Sienna Jensen had no plans to return home when she graduated college last spring—after all, her dreams lie in California. But when she discovers her grandmother’s Nashville home has been foreclosed, and the new owner has started the eviction process, Sienna has no other choice but go back to Music City. And she comes face to face with the flawed, gorgeous man she never thought she’d see again. The man who now holds the deed to her grandma’s estate. When millionaire rock star Lucas Wolfe finds the outspoken redhead glaring at him from across a courtroom, he’s both infuriated and intrigued. He still can’t get the night Sienna almost spent with him out of his mind, and the chemistry between them is as undeniable as it was two years ago. He craves Sienna more than ever. And just like everything Lucas hungers for, he’s determined to have her. Now, Lucas will do whatever it takes to lure Sienna into his bed, even if that means making a deal with her: ten days with him, playing by his rules, and he’ll hand over the deed to her grandmother’s home. Though she agrees to the arrangement, Sienna is conflicted. Because of her duty to her family. Because of promises she’s made to herself and a past that still haunts her. And as Lucas’s game of seduction continues, and Sienna is introduced to his dark, erotic world and even darker background, she realizes that at any moment, she could be devoured.Sienna Jensen had no plans to return home when she graduated college last spring—after all, her dreams lie in California. But when she discovers her grandmother’s Nashville home has been foreclosed, and the new owner has started the eviction process, Sienna has no other choice but go back to Music City. And she comes face to face with the flawed, gorgeous man she never thought she’d see again. The man who now holds the deed to her grandma’s estate. When millionaire rock star Lucas Wolfe finds the outspoken redhead glaring at him from across a courtroom, he’s both infuriated and intrigued. He still can’t get the night Sienna almost spent with him out of his mind, and the chemistry between them is as undeniable as it was two years ago. He craves Sienna more than ever. And just like everything Lucas hungers for, he’s determined to have her. Now, Lucas will do whatever it takes to lure Sienna into his bed, even if that means making a deal with her: ten days with him, playing by his rules, and he’ll hand over the deed to her grandmother’s home. Though she agrees to the arrangement, Sienna is conflicted. Because of her duty to her family. Because of promises she’s made to herself and a past that still haunts her. And as Lucas’s game of seduction continues, and Sienna is introduced to his dark, erotic world and even darker background, she realizes that at any moment, she could be devoured.
It is amazing how much Ben Franklin did in his long life. I am not sure there is any part of life that he did not explore and conquer. He was an inventor, a scientist, a statesman, a diplomat, an educator, an author and so much more. Many of the things we use in every day life can be attributed to Franklin. Many of the institutions and concepts we rely on were first suggested by Franklin. If there is any man who is responsible for our way of life it might be Franklin. He is an amazing historical figure. This biography does a great job of breaking his life down into its most important eras. I loved all the information and the sidebars the author provided not just about Franklin, but life during his time period.
This book was a Sibert Honor Book and an Orbis Pictus Honor Book in 2013.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were two of our founding fathers. They could not have been more different yet they believed in the same thing…an independent America. Together they helped this country become free and were both presidents. They even died on the same day. I think their story is an interesting one and this book does a great job of illustrating the time period and their friendship. The illustrations are wonderful and very child friendly. The entire book read like a Saturday morning special…School House Rocks maybe. 2013 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children honor book.
Why were people warned to not go on Superstition Mountain? Was there really a lost gold mine there? Whose skulls were lined up on the ledge? Simon, Henry, and Jack couldn’t pass up the temptation to explore and had a very exciting adventure. Looking for historical information in the library introduced them to a new neighbor, Delilah, who also wanted to explore. Unfortunately, she had an accident on the mountain, which led to finding a hidden canyon and another mystery. This was an exciting book that was hard to put down (even as an aging adult).
Book 13 in the Morganville series and Rachel Caine is back on her game. After a couple of books in the series seeming to drag, this one flew by and had several surprises and concentrates on Claire and her relationships and her feelings of growing up.
Fairy Tale Comics takes several old tales and translates them into graphic format. The tales include Puss in Boots, 12 Dancing Princesses, Baba Yaga and many many more. I like the graphic format and think it works really well for fairy tales. However, I feel like some of these tales have been shortened or abridged or just plain changed. It kind of seems like that takes away some of the magic of the tales. I think the illustrations are outstanding though. They are diverse and really fit each of the tales. I wish the narrative was as good as the pictures, but this is a fun quick read and a good introduction to fairy tales.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers on Netgalley.com.
Sybella has been living with the d’Albert family for six months now. The only reason she took this mission was the promise from the abbess that d’Albert would be marqued and she would be able to kill him. But he isn’t marked and she gets a new assignment. She must rescue the Beast of Worloch before d’Albert kills him. Of course things don’t go as planned and Sybella finds herself on the run with Beast instead of killing d’Albert. Once Sybella gets Beast back to the Duchess she becomes part of the inner circle. How far will Sybella go to protect the Duchess? What will the others think when they find out her secrets? And most importantly, will Beast forgive her all the lies she has told?
I really enjoy this series. It is so different, part historical fiction, part fantasy, and a whole lot of fun. Grave Mercy was very intriguing with a convent of assassins and political intrigue. This is a much more intimate story. It is Sybella’s story. We find out what sent her to the convent in the first place, her tragic family story and how she questions herself and the darkness within her. This is her story of redemption and triumph over her dark beginnings. She embraces who she is and in the process finds herself and her future. I loved Sybella’s journey, especially since it involved Beast who is just awesome. I really can’t wait for the next book.
A city girl. A small town boy. A summer they’ll never forget. Spending the summer at her Grammy’s in Lilac Bay, Devon, is city girl Alexis ‘Lexy’ Edwards’ idea of hell. That is, until she reconnects with her childhood friend, Jen, and meets Alec Johnson. Alec is the kind of guy Lexy knows she needs to stay away from. He’s the village flirt, ridiculously hot and very dangerous to her self control. But there’s a problem – she can’t seem to keep him out, even though she knows he’ll break her heart. As Alec slowly strips away Lexy’s defences and the two embark on a summer romance she never wanted, their feelings grow to more than either expected. But nothing lasts forever, and reality intrudes. As her world is shaken to it’s core, Lexy’s self made prediction comes true when she discovers she’s spent six weeks surrounded by secrets. Kept out by her family and the only guy she’s ever trusted, she falls apart. And when Grammy tells her that ‘you might not end up where you wanted to be, but you’ll always end up where you’re meant to be,’ she has to figure out if her meant to be is back home in London, or if it’s been in Devon the whole time.
Death…the final rider of the apocalypse. Breath is the story of Death, but also the story of life. Death has never been like the other riders. He isn’t human even though he takes a human shape. He doesn’t feel things like we do, but today he is feeling like the end is near. He is ready to say goodbye to the world and the world needs to get ready to say goodbye. The other riders are concerned of course. What happens when Death dies? He is the source of all life not just death so can the world continue without him? This is also the story of Xander, a young man in love and ready to start his life. Or is he?
This series is a great one. I love that it tells a different kind of story. It makes you think and it is fun to read. I have enjoyed each and everyone of these books. I really enjoyed that we got Death’s backstory in this book. He has been a fascinating character throughout the series, but one we hardly knew. Now that we know him, he is just as fascinating. I liked that this book resolved all the other Horsemen storylines. We do know what happened to them in the end.
Xander’s story is a little confusing. You have no idea what is really going on until the very end. You keep getting hints and flashes of things, but it doesn’t all tie together. I loved his interactions with Death and how that turned out though.
The ending? What happened here? I am not going to spoil it, but it does leave you with big question marks.
I loved this book. Everyone knows that John Wilkes Booth killed Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater, but I never the story behind the assassination or the plot to kill him. This was a very fast read and I learned so much more about this event in history than I ever knew before. Bill O’Reilly is correct when he states that every American should know the story of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This book gets a 4-Star rating from me!
Mary Oliver’s poems are alright but she’s definitely not my favorite poet.
Great poems and a fast read!
A horrible family tragedy that may not be what it seems . . A past encounter with an infamous killer turns deadly today . . . An ordinary man must risk his own family to find the truth. Jay Erlich’s nephew has been found at the bottom of a cliff at Morrow Bay. It’s all just a tragic suicide, until secrets from the past begin to rear up again. Did a notorious killer, jailed for many decades, have his hand in this? Years ago, Jay Erlich’s older brother, Charlie, a wayward child of the sixties, set out for California, where he fell under the sway of a charismatic but deeply disturbed cultlike figure. Tragedy ensued and lives were destroyed, but as the decades passed, Charlie married and raised a family and lived a quiet, secluded life under the radar. Yet the demons that nearly destroyed him never completely disappeared. When Jay heads out west to help his grieving brother, he is pulled back into Charlie’s past-and begins to suspect that his nephew’s suicide may not have been that at all. With eyes wide open, Jay puts his own life at risk to uncover the truth, a quest that goes beyond the edge of madness and a family haunted by a secret past . . . and into the depths of evil. Drawing on two real-life experiences from his own past, Gross has crafted a richly personal, yet utterly terrifying tale of two brothers, one successful, one wayward, trying to bridge the gap of what tore them apart.
15 seconds can tear your life apart . . .
Henry Steadman didnt know what was about to hit him when he pulled up to a red light. A successful Florida plastic surgeon, he is in town to deliver a keynote address at a conference when suddenly his life becomes an unrelenting chase to stay alive.
Stopped by the police for a minor traffic violation, the situation escalates and he is pulled from his vehicle, handcuffed and told he is under arrest. Several other police cars arrive and the questioning turns scary, but just as Henry is released and about to move on, a blue sedan pulls up and the officer is suddenly killed. As the car speeds away, there is only one suspect left behind-Henry. In that moment, his idyllic life becomes a free fall into hell as he becomes the target of a police manhunt, as well as being pursued by a cunning, unnamed perpetrator bent on some kind of vengeance.
When Henry turns to a close friend for help, and he, too, ends up dead, Henry realizes hes being elaborately framed. But in a chilling twist, the stakes grow even darker, and he is unable to go to the police to clear his name, without bringing on dire and deadly consequences.
With breakneck pacing and nonstop action, 15 Seconds shows what can happen when even the best life is turned upside down in an instant. It is also the story of an innocent man, framed for murder, who has to save the person he loves the most, all while being drawn closer and closer to an inevitable face-to-face standoff with a man determined to destroy his life.
Kate Raab’s life seems almost perfect: her boyfriend, her job, her family . . . until her father runs into trouble with the law. His only recourse is to testify against his former accomplices in exchange for his family’s placement in the Witness Protection Program. But one of them gets cold feet. In a flash, everything Kate can count on is gone. Now, a year later, her worst fears have happened: Her father has disappeared-into what the WITSEC agency calls “the blue zone”-and someone close to him is found brutally murdered. With her family under surveillance, the FBI untrustworthy, and her father’s menacing “friends” circling with increasing intensity, Kate sets off to find her father-and uncover the secrets someone will kill to keep buried.
“I have a proposition for you…” Kacey should have run the minute those words left Seattle millionaire Jake Titus’s mouth. Instead, she made a deal with the devil in hopes of putting her past behind her once and for all. Four days. She could do four days! But she wasn’t counting Jake’s older brother Travis being there to witness their farce of an engagement. One thing is for certain. One brother is right for her. One wants a lifetime. And one is in league with the devil. She should have gotten Jake’s signature in blood. * This is a New Adult novel. There is mild profanity and some sexual content.
Twelve-year-old Raine spends the summer at a mysterious artists colony and discovers a secret about her past.
I really think that this is going to be my favorite Mark Twain nominee. The characters were all so real and the storyline rolled out at a nice pace. Sometimes authors try to stuff things into their stories as they are reaching the end so it feels too rushed. I thought that Raine’s personality as an only child trying to deal with all the upheaval was well done, she is a very grounded character, not flighty like some authors might make their characters when dealing with similar plots. Very well done.
The further adventures of druid, Atticus O’Sullivan, his apprentice Granuaile and faithful wolfhound, Oberon. For twelve years Atticus has been training Granuaile and the world believes he has died. Now that he has to come out into the open to bind Granuaile to the earth and complete her training as a druid a whole host of supernatural beings are upset that he’s still alive.
Growing up in the country is never easy, but it sure is funny–especially if you happen to have a sister obsessed with being glamorous, a grandma just discovering make-up, hippie friends who never shower, and brand new neighbors from the city who test everyone’s patience.
I loved April Grace! Having been the older sister, I can’t see her view of what’s it’s like to be the younger sister, but I loved her sarcasm when dealing with her sister. And as a kid, she is rather invisible and dismissed by adults when overhearing and seeing things they think are secret. Very good book, I can’t wait for the next one.
A collection of poems that start with the thoughts of our murder victim, high school teacher, Mr. Chippendale, right before his untimely demise. Each poem that follows is the thoughts or police interview with students, teachers, neighbors and the police detectives themselves. The finale poem reveals who the murderer is with clues along the way in the poems to point you in that direction.