Undead and Unworthy

Undead and Unworthy by Mary Janice Davidson (Betsy Taylor – Vampire Queen)

What was this book about?

Betsy Taylor is the vampire queen. She is finally wed to her honey – Sinclair. Still lives with her best friends Jessie and Marc. Her sister is still half the child of the devil. She has her subjects that are still working on their alliances with her. Life seems to be good. Except when it isn’t.

Being queen means having lots of responsibilities. She is forced to help her sometimes-enemy Nick – who hates her but loves her best friend Jessie solve some police cases. Meanwhile former-fiend and subject Garrett somehow set lose the rest of the fiends and they are out to get her.

She doesn’t know all that she can do in terms of her powers but she better figure it out. Oh yeah and her annoying dead step-mothers ghost is out to annoy her. Can life get any better?

What did you think about the book?

The author explains in the foreword that this book is more of a trilogy within a series. That you may or may not have read the previous set of books but that this one has an overarching plot. I liked the old books but I really enjoyed this one. So I can’t wait to see where this series takes us.

One of my pet peeves with series books like this is that sometimes I have to recall everything I ever knew about the other books (and I read a lot so it isn’t always easy) to follow the plot lines. Or I feel like I am catching up through half the book. I didn’t feel this way with this book at all.

I have read other books – but this one kept me in the loop from the beginning. And it kept me entertained. Betsy is starting to understand what being Queen means and what kind of things that brings to her power. But she isn’t forgetting her relationships with her friends in the meantime.


What genre would you consider this?
Paranormal

Overall:

That’s (Not Exactly) Amore

That’s (Not Exactly) Amore by Tracey Bateman

What was this book about?

Laini Sullivan thinks she knows what she wants out of life. She wants to be an interior designer. She used to love it and thinks that is what she needs. Unfortunately no one has heard of a color blind designer.

So Laini gets a job designing the coffee shop of a friend. She is going to show all her doubters what she can really do. The only problem is that her major crush Joe Pantalone is in charge of things.

When Joe doesn’t ask her out but a policeman does – she goes for it. But then she finds out that Joe also wants to spend time with her. She can’t make up her mind especially when she finds out that Joe’s family may be part of the mob. Can Laini figure out what makes her happy before it is too late?

What did you think about the book?

As I mentioned before - I am not someone who likes preachy books, several books that I have read from the “Faith Words” publishers has met my need. The story is independent of the religious aspect of the books. Instead they only add the Bible verses and other religious parts to enhance both the book and the characters thoughts. I was halfway through the book that I realized the random biblical quote or trip to church was part of an overarching desire to have a religious part to this book (not something I usually associate with what I think is a romantic book).

Overall I enjoyed the book. It was interesting to see her progress to the man she was meant to be with – as well as find what she wanted out of life.

What genre would you consider this?
Romance (without any sexual scenes)

Overall:

The Miracle Girls

The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt

What was this book about?

Four girls who have varying pasts and relationships with their family find themselves drawn together. Ana Dominguez is new to school and has to find her place to fit in to both school, extra-curriculars, and church. She soon finds several girls that seem to have something in common. They are all “Miracle Girls” meaning they have all cheated death at least once.

But life as a teenager isn’t always clear. So they must move through the travails of high school life and do their best to survive and prosper.

What did you think about the book?

While I am not someone who likes preachy books, several books that I have read from the “Faith Words” publishers has met my need. The story is independent of the religious aspect of the books. Instead they only add the Bible verses and other religious parts to enhance both the book and the characters thoughts.

I enjoyed this book and think it would be one that I would recommend for teens of any age. It covers the teenage angst that everyone has had and at the same time continues to entertain.

What genre would you consider this?
Teen

Overall:

Belong to Me

Belong to Me by Maris De Los Santos

What was this book about?

Neighborhood dynamics at their finest. Cornelia – moved from New York with her georgeous husband Teo. She has her secrets as to why they moved. She just doesn’t seem to be accepted here either though. Lake – a single mother with a genius for a child. Deve the boy who wants to find out who his family really is. Elizabeth – dieing of cancer, leaving behind a husband and children. Piper – the woman who looks like she is a hardened woman, but really cares more for her family and friends then anyone else.

They each find a place in each other’s lives. But that will affect their relationship with the outside world. Everyone has their secrets – but can they still be friends when these secrets are revealed?

What did you think about the book?

I have to admit it was a bit predictable. Did it take away from the story at all? Not completely. But from the beginning I knew who was going to get together, who was going to break up, who’s secrets would be found out and how they would be told.

Other then that though it was a very interesting neighborhood dynamic story. Not just divorce is covered but the pain of losing a child, losing a mother, losing a relationship, and gaining all those things as well. It is all about relationships and how they intertwine.

What genre would you consider this?
Family Dynamics

Overall:

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination (A Memoir)

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination (A Memoir) by Elizabeth McCraken

What was this book about?

Elizabeth McCraken and her husband were very happy. Part time writers who had been living in Europe were expecting their first child. Everything seemed to be going perfectly. Then the news – their child was stillborn.

Elizabeth talks about her pain during this part of her life. She speaks of the words of sympathy that helped her through. She speaks of how difficult it was to explain to everyone else in the world that her second child (who was born healthy) isn’t her first. She documents her pain for all the world to read – and it is definitely worth reading.

What did you think about the book?

“This is the happiest story in the world with the saddest ending”. While I understand what the author is saying her – that it started out amazing and ended sadly – the whole book is pretty sad. But that doesn’t take away from the writing or the story.

I can’t imagine what it would be like to have the baby that you are preparing for die before you even get a chance to have it. To go weeks with the baby growing inside of you and then never get to meet him or her. I feel like this book was both an homage to the child who died as well as a display of Elizabeth’s grief.

What genre would you consider this?
Memoir

Overall:

Darkest Night

Darkest Night by Gena Showalter (Lords of the Underworld)

What was this book about?

They were protectors of good and one bad decisions eons ago has cursed them all. They let out the evil’s in Pandora’s box because of jealousy. When the box went missing they were forced to have these evils live with them inside their bodies and fight them constantly for control of themselves.

Maddox, contains violence, and an act of violence on Pandora has doubly cursed him. He also must die every night (the way he killed her) and go to Hell – only to return the next day.

He knows when he runs into Ashley Darrow that it would be bad news for him to keep her. But she won’t leave. She has her own secrets. Can she help him get past his inner demons? Can Violence truly be stopped??

What did you think about the book?

I can’t wait to see how this works out. The book definitely came to a conclusion that was satisfactory but to see what happens next can make or break this series. I am so glad that several other books in the series are out so that I can get my fix.

It is just plain fun. I wasn’t sure if I would like the “dark” side of these Lords. I thought at first they would have to get them removed to survive and love. But it doesn’t look like that is the case..

What genre would you consider this?
Paranormal Romance

Overall:

When Will There Be Good News

When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson

What was this book about?

You start by meeting Joanna Mason. She is a small child with a simple life. Then tragedy strikes. She is forced to live with the violence that occurred to her as a small child for the rest of her life. She has to think about what she would have done differently if she could have.

Joanna has grown up and become a doctor – helping out those in need. She has a loving husband and a child of her own that she dotes on. She has a babysitter 16 year old Reggie who loves the child as if it is her own. What Joanna doesn’t realize is that Reggie’s life isn’t what it seems to be.

Meanwhile Jackson Brodie is trying to find what is missing in his life (is it a child, himself, what could it be). He is a victim of a freak train accident that brings him into all of their lives.

So many people with lives that seem to be on a specific path – when all of a sudden their paths merge and they must chose what happens next.

What did you think about the book?

For me this is the perfect book club book. Why? It is definitely interesting enough to keep you wanting to read, has a touch of mystery, a touch of learning about human insight, and just generally is an easy read. At the same time there is so much more then just the surface when thinking about this book.

Now it is a little dark and depressing. It isn’t a feel good book where finishing it makes you feel like the sun is shining and all is right in the world. But I don’t think that it takes away from the book – in fact I think it adds to it.

What genre would you consider this?
Fiction

Overall:

Not Quite a Mom

Not Quite a Mom by Kristen Sawyer

What was this book about?

Elizabeth Castle is finally moving towards what she wants in life. She moved away from her small town and didn’t look back. She is on TV, has a boyfriend who finally proposed and things are going her way. But it doesn’t last long – she finds out that a very old friend who she hasn’t talked to in years has died and left her – her teenage daughter.

Elizabeth wasn’t ready for this. Her fiancé dumps her. She doesn’t know what to do with a teenager. She wants her old life back.

Meanwhile old high school date turned lawyer Buck is here to help her get through it all. Can he make her realize this new life is what she wants – not her old one?

What did you think about the book?

Some things I very much enjoyed about this book. This includes things like the fact that if you drop a child into someone’s life who hasn’t had children in it – it isn’t just roses. In fact it affects everything in your life and can destroy the things that you most wanted. So it isn’t just the death of a friend and guiding a young person through their own difficulties – but so much more.

I have to say though that I thought Buck was a wimp. He hadn’t seen his high school crush in years but was willing to let her walk all over him. I don’t know why he would ever keep wanting to be a part of her life when he heard about her stalking adventures with her ex. Yes she has redeeming qualities – but he hasn’t seen them in years. So why hold onto that. I was surprised that reality didn’t shock him into something.

What genre would you consider this?
Romance

Overall: :

The Touch of Twilight

The Touch of Twilight by Vicki Pettersson (The Third Sign of the Zodiac)

What was this book about?

We again find the Archer doing what she is supposed to do. Joanna who now pretends to be her half-sister Olivia is a agent of the Light. She is special though – she has both Light and Dark in her (her mother was an agent of the Light and her father is The Tulpa – the leader of the dark).

We find that things that Joanna has done before is affecting the agents of the Light. There is a prophesy that says she will turn towards her Dark side. She must prove to herself and the other agents of Light that it is not what she is doing.

Meanwhile old enemies are knocking at the door and trying to take out Ben. Ben was her lover in her former life as Joanna. He is also the father of the daughter she is trying to protect (by not letting anyone know about her). All this leads to a busy life.

What did you think about the book?

This is an interesting series with a very different sort of premise. So I have to say I was excited to see the next book in the series and where it would take us. While I enjoyed the book – I was a little disappointed to see the revelation of facts of how all this happened, where the mother is etc. We get some new ideas of how their world works but generally speaking we just didn’t move that much forward in this book.

Would I recommend it? Yes. I will say while I enjoy the series it is one of those that I feel dark when it is finished. Almost a little dirty. It isn’t that it is bad – just not anywhere in it is a feel good moment. Even those are awash with pain, suffering, and regret.

What genre would you consider this?
Paranormal

Overall:

Frostbite

Frostbite by Richelle Mead (A Vampire Academy Novel)

What was this book about?

We return to Rose and Lissa at the Vampire Academy. Rose is still out to protect her best friend Lissa. Lissa is living a complicated life trying to figure out how to best user her “spirit” powers without hurting herself. Meanwhile Rose is trying to balance her jealousy of Lissa and Christian’s romance. Christian is taking up all of Lissa’s time.

When the Moroi royal families begin to be murdered by Strigoi in attacks that are unusual everyone in the Academy and many of their families escape to a ski trip.

Can the Gaurdians stop the Strigoi? Before anyone else gets hurt?

What did you think about the book?

I ran home to read this book after finishing Vampire Academy and I wasn’t disappointed. I couldn’t wait to see more into Lissie and Rose’s world. A touch of paranormal, a touch of love, a touch of teenage angst, and throw in a touch of mystery about what is happening and you can’t help but love it.

What genre would you consider this?
Paranormal

Overall:

Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (A Vampire Academy Novel)

What was this book about?

Rose Hathaway is dhampir – and a guardian of the Moroi. And she has picked which Moroi she will protect when she gets older, best friend Lissa, a Moroi queen. Lissa and Rose have a bond that was forged years before that allow Rose to step into Lissa’s mind.

Moroi and Strigoi are both vampires – Moroi are living, breathing, blood drinkers who do not kill. Stirgoi have turned to the dark side, they are blood drinking (and killing) immortals. It is a gaurdian’s job to protect the Moroi from the Strigoi.

Something weird is going on at the Vampire Academy. Someone seems to want to hurt Lissa. But who? And why? Is it a so-called harmless teenage trick or something more? Rose must figure it out all the while fighting her attraction for Dimitri her tudor.


What did you think about the book?

Great! I don’t know why I took so long to read it. An interesting and unusual take on vampires which kept me interested while giving me enough to go on.

These are the sort of books that make me happy to read books marketed as “Teen” when I am definitely past that point in my life. Yes, it has an audience that is younger, but it doesn’t protect them in telling a story of love, passion, violence, and hate.

What genre would you consider this?
Paranormal

Overall:

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything

All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle
Brown

What was this book about?

Janice Miller thinks that today is going to be a great day. Her husband Paul’s business will be going on the stock market and they have earned millions upon millions, more money then she can even conceive. Then she gets a letter from Paul explaining he will be divorcing her (and oh yeah she doesn’t get any of the money).

Her 20-something daughter comes home to help her through these difficult times. What Janice doesn’t realize is that Margaret is really home to escape her own problems.

Her teenage daughter Lizzie is having a difficult time fitting in. She is mistaking sex for love and it has begun to give her a reputation. But this of course is all something her mother doesn’t know.

Each woman must work out her own problems and yet turn to the others for when she needs support.

What did you think about the book?

It was an interesting take on how life is not really all it seems to be. Sometimes we rely on things that we take for granted, and it doesn’t mean that it is best for us or for our life.

Seeing things from three different age perspectives is interesting in this book. The teen who tries her best to fit in. The 20-something who wants to be independent but has found things in her life going out of control. And the Mother who thought her life was what she wanted so these changes take some adjusting.

What genre would you consider this?
Summer Read

Overall: