Category Archives: Book Reviews

Making Faces by Amy Harmon

Book Reviews, Young Adult Books,

making faces

My Five Star Review:

This was another amazing story by Amy Harmon and her fifth published book two years ago.  Everyone should pick up Making Faces and read it today.  I have truly enjoyed every one of Amy’s books, that I’ve read so far, but this book and the character of Bailey really moved me and touched my heart and soul.

Making Faces had just about everything:  young love, unrequited love, a shy girl, a popular girl, BFF’s, a sports hero, world tragedy, a war hero, life altering decision, a community bonded, domestic violence and above all Love and Family.

I’m not lying when I say everyone should read this story.  It is so much more than I’m describing and it will stop and make you think about your life and how you want to live it.

Amy has a way of grabbing a hold of you, pulling you in and not letting you go until she has changed your heart, body, and soul.  Thank you, Amy, for your words.  I look forward to your next book.

About the Book:

“Ambrose Young was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She’d been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have…until he wasn’t beautiful anymore.

Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl’s love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior’s love for an unremarkable girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast, where we discover that there is a little beauty and a little beast in all of us.”

Two of my favorite Quotes:

“This last year I’ve felt like one of those snowflakes we used to make in school.  The one where you fold the paper a certain way and then keep cutting and cutting until the paper is shredded.  That’s what I look like, a paper snowflake.  And each hole has a name.  And nobody, not you, not me, can fill the holes that someone else has left.  All we can do is keep each other from falling in the holes and never coming out again.”

“True beauty, the kind that doesn’t fade or wash off, takes time.  It takes pressure.  It takes incredible endurance.  It is the slow drip that makes the stalactite, the shaking of the Earth that creates mountains, the constant pounding of the waves that breaks up the rocks and smooths the rough edges.  And from the violence, the furor, the raging of the winds, the roaring of the waters, something better emerges, something that would otherwise never exit.”

Making Faces Amazon Link: here

Find Amy Harmon: Facebook, Website

As always, Keep Writing/Keep Reading ~ janisf

Invincible Summer by Seth King

Book Reviews, Books Coming Soon, Series Books

invincible summer

Amazing, Brilliant, Heartwarming, Touching, Uplifting, Loving and “Weirdly and totally Seth King.”  Love is everything.  Love is then. Love is now. Love lives forever and ever and ever.  If you enjoyed The Summer Remains then you will absolutely “love” Invincible Summer.   (Release Date Nov 17, 2015)

My Five Star Review:

I was extremely lucky and grateful to have received and advanced reader copy of Invincible Summer.  To me this book was a continuation of Summer Johnson and Cooper Nichols story so, if you haven’t read The Summer Remains I would highly recommend you do.

My review will not give you any specifics about Invincible Summer, however, at the end of this post I will share with you a few of my favorite quotes.  (So there is your spoiler warning.)

This book was unlike anything I have ever read and it’s something everyone needs to experience with a completely open mind and open heart.  Many reviewers before me have said, “This book is not what you think it will be.”  And they are absolutely correct.  It was much, much more then what I thought it would be.  It touched my heart and deep down into my soul, and healed it just a little bit but enough to make a difference.  Seth’s “weirdly” ideas and visions helped me in ways I will never be able to repay.  His writing was filled with so much emotion, I physically felt it in every word I read.  It was refreshing and wonderful all at the same time even when I needed to grab a tissue or two.

One of my favorite things about The Summer Remains was all the lyrics Seth included in that book.  (Lyrics he wrote himself.)  In Invincible Summer I absolutely loved all the poems and of course Seth wrote all of those.

Invincible Summer is the ending or maybe not ending to an amazing love story that will stay with me until the end of time.  Thank you Seth for giving me your words and taking me on this journey with you.

Keep Writing/Keep Reading – janisf

About the Book:

~We all remember our first love, that one affair that took custody of your heart and never really let it go. Readers around the world were touched by The Summer Remains, a heartbreaking and inspiring novel about one of these romances – but Cooper Nichols, the enigmatic young man at the center of the novel, was largely silent on the matter. Until now.

“I just can’t believe it’s over between you guys,” my best friend said as we walked down the pier. “You two were supposed to last forever.” 

I stared out at the blue sea. “Oh, trust me, it’s not over. I am going to see that girl’s face in every crowd I look into, forever. And maybe a few forevers after that…” 

And so begins the tale of young writer Cooper Nichols. Left in ruins after a tragic summer romance, Cooper is afraid the sun may have set on him for good – until his mother discovers a copy of Cooper’s journal he kept of that summer. As he reluctantly slips back into his own past in the pages of his notebook, Cooper starts to rethink everything he thought he knew about life, death, and all the love that can bloom in between – and what follows is a thrilling and breathtaking journey back to joy that will sink into you and stay there for the long haul.
Illuminating, romantic and soul-stirring, Invincible Summer is a testament to the miraculous power of love, in all its immortal glory and everlasting majesty. If you have ever found yourself drifting back to a long-lost romance during a quiet moment, prepare to be pulled under all over again.
“That one summer. Everyone’s got one, that fleeting season that rearranged you and imprinted itself onto your soul forever. You were mine. I swear I’ll never forget your hazel eyes. I swear I’ll never forget those few months when the winds roared. I’ll always think of you that way. And if you can, please come back to me. At the end of the day I’m just a boy who wants to get back to his first love, and I miss you. Just find a way back, please. I’ll be waiting.
Until then, I’ve got nothing…”~

 

Pre-Order Invincible Summer here:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016P6K7KK

 

Find Seth King here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sethkingbooks?fref=ts

Order Author Signed books here: http://sethkingbooks.tumblr.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SethKingBooks

Instagram: sethkingbooks

 

Warning:  My favorite quotes are below and may contain spoilers.  Read at your own risk!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Favorite Quotes:

“is it so hard to let yourself love

to push out all the monsters in your head and stand tall and say, you know what, I am worthy of this, and I’m gonna do this even if it hurts, even if I wake up one day hating the world for introducing me to something so magnificent and then snatching it away again

and then you do it

and you wonder

why in the hell you’d waited so long”

“It’s not lost on me that I am probably not even fit to be around people yet.  Grief grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go, and it is everywhere and everything.”

“Swim towards your sharks, I think as I walk home.  That’s something Summer did.  She ran straight for what scared her, even when it was a mistake.”

“Did da Vinci use words to express all the thought and all the emotion and all the love that exist in a human’s eyes?  No.  Some stories are told with words, that is true.  Others are told with a paintbrush.  But the best ones are told with love.”

“Love is a force brighter and more powerful than the largest sun in the universe.  It is what we were created to do.”

Rising Storm Episode 1-3

Book Reviews, Series Books

storm 1-3

Tempest Rising – Episode 1 – Julie Kenner

About the Book:

“Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.
Nestled among rolling hills and painted with vibrant wildflowers, the bucolic town of Storm, Texas, seems like nothing short of perfection.
But there are secrets beneath the facade. Dark secrets. Powerful secrets. The kind that can destroy lives and tear families apart. The kind that can cut through a town like a tempest, leaving jealousy and destruction in its wake, along with shattered hopes and broken dreams. All it takes is one little thing to shatter that polish.
Ginny Moreno didn’t mean to do it, but when she came home to Storm, she brought the tempest with her. And now everyone will be caught in its fury…”

My Five Star Review:

Wow!! Just Wow!! This book was an amazing start to a series I just know I’m going to love!!!  Several authors are working together to bring us this series of short stories and some very interesting characters.

Move over Dallas, Dynasty, Revenge, Brothers and Sister, and Scandal etc. because Storm, Texas is the place to be. So far there has been tragedy, adultery, domestic abuse, teen love, adult love, a sexy Sheriff, a Senator with questionable ethics and so much much more and that’s just the first episode.  If you love a good nighttime soap opera, then start this series.

You meet many families in this first book which made me need to grab a pencil and map out a family tree.  After I finished this book I realized there is a website dedicated to Rising Storm.  Visit the link here to get update to minute info on the series and many family trees.  Link here: Rising Storm Books

White Lightning – Episode 2 – Lexi Blake

About the Book:

“As the citizens of Storm, Texas, sway in the wake of the death of one of their own, Daddy’s girl Dakota Alvarez also reels from an unexpected family crisis … and finds consolation in a most unexpected place.”

My Five Star Review:

This episode is basically about Dakota Alvarez.  This teenager is in a very bad place and makes some decisions that could completely alter her life.  But make no mistake, the stories of the other Storm residence keep moving forward in this episode.

Crosswinds – Episode 3 – Elisabeth Naughton

About the Book:

“Lacey Salt’s world shattered with the death of her brother, and now the usually sweet-tempered girl is determined to take back some control—even if that means sabotaging her best friend, Mallory, and Mallory’s new boyfriend, Luis.”

My Four Star Review:

This episode brought me right back to high school (which was a really long time ago) and all the “best” friend dynamics that go right along with it.  I had to shake myself out of the bad memories a few times just to get through the book.  Oh to be a young, foolish and stubborn teenager again.  Sorry Mom for all the craziness of my teen years.

Amazon Links:

Tempest Rising – Episode 1

White Lightning – Episode 2

Crosswinds – Episode 3

Author Links:

Julie Kenner

Lexi Blake

Elisabeth Naughton

Divine (Montana Dreams Series Book 1) by Cait Jarrod

Book Reviews, Books Coming Soon, Series Books

divine

About the Book: 

This is the first book in the three book Montana Dreams Series by Cait coming November 23, 2015.  (Adult 18+)

“Matt Carson and Trina Lovett befriend each other during turbulent times at a young age. Over the years, their friendship strengthens building a strong, unbreakable bond. At least that is what they believe. Life choices put an ocean between them, and the depth of their bond is tested.
Under the stress of being apart, heart-wrenching events leave them plagued with doubt. Danger forces them to make irrefutable decisions about what they want from life.”

My Five Star Review:

I was extremely lucky to have received an advanced copy of this book and I truly enjoyed every minute of it.  It was the kind of book that made you sorry when it was over.  I immediately fell in love with Matt and Trina from the first moment I met them.  You could feel their chemistry and connection, even at their young age, in every word Cait wrote.  The backstory on these two characters was wonderful, emotional and heart wrenching at times.  Even though their bond was strong, they each had a plan and a path for their future and wanted to fulfill it. Even though being a Doctor wasn’t exactly what Trina wanted.  Decisions they made put them miles apart but you still felt their love in every word.  There were several obstacles in their path on this emotional journey they took, but in true Cait Jarrod fashion there was a happily ever after.

I going to say right upfront, I wanted to yell and scream at Trina’s parents and I did that a time or two at my Kindle.  They were not nice people!  Matt’s brother Travis and Trina’s brother Bradley were great secondary characters.  Cait sucked me right in and made me demand more about these two guys.  So, lucky for me Travis and Bradley’s books will be coming in the near future!!

I would highly recommend this 145 page book and if you pre-order it now, it’s only $0.99 at Amazon!

Amazon Link: http://amzn.com/B015N1UT9M

A Little Snippet:

13 year old Matt:  “An object slapped his thigh from his suit.  He ran his hand along the inside of the pocket and tugged out a keychain.  The word DIVINE was etched into a metal plate with a squiggly mark under it.  She possessed everything:  a huge house, money, family. Yet a strange feeling overcame him that she’d given him her prize possession.  Slipping the keychain into his pants pocket, the unbearable burden that he wouldn’t survive lessened.”

 

Find Cait Here:

Website: http://caitjarrod.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Cait-Jarrod-Author-500705936640529/timeline/

Reading Order:

Divine – Book 1 – Coming November 23, 2015

Destiny – Book 2 – Coming December 14, 2015

Desire – Book 3 – Coming January 18, 2015

Keep Writing/Keep Reading ~ JanisF

Mine to Love (Hot Model Mine Book 2) by Lea Bronsen

Book Reviews, Series Books,

minetolove2

About the Book:

This is the second book in Lea’s three book Hot Model Mine series.  You really need to read her first book, The Perfect Shoot, to get the full enjoyment of this series.  (Intended for Adults 18+) (See below for your chance to win an amazon electronic gift copy of The Perfect Shoot.) 

“The writing conference in sunny Cannes was fantastical, a dream. Back at home, reality catches up with author Andrea Johnson and the sexy cover model of her book, Yushka. With tough working schedules, challenging family relations, and seductive temptation from all sides, the couple’s explosive romance is put to the test. Will their love be strong enough to deserve a future?”

My Five Star Review:

This book was even better than the first.  There was so much going on between these two characters my mind was spinning.  Andrea was back home from her trip where she first met Yushka and he is planning to come and see her for the weekend.  They live over 400 miles apart and find many obstacles in their path to overcome.

This book was filled with jealousy, old hurts, family dynamics, secrets, but also filled with love.  Andrea was desperately trying to navigate her “girlfriend” status after being without a man for over 18 years while raising her two boys.  Yuska fell hard and fast for Andrea at the conference but he too was dealing with a few things from his past.

There were moments I wanted to shake Andrea but then remembered this whole relationship business was new to her and I needed to cut her some slack.  Lea made me fall in love with this characters and I couldn’t help but cheer them on throughout the book.  Mine to Love absolutely leaves you wanting more and I look forward to reading her final installment in this series.

Giveaway

Since I absolutely loved this series so far, I’m giving away an amazon electronic gift copy of the first book, The Perfect Shoot.  To be eligible to win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post.  Drawing will take place on Monday, October 31, 2015.

My Goodreads review of The Perfect Shoot:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1112202911

Amazon Link for The Perfect Shoot: http://amzn.com/B00O940CLA

Amazon Link for Mine to Love:http://amzn.com/B015QQTCXS

Find Lea Bronsen Here:

Website:  http://leabronsen.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/LeaBronsen?fref=ts

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/LeaBronsen

KEEP WRITING, KEEP READING ~JanisF

Double Indemnity (Stonebridge Mysteries – 1) by Maggie Kavanagh

Book Reviews, Series Books

About this Book:

This was a wonderful murder mystery with several twists and turns but also a slow growing love story between Sam and Nathan. The chemistry between these two was off the charts.  (Intended for Adults 18+)

“Sam Flynn dreamed of being a journalist until a car accident killed his parents and put his brother into a long-term coma. Now Sam spends his days as a landscaper toiling in the New England sun and his nights drunk in bed with the closest warm body. In his limited spare time, he writes about Stonebridge’s local crime and politics on his blog “Under the Bridge.”

Then Sam’s favorite client is found dead in her home—shortly after telling him someone has betrayed her trust. Sam can’t believe her grief-stricken husband Nathan would be a suspect, but the investigation hones in on him. Sam has always admired handsome Nathan from afar, but now he puts his libidinous feelings aside to help clear his name. However, the closer he gets to Nathan, the more he’s told to keep away from him and the investigation—by the fatherly police chief, by an officer on the case who’s hated him since school, and by Nathan himself.
Sam’s determined to expose the real reason his friend died and clear Nathan’s name—even if it’s the last thing he does. Which, considering how fast the death toll is increasing in Stonebridge… it might be.”

My Four Star Review:

Sam has had a difficult couple of years and he’s just trying to keep everything together but at times he’s not doing a very good job.   He has two close friends, Yuri his landscaping business partner, and Rachel a bartender but he has very little time to meet and make new friends.  Sam works 24/7 trying to make ends meet so he can take care of his younger brother.

Nathan is right in the middle of the murder mystery and all Sam wants to do is help his new friend. Everyone wants Sam to stay out of it, but he just can’t help himself.   Due to Nathan’s line of work he found out a few things about himself that changes the course of his life but will he be able to live his life with murder hanging over his head.

The author takes you on a ride with many twists and turns.  It’s full of trust, understanding, comfort, friendship, and love (including steamy scenes) between these two amazing male characters. Maggies writing is wonderful and an absolute joy to read.

Sam and Nathan’s story continues in Maggie Kavanagh’s second book in this series, Inner Sanctum.  I will definitely be picking up the second book!

Find Maggie here:

http://maggiekavanaghwrites.com/

Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Double-Indemnity-Stonebridge-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B00SIH5A9S/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1442847169&sr=1-3&keywords=double+indemnity

Reading Order:

Double Indemnity Book 1

Inner Sanctum Book 2

Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino

Book Reviews

About this Book:

“To the Green-eyed Lovebird:

We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House.
You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more.
We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other.
Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding…
I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello.
After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half?

M”

My Five Star Review:

This book was a sweet, sad, romantic and emotionally charged story that will pull at your heat.  Two young college kids met, became immediate friends and a lot more but the timing just wasn’t right.  Missed chances and missed opportunities changed the lives of these two amazingly well written characters.  I loved Grace and Matt from the start but I loved them even more 15 years later which is one of the factors in my I-couldn’t-put-the-book-down.  Get Before We Were Strangers today and take an emotional journey with Grace and Matt through NYU, the East Village, Jeff Buckley, Pearl Jam, cello playing, photography, a wedding, divorce, National Geographic and the J train that you won’t forget.

Find Renee Carlino here:

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorReneeCarlino?fref=ts

Amazon Link: