A GIRL’S GUIDE TO LIFE by Katie Meier

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A GIRL’S GUIDE TO LIFE
Author: Katie Meier
Source: Booksneeze
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 22, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1400315948
  • ISBN-13: 978-1400315949

SYNOPSIS:


A Girl’s Guide to Life offers girls a fun, healthy approach to facing their adolescent years. 
 
This complete resource helps teenage girls deal with all the traumas, dramas, and triumphs in their lives. The book is divided into Body, Mind, and Soul sections to address the relevant issues in each area of a young woman’s life. It’s “the” book for any girl wondering what’s happening to her body, soul, and mind during these crazy years. 

Revised and updated to include information on texting, sexting, and the viral cultural in which teens live, this book will help girls navigate their way through what can be a very tumultuous time in life.
With conversations with real teen girls, a foundation on God and the Bible, and helpful tips and questions for the reader, girls will gain an encouraging and fresh perspective on their lives.

A Girl’s Guide to Life offers teen girls a new approach to facing their adolescent years. 

MY THOUGHTS:

I wish I had this book when I was growing up and going through those awkward teenage years.  This is the perfect book for a teen girl who has questions about life, love, sex and everything in between.  Not only would it be perfect for teen girls, but it also would be perfect for Mother’s to help in explaining those tough questions we all dread.

This book focused on the questions that almost any teenage girl would have.  It helped with explaining sex, make-up, eating disorders and peer pressure with explanations and advice in teen language that will be easy to understand.  It touches on the religious side of things as well, without pushing the religion on every page.  It had a good balance between the two.

Overall a great book for teen girls and Mother’s with teen girls as well. 

MY RATING:


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

Oh.My.Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs

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Oh.My.Gods
Source: Library Loan
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (May 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0525479422
  • ISBN-13: 978-0525479420
SYNOPSIS:
When cross-country-running California girl Phoebe Castro finds out her mom is marrying a virtual stranger and moving them halfway around the world to Greece right before her senior year, she thinks her worst problem will be missing out on fun times with her two best friends. But when they arrive on Serfopoula, her new stepdad tells her that all the students at the Academy—the ultra-elite private school which happens to be the same one founded by Plato more than two thousand years ago—are all super-powerful descendants of the gods. Missing her friends is the least of her problems.
MY THOUGHTS:
Oh.My.God! This book was another great read by the fabulous author, Tera Lynn Childs.  After reading Forgive My Fins, I desperately wanted to read more of this authors work. She has the creativity to come up with the most wonderful creations in her writing.  The character of Phoebe was a typical teenage girl with dreams of getting a scholarship to college due to her long distance running.  She has worked hard to get to where she is and then her mom pulls the rug out from under her. Her Mom reveals that she is getting married to Damien, who happens to be a descendant of a Greek God.  Suddenly Phoebe is thrown off track with her future plans and is forced to move to Greece.  She is told about that the myth about the Greek Gods is true.  She struggles to find her place as a human among all the descendants of the Greek Gods.  Along with trying to fit in, she finds two great friends Troy and Nicole.  She also falls in love with Griffin who is one of the jocks at the school.  
The author floors me with her creativeness and the way she can keep you hooked on a book.  I loved the witty writing that you would expect from teenage characters.  It flowed nicely and was well paced.  A book that will quickly suck you in and leave you wanting to finish the book at a world record pace!  I have found victory with finding this author!
MY RATING:

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

A SEASON OF EDEN by J.M. Warwick

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A SEASON OF EDEN

Author: J.M. Warwick (AKA Jennifer Laurens)
* I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 244 pages
  • Publisher: Grove Creek Publishing (October 20, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1933963905
  • ISBN-13: 978-1933963907
SYNOPSIS:

He’s my teacher. I shouldn’t be alone with him. But I can’t help that he’s irresistible.
I let the door silently close at my back. He stared at me, and a taut quiet stretched between us.
“I like hearing you play,” I said, moving toward him.
He turned, in sync with my slow approach. He looked up at me but didn’t say anything. I rested my clammy hand on the cold, slick body of the baby grand. “May I?”
The muscles in his throat shifted, then he swallowed. “Eden.”
My legs weakened, like a soft tickling kiss had just been blown against the backs of them. “Is it okay?” I asked.
His gaze held mine like two hands joined. He understood what I was really asking.
“Let me stay,” I said. “Please.”
“You’re going to get me in trouble.”
MY THOUGHTS:
After finishing this book, I am still wondering how to write up a review on this book.  It was amazing! That sums up my whole experience with this book.
Eden decides to enroll in Choir for her elective her senior year.  To her, it is just an easy A and to pass the last semester before graduating.  She is surprised and in awe when the new choir teacher appears and is instantly attracted to Mr. Christian. 
Now some people, myself included, feel that a teacher/student relationship is wrong. YES, it is. Yet, as your read this book, you will realize that this story is different and you will find yourself hoping the teacher/student relationship will happen.  Eden is actually 18. She is considered an adult even though she is in her senior year of high school.  Mr. Christian is only 22 and he finished his teaching credentials early and loves music. James, tries to not fall for Eden, but she is hard to resist.  The romance is actually sweet and believable. You feel the struggle that they both go through trying not to give into the feelings because of the situation. 
The writing was amazing.  You could actually feel the emotions and the struggle with every paragraph you read. It flowed beautifully and I could not put this book down. The only disappointment I had was the ending. It not only left you questioning the relationship, but it left you hungry for more of Eden and James. I didn’t want the book to end. (yes, even emailed the author and told her this! LOL) Well done and a true masterpiece for young adults and adults as well.  
MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!

(ARC REVIEW) Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

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NIGHTSHADE
Author: Andrea Cremer
Source: Around The World Tours
*I received this book through a book tour site for review for free*

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 528 pages
  • Publisher: Philomel (October 19, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 039925482X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0399254826

SYNOPSIS:

While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack’s world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches’ War that surrounds them all. 

MY THOUGHTS:


Oh my goodness! This book was another huge one! I thought I would spend a week on this sucker, but I finished it in days.  That is how amazing this book is!

The author did an amazing job at throwing twists in for the werewolf idea.  It was not at all what the normal is.  In this book, Calla is the alpha, not a man.  If you set aside all of the confusing background of the packs history and beliefs, which can be confusing, and look at the book as something fresh and amazing, then you too will easily be captivated into this authors’ world of werewolves and adventure.


Another amazing hurdle in the book that the author did a wonderful job on was the love and romance.  The triangle left me torn up just as much as Calla.  It was hard to know who to cheer for when the two love interests were amazing as well.  It made me want to pull my hair out in frustration and wonder at what would happen between the three. To top it off, the author does an amazing job at leaving you guessing up until the end.  Just when you think you have everything figured out, you get smacked with a different outcome than what you expected.


The ending did lack in satisfaction though.  It didn’t end in the right spot and feel of the entire book.  To me it either could have ended sooner, or left a bigger finale than what was written.  Hopefully the author can work on this before publication date or be prepared to give her fans the next installment soon!


MY RATING:


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

(ARC REVIEW) Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey

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BLOOD FEUD
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (June 22, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 080272096X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0802720962
SYNOPSIS:
The action and romance continue as the Drakes face a new vampire with a 200-year-old grudge.

It’s been centuries since Isabeau St. Croix barely survived the French Revolution. Now she’s made her way back to the living and she must face the ultimate test by confronting the evil British lord who left her for dead the day she turned into a vampire. That’s if she can control her affection for Logan Drake, a vampire whose bite is as sweet as the revenge she seeks.

The clans are gathering for Helena’s royal coronation as the next vampire queen, and new alliances are beginning to form now that the old rifts of Lady Natasha’s reign have started to heal. But with a new common enemy, Leander Montmarte—a vicious leader who hopes to force Solange to marry him and usurp the power of the throne for himself—the clans must stand together to preserve the peace he threatens to destroy.

This second adventure in the Drake Chronicles—told from both Logan’s and Isabeau’s perspectives—has all the same butt-kicking action, heart-pounding romances and snarky humor that readers loved in Hearts at Stake, as well as exciting new revelations about the vampire dynasties to keep readers coming back for more.
MY THOUGHTS:
I LOVE this series.  I couldn’t wait to read this! After reading Hearts At Stake, I was curious to see what the author would come up with next and which character would be the focus of the next story.  In this story we get to see Logan front and center.  The well dressed Drake finds himself captivated by Isabeau.  With flashbacks through Isabeau, we start to understand what one goes through when they become a Hound and how she struggled to survive. Logan realizes the power of magic and the temptation of true beauty no matter what you are or where you come from.  
If you are wondering, yes we get to still see the rest of the Drake family in the story.  Lucy still has the witty and smart mouth that she did in the first book.  Solange is still frustrated with the whole royalty thing that Montmarte is obsessed with, and best of all, we still get the Drake brothers in all their handsome glory! Blood Feud picks up a week after Hearts At Stake and still has lots of action and romance to keep you going. The author’s writing progressed wonderfully and she captured me from the first page up until the end.  I can’t wait to see what the next book, Out For Blood, will bring us and WHO it will bring us in the Drake family!
MY RATING:


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