Review: Wide Awake by Shelly Crane

A girl.
A coma.
A life she can't remember.

When Emma Walker wakes up in the hospital with no knowledge of how she got there, she learns that she's been in a coma for six months. Strangers show up and claim to be her parents, but she can't remember them. She can't remember anyone. Not her friends, not even her boyfriend. Even though she can't remember, everyone wants her to just pick up where she left off, but what she learns about the 'old her' makes her start to wish she'd never woken up. Her boyfriend breaks up with the new girl he's dating to be with her, her parents want her to start planning for college, her friends want their leader back, and her physical therapist with the hazel eyes keeps his distance to save his position at the hospital.

Will she ever feel like she recognizes the girl in the mirror?

Source: eArc provided by author in exchange for an honest review

I wish there was a way to give this book more than 5 stars. This was my next book from the UtopYA poll and has been on my TBR list since I found out about it. For those of you that are new followers, Shelly Crane is one of the reasons that I'm such a big reader. Amazon recommended Significance to me when I first got my Kindle. I've been a huge fan ever since. 

Where do I begin to tell you about my love affair with Wide Awake? I devoured this book in a day...I have not read a book in one day in forever. I refused to speak to anyone. My eyes we're glued to every delicious page. The thing I love about her books is that she doesn't need sex to make it good. Sex would have ruined this masterpiece. 

I hope it's okay for me to share this quote with you because I just about had a panting fit when I read it. "I want to give you back your first kiss, the one that jerk stole from you. And I want it to be something that even a coma can't make you forget." -Mason

Ummm seriously? I would have humped jumped him so quick! I was a puddle of goo. 

I LOVED Emma!!! She is such a nice change from the whiney teenagers that I've read lately. Yes she had amnesia and had a 2 year old fit for a minute, but she handled herself so well. Her strength was amazing. My heart was breaking for her. No memory of anyone in her life. 

Wide Awake was incredibly moving and stirred so many emotions. I went through sadness and elation and I loved every frickin second of it. Just wow...I know my reviews will never live up to the phenomena that are her books, but it is truly an honor to have read this book. As I sit here writing this, I can't imagine picking up another book. I'm drunk on love and I don't want it to stop. Stop reading what ever it is that you are reading and pick up this book....you can thank me later. 

And I almost forgot! One of the most awesome things in this book is that the chapters are numbered with useless facts. I love this because I too love to read books about useless information. Genuis!

Barnes and Noble

Shelly is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author from a small town in Georgia and loves everything about the south. She is wife to a fantastical husband and stay at home mom to two boisterous and mischievous boys who keep her on her toes. They currently reside in everywhere USA as they happily travel all over with her husband's job. She loves to spend time with her family, binge on candy corn, go out to eat at new restaurants, buy paperbacks at little bookstores, site see in the new areas they travel to, listen to music everywhere and also LOVES to read.
Her own books happen by accident and she revels in the writing and imagination process. She doesn't go anywhere without her notepad for fear of an idea creeping up and not being able to write it down immediately, even in the middle of the night, where her best ideas are born.

http://www.shellycrane.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/shellycranefanpage

http://twitter.com/authshellycrane

Amazon author page

This blog will receive around $0.04 for every $1 you spend by purchasing your book from the above link. Thanks!

Review: Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis

Jacque Pierce was just an ordinary 17 year old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realize the last two weeks of their summer was going to get a lot more interesting. From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis lupis, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul. The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas. Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?

 

Source: Reviewer Purchase

I've finally had my werewolf cherry popped!! So inappropriate to say that about a YA book, but that's me...inappropriate. This book was voted next on my UtopYA poll and I've heard such good things about it. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype. Don't go throwing food at me, just hear me out. While I loved the story and background of the Grey wolves, the characters kind of ruined it for me. 

First, you have Jacque's two friends that have such a wild and entertaining banter. Don't get me wrong, they were entertaining as hell but I wish they would have taken the backseat in the story instead of always being there, annoying and in your face. Jacque, like any 17 year old, threw these temper tantrums that were at times unnecessary. The one thing I wanted her to throw a big stink over, she didn't. I mean seriously?! I would have punched Fane in the face and then made out with him like crazy. UGH. 

Fane...where do I begin with Fane? Who doesn't want a hot Romanian??  I do! You can call me your Luna anytime! My only complaint about him is that he's kinda mellow for an Alpha. I was expecting a brooding, possessive young man instead of the big softy that he was. 

I was torn between my rating for this book. While I didn't love the characters, I didn't hate them. I very much want to read the rest of the series and hope they get better.

Barnes and Noble

Quinn lives in beautiful NW Arkansas with her husband, son, Doberman and cat (who thinks she is a ninja in disguise). She is beyond thankful that she has been blessed to be able to write full time and hopes the readers know how much all of their support means to her. Some of her hobbies include reading, exercising, crochet, and spending time with family and friends. She gives all credit of her success to God because he gave her the creative spirit and vivid imagination it takes to write. 

Website: http://www.quinnloftisbooks.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthQuinnLoftis

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5014564.Quinn_Loftis

This blog will receive around $0.04 for every $1 you spend by purchasing your book from the above link. Thanks!

Review: The Debt Collectors 1-3 by Susan Kaye Quinn

Contains mature content and themes.

What's your life worth on the open market? A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He's just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja's sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane... until he collects again. But when his recovery ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn't what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone--a dark pit he's not sure he'll be able to climb out of again.

The first three episodes of the Debt Collector serial are collectively the length of a short novel, or 152 pages. These are the first three of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating.

Mobi, given to review through Netgalley.com

 If you thought that student debt would drown you, the debts collected in this book literally kill you. Lirium (Joe) is a very damaged Collector of life energy that is barely hanging onto his humanity. The world he lives in is gritty and dangerous for anyone not deemed important enough to get the “hits” he collects to keep their potential flowing. Those who are destitute debt out their life in hopes of making it better. If the economy or sickness hit they are basically screwed if their debts add up more than their potential. Lirium ends up tricked and helping a desperate young woman and her sister. Once he heads down that road in the first serial novel, he is then chased and goes slightly bonkers trying to keep up with all the betrayal and changes around him. He is a likeable broken character who I hope gets his peace in the end. Warning: all the serial novels end on cliff hangers that make the reader quickly scramble to read the next.

Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. Her teachers pretended not to notice and only confiscated her stories a couple times.

Susan left writing behind to pursue a bunch of engineering degrees, but she was drawn back to writing by an irresistible urge to share her stories with her niece, her kids, and all the wonderful friends she’s met along the way.

She doesn’t have to sneak her notes anymore, which is too bad.

Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as a much as she can handle.

CONTACT SUSAN

Susan's Website/Blog | Susan's twitter | Susan's Facebook Page

Susan's Email: susankayequinn@comcast.net

This blog will receive around $0.04 for every $1 you spend by purchasing your book from the above link. Thanks!

Review: The Night Sweeper by J. Steven Butler

Cray is a Night Sweeper. Twenty-five years old, amazingly lethal, and brilliant beyond anyone's right to be, night after endless night, he has one job- kill Festers, zombie-like freaks born of the United States President's foolish choice to use chemical warfare against his foes. After years of nighttime exterminating, the Fester population has been significantly diminished, and humanity is beginning to see a reprieve from the zombie outbreak. But Cray has a weakness. When it comes to beautiful women, he's a total dork.

When Cedric Archer, his long-time commanding officer, tells him that another virus threatens to repeat the original disaster that caused the zombie apocalypse, Cray knows his only choice is to do what it takes to make sure that never happens. There's only one problem. Archer just stuck him with a new partner, and she's gorgeous.

Together, the tongue-tied Cray and the exotic Mira Winston embark on a roller-coaster ride mission where nothing is as it seems and treachery lies around every corner. As Cray soon finds out, Mira is full of secrets, and they are both more connected to the conspiracy than they would have dreamed possible.

Source: PDF given by author for review

Think Island of Dr. Monroe, special abilities like the Matrix, the cute nerdy lead in any high school, zombies, and a high octane army-like chick. Cray is a likeable nerd who is slightly off the edge due to his super human abilities to take out the zombie-like folks who roam the earth trying to munch on the rest of humanity that survived. The controlling body of the few populated cities shows up and orders him on a mission with a new hot chick sidekick, Mira, who he is tongue tied around. The action is easy to follow in the book and it has enough romance and plot twists to make a reader raise their eyebrows.

The basic plotlines convey humanity never changes and the bad guy is always the one you didn’t think would betray you. I would suggest this book for more mature readers due to gore and violence. If you like a fast paced sci-fi with political intrigue in a destroyed civilization, I recommend this book.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Barnes and Noble 

I was born and I am currently still alive. I love action and plot twists in books, and try to combine the best of both worlds into my novels. I believe J.J. Abrams to be a master of the plot twist (though I confess, many of his twists never get explained...sorry J.J.) I hate milk, love rainy days, have less hair than I would prefer, and generally just love life.

 
 
This blog will receive around $0.04 for every $1 you spend by purchasing your book from the above link. Thanks!

Review: Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is a stand alone novel that is an adult spin-off
of the Lux Series

He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?

Source: Reviewer Purchase

Holy HOT Aliens!! I've been a huge fan of the Lux series for quite some time now. When I first started blogging, a few of my Goodreads friends would rave about this series(Thanks for the addiction, Shreya, Annie, Stormy, and Maida.) The author has such a phenomenal writing style that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. The series is full of snark and excitement that keeps your blood pumping at an astonishing rate. This book was my undoing. Lord have mercy! The only way to describe Obsession would be "panty dropping." I feel like such a perv for saying it that way, but it's the truth. This scorching hot romance will leave you panting...and maybe drooling. 

I read a review the other day that said this book was too much steam and not enough story. Ummm hellooo, I want the steam! There is a story here and it was PERFECT! It ties into Opal so perfectly that you'd swear it was gift wrapped with a pretty little bow. I chatted my hubby's ear off for a good half hour about this book. Needless to say he didn't want to hear it lol. I almost feel bad for the YA readers that shouldn't read this book. There's some vital information that pertains to the next book, Origin. I loved the ending and it leaves it wide open for another Arum novel. I'm hoping that happens, but I think Hunter and Serena's story is complete. Maybe they will have a cameo in Origin. We could all hope! 

My only gripe is this cover. I don't normally go on a rant about covers, but it really doesn't portray the characters considering Hunter is at least two heads taller than Serena. There, I've said my piece. 

I really hope that you will take the time to read this novel. As a reader of the series, I don't even feel like you need to read the rest of the series to understand it. Yes it would be nice, but not necessary. At least read the prequel, Shadows, to better understand the alien species that are in it.

Barnes and Noble

Jennifer L. Armentrout is a # 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. She lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Twitter https://twitter.com/JLArmentrout

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout

Website http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/

This blog will receive around $0.04 for every $1 you spend by purchasing your book from the above link. Thanks!

Review: Becoming by Raine Thomas

Every three years, Amber Hopkins explodes. Okay, not a blown-to-smithereens explosion, but whatever it is always hurts like hell and leaves her life a shambles. She’s already worked her way through five foster placements, and she’s doing whatever she can to avoid getting blasted into a sixth.

As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She’ll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she’ll discover that she isn’t really without family.

To top it all off, she’ll finally find out why she’s having the power surges: she isn’t entirely human.

Amber must Become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she’s ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.

Kind of makes the explosions now seem like a cakewalk.

Source: Reviewer Purchase

I started a poll for my UtopYA reads back in April. Becoming was voted 2nd to read and I've been eying it for the last year and a half. I don't know why it didn't read it sooner! I've been on a contemporary kick lately and it's so nice to come back to the fantasy/paranormal realm. And what a realm it was! It started off like most of the ones that I've read. Girl is human but has weird stuff happen to her yada yada yada. You get the drill. I loved the relationship between Amber and Gabriel from the start. I always read about the bad boys, but you can't beat a southern gentleman. Yum yum lol. Amber cracks me up. I would totally hang out with her!

When it comes to fantasy, I get confused super quick. Don't know why, but I do. This book was so easy on my brain! It was so beautifully written that I understood everything. This world of Estilorians is by far one of the best world building stories that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It was alluring, fast paced and adventurous. This story is everything that I look for in my YA books, or should I say books in general. I'm mentally kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series. I'm sure it will be just as enticing as Becoming. 

Oh, and I was just putting my post together and saw this on Raine's website. Estilorian Central where you can read up on each Estilorian class and what they look like. How frickin cool is that? Raine, you are a genius. I love it! 

This blog will receive around $0.04 for every $1 you spend by purchasing your book from the above link. Thanks!

Barnes and Noble

 

Raine Thomas is the author of the exciting and original series of YA fantasy/romance novels about the Estilorian plane. She became truly passionate about writing when one of her stories took an Honorable Mention in a fourth-grade writing competition (who would have thought a story about a dancing spider would garner so much attention?). Carrying that passion with her, she earned her bachelor’s degree in English with a focus in Creative Writing from Georgia State University, then her master’s degree in Humanities from Central Michigan University.

Residing in Orlando, Florida, Raine is a hopeless romantic with a background in the fields of mental health and wedding planning…two areas that intersect far more than one would think. Her years working with children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral challenges inspired her to create young protagonists who overcome their own conflicts. When she isn’t writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

http://rainethomas.com/

Review: The Car Bomb by T.V. LoCicero

Detroit Nielson king Frank DeFauw hunts down the story of a judge who may be corrupt—and is one of his best friends. Booze, drugs, womanizing and a passion for the news are all part of what makes this brilliant, erratic TV anchor a major player in this deeply troubled city. Finally, Frank decides if digging out the truth about his pal the judge is worth risking his own career, family and life.

 

Source: PDF provided by author

 Imagine one of your best friends is possibly a corrupt, money craving weasel. You have your own problems with a dying marriage, cynical and promiscuous children, unhappy mistress, and a real problem with booze and facing reality. Life is more on the suck side for the main character, Frank, from outside circumstances and his own poor choices. The story takes place in 1992 and the one upside for him is his career and popularity.

Frank hops into a possibly sensational story, not realizing that it’s already cost the life of the main suspect’s kids and wife. As he follows the myriad of rabbit trails, he is lead into the underbelly of Detroit and will either bring the downfall of the bad guys or himself.
I liked the pace of the novel. I don’t think Frank is a character written to be liked, but his character fits right into the story and environment. The ending gave me a sigh of relief and I was pleased that Frank seemed to resolve his own personal demons, and the bad guys got their comeup-ins.

This blog will receive around $0.04 for every $1 you spend by purchasing your book from the above link. Thanks!

I was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and grew up there after my first dozen years in Detroit. I attended Notre Dame and graduated with a B.A. and M.A from the University of Michigan. I’ve worked in both print and electronic journalism, as a writer of both fiction and non-fiction and as a producer of documentaries as well as entertainment and cultural specials. The author of the true crime book Murder in the Synagogue (Prentice-Hall), an account of the assassination of Rabbi Morris Adler, I’ve also written Squelched: The Suppression of Murder in the Synagogue and the novels The Obsession and The Disappearance, the first two books in the Truth Beauty Trilogy. I’ve published articles and short stories in various periodicals, including Commentary, Ms. and The University Review, and in the hard-cover collections Best Magazine Articles, The Norton Reader and The Third Coast.

I’ve operated my own TV and video production company and written, produced and directed more than 50 long-form documentaries, 75 shorter features and 30 live event programs. My syndicated documentary special “Hoffa: The True Story” appeared on 150 stations in this country and throughout Europe, and my work has been recognized with 22 Emmys from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, a Gold Medal from the International Film and TV Festival of New York and numerous awards from the Associated Press and United Press International.

http://www.tvlocicero.com/