The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley

Star D’Aplièse is at a crossroads in her life after the sudden death of her beloved father—the elusive billionaire, affectionately called Pa Salt by his six daughters, all adopted from across the four corners of the world. He has left each of them a clue to her true heritage, and Star nervously decides to follow hers, which leads her to an antiquarian bookshop in London, and the start of a whole new world.

A hundred years earlier, headstrong and independent Flora MacNichol vows she will never marry. She is happy and secure in her home in England’s picturesque Lake District—just a stone’s throw away from the residence of her childhood idol, Beatrix Potter—when machinations lead her to London, and the home of one of Edwardian society’s most notorious society hostesses, Alice Keppel. Flora is torn between passionate love and her duty to her family, but finds herself a pawn in a larger game. That is, until a meeting with a mysterious gentleman unveils the answers that Flora has been searching for her whole life...

As Star learns more of Flora’s incredible journey, she too goes on a voyage of discovery, finally stepping out of the shadow of her sister and opening herself up to the possibility of love.

This is the third book in the Seven Sisters series. The story follows Star on her journey to discovering who she is. It is set in the present and also during Edwardian England as the story follows Flora MacNichol. 

I have to say this book was a HUGE disappointment. The premis had such potential, but it did not live up to it. My biggest hurdle in fully enjoying this book was Ms. Riley's style of writing. Throughout the whole book, both Star and Flora were the only characters who didn't seem to know their respective "big secrets" but every other person in the story seemed to. Instead of leaving tiny crumbs for the reader to discover and leading them slowly to the answer, it was a lot of "You mean you really don't know?" and then the subject would immediately be changed. When the big revelation occurred, there was no looking back and thinking, "Oh yeah! That all really makes sense now!" At the very end, we're left feeling cut short because there isn't really a resolution for Star. This may be due to the other 4 forthcoming books. Perhaps they will shed more light on Star's future. I slogged through because I really wanted to know what happened, but if I had been able to read the full synopsis and skip reading the book, I would have. Overall, I would not recommend this book. 

Eleventh Grave in Moonlight by Darynda Jones

My entire life can be summed up in one sentence: 
“Well, that didn’t go as planned.”
—T-Shirt

A typical day in the life of Charley Davidson involves cheating husbands, errant wives, missing people, philandering business owners, and, oh yeah...demons, hell hounds, evil gods, and dead people. Lots and lots of dead people. As a part time Private Investigator and full-time Grim Reaper, Charley has to balance the good, the bad, the undead, and those who want her dead.

Now, Charley is learning to make peace with the fact that she is a goddess with all kinds of power and that her own daughter has been born to save the world from total destruction. But the forces of hell are determined to see Charley banished forever to the darkest corners of another dimension. With the son of Satan himself as her husband and world-rocking lover, will Charley be able to defeat the ultimate evil and find a way to have her happily ever after after all?

***CAUTION*** Spoilers from Tenth Grave ahead. If you aren't caught up, proceed at your own peril!!

This book is what I would consider to be a bridge book. It moves the story along slightly as far as plot line, but fills in a lot of details about past, present and future events. And you're clearly moving towards something epic that requires a lot of ground work to be set. That being said, I THOROUGHLY enjoyed Eleventh Grave in Moonlight. And it is vital to the over-arching plot we've been following.

At the end of Tenth Grave, Charley regained her memory, trapped one of the 3 big bad gods in a god glass and learned her sexy, Son of Satan husband, was actually created from 1 of the other gods. Just another day in the life of Charley Davidson, PI/Grim Reaper/Goddess. Oh, and she also threatened the Almighty Jehovah that she was going to wrest his control of the world and take it over herself. Good one, Charley. Piss off God himself. You clearly didn't think that one through.

At the beginning of Eleventh Grave, Charley has taken on a case that Reyes doesn't approve of. As usual, Charley does what Charley wants, and somehow always manages to squeak by and be right. This case hits close to home and we all know how Reyes hates to drudge up the past. Pair that with a truly horrible situation happening to one of her favorite people, and it is clear that Charley can  never live a normal boring life. And if you think thought that was as bad as it is going to get, hang on until the last line of the book, "And then I realized the truth. I may have just made the biggest mistake of my entire existence. I may have unleashed hell on earth."

Once again, Ms. Jones has made us fall in love with every second of Charley's life. But it can't be understated how essential and wonderful are all of the other characters in her life. Charley wouldn't be half of what she is without her partners in crime. I can't wait to see they help Charley handle this latest kink in her master plan to take over the world.

Love conquers all, sure, but the future is looking pretty bleak for the Reaper, the Son of Satan and the Daughter of Light. 

Sixth Grave on the Edge by Darynda Jones

Sometimes I wrestle my demons. Sometimes we just snuggle.
—Bumper Sticker Most girls might think twice before getting engaged to someone like Reyes Farrow—but Charley Davidson is not most girls. She’s a paranormal private eye and grim reaper-in-training who’s known to be a bit of a hell-raiser, especially after a few shots of caffeine. Her beloved Reyes may be the only begotten son of evil, but he’s dark and sultry and deeply sexy and everything Charley could hope for. Really. But when the FBI file on Reyes’ childhood happens to land into her lap, she can’t help herself: She opens it...and then the real fun begins. First, Charley finds a naked corpse riding shotgun in her car. Then, a man loses his soul in a card game. Throw in a Deaf boy who sees dead people, a woman running from mobsters, and a very suspicious Reyes, and things can’t get any worse for Charley. Unless, of course, the Twelve Beasts of Hell are unleashed.

***CAUTION*** Spoilers from Fifth Grave ahead. If you aren't caught up, proceed at your own peril!!

Phew! This book was smokin' from beginning to end. We are anxiously awaiting Charley's answer to the question that any of us would say yes to in a heartbeat. I mean come on! Who wouldn't want to be married to the super sexy son of Satan? Obviously Charley wants to say yes, but something is hanging her up.

Charley has a tough time in this book. She has a naked guy in her front seat with a "prominent package", a huge secret she is keeping from her "almost fiance", and a father who is being oddly suspicious. To top that off, she has to win a soul back from a demon and interpret a prophecy about the Twelve Beasts of Hell. Never fear though, there is plenty of ha ha moments and plenty of swit swoo moments too. And the ending? Oh baby. I cannot wait until October when Seventh Grave comes out.

Most people said they liked 99% of this book, but 1% bugged them. I'm not sure what everyone else's 1% was, but the thing that bugged me, and has been bugging me, is that Reyes never answers her questions. Everyone wants to continue to keep her in the dark about what she is capable of, but it's getting slightly old. But that aside, the book is fabulous enough to not to put much of a damper on the awesomeness of the book.

The Collector by Nora Roberts

When professional house-sitter Lila Emerson witnesses a murder/suicide from her current apartment-sitting job, life as she knows it takes a dramatic turn. Suddenly, the woman with no permanent ties finds herself almost wishing for one. . . .

Artist Ashton Archer knows his brother isn't capable of violence—against himself or others. He recruits Lila, the only eyewitness, to help him uncover what happened. Ash longs to paint her as intensely as he hungers to touch her. But their investigation draws them into a rarefied circle where priceless antiques are bought, sold, gambled away, and stolen, where what you possess is who you are, and where what you desire becomes a deadly obsession. . . 

Now, I don't usually do reviews on Nora's books, because let's be honest, they are all fabulous and everyone knows she's fantastic. But, this book was by far one of my favorites in recent years. Lila Emerson is a house-sitter who has no home except wherever she happens to be working at the time. She lives her life out of 2 suitcases and loves it! She has house-sat all over the country and all over the world. If you ask me, that's a pretty glamorous job. What is one of her favorite things about house-sitting you might ask? People watching. Lila is also a young adult novelist and spends her time making up stories about the people she sees out her temporary windows. While on a job in New York, Lila gets to know the people who live in an apartment building across the street from her job. Each delightful neighbor has a story just waiting to be told.

Lila is having a grand time describing the life of a young couple who fight big and love big, when one day the fighting gets a little too big. She witnesses the young man killing the young woman. She calls the police and becomes the number one key witness to a murder suicide. However, the young man's brother, Ashton Archer, doesn't believe his brother could have killed his girlfriend and then committed suicide, but he does believe that his brother was into something dangerous. Ash convinces Lila to help him uncover the story behind his brother's death and they end up embroiled in a centuries long conspiracy involving rare missing artifacts.

We all know that Nora can tell a fantastic story with deep characters and rich world building, but something about the way she does suspense is so gripping. Lila and Ash are fantastic characters and their story is by no means boring, but the real gem is the mystery of the Faberge eggs. I love history, and the historical context of this book makes my heart happy. I listened to this one on tape, so I couldn't rush through if like I can with a paper book, and it made the suspense of the journey so much better.

I highly highly highly recommend this to Nora fans and newbies alike. 5 out of 5 stars. And be on the lookout for the conclusion to Nora's Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy, Blood Magick, which comes out October 28th! You won't want to miss it.

Code by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs

The Virals are put to the ultimate test when they find a geocache containing an ornate puzzle box. Shelton decodes the cipher inside, only to find more tantalizing clues left by "The Gamemaster." A second, greater geocache is within reach—if the Virals are up to the challenge.

But the hunt takes a dark turn when Tory locates the other box—a fake bomb, along with a sinister proposal from The Gamemaster. Now, the real game has begun: another bomb is out there—a real one—and the clock is ticking.

Woo Hoo! Ever since I discovered the Virals series by Kathy Reichs and her son Brendan, I was hooked!! The series revolves around a group of kids who live on an island used for a scientific research facility. The only people that live on the island are employees of the facility and their families, so these kids have a unique lifestyle that unites them. 

Tory, Hi, Shelton and Ben are your typical teenage kids who don't fit in at their local prep school. They get picked on because they are the weird science kids that live on an island. But the best friends have a secret. Their DNA is infused with wolf DNA and they have special abilities. They are viral! I think it would be awesome to have wolf senses and be connected to my friends through crazy pack genetics.

This latest installment finds the Virals searching out a geocache in what they think is a game that Hi has dragged them all into. He is so excited, because it is the first geocache placed on Loggerhead Island. Inside the geocache is a puzzle box. When they finally get the box open, they find another clue, which is against the rules. The hunt spirals out of control as the Virals realize that the "Gamemaster" is really a psycho who is planning on killing lots of people if they don't successfully play his game, on his timeframe, according to his rules. Throw in the fact that Tory's life is being taken over by her dad's overly peppy and pushy girlfriend and it makes for an interesting story.

This third book was even better than the 2 before it. I wondered how Reichs would be able to keep the story going forward and be different, since the first 2 had many similar elements, but this one blew the first 2 away. I tend to not like YA books sometimes, because they can be too safe and "dumbed down", and I think we don't give YA readers enough credit. But, Kathy Reichs doesn't leave the danger or pain out of these books. I'm excited to see where she takes the series next and how the Virals are going to develop individually and as a pack.

The Business of Baby by Jennifer Margulis

I am a huge fan of informative nonfiction books. If it's a topic that interests me, I can never gain enough information about it. And since there are few things more important to me than having kids one day, and making the most natural choices about it, I knew I had to read this book. 

The Business of Baby: What Doctors Don't Tell You, What Corporations Try to Sell You, and How to Put Your Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Before Their Bottom Line.

It's quite a title for a book with a cute baby on the front, but the bottom line of this book is to find out the truth of what really happens during pregnancy, birth and infancy to the majority of Americans. 

Jennifer Margulis, who has a doctorate in investigative journalism, sought to find the answers to what really happens behind the scenes of an American childbirth and just why those things are happening.

Most of us grow up believing that birth is an experience that must be had in a hospital. We learn that since there are so many things that could possibly go wrong, we shouldn't even attempt to listen to our own body's signals, but that we should call the doctor at the slightest concern. It is frightening to note that the US has one of the highest levels of maternal and infant mortality rates in the industrialized world. How can one of the world's richest and most powerful countries have such appalling statistics on the health and survival of mothers and their newborn babies? 

The answer?

Corporations.

The biggest corporation in the United States run a business, and that business is birthing and raising babies. Dr. Margulis takes us on a chronological journey from conception, through pregnancy, childbirth and up until a baby's first year of life. From free samples and catered lunches offered to hospital staff, to harassing phone calls from formula reps to new mothers, to the most ridiculous vaccine schedule on the planet, Dr. Margulis seeks to inform people everywhere, so they can make educated decisions about their babies' lives.

This book was absolutely frightening! As I've grown older, I have inevitably begun to think about having children one day, and what I imagined and wanted that experience to be like. My initial thought was that I wanted to have as natural of a birth as possible, but that people that have home births were a bit weird and I wanted to have my babies in the hospital. I thought that I could make a detailed birth plan and that everyone would follow it. My births would be stress-free, wonderful experiences and everyone would listen to what I wanted. I have read a number of books on natural hospital births and home-births  and none have given me the confidence to make my own decisions like this one has. I highly recommend it for anyone who is pregnant or wants to have a baby some day. You absolutely NEED to get the facts and be educated. Ultimately, you should be making the decisions that affect your baby, not some CEO who makes $25 million a year.

For more information, visit Jennifer Margulis on her website for more book recommendations and a very informative blog. 

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

 

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. 

Elisa is the chosen one. 

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will. 

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

I hate books that have a good story line, but are so difficult to read because they are written by poor authors and I felt that The Girl of Fire and Thorns was one of those books.

I was initially intrigued by this book, because I always  like when someone comes up with a new fantastical element to write about. In this book, the main character, Elisa, has a large jewel in her navel called a Godstone. Since nobody has thought to put a priceless gem in anyone's belly before, I thought it might be rather interesting to see what it means. Unfortunately, that was the only interesting part about the story.

Elisa could have been a really fantastic main character, because she is not tall, thin and beautiful. She is short and fat and plain looking. Rae Carson could have done a wonderful thing and made her into a respectable hero that young girls could look up to and say, "Hey. She isn't skinny and popular, but she saved the world, and so can I." Instead, Elisa dwells on her obesity and brings it up, ALL THE DAMN TIME! It got to be so incredibly annoying. Not to mention the fact that the same words and phrases were used to describe how fat she was. She was also annoying because she dwelt upon all the unhealthy and overindulgent things she was eating. I kind of felt that this book was perhaps driven by the author's own struggle with weight (if she has one) and that she used the book to get all her thoughts out. Like I said, I don't know if that's the case, but that's what it felt like. I also felt that she pushed the elements from he title onto the story. When fire and thorns show up in the story, I felt like they were simply put there because they were in the title and she needed to make the title relevant.

Besides Elisa being an annoying character, the book had an interesting plot line and series of events, but it just wasn't presented in anything resembling an enjoyable read. I gave it 3 stars because I did like the story, and I think an actual young adult reader would be able to overlook the poor writing style, but I just couldn't.

Origin by Jessica Khoury

Wowza! Let's talk about one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time, Origin by Jessica Khoury! This review is a little different, because there have been some pretty heavy crusaders out to kill Origin, and I have some things to say about it.


Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.


Perfect Pia (the original title of origin was to be "Perfectly Pia") was "created" in a laboratory. She was born just like any other child, but she has been genetically engineered to be immortal and perfect. Scientists in a secret Amazon facility called Little Cam, which is short for Little Cambridge. The facility is surrounded by an electric fence and Pia's room is completely made out of glass, but this doesn't seem strange to her, because it is all she's ever known. At 17, Pia is finally about to take her final Wickham test (horrible heinous tests she is put through to prove she is capable of being a scientist) and finally be allowed to know the secret behind her immortality and begin to create a mate for her in an effort to start a new race.

But a new arrival to Little Cam, who Pia call Dr. Klutz, asks Pia why she doesn't question what is on the other side of the fence. That puts a seed in Pia's mind and she sneaks outside for the first time, with her super awesome jaguar pet, Alai (because who doesn't want a majestic jaguar as a pet?). She meets Eio and begins to discover that maybe being perfect isn't all it's cracked up to be. Pia uncovers the truth behind her immortality and the devastation that has led to her birth.

Reception for Origin has been mostly awesome with a few ridiculous Debbie Downers out there. If you look on Goodreads, you'll find all sorts of naysayers talking about the HORRIBLE (sarcasm) topics in Origin. Of course, Jessica Khoury is promoting racism, abusive relationships, women as objects, and animal cruelty (sarcasm again). Come on, people. Just because she wrote about it doesn't mean she believes in it. Ms. Khoury created a FICTIONAL VERSION OF THE WORLD and took creative liberties to really express just what it was like for Pia growing up. So, she was ignorant, and she fell in love with Eio, even though he's the only boy she's ever met, and so the scientists perform horrible experiments on animals. Those elements are all super important to the plot. Pia is ignorant because she's been made to not question ANYTHING. Maybe Eio is the most awesome boyfriend material in the entire Amazon, we don't know. And animal torture was 100% necessary to understanding the steps the scientists took in order to create Pia. I believe it was something like 150 years that they had been working towards it. We test new medicines on rats, same kinda thing.

But, no matter what the Debbie Downers say, I LOVED Origin. I thought it had a really unique and interesting plot line and I can't wait to see what Vitro, Jessica Khoury's next YA release, has in store. I read the first chapter and I'm already hooked. All in all, 5 out 5 stars to an incredibly original story idea from debut author Jessica Khoury!

If you want to know more, you can find Jessica on her website, which is a visual masterpiece.

Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter

Love or life. 

Henry or their child. 

The end of her family or the end of the world. Kate must choose. 

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can’t stop her—until Cronus offers a deal. In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he’ll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead. With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything. Even if it costs her eternity.

Kate Winters has been through a lot. Her mom got cancer and moved her to a small town. Then her mom died. Then she agreed to perform tests to see if she was worthy of marrying Henry (aka Hades) and become Queen of the Underworld. Then, she won, but she didn't think Henry would ever love her, even though she loves him. Then everything was great there. Then, Kate got pregnant. Then, she was kidnapped by Calliope, aka Hera (who has some real self-absorption issues). And this is where we begin the third installment of the Goddess Test series. 

Kate has been held captive by Calliope for 9 months and it is almost time to have her baby. Calliope plans to keep him for herself and try to make Henry finally love her (which has been her goal since Book 1). Calliope thinks her father, Cronus, is on her side, but he has plans of his own. He promises Kate that if she becomes his queen, she can keep her baby and he won't destroy the world, but he will destroy the Council. But what about Henry? Is it ok to be selfish when the fate of the world is pitted against the love of your forever life?

I was really excited to get this last installment in the Goddess Test series, because I loved the idea of a Greek mythology taking place in the present world. I'm a sucker for mythology and love when it is redone in a new and interesting way. That being said, I was disappointed in the style of this book. I felt that Kate was too wishy-washy in this book and a bit of a damsel in distress, when she wasn't like that in the first two books. I also wanted a lot more Kate and Henry interaction, but we still had all this, "Is Henry pulling away?" "I thought he finally realized he loved me". It was just starting to get a little old. I thought this book should have been a strong pulling together of them and their love for each other and their baby and fighting together, and it wasn't. However, I did enjoy it purely because it was the finale of the series and did manage to have a conclusion that I was happy with. All in all, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. If Aimee Carter writes more books, I will definitely read them.