Blue by Lou Aronica

Goodreads Description:  Chris Astor is a man in his early forties who is going through the toughest stretch of his life. Becky is Chris's fourteen-year-old daughter, a girl who overcame enormous challenges to become a vibrant, vital young woman - and now faces her greatest obstacle yet. Miea is the young queen of a fantasy land that Becky and Chris created when Becky was little, a fantasy land that has developed a life of its own and now finds itself in terrible, maybe fatal trouble. Together, Chris, Becky, and Miea need to uncover a secret. The secret to why their worlds have joined at this moment. The secret to their purpose. The secret to the future. It is a secret that, when discovered, will redefine imagination for all of them. Blue is a novel of trial and hope, invention and rediscovery. It might very well take you someplace you never knew existed.

My Thoughts:  I really loved this book!  I got really caught up with all of the characters, especially Chris.  I hurt right along with him and wanted things to get better for him.  What great love he had for his daughter Becky!  No matter what his ex-wife Polly threw at him, he wasn't going to let that get in the way of trying to have a relationship with Becky.  It broke my heart when you start seeing the symptoms of Becky's disease returning.

What can I say about Tamarisk?  My hubby used to make up stories for our kids when they were little.  How amazing would it be to be able to visit a world that you had actually created with your imagination?!

A great book about love and possibilities.

Free download on my Nook!

*This book is clean.  There might have been a few swear words, but nothing that stands out.

Rearview Mirror by Stephanie Black

From the Back Cover:  On a rainy night eight years ago, Fiona Claridge lost control of her car and crashed, injuring herself and killing her roommate, Mia Hardy.  Now, she strives to keep the painful past at bay by staying burrowed beneath the demands of her job as a college professor in a small New England town.  But when someone starts leaving her gift-wrapped boxes containing malicious reminders of Mia's death, Fiona's guilt and grief come flooding back.

She assumes her stalker is Kimberly Bailey, a disgruntled student, and enlists the help of fellow professor James Hampton.  But when Fiona encounters the angry wife of an old flame, it becomes clear her student isn't the only one with an eye for revenge.  Cruel messages escalate to danger, then murder.  As past and present become horrible  entangled, Fiona struggles to unravel the truth about a determined killer--before she becomes the next victim.

My Thoughts: 

Wow! What a great page turner! From the very first few pages to the very end, the story had me guessing. Could Linda's death have anything to do with what was happening to Fiona? There were so many conflicts and side stories (not in a bad way), that I didn't know who I could trust! The ending was kind of expected but also had a component that I totally did not see coming! Yeah, this story had me so creeped out, that I was even spooked to be in my house in the middle of the day! Great clean, suspenseful book!! I received this signed book from the author for review.

The Magi by Kevin M. Turner

Goodreads Description:  Thirteen-year-old Elijah Hawk has never heard of the Magi. He doesn't know about the secret power they have. He has never been to Savenridge, the Magi city hidden deep inside the northern forests. Most of all, Elijah is unaware of the dangers hunting him, in search for something he has. After one terrifying night, however, all of that changes!

On a quest to solve the murder of his parents, Elijah stumbles upon the land of the Magi. Learning their secrets and training with their power is the least of his problems. In order to find out why his parents were killed, Elijah learns that he must confront the dangers that are hunting him. What's more terrifying is learning that stumbling upon this new world of the Magi may not have been an accident afterall.

My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book!  The characters were really well written, and I really liked Elijah and cared about what happened to him.  There were some good bad guys in the story, and the line was really well defined between the good and the evil.  There were, however, some characters that you didn't know if you could trust, but that added to the intrigue of the story!  I definitely want to read the next book in the series to see what happens to Elijah and the rest of the Magi!!

I told my daughter about the book, and she said that she could really see the book as a movie!  She was excited to read the book too.

I received this ebook from the author for a review.

Defending Glory by Anne K. Albert

Goodreads Description:  Survivor's guilt. Unable to resume his career with the FBI, Mac McKeown moves to northern Minnesota to start over. He discovers the body of his nemesis on Glory Palmer's property, along with a warning for her to leave while she still can and abandon her dream of building a Christian retreat, His past has come back to haunt him. He vows to keep her safe... but how will he protect his heart?

My thoughts:  Romance and Mystery, both together!  This was a really good book!  I really enjoyed all of the characters, they were really well written!  I kind of guessed who the bad guy was pretty early, but it was enjoyable reading the story and watching how it all played out.

A great story of someone rediscovering their faith.  I won this book in a blog giveaway.

Grave Expectations by Charles Dickens and Sherri Browning Erwin

Goodreads Description:  Heaven knows, we need never be ashamed of our wolfish cravings. . . .
Bristly, sensitive, and meat-hungry Pip is a robust young whelp, an orphan born under a full moon. Between hunting escaped convicts alongside zombified soldiers, trying not to become one of the hunted himself, and hiding his hairy hands from the supernaturally beautiful and haughty Estella, whose devilish moods keep him chomping at the bit, Pip is sure he will die penniless or a convict like the rest of his commonly uncommon kind.

But then a mysterious benefactor sends him to London for the finest werewolf education money can buy. In the company of other furry young gentlemen, Pip tempers his violent transformations and devours the secrets of his dark world. When he discovers that his beloved Estella is a slayer of supernatural creatures, trained by the corpse-like vampire Miss Havisham, Pip’s desire for her grows stronger than his midnight hunger for rare fresh beef. But can he risk his hide for a truth that will make Estella his forever—or will she drive one last silver stake through his heart?

My thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book!  I have never read Great Expectations (I know, now I have to), so I didn't know what to expect.  I went through the first half of the book being really annoyed with Pip and his attitude.  I almost stopped reading the book!  But I kept going, and was so pleased to see his "transformation".  Wonderful characters in the book.  Now I just have to see how closely the books parallel each other, and how the normal book is without the paranormal creatures in it.

I won this book in a giveaway.