Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan M. James Publisher: HarperTeen (January 24th, 2012) Paperback: 411 pages Reading Level: Young Adult Source: Author/Publisher Rating: 4 of 5 stars She should not exist.
He should not love her.
Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she’s desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there’s no way she’s going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she’s been having or the creepy warnings that she’s in danger.
Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn’t factored Claire into his plans..
Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire’s unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her? Review: Forbidden was another really good angel novel for me. I felt that this book was very character-driven and the characters were outstanding, but I'll get to that in a bit. First, the main idea behind Forbidden is that Claire and her mom have been"on the run" for years but Claire doesn't know why. She figures it's just something her mom likes to do. Now, they have been in the same place for a while and Claire has settled in at Emerson Academy. It's a terrific school where she is able to have a great learning environment and has met some fantastic friends.
Alec has gone AWOL. He has spent years and years doing the duties he has been told to do, and with that, he has experienced very little life along the way. He just wants to get away from it all and he finds himself enrolling in Emerson Academy. On his first day he meets Claire and her friends Brian and Erica.
Once Claire and Alec meet, their friendship takes off. Their love isn't really immediate (which was great) and they build a nice foundation together. But then Claire notices a few things about Alec that don't seem right. And, during this time, Alec finds out something he didn't really expect about Claire.
The characters really made this story for me. To be honest, we've all seen this type of plot a few times; however, Claire, Alec, Brian, and Erica really gave it a nice boost. Claire is smart and she didn't do things in the book that had me screaming at the pages in frustration. You all know you've done it before! She didn't keep secrets and she proved to be a pretty strong person in the end. I also connected with Alec and really felt bad for him and his situation. He was an easy character to enjoy. Then, Erica and Brian were so fun and supportive. I think most people would love to have friends like them.
There were a few things I didn't like as much. First, there are a few too many coincidences in this story. Pieces fell together too easily sometimes. Also, Erica and Brian were a bit too accepting of the weird things going on around them. I wasn't sure if it was because they were young and would accept anything, or if they were really able to understand what was going on with Claire at all. Either way, I was very happy that they were there for her and I did get a feeling that they would do whatever she needed.
Overall, I really enjoyed Forbidden. Even though I'm always a bit reluctant to tackle angel stories, this one exceeded my expectations. I loved Syrie and Ryan's writing. Forbidden is told from alternating POVs so it was nice to see the story from both characters. They made the story fun by putting in a lot of humor and twists throughout. I will absolutely read something by them again and I can't wait to see what happens next with this series.
Recommended: For paranormal lovers or anyone wanting a nice read with some fun characters.
Syrie (Website) | Ryan (Website) | Syrie (Goodreads) | Ryan (Goodreads)
This or That List for Claire Claire is more or less a balance of each one of these extremes, which is why we love her. Outgoing or Loner She’s somewhat of a loner, as she has only two close friends; but over the course, she gains confidence and becomes more outgoing.
Lover or Fighter Claire is both. She’s sensitive and affectionate, but she’ll stand up for herself and for anyone who matters to her. Cautious or Adventurous Like any good protagonist, she is more cautious in the beginning and becomes more adventurous as she embraces the challenges in front of her.
Life Full of Excitement or Life Full of Routine Come on! Every great story begins with a character whose life is dull and routine, and escalates to a life full of excitement!
Dark and Mysterious or Funny and Outgoing Why isn’t there an option for funny and mysterious? Quiet or Outspoken Outspoken, just like her authors.
Optimist or Pessimist Realist.
Realist or Dreamer See above. (Although there’s no rule that says pragmatists can’t also be dreamers—and she is both!)
Luck or Fate Bad luck. She’s trying to change her fate.
Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan M. James Publisher: HarperTeen (January 24th, 2012) Paperback: 411 pages Reading Level: Young Adult She should not exist.
He should not love her.
Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she’s desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there’s no way she’s going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she’s been having or the creepy warnings that she’s in danger.
Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn’t factored Claire into his plans..
Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire’s unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?
Syrie (Website) | Ryan (Website) | Syrie (Goodreads) | Ryan (Goodreads)
Hey everyone. I have a big pile of books from this past month. These include review books, Christmas gifts and purchased books too so there is a lot! Thanks to all the wonderful publishers (and Lisa from A Life Bound By Books!) for sending these fantastic books!
Review The File by Angelyn Stark Extraordinary by Adam Selzer Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger A Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan Blood Sun by David Gilman Don't Expect Magic by Kathy McCullough Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer Pretty Little Liars: Pretty Little Secrets by Sara Shepard Girl Meets Boy by Various Authors Hallowed by Cynthia Hand Fracture (ARC) by Megan Miranda The Way We Fall (ARC) by Megan Crewe Slide (ARC) by Jill Hathaway (2nd copy) Immortal Beloved (ARC) by Cate Tiernan Switched by Amanda Hocking The Ivy: Rivals (ARC) by Lauren Kanuz Glimmer (ARC) by Phoebe Kitanidis The Last Echo (ARC) by Kimberly Derting Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James (2nd copy) Partials (ARC) by Dan Wells (2nd copy) The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries #5: The Asylum by L.J. Smith Masque of the Red Death (ARC) by Bethany Griffin The Calling by Kelley Armstrong The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont Unraveling (ARC) by Elizabeth Norris The Invisible Sun (ARC) by David Macinnis Gill Social Suicide (ARC) by Gemma Halliday Thumped (ARC) by Mean McCafferty Temptation (ARC) by Alisa Valdes Dark Eden 2: Eve of Destruction (ARC) by Patrick Carman The Selection (ARC) by Kiera Cass Everneath by Brodi Ashton Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters (ARC) by Meredith Zeitlin The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
Purchased Crossed by Ally Condie Ruling Passion by Alyxandra Harvey Royally Crushed by Niki Burnham Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson How to Ruin My Teenage Life by Simone Elkeles How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
Gifted Ashfall by Mike Mullin Eve by Anna Carey Crash Test Love (SIGNED) by Ted Michael Anew: The Archers of Avalon (SIGNED) by Chelsea Fine Unbreakable Love (SIGNED) by Angela Carling Dollhouse (SIGNED) by Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian
I got Dollhouse from the BookPerk website. If you haven't signed up yet, DO IT! They have a ton of great offers and signed books come up all the time. It's a great site: ) This is the 2nd signed copy of a book I've purchased. The first was a copy of I Am Number Four signed by the MOVIE CAST!: )
What did you get in your mailbox this week?
*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.
I had starred this post awhile ago — like in April at Good Books and Good Wine and have been meaning to put together a post. I can now cross this off my endless To Do list!
I did okay (read 24/100) — but I'd like to have done much better. I look forward to reevaluating where I stand later on in the year!
Read On my TBR List
100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown 99. Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix 98. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly 97. Among The Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix 96. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Claus 95. Forever by Judy Blume 94. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale 93. Tithe by Holly Black 92. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott 91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike 90. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 89. Angus, Thongs And Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison 88. Marked by PC And Kristin Cast 87. Maximum Ride series by James Patterson 86. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 85. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson 84. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak 83. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli 82. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot 81. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen 80. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin 79. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 78. Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen 77. Evernight by Claudia Gray 76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman 75. Life As We Knew It series by Susan Beth Pfeffer 74. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston 73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa 72. Alana: The First Adventure series by Tamora Pierce 71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman 70. Unwind by Neil Shusterman 69. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech 68. Paper Towns by John Green 67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles 66. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith 65. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli 64. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon 63. The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell 62. Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz 61. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous 60. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 59. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt 58. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen 57. Eragon by Christopher Paoloni 56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine 55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith 54. Fallen by Lauren Kate 53. The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett 52. The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot 51. Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke 50. Number The Stars by Lois Lowry 49. Lord Of The Flies by William Golding 48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 47. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares 46. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 45. The Summoning series by Kelley Armstrong 44. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card 41. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 40. Wake series by Lisa McMann 39. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 38. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume 37. Looking For Alaska by John Green 36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 35. A Great And Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray 34. His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman 33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 32. Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare 31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain 30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr 29. Forest of Hands And Teeth by Carrie Ryan 28. Holes by Louis Sacher 27. The Outsiders by SE Hinton 26. The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger 25. The Princess Bride by William Goldman 24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 23. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank 22. Uglies series by Scott Westerfield 21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia 20. Poison Study series by Maria V. Snyder 19. Book Thief by Markus Zusak 18. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carlson Levine 17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead 16. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick 15. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 14. Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery 13. The Giver by Lois Lowry 12. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare 11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 10. Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis 9. A Wrinkle In Time series by Madeline L'engle 8. Graceling series by Kristin Cashore 7. Percy Jackson And The Olympians by Rick Riordan 6. Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan 5. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen 4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee 3. Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer 2. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling 1. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Hello everyone! One of the best parts of blogging is sharing books with others. Occasionally I'll get a finished copy of a book I have an ARC for already. Or, I may get 2 ARCs. If I have a finished copy of a book I never keep the ARC. ARCs are meant to be shared so I'm going to do that now!
I have some ARCs I'd like to give away to bloggers. For this giveaway you must be a blogger (and not just a blog that re-posts contests). I really want to help out book bloggers — new and old!
Not a blogger? Don't worry. I'm not leaving you guys out. I will be posting a giveaway for you on Thursday. I have a lot of extra finished copies I plan to give away over the next few months.
Of course, I'd love it if the winner will read and review each title but I won't be checking up on you to make sure you do: ) Any way you can spread the word about these great titles would be perfect.
The winner will get an ARC of… Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James Everneath by Brodi Ashton Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay
Prize:
1 winner will receive the 4 ARCs listed above.
Rules:
You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
Name and email must be provided.
Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
Contest is US only and ends February 13th.
Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey (Walker Childrens 1/17/2012) The Asylum (The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries #5) by L.J. Smith (HarperCollins 1/17/2012) Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand (HarperCollins 1/17/2012)
Truth (XVI #2) by Julia Karr (Speak 1/19/2012) Try Not to Breathe by Janenifer R. Hubbard (Viking Juvenile 1/19/2012) Havoc (Deviants #2) by Jeff Sampson (Balzer + Bray 1/24/2012)
Fallen in Love (Fallen #3.5) by Lauren Kate (Delacorte Press for Young Readers 1/24/2012) Daughter of the Centaurs (Centauriad #1) by Kate Klimo (Random House Books for Young Readers 1/24/2012) Forbidden by Syrie James & Ryan M. James (HarperTeen 1/24/2012)
The Way We Fall (The Way We Fall #1) by Megan Crewe (Disney 1/24/2012) Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick (Lerner Publishing Group 1/28/2012 Destiny and Deception (13 to Life #4) by Shannon Delany (St. Martin's Griffin 1/31/2012)
Lenobia's Vow (House of NightNovellas #2) by P.C. and Kristin Cast (St. Martin's Griffin 1/31/2012) Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire #2) by Courtney Allison Moulton (Katherine Tegen Books 1/31/2012)
Fracture by Megan Miranda (Walker & Company 1/17/2012) Halflings (Halflings #1) by Heather Burch (Zonderkidz 1/17/2012) Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross (St. Martin's Griffin 1/17/2012)
Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic (HMH Children's Books 1/17/2012) Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton (Balzer + Bray 1/24/2012) Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows (HarperCollins 1/31/2012)
Article 5 (Article 5 #1) by Kristen Simmons (Tor Teen 1/31/2012) New Girl by Paige Harbison (Harlequin Teen 1/31/2012) What books are you most excited to read?
If you know of any other new releases for January 16th-31st feel free to add them in the comments so others will know about them!
Review books mentioned: "Forbidden" by Syrie James "Dating the Undead" "Glow" by Amy Kathleen Ryan "Death Cloud" by Andrew Lane
Bloggers mentioned: Michelle at Hooked to Books April at Good Books and Good Wine Sheila at Book Journey
I grew up absolutely LOVING this movie! As a kid I hung out at the library waiting for the excitement to start. It wasn't until my mom in layman's terms explained the metaphor that the adventure lies within the covers of the books. I may need to revisit this movie soon!
It is now time for the 2nd round of voting! Here are the top 8 stories picked from round 1!
We are changing the voting for this round. We had an instance of false voting during the last round. Someone used a variety of email addresses, including ones from authors, to cast votes. We became suspicious and decided to verify these votes. We contacted the authors and they said that they did NOT vote, so that person has been disqualified. We are truly saddened by this instance of cheating. Lisa and I worked really hard to gather the books and swag for these giveaways and we will not tolerate cheating. It is not fair to us or the people who worked hard on these stories and covers. They deserve a fair chance. That is why we changed the voting for this round.
Now, voting MUST come through comments. We will not accept anonymous comments.
* The stories are in the order that we received them.
Voters: PLEASE ONLY CAST YOUR VOTE ONCE!
For round 2, I will be posting the story vote, and Lisa will post the cover vote.
To vote for the COVERS- USE GOOGLE
To vote, put your email address and the number of the story you like into the comment.
Email addresses may be used to verify votes, only if needed. Hopefully we will not need to for this round.
If you are participating in the comment contest, say"I'M VOTING!" in the comment and you will get an extra entry into the comment contest.
Vote for your favorite!
Participants:
Feel free to post about the voting starting. Please encourage people to vote for their favorite.
You can cast a vote for your own cover, but only once each round.
Rules:
This is Round 2 of voting. It will end Friday, the 29th.
4 stories will win prizes!
The winners will be announced on Halloween!
Votes from Round 1 have been deleted.
For this contest we will be posting excerpts from each story in the order that they were received. If a story grabs your attention, click on the link below it to read the rest. The link will take you to the blog post where the story can be found.
Story #1 — Invisible Gotta find the exit. I just have to. I don't want to die I am too young. He told me that it wouldn't end like this that if I just give him what he needed then he would leave me and my family alone. I have been running for nearly three days and every time I think I am safe I see his shadow again. It all started back when I met the new kid in school. He was gorgeous nonetheless. Always seemed so perfect and mysterious. Apparently my judgment was correct except for the perfect part. As I grew closer to him the more I drew away from school, friends, and even worse my family. There seemed to be something pulling me deeper into his world, something that was turning me almost invisible to the world around me. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #2 — The Current-Day 1900's Spiderman: A Little Boy's Tale A shaggy haired two year old boy with wide eyes watched the hall of his newly built home. Not only was his puppy barking at it but both pet cats were hissing as well. His mommy turned to the hall then back at the display in front of her calling their attention. The little boy dropped his multi-colored duplos and looked to his mommy, his eyes glistening with a look she never seen before, then pointed to the short hall between the living room and the playroom saying one word. “Man.”
The appearances of 'man' didn't stop that one quiet night. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #3 — Friendly Fire Fire. One word. One very short word. And yet, for Kaylee it was the most important word in the world. It was the last thing her mother ever said to her. As a child she had been hurt that her mother hadn’t spoken words of love and encouragement in the last moments of her life, it was only when she was older that she understood the true power behind that one word.
Fire. It brings warmth. It brings light. It brings destruction. And eventually it can bring life. But for Kaylee it brought wonder and mystery and a power so overwhelming that the mere sight of her would strike fear into complete strangers. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #4 — Blackbird Sing They say the beautiful song of the blackbird makes it a symbol of temptations. For the most part, I have been a fairly responsible adult during the course of my life. I live in control and in restraint; I have no weakness.
When I approach the enormous tree with the bare and scraggly branches, I see it is full of blackbirds. I should think something is not right. But with a sensible head resting atop my shoulders, omens never affected me. I could shatter a thousand mirrors and still live in good health and in good luck.
My phone shrills in my pocket. I do not want to pick it up. Instead, I gaze at the still blackbirds, with their graceful feathers and beady eyes. Nothing is wrong. Just a tree full of silly birds. I see them all the time. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #5 — Lifeless Love Her breath raced as she ran down the hill. Sweat glistened on her face in the light of the half-moon. Her pursuer was not far behind, his long arms flapping limply at his sides. She turned right and hid behind a trash can and prayed he would pass her by.
“Chloe,” He croaked. “Come out. You know I won’t hurt you. How could I hurt you? I love you.”
Silent tears slid down her face. How she wanted to believe those words. But she knew now that he was lost to her.
Footsteps were heard receding into the distance; he was gone, for now. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #6 — The Secret Ball Louisiana, 1862 I could hear the carriage roll on the damp stone path. The path where what had mattered most was silently taken from me. I saw men in white masks embellished with jewels and lined with intricate black lace. The men who took Dylan, my love. Who were they? Why didn’t I panic? “Olivia Preston,” I remembered hearing the husky voice say with invisible lips, “thank you. You’ve done well.” Unfortunately, it’s simple to know who I am. I’m the daughter of James Preston, the wealthiest man in New Orleans. Was Dylan taken because of this? Because of where I come from? Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #7 — Strange Things Are Happening Emily walked towards the sound of the music. Her friend, Mel, and she were on their way home from school when they first heard it, and they had followed it all the way until they came to the source: Shay Manor. Shay Manor had been abandoned for so long that no one could even remember when someone had lived in it last or why they left. The only people who went in the supposedly haunted mansion now were teenagers looking for a scare on the weekends. “Emily! What the—” Mel started, coming up behind Emily. “Shh!” Emily hissed. “Do you hear that?” Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #8 — Under the Bed I folded my arms and did the infamous mom stare in front of my little sister. “Jessie, I thought you were old enough not to believe in this stuff anymore,” I said, shaking my head. “I am a big girl,” my five-year-old sister whined. “But this time it’s different, something is under my bed!” “Look it’s one thing that I missed the biggest Halloween party ever to take you trick or treating, but it’s not fair I have to do this.” For a moment, just from the pleading in her tiny blue eyes, I believed her. I shook it off and let out a deep sigh. “Fine, Kylie, I’ll go look. But just one time. Ryan is coming over in ten minutes and we’re watching a movie.” She stood at the bottom of the stairs, biting her thumbnail nervously as I entered her room. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
*Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address and"I'M VOTING" with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here. To vote, include the number of your favorite cover and email address in your comment!
It is now time to vote on the story entries! Thanks to everyone who entered! We really appreciate you all for sharing your stories with us! We do hope that everyone takes time out to read each story before voting for their favorites! You have until this Friday, the 22nd to vote. Voters:
Lisa and I will both be posting the stories.
PLEASE ONLY CAST YOUR VOTE ONCE!
The form is the same on both blogs so duplicates will be deleted.
To vote, put your email address and the number of the story you like into the form.
Email addresses are only used in order to check for duplicate votes.
If you are participating in the comment contest, leave your email with the comment for it to be counted. Same as with the other Haunted Halloween posts.
If you voted, say"I voted!" in the comment and you will get an extra entry into the comment contest.
Vote for your favorite!
Participants:
Feel free to post about the voting starting. Please encourage people to vote for their favorite.
You can cast a vote for your own story, but only once each round.
Rules:
This is Round 1 of voting. It will end Friday, the 22nd.
Round 2 will begin next Sunday, the 24th. It will end Friday, the 29th.
8 stories will continue onto Round 2!
The winners will be announced on Halloween!
For this contest we will be posting excerpts from each story in the order that they were received. If a story grabs your attention, click on the link below to read the rest. The link will take you to the blog post where the story can be found.
Story #1 — Found"Hello my love." Came a horribly familiar voice. I slowly turned around and there he was. My worst nightmare. The last time I saw him he was covered in my blood. My knees felt week and I didn't know if I had the strength to keep them study. He smiled that same dark smile that he had the day he tried to kill me. I thought I had escaped, I thought it was over. As he reached for my hand I knew it would be soon."How I have missed you." He said as our hands met. I felt a tingle run up my arm as he touched me. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, everything that I had worked for, to get past the memory of him was gone. All there was in the world was him and his hand upon mine. I couldn’t bring myself to run or to scream. I was lost in his murderous eyes. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #2 — Invisible Gotta find the exit. I just have to. I don't want to die I am too young. He told me that it wouldn't end like this that if I just give him what he needed then he would leave me and my family alone. I have been running for nearly three days and every time I think I am safe I see his shadow again. It all started back when I met the new kid in school. He was gorgeous nonetheless. Always seemed so perfect and mysterious. Apparently my judgment was correct except for the perfect part. As I grew closer to him the more I drew away from school, friends, and even worse my family. There seemed to be something pulling me deeper into his world, something that was turning me almost invisible to the world around me. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #3 — Sun and Moon The obsidian building towered high into the thunderous clouds, and was surrounded by a large iron-wrought fence. Erus, a grim and depressing boy for his age, stared at the bleak view before him: This was to be his new home: The Orphanage. Erus picked anxiously at his raggedy blue sweatshirt. His dark black hair obscured his vision, but gave him a sharper look. The pale skin of his face often made others think that he was dead, maybe a vampire. Maybe he was, no, he most definitely was. Due to the monumental hunger he felt building up inside him like carbon in a soda bottle. Every sense in his body became more acute, and human blood sang beneath luscious skin. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #4 — Ghost girl This was when I was around 17 years old. My parent move us in to our first house after living so long in an apartment. The house had 3 bedrooms and one bathroom. I was sharing a room with my sister, she was 16 year old. My two brother were sharing the room next to ours. my parents room was across the hallway. My room had the only window a/c unit. Our bedroom was the smallest bedroom and we only had a bunkbed an old tv, those old one that had the wooden box arround and with the big knobs. After a week I was watching tv late one night and the tv out of nowhere turn off. I thought the tv had a short and went to sleep. The next week weird things started to happen. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #5 — The Blood Spirit 1920 It was in the small town of Ashbury, New York that the rumor became. “Oh, Mary, I’ve missed you so much!” “Hahaha, well, I told you I’d return didn’t I, silly boy.” The girl’s sweet voice filled the room. It was like a drug to Everett and he wanted more. He had long awaited her return spending night after night staring longingly into the mirror on his dresser, until she had finally appeared that night. “I thought… maybe you had moved on.” Everett’s voice tried to cover his emotions at the thought of losing his beautiful Mary. Mary, the one that had saved him from all the darkness in his life and now he could barely stand to look her in the eyes because of her beauty. They had shown with understanding, but that was all a mask to help cover up the thing she really was. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #6 — The Current-Day 1900's Spiderman: A Little Boy's Tale A shaggy haired two year old boy with wide eyes watched the hall of his newly built home. Not only was his puppy barking at it but both pet cats were hissing as well. His mommy turned to the hall then back at the display in front of her calling their attention. The little boy dropped his multi-colored duplos and looked to his mommy, his eyes glistening with a look she never seen before, then pointed to the short hall between the living room and the playroom saying one word. “Man.”
The appearances of 'man' didn't stop that one quiet night. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #7 — Friendly Fire Fire. One word. One very short word. And yet, for Kaylee it was the most important word in the world. It was the last thing her mother ever said to her. As a child she had been hurt that her mother hadn’t spoken words of love and encouragement in the last moments of her life, it was only when she was older that she understood the true power behind that one word.
Fire. It brings warmth. It brings light. It brings destruction. And eventually it can bring life. But for Kaylee it brought wonder and mystery and a power so overwhelming that the mere sight of her would strike fear into complete strangers. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #8 — Stranger in the Night"We should dance," Brady smiled. Prom night. I heard a voice."Excuse me," someone said from behind.
"Sorry, sorry" Brady muttered.
Me, I couldn't speak. It was his eyes; they smoldered. I had never seen a guy with black eyes before. Taking one look at his face --pale, chiseled, eerily handsome-- I was totally, totally lost.
"Stephanie," he grinned. I parted my lips, but couldn't speak.
"Stephanie?" I couldn't hear Brady. I couldn't even tell he was still there. Everything was a big, buzzing blur; his hand at my waist, it wasn't even there. I swear it wasn't. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #9 — The Good Mother Our lake is haunted.
Long ago there was a Mother who fell asleep by the water. While she slept her child crawled into the water and was lost.
The Mother, unwilling to accept her child’s death, dove beneath the waves and disappeared.
Supposedly, she searches for him still. Children roaming near the lake on the night her child disappeared will disappear too. She waits to wrap them in her watery embrace. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #10 — Blackbird Sing They say the beautiful song of the blackbird makes it a symbol of temptations. For the most part, I have been a fairly responsible adult during the course of my life. I live in control and in restraint; I have no weakness.
When I approach the enormous tree with the bare and scraggly branches, I see it is full of blackbirds. I should think something is not right. But with a sensible head resting atop my shoulders, omens never affected me. I could shatter a thousand mirrors and still live in good health and in good luck.
My phone shrills in my pocket. I do not want to pick it up. Instead, I gaze at the still blackbirds, with their graceful feathers and beady eyes. Nothing is wrong. Just a tree full of silly birds. I see them all the time. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #11 — The Mattress Kasey never liked hospitals. They just made her feel uncomfortable. Everything smelled like hand soap or old people, and everything was so… sterile. She especially hated it at night when her room's light was turned off. The hallway would still be brightly lighted — yes, even in the middle of the night — but even the small sliver of light that she could see under her door wasn't comfort enough. Being in the dark scared her, and being in the dark alone was even more frightening.
She had had three concussions in the past spring from playing rugby — three too much. She had spent week after week in hospitals attempting to recover, missing school, missing her friends, missing life. She hardly knew what sunshine felt like. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #12 — Lifeless Love Her breath raced as she ran down the hill. Sweat glistened on her face in the light of the half-moon. Her pursuer was not far behind, his long arms flapping limply at his sides. She turned right and hid behind a trash can and prayed he would pass her by.
“Chloe,” He croaked. “Come out. You know I won’t hurt you. How could I hurt you? I love you.”
Silent tears slid down her face. How she wanted to believe those words. But she knew now that he was lost to her.
Footsteps were heard receding into the distance; he was gone, for now. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #13 — Whisper Damien was filled with dread as he crossed the threshold of Milton Manor. Fear emanated from his every pore, clouded his vision, and burned its way through his lungs with each breath.
Then the whispers began…
Get out! You don’t belong here. This is our home!
With each whisper more and more voices joined in, bringing the words to a crescendo, reverberating around Damien’s head and bombarding his mind. The voices began screaming at Damien, commanding him to leave.
Leave now or we’ll kill them all! Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #14 — Howl at the Moon The sharp ululation had my head snap back. Shivers shot up my spine, the harsh wind causing my cheeks to sting. They were coming for me. I tried to cover my scent with the dirt and foliage around me, but it didnt work. They had super noses, and hearing. I tripped over a root and landed on my knees and hands. I muffled a cry. I quickly got up, ignoring the globs of blood appearing on my knees. I could almost here them approaching me. My blood ran cold, my limbs grew stiff even as I stumbled my way through the forest. My breath thickened, blood tricked down my legs. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #15 — The Secret Ball Louisiana, 1862 I could hear the carriage roll on the damp stone path. The path where what had mattered most was silently taken from me. I saw men in white masks embellished with jewels and lined with intricate black lace. The men who took Dylan, my love. Who were they? Why didn’t I panic? “Olivia Preston,” I remembered hearing the husky voice say with invisible lips, “thank you. You’ve done well.” Unfortunately, it’s simple to know who I am. I’m the daughter of James Preston, the wealthiest man in New Orleans. Was Dylan taken because of this? Because of where I come from? Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #16 — Strange Things Are Happening Emily walked towards the sound of the music. Her friend, Mel, and she were on their way home from school when they first heard it, and they had followed it all the way until they came to the source: Shay Manor. Shay Manor had been abandoned for so long that no one could even remember when someone had lived in it last or why they left. The only people who went in the supposedly haunted mansion now were teenagers looking for a scare on the weekends. “Emily! What the—” Mel started, coming up behind Emily. “Shh!” Emily hissed. “Do you hear that?” Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #17 — Under the Bed I folded my arms and did the infamous mom stare in front of my little sister. “Jessie, I thought you were old enough not to believe in this stuff anymore,” I said, shaking my head. “I am a big girl,” my five-year-old sister whined. “But this time it’s different, something is under my bed!” “Look it’s one thing that I missed the biggest Halloween party ever to take you trick or treating, but it’s not fair I have to do this.” For a moment, just from the pleading in her tiny blue eyes, I believed her. I shook it off and let out a deep sigh. “Fine, Kylie, I’ll go look. But just one time. Ryan is coming over in ten minutes and we’re watching a movie.” She stood at the bottom of the stairs, biting her thumbnail nervously as I entered her room. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
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Today is another day of the Indie/New Adult feature where I provide you with mini-reviews from the many (mostly New Adult) books I've read lately. I had a ton of books get a 4 star rating from me and this is the 3rd day I'm featuring those. Check my previous posts for the other 4 star books and my 5 star favorites that posted on Monday.
Waiting for You by Shey Stahl Add to Goodreads
This book started out for me as a raving, sparkling 5 stars. I absolutely loved Bailey and the fact that she wanted to escape her"perfect" life. She chooses to do this by jumping in the car with Dylan, the local bad boy, and heading off to who-knows-where. I am a sucker for road trip books and this one had so many amazing parts. Dylan started out as the perfect bad-boy character and I actually liked Bailey a lot because she showed how independent and rule-breaking she could be. Then, about 2/3rds through the book it took some strange turns. I won't say what happened but I will say that Dylan did something to Bailey that raised some reg flags for me. I couldn't brush off that uneasy feeling and the book never quiet grabbed me again after that. Either way, this may not be an issue many people find in this story. Maybe it just hit a sore spot for me, but I'd still recommend people give this one a try.
The Future of Our Past by Kahlen Aymes Add to Goodreads I'm a sucker for books that involve teenagers who have been friends forever and question their relationship. I think many girls want to have that male best friend that we adore, and then we find out that maybe that's who we are meant to be with. In this book, Julia and Ryan are at that moment and neither know what to do. Once together, they deal with typical relationship issues, like distance, and it was good to see how they worked through those problems. By the end, the drama was a bit more boring and I hated that it ended on a huge cliffhanger. I still plan to read the next book in the series soon to see what happens.
Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder Add to Goodreads
I know so many people who just looooved this book. I enjoyed it a lot but it didn't blow me away like I expected. I will say though, the first part of this story had me in tears. It was the saddest thing ever! As with many titles I've read, the beginning was fabulous. I got the emotional connection with the characters after the accident and Nell and Colton were believable and obviously had a lot of chemistry. Towards the end I just wasn't into the story as much. I started skipping a few parts and didn't get the drama going on. But again, that beginning was insanely good and I do plan to read more from this author.
Fire Always Burns by Krista Lakes Add to Goodreads This is a book you may not have heard of before but it's definitely worth the read. In this story we meet Holly, a young girl who lost her scholarship after too many late nights. This is something we rarely see in NA books (a person who fails at college and ends up back home in their small town), but it happens every day! She has best friends still in the town and one of them is Luke, a guy who is dealing with his parent's divorce and his little brother having to move. Then we have Andrew, a guy forced to take care of his mother after his father passed away. They all felt so stuck. I totally got these situations. They were similar scenarios but so relateable. Some parts I didn't fully understand (like how Andrew's mother was a nurse, but she was bats*it crazy sometimes), but I still enjoyed the overall story in this book.
Take This Regret by A.L. Jackson Add to Goodreads I adored this story. Christian abandons his girlfriend, Elizabeth, after finding out she's pregnant. Now he tries to come back and connect with her and his child. I was frustrated at Christian at times because he let his families control go so far, but I felt that once he came back he really did want to try to make things work. I felt bad for Elizabeth who had been forced to raise her child with just the help of some family and friends, always regretting that her daughter wouldn't have a dad. The side characters we meet in this book are incredible. I think everyone would want to have a group like them.
Before You Go by Clare James Add to Goodreads In this story we meet Tabby. She's had a public sex scandal that forced her to leave her college and go somewhere else. Now she wants to get back the control she felt she lost. She meets Noah and he pushes through the walls she's built up. They work on a newspaper together and slowly get closer. Noah was a sweetie. It was a bit harder for me to love Tabby because I didn't get some of her actions but I still enjoyed their relationship. This book does have some heavy issues and I liked how it showed how one single moment can really destroy a life. Tabby was faced with what happened every day and sadly, this is an issue that many teens face with social media and viral pictures/videos going out.
Wide Awake by Shelly Crane Add to Goodreads I was a bit hesitant to pick up this one because I'm not really into the amnesia, lost memories, type of story but I'm glad I gave this one a chance. Emma wakes up from a coma as a completely different person. She doesn't know who she was before but through her friends and family she soon realizes that, well, she was a biotch! The new Emma is trying to adjust with the help of her physical therapist Mason. Their connection was great. Some things I didn't understand, like why Emma would want to join the cheer team so soon after waking up and not being able to walk? That would be the last thing on my mind. But besides the inconsistencies, the overall romance and building up of Emma was great to read about.
Promise Me Darkness by Paige Weaver Add to Goodreads Woah, this book has the award for most surprising of the year. I was expecting what the blurb says which is that Maddie sees her childhood best friend Ryder one night and she realizes that she likes him as more than a friend now. We've seen this type of scenario often but this one adds a little more to that. It's a story that involves the before, during, and after apocalyptic setting and wow, it kept me on the edge of my seat! There is a ton that goes on in this story so the romance was just a bonus. I liked the way the world was portrayed after the attack. Sometimes I questioned Maddie's thoughts though and wondered if I'd really be that focused on a guy when the world was falling apart. Regardless, after the cliffhanger (GRR!!) I know I'll be reading the next book!
After Math by Denise Grover Swank Add to Goodreads Scarlet is a quiet college girl who deals with a lot of social anxiety. Then she has to tutor the school soccer star, Tucker Price, and he manages to really push her boundaries. I enjoyed these characters and how Scarlet was able to see who the real Tucker was. Once they begin getting closer their affections go from zero to sixty pretty fast. It may have been a bit too fast and sometimes Scarlet got on my nerves with her constant over-thinking. But Denise is a fabulous author who really knows how to bring different aspects of a story together. Everything flowed nicely and I hope to continue with his series. The next book will focus on Scarlet's roommate.
Born by Tara Brown Add to Goodreads I think this was even a free book when I got it but I've really been into the whole"post-apocalyptic" angle lately. When we meet Emma she has been on her own for over 10 years. Most people are dead (or, sort-of-dead) from an illness and the rest are just trying to survive. This book paints a scary picture of the world but it seems realistic for how I feel it would be 10 years after something like that took place. Emma meets some new people (Jake, Anna, and Will) plus several others along the way. She finally sees how the world has really been since she's been holed up for so long. This book has some editing issues but it didn't take too much away from it. It doesn't shy away from the gruesome parts of war, which was a nice thing. I have read the second book too and that review will be posted tomorrow.
