Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Reaper by Kristi R. Johnson

Book Description:
Ana "Reaper" Keating has moved onto the Hugo Liberal Arts College campus, forty minutes away from her hometown. Dorm life will be incredibly different from her life in the cave at the quarry. Not only will there be reliable air conditioning and a roommate, but Reaper also believes she will no longer be threatened by the powerful and wealthy Goldwater family that adopted her mother, Sue, when she was a child. Neither Reaper nor her father, Jim, like to talk about Sue's death. And Mr. Paul, the Goldwater patriarch, still blames Jim for what happened 16 years ago.

When Reaper learns that Mr. Paul's son, Ian, has also enrolled at HuLAC, she realizes that her days of dealing with the entitled and vengeful family are nowhere near over. It is Jim's worst nightmare, but it is also what he has been preparing Reaper for all of her life.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book.  Reaper is a new student in college and has moved onto campus.  Her father and she lived in a cave (literally) and now she is out of the house living with a roommate.  She has always known and been aware of Ian Goldwater, but thought she was getting away from all of the Goldwater family when going to college.  She was wrong.
I really enjoyed this author's writing style!  I thought this book was going to be more of a thriller but it wasn't that action packed, still it kept my attention throughout.  The idea of living in a cave, even if it was unbearably hot, is super cool.  I really liked all the characters in the book and the author kept me guessing at a lot of the plot twists.  Overall, I think I liked Reaper's dad the best just because he is so down to earth.
This was a 4/5 for me.  I will absolutely be watching for more from this author.

Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book (via RABT).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Anzard by Christopher Conroy

Displaying Anzard.jpgBook Description:
Ten-year-old Justin Cavell prays for his parents' safety as they fly a single-engine airplane through a treacherous storm. While Justin waits at home for good news with his grandparents, he discovers a mysterious comic book in his bedroom. The book, "The Path of Possibilities," will lead him on a journey that will test his inner strength and resources in magical ways beyond his wildest imaginings.

Justin is shocked to meet Poofy, an enchanted creature called an Anzard: part angel, part wizard. In an unexpected answer to Justin's prayers for help, Poofy leads Justin down the Path of Possibilities and into the strange new world of the planet Spiritania.

Justin and Poofy join forces with the Tribe of Truth, a gang of animal guides consisting of a turtle, an eagle, a chipmunk, and a strange goat-man named Billy. When the evil witch Nosefeen sends a swarm of Batflies to capture Poofy, Justin and the Tribe band together to rescue the Anzard. By listening to his inner voice and calling on his own reserves of courage and smarts, Justin has the chance to save Poofy "and" ensure the safety of his parents back on Earth.

My Thoughts:
This was a good children's fantasy book.  Justin is waiting with his grandparents and older sister for his parents plane to land safely and is going to read a strange comic book he found.  He prays for his parents and Poofy is he answer.  Poofy is a mix of angle and wizard going to help Justin in a strange world he finds himself in.  Together they go on a magical journey that will forever change him.
It took me a bit to get used to the writing style, but this really is a good book for kids.  Justin is just your average kid, but his parents are coming home and there is a bad storm so begins his strange and magical journey.  I liked Poofy!  The story was cute and I liked that there were lessons to be learned throughout the whole book.  
This was a 3/5 for me.  I do believe kids will enjoy it, but not to the level of YA.

Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book (via PUYB).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Jaguar Pride by Terry Spear

Book Description:

An impossible mission…
JAG Special Forces agents Huntley Anderson and Melissa Overton are hot on the trail of poachers when they’re suddenly saddled with two jaguar shifter cubs. They have to locate the parents, pronto—but who’s going to babysit in the meantime?

A lifetime of possibilities…
Huntley is a rough, tough jaguar shifter and an all-business agent, but he’s not going to let two abandoned youngsters come to any harm on his watch. Seeing her super-manly partner try to get the playful cubs under control stirs up some unexpected desires in Melissa, and she begins to feel like Huntley’s not the only one who’s in over his head…

My Thoughts:
This was a pretty good book.  Huntley and Melissa are JAG shifters teamed up to take down some poachers.  They manage to save the puma and her cubs but lose the ring leader.  Back on his trail, they quickly get caught up in problems with the assignment and each other.  Now, they have to rescue ones like them and keep cubs under the radar!
I liked both Huntley and Melissa.  They are both determined to get their job done, no matter what the cost and have some fun while doing it.  I had issues with their chemistry, you knew from the start they were attracted to each other and would wind up together but with both being in a relationship with other people, it was tough to swallow.  The story line flowed well and I did completely enjoy the secondary characters like Huntley's brother and mother.
It was a 3/5 for me.  Good, predictable read.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book (via netgalley).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

No Place to Hide by Lynette Eason

No Place to Hide (Hidden Identity, #3)Book Description:
It's not every day you see your childhood friend and one-time crush on national news. Jackie Sellers just wishes it were under different circumstances. She can't believe that Ian Lockwood is wanted in connection with a terrorist plot, and she's determined to find him and help him clear his name. But she's not the only one looking. The FBI wants him captured. The bad guys want him dead. Ian just wants to stay alive long enough to save thousands of innocent lives.

Lynette Eason throws readers right into the action from page one, propelling them along a dangerous road and asking the provocative question of how far we'd be willing to go if we were up against a wall.
 

My Thoughts:
I completely loved this book.  Jackie is determined to help her childhood friend Ian.  No matter what the news says, he is not a terrorist and she is going to help him prove it.  She wasn't expecting to be immediately dragged into a life or death race against time.  She also wasn't expecting the feelings she'd once had to still be very much there.  Now, they have to run and clear both their names while staying out of the clutches of those trying to kill them.
Jackie was great.  I loved that she and Ian's first interaction after years apart is a fight.  The fact that she was actively searching for him to help him while others were trying to kill him just shows how deeply she cared for him.  Her back story was sad and at points mysterious.  Ian was awesome.  He used to be a geekish guy but started working out and he had never gotten over Jackie.  The story was great.  All the secondary characters were woven perfectly into this story.
5/5 for sure.  I couldn't put this one down.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Tiny Bear's Bible

Book Description

Tiny Bear's Bible is a WARM, FRIENDLY, FURRY Bible for preschoolers with an irresistible message: GOD LOVES his children.
An adorable story Bible for kids 6 and under written by bestselling author Sally Lloyd-Jones. Tiny Bear's Bible is a warm, fuzzy reminder of how God loves his children - in a format that kids can cuddle. Together with their friend Tiny Bear, children discover eleven Bible stories in a book they can carry with them wherever they go. The closing story leaves us with this loving reminder: "No matter what, no matter where, God is with us, Tiny Bear." Sally Lloyd-Jones presents some of the most familiar Bible stories to children, which provides parents and grandparents lots of teachable, cuddly moments as they explore God's love together.

My Thoughts:
This was a good book for children.  This book has several Bible stories that are retold on a young child's level.  The pictures are colorful and go perfectly with the stories.  I read this to my three children (7, 4 & 4 months) and all three of them sat and listened.  The baby loved the feel of it and the older two listened intently to the stories.  Great for teaching young ones about God and different stories.
5/5 for young children.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of the book (via BookLook).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.