Review: Crave by Tracy Wolff

Title: Crave    

Author: Tracy Wolff

Publication date: April 7, 2020

Series: Crave

Stars: 3

Summary: My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Nothing is right about this place or the other students in it. Here I am, a mere mortal among gods…or monsters. I still can’t decide which of these warring factions I belong to, if I belong at all. I only know the one thing that unites them is their hatred of me.

Then there’s Jaxon Vega. A vampire with deadly secrets who hasn’t felt anything for a hundred years. But there’s something about him that calls to me, something broken in him that somehow fits with what’s broken in me.

Which could spell death for us all.

Because Jaxon walled himself off for a reason. And now someone wants to wake a sleeping monster, and I’m wondering if I was brought here intentionally—as the bait.

Review: I finally gave in and listened to this book on libby. I really enjoyed listening to it. Until the 7th "AF" and not referring to frogger by it's name. The author made some bold assumptions about what a young person may know and for a person who "grew up" in cali their whole life you would think the MC would at best know what frogger is and know how to say full words instead of speaking in short hand. I'm hoping that the next book doesn't have a million AF statements. If it does I'll probably end it right there.

Review: Darkest Night by Megan Erickson

Title: Darkest Night

Author: Megan Erickson

Publisher: Forever
Series: Wired & Dangerous (Book 2)
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
Pages: 320 pages

Where to buy: Amazon

Stars: 3

Summary: USA Today bestselling author Megan Erickson turns up the heat in her sexy and thrilling Wired & Dangerous romantic suspense series.

Bodyguard Jock Bosh has one job: keep Fiona Madden safe. Safe from the men who've been hunting her. Safe from the bastard responsible for ruining her life. And with the attraction sizzling white-hot between them, that means keeping Fiona safe from him too.

Fiona has spent the past decade on the run. Her survival is the single greatest weapon she's had against the men out to destroy her. Until Jock. Now, with him by her side, she finally has a chance to bring them down. But when her enemies make their next move and Jock puts himself in the line of fire, Fiona realizes that there's more at stake than just her life-she's also risking her heart.

Review:
The book was a little hard to get into, as a person who has been through a very slightly similar situation to Fiona I think that was why I was able to get into the book. Jock was kind of a non dimensional character but in some aspects I also understand where he came from. Being hurt having those you love hurt makes you not want to have someone who can be hurt. But beyond that he didn’t have much shape to him. Their relationship came almost out of nowhere. I read this book really quickly. Although a lot of this book gets to be extremely unrealistic. I did enjoy bits and pieces of it. 

Review: Believe Me by JP Delaney

Title: Believe Me

Author: JP Delaney

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: July 24, 2018

Where to buy: Amazon, 

Stars: 3 stars

Summary: In this twisty psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before, an actress plays both sides of a murder investigation.
 
A struggling actor, a Brit in America without a green card, Claire needs work and money to survive. Then she gets both. But nothing like she expected.
 
Claire agrees to become a decoy for a firm of divorce lawyers. Hired to entrap straying husbands, she must catch them on tape with their seductive propositions.
 
The rules? Never hit on the mark directly. Make it clear you’re available, but he has to proposition you, not the other way around. The firm is after evidence, not coercion. The innocent have nothing to hide.
 
Then the game changes.
 
When the wife of one of Claire’s targets is violently murdered, the cops are sure the husband is to blame. Desperate to catch him before he kills again, they enlist Claire to lure him into a confession.
 
Claire can do this. She’s brilliant at assuming a voice and an identity. For a woman who’s mastered the art of manipulation, how difficult could it be to tempt a killer into a trap?
 
But who is the decoy . . . and who is the prey?
Review:
I am extremely torn on how to rate this book honestly. It wasn't very good until about half way through and the best part of the book was the end. It wasn't particularly poorly written it just seemed to drag on and wasn't exactly one of those books that kept you at night because you couldn't stop reading. In some parts it didn't seem detailed enough where maybe it should have been. I really wanted to love this book more. 
-Kati

Review: Meeting of the Mustangs by Cathy Kennedy

Meeting of the Mustangs:

By: Cathy Kennedy

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Stars: 3

Summary: A black colt is born into a band of wild mustangs and soon learns that life can often be difficult. Follow his story as he goes from a free spirit to being captured for profit, and discover how one man gains the trust and extreme loyalty of a very special horse.

Review: Meeting of the Mustangs was an okay book in my opinion. I had the feeling the book was meant for younger children. Which is probably why I didn’t enjoy the story as much. But with that being said, the book was well wrote and kept the story going. I Liked how the author wrote in the 3^rd person to describe the horse’s life. By doing so made the book feel more realistic. I would recommend this book to younger children, especially those learning to read.

Heir to Power by Michele Poague

Author: Michele Poague
Series: The Healing Crystal
Publisher: iUniverse
Publication Date: December 27, 2010
How Received: For Review
Rate: 3

Summary: (as quoted from Amazon) e colony of Survin has been hidden for centuries, protecting an ancient religious artifact called the Healing Crystal from men who would steal or destroy it. Kairma, heir to the Crystal, is destined to mate with the handsome Naturi and become the leader of the reclusive colony, but she is too young to realize the peril soon to arrive. At sixteen, Kairma is too young to realize many things ....
Kairma would rather go spelunking with her brother and his best friend than study ancient medicine and religious laws, but the discovery of a tomb containing ancient artifacts leads Kairma to question her religion and the true nature of the Crystal. To further complicate Kairma's ascent, a childhood illness has left her resembling a nearby race of men both hated and feared by the people of Survin. Because of this, Kairma's younger sister Kinter, who is in love with Naturi, believes she is the rightful heir.
Disease and infertility have decimated Survin, but bigotry and religious laws forbid the introduction of new members so things heat up when a traveling archeologist stumbles upon the reclusive colony and introduces a powerful new weapon. Forced into a larger world, the Survinees discover they hold an object of unimaginable power, a power other men covet, a power that might save or forever damn the human race.
　
My thoughts:
Heir to Power was an alright read. The story follows sixteen year old Kairma, and the trials and plight that come to her as she prepares to become ‘heir to the Crystal’. I admire Kairma’s strength, and I think that she is a very smart, yet vulnerable, heroine. There was definitely a long list of main characters and some really sweet romance throughout the story. But, for me, there was a little too much detail in the book. I felt as if I were reading a book about background settings in fantasy instead of reading a book that’s story was set in a fantasy world. Of course, this is simply my opinion, and I am sure many other readers will enjoy this book. But, for me, the descriptive writing and multiple points of view made it too hard for me to follow the story properly enough to enjoy it.
3/5
~Moujnir

Shattered Glass

Author: Elaine Bergstrom 
Series: Austra
Publisher: Elaine Bergstrom
Publication Date: January 24, 2011
How Received: For Review
Rate: 3
 
Summary: (as quoted from Amazon)Helen Wells, 19, is a gifted painter, struggling to create a legacy before the illness that left her crippled claims her life. Stephen Austra is a brilliant glass artist, and an immortal. When they meet, their passion is immediate and intense. But as their love grows, Dick Wells, Helen's uncle and a homicide expert on the local police department, begins investigating a series of savage murders committed, he is forced to believe, by something not human. Soon all three will be drawn into a struggle with a dark presence from Stephen's past, one that lays claim to the life of the woman he loves and one that, for all his power, he is helpless to control. This novel, first published in 1989 to critical acclaim is being reissued in a special updated -- and uncut -- version, and includes 12,000 words not found in the original edition. It is the first of 6 books in the Austra series

My thoughts:
Shattered Glass was definitely a very different take on vampires. There were a lot of different love stories, and a lot of characters, who, at seventy, (or sometimes even older- the book is about vampires, after all!) were still struggling to come to terms with what happened to them in the past. A lot of the story is about coming to terms with the past, and looking to the future which I thought was a very important theme. The plot was very good, but the punctuation could have used a little tightening. The multiple points of view were at times confusing, but once I got the flow of the novel, I was able to enjoy the story.
3/5
~Moujnir 

Clockwork Angel & City of Ashes

Author: Cassandra ClareSeries: The Infernal Devices
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Publication Date: August 31, 2010
How Received: Borrowed
Rating: 3


Summary:

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. 

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Author: Cassandra ClareSeries: The Mortal Instruments:
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: March 25, 2008
How Received: Borrowed
Rating: 3

Summary:

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go -- especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother...

Review:

Reading two of Cassandra's books at one time might not have been the best idea. But it didn't really matter. Because they were so much alike... To much alike I dislike that so much. I guess Cassandra is not my kind of author. Her books were so much alike. The only really big difference was characters names. That is the reason for me putting them both on the same one. Why waste your time with two. I know a lot of people loved this series but.... It is not in any way for me. Not only that but Erin ruined the Mortal Instruments series for me by telling me what happened. The good thing about Cassandra Clare is that she is so descriptive. If I had to choose between the two Series(es) I would choose Mortal Instruments.... No Clockwork Angels is better doesn't have that crap with valentine... at least not that I know of. 

Fail Harder

Author: failblog.org community
Series: ---

Publisher:		Andrews McMeel Publishing
Pub Date:		09/05/2011

How Received: Review
Rate: 3


Review:
I like fail blog and this had some really funny ones but there were a few that didnt fit and shouldnt have been in here. they should have chosen better ones. So this was ok but not amazing. Its like they just threw some together and tada. Not really worth more then 5 bucks not gonna sugar coat it sorry. 

Crescendo

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Hush, Hush
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: November 16, 2010
How Received: Borrowed
Rate: 3


Summary:

Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch, and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home. The further Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine? And what is Rixon hiding?

Review:
I think crescendo was an okay book. Hush hush was better in my own eyes. Crescendo was a bit boring even with the little excitement and edge. I did like the ending though it was happy yet tragic and upsetting. I HATE Marcie she was a real problem in my eyes she lies and she always has to hurt others to make herself feel good. I like reading books over but this is not a book id read over.


Erin

I'm Not Crazy, I'm Just Not You

Author: Roger R. Pearman
Series: ---
Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing
Publication Date: September 16, 2010
How Received: Publisher
Rating: 3

Summary:
Puzzled or put off by our own or someone else's behavior, we frequently ask ourselves, Is that normal? Yet the question cuts both ways. Either we fail to meet some arbitrarily high standard, or we despair because we are merely normal. This book offers a clear explanation and some useful answers to the question of normalcy, helping readers identify, understand, and value the wide range of differences in the way normal people perceive and respond to the same situation. Drawing on a large body of solid research, psychologists Pearman and Albritton show how our own natural tendencies produce interpersonal blind spots that lead to misunderstandings. They offer practical tips for recognizing the ways other people perceive and respond to situations differently, and for communicating more effectively with others.

Review:
First off holy amount of info. It's like reading a... well a novel about knowing different types of personality types. =] There are no pictures, diagrams, or anything interesting. Or that could possibly help a visual learner. Ok so small lie. There are a few charts of information but they don't really make sense this book is more for a physiologic major. If normal people were meant to read this it would be simplified times appropriately a billion times. The second edition of I'm not crazy, I'm just not you is a rude wake up call for a lot of people. The truth of it all is stunning and a breath of fresh air.

Kati

Hot (Sweaty) Mamas: Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom

Author: Laurie Kocanda, Kara Thom
Series: ---
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: March 29, 2011
How Received: Publiasher
Rating: 3

Summary:
Authors, moms, and fitness enthusiasts Kara Douglass Thom and Laurie Kocanda work to balance motherhood and fitness. They know other moms struggle to make exercise a priority in their lives because they speak with similarly minded women at seminars and on their blogs. It was from these conversations--and the interest in them--that the idea for Hot (Sweaty) Mamas was born. This book is perfect for every mom or mom-to-be thinking about starting an exercise program, as well as moms already pursuing their fitness goals. Hot (Sweaty) Mamas reaches a wider audience than other fitness books that merely focus on "getting your prebaby body back" by presenting advice on how to pursue fitness despite a busy schedule, how to carve out time with or without kids to work out, and how to get the support needed to pursue fitness goals. Moms who find it difficult to start or stick with an exercise program will learn how to reframe their thinking. Women who continue to work out and struggle with the guilt sometimes associated with taking "me time" will be reassured. Mothers-to-be will feel better prepared to pass a legacy of health and fitness to their children and make fitness and motherhood coexist. Thom and Kocanda reveal the secrets to being a fit mom inside Hot (Sweaty) Mamas.

Review:
The book wasn't for me.. I thought it could have done without the whole "have the right mind set." I really think its more for older moms who want to stay or get in shape. I do like that there is some really good info, and the way the book is laid out. I'm a new mom of a 5 month old but i'm only 19. I lost a lot of baby fat right away. I would have liked a simpler version where it just got to the point. Where it told me how to get fit and stay that way.

Erin

Matched

Author: Ally Condie
Series: Matched Trilogy
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication Date: November 30, 2010
How Received: Borrowed
Rating:3

Summary:
In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.
Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

Review:
It teaches you how important individuality really is. This is no ordinary book. It's beyond normal and kind of crazy. It makes you wonder what the world would be like if our life was planned out for us. This book has an amazing description. This book isn't for me but I do know it is for some people out there. And under no circumstance do I like the society. But the ending was beautiful and beyond romantic. There is not much I can really say about this book. Except I might like to get matched with my soul mate just to skip the pain but never in my life would I want my entire life planned out for me.

By: Kati

Infinite Days

Author: Rebecca Maizel
Series: A Vampire Queen
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: August 3, 2010
How Received: Borrowed
Rating: 3

Summary:
For 500 years Lenah Beaudonte has been a vampire. 500 years of seduction, blood and destruction. But she is sickened by her dark powers - and longs to feel the sun on her skin, grass under her bare feet, and share the breath of a human kiss. She wants to be mortal again. But is she really capable of being human, after her long years of darkness? Waking up as a sixteen-year-old girl brings Lenah many things - the life she has missed, taste, touch, love. But a vampire soul is not easily shed. And her coven - the four vampires she led in decadence and thrilling destruction - want their queen back...

Review:
The start is a bit confusing should have labeled the first two chapters a little bit better. I like how detailed the book is but the main character is a little dense. The cover is seriously BEAUTIFUL! But I must say the vampire books are getting SO old. But I like how this one kind of flips the switch a bit. It more or less reverses its self. The beginning and end of this book is terribly sad. Not teary sad but sad the same. The main story is SOOO weird. I don't like flash backs in books and I really don't like it in this one. I didn't like this book but I know a few people who probably would. But one thing I really do like in this book is the honesty. The ending is amazing! I don't know what else to say sorry!

Crusade

Author: Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
Series: ---
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: September 2010
Pages: 470
How Received: Borrowed
Rating: 3 Stars

Summary:
The ultimate battle. The ultimate love.
For the past two years, Jenn has lived and trained at Spain’s Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun.
Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated—and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose.
Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she had held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself—and her heart.

Review:
I hate the beginning its very slow and its all fighting I think this books OK but i'm not being on reading action books i'm more for watching it. This book would be amazing as a movie but pretty bad as a book. The book is a supernatural of sorts it has werewolves and witches and you can't forget about the vampires. I don't like how it keeps switching POV's There are too many just stick to Antonio's and Jenn's next time. I tended to skip chapters when it got to a certain persons POV and I still knew what was going on. The middle got boring and was slow. I still believe that if the book was written differently I would have loved it the only good part about this book was the end. It was amazing one of my favorite endings EVER! I would love to read the next book but only if they keep to Jenn and Antonio's POV. Also not a big fan on what they did to heather at the end. Of course the end with Jenn and Antonio's was making me want to put the rating up higher but I tempted to stick to my guns.

Shine

Author: Lauren Myracle
Series: ---
Publisher: Abrams Books
Publication Date: 05/01/2011
How Received: Publisher
Rating: 3 Stars

Summary: When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to goagainst everyone you know in the name of justice.

Review:
I did not like this book what so ever. It's all about the main character turning her back on her friend who was gay and then He gets hurt and she goes back and remembers all the memories and wonders why she ever let him go and why she didn't stop him from hanging out with her brother and his friends who always picked on Patrick (the gay guy). The news paper articles in the beginning were strong but then after like two chapters I just couldn't continue reading. I'm sorry I love this author but I think she was out of her element or should have written in a different point of view. I will never rate a book lower 2 stars. I think I may have expected something different from her. I'm sorry Lauren I really wanted to like it but I couldn't.

Linger

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: Shiver
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: July 2010
Pages: 360
How Received: Borrowed
Rating: 3 Stars

Summary:In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past... and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves... and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love - the light and the dark, the warm and the cold - in a way you will never forget.

Review:
I was Afraid to start this book because I was afraid of being let down.. I shouldn't have tried it. This review is going to be beyond short. I didn't like the beginning of this book it didn't re introduce the characters I read this book what feels like almost a year ago because I've read so many books since then. And I had no Idea who the characters were anymore. The beginning made me not want to continue. Shiver was like a 4 out of 5. But linger is more of a 2 out of 5. The book is extremely Unappealing it should have been left at being just one book. Ick. The book was also written in to many POV's.

Trouble Maker

Author: Janet Evanovich
Series: ---
Publisher: Dark horse books
Publication Date: 2010
How Received: Borrowed
Rating: 3 Stars

Review: The drawing didn't do the characters any justice. Of course this review isn't about the art. The story line was way simple it ended weird. Mostly because it has another one in the sequel. I believe Janet Evanovich should stick to novels they fit her writing style better.

The Gift

Author: James Patterson
Series: Witch and Wizard
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Publication Date: December 2010
How Received: Borrowed
Rating: 3 Stars

Summary: After escaping imprisonment by the totalitarian regime known as the new order, siblings Wisty and Whit Allgood, who possess magical powers, establish themselves as leaders of the resistance, a hidden community like themselves, hunted by the state and determined to defy its ban on the arts, magic, and all other forms of creativity.


In my honest opinion of this book I don't like that James Patterson changed the author he was working with on this series. When he worked with Gabrielle Charbonnet on the witch and wizard the book was amazing! I flew threw the book quickly because I just couldn't put it down! But now James Patterson worked with Ned Rust on The Gift Ned Rust also worked with James Patterson on Danile X: Watch the skies There was a huge change in writing not only did the stories not line up but they put in a 3rd point of view. It was better when they didn't include the one who is the one's opinion. That reminds me The one who is the one is a long and annoying name. I guess that adds a few pound of hatred to that man though because it really does work. The book in the beginning was slow and made little sense. I really hope for the rest of the series James Patterson considers working with Gabrielle Charbonnet again because they make a great team. The rest of the book was pretty good. Very fast paced, it had a lot going on. wisty and whit had little down time. The beginning and end were very depressing, yet inspiring. I cant't wait for the next book to see how they improve. I think I may have expected to much from the book which made it not match my exception. Wondering what the next book has in store.