Book Reviews – Page 5 – Cindy's Love Of Books

Review/ The Forgotten Ones

Posted on June 5, 2014June 6, 2014 by Cindy

Title: The Forgotten Ones (book 1)
Series: The Danaan Trilogy
Author: Laura Howard
Pub Date: May 2013
Publisher: Finding Bliss Publishing
Pages: 197

Source: I received an ebook from My Family’s Heart Book Reviews & Tours to read and review as part of my tour stop for Laura Howard’s first book in The Danaan Trilogy, The Stone Destiny.

About The Book:

Allison O’Malley’s plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember. What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison’s mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn’t trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother’s sanity.

The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard is her debut novel. I have to say if Stone of Destiny (book 2) in the series is anything like this one I am going to love it just as much.

I have to admit I was guilty of accepting this book to review based on the cover which I really love. Isn’t it a cute cover?

Then once I started to read it I have to say that I was taken in and literally read this in one sitting. Its a pretty quick read at roughly 200 pages. I normally don’t read alot of books that deal with paranormal/magical creatures and fairies and that is just because its my choice but I think after reading this I might have to pick up a few more books like this. It was a lot of fun to read.

Before I begin my review I have to applaud Laura for all the research she did with the book and you could see it throughout the book. I am currently planning to read all that I can on the Danaan’s as it sounds really interesting considering I normally don’t read alot of books with mythology mixed in.

Allison is a 21 year old who is living with her grandparents and her schizophrenia mother. Allison has no idea who her father (Liam) is and all she knows is that when her mother went to Ireland her last semester of college and met Liam. They fell in love and had a brief romance. When all was said and done she came home alone heart broken and changed.

Allison is almost like every girl across the world with the exception of being shy and for some reason alone. The only friend she seems to have is her cousin Nicole who is the exact opposite of Allison. Nicole is the life of the party and lives like there is no tomorrow. She knows you have to live for the moment. Something I think Allison wants but feels the burden of having to take care of her mother.

With all books you have to have a love interest and for Allison is Ethan. A guy she has been crushing on forever. I loved Ethan. He is probably the kind of guy girls crush over and want but as much as Allison is crushing on him she tries to keep it as friends. I wanted to reach in the book and shake her up because after all the years of crushing over him he is finally showing an interest in her. I think for Allison she was afraid that if she crossed that line with Ethan that things would never be the same again. Something I thought about and could relate to. As much as you want your crush to be more sometimes, sometimes its just better to leave as is. Does that make sense?

Then out of no where Liam, Allison’s father shows up. This is probably where the book got interesting because I was dying to find out more about the past history of her parents. What happened that changed everything? Liam feels Allison in on the history of the Danaan’s and from that point it was one hell of a ride.

I don’t want to go into much more because I will spoil the book but I think if your looking for a fun read this summer I highly recommend this one.

Have you read this? Do you think you would want to read this?

Review/ The Witch of Belladonna Bay

Posted on June 2, 2014June 3, 2014 by Cindy

The Witch of Belladonna Bay by Suzanne Palmieri
Format: eARC
Published by Macmillan on 2014-05-13
Pages: 368
Goodreads
Genres: Contemporary Women, Family Life, Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers

It’s the trouble you aren’t expecting that gets you. And it’s all around you, Bronwyn, it’s all around you like the air.…

Bronwyn "BitsyWyn" Whalen hasn’t set eyes on the red dirt of Magnolia Creek, Alabama, for fourteen years—not since her mama died. But with her brother, Patrick, imprisoned for the murder of her childhood best friend, and her eccentric father, Jackson, at his wits’ end while her eleven-year-old niece, Byrd, runs wild, Bronwyn finds herself once again surrounded by ancient magnolia trees and the troubled family she left behind. She becomes immersed in a whirlwind of mystery and magic as she tries to figure out what really happened that fateful night her friend died. And as her bond with Byrd deepens, Bronwyn must face the demons of her past in order to unravel her family’s uncertain future.

In Suzanne Palmieri's thrilling new novel, The Witch of Belladonna Bay, readers will learn if love and magic are enough to bring a broken family back together.

One of the best things about taking part in the Book Sparks Summer Reading Challenge is getting the chance to read books you might not normally read and I have to say that this is the case for the third book I am reading for Book Sparks Summer Reading Challenge.

When I went to check to see if the author has written any other books I discovered that she has another one called The Witch of Little Italy and it sounds like its another fun read. She also writes under the same Suzanne Hayes and those books sound just as good.

One of the things I really enjoy about this summer reading challenge is getting to read a variety of books and I think that this is going to be a really good summer with some really good books. Are you doing this challenge? Has any books interested you yet?

I really enjoyed reading The Witch of Belladonna Bay as it made for great reading while sitting outside this past weekend.

At the age of 16 Bronywn left behind life as she knew it in Alabama and has never looked back. Bronywn came from a family of wealth and privileged. Also within this family she had a father (Jackson) who was a alcoholic and a mother (Naomi) who was addicted to drugs. We discover that in the story that all the women born into the family are witches.
Fast forward 14 years later Bronywn is now living in New York State (another reason to love the book in my opinion). She is a successful photographer and in a loving relationship with Ben. She has basically tried to forget her past until she gets a call from her father, Jackson asking her to go back to Alabama because her brother, Patrick is being accused of killing her childhood best friend, Charlotte and he is at his wits end with taking care of his grand daughter Byrd who is 11 years old and is running wild.

Bronwyn knows her brother couldn’t have killed Charlotte and sets out to discover the truth of what really happened. Could Patrick really have killed Charlotte?

I really enjoyed reading The Witch of Belladonna Bay and I think if your looking for something to read this summer then I highly recommend this. There was enough going on that wasn’t over the top and it kept you wanting to read what was going to happen next.

Thanks Book Spark for allowing me to be a part of the Summer Reading Challenge and a big thanks to Macmillan for allowing me to read this book.

Review/ Cure For The Common Breakup

Posted on May 28, 2014May 30, 2014 by Cindy

Cure for the Common Breakup by Beth Kendrick
Format: Paperback
Published by Penguin on 2014-05-06
Pages: 336
Goodreads
Genres: Contemporary Women, Fiction

Welcome to Black Dog Bay, a tiny seaside town in Delaware known as “the best place in America to bounce back from your breakup.” Home to the Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, the Eat Your Heart Out bakery, and the Whinery bar, Black Dog Bay offers a haven for the suddenly single.

Flight attendant Summer Benson lives by two rules: Don’t stay with the same man for too long and never stay in one place. She’s about to break rule number one by considering accepting her boyfriend’s proposal—then disaster strikes and her world is shattered in an instant.

Summer heads to Black Dog Bay, where the locals welcome her. Even Hattie Huntington, the town’s oldest, richest, and meanest resident, likes her enough to give her a job. Then there’s Dutch Jansen, the rugged, stoic mayor, who’s the opposite of her type. She probably shouldn’t be kissing him. She definitely shouldn’t be falling in love.

After a lifetime of globe-trotting, Summer has finally found a home. But Hattie has old scores to settle and a hidden agenda for her newest employee. Summer finds herself faced with an impossible choice: Leave Black Dog Bay behind forever, or stay with the ones she loves and cost them everything....

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Before I begin my review I just quickly want to thank Penguin USA for allowing me to be a part of the book tour for Cure For The Common Breakup. This is also going towards the Book Sparks Summer Reading Challenge as well.

I have to admit that I have never read anything by Beth Kendrick’s until now and I do know I have a few of her books sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. Why have I not read any of this author’s books? If her other books are anything like Cure For The Common Breakup then I really need to move them up way up on my tbr pile asap!

I really enjoyed Cure For The Common Breakup alot and I have to say that this is a perfect book to read this summer.

I read it pretty quickly over the span of a few days and when I read it I literally had a hard time to put it down.

I loved Summer. She is a take no crap kind of person and tells it like it is. I don’t think Summer ever had a filter on because she would say things without really thinking about it before hand. She is works hard and plays even harder. During the day she is a flight attendant dating the very hot pilot, Aaron. Things are going really good for both of them until a flight to Paris changes everything.

Just before take off Summer finds out that Aaron in planning on proposing. This changes everything because Summer never really thought about marriage but as she thinks things through she realizes that perhaps this is the time until tragedy strikes that makes her rethink who she is and everything again.

Summer is down and out and decides she needs to get away from everything and everyone and heads to a little town called Black Dog Bay in Delaware that is known to take in heartbroken women. This is just the place she needs to be to get back on track. This little down has the cutest names for its businesses such as Eat Your Heart Out Bakery, The Whinery and so many other names. There was even a bookstore in the book, how could you not love that?

This little town welcomes the heartbroken women in with open arms even though she enters the town with a bang so to speak. She drives into the yard and damages the roses of a handsome guy (Dutch) but he isn’t just any guy but the Mayor of Black Dog Bay. Will Summer be able to break down the major?

All the characters were very fitting for the book and I loved how Summer stood up to Hattie and deep down I really think Hattie wanted to be like Summer but didn’t know how to do it but she was just send hell bent on revenge that she has held on to over the years.

I loved how Summer ended up changing for the better and you can’t help but want to root for her throughout the book. She is the kind of friend I would want in my corner.

I loved how I had a hard time to put the book down because I just wanted to read what was going to happen, what kind of trouble would Summer get herself into and how would she get out of it.

I think if your looking for a fun read this summer then this is the book for you.

Buy the book
 Amazon for Kindle: http://amzn.to/1hyNK4C
 Amazon for paperback: http://amzn.to/1hH0kZB

About the author:
Beth Kendrick is the author of The Week Before the Wedding, The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service, and Nearlyweds, which was turned into a Hallmark Channel original movie.

She lives in Arizona with her two rescue dogs, but she loves to vacation at the Delaware shore, where she goes to Funland, eats boardwalk fries, and wishes that the Whinery really existed.

Connect with the author:

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1hyNbYy
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1gSjj3h
Website: http://bit.ly/1lQXUwF
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1hyN7Ie

Review/ Fat Boy vs The Cheerleaders

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Cindy

Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach
Format: eARC
Published by Sourcebooks, Inc. on 2014-05-06
Pages: 320
Goodreads
Genres: Adolescence, Boys & Men, Humorous Stories, Social Issues, Young Adult

From Geoff Herbach, the award-winning author of the hit young adult novels Stupid Fast and Nothing Special, comes a tale that will resonate with fat kids, nerds, dorks, gamers, geeks and teen outcasts of all kinds-an authentically funny story for anyone who has suffered from teasing and bullying at the hands of the high school social hierarchy. And decided to do something about it.

Join a cast of quirky misfits as fat boy Gabe, aka Chunk, goes up against the high school cheerleading team in a battle over control of the school's soda machine. A marching band geek who drowns his dysfunctional family woes in a voracious soda habit, Gabe relishes his role as class clown, fending off harassment from students and teachers with his own brand of irreverent, self-deprecating humor. But when the cheerleading team takes over the funds previously collected by the band, Gabe will not stand for it. Something must be done.

It's geeks versus jocks in an epic battle of the beverages!

Hilarious and poignant, Fat Boy vs. The Cheerleaders will have teen boys and girls alike cheering on this underdog turned unlikely hero. Reluctant readers and fans of Chris Crutcher, K.L. Going, and Andrew Smith's Winger will love Herbach's straightforward writing style and realism.

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is the first book I have read by Geoff Herbach and I have to say that I really enough reading this. I have been told that I really need to read the Felton Reinstein trilogy that he has out. Perhaps I will try and squeeze that in this summer.

The main character is Gabe. He is a junior in high school and is over weight. He has always been over weight. With being over weight Gabe has always been made fun, picked on and called all sorts of names. Its not just the kids at school calling him names, the gym teacher always on his case and his father & grandfather as well. This I have to say really bothered me. I think I probably could take the kids at school making fun of me but when a teacher and your parents do as well that is just brutal. How can adults do that to their own child or any child for that matter?

Fat Boy vs The Cheerleaders begins with Gabe being arrested for breaking into the soda machine. So the book is basically told in his point of view of that happened and what lead up to his arrest. He is telling his story in deposition form to a lawyer sitting at the police station. Gabe tells them everything and he holds nothing back.

There are a few things that makes Gabe happy and that is marching band, food and soda (pop). He can easily down a few cans in a day at school. Gabe thinks that all is money he is putting in the soda machine is going back into the marching band. When he discovers that its actually going into the cheerleading he isn’t happy and declares war.

Will Gabe be able to make the difference and get funding back for the school band? Will be stay on track and loose the weight?

One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was Gabe and perhaps others realized that its not cool to call other people names and that by doing so it takes away that person’s dignity. As a parent you wonder what goes on in school that your child might not be telling you. I was thankful when I was going to school that bullying wasn’t a big thing like it is today. I am sure kids got made fun of and I think if you surround yourself with really good friends they will outweigh the bad.

Review/ The One & Only

Posted on May 20, 2014May 20, 2014 by Cindy

The One & Only by Emily Giffin
Format: eARC
Published by Random House LLC on 2014-05-20
Pages: 432
Goodreads
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Women, Fiction, Literary, Romance

Emily Giffin, the beloved author of such New York Times bestselling novels as Something Borrowed and Where We Belong, returns with an extraordinary story of love and loyalty—and an unconventional heroine struggling to reconcile both.

Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.

But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.

Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One & Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.

Praise for Emily Giffin

“Emily Giffin ranks as a grand master. . . . She has traversed the slippery slopes of true love, lost love, marriage, motherhood, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption that have led her to be called ‘a modern-day Jane Austen.’ ”—Chicago Sun-Times

“Giffin’s writing is true, smart, and heartfelt.”—Entertainment Weekly “[Giffin] excels at creating complex characters and quick-to-read stories that ask us to explore what we really want from our lives.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“A dependably down-to-earth, girlfriendly storyteller.”—The New York Times

“Giffin’s talent lies in taking relatable situations and injecting enough wit and suspense to make them feel fresh.”—People

“When it comes to writing stories that resonate with real women, bestselling author Emily Giffin has hit her stride.”—San Francisco Chronicle From the Hardcover edition.

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I am a huge fan of Emily Giffin’s books and I was thrilled when I heard that she had The One & Only coming out so imagine my surprise when I was offered it to read before the release date?

I was thrilled and devoured this over the weekend. I literally had a hard time to put it down. That is how much I enjoyed the book. If you are a fan of Emily’s other books then you won’t be disappointed and I highly suggest you pick this one up to read asap.

The One & Only takes place in a small town in Texas called Walker and basically everyone sleeps, eats and breathes football. There is alot of football in the book but not enough to turn me off the book.

The main character in The One & Only is Shea. She is a huge foot ball fan and she is also a sports writer. Shea is a free spirit so to speak where she lives her life the way she thinks it should be and is almost content with it. I think Shea feels as though she doesn’t deserve to have the life like her friend Lucy has. Lucy is married with a child and runs her own clothing boutique. Its almost like she is settling for anything but the best.

Growing up Shea never really had a father figure in her life and I think this is where she looked up to Lucy’s dad, Coach Carr. Although Shea I have to admit has taken a little more of an interest in Coach Carr now that his wife has passed away. Throughout the book I literally kept saying no Shea don’t do anything you will regret. Does this go any further or is it just a crush?

Shea does have other love interests in the book and its not all about Coach Carr. When Shea was interacting with Miller I could see where her friends were saying she could do so much better because I honestly don’t think I could go out with someone like Miller. He is a jock and comes off like a dumb jock at times. Then when she hooks up with Ryan who happens to be in the NHL and is hot I was like Shea you so deserve someone like Ryan. He likes Shea because she is a go with the flow girl. Doesn’t question things, doesn’t ask about every detail and is not all into herself like others he has been with.

Will Ryan be able to get Coach Carr off of Shea’s mind? Will he be the one to change Shea’s life and give her all that she needs and deserves?

The One & Only is a perfect summer read in my opinion.

This is my second book of the Book Sparks Summer Reading Challenge and I have to see I feel as though this challenge is going pretty good so far for me considering I usually suck at doing them. Check back next week for my third book in the summer reading challenge.

Did you read this? What did you think? Do you plan on reading this?

I just want to give you a little heads up. All the books I will be reading and reviewing for BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge are all available in your favorite book stores.

Buy the book
 Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1fhEo7N
 Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1i9jQUR

About the author:
Emily Giffin is the author of six New York Times bestselling novels: Something Borrowed, Something
Blue, Baby Proof, Love the One You’re With, Heart of the Matter, and Where We Belong. A graduate of
Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law, she now lives in Atlanta lives with
her husband and three young children.

Connect with the author:
 Facebook: http://on.fb.me/QB2sME
 Twitter: http://bit.ly/RGqbwf
 Website: http://www.emilygiffin.com/
 Goodreads: http://bit.ly/QsQvJi

Review/ Undone

Posted on May 16, 2014June 13, 2014 by Cindy

Undone by Cat Clarke
Published by Sourcebooks, Inc. on 2014-05-06
Pages: 384
Goodreads
Genres: Bullying, Social Issues, Young Adult

When a highly sensitive video goes viral, one teen is left dead and another seeks revenge.

Jem Halliday is in love with her gay best friend. Its not ideal, but she's learning to live with it. Until Kai kills himself after being outed in a highly private moment.

All she has left is a series of letters he's left her-one a month, each encouraging her to come out of her shell. But Jem has a different plan. Sure, she'll be more outgoing-whatever it takes to infiltrate the group of Populars who released the video that made Kai commit suicide. And then she'll bring them down.

I received this book for free from publisher/pr firm in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

For some reason I have never read any of Cat Clarke’s books and I’m not quite sure why because from the descriptions I have read I know it would be something I would enjoy reading and honestly after reading this one I know I want to pick up her books and read more.

When I was reading this I wasn’t sure how it would play out in the book and with my emotions because its a heavy and depressing book and I have to say that Cat did a wonderful job with the book and she tackled the subject like a pro.

My heart broke for Kai because no one should ever have to resort to killing themselves. Why can’t we accept people who are different? Why do we feel the need to drag them down even further then they are? My heart also was breaking for Jem because she lost the one true thing she truly loved in the world. I wish someone would have stepped in to help her deal with the loss of her friend, her love.

Undone is told in the past and present. So you will find out a what really happened and what is happening now. It wasn’t confusing at all.

Jem has always had a thing for her best friend Kai but never really said or did anything until they were much older. He was super nice and let her down gently telling her he was actually gay. This of course is heartbreaking for Jem but she never let that change in their friendship because that is the most important thing for her. She will always love Kai and she even accepts that he is gay.

Kai has never really come out to anyone and only a few selected people know and not everyone is so happy about it. I think they wished that he would have just kept his mouth shut and went on with life. For me this was a little hard because I don’t think you should have to hid who you really are.

Everything changes the night Kai and Jem go to a party. A party that I think in the end that both regret going to. I think both Kai and Jem had a little too much to drink. Jem has no idea what happened at the party until the next day when a video surfaces of Kai. Kai is devasted by this and he has no idea where to go or turn to. He can’t deal with it and does the only thing he knows what to do and that is to kill himself.

Jem is done. She is slowly checking out and can’t handle not being with Kai. She is alone and there is no one there for her. You can see that she is thinking of just ending it but the magically Kai reaches out to her with letters he has written her. I think those letters were the saving grace for Jem because she wanted to know why he would do this to here and who would force Kai to do something like this.

The twelve letters he left for Jem to open monthly that offered little missions for Jem to accomplish and of course some of them she didn’t want to do but deep down she did them for Kai and herself. I think Kai wanted another purpose for those letters and Jem took it another way. I think Kai was trying to force Jem out of her bubble and to expose her to new people etc but she took it at a way to intact revenge on those that took Kai away from her. In a way I want to say Jem was obsessed with Kai both alive and dead.

Can a love for someone you truly can’t have become a person’s obsession? I think so and I think this was the case for Jem.

I really enjoyed reading the book and look forward to reading Cat’s other books sometime soon. There is just so many books and not enough time to read them all in.

Review/ The Limit

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Cindy

The Limit by Kristen Landon
Format: Paperback
Published by Simon and Schuster on 2011-12-06
Pages: 291
Goodreads
Genres: Action & Adventure, Family, General, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Science Fiction, Young Adult

An eighth grade girl was taken today . . .

With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn't let up for a moment.

In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone.

But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt’s family over their limit—and to change his reality forever.

I have been doing some major cleaning up around my desk, on my desk, under my desk and my book shelves to get ready for the summer and I thought since I had a stack of quite a few books that I read last year and never got to review that I would do just little mini reviews of them.

I have to say first off that the cover is very different from the one I own. For some reason I like the original one much better then the newer version.

The Limit is set way in the future where every family has a set spending allowance that the government has imposed. If the family goes over that limit their children over the age of 13 are taken away to special workhouses and they are suppose to work of the debit to bring it down.

The main character Matt who is 13 years old is feeling pretty good that he won’t be take because he assumes his family is very good with their spending and is shocked when one day they come for him. Matt has no idea what to expect from these workhouses and is pretty shocked when it goes.

The work house is almost like a tiered system where the smartest kids get the most out of the system. Matt falls in to this category. The rooms on the top floor are pretty posh, they have a pool, all the food you can eat and the freedom to buy anything their little hearts desire.

I have to say when I was reading this I was like WTH….how can they have all this access if their families are in debt? It doesn’t make sense so with that you want to read to find out more about this.

Will Matt figure out what is going on? What will he do when he finds out the truth?

The one thing I find fault with is, why do the children have to suffer for what their parents have done with the money? Its not like the children forced their parents to over spend. I think as the parents and adults we need to teach our children good spending habits and explain to them that their are consequences to their spending money when they don’t have it to spend.

I really enjoyed the book and it was pretty fast paced which I really enjoy.