Review: Imperfect Bliss By: Susan Fales-Hill

Imperfect Bliss: A Novel by Susan Fales-Hill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Harcourts are a "typical" family, characters ranging from Harold (the father) a studious Brit, Forsythia a social climber from Jamica, Victoria (the eldest) whose prim and proper facade holds more cracks beneath the surface, Elizabeth aka Bliss who is getting over her divorce, betrayal, and rasing a beautiful and unique "handicap" daughter named Bella, Diana who finds a way for making her fifteen minutes of fame trampling whoever might get in her way, and Charlotte the youngest, misguided daughter looking for attention of her own.

What makes this family brought to mainstream is the new reality show "The Virgin" featuring Diana and the men vying for her hand in marriage. Enter the television crew, the cameras and action - underneath the insanity, the cracks within our exposed and the development of a new dynamic is beginning as each member learns a little more about themselves and where they choose to make life happen.

The central character, Bliss, undergoes a transformation - with set backs, but one that through imperfections the reader can identify with.

A quick chic read, filled with humor, tears, and the hope for tomorrow. But from one reader to another, this is not worth the price ($24.00) - it is worth borrowing.

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Review: Underworld By: Meg Cabot

Underworld by Meg Cabot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can this series get any better? The follow up to Abandon is so much more than expected.

The main characters Pierce Oliviera and John Hayden have more interaction and character development. Another layer is added to the secondary characters, introducing the reader to some colorful characters in the Underworld.

John has taken Pierce into the Underworld to protect her from the Furies, especially her grandmother. Pierce meets the "workers" in the Underworld and learns more about John's past, his link to The Liberty (a ship that sunk in 1846), and the link between families living on Isla Huesos.
An image is given to Pierce making her realize that her cousin is in grave danger, convincing John to go topside and save him and their adventure dodging and taking on furies to do so presents the pace of this book.

A very fast read, enjoyable, and well written leaving hope for the next in the series Awaken to be the same if not better.

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Review: Abandon By: Meg Cabot

Abandon by Meg Cabot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pierce Oliveria meets the mysterious John Hayden in a cementery as a child. Five years later she meets up with him again, after she dies and is brought into the underworld. Escaping and walking the earth for the last year and half, she returns to the site they first met.

A wonderful story with the inspiration of the story of Persephone, meeting wonderful characters from Uncle Chris to the cementery sexton. Despite the Furies that are hunting her and the magical necklace she "stole/was given" during her stay in the underworld, a connection between the main characters can not be denied.

As Ms. Cabot keeps the story going, the background is being developed and it keeps you intrigued and wanting to turn another page. I really enjoyed this, I was not disappointed and find myself now continuing the saga in Underworld.

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Just A Moment for Avid Readers

I wanted to take a moment for people who love to read, there are many great sites our there that one should take advantage of - First is www.goodreads.com a great place to make friends, read reviews, see what is coming out - it also has a plethora of authors availabile to you. From blogs to short stories, this site makes visiting worth it. A must check out - the giveaways, enter to win arcs and recently released books. Another site is www.bookloons.com. Filled with reviews, many contests and contest links - makes a weekly check in with this site more than worth it. What I found was www.booksfreeswap.com - Do you have a large gathering of read books looking for a loving home? Are you looking for new releases or old favorites to put on your shelf? You will find them here. No fee to list and send books to other readers, small monthly fee of $.25 a month and the cost of postage will give you access to the ones you want. (Let's face it, paying postage of $2.00 on a $26.00 book is quite a steal) Almost every book I read can be found here, nothing like making room for more. Randomhouse.com has many giveaways, Tor.com lists most of theirs on goodreads, Simon & Shuster and others occasionally have a few each month. A great tip is to be part of their mailing list for updates on new releases and contests. There are great blog sites www.thegoddessblogs.com where romance authors have a blog everyday, www.writerspace.com to have so many authors, events, chats all at your fingertips. I also recommmend www.iamareadernotwriter.blogspot.com - a beautiful blog written for readers by a reader. Hope to see you on these sites and hope you enjoy. If there are any that you enjoy, please send me a link. Til next time - Happy Reading

Review: Destined By:Aprilynne Pike

Destined by Aprilynne Pike
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Wings Series has concluded in Destined. With the escape of Yuki, the battle with Klea, and trolls entering Avalon - Can two faeries and two humans save the kingdom?

Simply a fast read, filled with over 200 pages of battle (which almost seemed like filler than a story) - I must say I was disappointed in the way this went. I have been a fan of this series and found something lacking in this book that was there when I first picked up Wings. Wings was amazing, Spells was divine, Illusions started this downfall, and Destined was truly the bottom - how could such a magical descriptive writer filled with such imagination lose it as the series continued.

I recommend that fans of the series, this is a must to feel complete - but with a warning, you will feel cheated.

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Review: The Night Circus By: Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Curl up in comfy chair, grab a jar of fireflies, a cup of tea, a get lost in the pages of this book.

Magic flows through each page, description flies off the page and paints a wonderous story filled with the impossible becoming possible.

A game of power between true illusionists/magicians pit their students against each other in an unusual venue - The Night Circus. Determining to find and stretch their talents they develop the most unique tents of wonder. The students, the circus people, the collaborators, and even financiers are part of the board of "chess".

When they discover each other's identity, a spark ignites. Game change is necessary for love to win out, but who has the strength and the ability to end the game with both winning...

I still can't get this story out of my mind and dreams. The Night Circus has a truly skillful story weaving capability that one can not resist being drawn into.

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Review: Scarlet By: A.C. Gaughen

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A welcomed twist on the story of Robin Hood. Enter the forest and meet up with "Will Scarlet", a woman, a fellow Hood, and a wanted person by her past.

With such characters as John Little and Much - the band of thieves have more to worry about when the sheriff hires a thief hunter. Taxes are due and the past comes to attack Scarlet and all she holds dear.

A fast paced action adventure, filled with a wonderful new tale leaving the reader pleasantly suprised and rewriting the legend.

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