The Show Must Go On

Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer

Summary: Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she's certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer–one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack–and the man–she left behind. Is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

Review: An enjoyable sequel to Nightshade that suffered from info dumps and the resurrection of the love triangle.

I would love to burn all love triangles with fire! Alright, so maybe not with fire, but I am getting sick of them. The love triangle in Wolfsbane is especially annoying since I thought it had been dealt with in Nightshade. Resurrecting it seems like a cheap way to create drama and angst. I would think the triangle will be resolved in Bloodrose, but there is a fourth book coming out in December so who knows. I honestly don’t even care who Calla picks.

It was amazing how much of this book functioned as an info dump. It was done in the form of an info lesson for Shay and Calla, but it still was an info dump. At least the information divulged was interesting and I enjoyed learning about it. Calla seemed quite useless. Honestly, I liked Adne the best. She had an awesome power and was able to do her job even when tragedy struck her. It did a long time to actually get to the action and then everything happened at a breakneck pace. I will read Bloodrose at some point and will probably read Snakeroot along with the two prequel books.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would encourage people who have read the first book in the series to continue it and I would recommend the series to those that enjoy reading young adult supernatural fiction with love triangles. 

The Mind of a Teenager

Narrative Loserdom: From Journal One by Ryan

Summary: Justin Taggart doesn’t know anything (about being a loser). He likes girls and plays sports and has some friends. Unfortunately his fear of rejection outweighs his ability to deal with these well. Mostly there’s Sterling, the girl of his dreams who knows how to stop his heart by not knowing he likes her. Another thing is trying to get money with Adam, who’s rich anyway so it’s more about hanging out. As for Justin, he makes ends meet by mowing people’s yards with Adam, and sometimes by breaking into vending machines and selling late-night cable programming to peers (also with Adam). But it’s not like he doesn’t feel bad about it, since Jesus died for his sins. School is pretty terrible with all the work and practice, but there are a few people there worth mentioning. Anyone who picks up his journal will be in for something, if they feel like getting through a lot of grammar and spelling problems. They’ll probably end up seeing that they shouldn’t have looked at it anyway, because this is someone’s private anthem of girls, grass, and loserdom.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review. 

Review: A very direct look at the mind of a teenager through a journal with less than perfect spelling and grammar.

I must admit to believing that Justin was younger than he actually was. I expected him to be in middle school, not high school. I know that boys’ brains develop slower than female brains, but it was certainly surprising to see one in action. The journal is an interesting way to tell a story and I liked that it came from an assignment in school that Justin was assigned. It provides a good reason for a teenage boy to write a journal.

The spelling and grammar mistakes do take a bit getting used to, even though they are supposed to be there. The book focuses heavily on Justin’s and Adam’s adventures in high school and their lawn mowing business. It’s a very narrow focus so you only get to know Justin and Adam very well. I honestly wasn’t the biggest fan of Justin until near the end of the book. It appeared that he was growing as a person and as a character. It appears there will be another book in the future and I would be interested to see where Justin is in a few years.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that enjoy novels told in journal format or fiction told from a teenage boy’s viewpoint. 

A Soap Opera in Book Form

The Sumerton Women by D.L. Bogdan

Summary: Orphaned at age eight, Lady Cecily Burkhart becomes the ward of Harold Pierce, Earl of Sumerton. Lord Hal and his wife, Lady Grace, welcome sweet-natured Cecily as one of their own. With Brey, their young son, Cecily develops an easy friendship. But their daughter, Mirabella, is consumed by her religious vocation—and by her devotion to Father Alec Cahill, the family priest and tutor.

As Henry VIII’s obsession with Anne Boleyn leads to violent religious upheaval, Mirabella is robbed of her calling and the future Cecily dreamed of is ripped away in turn. Cecily struggles to hold together the fractured household while she and Father Alec grapple with a dangerous mutual attraction. Plagued with jealousy, Mirabella unleashes a tumultuous chain of events that threatens to destroy everyone around her, even as the kingdom is torn apart…

Review: A soap opera in book where anything that could go wrong, did.

I am a sucker for anything Tudor related and I was interested to read this book. I don’t mind books about made up characters or books that tell stories set during the same time period as the Tudor family as long as they are enjoyable to read. Unfortunately, this book fell short. While this book takes place during the reign of Henry VIII when he was breaking with the Catholic Church and annulling his marriage with Catherine of Aragon, the Sumerton family were extremely isolated from events so we only got information second hand.

I get that tragedies happen and I understand that people died easily in the 1500s, be they old or young, but too much is too much. I did not want to read a soap opera in book form. Everything that can happen does happen and the bad events seem to serve the main character, Cecily, in eventually getting what she’s always wanted. Despite everything that has happened to Cecily in her life, she manages to stay good, kind, and pure. Why was she so lucky? The trauma didn’t seem to have much effect on her.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would only recommend this book to those that enjoy historical fiction and don’t mind a good deal of tragedy. 

You Don’t Even Know Him!

Temptation of a Highland Scoundrel (Highland Warriors #2) by Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Summary: The second book in the Highland Warriors trilogy, in which three heroes make a pact to insure that a rival clan doesn't take over their glen and cause destruction. At the same time, three women will plot to marry these heroes to help insure peace. 

In TEMPTATION OF A HIGHLAND SCOUNDREL, Kendrew Macintosh's reputation precedes him: he wields an ax with deathly precision, strikes fear into his enemies, and lusts after beautiful women. But Kendrew has never met someone whose passion rivals his own-until an unexpected encounter with a mysterious woman. Unfortunately, he soon discovers that the vixen is Isobel Cameron, daughter of an enemy clansman. Their relationship is forbidden and Kendrew breaks away immediately. Isobel has her own scheme. She has lusted after Kendrew for some time and plans to draw the fierce warrior back into her arms. But in the darkness, villainous forces are at play--an enemy is determined to keep the two lovers apart, even if it means death.

Review: A decent Highlander romance marred by the heroine’s insistence that the hero was perfect for her.

How in the hell can you decide that a man is perfect for you when you’ve only interacted with him a few times? I don’t get Isobel’s obsession with Kendrew. I get that he symbolizes her obsession with her Viking blood and the old gods, but what else? Why not just admire him instead of deciding you want to marry him. I understand that she wants to marry a man from one of the other two clans in the glen, but why not get to know Kendrew before deciding you want to marry him?

She goes to see Kendrew all alone at night, which is dangerous since I don’t think she could defend herself very well. Her brilliant plan fails when Kendrew finds out who she is. Then she manages to get him to attend every possible event so she can run into him. And she does. Their relationship is only physical. Kendrew just wishes Isobel would leave him alone, which I think is a smart thing to wish for. Isobel tricks Kendrew into becoming engaged to her, which is disgusting. He’s miserable, but magically changes her mind after seeing one small thing. It makes no sense.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that really enjoy Highlander romance with a bit of magic and mysticism. 

Admit It, You’re Got Trust Issues

Knight of Desire (All the King's Men #1) by Margaret Mallory

Summary: FEARLESS IN BATTLE

His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.

TENDER IN BED

Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she's keeping secrets, and dare not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.

Review: A medieval romance marred by major trust issues between the two main characters.

This romance had promise. I really liked the prologue where the two characters meet for the first time. It was a very sweet interaction and I wished that Catherine and William could have had a chance to fall in love and get married. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and time passed. They meet again under less auspicious circumstances. I can understand the distrust William would have of Catherine. She did betray her husband after all and that was a betrayal of wifely duties and duties to God. Sadly, this distrust continued throughout the novel and I am not even sure he still fully trusts her.

I can understand why Catherine is wary of William. The whole situation is terrible. Her reactions to him, especially in bed, are understandable given her previous husband. William expects her to enjoy sex with him, which she eventually does. Then something happens to break that trust between them. I forget exactly what since so many incidents occurred. It really went like this: she trusts him, he does something to break that trust, she doesn’t trust him, he trusts her, she does something that breaks his trust, and so on and so on. There was some drama and love at last.

Rating: 

Recommendation: I would recommend this to those that enjoy medieval romances.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Book Journey. This meme lets you show fellow readers what you have read, what you are reading, and what you will be reading.

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Shadow of Time by Jen Minkman

Shadow of Time by Jen Minkman

Summary: All Hannah needs is a nice and quiet vacation after her first year of teaching French at a high school. She joins her brother Ben for the summer in their mom’s log cabin in Arizona. There, she meets Josh again, Ben’s childhood friend from the Navajo reservation. The little boy from the rez has grown up fast, and Hannah can’t help but feeling more for him than just friendship. 

But fate apparently has something else in store for her. And it’s not peace and quiet. Night after night, Hannah is plagued by strange nightmares about the past of Navajo Nation and terrifying shadows chasing her. They seem to come closer – and why is Josh always present in her dreams? 

Sometimes, the past has a way of catching up with you.

Excerpts from Reviews (Obtained from Goodreads.com): "Her characters are quite believable and quite likable as well."

"I loved how Ms. Minkman told her story......smooth and fluent." - Beth C.

"The thing I appreciated the most was the originality of the plot." - Bookings with Inklings

"Kudos [...] for writing a unique story with parts that make all you romantics out there (I myself am not much of a romantic) go awwwww and parts that make us paranormal junkies go oujea!" - Bookings with Inklings

"I am very impressed with the amount of research and the author's ability to tell a story that spans centuries. A very enjoyable read." - Xylia B.

"Something unique and original, and about ten times as enjoyable as the generic paranormal romance books. Shadow of Time is one of these unique books with an original concept that tries something completely different, and, in this case, succeeds." - Manjanka V.

"An absolute pleasure to read, this book had me flying through the pages to see what the conclusion to this fantastic story would be. A truly original concept and storyline has me eager to see what Jen will release next." - Sarah

Buy the Book:

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Visit the book's page here. 

About the Author: Jen Minkman (1978) was born in Holland, in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn. When she was 19, she moved between The Hague, Salzburg (Austria), Brussels (Belgium) and Cambridge (UK) to complete her studies in intercultural communication. She is currently a teacher of English, career counsellor and teenage coach at a secondary school in Voorburg, Holland. She tries to read at least 100 books a year (and write a few, too!). She is a published author in her own country, and translates her own books from Dutch into English for self-publication.In her spare time, she plays the piano, the guitar and the violin. For every novel she writes, she creates a soundtrack.

"I have always been drawn to writing. My first book was a sci-fi novel at the age of eight, which I painstakingly typed out on my dad's typewriter and illustrated myself. Nowadays, I stick to poetry, paranormal romance, chicklit and/or fantasy. In my home country, I am the first-ever published writer of paranormal romance, and I will gradually make my books also available in English (seeing I have to re-write and translate the books myself, this will take some time!)."