Review: Jenny Pox (The Paranormals #1) by J.L. Bryan

Jenny Pox (The Paranormals #1) by J.L. Bryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Published July 22nd 2010

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Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Jenny Morton has a horrific secret: her touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague, the "Jenny pox." She lives by a single rule: Never touch anyone. A lifetime of avoiding any physical contact with others has made her isolated and painfully lonely in her small rural town.

Then she meets the one boy she can touch. Jenny feels herself falling for Seth...but if she's going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the deadly pox inside her to confront his ruthless and manipulative girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

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Not recommended for readers under eighteen.

Review: Love Unscripted (Love #1) by Tina Reber

Love Unscripted (Love #1) by Tina Reber 

Publishers: Self
Published Date: March 6th 2010
From: Bought
My rating: 5 out of 5

Synopsis:
Ryan Christensen just wanted to be an actor. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that accepting a role in an unknown film would toss his career into overdrive. His new fame has cost him dearly; anonymity is no longer an option. His fans stalk him, the paparazzi hound him, and Hollywood studios all want a piece of him. Despite all of that, Ryan Christensen craves the most basic of human needs - to have love in his heart and privacy in his life.

Taryn Mitchell, the story's protagonist, is a realist. She's been feigning contentment, running the family pub in Seaport, Rhode Island, while quietly nursing her own internal heartaches. Her feet are fairly glued to the ground and she doesn't buy into all the hype that has descended on her tiny, coastal town. In her world, men are safe if they're kept at a distance.

Fate has other plans for these two when their paths cross one sunny afternoon. A group of female fans has attacked him, leaving his shirt torn, his face cut, and Ryan in obvious distress. Bonds between them form from the most dramatic of circumstances while jealousy, insecurity, and the stress of his celebrity life try to tear them apart.

Through all the tabloid lies, secrecy, and pressure, can Taryn's peace and Ryan's high-profile insanity live together in harmony?

Review:

I've read a few rom-com-heartache books in my time but I don't think I've read one that moved me so much as Love Unscripted. I could barely put it down and had so much fun reading it.

Taryn Mitchell is a 27 year old girl who doesn't take men lightly. Owner of a pub in Seaport and various other business endeavours she looks after herself and her friends around her.

When Ryan Christensen unexpectedly runs into her pub, completely freaked out by a fan mob she hides him and lets him unwind from his trauma. They have a morning of honest friendship and fun. She realises that the actor depicted in the magazines and on TV is nothing like the man currently in her bar playing pool and joking about.

She tries not to get too attached to him but she's clearly made more than an impression on him and he pursues her calmly like a gentleman. Soon she becomes part of his life - except his celebrity life is built around paparazzi, pictures leading the wrong impression and lie upon lie about his private life. Taryn tries not to believe anything she reads about him but who can deny what a thousand pictures show?

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, emotional, heart-warming and full of heartache. The writing is brilliant. I felt every emotion going on and had more than a few moments with tears in my eyes. Taryn is a brave and compassionate lead that shows she doesn't have a bad bone in her. Ryan is sincere and kind and trustworthy. Then the breaks start hitting our hero and heroine and nothing is going to be the same again. There is also a stellar cast of side-kicks nicely woven into Taryn and Ryan's story.

Other reviewers have complained about the length of the book but in my opinion it was exactly right. You can't cut out the sheer depth that the characters expose, and you can't shorten the story any more without losing the emotional side. For me its been an absolute privilege to read this amazing book. I wonder if Ms Reber will consider a follow-on??
-CB x

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Review: Moon Spun (Unbidden Magic #3) by Marilee Brothers

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5

THANK YOU TO NET GALLEY AND BELL BRIDGE BOOKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO REVIEW THIS BOOK AND GIVE MY HONEST OPINION

Synopsis:

Junior's back from Mexico with his movie-star entourage. Beck's using his half-demon charms to "heal" a new girl. Mom's still wacky and now she's dating Principal Hostetler. High school is still an obstacle course of drama queens, bullies and nutjobs. The Trimarks are still a menace, and the moonstone pendant has revealed even more mind-boggling powers. In other words, Allie Emerson's life as the Girl Voted Least Likely To Save The World From Evil has gone from Weird to Super-Charged Super-Weird, and it's about to get even weirder. You're a faery princess. So says the mysterious Ryker, whose handsome talents include turning himself into a hawk. By the way, he and Allie are destined to marry. In faery land--Boundless. If they can save it from forces even more deadly than Trimarks and high school. The third book in the Unbidden Magic series plunges readers into a rich other-world of danger, humor, romance, fable, fairytale and magical destiny.

Review:

No matter how much you think you know about Allie Emerson there's always something else that crops up into her life and surprises you. This time its when she discovers she's part faery. Not just from one side of her family but a part from her mother side and her fathers side. Allie has a destiny involving the Moonstone and in this installment she must travel to Boundless, a faery kingdom to help save her sick faery grandmother and free the forest faeries from the dark fae.

Ryker is introduced as the hot new guy to help her with the travel arrangements. He's a faery prince and Allie, or should I say Avalon, is destined to be his mate. But Allie being Allie is having none of it. She's over boyfriends. Junior disappeared off to Mexico without so much as a phone call and then arrived back with a fan club entourage. Beck is now at college and can scarsely spare the time for a phone call, and although Ryker seems nice enough he's not a strong character like the other two.

I'm not a big faery fan. I liked the Iron Fey series but everything I've read fae related tends to be unoriginal. What I liked most about this installment of the Unbidden Magic series is that Brothers made it seem new and unexpected, and the folklore aspect was closely stuck to. I couldn't compare many parts to anything else I'd read so the faeryland, Boundless, was an almost whimsical world and a real treat to read.

When Allie gets back to Peacock Flats she also experiences some very awkwards when all three ex and present- love interests meet unexpectedly (I really did squirm on this occassion) and also her Grandfather Claude turns into an unpleasant old man and shows his true colours to Allie.

Whether Allie is in this world or the other she's still funny and interesting though. I'm happy she stood her ground with Ryker and her grandmother, and again showed her true grit in the right places. But learns what its like to feel sorrow also, and Beck, of all people (I loved him in Moon Rise) is the cause.

Probably not as enjoyable as Moonstone or Moon Rise but still an enjoyable read. Any readers who enjoy Faery books will love it!

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Dusty Reads #4 - Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

My Dusty Read is the very popular Anna and the French Kiss.
My paperback had so much dust on it before I started reading.
Why did I wait so long?

 

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x

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme hosted by Giselle at Xpresso Reads where we spotlight a book sitting in our TBR pile.
My twist is that I actually, finally, read them!

Synopsis:

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

Final Review: 5 out of 5

If you've read my previous contemporary reviews you'll know I'm not fond of the contemporaries. Thats just me. The reasons this has been sitting on my shelf for so long is that a) yes, it's contemporary and b) I've read a lot of school based books and I needed a break and c) I love the Paranormal genre and would gladly put those first. Sadly for me I missed out on reading a great book since I received it in March 2011!

So, you've read the synopsis and possibly even read the book. The first thing to say is that the first preson present tense really works well with this style of book. It's a style I'm getting more and more used to but learning to enjoy all the more.

So, Anna moves to a new school in Paris because of her horrid father and his insistance that she'll gain worldly wisdom from attending a school in a foreign country. Why Paris is chosen as that school is never really discussed. Probably because its a School of America. At the end of the day this isn't relevant at all as all of the characters are American origin.

Anna as a character was extremely likeable, and her new friends were easy to relate to. She fell into a group of friends quickly and stayed being herself, and they immediately included her.

Etienne St Clair is also a likeable character but certainly insecure when it comes to girls. His reluctance to end his previous relationship but be so friendly towards Anna gave me concern. Mainly because if it was me I would have insisted that he make a choice. Not straight away but especially after the Christmas holidays. Sadly Anna and Etienne face that age old problem that we all suffer from. The inability to really talk about their feelings. Yes, they play and joke around one another, they enjoy each other's company when they're in Paris and remain close friends. But the barrier is always there and Anna waited almost a whole school year before exploding at him after a drunken night out. Kudos to her for finally venting her feelings but I was frustrated it took so long! Although I did also cheer a little!

Of course there's no end of complications that occur throughout. They start building up from the beginning when Anna realises her first friend Meredith has unspoken feelings towards Etienne. And Dave comes into the story early on as a would be rival. Josh and Rashmi have problems with their relationship that sink further and Rashmi's upset because of Etienne's girlfriend.

But what I loved most besides the gradual growth of tension was Anna's acceptance that she isn't a perfect person, or a perfect friend. From the beginning we see her flaws and watch them grow but she makes amends when she realises them. Anna is couragous and towards the end we see her determination to help those around her, especially Etienne.

Overall, you've probably guessed it - I loved this book. So much that I'm going to buy Perkins other book very soon! I can't wait!

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Review: Deadly Little Games (Touch #3) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:
High school juniors Camelia and Ben have discovered a powerful bond: They both possess the power of psychometry, the ability to see the future through touch. For Ben, the gift is a frightening liability. When he senses a strong threat or betrayal, he risks losing control. Camelia's gift is more mysterious. When she works with clay, her hands sculpt messages her mind doesn't yet comprehend.
Before either one has a chance to fully grasp their abilities, a new danger surfaces, but this time, Camelia is not the target. Adam, a familiar face from Ben's past, is drawn into a puzzle he can't solve...and his life is on the line. As the clues pile up, Camelia must decide whether to help him and risk losing Ben or do nothing and suffer the consequences. But in these games, who can be trusted?

My Review:
So, add the basics from the first book, the love triangle from the second book and a few mean college students and you get Dirty Little Games with all the jealousy and teenage angst included. Still packed with the same mystery and intrigue with the author trying to throw you off the scent this time with therapy session transcripts of an unknown patient and crossword puzzles with creepy solutions, and Camelia has another serious case of the Pyschometrics in her pottery!
Adam, the sly ex-best friend of Ben is appearing in Camelia's art sculpture this time. She's convinced he's in danger which doesn't go down to well with Ben, who is just about getting over the last stint of betrayal from Adam.
But this time Camelia's open to helping Adam and Ben doesn't object as much as he should. Adam is as receptive as ever to Camelia which makes things a little more difficult for our heroine.
But when Ben starts backing away and staying tight-lipped on things he's sensing, Camelia gets annoyed. Once again something or someone is driving a wedge between them but who is it? And who is sending the weird cryptic messages?
If you like high school mysteries then this is definitely a great series to read. The only thing that really sticks out now when I read these books is how many times Camelia and Ben/Adam/Kimmie need to talk and they always have to go some place different. Also how many times did she actually sneak out of her bedroom window in this one?
The banter between Wes, Kimmie and Camelia is still funny and light-hearted and kept the flow of the story pacy.
This is another great book. All the way through I had my suspicions of who and this time I nearly had it right! CBx

Review: Deadly Little Secret (Touch #1)
by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Review: Deadly Little Lies (Touch #2)
by Laurie Faria Stolarz

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Dusty Reads #3 - Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme hosted by Giselle at Xpresso Reads where we spotlight a book sitting in our TBR pile.

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This week:

This has been in my Dusty Reads pile forever! Mainly because of the subject of wolves. I went through a phase of reading so many werewolf books I just didn't want to pick another one up!

But I finally read it and finished it today, and I'm so pleased I did. I loved the simplified unit of wolf packs in this story. It isn't all about packs reading each others minds or snarling and growling between pack members. There is a sense of unity as the two main packs merge to become the new unique pack. The Banes and the Nightshades become the Haldis pack.

I felt a little bit sorry for Ren at times, other times I think he deserved it. Calla was a great female lead although again at times I just wanted to scream at her about the way Ren treated her. He was all over the women at the first few chapters in this book, and Calla let it go. But then he got the hump when Calla paid any attention to Shay. 

Shay was an intriging character who showed a lot of courage right up until the end. I'm still amazed that in about a ten minute timeframe he turned into a wolf for the first time and was completely unphased by it. Even changed back and forth into human fom with no trouble at all. I thought the process was supposed to hurt considering bones get longer and shorter etc.

All in all the story is amazing and well thought out. I can't wait to read Wolfsbane and Bloodrose now! 

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Here's the Book Trailer! Enjoy!

Review: Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Renée Winters was still an ordinary girl. She spent her summers at the beach, had the perfect best friend, and had just started dating the cutest guy at school. No one she'd ever known had died. But all that changes when she finds her parents dead in the Redwood Forest, in what appears to be a strange double murder.

After the funeral Renée’s wealthy grandfather sends her to Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious boarding school in Maine, where she finds herself studying subjects like Philosophy, Latin, and the “Crude Sciences.”

It’s there that she meets Dante Berlin, a handsome and elusive boy to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. As they grow closer, unexplainable things begin to happen, but Renée can’t stop herself from falling in love. It’s only when she discovers a dark tragedy in Gottfried’s past that she begins to wonder if the Academy is everything it seems.

Little does she know, Dante is the one hiding a dangerous secret, one that has him fearing for her life.

Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul.

Review:
Forbidden love, what a dangerous thing! I've literally just finished this which left me in a world of 'Nooooooooooo'. I can't believe the ending was so sad, I thought at least they'd be able to be together.

Rewind! So, this is a story about Renee, who lives a nice average life in California. She goes to school, hangs our with her friend Annie, and has two loving parents. But tragedy strikes and on the way home from a day by the sea she finds her parents car on the roadside. After a search she then finds her parents. Both dead, with gauze and coins around them.

Renee is taken in by her grandfather but not before she almost implodes with the shock and pain of her loss. The writing absolutely captures her want to remain in the minute or the hour and not move forward. She wants her parents back and everything to be normal again. But from that point on, nothing is ever normal again.

Her grandfather came over as a really creepy guy. Someone who, at sixteen, would make me certainly scared of. He tries to set rules and knock out the carefree-ness of her but to little effect. And then the final blow. He sends her to Gottfried Academy, in Maine, and tells her to wave her old life goodbye.

When Dante Berlin comes into the picture she feels an enlightening, a meeting of minds and a joining of hearts. Although no-one in the school really knows him, he is revered by all. The enigma. The one with no friends but the one everyone looks for. Eleanor, Renees new room-mate fills in the blanks, but it is Renees strong will and character that worms its way into Dante's heart.

Dante and Renee begin meeting and soon there are more questions than answers going on in her head. Why are his hands always cold? Why does she feel sometimes like he's reading her mind? Why will he not kiss her?

With a mixture of philosophy, history, the dead language of latin, and odd subjects like crude science and horticulture Renee begins to put the pieces together of how students have been dying from heart attacks. Exactly the same way her parents died. And the truth isn't at all what she expected.

This isn't a ghost story, or a story about Zombies. It's the space inbetween that makes Dead Beautiful such an amazing part of the Paranormal genre.

The next installment, Life Eternal, came out on 24th January and I'm going to bag me a copy right now!

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Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Review:
Its a rocky, torrid ride for Aura when Logan dies on THE night of a) making superstardom with his band and b) the night she and Logan would finally love under the sheets.
For Aura, a post-Shifter, a world of ghosts is an everyday occurence but for those pre-Shift, its a confusing time to live in. Luckily for Aura, her Aunt runs a legal firm which helps ghosts sue for unlawful death, and then pass over to the other side.
So seeing Logan in his violet ghost state is firstly a shock but not a complete surprise. Aura deals with the stupid events that were Logans last minutes, and then the aftermath and subsequent court case pursued by his parents.

Add to this a hot new boy from bonny Scotland, Zach, who seems to be keeping a whole lot of secrets from her, AND keeping her secrets from other people. Just what is going on?
Aura and Zach find out that they were born one minute apart. He was pre- and she was post-Shift. Actually he was the only baby born in the last minute just as she was the only baby born in the first minute.
A story unfolds of her mothers journey to Ireland and the events of a Winter Solstice at Newgrange which may be connected with the Shift.

Sound confusing so far? Yep. This is a great story with lots of avenues leading off to other areas of importance or relevance. In no way do we ever find out what exactly the Shift was or how it occurred. All we know is that Aura and Zach are involved in a big conspiracy, and certain authorities have been keeping an eye on them both. Lucky for Zach, his father turns out NOT to be the political science teacher that we thought he was.

In the final chapters Aura and Logans relationship changes, and Aura and Zachs alters. Both important in their own way but confusing Aura immensely on which way her heart should go.
I liked Logan hugely although in the end I did get the impression his character was a little too selfish for my liking. He enjoyed the limelight and stardom a little too much. Zach is definitely a better option, and he's alive for one thing. And Aura? I liked her relationship with her friends and the rest of the Keeley clan. I'm not sure I liked her greatly but I did feel sorry for her. Some parts of the book are very devastingly sad and she doesn't bounce back quickly which I liked.

Apart from all the doom and gloom (that's ghosts for you!) this is a wonderful read whoever side you're on!

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Dusty Reads - Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme hosted by Giselle at Xpresso Reads where we 
spotlight a book sitting in our TBR pile.

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My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:
She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But... they are brother and sister.

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

Review:
This is one of my Dusty Reads. I've had the book on my shelf for over a year now. What left it there was the topic of incest. That's pretty gross in itself but I've been intrigued by all the good reviews coming in that I thought I would, at last, give it a try. Without the gross factor.

This book is heartbreaking. Simple as. The writing is beautiful and absolutely captures the feelings and emotions of Lochan and Maya. At sixteen and seventeen they live their lives as adults, looking after the day to day routines of their siblings, looking out for each other, badgering their non-existent mother to pay the bills, sharing housekeeping chores etc. They aren't like brother and sister, they've grown up side by side one another all their lives so are more like best friends or soul mates. This is the emphasise that should be in mind when you read this book.

The ending is a shocker, I almost cried. It's a contemporary YA so not one I would have picked out normally but is definitely one I'll remember.

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