Review: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

Title: The Power of Six
Author: Pittacus Lore
Publisher:HarperCollins
Pages: 416
Series: I Am Number Four
Format: Kindle
Review by: BECCA

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.
I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.
And I'm ready to fight.

Review:
I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of this book on my kindle.  At last it arrived, and it was worth it.  The book was from two points of view, number Four (John Smith's) and number Seven, a girl living in Spain.  Of course, Six was with John and because of that we got to hear stories of her life and how she became the strong woman she is.  Much was revealed and much was left out.  The one thing I didn't like was that the book had a bit too much action.  I love to watch action on the big screen but in a book it doesn't translate over so well for me.  Some people may love the book for this reason, so to each his own.  Overall it was quite enjoyable with new exciting reveals and intrigues.  What will happen with John and Sarah?  What will happen with John and Six?  Will John ever receive any more legacies?  Do they stand a chance against the Mogs?   Those were just a few of the questions I had after finishing the book.  Now I have to wait for book #3.  I have to admit, I wish I knew where Pittacus Lore was so I could hit him up for the next novel!

Review: Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey

Title: Yours to Keep
Author: Shannon Stacey
Publisher: Carina Press
Words: 70,000

A special Thank You to Carina Press and NetGalley for this e-book to review.

Sean Kowalski no sooner leaves the army than he's recruited by Emma Shaw to be her fake fiancé. Emma needs to produce a husband-to-be for her grandmother's upcoming visit, and, though Sean doesn't like the deception, he could use the landscaping job Emma's offering while he decides what to do with his civilian life. And, despite his attraction to Emma, there's no chance he'll fall for a woman with deep roots in a town he's not planning to call home.

Emma's not interested in a real relationship either; not with a man whose idea of home is wherever he drops his duffel bag. No matter how amazing his "pretend" kisses are...

Review:
I've never reviewed a Romance novel here. It's like my dirty little secret that I read them, I guess. But I do! Every once in awhile I just want something easy to read and add a little bit of romance into my life.

I loved this book! It was seriously SO cute and such an easy read. I enjoyed the plot a lot. I could just tell where this was headed and couldn't wait to find out all the situations that Emma and Sean found themselves in while "pretending". The character development was great too. I really saw them changed and get better. Realizing things about themselves. That is usually lacking in romance novels.

There are (of course) a few naughty scenes, but honestly I loved it! It wasn't too over the top. That's exactly what I wanted. I'm looking forward to reading more about the Kowalski family!This book was totally cute!

Review: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Title: Chain Reaction
Author: Simone Elkeles
Publisher: Walker
Pages: 320
Other titles in series: Perfect Chemistry & Rules of Attraction


Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn’t live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he’s never known, and just when he thinks he’s got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?



Review:
I love the Fuentes brothers! This is the 3rd installment and ending to the series. I love that each book is about a different brother. That way there aren't cliffhangers and what not. It's always neatly tied up at the end with an epilogue. THANK YOU SIMONE!!

Chain Reaction is about Luis, the youngest of the Fuentes brothers. I kind of like the name (my husband's name is Luis). He has stayed out of trouble thus far thanks to his brothers. He is a straight A student. Something Alex and Carlos never were. He's got a game plan. He knows where he's going. That is, until he moves back to Illinois and meets Nikki.

I feel the story is probably a pretty accurate portrayal of high school these days, even though I never had any of these experiences. High School is pretty tough.  I can't imagine being a minority among other things.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the story. Love these boys. I'm sad to see the series end, but I know author Simone Elkeles will bring us something good soon!

Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Title: Eve
Author: Anna Carey
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 336
Date of Publication: October 4, 2011

A special Thank You to Harper Collins for sending me this book to review.

Where do you go when nowhere is safe?
Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth’s population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school’s real purpose—and the horrifying fate that awaits her.
Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school, and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust . . . and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.


Review:
I enjoyed the book. It has a great plot, and the story line kept me going. I'm new into dystopian fiction, I've not read much, but I love it! The whole idea of the future being bleak and back to basics just really makes the story even more suspenseful. The cover alone made me pick up this book.

Although I enjoyed it, I'm a character development kind of girl. There are some situations where Eve makes decisions that are...out of character! They aren't huge, and maybe people who read this won't even notice. But, I did.

The romance promised isn't as "romantic" as I thought it would be. You know I love the romance. But it was still good. I really like Caleb and can't wait to see more of him.

I didn't like the ending. I felt it was, again, out of character. Not just for Eve, but for human beings. I wish I could say more, but I'm not a spoiler, so I won't! This is going to be a trilogy I think, so there is plenty of time for that "ending" to get better.

I did enjoy it, and I'd still say go pick it up on October 4th when it's published. I liked it! I'm looking forward to getting to know Eve better!

Review: Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

Title: Hunting Lila
Author: Sarah Alderson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 320

Author Website
Twitter
Amazon UK 

A special Thank You to Simon and Schuster for sending me an advanced copy to review.

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. After a mugging exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. In a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them...

Review:
Just finished this book this morning! Wow! LOVED IT! I was hooked by only the first few pages. You know a book is going to be good when it can do that. When the baby woke in the night and I put him back to sleep I couldn't help but grab the book. I had dreamed about it and wanted to know what was happening next. SO...I stayed up all night to find out!

Great read! A lot of time in paranormal books you can't relate to the characters much because their circumstances are so far fetched. So fictional. I related to Lila, Alex, and Jack. Lila over analyzes everything. Doesn't every girl? Her life is normal, but not so normal in so many ways. I loved that there was a romantic element from page one. I'm all about the romance. You know that!

I was kept on the edge of my seat and I actually sat straight up in bed to read for a bit. Laying down was not cutting it! I need to be upright with all this action.

Strong characters. Strong Plot. Great story. It was MUCH more than I thought it would be. Many twists and surprises I never saw coming. I very much enjoyed Hunting Lila! You'd could never tell this is a debut novel!

I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel that will be out next summer! LOVE!

Alderson has a stand alone book coming out in January called Fated! I'm itching to get my hands on it!

Quote:
I felt myself lifted up into the air and then somehow I was on the back of the bike.  My legs automatically gripped the leather seat to stop myself from sliding off, but then Alex was in front of me, his back a wall against my face.  He kicked up the stand and fired it up. As I felt the thrum of the engine underneath us, Alex reached back with his arm and grabbed my hand, pulling it around him and pressing it hard against his waist.
"Hold on, " he said.

Pottermore

 

I'm pretty sure most people are Harry Potter fans. I know I am. I still remember the first time I ever heard about Harry Potter.  I was 18 yrs old. It was 1998 and I was a waitress at Applebee's.  I was serving a mother and son, and the boy had this ginormous book on the table. I thought it had to be the mom's, but then he picked it up and was reading it while his mom took a phone call. I made a joke about him reading such a large book and he said,"but, it's Harry Potter." Who the heck was Harry Potter?  That night I was talking to my mom on the phone and I made a comment about the boy with such a large book and mom said, "It's Harry Potter." OK, how come even my mom knew about this.  But my mom is always reading too! Then started my love of Harry Potter.

There is a new website starting up in October for Harry Potter fans! www.pottermore.com It is suppose to be a unique reading experience.  What ever that means.  JK Rowling has a video explaining what Pottermore is all about on the website. Go check it out!  This past week they were giving out clues to get a chance to have a sneak peak at the website early.  They had one clue every day for 7 days. 7 Books. 7 Clues. 7 Chances. They had crazy hours to find the clues and most people were waiting up in the middle of the night to find it and grab the magical quill. Well, I know I did!

Becca and I got in!!! We get an early access look at www.pottermore.com !! I am SO excited!! We should get our welcome letter within a few weeks and I'll be sure to let all of you know what's going on with the website!

Who else is excited for the new Pottermore website?

Author Interview: Angie Eller

Author Angie Eller

Becca here with my 1st Author Interview! I went to a book singing for The Modest Princess the other day. It was so much fun! I bought two books, one for me and one for my daughter and Angie Eller signed both. Anyway, that's how I was able to get an interview with the author of this darling book.

********************************************************

How did you come up with the idea for The Modest Princess?
My girls LOVE reading "Princess" books and fairy tales, and although many of the characters in those stories are brave, sweet and beautiful, they are also often not dressed very modestly. I wanted my daughters to know that the way we dress is a reflection of what we are on the inside and that "more is better than less when an oh-so-lovely princess is picking out her dress." When I couldn't find a book available like that, I wrote "The Modest Princess."

The Modest Princess is your debut book. How does it feel to be a published author? What's the best part?
It feels fabulous! I think the best part for me is just knowing that there are other women out there that have been searching for this type of material as well, and now we all have access to something that teaches that modesty can be glamorous too!

Are Princess Sincerity and Prince Noble based on you and your husband?

OK, I'm not gonna lie... a little bit. I definitely wanted the prince to look like my hubby, and it kind of just happened that Sincerity looks a touch like me.

You have four daughters, how do you encourage them to dress modestly?
We talk about modesty a lot, and just work at trying to make everything in their closets modest. When we shop and find that adorable strapless beach dress, we make sure we buy a matching cropped jacket to go over it or cute t-shirt to go underneath it.

Where is your favorite modest place to shop for you and your girls?

We honestly shop everywhere, but I love stores like Down East Basics, and companies like Shade and ModBod that have so many fabulous long tanks (that can tuck into those low rise jeans) and great t-shirts that can be worn with any strapless outfit or tank.

What book are you reading right now?

I'm reading "The City of Bones."

Are there any other books you are writing?

I'm working on "The Prayerful Prince" right now... it's Prince Noble's side of the story!

Thank you for the interview Angie!  I loved coming to the signing, and my daughter and I love the book!