Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles

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RETURN TO PARADISE
Author: Simone Elkeles
Source: Publisher
* I received this book free
of charge in exchange for
an honest review *

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 312 pages
  • Publisher: Flux (September 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0738718688
  • ISBN-13: 978-0738718682

SYNOPSIS:

Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything.
Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She’s determined to make a new life for herself.
But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie’s accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them. 

MY THOUGHTS:

Oh.My.God! That’s what I said when I found out about this book, when the publisher sent me the book, and also when I finished this amazing book!  This author never disappoints when it comes to teen romance and drama.

This is the second book in the Paradise series.  If you ever have doubts about reading a sequel to a book because you are afraid it won’t be as great as the first, let me tell you that Return to Paradise was not only as great as its predecessor, but even more amazing this time around! I had forgotten how much I love Caleb and Maggie while waiting for this book to come out.  As soon as I started reading the first chapter, I was swept away back into the teen romance that this author does so well.  

It was hard at first knowing that Caleb and Maggie had moved on with their lives in the eight months that they have not seen each other.  Yet, even though they both are saying this to people, you can see it in their actions that they are still drawn together with strong feelings.  When they both go on a trip with four other teens, they both must confront their feelings for each other and decide if their love is strong enough to fight for. 

I loved Maggie and Caleb even more this time around.  They both have grown up in the eight months they were separated.  They have issues to work out, but you can just see the love they have for each other on every page of this book.  The side characters were amazing with Lenny being one of my favorites!  I do hope the author takes it even a step further and create a series for him as well! 

This book ties up the loose ends from Leaving Paradise that will leave the reader with closure.  I personally wish this story could have gone on for another 30 chapters or so just because I love Caleb and Maggie so much!  The ending was perfect and memorable with just the right amount of sweetness.  Reading this series swept me away to a readers paradise of teen romance and drama that this author does so well!

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

(ARC Review) Born to Bite by Lynsay Sands

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BORN TO BITE
Argeneau Series #13
Author: Lynsay Sands
Source: Publisher
* I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Avon (August 31, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061474320
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061474323

SYNOPSIS:

Legend has it that Armand Argeneau is a killer in the bedroom . . .

But with all three of his late wives meeting unfortunate and untimely ends, is this sexy immortal a lover or a murderer? That’s what Eshe d’Aureus intends to find out. As an enforcer, it’s her job to bring rogue vampires to justice, even if the rogue in question makes her blood race red hot.

Armand knew she was trouble the moment Eshe roared into town on her motorcycle, clad in tight black leather. She claims she’s hiding from dangerous fiends, though he suspects something more. But after three wives who’ve all had trouble remaining, well, undead, Armand is reluctant to open his heart again. Then strange accidents start to happen, each deadlier than the last, and Armand realizes he may not have much time to prove he’s a lover, not a slayer. 

MY THOUGHTS:

FINALLY! When it comes to this series, I am a serious stalker of the author’s website.  I check weekly, if not daily, to see if there is any news about this series! When the announcement about this book came out, I was doing a happy dance! Wait, you are here for a review and not my excitement. Sorry.

Armand is the father of Thomas, Nicholas and Jeanne Louise. We have met each of them in previous books and the focus of this story is clearing Armand of murder while proving Nicholas is also innocent of his crimes.  While Lucian sends Eshe out to Armand’s home under the pretense of Armand hiding her out from the bad guys,  we also discover that Eshe is actually there to look into the murders of Armand’s previous wives.  It turns into a mystery of finding out the truth, with romance and witty dialogue along the way!

I loved this book in the series.  While I am not a huge fan of the character of Eshe, this book really let her shine and bring Armand into a story of his own.  We had the suspense that the author is great at writing, but the important part is she didn’t fail on the romance and witty humor that she is also known for!  Imagine not eating for centuries and trying to figure out what a can of whipped cream is and how it works! Then imagine looking at a bottle of Metamucil for the first time and seeing a pretty picture on the front thinking it would be yummy! Of course, what makes the humor even better is Bricker trying to explain these things to both of them!  I personally can’t wait for Bricker’s story and I keep begging Ms. Sands to use me as Bricker’s life mate!

The suspense was perfectly paced with surprises all throughout the book. The author keeps you guessing at who the true murderer is and kept leading me in different directions.  Yet when all is revealed, I was still surprised and loved how it played out.

If you haven’t read any of The Argeneau series yet,  you must sink your teeth into them as soon as possible!  Then when you do, I can guarantee that you will be a series stalker just like me!  Well done again Ms. Sands for bringing me another wonderful Argeneau book!  Just remember me when you do Bricker’s story!

MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

(ARC Review) Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

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LOSING FAITH
Author: Denise Jaden
Source: Around the World Tours

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Simon Pulse; Original edition (September 7, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416996095
  • ISBN-13: 978-1416996095

SYNOPSIS:

A terrible secret. A terrible fate.

When Brie’s sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie’s world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don’t know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but. 

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don’t line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith’s final night…a secret that puts her own life in danger. 

MY THOUGHTS:

Wow. I wish I had a stronger word to describe this book but Wow is pretty much the first thing I said when I finished it.  This young adult book features cults, romance, suspense and mystery, and even death.  What do you get when you put all of those subjects into a book? Losing Faith by Denise Jaden is what you get.

When Brie’s very religious sister dies, the family is devastated.  Faith was the oldest, yet Brie was not very close with her.  The police rule her death a suicide, but Brie knows in her heart that Faith would never do that. Brie’s parents go through the normal emotions of burying a daughter and shut themselves down from Brie.  She feels alone with her parents going through depression and anger towards them for not being there for her.

Brie also is dealing with her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend.  When Brie dumps them both, she finds a new friend in the school bad girl, Tessa.  Together they try to piece together what happened to Faith and building a friendship along the way. 

When Brie uncovers the secrets that Faith was hiding, she discovers Alis as well.  They both know there are sparks between them yet Brie also knows that his sister is involved in the religious cult Faith was in.

This book had me gripping the pages and biting my nails with suspense! I could not put this book down until I finished it.  I had to know what happened!  The author did a wonderful job at pacing the story and keeping the reader enthralled with it.  I loved the sweet moments between Alis and Brie, the spy moments between Tessa and Brie, and the mystery of what really happened to Faith.  A great new author for me to keep my eye on for more great writing!

MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

SECRET TIES by Opal Carew

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SECRET TIES
Author: Opal Carew
Source: Personal Purchase

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; 1st edition (June 23, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312384807
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312384807

SYNOPSIS:

How far would you go to reach the ultimate pleasure?

Max Delaney is a master of bondage and submission…and Summer Anderson’s most decadent dream come true.  From the moment she meets him, she yearns for him to dominate her–body and soul.  As Max initiates her into his world of scorching BDSM sex, he shows Summer what’s possible when she abandons her inhibitions and loses herself in pure sensation.  Soon Summer wonders if she can surrender to her wickedest desire yet: to share herself with three men at once.  But once she’s lived out her most forbidden fantasy, can she go back to her ordinary life?  And will she ever want to?

MY THOUGHTS:

I just love this author! When it comes to erotica’s, this author knows how to write them.  She knows how to perfectly balance the sex, the romance and the plot to where it is a wonderful read without just being sex all the time.

Summer sells chocolates at an adult themed convention show.  She is there with her good friend who happens to write steamy books.  When her friend Tanya introduces Summer to Max, the sparks fly and the pages burn with romance!  Summer finds herself curious about the BDSM lifestyle and Max is wanting to show her the ropes of BDSM.  Max has lived the lifestyle as a dominant and knows that Summer would be a perfect sub in this lifestyle.  When Summer gives up control to Max for the weekend, she feels like a new woman. When she heads home, she decides to take control of her sex life and go after the two men she has been best friends with and have also been in love with Summer.  The whole time though, Summer finds herself missing Max and craving more of him. When Max shows up in the town where she lives, jealousy rears its ugly head from her best friends.  They quickly realize that Max is who Summer wants.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I love the way the author handled the ending between the characters of the book. Secret Ties is a must read if you are a fan of Opal Carew or a fan of erotica’s.  I can’t wait to read more from this author!

MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

(ARC Review) Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

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ANGELFIRE
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (February 15, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0062002325
  • ISBN-13: 978-0062002327
SYNOPSIS:

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers – monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell – she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie’s powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her – an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie’s soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian’s most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives – including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

MY THOUGHTS:
This is one of those novels that readers are coveting to own way before the release date is even in sight.  After seeing people talk about this book, chatting online with the author, and reading the blurb about it, I joined this group of people waiting not-so-patiently for the release date to arrive.  Even though the book doesn’t release until Feb. 2011, I was lucky enough to join a book tour for this one. I am so glad I was picked for this one. 

In this first installment of a trilogy by author Courtney Allison Moulton, the author does not disappoint with action packed chapters, wisecracking characters, and grim reapers to boot.  Each of the characters bring a certain element to the book that will draw you in from page one, and leave you wanting more by the end of the last page.

Ellie is the friend you would want in this author’s world.  She is strong, funny and kicks butt with flair.  She doesn’t think she is brave and able to face the battles that are presented to her, but she gives it all shes got.  In the process she can throw out the witty remarks to even out the serious scenes.  Will is the opposite of Ellie in my eyes.  He is serious, determined and protective of Ellie.  Even though Will has the brooding and intense looks down pat, he still will keep you captivated like he did with Ellie. 

With all of the serious battles and struggles, the characters are still teens with the usual teen problems.  The romance was beautiful yet the awkwardness of teen relationships is wonderfully brought out in the writing as well.  The side characters were just as amazing as the main characters and kept you moving at a great pace.  

This is an amazing debut to a wonderful trilogy that I cannot wait to continue.  This is one of those books that if you haven’t already heard the hype about it, stand back!  Be prepared to have your own Will on the sidelines to come rescue you on release day, because you will be fighting your own battle to get this great book before anyone else!

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS