Starters by Lissa Price

Goodreads Description:  Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . .

My thoughts:  Oh MY Goodness!!  Let me start by saying that I breezed through this book in about 4 hours.  It would have been quicker, but I had to do laundry, take my kids places, and go to the store.  The whole time, I just wanted to sit and immerse myself back in this book!

The story just captivated me.  I will have to admit though, that there was a little bit of The Host (by Stephenie Meyer) which is my favorite book, in it, but not enough to put me off.

I really liked Callie.  She had a lot of courage, but still had a real vulnerable side to her.  She loves her little brother Tyler, and would do -almost- anything to help him.  I also really liked some of the Renters.  Other Renters, not so much.

The story moves along quickly, as there is a lot that goes on in a short amount of time.  It was really intriguing that there were no middle-aged people in the book - only the really young (Starters), and the really old (Enders).  There also didn't seem to be a "middle-class".  There was either the very poor, like Callie, Tyler, and Michael, or the very rich.

There were a couple of major "I really did not see that coming" moments towards the end.  I am still shaking my head.  I will definitely be reading the next in the series!

I really like the cover!  You can't really see it by the picture, but it is shiny and bumpy.  I received this ARC in a giveaway.  There are a couple of light kissing scenes in it, and I don't remember any language. 

Erebos by Ursula Poznanski, Judith Pattinson

Goodreads Description:

An intelligent computer game with a disturbing agenda.

When 16-year-old Nick receives a package containing the mysterious computer game Erebos, he wonders if it will explain the behavior of his classmates, who have been secretive lately. Players of the game must obey strict rules: always play alone, never talk about the game, and never tell anyone your nickname.

Curious, Nick joins the game and quickly becomes addicted. But Erebos knows a lot about the players and begins to manipulate their lives. When it sends Nick on a deadly assignment, he refuses and is banished from the game.

Now unable to play, Nick turns to a friend for help in finding out who controls the game. The two set off on a dangerous mission in which the border between reality and the virtual world begins to blur.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book!  It is over 400 pages on my Nook, but it didn't feel like a very long book.  It had so much going on that I kept reading it just to find out what was going to happen next!

The behavior of the teenagers involved was very realistic, and the game was just amazing.  One of the things about the game that was so creepy was that it was like the game knew who you were and everything about you.

  I really liked how the game really blurred the lines between fantasy and reality.  I've seen it so often with my teenage boys, how they're in the middle of a game and you ask them to do something, and they get so upset because they don't want to let their teammates down.  Hello, welcome to real life!  That is a video game!  I liked how one of the questions that the book brought up was what would you be willing to do, in real life, to win a video game? 

Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Winner!! and Announcement!

I am sooo excited to announce the winner of the Random Acts of Kindness giveaway! My very first winner!! Woo-Hooo! Everyone join me in congratulating - (drumroll please...) Heather C Cox!! My new friend, Random.org picked #140, and that was Heather's number. Heather has 72 hours to respond. Thanks to all who entered!! And now for my Announcement!!! I just recently noticed that I have been blogging for a little over a year! I'm not a regular blogger, but I do try to post reviews to the books that I really enjoy. I also have passed 100 followers! So, I will be having another giveaway! I need to go through my stash and find something that I can part with. Stay tuned...

Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Hop!

Friday, February 17, is Random Acts of Kindness Day!  I am celebrating by hosting my very first Giveaway!!  Woo-Hoo!  Thanks to Read for Your Future and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for bring us the Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Hop. Now, what am I giving away, you ask?  Well, I am giving away the boxed set of The Mortal Instruments, first 3 books - City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass!

These are paperbacks, gently read 1 time just by me.  Would you like to win these?  Just fill in the lovely Rafflecopter form below.  All you need to do (mandatory) is follow me via GFC.  Extra entry for answering my question.  Thanks!!  (US entries only please)

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