Mini Book Review: Gateway by Christina Garner

AUTHOR: Christina Garner
PUBLISHER: ?
PAGES: ?
SERIES/STAND ALONE: Series
SOURCE: Author
TYPE: E-book
AUTHORS SITE: Christina Garner

OUTLINE: Ember has always known she doesn't belong in this world. But when she tries to correct the mistake, she wakes to find herself in a mental institution.

She's soon drawn to Taren, the mysterious boy with hazel eyes. He's not what he seems, but what is he?

When chaos erupts, they are forced to flee the institution together, and the secret that Taren has been keeping brings Ember closer to understanding her own. And leads her to... the Gateway 

MY THOUGHTS:

First things first I loved this book. When I started reading it I was like okay this sounds like it will be a contemporary book. BOY was I wrong! I mean the first few chapters gave away not a single clue as to what exactly was going on, or what was to come. When that stuff (Yes, I'm going to call it that stuff because you'll have to read it to find out.) happens in the institute I was like damn it I had this book pegged as a different read. Don't get me wrong...I loved that I was wrong. I loved that the story was able to trick me and make that twist.  Most books you're able to figure out what's going on, or it pretty much tells you what kind of book it will be. Not this one. I applaud you on that Ms. Garner. :)


Oh, the characters each one of them had they're differences, and I love when each of the characters can stand on their own not to mention that they are diverse. We're starting to see more and more of that, and I for one love it.


Sorry, this is one of my shorter reviews. I read this a few months back, and I've had things going on since, and I wasn't able to review it right away, but I do remember that I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and if you get a chance to read it. Do it. It's definitely not what it seems. I will probably end up re-reading it again at some point. (I think there's a second coming out, and if that's the case I'll probably re-read it then.)

QUOTES:

He lowered his glasses and read aloud, "Lithium, Clozapine, diazepam...That's quite a lot to ingest. (Doctor)(I think I just liked this because the Pharmacy Tech in me is like wow. I've never even heard of the second one.)


I was Alice falling farther down the rabbit hole. (Ember)


Leave it to me to have a demonic admirer. I wonder what it will get me for Valetines Day. (Ember)
Black Roses? (Taren)
Ugh, I hope not. Who wants the demon presence in their head to be that cliche? (Ember)
Yes, that would be the worst part--the cliche-ness. (Taren)


I'm not eager for a repeat of tonights pants wetting. Nice nothing hotter than a joke about peeing your pants.


See this is why being a lesbian is so much easier. You don't have to deal with men. ()


It didn't matter what people meant, it mattered what they did.

Book Review: Vegas Dazzle by Pam Langsam

AUTHOR: Pam Langsam

PUBLISHER: PMB Publishing
PAGES: 346
SOURCE: From Author
SERIES/STAND ALONE:
OUTLINE:
Envision your world being turned upside down in a place that changes your life forever. A place where anything is possible… Where you find a love for only your heart’s desire, your perfect other half, your soul’s mate. Together you are wisped away on an adventure of immaculate love, danger, and intrisity that alters your world forever.
Taylor has been forced to leave behind her life in England when her father takes a job as an executive pilot for one of the largest Hotels & Casinos in fabulous Las Vegas, leaving all that she knows behind. She must start over in a city full of lights that sits in the middle of the desert. There everything is beautiful, exhilarating and very lucrative.  People say Las Vegas is absolutely positively the most exciting place on earth! Being corrupt, getting away with murder and having tons of money seems to be a way of life, and oddly enough accepted. At first Taylor is devastated leaving England, but she is pleasantly surprised when she finds that Las Vegas offers her new dreams that she never knew could exist or even possibly come true.
Meeting the mysterious, attractive Dario Mancini aka prince of the mob, forces her life to take a dangerous, exotic, thrilling turn. Their souls bound together gives them powers beyond the forces of nature altering them forevermore.

But keep in mind everything has its price…

MY THOUGHTS:
(I'm so freaking speechless right now. I've been wanting to read this book since before it came out in April, and I was able to chat with the author on her FB, and I even got to do an interview over the phone back in April. (My notes are in my document files somewhere. I'm not very organized.) So I totally had high expectations for the book, and let me tell you I was not disappointed with it. I'm going to say this as calmly as I can I want DARIO. Move over Dimitri. No, I would never leave my Russian Guardian, but I now have a new Vegas Mobster. YEA! Okay, so maybe I'm not so speechless. LOL.  I just had to get it out of my system.)

It's weird because I can not for the life of me remember how I came about the book and the author. I feel like a complete idiot. Anyways,you know when you read a book that's set in a specific place it sometimes makes you want to go there. Well this is no exception. I've been to 4 states (Cali, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Texas) in my 25 years (I've been through others, never to visit.) This one is primarily set in Las Vegas which I'm soooo wanting to visit now. Thanks Pam.

When Taylor and her family move to Las Vegas for her dads new job she a little skeptical, but then she literally runs into the boy of her dreams at the hotel her family is staying in. How can that be? They're just dreams right? Nope, they're so much more, and we get to go along for the ride to see just what those dreams and this mysterious guy mean.

I was very fond of all the characters. I loved Taylor. She may have been a little whiny at first, but she soon got over it when she realized how awesome Vegas was. I loved how at first she kept to herself, and she didn't bother with her family (in the plane scenes) then she slowly grew to liking them, and eventually enjoyed her younger sisters company. It's always nice to see families getting along. I enjoyed the new friends that the girls made to because the new friends could have easily been these snotty-spoiled rich girls, but they weren't they even went over and introduced themselves. I think there was one "mean girl" in the whole book. Which of course I wanted to hit. I like when people can just get along. Dario was an awesome guy lead character he was struggling to be him self and be what his family (mostly dad) wanted him to be.Sometimes that's not an easy thing to do. In the end you have to do what makes you happy so yeah. :) I liked one of his friends because he seemed cool with whatever Dario told him, but Mateo was a little bit of an ass. I guess in the mob scene you kind of have to be though. I'm sooo curious about who this other guy is who shows up at the club, and who this woman is that started popping up . So needless to say I'm very much in suspense.

I loved being able to see what they were thinking to each other, and their time together had me on an emotional rollercoaster. I was laughing, upset, everything. I wanted them to be together.

What an ending to...why...why...why. You guys if you haven't heard of the book before now I suggest you go and look it up. (It's has a giveaway going on at goodreads to. :) ) I mean VEGAS, THE MOB, SOULMATES (the concept may seem overdone but I found it so intriguing I actual went and looked it up on google. No joke.)  -still can't get over loving it-

So I'm pretty sure this review is long enough, and I know I had a hard time writing it. It always seems like the more I like a book the harder it is to say exactly why. :)

EXTRAS:
My Fanpop Page for Vegas Dazzle

Mini Book Review: Reborn by Ley Mesina

AUTHOR: Ley Mesina
TITLE: Reborn: A Goddess of Night Novella
PUBLISHER: ?
PAGES: ?
SERIES/STAND ALONE:
SOURCE: Author
TYPE: E-book
OUTLINE: 
Lily Westbrook discovers that being half witch and half vampire is more of a challenge than she thought. When her powers mature on her eighteenth birthday, she unlocks a mystery that many witches thought was a legend.
 
After moving back to her birthplace in Cedar Creek, MA to attend Kensington University, Lily is instantly pulled deeper into the world she was kept from- the world of witches and vampires-uncovering the truth about her past and discovering who she is meant to be.

MY THOUGHTS:

The story is about a war between Witches and Vampires. Which that alone is different from the whole werewolves/vampire rivalry so it gave it a nice little twist on the story front.

In the beginning of the story I had a really hard time keeping up with what was going on because so many characters kept showing up, and different things happening to them. Apparently, I'm easily confused. I will say on some stories that would probably work for me as long as I'm eased into it, and I can separate what's going on. Does that make sense? Don't feel bad it didn't to me either.

Once Lily was away from the person taking care of her, and at her new school that's when I started to enjoy the story a little more. I found myself being able to enjoy the characters. (at least some others I didn't like to much.) Lily was introduced to Xander and Drew who were the sons of Arthur an old friend of Lily's parents, and also Roxanne who came to find help for her parents. Like I said it was at times confusing, but I got use to it. 

Part of the story consisted of The Goddess of Night, which you realize soon who she is. It's said that there's always just one and when a new one is born the other dies. Who vice versa I can't remember. I think this part intrigued because I've read different books that have used her as part of the storyline. (namely The house of Night series) So to me it was nice to see her used a little differently.

I think it has potential to be a lot more, and I was sad to just see it end so hopefully I'll be able to read more. There were errors throughout, but I'm not perfect, I'm not an editor. (I'm horrible at commas and punctuation. As you can probably tell.) so it didn't bother me as much as it did some people. I read because I enjoy the characters and the storybuilding.

This was a mini review. I know it may have totally sucked, but what are you going to do.

Review: Starcrossed: Perigee

AUTHOR: Tracey Lee Campbell
AUTHOR/BOOK SITE: http://www.starcrossedthebook.com
PUBLISHER:
SERIES/STAND ALONE: First book in a trilogy
PAGES: 399
SOURCE: Author
FORMAT: E-book

OUTLINE: Aric Brennan is a whisperer - a perfectly engineered human/alien hybrid, designed specifically to charm and seduce. When Lucy is stalked by his unearthly creators, she has no choice but to trust him to help her navigate a way through a horrifying reality - a reality filled with creatures which should really only exist in nightmares.

THOUGHTS:
Overview:
It's about Lucy, a girl who wakes up in her uncles barn from a very bizarre dream. When she goes into town with her Uncle she meets someone who her uncle later on hires as help. She soon falls for the guy not knowing anything about him. As time goes on she learns that her Uncle meeting him was no coincidence. Aric was there to watch over Lucy and keep her safe from those that haunted her dreams (and apparently real life), the Innaki. Now not only did Lucy have aliens after her she also had an agency of people after her. In order to keep her safe (and her family) Aric and her set off on a journey. Where to? I'll let you read to find out. :) During the journey Lucy learned more about Aric and who he really was, a whisperer, alien/human hybrid made to help the Innaki to subdue humans because after all humans and the earth are just an expierment. Lucy learned why her mother had tried to hurt her at a young age thus sending herself (lucys mom) to an asylum, and leaving lucy to be moved...put in home after home with different family members. Lucy met others along the way that were also part of Aric's world. She learned that being what they were they had special powers/abilities that she too could learn. Now on the run...will they get to where they're going or be stopped dead in their tracks?

Characters:
I know I sound kind of reptitive but the characters were really well thought out. Each one of them had something that captured me. Making me want to know more about them. I enjoyed learning about Lucy's past. Why it is her mother hurt her. Why is it the Innaki wanted her (even though not much of their reasoning was given away) I'm sure we'll find out. I was able to see her grow and accept that things might not be the same for her again. Aric, I tell you what from the moment Lucy saw him in the diner I knew I would like him. I knew I wanted him and lucy together, but was it possible? He had all those qualities that make male characters swoon-worthy. Oh yes I said swoon-worthy! He was protective. (Not Edward protective either. I totally just used a Twilight reference I know. If you don't know what I mean by that. All hope is lost then. Just kidding) Yes, he lied to her, and he felt bad. He was trying to protect her from those meaning to harm her. Getting to meet some of the others that were kind of like Aric was nice to..like Saul (ok I suck at this I usually write down the characters and everything to refer back to but since I usually read it at work or in the car or places other then home I didn't have my notebook and stuff I usually write things down in. Im sorry.) We didn't get to see to much of the Innaki or learn much about them, but all the same it was nice to get a glimpse of what they were like. I'm curious to see if we'll learn more about them and the other creatures. Also I hope we get to learn about the agency that was after Lucy as well..they reminded me of men in black only they were a little meaner.


Plot:
I enjoyed the story very much. Like I said I'm not much of an alien fan, but this had my attention. I still want to know why the aliens and men in suits were wanting Lucy. I felt like I was on some supernatural roadtrip with Lucy and Aric. Going from her family home to some friends of Arics to a secret lab back to more friends houses all while avoiding the bad guys by stealing cars, sheilding themselves. It sounds like it was all over the place but that's just my messy way of writing it out. It is much more enjoyable then how I make sound. So do yourself a favor and read it. :)


Overall:
In the ages or I guess you could say "time" of vampires, werewolves, and fairies it's nice to be able to read about something a little different. Yes, it's supernatural. It has "people" with special abilities, but it's so much more then that. I don't know about you, but I don't see many alien books. (or maybe it's just because I'm not totally into them) I have to say though that this book may have changed my mind. I adored every bit of it. I'm very patiently waiting for the other. :) Oh, and I will definitely end up buying the actual book when it comes out. Just so I can have a pretty copy on my shelf. SO if you're into aliens, and other worldly beings, want a little bit of a romance, and some supernatural action I say you should get a copy and read it. :)

QUOTES:

-Dreams are so peculiar--the strangest things can happen in them, but in the midst of it all, when the world around you is totally upside down and inside out, the mind still thinks everything is normal. It's only when you wake that common sense kicks in and you realized what you dreamed was total nonsense.

-If you're ugly it's creepy, if you're not it's hot.

-Make women...go all gooey over you. (Lucy)
He chuckled and held out his hand. Only the straight ones. (Aric)

-You rate yourself ten out of ten? Great to see a girl with good self esteem! (Aric)
No, I gave myself six out of ten, in my mind and then you....oh never mind! (Lucy)

-A perfect human with the gift of...charming I suppose is the word. Bewitching? Sort of like how vampires are suppose to glamour their victims. (Aric)
-I do not have a name you can pronounce, but the humans call me MH. (Innaki)
Mh? I wondered what that stands for. (Lucy)
I believe it stands for Melon Head. It is an attempt at what humans refer to as humor. (Innaki)

-So are you like totally human? Anyone overhearing our conversation would have thought it ludicrous. (Lucy)
He grinned and didn't miss a beat.
One hundred percent. (Olaf)


BOOK TRAILER:

Book Review: Six Moon Summer

AUTHOR: S.M Reine
PUBLISHER: Createspace
PAGES: 198
SERIES/STAND ALONE: Series
SOURCE: Author
TYPE: E-book
SITE: S.M Reine

OUTLINE: Rylie's parents are going through a messy divorce. They send her to summer camp to get her out of the way of their fighting lawyers, but she's just as miserable at the girls' camp as she was at home-- there's nothing vegetarian for her to eat at the mess hall, she hates hiking and archery, and the other campers taunt Rylie mercilessly.

One night, the bullying goes too far, and Rylie runs away. She doesn't get far. It's a full moon, and she isn't alone in the forest. A wild animal mauls her. She's certain she won't survive.
Want to know a little more check out Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS:
Alright so you've got the idea from the summary what it's about right?

My short to cents summary
Rylie's parents sent her away to some summer camp so she wouldn't be caught in the middle of their divorce, but no matter how far you send someone she's still in the middle of it. That's not the story though. Rylie's story starts when she arrives at the camp. How can she possibley enjoy 3 months of a place where food for vegetarians isn't served, she doesn't enjoy any of the activities, and the girls here are hands down bitchy. Answer? Run away! Lost in the woods she's attacked by a creature. What kind of creature she doesn't know. Waking up in the morning in her bed is a surprise to her...everything seems to be in working order with her. So had it all been a nightmare?

The Story itself
I could probably continue on with my summary, but I won't I'll save you the reading. I have to say that I love reading stories about the paranormal to me it's just more interesting: Vampire, fairies, dragons, werewolves, witches. You get the picture. Not only that but you get to see how the authors bring their own twists to the myths/lores. Now let's focus on the fact that this is a werewolf story. My apologies if you hadn't figured it out by the cover or the summary or title. So far the werewolf stories I have read have shown the werewolves as friends and protectors like Nightshade. They don't harm anyone. This story is a little different and I love it. None of the nice and cuddley werewolves like Jacob. No these are the actual mean werewolves and they have an agenda. I loved the way the author described the changing into a werewolf it doesn't just POOF happen. The stages that one goes through on the different moons. The words describing the change sounds really painful. I liked the way it flowed. :) Does that make sense? I have to say also that I thought it wrapped up nicely. If it wanted to it could be a stand alone in my opinion. There aren't any big cliffhangers making it to where you have to read a second to find something out. It does however, leave it open enough where a second book could begin. (which one will be. All Hallows Moon in October '11. YEA!) To me that's always a plus, I mean who wants to be made to read a second just to find out something. (I'm not a fan of the just stop, drop, and that's the end type books. I do read them though. I can't help it)

What about the characters?
Rylie is of course the main character I liked her well enough to me she was a typical teen except for the vegetarian part. :) She didn't get along with her mom, but she was ok with her dad. She did have a bit of that I hate my parents attitude, but what kid doesn't. I love her name. Just FYI. :) I really felt bad for her when she got to the camp, and the other girls didn't even give her a chance.
Seth was a good guy character for her. He had the mysterious-ness about him, and you didn't find out much until closer to the end. He could have gone any way. I liked how he always left little notes on Rylie's window to get her attention.
Cassidy was okay I actually would like to seen more of her, but again..reasons. Spoiler:  I was sad to see that she was a wolf. I wanted her and Rylie to be friends. :(
I wasn't really impressed with the mean girls. They were your pretty typical "mean" girls. Nothing to wow about them. I think the only other character that stood out to me was Jericho, the boys counselors, Spoiler: I was pretty sure that he was the wolf that changed her, and he was, but he had his reasons for things.
End.


Overall conclusion:
It's definitely worth the read if you like the paranormal and a bonus if you're just in the mood for werewolves, and not the sappy kind. :) It was short which is also good easy to finish. So go on check it out. :)

QUOTES: I know there were a few more I probably liked, but on my kindle the notes are a little different. :)
-You don't have to like them, but you need to love them (Seth) I think this just stuck with me because it rings true for me. It fits well with my family I sometimes don't like them but reguardless their my family and I need to love them. :)


BOOK TRAILER: