Playing the Player by Lisa Brown Roberts

Posted on by lynndellwatson

25819482

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Playing the Player by Lisa Brown Roberts! This realistic fiction story introduces Trina and Slade. Two teenagers that seem to be polar opposites. Slade’s mother has set up a babysitting job for Slade in which he will be team-nannying with Trina. Slade’s mother feels that he needs help with his life-organization, goals and motivation, and she believes that Trina can accomplish these things. Trina seems on the verge of a nervous breakdown, especially when her schedule doesn’t work out exactly as planned. Slade seems a bit arrogant when he’s talking to his best friend Alex, but mellow at other times. About one-third of the way through the book, Trina starts opening up about her past and her worries, which helps with understanding her reasoning and intentions. Slade warms up to her and tries to become her friend. The book becomes more complicated and interesting the more it’s read. Trina and Slade are both stubborn and get so angry that they almost lose their relationship. The supporting characters add a lot of realism to the story and help pull the story together. 4 stars for the romantic fun!

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

Posted on by lynndellwatson

9781620611364

“Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris! I absolutely love this book and it was just what I needed to relax during a very busy schedule. Cat flies to Italy with her father and the woman he’s engaged to, Jenna. Jenna is planning an extravagant sweet sixteen celebration for Cat. Cat could care less about the party, but she’s thoroughly enjoying the trip to Italy. She has her fortune told, for fun, and walks out of the fortune teller’s tent into a different time. At first, Cat thinks the people around her are very good period actors. She soon realizes that she is someone else, Patience, in a different time, the Renaissance. I especially liked the part when she meets Michelangelo! This story is fun, suspenseful, interesting, contains dynamic characters and has just the right amount of romance to keep me interested and I am now looking forward to more works from Rachel Harris, 5 stars!

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

Posted on by lynndellwatson

inexcusable-9781481432023_hr

Before I read Inexcusable by Chris Lynch, I read reviews, the synopsis and the author’s reasoning for writing this book. The male main character and point of view was refreshing and a good change of pace. Keir is in denial about what he has done and he sifts through his life’s experiences and tries to justify the type of person he is. By the end of the story, Keir has shared many memories in between the spotlight on his inexcusable act against Gigi, who he claims to love. As the reader, you get to hear from his family members as well and see how they perceive Keir and his actions. I give this book 3.5 stars for a story that may be helpful to teens dealing with similar problems.

Cursing Fate

Posted on by lynndellwatson

cf_500

Cursing Fate by Brenda Drake involves Iris, Aster’s younger sister. Iris and her relationships were thrown into chaos in Touching Fate when Aster learned that she is a fate changer. Now, in the sequel, Iris is being possessed by the young woman that caused the curse that ensured the death of any eighteen year old boy in Reese’s family line. I felt Iris’s struggle, through the author’s creative writing, and also her panic as Crina continually tried to take over Iris’ body! The people that care for Iris the most, knew something was wrong. Iris’s personality would instantly change, as well as how she spoke and in her lack of modern reference knowledge – such as soda. The story line in the Fate series is complex and contains plot twists and intrigue that pulled my interest to the point of not wanting to put the book down or the series to end! Some swearing and a young adult scene, just a heads up. 4 stars!

Stranded

Posted on by lynndellwatson

stranded-9781481438193_hr

I read Stranded by Melinda Braun as a Riveted free read download. Thank you Riveted! The story instantly grabbed me, as someone is trapped in a vehicle underwater and struggling to escape is described in terrifying detail. Emma survives the car accident, but her sister Lucy does not. Emma has to deal with survivor’s guilt and the recurring nightmares of not being able to save Lucy. Her counselor tries to help Emma and, while sitting in the counselor’s waiting room, she sees a brochure describing a week long adventure. She believes that this is the answer to pull her back to life. The camp turns out to be adventurous and terrifying. A freak storm, injuries, a forest fire and wild animals threaten the campers’ survival. Intense and character building, the story has something for every reader to enjoy – 5 stars!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Posted on by lynndellwatson

0portland_lbbg_revision2

Aaahhh, the joy of returning to the Wizarding World of J.K. Rowling! I watched the movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, before I read the screenplay. As I read this book, it was like re-watching the movie all over again, plus a bit more! I actually became teary-eyed because of pure happiness. It is so good to have a story written totally by J.K. Rowling that once again transforms reality into a wonderfully creative fantasy! The story curiously brings us to America, as we watch Newt Scamander trying to control his briefcase and immediately the action begins with interesting creatures, characters and thrills! Highly recommended, especially if you want a bit more insight and if you also want to relive the movie – 5 stars!

The Lost Property Office

Posted on by lynndellwatson

the-lost-property-office-9781481467094_hr

“Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review The Lost Property Office by James R. Hannibal! This book is interesting from the dedication and onward. Steampunk genre with the iridescent clockwork beetles add to the fantasy feel. The main character, thirteen-year-old Jack Buckles, lives with his mom and eight-year-old sister, Sadie. Sadie believes she sees their dad and when Jack looks down to talk to her, she has disappeared. Jack catches up with Sadie and they both end up in The Lost Property Office. They discover that their dad belongs to the Ministry of Trackers. A clerk, Gwen, becomes Jack’s guide and they follow clues to the man in black (the Clockmaker) who seems to know what happened to Jack’s father and Gwen’s uncle, who worked with Jack’s father. He tells them to find the Ember and meet him at the Great Clock Tower at midnight to find Jack’s father. I enjoy the mix of English and American characters, cultures and humor! Steampunk and fantasy combine for a fun tale of mysterious secrets, intrigue and surprises – 4 stars!

The Beast is an Animal

Posted on by lynndellwatson

29522966

The Beast is an Animal by Peternelle van Arsdale was offered to me as a download on my laptop for an exclusive study on how readers engage with books, thanks to Simon and Schuster and Jellybooks, Ltd!

The story opens with twin girls born to a mother and father living on a farm on the outskirts of a village. These girls are the mirror image of each other, from the way their hair curls to the birthmarks on their calves. The oldest girl has her features on the left, while the two minutes younger twin has her features on the right side. The wife and girls are banished because of the superstitious villagers who blame the mother and daughters for the lack of rain. The girls grow up, mostly alone because their mother dies when they are still quite young, and become wild, vengeful soul eaters. Chapter one introduces Alys. The twins, Benedicta and Angelica, talk to Alys and tell her to sleep. The next thing Alys knows is that she’s waking up in a grassy field. A red headed older man, Pawl (a trader), gives Alys a ride home. She has a foreboding feeling when she gets home, so Pawl stays with her. He looks for her parents and finds them dead. They visit other homes in the village and all of the parents are dead. Pawl finds homes for the children in a neighboring village. The Elders rule this village with strict beliefs and decide to build a gate around the homes. The children who survived the soul eaters, when their parents didn’t, are sent to guard the gate and livestock at night, since they are “protected”. Alys and Delwyn survive the night, but Delwyn’s brothers do not. Alys is treated differently and suspected of being a witch and is punished. She leaves the village and wanders in the wilderness. The Beast finds her and gives her a mission to find the soul eaters. The fantasy is reminiscent of the Salem Witch Trials because of the persecution. I rate The Beast is an Animal 4 stars, for the creative and dark world brought to life by Peternelle van Arsdale!

Nice Girls Endure

Posted on by lynndellwatson

27178702-_uy400_ss400_

“Received an advance reader copy for a fair review.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read and review Nice Girls Endure by Chris Struyk-Bonn! Chelsea is an overweight teenager who takes after her father in many ways; personality, likes, dislikes, talent and genetics. The doctor suggests Calorie Counts, a weight loss program run by Bridgette, who helps Chelsea see that her self esteem is more important than anything else. Chelsea has four favorite people: her dad, Bridgette, Melody and Trevor (classmates). Chelsea tries to get involved and make friends, but then bullies set her back. The bullying is already bad enough on its own, but they send pictures of everything online for everyone to see. This book is a touching and inspiring story of the challenges we have to deal with in life and the different ways we can strengthen ourselves. 4.5 stars!

The Tru and Sloane Series by Tera Lynn Childs

Posted on by lynndellwatson

26101040

Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru by Tera Lynn Childs is contemporary realistic fiction with romance thrown in to make a well rounded story. Sloane is a new resident of Austin, Texas and she misses everything she left behind in New York. Tru is Sloane’s new neighbor who is dealing with troubles that he hides well. Sloane’s mom has told her to stay away from Tru; supposedly he is a troublemaker. On Sloane’s first day at her new school, the principal asks Tru to show Sloane around. All of the faculty seem to respect Tru. The story explains why Sloane and her mother left New York and the same thing happens in Austin, only this time it wasn’t Sloane. Dynamic characters and relationships make the story unpredictable in a good way – 4 stars!

fftgnd_500-1

“Received an advance reader copy for a fair review”.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Falling for the Girl Next Door by Tera Lynn Childs! This story begins right where Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru leaves off. Tru admits he has a drinking problem and breaks off his relationship with Sloane until he can fix the problem. Sloane wants to convince her family that they should live together in Austin, but she finds out that her parents’ marriage might be in jeopardy. Sloane is also the victim of a blackmail attempt because she is receiving emails from someone claiming to know she’s the creator of Graphic Grrl and threatening to expose her unless she bargains with him. Tru and Sloane mature and learn to deal with the feelings they have for each other while trying to keep their relationship strong no matter how many “bumps and turns” get in the way. This story has depth and dynamic main and side characters and includes young adult romance – 4 stars!

falling-for-the-girl-next-door-tera-lynn-childs