Book review: Remember Yesterday by Pintip Dunn

Remember Yesterday by Pintip Dunn

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

4 ½ stars

This book picks up 10 years after Callie plunged the needle into her chest, all the in the name of keeping her “little” sister (whom is really her twin that was just implanted into her mother ten years after Callie was born), Jessa, from the horrible fate that she sees in her future.  In a world full of knowing the future and future visions of what life will be like for their society, a then 16 year old Callie thought she was salvaging a childhood for the then six year old Jessa – as well as the rest of the world by killing herself.  As part of a “send/receive” team, as twins, Callie believes that it will break the cycle and keep Jessa and their mother safe.  Even if it leaves them broken hearted – along with Callie’s boyfriend Logan and several others that had come to know Callie at Harmony, a safe community outside of Eden City that is for those gifted with talents.

But the now 16 year old Jessa is left feeling like the wrong sister died ten years ago – that it should have been her instead of Callie.  Because of this, she tends to act out against the Committee of Agencies, or ComA.  Her latest stunt is to release all the lab rats from the lab within ComA – which just so happens to be for an experiment for a boy her age, Tanner Callahan, whom is a ward of ComA as his parents were killed in an accident when he was six.  And when Jessa gets bite by one of the rats, she becomes infected with a strange, unknown ability.  At this point, Jessa feels it necessary to find out from Tanner just what she has been infected with, but the first meeting doesn’t go quite as Jessa expected.  So when they start running into each other more and more, their friendship grows beyond just young scientist and juvenile delinquent …they become friends that share about their difficult childhoods, and beyond to possibly more – neither one is quite sure what to think of the other’s allegiance.  And when Jessa finds out that Tanner is keeping a secret so major, it could literally change not only her whole life, but that of their entire worlds, it shakes Jessa to the core.  But with additional digging into this new development, along with Chairwomen Dresden – the evil head of ComA and Tanner’s boss – Jessa finds a new reason to keep going, she knows she’s there is more worth finding.  And with Tanner, her mother, and her other friends from Harmony, she knows that with love, anything can be done, even if it is a matter of life and death.

While I vastly enjoyed Callie’s story, I think I almost found Jessa’s story a little more enjoyable/ informative.  I learned a lot more about Callie’s story through Jessa’s story, 10 years later.  It amazes me how strong and smart both girls are – even more so seeing as they are twins – but they are different in one simple way…they each think the other will better serve the future than the other.  This surprised me in ways I didn’t think possible.  They are both very giving, loving, courageous, and smart, but it’s their love for each other – for their twin – that makes that strength shine so true in both of their stories.  I simply can’t WAIT to see what happens when their stories really collide in the next book – they are both older and more mature, so I could totally see a multiple POV tale in store for the Stone girls!

Cover Reveal: One Summer with Autumn by Julie Reece with Giveaway

 

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

One Summer with Autumn
by Julie Reece

Be on the look out for this upcoming release from
Swoon Romance!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

 

 

Seventeen-year-old Autumn Teslow arrives at her father’s job fair knowing she’ll never measure up to the perfect image of daddy’s little girl—her twin sister.

Wearing anger management issues like a second skin won’t help Autumn win her dad’s approval for the big trip she’s been planning—or meet his condition that she successfully complete a summer internship for college.

Autumn’s cool unravels when her sister lectures against disappointing the family again. And when a young, bearded guy steps through the crowd to settle the growing argument between siblings, Autumn lashes out, dubbing him a “Duck Dynasty wannabe.”

At Nineteen, Caden Behr is clueless as to why his man parts are threatened by the fearsome girl before him. He’d only come to find an intern for his recreational equipment company, not break up a girl-fight between two sisters.

Unfortunately, the only candidate left is the girl who just told him off. Without her, he’ll never prove to his CEO mother that he’s ready for more responsibility.

Autumn and Caden agree that if they can keep from killing one another, they can use one another to get what they want and then never have to see each other again. Which is what they want.

Until it isn’t.

Because despite her best efforts to scare him off, and his fading desire to push her into the lake, they’re beginning to enjoy the time they spend together. But pride is a hard habit to break. And if neither will admit their changing feelings, they could lose a whole lot more than one summer.

One Summer with Autumn
by Julie Reece
Publisher: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Swoon Romance

Available for Purchase:
Amazon

 

As a child, Julie’s summers were about horseback riding and fishing, while winter brought sledding and ice-skating on frozen ponds. Most of life was magical, but not all. She struggled with multiple learning disabilities, and spent much of her time gazing out windows and daydreaming. In the fourth grade (with the help of one very nice teacher) she fought dyslexia for her right to read and won.

Afterward, she invented stories where powerful heroines kicked bad-guy butt to win the hearts charismatic heroes. And then she wrote one down…

Writing ever since, Julie weaves southern gothic, contemporary, fantasy, and young adult romances. She enjoys sweeping tales of mystery and epic adventure… which must include a really hot guy. Her writing is proof a dream and some hard work can overcome any obstacle.

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Book review: The Chosen Knights (Book 2) by Mary Ting

About THE CHOSEN KNIGHTS (The Angel Knights Book 2) A page turning mystery with a supernatural twist that entertains to the last page! ~InD’tale Magazine When teens go missing in Hawaii, a group of demon-hunters—half human and half angel—disguised as …

Book review: White Raven (The Raven Series Book 1) by J.L. Weil

White Raven (The Raven Series Book 1) by J.L. Weil

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

5 stars

When 17 year old Piper losses her mother to a horrible tragedy, her elusive grandmother, whom she’s never met, requests the summer with her and her little brother TJ on an island off the New England coast.  But when Piper and TJ arrive, they never could have prepared themselves for the huge and elaborate home that their grandmother lives in.  With Piper’s standoffish attitude and feelings for her grandmother, she keeps to herself and tries not to enjoy the lavish lifestyle, still in mourning over the loss of her mother and best-friend.  While in her shell of solitude, Piper wanders around the coastal town and meets Zoe, who is bubbly and outgoing.  She invites Piper to a bonfire, where she proceeds to meet Zoe’s three brothers, Zack – Zoe’s twin brother, Zander – the oldest Hunter sibling, and Zane – dark, brooding, and a complete jerk toward Piper.  But of course Piper feels a strange pull toward Zane and his obnoxious attitude, even though she knows she shouldn’t want to be talk to him…or see him…or dream of him.

When Piper starts feeling like she is being watched and Zane keeps popping in out of nowhere to intervene when she faces anything/one threatening, she begins to look for answers as to why people call her grandmother The White Raven, why Zane keeps calling her Princess, and why he and others have seemingly “invisible” tattoos that she can see, but others can’t…and why everyone keeps referring to her as a “Raven”.  With the on again, off again sparks she feels from Zane, when the eldest Hunter, Zander asks her out, she gladly accepts – he is literally just the tall, dark, and handsome to give her a little fun, but then Zane shows up and puts Piper’s life into a real tail spin.  And when he delivers the news that his father is THE Grim Reaper – that he is the son of death – and Piper is from the long line of powerful reapers known as banshee or a White Raven.  Zane tells her that she has the power to take a soul with one touch.  As her fascination with Zane grows, so does the danger she is in, as well as the information that she finally learns about her heritage – that her grandmother has an enormous amount of power, her mother didn’t want the reaper life for her (which is why she left Raven Hallow when she was pregnant with Piper), and that Piper is now next in line to be THE White Raven, “Queen” of all the reapers.  And not only that, but Piper also finds out that she is betrothed to Zander to unite the two most powerful families…falling for Zane shouldn’t have been a part of the deal.  But with danger waiting around every corner, Zane Hunter’s lips looking more kissable by the minute, and  her impending marriage to the other Hunter brother – Piper’s life is about to get more complicated than she could ever imagine.

Let me start of by saying I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!!  I thought that Piper’s character was well developed, she knew how to stand on her own two feet, but was still willing to trust and rely on others.  She was strong, funny, and even without knowing it, completely kickass!  Which leads me to Zane…hmm, how to describe him with his hard abs, kissable lips, and dark hair (ha!) – Piper gives us some pretty good imagery throughout as she falls hopelessly in love with him.  I thought that their banter was amazing, and even though their journey is far from over, it’s apparent that they are a team, bound by their souls in an amazing ride of love, life, death and all those things encompass.  Great series so far – can’t wait to see more butt kicking and lip locking for Piper and Zane!

Holding Court by K.C. Held

Holding Court by K.C. Held

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

5 stars

Cute, smart, and funny – of course with a huge helping of mystery and murder! High schooler Jules is out of a job for the summer when her mom closes up their family’s antique shop to do some work overseas – which is a bit of a problem for Jules. Especially as she is trying to save for a car, but given that she has Psychic Tourette’s Syndrome or PTS as her best friend Cami calls it – where she has random and bizarre verbal outbursts – employers are not very likely to give her a job. But when a local home is turned into a tourist attraction called Tudor Times – with everything from King Henry VIII and his wives to a crazy maid that has random psychic premonitions – Jules hesitantly (and with Cami’s strong nudging) looks to fill the shoes of the crazy maid. The only problem is, that most of Jules’s premonitions aren’t made up like her predecessor’s – and when she finds a secret passageway after trying to hide from her crush, Grayson Chandler whom also works at Tudor Times, only to find the body of a young lady she’s never seen before – Jules’s summer just went from bad to worse. Especially when the body “disappears” when the owner/ King Henry, Hank Bacon, goes in search of it in the secret passageway – coupled with the fact that no one is missing from the staff, it is swept under the rug.

But where there is one murder with no body, be assured there will be more – when another actual body is found, of course by none other than Jules herself again, the stage is set for some extreme mystery and intrigue, all pointed in Jules’s direction. But when some of her PTS start actually making sense, will she have blurted the wrong thing to the wrong person? There is a killer in the castle, and they are trying to make Jules silent, possible permanently. Can she figure out who is doing the killing before the killer comes for her?

This book was extremely entertaining – and while yes, it was a MURDER mystery, it was light-hearted and so easy to fall in step with poor Jules and her PTS. For me, Jules is just like every other teenage girl – she has insecurities and flaws – but underneath it all, she just wants to fit in and not feel awkward when blurts something like “Your nun is pregnant” for all to hear. I really enjoyed seeing the progression of Jules’s confidence throughout the story – while she is still self-conscience about her PTS, she starts to feel like people could really like her for just who she is, weird blurts and all. I would definitely recommend this “cheerful” murder mystery to anyone that has a little Nancy Drew in them – or wishes they did 🙂

True North (Undertow Book 3) by K.R. Conway

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

4 stars

Eila and her crew of Mortis/ own personal superheros is back and kicking more butt than ever.  With Raef, Kian, MJ, and Ana back by her side, with a few other loyalist added into the mix, they are ready to take their fight to where it could all end or begin – given the weapons that could be created and used against her and her misfit friends.  I really enjoyed leaning more about Eila’s heritage and being shown the risks and rewards that she feels are necessary to restore her once great race to it’s former glory.  With some bumps along her long road to self-discovery, Eila has her ever-present love Raef to help her navigate the twists and turns that are thrown her way.  If you are looking for just another sci-fi story, this might not be for you – this story has so much more!  It has intrigue, betrayal, romance, strange alien races (with strange powers to shock and awe), friendship, and loyalty.  I will be eagerly awaiting the next and final chapter in Eila’s journey!!

The Syndicate (Timewaves Book 1) by Sophie Davis

**I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review**

The Dynamic Duo strike again! I loved the inventive, creative, and interesting concept of time travel and the effects it could have on the future. And with Stassi in the driver’s seat, she made for an awesome and dare I say equally as charismatic and certainly curious leading lady as Talia in the Talented series. I was intrigued throughout the entire tale – especially seeing as Ms. Davis takes us on a whirlwind romance, mystery, and thrilling ride through the 1920s! I am extremely excited for the continuation of the Timewaves books, especially seeing as Stassi got more than a little something on her ride back to the present that is guaranteed to bring much scandal to her and her travel partner Gaige…bravo Ms. Davis, bravo!

Gifted Thief by Helen Harper

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

5 stars

Born in Faerie as the girl with no name, she is an enigma and an orphan; made to feel like she was little more than servant, when in reality she’s the illegitimate child of a powerful fae leader who died when she was a child.  Left to be raised by fae who despise her very being, when she decides that she’s finally had enough and she runs away, the first person she runs into is Andy “Taylor” – a professional thief by trade.  When asked her name, she thinks of the one thing she wants to have – despite being a fae – and names herself Integrity.  Fast forward 16 years, and Integrity is part of Taylor’s crew – stealing from those more fortunate, quite often the Fae, for their own survival.  Along with three others in Taylor’s crew – all Clan-less Fae – they have run a successful theft ring, until one day when the item they are in search of isn’t where it’s supposed to be.  Of course that doesn’t stop Integrity from taking a “pretty looking” letter opener from one of the desks within the building they break into.  She thinks nothing of it – it’s just a pretty memento from her final job with her beloved team.  But when they arrive back at Taylor’s and inform him the item they were there to steel – a gem called the Lia Saifir – was missing, Taylor confesses that he needed the money from his share of the sale of the gem to pay off a bookie.  But not just any bookie – his debt was sold to a mysterious financier.  With Taylor’s existence hanging in the balance, it’s a bad time to tell him about the letter opener that turns out to be an enchanted “dagger” with a genie named Bob residing inside – one that Integrity can’t get rid of, even though she tries, until she makes her three wishes (which she vows to never do as she knows the repercussions of genie wishes).

While Integrity wants out of the business, her love and devotion to Taylor and the team drives her to settle his debt – once again – as her constant repayment for the life he helped her have since leaving Faerie.  But it proves a bit more difficult than she’d dealt with in the past – seeing as the creditor turns out to be a Fae from Integrity’s past – the son of one of the power families in Faerie, Byron Moncrieff.  All he wants is for Integrity to come back to Faerie with him to complete a ritual to repair the magic in Faerie.  Along with her trusty “letter opener” genie Bob at her side, she reluctantly agrees and heads back to the place she tried so hard to escape and forget.   But Byron isn’t the indignant prick of a Fae that she remembers from her youth…he’s an attractive, successful, and surprisingly kind gentleman that wants to help her along her path back during her brief time in Faerie.  So when someone wants her dead – and will use any means necessary to complete the task, Integrity turns once again to her team, and reluctantly Byron and his clan to figure out who it is that wants her out of the way and why.  But sometimes, as Integrity finds out, it might be better to not know – lives will be lost and futures forever changed by the Gifted Thief name Integrity.

I simply loved this story!  I thought Integrity was funny, witty, and had amazing self preservation skills – that are a must when dealing with the snooty Fae.  Her relationships are a source of strength for her – she knows that even though her bio-Fae family may have discarded her, but they never would – and she is better for it.  With the arrival of Byron and is betrayal and eventual protection of her, I loved the interaction between the two.  Kissing one minute, bickering the next – all the makings of a great relationship, if only they could see past each other and their pasts to make their futures worth it.  I was a bit let down with the seemingly sudden ending, but I cannot WAIT to see what else is in store for Integrity – Faerie is definitely not done with her yet, and her past is still so up in the air.  So in Integrity style “What’d the beaver say to the tree?”… “It’s been nice gnawing you!”So corny and endearing, how could you not fall completely for this series???

Book Blitz: Elemental – The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow

 

Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows
by Michelle Madow
Release Date: January 26th 2016


Summary from Goodreads:


Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of Percy Jackson and The Secret Circle will love! 

When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly … she’s apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers—and, to her dismay, by Blake—the school’s notorious bad-boy.

Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle’s wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers. But the comet has another effect—it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it’s up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town … and possibly the world.

BUY
LINKS:

[Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore | Kobo]

“Elementals
is going to blow your mind!”

-Crossroad
Reviews, ★★★★★

“Five
glittery stars for being such a compelling read!”

-Andrea
Heltsley, Goodreads Reviewer ★★★★★

“A
perfect mixture of magic and mythology. An entrancing story of trust,
friendship and well naughty boys. WITCHES are not the only thing walking the
earth!”

– BenjaminOfTomes, BookTuber ★★★★★

Excerpt:

“There’s a reason we’re required to take Greek mythology.” Blake scooted closer to me, as if about to tell me a secret, and I leaned forward in anticipation. “Did you know that we—meaning everyone in our homeroom—are descended from the Greek gods?”

I arched an eyebrow. “Like Zeus and all of them living in a castle on the clouds?” I asked.

“Exactly.” He smirked. “Except that they’re referred to as the Olympians, and they call their ‘castle in the clouds’ Mount Olympus.”

“So you’re saying that we’re gods?”

“We’re not gods.” He smiled and shook his head. “But we have ‘diluted god blood’ in us. It’s what gives us our powers.”

About the Author

Michelle Madow grew up in Baltimore, graduated Rollins College in Orlando, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida. She wrote her first book in her junior year of college, and has been writing novels since. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle has toured across America to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.

Author Links:

   

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Revenge by Sonya Weiss

**I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

3 ½ stars!

For almost 18 year Juliet, every day is a struggle to keep a powerful secret hidden – one that her father paid for with his life, and one that keeps her little sister Maisy hidden away for her safety.  But when you got to school with the boy whose father killed your own and just so happens to of course be the King of the Supernatural race, and the secret you are keeping is so big it could chance not just your life, but all those of your “alien” Supernatural race, you tend to keep a low profile.

However, when one day said boy (and future King himself) and Probation officer Riley West saves Juliet’s life – in front of their whole class no less – against a vile enemy of the Supernatural’s know as the Tazavorn species, Juliet knows that things are about to change and fast.  Especially as the Tazavorns aren’t supposed to be on earth as one bite infects a person turning them into a crazy lizard like creature that’s only goal is to kill.  With the Supernatural’s very existence hinging on her secrets, and her recent “draft” into their army with Riley as her teacher, Juliet knows that her troubles are far from gone.  She also knows that the only way to keep Maisy and the other half-breeds safe from the King’s edict to have them all killed to just keeps things status quo is to go along and learn all she can about the enemies within the Supernatural’s own army.  But when things start going wrong and even more Tazaavorns start publicly attacking humans and Supernaturnals alike, that means that it’s up to her and Riley to get to the bottom of the attacks, as well as finding out who is ordering them.  With Juliet falling for Riley, will her heart withstand the answers they are trying to figure out, or will her secret destroy them all?

While with was another “Romeo and Juliet” spin-off type story, I really thought that the alien take was a new and very creative spin on a traditional story.  Some of the “selflessness” on Juliet’s part didn’t flow as well as it could have – while she did have the DNA to fix the Supernatural’s problems, it felt like she had a superhero complex, not just a serious bone to pick with the leaders.  Riley maintained is broody sullenness throughout the story – which was appropriate for his character, even if he did end up with a soft spot for Juliet.  I am certainly looking forward to the next book and seeing what is in store for both Juliet and her Romeo…errr, I mean Riley 🙂