I'm 12 days late in posting this, but meh. I'll just get straight to the point and say I did not do any better in July than I did in June. I fact, I think I read all of 3-4 books in July. But I'm doing better this month! I've already read 4 books this month, so that is a major improvement. Anyway, here is my list, to which I've added a couple more books, like I tend to do.
Comments
Title: The Forlorned
Author: Angela J. Townsend Published: July 21st, 2015 Publisher: Crimson Tree Publishing Genre: Horror Content Warning: Violence Recommended Age: 13+ Synopsis: When Tom Doherty first laid eyes on the lighthouse he knew it was damned. An advertisement lured him to the island, offering a job renovating the old lighthouse and ramshackle buildings. What he didn’t know was that he was the only applicant. None of the locals wanted the job– no one dared. Isolated and alone, Tom soon discovers why. Messages from disembodied voices; ghostly visitations and escalating horrors draw Tom deeper into the island’s evil past—a darkness that forces Tom to unbury the truth and bring demons of his own into the light.
The Forlorned upcoming movie release information can be found on IMDb at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4294968/?
Review
***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***
Let me start off by saying that I had no idea this book was horror. I signed up based solely on my opinion of the cover. I thought, "Hmm, this looks interesting," and signed up. It wasn't until someone else's review popped up in my Facebook news-feed that I realized it was horror. Mind you, this was in the middle of the night the first night I was reading the book. I quickly realized the genre on my own shortly after the prologue, and by this time I was already getting creeped out. I debated waiting until daylight to continue reading, but I had already started it and I wanted to see how the story would pan out. I liked Tom. He seemed like a level-headed kind of guy and the fact that he remains on that island despite everything that keeps happening takes guts. I probably would have run screaming from the place the first night there. But the goal he has keeps him from running, and it's obvious he cares a great deal for his father if the thought of achieving his goal is the only thing that keeps him from running. Unfortunately, I didn't have time in the light of day to keep reading, so the second night found me picking up the book again, against my better judgement. I scared quite easily when dealing with the paranormal. I won't bore you with the reasons, but let's just say I was spooked enough that I kept checking my dark surroundings periodically, just to be on the safe side. I do feel that the plot built up quite nicely, but the ending was a tad bit lackluster. I had expected a more dramatic ending than the one given, but the details given were vivid all throughout the book, and the ending was no exception. I just wish the ending had been longer and not so rushed. I did enjoy this book, despite being scared and jumping at all the creaks in the night. The Forlorned gets 4 Platypires!
Author: Kasi Blake
Title: Crushed Series: The Witch Game, #1 Pages: 249 Genre: YA Paranormal Romance Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing Synopsis: The Noah girls have beauty, powers, and brains. They use all three to play their games. They blow the dust, the boys are crushed, and no one is ever the same. Each year the Noah girls play a secret game— Crushed. The rules are simple. 1. Use wisdom to pick your target. The boy can't be too weak or too strong-willed. 2. Blow the enchanted dust into your target's face to enchant (Crush) him. 3. Give verbal commands and assign them tasks to perform throughout the year. The more tasks completed, the stronger the witch's power grows. 4. At the end of the year, the witch with the most power wins cold, hard cash. As if being a witch in high school isn't complicated enough, Kristen picks the wrong boy to Crush. Zack is tall, handsome, and a little scary. Her Crush spell isn't working on him like it has with the others. In fact, he is behaving the opposite of every other boy she's Crushed, hating her instead of adoring her. Something is definitely wrong. After someone attempts to kill her, Kristen realizes there is more at risk than a few hundred dollars. She may be betting with her life.
Review
***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***
I'll start by stating that the characters start out a little cliched at the beginning. You have your popular girl who rules the school and you have your typical bad boy who's secretly not horrible. Oh and they hate each other, or that's what they think. I'm glad to say that as the book progresses, their cliched personalities get left behind. They develop into their true characters, who have motives and things that influence their actions. I felt at times, though, that Kristen was a bit bipolar. Her and Brittany both act that way, actually. One moment they could be putting up with each other, and the next they could both be swapping insults and threats. They were like this before the troubles in the book made it justifiable. On the other hand, there were many aspects of this book that I truly did enjoy. At first I felt sorry for Morgan, then I grew suspicious, and then I knew her for the character that she truly was. Although I didn't like her character, I certainly admired how well she had everyone completely fooled. Zach was definitely one of my favorite characters because you can tell he cares for his sister and tries his best to protect her and take care of her. He has an intensity about him, especially at the beginning where you can almost feel how he feels, particularly his anger and disgust. The other part I really loved was the mystery behind Brittany's actions and what Morgan's story and motives are. There is a huge tangle of lies in this book that get unraveled one by one as the book progresses. It all developed at a steady rate and had a satisfying ending. Crushed get 4/5 Platypires!
Synopsis:
TARYN HAD NEVER BEEN NORMAL. She wasn't like other girls- not after that night, that thing, took her parents from her. She made it through hospitals, doctors, and therapy by playing by their rules and saying all the things they wanted to hear. But, inside, she held on to the truth. She knew what she saw. SHE SPENT HER TEEN YEARS PREPARING IN SECRET With her two closest friends at her side, she dedicated herself to a mission. She would train and she would hunt. When the time came, she would be ready. No one she loved would be hurt by one of those monsters ever again. But with high school behind them, new found freedom comes with new responsibilities and new problems. Instead of weapons and self defense classes, she now has jobs and bills. The relation-ship with her best friend was suddenly shifting into new, scary territories. How could she take down bad guys if she couldn’t get her own life in order? AND THEN THERE WAS HIM. A mysterious stranger who pops up in suspicious places and throws off all sorts of bad vibes. His face now starred in her regular nightmares and plagued her thoughts in the day. Was she over-reacting? Or, was this finally the monster she had been waiting for? As the scars of Taryn’s past rise up to haunt her, she begins to question herself. With her mission faltering and her friendship off kilter, would life ever be the same again? Would she ever be the same?
Look at all the pretty avatar images I made!
Review
I first heard about this book when we had a Teaser Tuesday on the page and Megan Bailey posted one of her teasers. The title alone hooked me and we began harassing, I mean, er, asking Megan about the book. Fast forward to last month in June when she hosted a giveaway for a signed paperback copy. I will admit that if Joood had never tagged me in the comments, I wouldn't have heard about the giveaway and I wouldn't have won. Then she pouted a bit and I bought her an ecopy so I could have someone to read it with me.
The story starts out with Taryn complaining about therapy. That right there should hook anyone into reading further on. Joood is spot on when she says the first paragraph is where it's at: Madeline says I have to write a diary. She gave me this notebook to fill up. It's part of recovery. She says this will help me with my feelings. I told her to shove the book up her ass. And that's not the only instance where Taryn shows off her sassy self. But I won't post them all here; that's incentive enough, in my opinion, to get you all to check out this book. Who doesn't love a sassy character? There were many memorable moments where I found myself cackling, tearing up a bit, hiding my face in embarrassment, or even muttering under my breath at Taryn for being so freaking clueless. I mean, come on girl, surely you can't be so blind? Megan hosted a penance party where she asked for our forgiveness for not informing us about this tour. To help spread the word, I may have made avatars featuring platypires... *shifty eyes* I had waaay too much fun making those. Anyway, I'm hoping there is some sort of sequel that follows this book, but even if there isn't this is a fantastic book that is great as a standalone. If you're looking for a book that will make you feel a little of everything, I highly recommend picking up this beauty. You're in for a treat if you do (some sort of cookie surely). I give There Are No Vampires In This Book all 5 Platypires!
Title: Perfect Contradiction
Series: The Contradiction Series #2 Author: Peggy Martinez Published: July 14th, 2015 Publisher: Crimson Tree Publishing Genre: NA Contemporary Romance Content Warning: Minor Violence, sexual references Recommended Age: 17+ Synopsis: Jennifer Collins is finally beginning to heal after losing her mother to cancer. It’s been a long road with scary turns, but her best friend Beth helped her through the darkest moments. But now Beth has gone and gotten herself hitched, and Jen can’t help but feel like she’s all alone once again. When Hunter Wright comes strolling back into town after leaving her behind without so much as a see ya later when she needed him the most, Jen suddenly realizes she isn’t as over him as she thought she was. And perhaps she never would be. But things are complicated now, and Jen has a secret that makes it impossible for her to throw caution to the wind and fall back into the arms of the man who broke her heart. Sometimes, a new beginning, a new life, and a new outlook can mean so much more than understanding and forgiveness. Sometimes it can mean putting faith in someone who has the ability to hurt you or the ability to make you whole. Jen knows more than anyone that love can be such a… Perfect Contradiction.
Review
***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***
I began reading this book right after I finished reading Sweet Contradiction because it was the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep. I have to say I liked Perfect Contradiction a whole lot more than than Sweet Contradiction, but I felt that it was missing a few details on Jen's and Hunter's relationship, like when their relationship first started. I can't be the only one that likes to know how the characters feel when they first meet, right? Those minor details aside, I loved the pace of this story. It wasn't rushed like the Beth and Matt's story, and it spanned several months, almost up to a year. During that time we got to know Jen and saw what a strong, resilient person she is, with or without the support from Hunter. She's someone who can survive whatever life decides to throw her way, despite what people may say about her. I've read about so many characters who run away when they're dealt Jen's situation, but Jen stays on and tries to push through. Staying takes courage and for that I love Jen. I was emotionally connected to Jen because she loves to bake just like I do. She's honest and sweet, and I found myself feeling her emotions when things brightened up for her or when everything seems like it's all going downhill. I'm honestly trying to wait patiently for the next installment in this series, which is about Jackson, who we met in this book. I can't wait to read about his story and Perfect Contradiction gets 4/5 Platypires!
Title: Sweet Contradiction
Series: The Sweet Contradiction Series # 1 Author: Peggy Martinez Published: August 26th, 2014 Publisher: Crimson Tree Publishing Word Count: approx. 55,000 Genre: NA Contemporary Romance Content Warning: Minor Violence and Sexual References Age Recommendation: 17+ Synopsis: When Beth Michaels hightailed it out of the hole-in-the-road town she grew up in, she only had two goals. One—get as far away as quickly as possible, and two—never set foot in her parent’s home again. But when she receives a heart breaking call from her childhood best friend, Jen, she has no choice but to turn her ’56 Ford pickup back in the direction of Salem, Missouri to attend a funeral. There’s a new local in town when Beth arrives, and suddenly, it ain’t all that easy for her to remember her rules for dating. #1. Cookie-cutter-perfect guys ain’t her type. #2. Tie wearin’ and church frequentin’ is an automatic dismissal. #3. Most importantly, never date anyone from small minded, conservative, Bible-thumping towns like Salem. Unfortunately, Matthew Wright breaks all her rules and then some. Matt might be from a small town and have small town values, but that doesn’t mean he fits into a littleslot of Beth’s preconceived notions. After all, ever so often good guys are good. Now if he could just convince Beth to let go of her past and give him a chance, he’s pretty sure there’s a whole lotta sweet under that prickly exterior. His own … Sweet Contradiction.
Review
The story starts out with the mental abuse Beth's father put her through as a child. It's appalling just how extreme and fanatical her father is about God and the Bible, and this helps me sympathize with Beth and feel sorry for the childhood she suffered through.
I had a hard time deciding if I liked the pace of this story because it is on the short side and the plot was moving along rather quickly. I've never been a fan of insta-love and while Beth's love for Matt isn't instantaneous, it does develop rather quickly, as does his love for her. There also wasn't much drama, which surprised me. I expected Matt and Beth to argue or have long, lengthy discussions on their spiritual and religious differences, but they don't because Matt says he doesn't care and accepts her as she is. In a real life relationship, this would cause strife and problems could arise. So I do think that the way things are handled are a tad unrealistic. I do think their relationship is sweet and Matt is a patient man. To me, this book was pretty clean and was a sweet romance. I give Sweet Contradiction 3.5/5 Platypires. |
About MeJust a girl from Illinois with a passion for reading. QuotesGoodreads
|