Category Archives: 4 Flames

MOONGLASS
Author: Jessi Kirby
Source: Amazon Vine
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing (May 3, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442416947
ISBN-13: 978-1442416949

SUMMARY:

I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I’ve thought maybe my mother drowned in both.

Anna’s life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It’s bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface. 

While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean’s tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna’s mother’s death- stays buried forever.

MY THOUGHTS:

I had heard great things about Moonglass and when the chance to review it came along, I jumped on the chance to read it!  If you are looking for a beach filled summer read, then Moonglass is the book to pick up.


I admit that it took me a bit to get into this book.  To me, the beginning started out slow with the move to the new town.  I was tired of reading about Anna’s pity party of having to relocate when her father gets the chance for a better job.  I wanted to reach into the book and shake her silly!  Get over it Anna and just deal!  Then when Anna meets Tyler at the beach, I was intrigued. My ears perked up at a possible romance and some angst when Daddy found out.  Then there is Ashley that she meets on the beach as well.  Typical stereotyped rich girl trying to make friends with another new girl who happens to just be average.  Ashley cracked me up with her theories on losing weight. This book is not just about romance and friendships though.  Anna is dealing with the loss of her Mother as well and trying to work through the grief that she is left with.  


The perfect summer read featuring romance, loss, and starting a new life after the pain! Great book from a great debut author!


MY RATING:

BUT I LOVE HIM
Author: Amanda Grace
Source: Library

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Flux (May 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780738725949
ISBN-13: 978-0738725949

SUMMARY:


Tonight was so much worse than anything before it. Tonight he didn’t stop after the first slap.

At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved — and needed. Ann can’t recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor’s rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything — and everyone — in its path.

This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

MY THOUGHTS:

As most of you already know, this book is by author Mandy Hubbard under the pen name of Amanda Grace.  If you have ever read anything by Mandy Hubbard, you know her writing is phenomenal.  Even with the pen name, you can still feel the emotional writing that this author can write so well.

I liked how the story starts with the ending.  Confused? Don’t be.  Basically the author is taking that final moment in the abusive relationship and going backwards in time.  The character of Ann is beaten by her boyfriend Conner and she is trying to figure out the exact moment everything went wrong.  What Ann starts to realize though is that when a relationship involves abuse physically and emotionally, there is no certain point that it all begins.  Everything starts to blur together and become one entire event.

While I enjoyed how the author created the timeline for the book, there was one thing that bothered me about it.  We get to only see glimpses of the present day, leaving us to wonder what led up to that particular event in the minutes before it.  I wanted to know what was the thing that finally pushed Conner that far.  While I am not excusing Conner for his previous actions or glossing over the fact that he did other things just as bad.

This book goes to prove that the author can conquer the art of writing emotional issues that others are afraid to touch on in the young adult genre.  I look forward to reading more books from this author and hope that she continues to write books that are on touchy subjects but ones that need to be heard.

MY RATING:

THE IRON KING
The Iron Fey #1
Author: Julie Kagawa
Source: Personal Purchase

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Harlequin; Original edition (February 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373210086
ISBN-13: 978-0373210084

SUMMARY:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

MY THOUGHTS:

When this series first started back in 2010, I heard the hype around it.  Everyone was raving about this series by this new author and I had no idea what they were talking about at first.  After reading countless reviews on it, I finally broke down and purchased the first book in the series. Yes, I finally caved to the peer pressure from fellow blogger’s.  While I am not a huge fan of Fae and fantasy, I am a huge fan of paranormal and romance.  I saw the countless badges displayed across the blogs for Team Puck and Team Ash.  I heard about the romance and adventure, but I was still skeptical on being able to enjoy  it.

When I first started reading it,  I let my feelings for this specific sub genre surface and tried not to like it.  Yet, after just a few chapters of reading about Meghan and her sweet brother,  Puck and his witty attitude, and even the mystery of the man on the horse, I f finally was sucked  into the land of fantasy!  I absolutely adored Puck for the first part of the book.  While I wasn’t a fan of how he abandoned Meghan a few times,  I still liked his humor and his carefree personality.  Meghan was a great character as well.  At first she had a hard time accepting the whimsical and out of the ordinary creatures, but she knew she had to face them if she had any chance of rescuing her younger brother from the evil that took him.

Ash was also a wonderful character in the book.  While he could come across as cold and heartless at times,  he grew on me pretty quickly.  You could guess that he was hurt in the past and he was guarding a part of himself from Meghan.  The sparks between the two were slow growing at first, but once they start to reach their destination, you could see that they were perfect for each other.

I still have the “human” part of me thinking that their are no such things as Fae and such, but now that I have read the first book in the series, I am starting to like the “mythical” part of my subconscious that is struggling to emerge now.  I personally can’t wait to start the next book in the series titled, The Iron Daughter, and find out what is to come after the ending the author left me with!

MY RATING:

ANY MAN OF MINE
Author: Rachel Gibson
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (April 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061579114
ISBN-13: 978-0061579110

SUMMARY:

What happens in Vegas . . . doesn’t always stay there. 

Autumn Haven’s Las Vegas “to-do” list said to catch a show and play the slots—not wake up married to a sexy jerk like Sam LeClaire. The first moment she saw him eyeing her like a luscious piece of the dessert buffet, her usually responsible self told her to run. And she did—right into the wildest fantasy weekend of her life. But Monday morning jolted her back to reality, and before she could say “pass the coffee,” Sam was gone.

Now a successful wedding planner, Autumn hasn’t clapped eyes on the heartbreaking hockey superstar for over two years . . . until she organizes his teammate’s “Special Day,” where Sam makes a big play to pick up where he left off! But she has vowed any man of hers plays for keeps. Is Sam the man for her or does she banish him to the sin bin forever?

MY THOUGHTS:

I haven’t read any books by author Rachel Gibson even though I do own many of her books.  So when the publisher sent me Any Man of Mine, I really didn’t know what to expect with the writing by this author.  I was also worried since it is book six in a series, but I dove into the story anyway in hopes of not needing to read the previous books.

While it wasn’t the best romance I have read, it certainly wasn’t a disappoint me either.  I liked the writing style and the fun characters that the author created.  Even though Sam was a little full of himself at times and could be well deserving of a smack upside his head, I thought that Autumn handled him well enough and could feel a spark between the two.  I like how Sam slowly warmed up to the idea of taking over his role of Father to their child even if he was a little late in getting there.  Then after reading a few chapters, I noticed that the little opening at each chapter was a glimpse into what the character was suppose to learn in each of those chapters.

Even though this is book six in the Chinooks Hockey Team Series, I didn’t feel lost or confused like you would normally feel when coming into a series late.  I felt it held its own as a stand alone and it captured my interest in reading more of this authors work.  Why did it take me so long to realize that I need to read more of this author?  Thank goodness I already own more of her work because now I am hooked on her writing.  Since I don’t have prior reading experience of her other works, I can’t say if this is better or worse than previous novels.  All I can say is that I am desperately wanting to find the time to read more of her work!

MY RATING:

DISTANT WAVES
A Novel of the Titanic
Author: Suzanne Weyn
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (May 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545085845
ISBN-13: 978-0545085847

SUMMARY:

Science, spiritualism, history, and romance intertwine in Suzanne Weyn’s newest novel. Four sisters and their mother make their way from a spiritualist town in New York to London, becoming acquainted with journalist W. T. Stead, scientist Nikola Tesla, and industrialist John Jacob Astor. When they all find themselves on the Titanic, one of Tesla’s inventions dooms them…and one could save them. 

MY THOUGHTS:

I will be honest in saying that the cover and the hint of The Titanic is what captured my interest in this book.  Before I had even read the summary, the cover sucked me into the deep story of supernatural tales weaved into the historical tale of the Titanic. 


Even with warnings of sinking of the famous ship Titanic, the sisters and mother still risk their life on sailing the seas in the hopes that someone will be watching over them.  With famous names that you read about in the history books, you will find yourself enjoying the story.  I for one loved the character of Jane and enjoyed Thad as well. For the first part of the book, the story revolves around the characters home life and spiritual readings. This is where we meet Thad and fall for him as well.  The second half of the book is about them setting sail on the Titanic and their voyage.  You can tell the author did some research for this book but at times going a little overboard on the knowledge.  This was not really a big issue for me though because I love anything and everything that involves the Titanic history.  


If you are a fan of the Titanic history but like your psychic and paranormal themed books as well, then this book would be a great read to quench your thirst of both worlds.  I loved the weaving of fiction and fact into one tale. A new author for me to keep an eye on!


MY RATING: