Heist Society by Ally Carter

Goodreads Description:  When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat, there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

My Thoughts:  Such a great fun read!  I had this read in about 4 hours.  There were some twists and turns in the book that surprised me.  Kat was a great leading character.  I wanted her to be able to stay at Colgan School for longer!  But, family ties are strong, and she really felt like she needed to help her dad.

There were some great quirky characters.  Simon was fun, I loved the Bagshaws, and Hale.  All through the book I kept trying to think of W names to help Kat figure out Hale's first name.  :o)

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Only part in the book that was questionable was when Kat put on a dress, and the boys focused on, and kept mentioning her boobs.  Other than that, it was a clean, cute read.

Minor Adjustments by Rachael Renee Anderson

Goodreads Description:  Chicago businessman and bachelor Devon Pierce is completely unprepared to be the guardian of Australian four-year-old Ryan Caldwell. But Ryan's solicitor, Stella Walker, won't take no for an answer. Little does Devon know this "minor" adjustment will grant him a future he never expected to have. Told in a fast-paced, poignant, and witty style, Minor Adjustments will take you on a journey of humor, growth, romance, and love.

My Thoughts:  I've been wanting to read this book since it came out!  The cover and the description just grabbed me.  It might be because I love the movie "Baby Boom", and it seemed like the basis was about the same.

Having said that, the premise of both stories - a very focused businessperson being given a child from someone that they didn't know very well, was about the only similarity between them.  I love that this story was set in Australia, a place that I really want to visit!

I loved the characters!  Cute Ryan would be able to steal anybody's heart, Stella was very tenacious and I loved all the trivia that she knew, and I enjoyed watching Devon's change of heart.  Devon's parents and family dynamics really cracked me up.  His dad was great!  Justin was a perfect bad guy.  I really did worry there at the end about where Ryan would end up.  And, is there really a chance for Devon and Stella to have any type of a relationship with one being in the US and the other in Australia?  Hmmm

I really enjoyed this book!  I would give it 4.5 stars.  Very clean content.

I won this book in a blog giveaway.  Rachael, herself, signed it before she sent it on to me!

The Ember Gods by Andrea Pearson

Goodreads Description:  Jacob Clark has just returned from the world of Eklaron, where he frustrated the evil plans of the Lorkon and returned the magical Key of Kilenya to its rightful owners. His quest is far from over, though--Aloren is trapped in Maivoryl City by the Ember Gods, and Jacob can't return to save her until he receives the potion that will protect his team from the corrosive influence of the Lorkon.

Balancing between this new world and his own proves tricky. Not only has he started his first year of high school, but his magical abilities are bringing him too much attention. He feels pulled by both sides, hoping he'll figure out his special powers to save Aloren in time.

My Thoughts:  I liked this book even more than I liked the first book of the series, The Key of Kilenya!  Jacob is really coming into his own and learning to deal with his powers.  I loved that he could use his powers to try to get the graffiti off of the school desks, to the amazement of the kids sitting close to him.

I'm glad that we got to know Jacob's brother, Matt, a little more in this book.  It was fun seeing these boys interact with each other, and to see Matt's reaction to the world of Eklaron.  Jacob really had a hard time trying to balance everything in his life, and I'm glad that he had Matt there to help and support him.  I felt a little bad that Jacob wasn't able to share his adventures with his "human" friends, especially Tani.  That would have been so hard for me to keep something like that secret!

There weren't too many new characters in the story.  I would have like to see more of Akeno, but am glad that he was healing.  Hopefully we'll see more of him in the next book.  Even though this book is called the Ember Gods, they didn't really factor into the story very heavily.  I like how Andrea puts little tidbits in the story to make you wonder what will happen next.  Like, what is with Shirley Christensen and her mom?  I also loved the Bald Henries - really not what I expected them to look like.  Made me chuckle.

There was a great twist towards the end of the book that I really did not see coming!  I'm really looking forward to seeing how all that plays out!  What is it, you wonder?  Hmmm, you'll just have to read the books and see.

I've really enjoyed these books and am passing them on to my kids to read too.

To learn more about the author:  http://www.kilenyaseries.com/
To purchase this book on Smashwords:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/91099

Crater Lake: Battle for Wizard Island by Steve Westover

Goodreads Description:  While visiting his crazy Uncle Bart at Crater Lake National Park, thirteen-year-old Ethan's world collapses when all the adults at Crater Lake disappear, including his parents. Now Ethan must rally his new friends and decipher the legends of Crater Lake to find the key to rescuing his parents from their earthen prison before he's captured too and their captivity becomes permanent.

My thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book!  I love books that are descriptive enough that you feel like you are actually in the book, that you can visualize everything that the characters are going through.

The story follows 5 youth, as they race against time to uncover the mysteries involving Crater Lake.  Everyone 16 and over has been swallowed up in the earth, and it's up to this unlikely group to save them.  I loved the typical sibling relationship between Ethan and Jordan, and loved the interaction between Allie and Ethan.  Jacob and Brady were awesome too, and so opposite, but they were able to work well together.

I loved all of the legend and mystery surrounding Crater Lake, and I'll bet that Ethan wished he had listened more to his "crazy" Uncle Bart.  Che-Tan always had me wondering, and Chief Llao was such a good, bad guy *shivers*.

What would you do to save those that you loved?

Received this book from Netgalley.  It is scheduled to be released in March 2012 by Cedar Fort Publishing.

If I have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's my Prince by Melissa Kantor

Goodreads Description: 
Wicked stepmother? Check. Evil stepsisters? Check. Miserable life? Check.

Lucy Norton’s life has all the makings of a Cinderella story. Her dad’s always away on business, leaving Lucy with her cruel stepmother and bratty stepsisters. She’s burdened with chores, and has a hard time fitting in at her new school. So when she sees Connor Pearson, the star player on the varsity basketball team, Lucy hopes her destiny has finally changed. With everything else going on in her life, doesn’t she at least deserve to get the handsome prince?

Melissa Kantor’s enchanting novel proves that sometimes the happy ending isn’t quite the one you’d expect. Lucy’s about to discover the truth about finding her real Prince Charming… and finding herself.

My thoughts:  This was a cute story.  Lucy's dad remarried, and then moved her across the country to live with her new stepmom and stepsisters.  Her father didn't die, but he kept his job where they used to live, so he was only with them on the weekends.  When he was home on the weekends, of course he wanted to spend time with his new wife.  Lucy's stepmom decorated the whole house except for Lucy's basement bedroom.  She only had an air mattress to sleep on, but she didn't have a closet or anywhere store her clothes.  Of course, her younger twin stepsisters had everything they wanted.

Lucy didn't have any friends at her new school, but luckily she was really into art, so she did have somewhere to escape to.  She also is very much into basketball, and when she accidently shows her knowledge and enthusiasm for the game, she catches the interest of one of the star High School basketball players.  She then finds herself part of the in-crowd at school.

I did enjoy the book.  It amused me that through most of the book, Lucy felt like she was living in the fairy tale.  I did expect, though, that her new friendship with the popular girls was going to turn out to be some type of a joke or a dare.  I loved the realizations that Lucy had towards the end of the story.

I did not like all the teenage drinking (which was heavy), and the language.  All in all, a pretty good book.

Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan

Goodreads Description:  I’m dying, I thought. This was unexpected and not at all how I envisioned my death. I was supposed to die gardening in a flowerbed as a hundred-year-old woman, not as a seventeen-year-old trapped in a lake beneath inches of ice.

Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down. Big mistake.

As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something even bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.

In this breathtaking and romantic adventure, Rachel McClellan delivers a truly mesmerizing story that will keep you guessing to the very end.

My thoughts:  I really liked this book!  Llona is a really strong girl, with really strong powers.  I felt bad for Llona, just for the fact that she didn't have her mother there (who was also an Aura) to teach her all about her great power and how to use it.

She is being raised by her uncle, who is a great guy, but the first part of the story, he is in a great depression following the death of Llona's father (who was his brother).  I liked when her uncle comes to his senses and starts being involved in her life.  But, even he can't help her with her powers, or her role as an Aura.

The Vykens are major bad guys, and I figured out pretty early in the story who the Vyken was.  That being said, there were still so many people in the book that raised suspicion, and I didn't know who exactly Llona should trust.

I really loved the relationship between Llona and Christian.  There was a lot of conflict there, but towards the end of the story I was able to understand why.

Oh, can I say that I loved May?

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see what is coming next!

Received this ebook from NetGalley for review.

Enduring Light by Carly Kelly

Goodreads Description:  She leaned toward him and rested her elbows on the brass rail at the foot of her bed. “All right, cowboy, just when did you fall in love with me? I’m definitely curious now.”
He regarded her in the moonlight. “I knew I was a no-hoping goner when I caught that ridiculous hat of yours on the platform at Gun Barrel.”

 Julia sucked in her breath. She tried to be severe. “Mr. Otto, nobody falls in love that fast!”
“I did,” he said simply, as he left her room.

Julia Darling is finally able to marry Paul Otto for eternity. But it’s a harsh world for a rancher in turn-of-the-century Wyoming, especially a Mormon rancher. When alienation and threats begin, Julia must prove she’s her husband’s equal in strength and endurance as she learns to let go of scars on the outside and inside.

Bestselling author Carla Kelly has woven a new story of a determined rancher, his wife, and how they discover the depths of love.

My thoughts:  Wow, there were so many things that I loved about this book!  I really loved Paul and Julia, and their relationship!  I always chuckled at their pet names, as my hubby and I still have little names that we call each other even after 25+ years.

The differences in the world's that they lived in were enormous - Julia was from "civilized" Salt Lake City, and Paul from wild Wyoming.  Even though the differences were there, it was great to see how Julia was able to adapt to her new circumstances of wife of a cattle rancher.

Julia was an amazing character!  Her love for her husband, and her faith, helped her so many times!  One of my favorite parts of the book was the cattle drive that Julia was able to go on.  Her adventures with cooking with Cookie were great, except for the "Rocky Mountain Oysters" and sonofagun stew...  yuckyuckyuck.

I haven't read the first book of this series, but now will have to.  I want to see how this great love story started!

Received this ebook for review from NetGalley.