in cliff hangers tend to disappoint this one doesn’t. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses 

Mine To Take

Mine To Take by Cynthia Eden

Publisher: Cynthia Eden

June 2013

ISBN: 978-0-98555-447-7

Pages: 151

Contemporary, Chicago & New York City

Skye Sullivan knows she is being watched and stalked by someone. Months ago Skye was in a car accident that ended her dancing career and sent her back to Chicago.  Skye is afraid that her stalker will not stop until he kills her and she is convinced that he was behind her accident. 

After someone breaks into her apartment in Chicago Skye turns to the one person she is sure that can protect her.  Trace Weston, the man that was once her lover until he pushed her away and when he joined the military he completely vanished from her life.  After that she put all of her emotions into dancing in an effort to forget him and get on with her life.

Trace is now one of most successful and rich men in the United States.  He agrees to protect Skye from the danger following her but he wants more than to just be a bodyguard to her.  He wants her and is determined to have her.  He isn’t the same as he was years ago, when he was just a poor kid from the streets.  He now has the power and wealth to have anything or anyone he wants. And what he wants is Skye, the one woman he let go years ago.  This time he is determined to keep her.

The stalker is getting closer and proving to be someone that knows Skye all too well.  His attacks are getting more dangerous and if Skye trusts the wrong person it could be a fatal mistake. 

This story will have readers guessing just who the stalker is.  With plenty of suspects to chose from and the twists that this one takes it will have readers eagerly reading to see what will happen next.  The action is non-stop and the suspense keeps this moving along at a fast pace and will not disappoint the reader.  This is another great book by this author that is sure to make her an auto-buy for many readers.  The characters are well written and are three dimensional and will have readers completely able to relate to them.  This is one that proves to be a fast read no matter the number of pages.  It is one that will prove to be very hard to put down once readers start it.

I give this one 5 red roses   

The Hollow

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Publisher: Simon Pulse

August 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4169-7894-7

Pages: 509

Contemporary, Sleepy Hollow

Abbey’s best friend Kristen vanishes suddenly at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and everyone is quick to accept that Kristen is dead and that it might not have been an accident.  Abbey publically goes through the motions of mourning but privately she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone.  Out of nowhere at Kristen’s funeral she meets Caspian, a gorgeous boy that keeps appearing in Abbey’s life.  Caspian has secrets of his own but with Caspian Abbey feels normal again.  He also makes her feel special. 

As Abbey starts to accept things she learns a secret about Kristen that has her question whether or not she ever really knew her best friend.  How when they shared everything could Kristen keep silent about so much?  While reeling from what seems as a betrayal on the part of Kristen Abbey learns some more truths that nearly undo her completely.  Truths that will challenge her new love for Caspian and doubting her own sanity.

This is a wonderful twist on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  This story is contemporary but the original legend influences the current story and makes this one a must read.  The town comes to life for readers in ways that will have the reader able to completely picture the town and characters in this story.  With every word that is read the reader will be drawn more and more into the story until the very end.  It will also have the reader wanting the next book in the trilogy just to see what will happen next and just how many more twists the story will take.  This has a wonderful mystery woven seamlessly with the romance and will keep the reader engrossed to the point of hating to put the book down for any reason.  This is a Young Adult book that will have readers all ages completely enthralled with the story.

I give this one 5 red roses    

Natural Born Angel

Natural Born Angel by Scott Speer

Publisher: Razorbill

April 2013

ISBN: 978-1-59514-513-0

Pages: 353

Contemporary, Paranormal, Southern California

Maddy Montgomery’s life was changed the moment she found out she is half-Angel.  Since then she has been thrust into the world of paparazzi and fervent adulation that comes with being an Angel.  Now she is trying to juggle her regular life of family, friends and graduation with the demands of being in the public eye especially as the celebrity Angel Jackson “Jacks” Godspeed’s girlfriend.

Now Maddy is being offer the chance to be a Guardian herself.  She is going to have to deal with dangerous high stakes training and jealous full-blood Angels.  And there is a chance she won’t succeed at all.  It also means leaving her mortal life behind and allying herself with the Angels at a time when the Angels and humans’ relationship has become precarious and very volatile. 

A bombing by anti-Angels sets in motion a chain of events that will turn the City of Angels into a city in turmoil, everyone including Maddy and Jacks is going to have to choose sides.  Even if that choice puts them on opposite sides.

This story takes a twist that readers won’t have seen coming from the first book in the series.  The plot is interesting and keeps the book moving at a nice pace that will hold the reader’s interest until the very end.  It will also have readers wanting the next book to find out what will happen between Maddy and Jacks and how or if things will work out between the Angels and humans.  This one also has some twists that will have readers eagerly looking to see just what will and could happen next.  It will also have readers mourning the fact that they will have to wait for the next book to find out how things turn out.  This one is also a little darker than the first book was.

I give this one 4 red roses 

Clockwork Prince

Clockwork Prince: The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Publisher: McElderry Books

December 2011

ISBN: 978-1-4169-7588-5

Pages: 498

Steampunk, Victorian London & other parts of England

Tessa Gray has finally found a safe place with the Shadowhunters but that safety is proving to be all too fleeting as rogue forces in the world of the Shadowhunters are trying to get Tessa’s protector, Charlotte, removed as the head of the London Institute.  If Charlotte is no longer running the Institute than Tessa will be out on the streets by herself with no way to protect herself from the Magister.  The Magister is the person who is determined to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends. 

With help from both Will, who has a tendency to be self-destructive and the deeply devoted Jem, Tessa find that the Magister’s war against the Shadowhunters is very personal.  The Magister blames the Shadowhutners for a tragedy that shattered his life.  To find the truth they are going to have to travel to a Yorkshire manor house that has untold horrors.  They will also have to go from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa learns the truth of her parentage is a lot more sinister than she had thought. 

When a clockwork demon delivers a warning to Will they find that somehow the Magister knows all their moves and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds herself drawn more and more to Jem while she also longs for Will.  Though something is changing in Will and the walls he has built around himself are coming down.  Will finding the Magister give Tessa the answers she is seeking about herself and will it finally free Will from the secrets he is keeping? The danger increases the more they search for the Magister.

This is another great story in the trilogy.  The story pulls the reader into the world of clockwork devises and has so many twists and turns that the reader will want to read this one straight through.  The reader will never see some of the twists this one takes and it will leave readers desperately reading just to see what comes next.  The plot is well written and will have readers guessing what is going on and just what will happen next.  The story will also have readers wanting the last book in the trilogy just to see how it all ends.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses 

Beautiful Chaos

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Publisher: Little, Brown

June 2012

ISBN: 978-0-316-12351-8

Pages: 516

Contemporary, Paranormal, Gatlin South Carolina

Ethan Wate thought he had finally gotten used to the strange happenings in his small town of Gatlin.  But ever since Ethan and Lena had returned to Gatlin from the Great Barrier the things that Ethan had gotten used to, have taken a turn to even more bizarre occurrences.  Now they are dealing the record-breaking heat, swarms of locusts and devastating storms. 

Lena Duchannes and Ethan struggle to understand her Claiming especially ever since then her powerful family of Supernaturals have been affected.  Their abilities have been misfiring lately and it is getting dangerous. 

Now it looks like something or someone is going to have to be sacrificed to save Gatlin this time around.  The only question is what or who?  Sometimes there is no going back.

This is another great book in the series and picks up right after the last one left off.  This is one series that once the reader starts it they will find it hard to leave this world of characters and circumstances.  The world in which this series takes place is very engaging and comes to life with every word that is read.  This one will also have readers reaching for the next book in the series to make sure things do work out because this one ends is a slight cliffhanger that will have readers wanting to know what happens next.    The ending on this one leaves things not looking real bright for Ethan this time around but will have readers wanting the next book to see how things turn out.

I give this one 5 red roses