Review | Guitar Kisses

 

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Kindle Price: $2.99

Synopsis:

“Shy, quiet Kirsten Nicholson’s life on the sprawling family ranch in Oklahoma has been one of serene predictability. In fact, her rancher father, Carter, detests change. But changes galore explode when seventeen-year-old Enrique Delaire arrives on the scene. Wearing his “Bronc Busting’s a Kicker” ballcap, his Nikes, and his surfer shirt, Enrique is ready to ride. And ride he does, not only into the hearts of this family, but into the hearts of this entire rural community. Enrique is the foster son of Kirsten’s aunt and uncle from Albuquerque. They sent Enrique to help out on the ranch while Kirsten’s fiance, Dan, is away at farrier school in Colorado. Kirsten has always been content to stay on the sidelines watching life go by, quietly writing her songs and playing her guitar alone in her room. Now all she hears is Enrique Delaire saying: “You won’t know if you don’t try.” In the wake of Enrique’s encouragement, she finds herself stepping into the limelight in ways she never dreamed. Suddenly doors open to Kirsten and difficult decisions must be made. Will she make the right decisions? Or slip back into her old life of sameness?”

My Review:

I’m familiar with Norma Jean’s writing, having read Flower in the Hills earlier. So I definitely was expecting to enjoy Lingering Dreams and I’m glad I did.

I loved the characters, but Kirsten’s mom was one of my favorites. She was hilarious and a quiet and fierce force. Here’s one of the scenes I loved the most:

“So I heard. I heard you been raising quite a stink in Clemetsville. I Been getting phone calls all evening.”

Kirsten glanced over at her mother who gently lifted two fingers, telling Kirsten there’d only been two calls.

Review | Knights, Kings, and Betrayal

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Kindle Price: $0.99

Synopsis:

“The King was dead.

His body was found slain in his room, only months after his son had been brutally murdered. Skylar Mandolyn, his daughter, has now become the last heir to inherit the throne. But instead of becoming Queen, she has been imprisoned for helping in the escape of Sir Harlin Brien, her knight who was framed for the King’s murder.

Confined to darkness, Skylar’s captors have given her no choice but to yield to a new kind of enemy: a kingdom that has advanced in both technology and warfare. It’s when she refuses that the prison uses its other means of persuasion, and although unmerciful, the whip lashings and isolation can’t suppress the memories of her family’s downfall. Pulled between her subconscious and reality, Skylar already knows who the true enemy is, because even the darkness can’t hide the deceptive hands that have destroyed them all.

With two kingdoms on the brink of war, Skylar’s only hope is in the person who has gone missing — Harlin, the knight who was sworn to protect her. The memory of him surrounds her when the darkness screams louder than the prisoners, and when Death smiles a faceless grin in between the cracks of the stone. While the tremors start to rise from the deep, crawling up through the prison’s walls, Skylar doesn’t realize that she will soon see why he’s one of the Benighted.

The mystery was never how Harlin escaped. It’s how he’ll return.”

My Review:

If I’m being totally truthful (and I am), I would say that I started off by being impressed and then it kind of leveled off. The Benighted still received a 4/5, so, as you can see, it clearly wasn’t too awful though.

I liked Skylar. She was resilient, clever, humorous, a strong leader, and even though I can’t relate to her particular issues, I felt as if I knew her personally. Skylar didn’t really undergo character development, at least not in the normal, “selfish to generous” obvious kind of way. Rather, her experience throughout the book most definitely developed her in some way that readers will probably realize in the next book.

Dissever by Tracey Ward

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Kindle Price: Free!

Official Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Synopsis:

“Annabel Lee has her life mapped out for her. A pawn in her aristocratic father’s game, she goes where’s told and does as he says. And she’ll marry who she’s told to marry.

Roarke is an outsider. A member of a mysterious clan living at the edge of the distant wood, he would do anything for Anna. For the childhood friend he can know only in secret. For the girl he’s loved all his life.

As they grow older and Anna’s fate draws near, they’ll discover that nothing is as it seems. That the secrets and lies that have kept them apart are what will ultimately draw them together.

And even death itself can’t tear them apart.

A Gothic fantasy romance based on the Edgar Allen Poe poem ‘Annabel Lee'”

My Review:

Truthfully, I didn’t know what to expect when I clicked onto Dissever. The cover wasn’t impressive, it just looked like some girl who would of course be relevant in the story. I had bought the book who knows how many months ago, but I didn’t re-read the synopsis so I was going in blind. I was surprised to have enjoyed it.

Ward did something extremely unique with Dissever, something I wasn’t expecting and I adored. There are no petty enemies. This is important because she had two chances to make Anna have petty enemies and she passed them up. There’s a girl who is in love with the prince, but of course, Anna is set to marry him. Ward could have made Anna and the girl be sworn enemies because of it, but instead they become friends. The second person who could have been an enemy I cannot say, because it would be a major spoiler, but I was extremely pleased that he wasn’t an enemy.

Sell Out by Tammy L. Gray (Review)

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Kindle Price: $3.99

Official Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

“Like many elite private schools, Madison High has a legacy steeped in traditions, none of which revolve around learning. Survival is simple: keep your head down, don’t say a word, and never question school royalty.

Cody James, a former victim of Madison’s vicious brand of hazing, wants nothing more than to graduate without breaking the unspoken rules that could land him back in social exile. Cody has breached the elusive inner circle, and he has no intention of losing his hard-earned security. But a beautiful new student shakes up his plan to coast by and causes him question his role as sidekick to the king of the school.

As the only daughter of rock legend Donnie Wyld, Skylar has been homeschooled her entire life. Now she wants normal, and she hopes that Madison High will offer her an escape from her father’s deteriorating health. She never intended on catching the eye of the school’s self-elected king or falling for his confusing best friend. But one look at Cody James, and she is drawn in by his guarded vulnerability.

When an average Friday night party turns into a nightmare, Cody is forced to make a decision—fight or follow. But standing up for the bullied and broken means facing a past he’s long buried and risking the future he’s worked so hard to achieve.”

My Review:

Ahhh. I really liked Sell Out. It was a delightful book that wrestled with deep issues like bullying/hazing. I’m still trying to steer away from heavy books, but Gray made it possible to understand how serious bullying is while not drowning me in depression.

I liked Cody the most. Skylar wasn’t so bad, but Cody had my heart. In this book, there is no subtle growth for Cody, if it’s in his face, it’s in your face. Gray took great care in making sure that you understood, first hand, the demons that Cody wrestled with. I loved it. There was no “I AM A MAN AND I HAVE NO FEELINGS” theme, but instead it was “I have feelings and a painful past that I try to forget.” and that’s so important. In so many books, the male character has a painful past just to spice things up or to make him seem dark and dangerous. This was not so for Cody. Cody’s painful past was raw and it broke my heart for him, but I loved seeing him overcome it. He had to listen to advice from people he trusted and from himself to tackle his problems head on and it wasn’t just because of Skylar. It was because that’s what Cody needed to progress in his life. Excellent.

In Your Dreams by Amy Martin (Review)

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Kindle Price: Free!

Official Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

“Sixteen-year-old Zara “Zip” McKee lives for three things: basketball, books, and bailing out of tiny Titusville, Illinois, where the junior high and high school are in the same building and everyone’s known everyone else since birth. But when Kieran Lanier moves to town and passes out on her desk on his first day at school, Zip’s life gets complicated in a way she never dreamed.

Kieran has narcolepsy, and although he sometimes struggles to stay awake, he has no trouble capturing Zip’s heart and trusting her with his most guarded secret–he sees bits and pieces of the future in his dreams.

But just when Zip thinks that maybe she can handle having a boyfriend who sees things before they happen, her budding relationship with Kieran gets a jolt when Kieran’s parents reveal that his sleeping disorder is not what it seems and may be putting them in harm’s way. And when Zip begins to have unsettling dreams, she must decide if she can live with knowing the future in advance when she’s afraid of what might happen.

*Recommended for Young Adult readers 13 and up (mild cursing, some adult situations)”

My Review:

When I was In Your Dreams’ synopsis I was suspicious. Was Martin going to play this off as a “we were destined to be together” kind of plot? Or, worse yet, a “I’m a mysteriously gorgeous man who saw you in my dreams but I have to stay away because I. Just. Can’t. Control. Myself. Argh!” Answer? None of the above.

I really liked that the majority of the book wasn’t focused on Kieran’s dreams. It’s true, his dreams are a large part of the plot, but it’s just as important to develop the rest of the book. I also liked that he wasn’t gorgeous or anything, but a regular kid with irregular tendencies. Martin took the time and care to create a relationship between Zip (love the nickname!) and Kieran and supporting characters before she introduced much else. It allowed me the time to learn about and eventually fall in love with the characters she presented and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Each character was well-rounded and the families were represented as they actually are in reality.

Zip is a “I’m not like other girls” kind of girl, but not in a bad or pompous way. She doesn’t have to say it because she is her own person without anyone needing to let you know.

Gosh, I loved Kieran. He’s like a really sweet book boyfriend that’s actually believable. He had moments when he needed to be alone, a gorgeous sense of humor, an equally wonderful personality, and was a great kid overall. Kieran had to ask tough questions and answer them and was always fighting to overcome his narcolepsy. Sometimes he needed to be alone and sometimes he needed friend so. There was an excellent balance.

The family dynamic, in both Zip and Kieran’s, was well done. There were arguments and tears and confusion and sometimes even mistrust and I liked that. No family is perfect and everyone has secrets, so to make sure that these families were not only involved in their children’s lives, but had differences that sometimes clashed was an excellent idea on Martin’s part.

The plot was excellent too. There was a sense of mystery and uncertainty that floated along. It was kind of like when you smell something in the air briefly and you’re not sure what you’re smelling, but you like it. Ever had that? By the end of the book, I was pleased to find that there was no cliffhanger, but everything was explained, but still had the hint that there could be a next book.
Would you recommend In Your Dreams? I would! I think it was a fun read and definitely something that’s perfect for a rainy day. It’s a book that will keep you occupied and interested for a good while. Plus, it’s free! The synopsis does say that there are adult situations, but I never saw them or felt uncomfortable with anything so I’m not sure what the warning is for. 

Omnilogos by Michele Amitrani (Extended Version)

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Kindle Price: $2.99

Official Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

““I am a collector of hopes and peregrine truths, a shepherd of thoughts, ideas, projects and dreams too important not to be realized. I’m an abstract concept that has no body, no smell, no boundaries, no shape and no color.
I am the Omnilogos.”

So it is forged, a Science Fiction saga that gave birth to a legend, a tale about the life of a man with one project that will change mankind’s future forever.
Ten stories about his life, his sorrow, and his quest to gather the resources and the people needed to claim our place among the stars.

This is Wei’s story.

This is the world of the Omnilogos. ”

My Review:

How many of you have heard “Bye Bye Love” by the Everly Brothers? The ending of Omnilogos reminded me of the chorus lyrics, “…Bye bye love, bye bye sweet caress, hello emptiness / I feel like I could die…”

I wanted to enjoy Omnilogos…and I did! I received a sample from Amitrani so that I could decide if I wanted to continue reading the book and I’m glad that I was given such an opportunity. But do I still have complaints? Well…I’m afraid so.

Omnilogos lacked characters. Now, there were obviously characters in the story, but they weren’t developed. I don’t mean “I read about their daily lives but they made no changes,” but more “I only knew them at face value and never felt connected to them, even the main character.” The novel started off with character building and I loved it. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to continue the book, Wei sounded really cool and I wanted to know more about him, and any of the other characters, on a more personal level. I wanted “the world of the Omnilogos,” not just the outside glimpse of it. I still liked each character, with their interesting and unique personalities that shone in their dialogue and conduct. I also sort of understand why I didn’t receive the in-depth view that I was hoping for, but I still found myself wishing there was more character building.

Slip by David Estes

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Kindle Price: $2.99

Official Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

“Someone must die before another can be born…

As sea levels rise and livable landmasses shrink, the Reorganized United States of America has instituted population control measures to ensure there are sufficient resources and food to sustain the growing population. Birth authorization must be paid for and obtained prior to having a child. Someone must die before another can be born, keeping the country in a population neutral position at what experts consider to be the optimal population. The new laws are enforced by a ruthless government organization known as Pop Con, responsible for terminating any children resulting from unauthorized births, and any illegals who manage to survive past their second birthday, at which point they are designated a national security threat and given the name Slip.
But what if one child slipped through the cracks? What if someone knew all the loopholes and how to exploit them? Would it change anything? Would the delicate resource balance be thrown into a tailspin, threatening the lives of everyone?
And how far would the government go to find and terminate the Slip?
In a gripping story of a family torn apart by a single choice, Slip is a reminder of the sanctity of a single life and the value of the lives we so often take for granted.”

Review:

Alright Estes, no need to beg on your knees, I’ll write a review for the first book in the Slip trilogy. (Merely a joke to do with his message to the reader)

Slip took me on a fascinating, but often confusing journey through yet another dystopian world. The United States, now renamed Reorganized United States of America, has a new population control method that, according the statistics, works flawlessly. Unless…until, there is an UnBee, or Unauthorized Being, or, even worse, a full-blown Slip.

The rabbit hole never seems to end in this book. There is so much secrecy, so many lies, so many hidden motives and identities, that sometimes I would just be plain lost. Why is this guy like that? Who has this name? Why do they have the same name? Wait what? But by the end, “all was revealed” and every loose end, every unexplained mystery made painful perfect sense. Like many books that I enjoy, I won’t give away any spoilers and even names would actually give away a large piece of the plot so forgive me for being vague.

Rend the Dark by Mark Gelineau, Joe King

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Kindle Price: $2.99

Official Rating: 4/5 (on a novella scale)

Synopsis:

“The great Ruins are gone. The titans. The behemoths. All banished to the Dark and nearly forgotten. But the cunning ones, the patient ones remain. They hide not in the cracks of the earth or in the shadows of the world. But inside us. Wearing our skin. Waiting. Watching.
Once haunted by visions of the world beyond, Ferran now wields that power to hunt the very monsters that he once feared. He is not alone. Others bear the same terrible burden. But Hunter or hunted, it makes no difference. Eventually, everything returns to the Dark.”

My Review:

This was a fast-paced and fascinating novella. I liked that it took me no longer than an half an hour to read (although the original expected time of completion was an hour) and that it was packed with action and slivers of wisdom and honor.

Considering that this is a novella, I cannot say much because it is short and also so that I don’t reveal any spoilers, but I connected with the characters, Ferran especially. I believe that although none of the characters (save Ferran) were given a backstory as of yet and there wasn’t much exploration of their personalities, Gelineau and King left a promise behind to give them depth. And I do believe (and hope) they will keep that promise.

My only complaint is that as the story continues, the action scenes seem to be recycled. Although the actual scene that is taking place is different, the way it is described doesn’t change. The same phrases were used with a little to no changes made and that made each scene a little bit less ‘originally’ vivid. Nonetheless, Rend the Dark was still great to read and I would even be interested in reading the sequel.

Would I Recommend Rend the Dark? I would recommend Rend the Dark, but keep in mind that it is a novella and short no matter the price.

I received this novella for free via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon by Rena Rocford

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Kindle Price: $4.99

Official Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

“Allyson fights acne, not trolls. As an inhaler-carrying member of the asthma society, she just wants to meet the father who turned her mother into a paranoid, move-across-the-nation freak. Now she’s trying to fit in at yet another school, but for the first time in her life, she has a best friend, Beth. When Allyson accidentally spits fire at kidnappers in the mall, she realizes why her father isn’t in the picture: she’s half dragon. Her acne? Emerging scales. Her asthma? The side effects of her dragon’s fire breath. Instead of freaking out, unflappable Beth reveals her own troll heritage and explains how things work with the supernatural creatures hiding within the modern world of smartphones and skyscrapers.

When trolls kidnap a unicorn, Beth gets blamed. Allyson is determined to prove Beth’s innocence and keep her friend off the unicorn chopping block. When they start looking for the kidnappers, they get a call from the last person they expect: Allyson’s father. He tries to warn them off, but he’s been put under a spell by the kidnappers to keep the victims from escaping. Nothing short of death can stop him. Now Allyson must choose between killing the father she’s always dreamed of, or letting her best friend die for a crime she didn’t commit.”

My Review:

I was drawn in by the title and I thought the cover was absolutely gorgeous, although I still do not understand why there is a crown of what appears to be barbed wire around her head. Even so, I definitely wanted to take a chance on Acne Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon. It took me about two hours to read and to describe it in two words it was ‘mellow’ and ‘adventurous.’

Sometimes in fantasy (or anything with adventure in general) books, there’s a constant urgency feeling. At least, that’s how it is for me. Even though my heart-rate might be steady and normal, my mind is tense, as if I’m wading through an ocean of suspense. And you know? That can be stressful. So I liked the mellow feeling that I got from, Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon (which is hereby shortened to AAOS).

Please welcome Allyson Takata to the stage. Allyson is in high-school and extremely insecure over the acne, later learned to be scales, on her face. She hasn’t had much adventure in her life farther than evading the bullies in her school and snatching hurtling objects out of the air before they can kiss her face.
I liked Allyson. She was intelligent, courageous, and tried her best to save people who she didn’t know. Many people are insecure about acne on their faces, so I found no fault in her applying makeup. The only fault I found in her was that she was disrespectful towards her mom. Rarely has my mom been wrong about things that matter and Allyson’s blatant lack of respect towards the only parent she’s ever known, the same parent who has no doubt been trying to protect her for years (which should have been obvious to Allyson after a while), was terrible. I won’t lie and say that Allyson not having many flaws bothered me since it didn’t. Because of the pace, there wasn’t time for meticulous character development, no matter how realistic it may be. There was still character development, but it wasn’t the kind that I’m usually writing about.

Forbidden Mind by Karpov Kinrade

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Kindle Price: Free!

Official Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

“49% of Americans believe their government officials are honest. I don’t know these officials, or their supporters, but I know their secrets, and 49% of Americans are wrong.
My employers pay me well to be right, to know things others can’t. But I don’t know why they brought that boy in, strapped to a stretcher, barely conscious. He asked me for help when I could give none.
I’m a wealthy spy, a talented artist, a martial arts black belt, and a prisoner. They tell me that on my eighteenth birthday, I will be released, free to go to the college of my dreams. It’s my eighteenth birthday, and a man in black is at my door. I know he’s not here to free me.
I know, because I can read minds.
My name is Sam, and this is my story.
So begins the tale of Sam and Drake–from the time they link minds, forging a bond that leads to an unconventional romance–to their fight for survival against the corrupt, twisted organization known as ‘Rent-A-Kid.'”

My Review:

I was pleased with many aspects of Forbidden Mind. The romance, the characters, the plot, even the writing. It wasn’t a hard book to read and although I always try, I couldn’t find anything to truly gripe over.

Sam was a great female main character. You do have to wait a couple of chapters before she develops as a character, but it’s worth the wait. It was well placed, well written, appropriate, and I loved it. She ignored the consequences that may arise, even to her immediately physical health, and pushed until she did what she thought was right. That is true character development. I respected her after seeing that and it truly was the stepping stone for all of the growth that would take place. She didn’t cry much which was rather nice. Sure there were tears and sobbing every now and then, but overall she kept herself focused on the many tasks at hand without having a mental breakdown every two minutes. Would I blame her if she had had mental breakdowns? Nope. But the fact that Kinrade didn’t make her have three million in the course of five chapters was awesome. The way she handles her powers are amazing, there is constant self-control and it’s evident throughout the plot. As Sam learns things about the place that she has been for the past 18 years, which the she and the students call “Rent-A-Kid,” she doesn’t immediately believe that she must be everyone’s savior. There was no: “I am the only one who knows. I must save everyone.” or “I sobbed for the loss of my innocence. I now knew something so great, so powerful, that I had to do something. The task was completely and solely up to me and I felt the weight on my shoulders.” Nope. She included people (the ones she trusted) and didn’t try to save her world all on her own. That is a characteristic of a leader.