The Breakaway Review

Summary from Goodreads: When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, it takes her parents two days to realize she's missing. Escape isn't high on her list of priorities when all she has to return to is an abusive boyfriend and parents who never paid much attention to her. For the first time in her life she's part of a family-even if it is a family of criminals. But she's still a captive. In a desperate attempt to regain some control in her life, Naomi embarks on a dangerous plan to make one of her kidnappers think she's falling in love with him. The plan works too well, and when faced with the chance to escape, Naomi isn't sure she wants to take it.

"What is freedom without happiness?"-The Breakaway

My thoughts:
Let me just start off by saying, wow. The Breakaway captivated me from the very beginning until the very end. It was heartbreaking, bittersweet, beautiful and real. Not that I have ever been in this kind of situation before but I might as well have been. I felt so in tune to the story and all of the characters in it.

As many of you have read from the summary above, this is a story about a kidnapping and finding love in an unlikely place. In psychology, Stockholm syndrome is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them.
I find Stockholm's Syndrome fascinating which is probably why I enjoyed this story.

The story starts off in a motel room where we meet our main character Naomi. She wakes up and is questioned from one of her kidnappers, Jesse. Who is surprisingly quite gentle for being a kidnapper. Naomi's words, not mine. Well not her exact words, but you get the gist. We then meet her other kidnapper, Eric, who is a lot more aggressive than Jesse is. If it were up to him, he would have had her killed right already.

What made me sad about Naomi was how her she wasn't leaving anything behind, her parents were absent most of her life and her boyfriend was an abusive jerk. So seeing as she had a crappy life before, me as a reader, did not think it could not get any worse. And I was wrong, sort of. It didn't get worse but it didn't necessarily get better. Her captors cared for her and loved her more than anyone ever has before. They paid attention to her and tried as best as they could to make her happy and comfortable. The only problem was  they took away her freedom.

Right off the bat I felt a pull to Jesse. I loved his character and the overall depth of him. He had flaws and seeing him through Naomi's eyes, you can't help but to fall in love with him along with her. I also enjoyed the other three characters. There is Eric, Steve, and Evie. Which by the way, Evie is great. Her and Eric are brother and sister while Evie is a wife to Steve. With the exception of Eric(sometimes) I thoroughly enjoyed the characters. Their story is sad.

You also might find that this has a bunch of twists that I did not see coming, but you will have to read the book to find that out :)

I am letting you know again how powerful The Breakaway is and how deeply it has touched my heart. I know this is melodramtic but I do not think I can possibly wait until Febuary for the next book. I NEED to know what happens. A great story with even better charaters. You will not want to miss this!

Tiger Lily Review

*Goodreads Blurb*
Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

 *My Thoughts*
      Okay I have to admit, I have never been much of a Peter Pan fan. I've never even seen the Disney adaptation of the film. The closest I ever got to seeing a Peter Pan tale was the movie Hook with Robin Williams. Pan was just never interesting enough for me. I was more of a Beauty and the Beast kinda gal. Then as I got older I got into romance and horror. So Peter Pan never crossed my mind much. Until now that is, when I was able to get my hands on an ARC of Tiger Lily, courtesy of HarperCollins via Twitter.

      What caught my eye about Tiger Lily was the fact that it was a fairytale retelling and I love those. Sure I was familiar with the story of Peter Pan even though I never read it, but it being told in a new light. I just had to see what it was all about. I was mighty glad I did too, because I loved the story and it may have pushed me to want to finally read the original tale.


      I really adored how Tinkerbell was the narrator and it made me want a fairy for some odd reason. Tink was loyal, spunky, and downright cute. It is then that we are introduced to Tiger Lily. Tink is intrigued with her and starts following her around everywhere. I honestly could not connect with her. Maybe that was the author's point but T.L was a hard person to like. Sure she was brave and independent and I liked that about her but I just could not connect with her on a personal level.


    Pan and the lost boys were awesome times ten. They were fun, funny, and an all around amazing group of boys. There is nothing more than I can say because I wouldn't know how to explain, you just need to read the book to understand. Peter and Tiger Lily's relationship was, how can I say this...awkward? He was loving in his own way but I wish that she showed him a bit more affection. Maybe if she had, it wouldn't have ended the way it did.


   But of course, what kind of book would that be if he ended up with Tiger Lily? Would that not change everything about the tale in the first place? (I will know soon enough when I read the original book)


   The imagery and imagination put into Neverland was endearing. It would not necessarily be a place I would like to live in but it was beautiful all the same. Plus there are mermaids and pirates! If you are looking for a light hearted and fun read, Tiger Lily is for you. I laughed and I cried, yes I cried. It was bittersweet. Do not let that stop you from reading though, it is such a good story. 


I highly recommend!!


Tiger Lily will be out tomorrow. Make sure to hit your local bookstore and buy the book:)
      

Intangible Review by author J. Meyers

Goodreads Summary:
Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift. Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.




My Thoughts:
 My first thought when I read the summary was yay,twins! And they even like eachother! I am so used to those Delaurentis(spell check)twins from Pretty Little Liars that I am skeptical about all twins now a days.
But luckily I did not have to worry about psycho twins:) In fact these Sera and Luke are great.
 What I liked most about them is that they have special powers. As you have read above, she can heal with the touch of her hand, while he can see into the future.

It is bas enough that they have to keep it a secret. Like all great secrets though, they all must be found out sooner or later. Am I right? On top of that Luke has a vision of Sera dying. His love for his sister is what keeps the secret, well a secret. Anything that involves paranormals is just awesome. I love the possibility of it all and also the imagination. Intangible was just that, imagination and full of the paranormals! I can't possibly say enough about how much I loved it. ( Not to mention this is the second time writing this review since I lost it through blogger and I also deleted the review from my computer)Yes I know, smart. The characters and the plot are nicely done and the climax, wow. If only the sequel was out now:) Action, romance, and suspense, what more could you want?! Plus kick butt heroes, it makes it a great story that you rarely want to see end. That's for sure. All you need to know is that Intangible is great. That I do remember!

It is a great start to a book series, well I hope it makes it as a series or I might scream. There is a prequel book called Intution. I have not yet read it but I hear it is good to start off with that book!

Such A Rush Review by @JenniferEchols

Goodread Summary:
A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.    

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business — until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers — and the consequences could be deadly.

My Thoughts:
Wow, that was amazing, was my first thoughts after finishing Such a Rush. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of the book and I waited a couple of weeks before I read it. After reading the book I went on to buy three more books from Echols and I have not been disappointed yet. Her stories make you fall in love and I love falling in love! Jennifer Echols is one of my new favorite authors.

Such a Rush...was, okay I am going to be corny, it was such a rush. Leah works at an airport as a receptionist. But she wants more, she wants to become a pilot. Now when I first got the book in the mail, I honestly was not too excited. Airplanes and the career of being a pilot are of no interest to me what so ever. Of course I had not read Echols yet, so I had no idea how addicting her books coud be. 


Let's just say, piloting does not seem so bad anymore. I would never do it because my number one fear is heights but it is still cool that Leah is pilot.
 Leah is from a home where she has to take care of herself and her mother. In my opinion, her mother is a loser and I feel bad for Leah. I hate crappy parents. I have great parents, so I guess I just assume all of them are like that. But I know not all parents are great and it makes me a little bit sad.


I fell in love with the characters, every single one of them. Grayson and Molly were the only ones who got on my nerves every now and then. I just wanted to shake them at times! Alec was so sweet and Leah was a strong, independent woman. Grayson and Alec are definitely book boyfriend material.


The romance made me swoon. I am not even kidding. I would be reading and then out of no where I would be smiling real big. I LOVED it. With two beautiful boys who want you, what is there not to like about that? Okay so I admit SOME love triangles are okay. This one for instance between Grayson and Alec and Leah. 

I read The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy in one day last week. The love triangle in that book broke my heart and I was a blue for about a day because of it. Love triangles like that always remind me of why I hate them so much. Maybe it was because it hit too close to home with being with the wrong person. If you have not yet read those books, don't take my opinion on the love triangle too seriously. The books were amazing, they really were. It was real and beautiful.

But I PROMISE you will not get that kind of love triangle in Such A Rush! In fact there is a big twist.
I am gonna end on that note:)

Such A Rush comes out July 10 in bookstores near you. Don't hesitate to buy it because you will ot be disappointed! Those of you who have read Jennifers works before and loved her, this book is for you. I promise you it is fantastic!

Florence By Ciye Cho

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Florence Waverley is out of her depth. Literally. Kidnapped and taken below the waves to the mer world of Niemela, she is the ultimate gift for merman Prince Kiren: a human familiar tied to his side. But nothing is what it seems amid the beauty and danger of a dark ocean.

Every Niemelan has a role to play, from the mermaids who weave towers out of kelp to the warriors who fight sea monsters. But in trying to survive, Florence will end up in the middle of a war between the mer and the Darkness. A conflict that will push her between two brothers: Kiren, the charmer inexplicably drawn to both her and the monsters; and Rolan, the loner who has been pushing her away since the day they met. But in order to take a stand--and find out where she belongs--Florence will have to risk it all: her life, her heart... and her very soul.

My thoughts:
When I first started reading Florence, I was excited due to the fact it was about mermaids. Mermaids are the "new" vampire so to speak. I don't know what it is abut mermaids that I find so intriguing but for some odd reason they have a place right smack dab in the middle of my heart.

I like Florence for many many reasons. I also dislike some things, not many, but enough to bug me. Let's start what I like about the book.

Florence Waverly is a loner, who doesn't quite fit in with anyone. With a mother who hardly pays attention to her and father she lost due to cancer, she is very much alone. Right there, I could relate to her. I still have both my parents thank God, and they both love me very much. I feel lonely in different ways than Florence.

As you have read from the summary above, she gets kidnapped but none other than mermaids themselves. Right off the bat we meet the characters that will be an influence on Florence. First is Prince Kiren, Princess Yolee, and Prince Rolan. Such strong, amazing characters.

Now here is where I get to the part I disliked. I did not like Florence too much in the begininng. She was immature, and to me she seemed younger than she was. But I think that is exactly what Mr.Cho wanted us to think because she grew throughtout the book into a strong young women. Headstrong and indpendent, such a lovely combination. Okay, so I didn't have too much to complain on:)

The imaginary world that was created was magical. I can see it being a real world some where deep in the ocean that we can't get access to. The possiblities are endless and that to me is just amazing. I have no idea if there is a second book but I really hope there is with the way the book ended. It was just too good.

Of course what kind of book would it be without some romance!? There is definitely some sparks going off with a certain prince, or two. Hahah. I guess you have to read the book to find that out for yourself which prince it ends up being.

Florence is for the readers who love action, some family drama, imaginary worlds you can only read about in books, and romance. Beautifully written and full of some great characters, I look forward to reading more about Florence and gang.

Hym and Hur Review by Phillip Frey

Hym and Hur 

Summary:
Hym and Hur are a young couple who never age and have been in love for more than a century. They also possess an array of magical abilities, two of which are either to play pranks on humankind or to perform good deeds. Enacting both at the same time is now what gets them into trouble, especially since it's the unruly character of Death they must deal with to bring their plans to fruition.

The prank Hym and Hur have come up with must first be agreed upon by Death, who happens to be a rambunctious, difficult character. Once agreed upon, the prank is set in motion. Hym and Hur soon discover Death had tricked them into a contract with dire consequences for all of us.

During their attempt to break the contract, Hym and Hur try to save the relationship of an earthbound couple, knowing they are truly meant for each other. A good deed that will bring Hym and Hur even more trouble.

My Review:
       I want to start off by saying how much I adore the title. It is a clever play on the words "him" and "her". I wish I could be that clever... Anyway...  I was contacted a few days ago by Mr. Frey to read and review this sweet story. Normally I don't read short stories because let's face it, I like big thick novels with 350 plus pages. But the story seemed like a good one, so I accepted his offer.
      I was pleasantly surprised while reading the first few pages and I really enjoyed Hym and Her. They were different and definitely people I wish I could meet. I was able to finish the story while on my lunch break at work. I quickly sent Phillip an email telling him that I was enjoying it very much. 
      My favorite character by far was Death himself. He was even more of a prankster than Hym and Hur. Plus he was funny and sarcastic. I feel comfortable around that because I am a little bit like that... Well only when I feel like it. Whatever the case, I wanted to see more of Death. There just was not enough of him. He mainly played behind the scenes. 
      Another character I really enjoyed was Archie. I felt he was as real as they come. A struggling artist who doesn't give up. Good things come to those who wait. I like his spunk and if there was a spin off book about him, I would be quick to pick it up.
     WHAT I did NOT enjoy...
I wish the story was longer! I would have loved hearing more stories from Hym and Hur's past. They seemed to have led an interesting life. Backstory, there's the word. I want more backstory on the two! Like why are they the way they are? Maybe I missed something?? I dont know but I would just like to know more.


Final VERDICT!

I loved it. If you are looking for a short and fun read, this is the story for you. It is funny and cute. What more could you want? 

Lastly, I'd like to thank Phillip Frey for allowing me to read and review his book. It was a pleasure doing business with you sir! 

     

Pulse of Heroes Review

Summary:
"WINNER OF 2011 INDIE BOOK OF THE YEAR!!!! At Paranormal Reads!
A suspenseful, passionate, paranormal romance that sweeps through the emotions of first love and heartache as it traverses centuries and continents.

Michelle used to feel like she was behind in everything, especially school and relationships. Her great aunt from the old country says she is like a bland meal, "no salt or pepper". But in junior year, everything changes. Her father takes a position on the Town Council, a popular boy in school becomes interested in her, and most importantly, the Hekademos Learning Center, a private school for 'troubled' students, moves into her quiet neighborhood amidst the protests of the entire town.

After an embarrassing fall over the school wall, Michelle meets Elliot and her ordinary ‘bland’ life changes its course forever.

Elliot is no ordinary human. In fact, no one at the Hekademos Learning Center is. Beautiful and fierce, they have survived throughout the millennia by weaving in and out of human events. Through them, Michelle learns that history and myths from around the world are dotted with references to their kind. Michelle falls madly in love with the ever-striking and mysterious Elliot and, as much as he tries to fight it, he develops strong feelings for her as well. Although Elliot carries numerous painful memories from his many pasts, he disregards his own better judgment and the advice of his friends, and finds himself falling for Michelle‘s offbeat personality. Their feelings grow in intensity, but when History catches up with them, the difference between their life paths threatens to destroy any future that they might have had together.

Michelle learns that there are infinite shades of gray between black and white, and has to deal with the bundle of contradictory emotions called love. She has to trust her intuition in order to face the danger and uncertainty of being drawn into Elliot’s wondrous world. Ultimately, it is up to Michelle to make the split-second, life-altering decision that will either tear them apart forever, or give them another chance."

Review:
I have very MIXED feelings about Pulse of Heroes. For the most part it was very slow starting out. And the first couple of chapters dragged on and on. I was about ready to give up because it seriously bored me to pieces. But I love books and I hate leaving them unfinished.

Good thing I decided to finish it too, because it was GREAT. I am so happy that I kept going and read more about Michelle and Elliot. Ahhh, Elliot. I really started to like him more and more as the pages flew by. The way the love started out was very sweet. I now get why the story developed as "slow" as I thought it did.

The cover is absolutely beautiful and mysterious. I love love love it! I so judge books by their covers and this one did not disappoint. The story was great and the cover was too. I can't possibly wait until the next book comes out!!!!