Hiii, there! I’m back from the dead and disappeared to talk about a book that I found out about thanks to the lovely Beth, at the Betwixt the Pages (go follow her, she’s awesome! Plus, she also read this book, giving you two different visions of it!), and that I couldn’t wait to start! I’m talking about Queens of Geek, from Jen Wilde ❤ I received my copy from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review during their book tour for Queens of Geek and here we go! Thanks, guys!!! (And a special hug to awesome Giselle <3)
Three friends. Two love stories. One convention.
Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.
Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.
Queens of Geek, an empowering young adult novel by Jen Wilde, is all about fandom, friendship, and finding the courage to be yourself.
Good night, people! Are you ready to rock?!! I hope so, as the book I’ll be reviewing Tonight r o c k e d my world ❤ I’m talking about the third book of the Kick series, from Lynda Aicher: The Farther He Runs! Please, on’t get sad that we are “already” on the review for book 3! All books in the Kick series can be read as standalones, so you can pick your favorite and devour it without worrying about losing content =D
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, so buckle your seatbelts and let’s do this! Thanks so much to Loveswept for my copy, I loved it!
Read here my reviews for the previous books in the series!
Finn’s survival and recovery from a tragic accident with his cousin and best friend ten months ago can only be described as miraculous. After many months spent into a comma and struggling to recover his movements and basic motor coordination, anyone would be happy to know they are alive.
Not Finn. His Marine pride insists on reminding him all that he had lost in the accident. His shape. His dignity. His best friend. Finn was now just a broken and shallow vessel of the man he used to be – the man he loved to be. And now his remaining best friend and long-term platonic crush, Tanner Dorsey, came home after deployment.
How is Finn supposed to look Tanner in the eye and feel worthy of his attention now?
If anyone ever cares to find out how a true bitch-slap from life can hurt, just ask Tanner Dorsey. After months with barely any communication outside the military world, Tanner comes home to find out one of his best friends is dead and the other, broken.
Tanner has mixed feelings about the tragic accident that took Chris’ life away. While his heart won’t stop bleeding for his best friend any time soon, it’s also his one in a million chance to show Finn, his platonic soul mate, that he is no lesser of a man for relying on others. For relaying on Tanner. However, how could he prove to Finn he would always be there for him?
How is Tanner supposed to convince Finn they could work together?
(alternative title: INTEGRITY, I’LL BE GOOD, BUT PLEASE DON’T LEAVE MEEEEE)
Good night, lovelies! I know you all are too gracious to have ever noticed, but I can be slightly crazy sometimes – for example, I was sure that Last Wish, the fourth and last book in the Highland Magic series (#tears), from my goddess Helen Harper, would only be published on Dec. 6th. Guess what? THE DEAL IS TODAY!
I don’t even know why I thought it was on the 6th! Honestly, I wonder what goes on inside my mind most of the time, ugh. Point is, you all get to see my opinion on this wonderful (spoiler?) conclusion sooner! Helen sent me a copy of Last Wish in exchange for an honest review and here we go!
Oh, no, scratch that, please. First, in case you aren’t living on the same world as I haven’t checked out my reviews for the previous books in the series, you can do it first:
When Integrity Aidar decided to play dead for the sake of her master plan to bring down her sworn enemy, Aifric Moncrieffe, no one told her the deed would be so. Annoying. Do you know how hard it is to run a reform without being able to be seen by pretty much anyone outside your clan? Integrity can tell you: a pain in the ass.
And let’s not forget the damn prophecy that dictates she’ll save the world. Or the fact that her crush, Byron, seems to be already arranging a weeding despite just watching Integrity ‘die’. Talk about a turn off in the relationship.
Among so many uncertainties and pressure, there is only one thing Integrity knows for sure: she is so screwed.
Hi, there! Today I bring you a review for the second book in the Kiss Kill Love Him Still series, from goddesses Jamie Blair & Dawn Rae Miller, Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness 😀 After a lot of begging on my part (I’m just kidding), YA Bound Book Tours was awesome enough to give me a copy in exchange for an honest review, haha! After my undying love for the first, I knew the second would be just as a blast and I wasn’t disappointed, haha!
from my Instagram 🙂
Reggie, Haddie, Livie and Val. Four girls with only one thing in common: the desire to uncover Jackson Landis’ murderer.
Jackson Landis had dirt on all of them, but apparently, he wasn’t the only one. Someone that calls themselves The Fifth leaked Val’s secret to her parents with awful consequences.
Now the four girls have to find a way to trust each other and work together for the sake of the case, as the police is getting nowhere with official investigations. Val has nothing else to loose, but her best friend is still dead. Reggie is determinate to forget that she once loved Jackson and to be a new person. Haddie needs to know what happened to the only boy she truly loved to this day. Livie is hell bent on going until the bottle of Jackson’s lies and find out who really was her childhood boyfriend.
The game keeps going, the clock keeps ticking. Will they find out the culprit before The Fifth leaks any more secrets?
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
I WAS SO GRATEFUL THAT I HAD BOOK TWO WITH ME WHEN I FINISHED KISS KILL LOVE HIM STILL! But I never thought I’d be left hanging and dying once again at its end… And I did. Now I have to wait until OCTOBER for book 3, omg!! I could seriously cry… I may have seriously cried at that information, haha!
Just as the first, Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness had an explosive plot (almost literally), awesome characters, a mind-blowing end, a beautiful cover and a killer (haha) title! It would be impossible for me to rate it anything less than 5 stars!
The narrative followed the previous book pattern: it was first person with switching points of view between the four girls. And, once again, despite the whole extra insight and info to work with, I STILL AM NOT SURE OF THE IDENTITY OF THE KILLER! =O I NEED TO KNOW, OMG!
I really like Blair and Miller’s writing style, they make each character sound unique and necessary each time they are in scene ❤ We got to see more of old characters, we met new ones… It was a rollercoaster from page 1 to 246, haha!
The plot was once again perfectly planned and executed, with the right amount of solved and new mysteries + twists for good and bad. I’m not a big fan of cliff hanger ends, but I made an exception to Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness, haha! Once again, it was the strongest asset of the book. Plus, this title is amazing ❤
The characters had a wonderful development, especially Reggie and Val. Reggie changed her life completely and Val was forced to face several of her fears, which left a huge impact on her. Haddie also grew up, but not as much as I’d have liked. But maybe on the next book, right? Haha! Now, Livie… Livie was a disappointment. She still only cares about herself and her life, so no growing up was felt here 😦 It is still hard for me to like her as I do the other three girls, but she’s not completely awful yet, haha!
This equation is still true in my head:
Also, can I just say how afraid I am of Haddie’s father and Livie’s mom? Because THEY FREAK THE HELL OUT OF ME, OMG! And they are included on my suspects’ list, as they don’t help themselves, hunf.
Blair and Miller once again nailed the art of showing the daily life and transition of people leaving teenage and entering adulthood. They portray all the feelings, insecurities and problems we have on such age and add a murder to the mix. I still think it sounds a lot like Pretty Little Liars, but not in a bad way or completely copy cat way. Just in an essence way?
Overall, if you like mystery, YA, awesome characters and writing and macabre stories, you have to start reading Kiss Kill Love Him Still series and start the countdown to October with me, haha!
Thanks so much for reading my review and thanks once again to YA Bound Book Tours for sending me a review copy!
Good night, again! Can you tell that I’m full of energy on this Spring break? Haha!
Also, I’d like to start this review apologizing myself. I was trying to be a restrained reader (a.k.a. finishes a book, review, start the other). Trying being the imperative word. I went crazy over these few last days and read three manga titles and three books. Yup. I own you six reviews and I’m not counting the one that I’m trying to beginning to write. Hopefully I’ll get them all done until the end of the Easter holiday, haha!
What would you do if you found the love of your life…
… In your first night as a married man to someone else?
That’s Japanese mob clan heir Ranmaru’s dilemma. To satisfy his father’s political wishes, he agreed to marry a girl from another clan, to forge an alliance. The problem is that they barely can stand each other and start to fight as soon as they board their honeymoon cruise to Italy.
And, on the very same night, Ranmaru leaves his spouse to literally fall in the arms of the man that would steal his heart: Italian captain Al Valentino, the embodiment of fun and sex.
An unlikely romance blossoms between them and even destiny seems to be working 24/7 to make sure that Ranmaru and All will remain together.
The big question is: will reality bless this love as well?
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
If you have been here for a while, you are very sure of three things: a) I love Ava March; b) I love gay romance; c) I love manga. You may also know that I’m a giveaway rat, but never mind that. After reading Finder, also from Yamane-sensei, I knew I’d love anything that she publishes, so I started looking for more titles. A Foreign Love Affair left me besotted and wanting more, as it had the perfect bit of everything: romance, drama, comedy, hot scenes, hot males, unpredictable plot and flawless art. It would be an offense to Yamane-sensei to give this title anything less than five stars and a free-hug coupon. I also love coupons.
The narrative had a steady pace and lots of action scenes, both sheet and real action ones, haha! We follow the story mainly from Ranmaru’s point of view, but there are also glimpses on Al’s part and other minor characters, giving the reader full control of everything that was happening on the story. As a good control freak, I was very pleased with this, haha!
As mentioned, the plot was completely unpredictable. I never knew what was coming next and I was biting my nails non-stop until the end, as Yamane-sensei usually has a strong drama side on her stories. I won’t say a thing more, but be prepared for a surprise. Not good, nor bad. Just a big surprise, haha!
The characters, along the art, are the best part in this title. Ranmaru was such an stereotype of the yakuza [a.k.a. mob] in Japan that I’d always laugh with him. He had that cluelessness and cuteness about him, I don’t know… All I know is that I can totally understand why Al was so interested in him, haha!
Oh, yes. Al…
Al Valentino in all his glory*
I love Italian boys. Miss Fergie says they do it better and I guess she’s right, haha! Just look at this man. I fell so hard for him that it was hard to share him with Ranmaru. Oh well. Lucky him that I can share ;D Al was the typical perfect Italian prince: rich, handsome, funny, caring and just a hint of stalker. He takes the “so beautiful it hurts” deal to a whole new level, if you catch my drift lol
And then there is the art of Yamane-sensei.
from left to right: Ranmaru and Al*
Seriously, I stare at the pictures on her works.
Overall, if you like hot and involving romances, hot males, perfect art and quick reads, you have to add A Foreign Love Affair to your TBR!
That’s it, thank you for reading another fangirling review 😀
*ps: I do not own the illustrations, they were found on Google, belong to Ayano Yamane-sensei and were used with illustrative purposes only 🙂
Hello, there! Today’s book is a sweetheart of mine. I received my copy of Gifted Thief, from Helen Harper, through NetGalley and I’m very thankful for that, as it was one of the best books in my life. The best part is that there is a sequel on the way! ❤ ❤
Integrity has to admit that she is not exactly the number one citizen on town. Since escaping the Sidhe domain when she was eleven, Integrity learned everything that a high class thief needs to know and she is the best on what she does.
The problem is that you can’t escape your past forever. Especially when it comes on the form of a beautiful and sexy man named Byron, that knows exactly what he wants from Integrity and worse: how to get it.
Now Integrity has a big decision on her hands: to bow to the wishes of the people that always have hated her and help them out or to leave the Sidhe to their own luck and watch their magic end millions of lives – and not just Sidhe lives.
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
Honestly, this book. I don’t recall the last time that I fell so hard for a female main character as I did for Integrity. She had me since page one and never once lost me – which is a very important accomplishment, as the book is narrated in first person by her and I usually have no patient at all with the protagonists. But I connected in such a level with her, it was just like if I had found a new best friend. I actually cried when the book ended because there would be no more Integrity waiting for me on my e-reader (and the end was perfect, just saying). I don’t know how I’m going to keep breathing until February, when the sequel is to be released. Helen Harper did a hell of a job here and think every human being on the planet should read this book. If I could, I would rate it a million stars ❤
The narrative pace was first person from Integrity’s point of view, which started as an annoyance. You know, on the first page of chapter one. Then, I fell in love with Integrity in a fashion that I simply can’t explain. She was so strong, but so human…. But I’ll get there, haha! It didn’t bother me at all that I didn’t know what as happening with the other characters during the book and this is new for me. I always want to know everything and that’s why I bitch over first narrative styles. Harper was so badass on her writing style that I was happy with Integrity and crawling for more, haha! Seriously, I don’t promise an impartial review this time, because I simply can’t measure perfection.
with all due respect 🙂
The plot was wonderful. It seemed like it was simple, but there were so many twists and action that I never knew where I was standing with the people around Integrity – even with her friends. The way Integrity told us how things were was tons of fun. Harper inserted her reader on the story, making me feel like I was a voyeur to every scene, every dialogue. I’m in love.
For the sake of your sanity, I’ll first talk about the characters overall and then Integrity 🙂
Harper knew exactly what she was doing with her characters. They all are insanely well built and deep, even the ones that are not that important. You feel that they are emotionally human and real. Byron made his way into my bookish boyfriends list with his bad boy gone good way. To be honest, I still don’t know if he his all that good, but I shall have to wait until February to find out, haha! Jamie was a cutie, but not my kind of cutie. Taylor also was a hell of a man for raising Integrity as he did and I love him for that ❤ Also, there is Bob, the little genie in all his cuteness and mischief. This book has too many huggable characters ❤ There is also Lexi and Lily, the other nice girls. And Tipsy. O loved that this is the official nickname of this bitch, haha! I hated her, ugh.
Now, Integrity. Oh, Integrity. She was such a strong woman, sure of herself and of what she wanted… Even when she doubted herself, she was still in control of her emotions. Don’t get me wrong, she has her flaws. She does really bad jokes and has a bad timing in knowing when to shut up and stay low, but I am too enchanted to be bothered. Everything that she did seemed right, haha!
A really great point on this book (you know, besides all the other great things that I already said), is the semi-dystopian vibe. It’s the world that you know, but not quite. I loved the way Harper mixed magical races and what they could do in this book. Seriously, February won’t be here fast enough.
If you like strong main female characters, dystopian books, beautiful males, adventure and action with a touch of romance, just READ THIS BOOK.
Thank you for indulging me until the end of this review, I love you ❤ You can find Gifted Thief both on ebook and paperback formats on Amazon.
Hi, there! The lovely Jess, from Mud and Stars, inspired me in the other day with this post about music and books, so now here I am with my top 10 songs that make me think of Damon Salvatore, from The Vampire Diaries 😀
Not optional, buddy. Sorry.
Those are not in order, just random songs put together on a list, haha!
Demons – Imagine Dragons
I totally can see Damon humming this song, home alone, wandering that big house of his ❤
sit and enjoy, love 🙂
Give You What You Like – Avril Lavigne
At heart, Damon is a hopeless romantic, but he has no illusions left in life, so the lyrics and the mood of this song just matches him.
“if the delusional girl thinks so, what can I do?”
Bruises and Bitemarks – Good With Grenades
Come on. THIS WHOLE SONG SCREAMS DAMON SALVATORE!
Well, he had to reach some sort of agreement eventually, haha!
Lost in Paradise – Evanescence
Honestly, if you hear this song, this lyrics, this suffering, and are not able to connect it with Damon, I’ll have to kindly and discreet ask you which planet are you from 🙂
that’s why you have Rick in your life!
This is War – 30 Seconds to Mars
Damon, in both the book and the TV show, has lived in several wars, literally and metaphoric, so I can’t disconnect this song from his story, haha!
“fair enough”
Do Somethin’ – Britney Spears
Damon is always the center of the show, of all attentions in any room, but he hates when people try to label him, so miss Britney defines him good 😀
“can’t argue with that either”
Waiting for a Friend – The Pretty Reckless
I love Damon and Alaric’s friendship, so I think that this song describes how Damon sees Alaric after they have no more hard feelings for each other (you are free to understand this last phrase in any way you want ;D)
I promise I won’t tell Alaric, don’t look at me like that 😦
One More Night – Maroon 5
Just like Ian Somerhalder singing Sugar, Damon singing One More Night is a sign to be hold. You know, in my head, where this song completely describes all romantic affairs of his life and death. You know.
it is! You know, in a disfunctional way…
Never Enough – Epica
I can totally picture Damon in a High School Musical moment singing this to Katherine anytime. I’m that lame.
all that I have to say about my last comment
Run – Katharine McPhee
This song is not really hers, but that’s the version that I like, from Smash series 🙂 Somewhere between seasons 1 and 2, the original (?) version of this song even features some Damon scenes, so I think I’m up to something when I say that this reminds me of him, haha!
“this could have gone way worse”
Yup, be happy that I didn’t choose (many) absurd songs, hunf.
That’s it, haha! 😀 Thanks for reading! Do you know/like any of this songs? Do you have songs that remind you of a fictional character as well?
*I do not own any of those videos, they are here linked with illustrative purposes only 🙂
Once upon a time, there was a princess that had been granted with everything: beauty, kindness, money and education. Cursed from birth, the princess fell in a deep sleep after stinging her finger in a spinning wheel. A hundred years shall pass before a brave prince was able to awaken her from her fate.
This is the story that you know. What you don’t know is how Beauty was awaken.
Or how her real curse began in the moment she opened her eyes.
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
I bet you were expecting my scandal gif after such a story, right? Oh, well. The perspective of the story is a scandal. The real thing, not so much.
You see, I bought this book in June of this year and was pinning badly to read it. I love the whole fairy-tales gone bad wave and didn’t even knew that Anne Rice already attempted that more than twenty years ago. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t what I got. I’ll be more specific in my disappointment during the review, but I don’t see the point of talking and talking about a book that I didn’t enjoy, so I’ll try to keep this short 🙂 I still love Anne Rice, but this was just… Wrong. Two stars that shall be justified in the following lines.
The narrative was third person, but only from Beauty’s point of view. There are two chapters were Prince Alexi narrates mostly of the events in first person, but it was for contextualization’s sake, not a rule. I like third person narratives, but it got boring not having a break from Beauty’s fears and sufferings. Scene and action describing is one of the strongest points of Rice as an author, for good and bad. There were several scenes where I’d rather have been left in the dark, but oh well.
The plot was simple and, in my humble opinion, awful. As I said before, nothing prepared me for this book and I had a completely misjudged idea about it. It’s partially my fault, as it was written in the back cover of my edition that this was a “polemic fairy tale”, with “a sensual world, made of forbidden dreams and dark desires, in which traditional notions of domain and submission and gender preference are tossed to the wind”*. Again, I should have seen it coming, as I read Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. Nevertheless, I MANAGED TO BE SURPRISED, UGH.
It was totally the wrong book for me. I’m not a fan of BDSM on a regular basis, I don’t like books like 50 Shades of Gray, I can’t stand any book that says that is cool for an individual to humiliate themselves for the sake of pleasure. To see women to be beaten up, men being raped and liking it… This is not my thing. I’m too serious about both pleasure and pain to unite both. I have to see that I already didn’t like 50 Shades of Gray when I read it, but this book puts E. L. James and Mr. Grey in the nursery. I already mentioned here once or twice how I can’t stand vulgar sex scenes, the ones made solemnly for the sex itself, without any emotional attachment behind it, out of boredom (and I’m not even talking about love, you see, I’m talking about true desire). I hate them and this book, for me, was a giant almost non-stop sex scene with barely a story behind it. I’m sorry if you read this book and you liked it, or if you like this kind of genre.
I won’t lie, I had my moments with this book. The characters were an interesting part. I liked Prince Alexi, for instance. He is nuts, but who wouldn’t be after all of his “learning”. Beauty was a disappointment in her own way. What I really like is how Rice manages to extinguish gender preferences and prejudices about who will you love. This is an aspect that I already loved in Interview with the Vampire and it kept me captivated on this book as well, despite everything. This is how love should really be: just free. Why does it matter if it’s a boy or a girl? No one in Rice’s books bat an eyelash for two boys together or two girls together, because they are people before being males or females. Honestly, society should learn a thing or two with her.
On the other hand, Rice’s too free love gets on my nerves, as you can’t ship any couple together, because they change their minds about partners more times than they change clothes. They claim that they love them all, but Johnny Deep once said something on this line: “If you are with someone and falls in love with a second person, choose the second person. If it was true love with the first, you wouldn’t have fallen in love again.” I agree with him on this one. You have to admit, at least to yourself, what do you want.
I really wanted to tear this book apart, as it crushed so many of my personal beliefs, but I read it, had my good moments with it and intend to read the next book in the series. Why? For the same reason that the book got 2 instead of 1 star: it picked my curiosity. Things were so absurd when it ended that I felt the need for understanding. I need to read the next book to try to figure out Beauty’s mind. I should totally have gone to psychology school instead of Journalism, haha!
That’s it, thanks for reading 🙂 Once again, I apologize if something that I said may look offensive, that wasn’t my goal while stating my opinion, haha!
Hello, there! Be prepared for a marathon of Cemetery Tours, haha! I’m completely hooked on this series and may have finished the last book on it by the time this post goes live. Yay!
Michael Sinclair’s life turned into a living hell after everything that happened with Kate, Gavin and Luke. Now everybody knows that he can see and speak with ghosts. Everybody in all Americans everybody. He was now guest of talk shows and did many interviews, but his new acquired fame made him loose his job and made it a pain to find another.
At least, Michael now had Kate by his side. Gavin recovered fully from the ghost that haunted their apartment and went back to work. Just when Michael thought his life may be coming back to normal, Luke Rainer shows up again, asking for Michael to tag along on an episode shooting for Cemetery Tours, as the owner of the house personally requested his presence with the crew.
What seemed to be a fun and relaxing holiday at Maine, Portland, turned out to be a living nightmare for everybody, as a very unaware of death ghost gets angry with the intruders in his house. Soon enough, Michael will need more than his gift to make sure that everyone – specially Kate – will be able to go back home.
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
You know those book series that already start blowing up your mind and then manage to get even better book after book? It seems to be the case with Cemetery Tours. Between Worlds rocked my world even harder than the first book and left me so speechless in the end that all I could do was thank Jacqueline for providing me with the whole series. I would have gone mad to have to wait even one more minute to keep reading. I’m seriously hooked and I regret nothing! FIVE STARS AGAIN 😀
The narrative style from the first book was kept: third person with alternating point of views. On this book, we have Michael, Kate and, for the first time, Luke. A really strong asset of the book series, the alternating point of views prevented the series of sounding boring or repetitive, as each character has its own mind and way of looking at things. And I’m always stunned by how Michael really is when we are not in his head, haha!
The plot was awesome and very twisted, more than in the first book. Could I trust Luke’s crew? Sterling was a villain or a victim? Was Joanna in the mansion or had already moved on? Carolyn and Marion were being honest about the house? Luke really didn’t feel a thing for Gail? OMG, I ALMOST WENT NUTS, HAHA!
The characters kept surprising me. This book had way more mystery than the last, but it was palpable how much Michael, Kate and even Luke grew up in Between Worlds. Michael changed a lot after he didn’t need to hide that he saw ghosts, like a weight was lifted from him. Don’t get me wrong, he is still shy, awkward and cute, but he doesn’t try to pretend that he is not seeing way more than he should, you know? He’s happy. Kate also develops, but the golden star went to Luke. As we get to see how his work really is, how dedicated he is, how his mind works, I finally started to like him more. I still agree with Michael that, most of the time, Luke can be a pain in the ass, but he’s really a nice guy and only needs a hug, haha! And maybe a serious person by his side, but I’ll have to see what happens in After Death before making further comments in this section, haha!
I was a little sad that we don’t get to see much of Joanna’s journals, but I can live with it. Smith didn’t leave any loose ends besides her signature major cliff hangers for the next book, so I’m cool with what I got from Joanna’s past, haha! I’m cheering for Emily to have more news from Emily in After Death, but let’s see, haha!
Overall, Between Worlds did more than justice for the expectations that I had after reading Cemetery Tours and I’m only hoping that After Death is all that as well 😀
That’s it, people! Thanks for reading and, once again, thank you Jacqueline for the books. I’m having the time of my life 😀
Hello, again! I’m so proud to announce that, as you read this, there are already TWO BOOKS DOWN on my TBR pile for the #12daysofbooksmas2 readathon! 😀 Both are from wonderful Jacqueline E. Smith, that kindly sent me her books in this series in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much! But today I’m only talking about Cemetery Tours, the first book in the series 😀 Let’s go!
Michael Sinclair has seen ghost for the past 27 years. He grew up ignoring the held people in the afterlife and was really okay with his discreet job at the local library, with his shabby apartment and his roommate and best friend, ghost Blink. Then Kate and Gavin Avery happen in his quiet life.
Kate suffered a car accident and has no memory for the past two years and so. With the loss of memory, came a condition called Color Anomia, which makes Kate forget the name of all colors, despite still being able to recognize them. It’s a little annoying, but after everything she went through, Kate is just happy to be alive and moving in with her brother. Gavin, in the other hand, seems always sick, but not one doctor was able to figure out what was wrong with him.
Michael and Kate hit it off right away and develop feelings for each other, but the knowledge that a ghost haunts Kate and Gavin’s apartment and the arrival of an old frenemy collapses every aspect of Michael’s boring life. Now he has to decide whether he wants to continue to live a lie or fight for a chance of an almost regular life beside Kate. Assuming he’s going to survive his frenemy’s quest…
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
This book rocked my weekend! I was excited to read it for months (even talked a bit about it here), so it was only natural to choose it to be my first on this readathon 😀 I loved every single aspect on it, truly. Jacqueline did a hell of a job here and Michael has become another book boyfriend of mine! ❤ A 5 stars reading with a major cliff hanger that made me feel blessed that I already had the second book in my e-reader, haha!
me after finishing Cemetery Tours
However, enough chitchat. Let’s get serious.
The narrative was third person with alternating points of view between Michael and Kate and some special scenes with Gavin’s. I love this style, as I already said quite a few times over here, and it worked out well, for the reader to see that both Michael and Kate had their problems, but they still felt better together than apart. There were no loose ends, just that major cliff hanger for the next book – which I was more than fine with, haha!
The plot was amazing and very intelligent. Smith writes on a way that keeps her reader second guessing every single character that is not Michael or Kate all the time, it’s amazing! And even when you think you figured out who is behind everything or why all of that is happening, Smith doesn’t allow you to be sure until the deed is done. I LOVE THIS KIND OF BOOK! *–*
Lately, I’ve been lucky to befriend some awesome characters, as you may have realized during my last reviews, haha! With Smith’s book, it wasn’t any different. I loved Michael and found him to be a very believable character, as he is very insecure about his ability to see the dead. I already read some books in which the main characters could see/ talk to ghosts and this was the first time that I felt like I was reading about a real person that could have been my neighbor. Kate also was a super refreshing female protagonist, as she doesn’t depend on Michael or Gavin and actually saves Michael’s ass more than once. Kate also is a very real woman and I made her an example. Even when she screwed up a bit thanks to Luke (I’ll get to him in a bit), I wasn’t mad at her, because I felt she was only human, you know?
But let’s talk about the major narcissist of the world, Luke Raine. He’s Michael’s frenemy and Kate’s idol, so I hated him in the begging, but he is a good guy. You know, somewhere really deep inside where his ego never gone and all, haha! I have no feelings for Gavin, good or bad. I mean, he was a douche several times, but a harmless douche? I don’t know, I just have no hard feelings for him, haha! Oops!
Another aspect that really caught me off guard on Cemetery Tours was the healthy state of Michael and Kate’s relationship. They pin for each other’s company, but it’s not an Edward and Bella kind of pinning where the couple die if they don’t get to breath the same air, haha! They were always cool with themselves and highly appreciate some privacy moments, which is pretty rare in almost any romance book. I liked that! 😀 WAY TO GO, JACQUELINE! ❤
Bonus point: character’s growth. Michael, Kate, Gavin and even Luke grow a lot when they start to spend time together and this is palpable. Of course that Michael’s that changes the most, as he is super social awkward and shy, but all of them had their souls marked with the happenings in this book.
This is the perfect ghost themed book series, in my humble opinion, as it has adventure, ghosts (duh), mystery, comedy, suspense and the right amount of romance. If you like any of those elements, JUST. READ. THIS. BOOK. SERIES.
That’s it! Thanks for reading and thanks once again to Jacqueline, for sending me those awesome books! 😀 The review for Between Worlds will be here by tomorrow night, keep an eye open ;D
The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange 