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.

Review of Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack and iPad2 Giveaway!!

In conjunction with the release of Pumpkin Roll the author, Josi S. Kilpack, and the publisher, Shadow Mountain, are sponsoring a contest for a new iPad. To enter, leave a comment in the comment section of this blog before November 1, 2011. Winners will be announced and notified November 3rd 2011.

For additional ways to enter, go to www.josiskilpack.com

Now on to my review!!

Goodreads Description:
Sadie Hoffmiller is looking forward to spending her favorite baking season of the year making delicious New England recipes in Boston, Massachusetts, with her favorite leading man, Pete Cunningham, as they babysit his three young grandsons. But when the boys insist that Mrs. Wapple, the woman who lives across the street, is a witch, Sadie and Pete are anxious to distract the boys from such Halloween-induced ideas. However, it gets harder and harder to explain the strange things that keep happening, particularly after Sadie learns the eccentric Mrs. Wapple has been attacked in her home. As the unexplained occurrences escalate, Sadie finds herself embroiled in yet another mystery with life-or-death consequences. Can Sadie discover whoever—or whatever—is behind the mystery before anyone else gets hurt? Or will this be Sadie's last case?

My Review:
I LOVE Josi Kilpack's culinary mysteries!!  I love Sadie Hoffman (oops, Hoffmiller, hehehe)!!  This is by far my favorite in the series.  It even passed up Key Lime Pie.

A few of the things that I really liked about the book were:  first, that we got to see a little bit more human side of Sadie's "leading man", Pete Cunningham.  I loved the interaction he had with his grandsons.  It was also nice to see a little more of his past, and a little of what made him how he is today.

Second, this book really creeped me out!  I am kind of a chicken when it comes to "things that go bump in the night", so the things that went on in Pete's son's house honestly scared me.  Yikes!

Thirdly, and by no means the last thing, is the fact that I was totally shocked by the ending.  I like books that I can kind of guess where the story is going, but to be really surprised is delightful!!

Once again, Josi Kilpack has outdone herself, and left me wanting more.  Speaking of more, what is with that sneak peek at Banana Split???!!!!  What?!!!!! And it doesn't come out until next Spring?  Josi, you're killing me!!!  :o)

The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima

Goodreads Description:  Han Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her. The costs of his efforts are steep, but nothing can prepare him for what he soon discovers: the beautiful, mysterious girl he knew as Rebecca is none other than Raisa ana’Marianna, heir to the Queendom of the Fells. Han is hurt and betrayed. He knows he has no future with a blueblood. And, as far as he’s concerned, the princess’s family killed his own mother and sister. But if Han is to fulfill his end of an old bargain, he must do everything in his power to see Raisa crowned queen.

Meanwhile, some people will stop at nothing to prevent Raisa from ascending. With each attempt on her life, she wonders how long it will be before her enemies succeed. Her heart tells her that the thief-turned-wizard Han Alister can be trusted. She wants to believe it—he’s saved her life more than once. But with danger coming at her from every direction, Raisa can only rely on her wits and her iron-hard will to survive—and even that might not be enough.

The Gray Wolf Throne is an epic tale of fierce loyalty, unbearable sacrifice, and the heartless hand of fate.

My review:  Ok, what can I possible say about this series?!  I love it!  This has got to be one of my favorite series of all times, right up there with Harry Potter and Twilight.

Ms. Chima's writing just grabs me right into the story.  I love the characters:  Raisa is such a strong young woman, yet has a real vulnerable, human side, I love Dancer and Cat, I didn't see enough of Amon in this book (but guess that that's part of where his and Raisa's relationship is right now), and I can't say enough about Han!  Oh, and then there's the Bayars...  There are so many parts to this story that are just amazing, and so much detail!  There are all the social classes with their dialects, all of the policitics and intrigue going on, and then there's the magic and the romance.

I'll have to say that I had a really hard time finishing the book.  Not for reasons that you might think, but because I know that this book hasn't even come out in the bookstores, and I don't know when the next one is coming out!!  Argh!!