Review/ Me and Me

About the Book:

Title: ME AND ME
Author: Alice Kuipers
Pub. Date: October 2, 2018
Publisher: KCP Loft

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 248

Find it: GoodreadsAmazonB&NTBD

 

It’s a perfect day for Lark’s dream date with Alec from school. Blue skies, clear water, a canoe on the lake. Alec even brought flowers for Lark’s birthday. Everything is just right … until they hear screams from the edge of the water.

Annabelle, a little girl Lark used to babysit, is struggling in the reeds. When Lark and Alec dive in to help her, Alec hits his head on a rock. Now Annabelle and Alec are both in trouble, and Lark can only save one of them.

With that split-second decision, Lark’s world is torn in two, leaving her to cope with the consequences of both choices. She lives two lives, two selves. But which is the right life, and which is the real Lark?

Me and Me is about how it feels to be torn in pieces, and how to make two halves whole again. This mind-bending novel from Alice Kuipers, expert chronicler of the teenage heart, explores loss and love, music and parkour, all while navigating the narrow space between fantasy and reality.

Before I begin my review I quickly have to thank Rockstar Book Tour for allowing me to be a part of the blog tour for Me and Me and to Kids Can Press for sending me a aARC of the book to read for my review today.

Alice Kuipers is a British born author now living in Canada and she is a new to me author. I was super excited to read Me and Me and to discover this new author even though she already has many books to her name.

As you know me I don’t judge a book by its cover but this time I have to say that the cover is pretty and very suiting for the book. I know if I saw this sitting on a table at a bookstore that I would instantly pick it up to see what it was about.

This was a pretty quick read and I managed to read it in the course of one rainy day.  I do admit a few times I had to put it down because I was slightly confused at first and had to go back and reread because it felt like I was reading the same story line in just a different way and I was and I will explain why in my review.

The main character is Lark and it’s her birthday. Her dream crush, Alec has asked her out. He arrives to pick her up with a canoe and flowers. I mean right there I instantly fell in love with Alec. What 17 year old guy thinks to show up with flowers?

Anyway at the lake she bumps into a little girl named Annabelle who she use to babysit for. The promise to meet up on the lake. Well things don’t go according to plan as Lark and Alec are out on the water they hear screams from across the lake. Annabelle is in the water struggling. Instantly both jump in to help but in the process Alec gets hurt. Lark instantly has to decide does she save Annabelle or Alec. Tough decision to make and what will she do?

This is where I said earlier that I was getting confused and felt like I was rereading the same story but just in a different way and that is because Lark’s world just got weird. Her world gets split into two different ways, one where she saves Alec and one where she saves Annabelle. Once I got the hang of the story line it all began to make sense.

If that wasn’t strange enough she begins to receive these weird messages and videos on her phone that instantly disappear once she reads it. She has no idea where this is coming from. Everyone she tells things she is losing her mind but she knows there is more to it and then she begins to realize what is happening and is racing to fix it before its too late.

This was definitely a interesting read because in this book we can actually read what happens when you make a decision and how it can affect your life afterwards. We all struggle with deciding do I do this or do I do that. So being able to read how Lark now only handles one way but the other way as well.

I would definitely recommend this book and I am curious about her other books and will need to look into reading more.

 

Review/ Taming

 

About the Book:

Title: TAMING
Author: A.K. Koonce
Pub. Date: October 2, 2018
Publisher: A.K. Koonce
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 217

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon

 

What’s worse than insufferable dragon shifters?

Insufferable dragon shifters who think it’s ‘immoral’ to sell dragons.

It’s just my luck that the magical dragons I found would be three asshole shifters. The trade value of dragons just went up too. And when I mention selling at least one of the men to cover my investment, they throw little tantrums like I asked them to give their souls or something.

Ungrateful little creatures are what they are.

I have my own problems. My own secrets. These men are not what I need in my life right now. To top it off, they’re on the hunt for a dangerous Mage.

Just wait until they find out the Mage they’re hunting is actually me …

This is a Reverse Harem series containing M/M themes. Recommended for readers 18 and over.

I quickly have to thank Rockstar Book Tour for allowing me to be a part of the blog tour for the Taming today. I was graciously provided with a eARC of the book to read for my review today.

Before beginning my review I just have to make a quick comment on the cover of the book and how pretty it is. If I walked by this on a bookstore shelf I would definitely turn back to look at it and pick it up to read.

This was a super quick read for me and I have to say that I really enjoyed it.

Taming is the first book in the To Tame A Shifter series. The second book in the series is called Claiming and it will be released November 13, 2018.  I will have to pick it up because I really enjoyed this book and curious to see where this storyline is going.

Claiming: A Reverse Harem Series (To Tame a Shifter Book 2)

This is my first time reading anything by A.K. Koonce and I have to say if this book is anything like that rest of her books I need to start reading them soon. I was instantly sucked into the world from the first word to the very last.

The main character is Arlow and she is a mage who is on the run from her ex boyfriend who is hunting her down. At first we don’t know what she is running from and why but as the story progress we soon find out. Arlow lives in a world where magic is forbidden. Arlow has taken on the role as an animal trainer because she seems to get along with various animals then people. She tames and sells magical animals and is always on the hunt for rare ones which she knows will bring in more money.

Upon a recent visit to her blind mage friend she discovers her burying three objects in the ground. curiosity gets the better of her and she goes to dig up the three objects. She soon discovers that they are three huge eggs so she decides to take them home because she knows that these could fetch some really good money to the right buyer which just happens to be the king. Arlow needs to make this a quick sale and get a way before its too late.

As she gets these eggs to hatch she discovers that they are three beautiful dragons but what she doesn’t know is that these three dragons (Kain, Rime, and Chaos)  are actually shifters who were hired by a demon to hunt for this mage and what those dragons don’t know is that its Arlow. What will they do when they discover the truth?

This definitely ended with a cliff hanger and I am curious to see where this goes.

 

Review/ A Heart in a Body in the World

Title: A Heart in a Body in the World
Author: Deb Caletti
Pages: 368
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pud Date: September 2018

About the book:

When everything has been taken from you, what else is there to do but run?

So that’s what Annabelle does—she runs from Seattle to Washington, DC, through mountain passes and suburban landscapes, from long lonely roads to college towns. She’s not ready to think about the why yet, just the how—muscles burning, heart pumping, feet pounding the earth. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t outrun the tragedy from the past year, or the person—The Taker—that haunts her.

Followed by Grandpa Ed in his RV and backed by her brother and two friends (her self-appointed publicity team), Annabelle becomes a reluctant activist as people connect her journey to the trauma from her past. Her cross-country run gains media attention and she is cheered on as she crosses state borders, and is even thrown a block party and given gifts. The support would be nice, if Annabelle could escape the guilt and the shame from what happened back home. They say it isn’t her fault, but she can’t feel the truth of that.

Through welcome and unwelcome distractions, she just keeps running, to the destination that awaits her. There, she’ll finally face what lies behind her—the miles and love and loss…and what is to come.

Before getting into my review I quickly have to thank Simon & Schuster USA for sending me a eArc of the book to read for my blog tour stop today.

Have you ever stumbled upon a author and wonder why you have never read any of their previous books? Well that is me. I have always seen Deb’s books at the library, bookstores and bloggers reviewing them but I have never picked any up until now. Honestly I am not sure why but I am happy that I got the chance to read and review this.

I love when books hook you in right away and can hold your attention to the very end and that make you want to continue reading and subliminally tell you that everything else can wait just continue reading that you need to read it to the end. At first I thought this would take a little longer to read but within a few days I had finished it.

This was such an emotional read. It felt like my emotions were all over the place while I was reading this. With that being said as I am sitting here I am still thinking about Annabelle and I am sure this will stay with me for a little while.

The main character Annabelle who has survived something that no one should have to ever go through in their life. She is dealing with that plus the blame and guilt as a majority of people do. At first I have to admit I felt a little lost because the story takes place a year after the event that happened but as it progresses you begin to discover what happened. Through small little hints and then it begins to make sense as you read it.

Annabelle thinks of herself completely different then I was seeing her and so many times I wanted to jump into the book to encourage her and give her a hug. She broke my heart so many times.

Annabelle has decided that she is going to run across the country from her home in Seattle to Washington, DC to fight these demons. Her family and friends supports her fully by following her in a RV on this journey. Everyone on this trip plays a major role from her grandfather driving the RV to  her brother Malcolm, friends Olivia and Zach being her cheerleaders and forming a publicity team. The more she runs the more her story is getting out.

As a society we were taught to basically be quiet and not say anything. We are expected to keep it buried deep inside and deal and get over it. We are taught to be nice and polite and the takers know that and take full advantage of it not realizing the impact it has on the person. We are taught how to dress and behave from a young age. It doesn’t matter who you are, where your from, rich or poor there will always be someone out there that will take advantage and we need to teach our kids as they are growing up what is and what isn’t acceptable to do to another person.

You can see in the beginning Annabelle was using this to run from her situation but as it progress you can actually see that this process is helping her deal with the demons and making her stronger. Running for hours a day you soon realize that even though you are surrounded by people you are alone with yourself and your thoughts.

Deb Caletti definitely has a way with words and knows how to write. This book is so relevant especially to what is going on in the world today. I highly recommend that everyone should read this.

Spotlight Tour & Giveaway + Review / More Than a Phoenix

Title: More Than a Phoenix (2nd book in the Phoenix Brothers series)
Author: Ashlyn Chase
Pub Date: September 25th, 2018
Publisher: Sourcebooks

About the book:

What do you get when you take

Two phoenix shifter brothers

Throw in one powerful witch

And one…monkey shifter?

 

Mallory Summers is losing it. She’s discovered she can talk to dead people—and she might be able to shift to monkey form. Firefighter Dante Fierro knows the quirky beauty isn’t crazy—just supernatural. But what would she think if she knew his secret?

 

Hothead Noah Fierro has his own sparks flying with gorgeous ER doctor Kizzy Samuels. While the attraction is mutual, so are the supernatural secrets. With this much sizzle going on, how do you not get burned?

Fighting fires is easy… Finding love is the hard part.

Find it:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KKIiAO

B&N: http://bit.ly/2KKwSx8

Apple: https://apple.co/2KOJgw9

About the author:

 

Ashlyn Chase was a registered nurse for twenty years.  During those years she wrote articles for professional journals and a thesis, but eventually, thank goodness, discovered the joy and freedom of writing fiction.

Ashlyn considers herself lucky.  Her degree in behavioral sciences is a combination of psychology and sociology, so she has studied people most of her life.   She doesn’t have to write out exhaustive character sketches to understand her characters or predict how they will behave.  That doesn’t mean they don’t surprise her.  Sometimes they take her on grand unexpected journeys.

Ashlyn has learned to go with the flow.  To enjoy the journey is not only one of her writing goals, but also a challenge in life.  She tries to follow where the story takes her.  Her identified theme involves characters who reinvent themselves.  And why not?  She has reinvented herself numerous times—from artist, to nurse, to hypnotherapist, to author, and she has lived in seventeen different places.  At last, she’s all settled down and comfy in New England.

Is there a grand design or do we decide our own fates?  Perhaps if the powers-that-be have a plot, then they also give us the right to revise it.

Blog, Twitter, Facebook

Other Books In the Series:

Hooked On A Phoenix

Earlier this week I shared my review of Hooked On A Phoenix which you can read here.

Today I am going to talk briefly about More Than a Phoenix. Since this is the 2nd book in the series I will try not to go into much detail about it.

As I was searching around I did find out that the Boston Dragons does tie in with the Phoenix Brothers series but its okay you really don’t need to read it before starting this series but if you are the kind of reader who wants more background history then yes you should start with the Boston Dragon series. I know I am that kind of reader so I will be needing to read that series ASAP.

In this book we learn more about Dante and his mate Mallory along with Noah and his mate Kizzy. Both of these women are completely different but I think so suited for them. At first I thought there would be a lot going on and that it would make the story complicated but it doesn’t because both brothers work so well together and they are pretty much each others best friend. Yes they still have their differences but it all works out in the end.

Dante and his mate Mallory have a secret that no one knows about just yet anyways. Mallory thinks she is going crazy when she turns into a monkey. Turns out that this only happens when she is stressed  and if that wasn’t bad enough she also sees dead people who she thinks are real. Thankfully with the help of Dante she is able to see things clearly and wants to know why this is happening to her. She soon realizes that she isn’t the only one able to shape shift. Dante is the perfect match for her because he is supporting and caring of her. Plus she is his secret high school crush and he is able to finally tell her.

Noah and his mate Kizzy I have to say are another fun couple to read and get to know. There is more to Kizzy then meets the eye. She is an ER doctor by day and a witch doctor by night that no one knows about until she meets Noah and Noah discovers there is more to Kizzy then meets the eye.

I have to say that as much as I loved reading about Dante and Mallory I really enjoyed Noah and Kizzy a little more because Noah has something that Kizzy needs and wants and Noah will do anything to protect it and her.

Looking forward to continuing this series.

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Mallory Summers was trying to chat with a nice young man about the weather, but couldn’t help being distracted by two old biddies sitting on the bus bench, peaking at her from under their umbrellas.

One old woman leaned toward the other and whispered loudly, “Tsk. Tsk. Such a sweet young thing…”

“It’s a shame,” said the other one.

Shame? Should I be ashamed for chatting up a nice-looking guy and offering to share my umbrella? Just to make sure the gossips knew how unashamed she was, she turned back to the young man and spoke louder. “Yeah, I saw the weather report this morning. It’s supposed to rain until about noon.”

The guy just nodded. He was a little hard to engage in conversation.

Still, she persisted. “That will probably keep people at home, so my work at the mall will be slow.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted one of the women waddling up to a guy in uniform. They were farther away, so she couldn’t hear what they were saying.

A few moments later, he approached her slowly. He was a handsome devil. She could only imagine what the interfering old woman had said. Probably warned him not to be taken in by the young lady’s flirtatious ways.

“Uh, hi,” the guy said, smiling. He had stunning brown eyes, with thick, dark lashes most women would envy. One of the patches on his uniform looked just like the one on her uncle’s Boston Fire Department uniform.

She suddenly realized he looked familiar. “Hi. Do I know you?”

The young man paused. His smile turned into a grin, lighting up his handsome face. “I know you. You’re Mallory Summers.”

“Right—and you are…”

“Dante Fierro, and I’m wondering who you’re talking to.”

“Huh?” Well, that’s rude. Why should anybody care? She was about to say as much when she turned back to the guy in question to apologize for everyone else’s bad manners—but he was gone.

“Where did he go?” she asked.

“Where did who go?”

“The man… I don’t know his name. And—wait a minute… You’re the Dante Fierro from high school?”

“Yup. So you do remember me.”

“Of course.”

“Do you always hold conversations with blank air?”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“Mallory, these ladies have seen you at this bus stop three times, talking to yourself. They won’t call the cops, because you’re not doing anything illegal, and they don’t want to call an ambulance, which would be expensive, but they’re worried about you.”

Mallory jammed her hands on her hips and strode over to the two old ladies. “You should be minding your own business.”

They leaned away from her as if they might catch an airborne virus.

“Mallory…” Dante gentled his voice. “I don’t live far from here. Why don’t you come over for coffee and we can talk.”

“Because I have to go to work. I take two buses to get to my job at the Union Mall.”

“I can drive you.”

The weather didn’t look like it was going to let up, and a nice warm car sounded good. She shrugged. “I don’t want to put you out. You look like you’re on your way to work too.”

“I’m on my way home, actually. Come on. It’s no trouble.”

She smiled. “Well, now that I realize who you are, it would probably be okay to accept a ride. After all, it’s not like you’re a complete stranger.”

“Good.” He stuck out his elbow like he was escorting her to a fancy ball. “Let’s go.”

She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and gave the old busybodies a glare as they passed.

He lived around the corner in a nice two-family house on L Street, a stone’s throw from the main drag, which bordered the beach.

“I shouldn’t stay for coffee. I can get coffee at the mall. Is that your car?” She nodded toward a black Camaro with bright-red racing stripes down the side.

“Yup. My brother Noah calls it my wife.”

“Your wife? Why?”

“Because I named her Joanna, and I take good care of her. He says it’s because she eats up half my paycheck.”

She giggled. “Okay. Well, nice to meet you, Joanna.” As they approached the passenger’s side, she realized how talking to an inanimate object might also make her look like a crazy person—and he’d already caught her talking to, what…a dead guy? Maybe someone who stepped in front of a bus many years ago… She still wasn’t sure what was going on. Could two old ladies be punking her?

He just smiled, dug the key fob out of his pocket, and opened the door for her.

She settled herself on the comfortable leather seat and looked around. His car was indeed in pristine condition. It didn’t have that new car smell, but it looked as if it could have.

He jumped into the driver’s seat and pulled out of the driveway. “Where to?”

“I work at the mall in Somerville. I thought I already said so.”

He drove in the general direction of the expressway, but stayed quiet for a few moments. At last, he asked, “Mallory, are you sure you should be going to work?”

She reared back and stared at him. What was he saying? And did she want to know? “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

He glanced over at her. “It’s just that… Well, you… I mean…”

“Just say it, Dante. You think I’m nuts.”

“No, not nuts. I wouldn’t put it that way, but maybe…I don’t know, stressed?”

“Nope. I’m an artist, and having a creative outlet decreases stress. To pay the bills, I take professional portraits at the mall. Kids’ photos mostly. But I like kids, so that’s not very stressful either.”

“Please don’t be offended, but…are you on drugs?”

She burst out laughing. “No. Are you?”

 

 

Review/ Hooked on a Phoenix

Review/ Hooked on a PhoenixHooked on a Phoenix (Phoenix Brothers #1) by Ashlyn Chase
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on March 6, 2018
Pages: 352
Goodreads

LOCKED IN A BANK VAULT TOGETHER...THEY MIGHT REDEFINE THE MEANING OF 'SAFE' SEX
Misty Carlisle works as a bank teller in Boston's financial district. She's had more rotten luck in her life than most, except when her childhood crush shows up to cash his paycheck. Then her heart races and her mouth goes dry.
Gabe Fierro is a firefighter―and a phoenix. Like his brothers, his biggest challenge is finding a woman open-minded enough to accept a shapeshifter into her life. When his boyhood friend asks him to watch over his little sister Misty, he reluctantly agrees. But when the bank where she works gets held up, Gabe does everything he can to protect her. The two of them end up locked in the bank's vault...where things get steamier than either of them ever imagined.

Earlier this summer I bought Hooked on a Phoenix by Ashlyn Chase on a pure whim after reading the synopsis and I have to say that I am really happy that I did. At first I thought that this was a new to me author but I realized once I got home that  I have one of her previous books sitting on my shelf that I really want to read now which just happens to be the first book in the Boston Dragon series.

From what I can gather I think this series, the Phoenix Brothers and the Boston  Dragons are tied in together but I don’t think you have to read either or to read the books but it might make sense in the end and that is what I plan on doing. I might end up reading them simultaneously.

Before I begin my review I should also mention that later in the week I will be reviewing More Than a Phoenix which is the second book in this series.

I don’t tend to read a lot of paranormal romances as you can probably tell from my blog with the one exception to that being Terry Spear’s books which I will read all the time and just adore and love them. So, I think I now can add Ashlyn’s book to this as well. Which will turn in to automatic buys and reads for me.

I have read wolf shape shifter books but never a phoenix shape shifter book so this was entirely new to me and one I wanted to read more about. I loved how a little mythology was added to the history as well as the rebirth of the phoenix.

In this case our main character is Gabe (Fierro), he is the fourth of seven sons and he is also a fireman (one of many in his family). It appears as though all the male children born into the Fierro family are phoenix’s. To date there are no girls in the family so they don’t if that is passed on to girls. His mother is human and its his dad that is the phoenix.

When Gabe’s old time best friend, Parker, asks him to keep on eye on his sister (Misty) because he is going to be deployed, he is not all that excited until he meets her and then its all bets are off as much as he tries to keep in cool and remember that she is his best friend’s sister. Misty has always had a crush on Gabe and to this day those feelings are pretty strong although I don’t know how strong they will be when she finds out that Gabe has no issues on pursuing any kind of relationship because he is still dealing with the tragedy of what happened to the family dog many years ago. Can Gabe get past that?

Through all kinds of situations from the bank robbery, to Misty’s mysterious illness and her apartment blowing up Gabe has always been there more ways then one and I actually think that Gabe is starting to feel the same way about Misty but his friendship and loyalty to Parker is holding him back. But will the news Misty has to tell him make him change his mind?

I really enjoyed this and looking forward to continuing this series with More Than a Phoenix to see where this will go and the future books. Check back on Friday to see what I think.

Review/ The Rock Star in Seat 3A

Review/ The Rock Star in Seat 3AThe Rock Star in Seat 3A by Jill Kargman
Published by William Morrow on May 22, 2012
Pages: 208
Goodreads

Following her hilarious bestselling volume of humorous reflections on life, love, and whatever (Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut), Jill Kargman makes a triumphant return to the world of fiction with The Rock Star in Seat 3A. The author of The Ex-Mrs Hedgefund, Arm Candy, and Momzillas delights with this smart and sassy modern-day fairy tale romance…with a twist.
The story of a woman whose most cherished romantic fantasy comes true—at the possible expense of everything else in her life—when she finds herself seated right next to a rock ’n’ roll demigod on a business flight from New York to Los Angeles, The Rock Star in Seat 3A is fresh, funny, and outrageously entertaining women’s fiction that will strike a loud power chord with fans of Lauren Weisberger and Jennifer Weiner.

After my massive book purge this summer I have decided to read/review more of my own books that I have currently sitting in my TBR pile. As a book blogger there is never enough hours in the day to read and books start to accumulate on our shelves or in boxes and so this was my case but moving forward I decided that I need to devote more time to those books so each month I am hoping to tackle at least a few books that have been sitting there forever.

Today I am going to be talking about a book that has been sitting on my shelf since 2012 and that is The Rock Star in Seat 3A by Jill Kargman. When I first heard about this book I loved the premise behind it and instantly needed to own it but sadly I never read it until this past week.

This was a super fast quick read for me and basically read it in one sitting. One of the things that I loved about the book was each chapter started with a quote and I really enjoyed that touch to the book. I did enjoy the book but I can’t say it was an absolute favorite for me.

The main character is Hazel who is about to turn 30. She is a huge gamer and has landed the dream job of the year working with a gaming company for the past 10 years and loves every minute of it. Through a chance meeting at a boring Christmas party of her sister’s friend she starts talking to the chef, Wylie and before the night is over she manages to get his number, nine months later they move in together and have been together ever since.

With a quick trip to LA for work she gets the chance encounter that most girls dream about, sitting next to their favorite rock star. In this case its Finn from the band The Void. Through a rocky turbulence the two hit it off. Before long all Hazel can think about is Finn.

Probably like most girls would do they would want to pursue this fantasy with a rock star so she does. She manages to get a break form Wylie so that she can pursue it and yes things were all hunky dory in the beginning but she soon realizes that what she had at home is what she truly wants in life but will she be to late? Can Wylie forgive her?

 

Blog Tour & Review/ The House of One Thousand Eyes

Blog Tour & Review/ The House of One Thousand EyesThe House of One Thousand Eyes by Michelle Barker
Published by Annick Press on September 11, 2018
Pages: 354
Goodreads

Who can Lena trust to help her find out the truth? Life in East Germany in the early 1980s is not easy for most people, but for Lena, it’s particularly hard. After the death of her parents in a factory explosion and time spent in a psychiatric hospital recovering from the trauma, she is sent to live with her stern aunt, a devoted member of the ruling Communist Party. Visits with her beloved Uncle Erich, a best-selling author, are her only respite. But one night, her uncle disappears without a trace. Gone also are all his belongings, his books, and even his birth records. Lena is desperate to know what happened to him, but it’s as if he never existed. The worst thing, however, is that she cannot discuss her uncle or her attempts to find him with anyone, not even her best friends. There are government spies everywhere. But Lena is unafraid and refuses to give up her search, regardless of the consequences. This searing novel about defiance, courage, and determination takes readers into the chilling world of a society ruled by autocratic despots, where nothing is what it seems.

Good Morning and welcome to my tour stop today for The House of One Thousand Eyes by Michelle Barker that was organized by Annick Press. I was honored to be asked to be a part of this tour. Thanks to Annick Press for organizing this tour and for sending me a copy of the book to read and review for my stop today.

The House of One Thousand Eyes was definitely a change from what I have been reading lately and its not one of those books you  want to sit and reading in one sitting. When I set out to start reading this I knew I was going to have to pace myself and for each day I set out a page limit and many times while I was reading I actually had to put the book down and take in what I had just read. This book is filled with so many twist and turns that you didn’t know what was going to happen. Quite a few times I was on the edge of my seat.

If your a reader of my blog you will know that I don’t tend to read a lot of historical fiction books and that is purely my choice but I am happy that I read this. The book was well written and things were moving along at a perfect pace. You can instantly tell a lot of research went into the book.

Our main character is Lena who is 17 years old and lives in a divided Germany in the 1980’s. Lena has been through more things then a normal 17 year old girl should. She lost both of her parents in a industrial accident and then was sent to a mental institution. Thankfully her aunt managed to get her out and she has been living with her aunt. I think through all this tragedy Lena was a strong kick ass girl who would stop at nothing to find out the truth about her parents and what happened to her uncle. She was willing to risk it all to get to the truth.

From reading this you can tell that life was not easy for anyone living there because you were constantly monitored and reported. People in power could control you with one signature on a piece of paper, either making your entire live disappear like you were never there to committing you a mental institution.

Even days after reading this I am still thinking about the book. I highly recommend this.