Book Review: Lament

Title: Lament (The Faerie Queen's Deception)

Book 1 of 3 in Books of Faerie

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Paperback, 325 pages

Published October 1st 2008

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand -- one who can see faeries.Unexpectedly, Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy named Luke who enters her ordinary life, seemingly out of thin air. But his interest in her might be something darker than summer romance. When a sinister faerie named Aodhan shows up with deadly orders from the Faerie Queen, it forces Dee right into the midst of Faerie.  Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her summer weren't so dull, but taking on a centuries-old Faerie Queen isn't exactly what she had in mind.

Deirdre is a brilliant harpist. She has gigs and competitions almost everyday. The only problem is: she hates being in front of people. Aside from that, she throws up before her performances. On the day of a particularly important competition, she has just fled to a bathroom and is starting to throw up when someone holds her hair back and tells her its almost over. 


The strange boy who helped her is Luke; who is actually a guy from her dreams - literally she dreamed of him the night before. As things progress we learn Dee has more power and strength inside than she ever expected and that Luke has some dark secrets. This is only part of the problem for Dee is being hunted for her powers that rival the Faerie Queen's, and the Hunters want to torment and play games with her. 


The only thing that has a chance of stopping the Faerie Hunters is Iron and a strange substance her grandmother made. What happens when Luke tells her he loves her and the same day she gets a text saying that James loves her? Who will she choose? Is Dee strong enough to take on the Faerie Queen and her minions and rule the Faerie world?

Truth is, I kinda liked the story. It's something new compared to those other fairy-infested myths I've read. I had fun with the characters, especially James.  I really liked that about this book it had a great message and that is about the difficult choices one has to go through in life and how those choices make up the person you become.


Looking forward to reading the 2nd book - Ballad; which is about James this time. 

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About this author :

Maggie Stiefvater

New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.


All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.

Jumper & Friends

Title: Jumper & Friends
Author: Rebecca Scarberry
ebook
Published September 5th 2014

Jumper, the friendly talking red ball, goes on more great adventures with his owner, Tony Thompson and Bouncy Brianna, Emily’s red ball. They both experience new things like tubing, sailing, and Jumper has a wonderful Christmas.



I love this book, not because my own kids’ names were in the story, (yes, my sons Kyle & Kian are characters here!) but also because the story of Jumper and his friends brought so much joy to those who read it.

Jumper made new friends and enjoyed every minute they’re all together – festivals, sailboat rides, Halloween, Christmas, and yes, even when the thought his friend Bouncy disappeared because the magician “magicked” her, Jumper still had a lot of fun being a red ball.

My kids really enjoyed listening to me when I read them this book. They actually jumped up and down everytime their names were mentioned in the book. It was an awesome experience!

Thanks so much Miss Rebecca Scarberry for this wonderful book, for including my kids’ name and making them friends with Jumper, and bringing unlimited supply of smiles to everyone. I am personally touched by this book. Again, thank you!

Security by Mandy Baggot

Title: Security
Author: Mandy Baggot
Kindle Edition, 354 pages
Published June 30th 2013

Autumn Raine is a pop vocalist at the very top of her game. She’s a style icon, the paparazzi’s darling and everyone wants to be her friend. But when her safety is threatened, her whole life starts to unravel.Enter Nathan Regan, an ex-elite soldier who is assigned to protect her. He’s a good man doing bad things but what drives him? Passion? Madness? Or grief? Demons from his past are threatening to consume him. Can he win the fight alone or will he have to admit he needs help?As the threat deepens, Autumn starts to find out who she really needs in her life. Is there still room for personal assistant Janey or rapper boyfriend Rockweiler? When everyone around her is feeding her lies, how does she work out the truth? Does her record producer know more than he’s letting on? What is her mother, the British Foreign Secretary’s involvement in the situation? And can Autumn put her faith in a forty-something Jamaican woman who handles an automatic weapon as expertly as she cooks?Eluding kidnap and trying to stay alive, can Autumn find the strength to be the person she longs to be? And can two people, poles apart, forge something strong enough to survive anything?

I've watched The Bodyguard before & when I got this book by Mandy Baggot, at first I thought this was just another one of those rip-offs. But when I started reading Security, I was clearly mistaken. 

This book focused more with the safety & security of a famous celebrity because of her ties with the Foreign Secretary & As-Wana, a terrorist group under the Al-Qaeda. Autumn Raine, the famous celebrity/singer was regarded as a wild-child, OC, & spoiled brat. She seemed to have everything and had everyone wrapped around her finger. She had her bestfriend-turned personal assistant, Janey, and a rapper-wannabe boyfriend at her beck and call. And there were the fans, the paparazzi and the awards, all at the tip of her fingertips. But these people didn't know what Autumn really desired. Deep inside, she longed for a mother who would nurture and care for her ever since her father died when she was young. 

When Foreign Secretary Alison Raine, hired a bodyguard for her daughter without her knowing, Autumn's chaotic yet organized status turned into a world full of danger, betrayal and seclusion from celebrity life. Especially now that there were groups of people wanting to kill her.

Security is a well-written book, bursting with drama, action, suspense and romance. An enjoyable read! I loved the twists and turns in the story, how Autumn was betrayed and almost killed by the people she trusted. How Nathan Regan, her bodyguard, had changed her life's perspective and opened her eyes to the real world. Mandy Baggot's writing is genuine and highly recommended. Hoping to read more of her stories in the next days. 

Review: Kelly's Quest

Title: Kelly's Quest (NYC Love #2) 

Author: Jennifer Ann

Age: NA

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release date: October 14, 2014

Publisher: Treetop Fantasies

Goodreads

Shunned by her family back home, she followed her best friend to New York with aspirations to start over. Now broke and homeless with two guys vying for her affection, she realizes she made a colossal mistake. If she gives in to her desires, will she only be breaking the rule she set for herself, or will she also be proving she’s the disappointment her family sees her as?

Kelly Cavenaugh is a lot of things: intelligent, sexy, vivacious, and a great friend. But the one thing she’s determined to prove to herself and others is that she’s not promiscuous. So why do a spoiled rich boy with a dark past and a former Marine with a high-powered job have to come along and try to break her resolve?

Theo Roberts and Erik Murphy only have two things in common: they’re both dangerously gorgeous, and have their sights set on Kelly. Everyone tells her Erik isn’t someone she wants to get involved with, however, and Theo seems to be the total package. If Kelly allows herself to be with one of them, the choice should be easy. But it’s complicated, and she’ll find herself struggling to separate passion from reality while trying to establish her new life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1yq-VPM11U

My Review:
★★★★★

Kelly's Quest is the second book in the NYC Love series and I'm happy to have read the first one Adam's List a few months ago. The 2nd book is another "hard to put down" and I don't know how Jennifer Ann does it!

When Jewels and Adam Murphy decided to move to New York after the couple battled with their own dark secrets, Jewels' best friend Kelly Cavenaugh decided to come along with them to help them move. Then she met Theo, the hottie guy next door, and there's also Erik, Adam's equally handsome brother with a dark past. Just when they all thought she was just in NYC for a couple of days, she surprised all of them when she declared that she won't be coming back to their place in Wisconsin, because she got a one-way ticket to NYC and stay for good.

Things got a little tense between Kelly and her bestfriend when she thought Jewels was selling her out to ex-Marine hunk Theo for a one-night stand. And there's the issue of Adam's brother Erik whom everyone seemed to hate because he was obnoxious and playboy. She further made things worse when she decided to be Erik's room mate, much to the disappointment of everyone who advised her to stay away from him.

And then there's her problem at home. The main reason why she moved to New York in the first place. The one reputation that she tried to uphold, only got shattered because of sick rumors and one cheating bastard. When she decided to find herself in another place, she told herself she's gonna change. The more she tells herself to stop thinking about sex with random men, the more she was drawn to them.

I liked this second book. I actually had expected it to be good but after reading it, all I can say is wow! I wasn’t prepared for all the emotions it entailed. Kelly Cavenaugh may not have been the ideal girl I envisioned her from Adam's List, but in her quest for true love, I've grown to like her more. All the characters have their distinct personalities, which made this story much more appealing. Jennifer Ann's writing is great, I'm glad I was able to read her first book, and now this! I can tell she puts so much passion in her writing and I know she has a lot more surprises up on her sleeves. I'm so looking forward to her next book in the series.

About the Author:

When Jennifer Ann isn't writing heart wrenching romance novels with hot scenes or chasing her children around southern Minnesota, she either has her nose stuck in someone else's book, is curled up watching a movie, can be found taking pictures of other people (not in a creepy way), or is rocking out at a concert.

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJennif...
Pinterest: https://www.Pinterest.com/AuthorJenni...
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5765367.Jen_Naumann
Jennifer also writes YA paranormal under Jen Naumann.

Cover Reveal: The Syrian Virgin

 

Title: The Syrian Virgin

Author: Zack Love

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Design: PinkInk Designs (Cassy Roop)

Release Date: October 20th 2014

 

Anissa is traumatized by the most brutal conflict of the 21st Century: the Syrian Civil War. In 2012, Islamists in Homs terrorize her Christian community and destroy everything in her life. Narrowly escaping death, Anissa restarts her devastated life as a college student in NY. She is bewildered and lost -- a virgin in every sense.

But despite her inexperience with men and life in the United States, Anissa is quickly drawn to two powerful individuals: Michael, the Syrian-Christian American who leads the political effort to protect his community, and Julien, her college professor who runs a $20 billion hedge fund. Complicating matters, Michael is still attached to his ex-girlfriend and Julien is the most sought after bachelor in Manhattan. Anissa's heart and her communal ties pull her in different directions, as she seeks hope and renewal in a dark world.

LIFE shattered her. LOVE empowered her.

::::Sign up for an alert when The Syrian Virgin is available::::

 

Zack Love graduated from Harvard College, where he studied mostly literature, psychology, philosophy, and film. After college, he moved to New York City and took a corporate consulting job that had absolutely nothing to do with his studies. The attacks of September 11, 2001 inspired him to write a novelette titled "The Doorman," and heightened his interest in the Middle East. A decade later, that interest extended to the Syrian Civil war, which provided the backdrop for his latest work. In late 2013, Zack began releasing his unpublished works of fiction and became a full-time author. He has published comedy, psychological and philosophical fiction, and romance. Zack enjoys confining himself to one genre about as much as he likes trying to sum up his existence in one paragraph.

::::CONNECT WITH ZACK LOVE HERE::::

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