Anomaly by Krista McGee (Review)

Thalli has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds left to live. The toxic gas that will complete her annihilation is invading her bloodstream. But she is not afraid.

Thalli is different than others in The State. She feels things. She asks questions. And in the State, this is not tolerated. The Ten scientists who survived the nuclear war that destroyed the world above believe that emotion was at the core of what went wrong—and they have genetically removed it from the citizens they have since created. Thalli has kept her malformation secret from those who have monitored her for most of her life, but when she receives an ancient piece of music to record as her community’s assigned musician, she can no longer keep her emotions secreted away.

Seen as a threat to the harmony of her Pod, Thalli is taken to the Scientists for immediate annihilation. But before that can happen, Berk—her former Pod mate who is being groomed as a Scientist—steps in and persuades the Scientists to keep Thalli alive as a test subject.

The more time she spends in the Scientist’s Pod, the clearer it becomes that things are not as simple as she was programmed to believe. She hears stories of a Designer—stories that fill her mind with more questions: Who can she trust? What is this emotion called love? And what if she isn’t just an anomaly, but part of a greater design?

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:

I have only read one other book by this author, Right Where I Belong, and was quite pleased with it. However with Anomaly being such a different type of book I wasn't sure how much I would like it. Sure the synopsis sounded good, but I went into it with a little apprehension. I needn't have worried! This book was SO amazing! 

It kept me guessing throughout the entire book, I was never quite sure what was real...and I loved every second of it! 

If you love Dystopian novels you should definitely read Anomaly, as I'm sure you'd enjoy it. I hate that I have to wait a year for the second book - with the way the book ended I want to read it right now!

***I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.***

If you found this review helpful, will you please click yes HERE. Thanks!

BOOK DETAILS:

• Series: Anomaly (Book 1)
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (July 9, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401688721
• ISBN-13: 978-1401688721
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5.5 x 9.5 inches
• Available to purchase at Amazon | B&N | CBD

Waiting on Wednesday (October 9, 2013)

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Merry Humbug Christmas: Two Tales of Holiday Romance 
by Sandra D. Bricker

A Merry Humbug Christmas features two holiday romance novellas from hilarious and heartwarming author Sandra D. Bricker. -- the perfect gift to yourself or someone else at this most wonderfully stressful time of year.

In "Once Upon a Jingle Bell," A Bah! Humbug cruise to the Mexican Riviera is Joss Snow’s answer to this year’s quest to avoid the holidays completely; at least until she’s rebooked on a different kind of cruise altogether. Candy canes, holly wreaths, reindeer and ornaments seem to be stalking her on the 12 Days of Christmas holiday cruise extravaganza. An escape back to land is her only goal . . . until she meets a kindred spirit in rugged Irishman Patrick Brenneman, and then the game is on! Avoid Christmas festivities at all costs . . . except maybe for that one stop under the mistletoe.

In "It Came Upon a Midnight Deer," Reese’s guilt over abandoning best friend Joss on their holiday tradition of avoiding all things Christmas is trumped by the joy of her recent engagement. Meeting Damian’s family for the first time on idyllic Sugarloaf Mountain is about as far from that Bah! Humbug cruise as she can get, and Reese can hardly wait to get there. But from the moment they hit that deer in the road just two miles from the cabin, everything seems to go wrong. There are no drummers drumming or pipers piping this particular year! And once she sets her future in-laws’ family cabin ablaze, she’s pretty sure there won’t be even ONE golden ring in her future.

Why I want to read this:

This sounds like it will be a fun read, plus I'm ready for some Christmas time fiction :)

Merry Humbug Christmas will be available October 15th 2013 from B&H Books.

Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguié (Review)

When a storm brings the dashing Prince Richard to her family's farm, Violet falls in love at first sight. Richard also gives Violet his heart, but he knows his marriage is destined to be an affair of state, not of passion. For the king and queen have devised a contest to determine who will win their son's hand in marriage.

To be reunited with her prince, Violet must compete against princesses from across the land. It will take all of her wits - and a little help from an unexpected source - if Violet is to demonstrate the depth of her character and become Richard's bride.
I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:

This story was just a little better than okay, so that's why I gave it a three star rating.

I know it's a fairy tale retelling and as such there are going to be some unbelievable things, but this book just had way to many.

All of the princesses competing, except one, are so kind, compassionate, easy going and don't mind that Violet cheated in some of the contests. Even though they weren't tested on what they thought they were, I personally didn't like that she cheated when she thought she had the solution and was rewarded for it. To me this isn't a good message to send to young children, that it's okay to cheat as long as your doing it for love or someone else.

I also couldn't believe that the King and Queen would so easily allow Violet to compete in the competition, just by taking her word that she was the long lost Princess of Cambria.

Overall, even though I wasn't thrilled with this book it was somewhat enjoyable. If you love fairy tale retellings, and don't mind a very predictable story, give this book a try. I would recommend that you borrow it, if at all possible, instead of buying it.

If you found this review helpful, will you please click yes HERE. Thanks!

The Goddess Legacy by Aimée Carter (Review)

For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimée Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.

Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness....

Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal....

Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another....

James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others - but never knew true loss before....

Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope....

Five original novellas of love, loss and longing and the will to survive throughout the ages.

Contents:
The Goddess Queen
The Lovestruck Goddess
Goddess of the Underworld
God of Thieves
God of Darkness

I GIVE THIS BOOK: 

MY THOUGHTS:

This is a great anthology. It gives you background on five of the main characters from the Goddess Test series - Hera/Calliope, Aphrodite/Ava, Persephone, Hermes/James, and Hades/Henry - in five individual stories that together that are more like on big story.

The character that was the most surprising to me was Hera. The first story was about her and I now feel I know why she behaved the way she did in the first two books. In fact, I feel sorry for her - which was completely unexpected. Everyone she trusted betrayed or hurt her and that is just horrible.

Aphrodite's story was exactly what I was expecting. She is supposedly the goddess of love, but to me it comes across more like lust. She just fools around with every guy she meets - ugh! I'm just very thankful this one was short.

Persephone's story was nice to read. Even tough it was explained it the first two books, hearing it from her perspective was different and made it more understandable. I do think she was selfish, but then again she was forced to marry very young which I'm sure didn't help.

Hermes/James's story was okay. I liked the way he cared for the kids in his story, but he wasn't one of my favorite characters and this story didn't change that.

Hades/Henry's story was perhaps the saddest one. It tells the story just before the start of the Goddess Test and goes into detail about why he wants to fade and the decision the council makes that he has to try to find another queen first. The part with Ingrid was so sad - even though I knew it was coming. I really like learning more about her. I also like how it told a little about Kate too, before she meets Henry.

Overall, this is a really great read and fans of this series will want to read it. If you haven't read the series, be sure to start with the first book.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.***

If you found this review helpful, will you please click yes HERE. Thanks!

BOOK DETAILS:

• Series: A Goddess Test Novel
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin Teen; Original edition (July 31, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373210752
• ISBN-13: 978-0373210756
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 5.3 x 8 inches
• Available to purchase at Amazon | B&N

Love's Awakening (The Ballantyne Legacy #2) by Laura Frantz (Review)

The path to true love lies somewhere between two feuding families 

In the spring of 1822, Ellie Ballantyne leaves finishing school and returns to the family home in Pittsburg only to find that her parents are away on a long journey and her siblings don't seem to want her to stay. Determined to stand her ground and find her place in the world, Ellie fills her time by opening a day school for young ladies.

But when one of her students turns out to be an incorrigible young member of the Turlock family, Ellie knows she must walk a fine line. Slaveholders and whiskey magnates, the Turlocks are envious of the powerful Ballantynes and suspicious of their abolitionist leanings. As Ellie becomes increasingly entangled with the rival clan--particularly the handsome Jack Turlock--she finds herself falling in love with an impossible future. Will she betray her family and side with the enemy?

Masterful storyteller Laura Frantz continues to unfold the stirring saga of the Ballantyne family in this majestic tale of love and loyalty. This is the Ballantyne Legacy.

I GIVE THIS BOOK: 

MY THOUGHTS:
The story started out kind of slow and in all honesty I put it down and didn't want to pick it up again for a long time, but once I did the story very quickly became quite interesting.

I loved a lot of the characters. Eden and Silas, of course, but also Ellie, Jack, Chloe, Ansel, even Andra :) They were all so realistic.

The eye to detail from this author is just great! You can tell she did a lot of research and I loved all the little historical aspects added in to the story.

Love's Awakening is only the second book I've read by Laura Frantz but I hope to be able to read her other books soon.

Recommended to fans of historical fiction.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.***

If you found this review helpful, will you please click yes HERE. Thanks!

“Available September 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

BOOK DETAILS:

• Series: The Ballantyne Legacy (Book 2)
• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Revell (September 15, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800720423
• ISBN-13: 978-0800720421
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Available to purchase at Amazon | B&N | CBD

CFBA: The Nurse's Secret Suitor Love Inspired by Cheryl Wyatt (Review)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Nurse's Secret Suitor Love Inspired (October 1, 2013) by Cheryl Wyatt

A Strong-Willed Heart   Trauma nurse Kate Dalton can handle any challenge—except love. The combat veteran dreams of settling down, but heartbreak is one risk she won't take. Then a chance encounter opens her heart to a masked stranger…who might not be a stranger after all! Caleb Landis, the army medic behind the disguise, has always admired Kate, even though she only saw him as her best friend's brother. What will it take for Kate to discard her fears and discover the man she's always hoped to unmask?  Eagle Point Emergency:  Saving lives—and losing their hearts— in a small Illinois town

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:
Review to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Not even Cheryl Wyatt’s closest friends would dream that this sweet, shy intercessor plots mayhem during announcements at church. She is a Registered Nurse turned stay-at-home-mom, wife and writer who loves Jesus with all of her heart.

Joyful chaos rules her home, and she delights in the stealth moments God gives her to write. She stays active in her church and in her laundry room. She is convinced that having been born on a Naval base on Valentines Day destined her to write Inspirational Military Romance.

Cheryl loves to laugh and to make others laugh, so she often plans comedic moments for her defenseless characters in spite of their grumbling. She says it’s payback for when they refuse to obey the plots she’s set out before them.

Prior to publication, six of Cheryl’s manuscripts placed in ten RWA Contests. Two of Cheryl’s stories also placed First in ACFW’s Noble Theme Contest 2005 (Contemporary Romance Category), as well as ACFW‘s Genesis Contest 2006 (Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Category).

She currently writes for Love Inspired. Her Wings of Refuge Series, about a team of USAF Pararescue Jumpers and the ladies who capture their hearts, can be purchased anywhere books are sold.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Nurse's Secret Suitor, go HERE.

Waiting on Wednesday (October 2, 2013)

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Governess Of Highland Hall (Edwardian Brides #1) 
by Carrie Turansky

Worlds lie between the marketplaces of India and the halls of a magnificent country estate like Highland Hall. Will Julia be able to find her place when a governess is neither upstairs family nor downstairs help?

Missionary Julia Foster loves working alongside her parents, ministering and caring for young girls in India. But when the family must return to England due to illness, she readily accepts the burden for her parents’ financial support. Taking on a job at Highland Hall as governess, she quickly finds that teaching her four privileged, ill-mannered charges at a grand estate is more challenging than expected, and she isn’t sure what to make of the estate’s preoccupied master, Sir William Ramsey.

Widowed and left to care for his two young children and his deceased cousin Randolph’s two teenage girls, William is consumed with saving the estate from the financial ruin. The last thing he needs is any distraction coming from the kindhearted-yet-determined governess who seems to be quietly transforming his household with her persuasive personality, vibrant prayer life, and strong faith.

While both are tending past wounds and guarding fragile secrets, Julia and William are determined to do what it takes to save their families—common ground that proves fertile for unexpected feelings. But will William choose Julia’s steadfast heart and faith over the wealth and power he needs to secure Highland Hall’s future?

Why I want to read this:

Sounds really interesting and the cover is gorgeous!

The Governess Of Highland Hall will be available October 15th 2013 from Multnomah Books.