KissinBlueKaren

review coming soon

Review coming soon...

Layla has done it again! Withering Hope made me swoon, and cry, and then swoon some more. Her characters are flawless and she just has this ability to draw you in and make you love them. This story had fear, romance, heartbreak, and joy all wrapped into a nice book sized package.

Aimee is on her way to meet her fiancé. A few more days and she will finally be marrying her best friend Chris. In route on the private plane the pilot, (Tristan), runs into trouble and has to land….in the amazon. Grateful to be alive but stuck with no means of communication and very few supplies, Aimee and Tristan have nothing but each other. Tristan has survival skills but is a bit broken by his past. Aimee might be the only one who can break down his walls. Despite being in love with Chris, Aimee begins to feel something for Tristan she never felt for Chris. This is more than just a fleeting fling. They grow to really love each other. Their tale is one of survival and hope in the most unlikely place.

I don’t read much contemporary romance. Layla Hagen is one author who writes so well, she makes me forget my disdain and just enjoy the romance. Aimee and Tristan don’t have an insta love. There is a triangle brewing in the background but that didn’t even bother me. These two simmer over their feelings and the them have a mutual attraction with angst that has merit. I loved that Aimee has such a big heart and how Tristan was so strong. Aimee really struggles with missing her wedding, maybe it was for the best but she needed this to realize that. Their love overcomes their circumstances. Aimee and Tristan are not superheros and their adventures show their faults as well as help them work on strengths. I was on the edge of my seat for a while thinking someone might not make it. These two go through a lot in this story.

I won’t spoil this for you. I will just say that the ending of this tale made me cry, in front of my Miguel and my kids. I wept and it took about a half an hour for me to explain to reassure them that it was the book and not something they had done. This was such a bittersweet tale of love that endures. This book touched me deeply. Thank you Layla!

I had the wrong idea about this book. I thought it would be more dystopia/fantasy and it ended up being dystopia/scifi. I finished this book in one day. I just couldn’t put it down. Great cast of characters with a refreshing original premise.

This is a spoiler-free review. Don’t let anyone spoil this book for you! This book has a killer twist in it.

Ella just lost her father. Her mother is battling a terminal disease. Ella is dreaming of her father and it seems he wants to tell her something but she talks herself out of the dream before he gets to the point. Or maybe she is just going insane. When Ella is approached by a government agent to use her mother’s technology to find traitors within the government, Ella’s world starts to unravel. A boy approaches her with a warning not to trust her best friend. Her best friend is the only one she can confide in. The boy and Ella’s Father are somehow linked. Ella is the key to everything, if only she can figure out how.

Beth Revis has created a world for these characters that is really original. The science is not over the top, but still very advanced. Fans of sci fi will love this story. There is a strong family connection in this story and it was very sweet to see it come to a close. With Ella about to become an orphan, she struggles with her loneliness. She tries to put on a brave face, she tries to help her Mom with her work. So when she is approached by the government to help, it is not far fetched that she would entertain the idea. Ella’s abilities are wonderful, but they build up slowly. I loved this about the story. It doesn’t feel forced.

I found this book to be quite addictive. We don’t see what is wrong with the world until the boy points it out. Indeed, Ella seems quite unaware that there could be anything wrong with government, even though there is a heavy presence of rebels attacking in the city. The rebels are even thought to be the cause of her Father’s death, but she doesn’t seem angry about that. She just seems sad and she is trying to keep from going insane. I could kinda see how sanity might be more important then politics. There are definitely gaps in her reality. She has suffered such a great loss and is now dealing with work and her mother’s illness.

There is an adventure in this story. I liked how the author showed us the world without being overly descriptive. We see the world as Ella sees it. The androids, the technology, the transportation are all very inventive and creatively described. This story comes to a hasty conclusion. We are finally in on the twist and then the book ends. I still have questions after reading this because some questions seem like they didn’t get answered. I probably missed them in the reading. I was just a little shocked about the twist.

Even despite those things, I would still recommend this read. This is the kind of book I would want to reread again later. I might have missed the answers. The story and conclusion are still swirling around in my brain. Once I got my mind wrapped around the twist, the whole story changes. The book left me wanting more of that world. This was a wonderful read!

This was an excellent thriller that drew me in right away. The characters were complex and very well written. The girls were heartbreaking. The Forgotten Girls was a mystery was set well and had me biting my nails until the revelation. I will be watching for more from this author.

*This is a spoiler free review, so feel free to read on*

Louise is trying to solve a case for an unidentified woman found dead in the woods. As the new Special Search Agency technical manger she has a lot to prove and wants to solve the case for this mystery woman. The problem comes when she finds out the girl, Lise, was pronounced dead over 30 years ago, along with her twin sister. Now Louise has to find out where this woman has been for the last 30 years and the race is on to try to save her sister, Mette. Louise and her new partner Eik dig deep and unintentionally unearth some of Louise’s painful past in the process.

Louise’s story is rich and learning her story was very interesting. Her story could have been a book all by itself. She knows the woods where the girl was found so well, it definitely helps in the investigation. It is too bad everyone there remembers her and what happened before she left. The investigation is dark and covers some touchy subjects. Some of this was completely heartbreaking, and unfortunately based on facts. I wouldn’t put a warning label on it, I would just say that this is a book for mature adults. The layers of this book uncover fast. None of this felt dragged out, or stalling for time. Every page led me into the next. The last few chapters had me riveted.

The relationship she develops with Eik has much promise. I want more of story of Louise and more Eik. Her friend Camilla was a bunch of fun, with loads of realistic relationship drama running in the background. Camilla is engaged and is freaking out about her wedding plans. As one of Louise’s closest friends, we get a close look into her relationship and it’s issues.

This book was originally penned in another language. Since it’s first printing, it has been translated into 23 languages. It is easy to see why, no wonder Sara Blaedel is so popular! I hear this is the first of a trilogy. I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book in this series. The writing is just smart and the characters are so deep. I highly recommend this read!

This book had a great premise. If I Were You was an erotic mystery. I didn’t like how predictable this book was. Everyone wants Sara, and she is a bit like that girl from 50 shades, completely clueless. The sex was great, but the thing is that I didn’t like Sara, so the story was kinda ruined for me.

Sara’s neighbor is a storage war junkie and starts to buy storage units of her own to find treasure. She elopes right after buying a unit with some juicy journals of a woman named Rebecca writing about her sexploitations. She leaves it to her friend Sara. Sara becomes intrigued enough to embark on a quest to find the girl and give her stuff back, or something like that. Sara is a school teacher who just happens to be an art lover. Coincidentally, the girl worked at an art gallery so Sara goes there and gets a job. She abandons her life and meets rich powerful men and gets involved with a sought after artist who, until Sara, can’t seem to commit. Maybe she just wanted to stalk the girl’s life.

This book gives no answers to any of the questions it proposes. We never find out who the man is that Rebecca is having such great sex with. Sara is annoyingly good at sales and her boss takes a liking to her. Sara just happens to get a famous artist, Chris, to give her everything and offer her a life of money and fame. Sara just wants to be a good employee to her boss Mark, who is bit controlling. Does that sound realistic. No, it doesn’t. None of this is believable.

I don’t understand what Sara would say to Rebecca once she found her. “Hi, I read and memorized some of your journals. Do you want your stuff back?” I read this entire book right up to the cliffhanger ending and I just felt meh about it. This just wasn’t a great read for me.

Don’t you just love when a book gives you good feels? This book was great and made me feel so good. The writing is addictive, I could not put it down. I want more of Tess and Birdie and more IFs. I rooted for Tess the whole time. The Resurrection of Tess was the story of a woman checking off her to-do list and couldn’t have been penned better!

The whole story is told through the narrator, Grace, who is Tess’ guardian angel/imaginary friend, (IF). Tess has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Tess had a traumatizing childhood with a mother who didn’t show love, and now she has a sister that won’t talk to her and a (possibly) failing marriage with two kids who have a bit of trouble showing their love. Tess sets out with a to-do list to make a few things right before she departs from this life. This story takes us through sisterhood, heartbreak, and abuse. Lesley Kagen skillfully guides us through Tess’ journey with tears and humor.

This book touched me in a way few reads can. Tess’ story is close to home for me. Tess is growing older and she suspects her husband may be cheating on her. As if this wasn’t bad enough, her children are going through problems of their own and take them out on poor Tess. On top of that the only one who knows what Tess really went through in her childhood, her little sister Birdie, won’t talk to her anymore. She is lonely and suffering with PTSD that affects everything in her world.

I loved this tale. I don’t usually cry while reading, and almost never with someone sitting in the room with me. I felt bad for Tess. I cried big sloppy alligator tears for her. I just couldn’t help it. Tess and I have similar issues with our kids, and that really got me. Tess reminisces a lot, because her past is so haunting and her present is so not right. The characters felt so real to me. I rooted for Tess and awed at her strength. I appreciated that not everything got magically resolved. In real life, somethings just don’t and we accept what we got. This book shows that asking for help is necessary sometimes and true strength comes from within.

This book had me engrossed by the end of the first page. Perdita is the story of a place, and a person. Marged Brice may be the oldest woman alive at 134 years old, or she may be a confused little old lady. As Garth Hellyer reads through her journals he learns that Marged has a history as rich as the landscape she belongs to, and a mysterious girl named Perdita is part of her legacy.

Garth is working for the longevity project. He is trying to find the oldest person living. His claim needs proof in order to go on the record as the oldest person alive. That is how he meets Marged, who claims to be 134 years old. Marged shows Garth her birth certificate, and tries to convince him of its authenticity. Marged invites Garth to read her journals and learn more about how she could possibly have lived so very long. In reading the journals, Garth sees her famous connections. Garth gets wrapped in her tale and shares the journey with a woman from his past named Clare. Clare and Garth together try to discern the truth of who Marged is and separate fact from fiction. Somewhere in the tale we get a glimpse of who Perdita is and why her story is one that has to be told.

This diary is the historical account of Marged in her own words. I found some of the diary a bit much. It is written as literary prose, which is a bit of an acquired taste. These are the personal thoughts of a young woman. So there are flowery thoughts of someone who wants to make a good impression and her family proud, of someone who tries to do the right thing in the every situation. There was a love story in the diary, but it was a bit of a mystery. There were a few nautical adventures in there, making it an adventure as well. I am glad I stuck with it because by the last quarter of the story, everything tied in together to make a magical ending

This diary of Marged also tells us how she came to find Perdita. Why Perdita may be the thing keeping her from passing on. I loved how the author peppered in the story of Garth and Clare. They are good characters with a vested interest in Marged story. I really loved this book. Right away I found myself wanting to believe Marged. Much like Clare, I wanted this to be true and be amazed. Perdita wasn’t quite what I expected, but I felt something for her. This book found a great balance of history, paranormal, nautical adventure, Greek mythology, romance, and mystery. I would recommend this read.

I was so looking forward to this book. The cover is awesome. The premise has so much promise. The delivery fell flat me, though. I have to admit that I didn't finish this book. I got 77% through this book. I got the gist of what the story was about. I met the characters (even the ones that died right away), I just couldn't get into this book. There was not enough of an intro to get me attached before things started to fall apart.

Maya and her brother were part of an experiment that gives them special powers. They are being chased by government agents. There is a bit of misinformation given to Maya to try to keep her safe. Everyone knows but her... Maya has special powers but she doesn't use them when she needs to. This girl just frustrated me. There were big gaps in her memory and her story. There wasn't enough of her for me to like Maya or care about her story.

This book has switching POVs which might have been part of the problem for me. It was so confusing from the start and then it picked up and started to make sense. By then, I had lost a lot of interest. There were a few scenes in this book that were well written. Most of what I read lacked the sort of detail to keep a readers attention.

I know I am in the minority here. This book was loved by plenty of people, so don't let this one bad review stop you from seeing for yourself. I, however, could not force myself to read another page.

What a great tale. I completely forgot my life while I consumed this story. For two days, I wanted nothing more than to find out more about Grace and Ted. This isn’t a romance. Grace and Ted are a power couple who aren’t really living the fantasy that everyone thinks. Saving Grace was the story of Grace losing everything and then coming to find she is stronger than she thinks.

Ted is a famous fiction author whose moods have kept Grace like a captive. She is on egg shells one moment, swooning as his muse the next. The public only sees the perfect act they put on. Grace is a professional cook who does charity work at Harmont House, a shelter for abused families and those recovering from addiction. Ted’s assistant of the last fifteen years is leaving them. With Ellen leaving Grace finds Beth at the perfect time to fill the void and handle all the details. Unfortunately, Beth isn’t everything she seems. Grace may be the only one who sees it and it may be too late.

The book was flawlessly written in third person. I loved how much depth was written into the characters. Grace especially was someone who seemed absolutely real and completely relatable. Despite her wealth and the ease at which she throws a meal together, she is down to earth. She second guesses herself. She does charity to remember where she came from. She takes no pride in her station of life. Only that she is able to give back. Ted is charming and volatile. Everything a recluse with a ton of talent could become. In Grace we see that it is really amazing what you can get used to and call normal.

In Grace I see a mature woman who is afraid to turn into her mother. Her friends are adorable and I am almost jealous of people so willing to vouch for her character. Grace is someone worth saving, and worthy of love. We see in this tale that being good does not prevent bad things from happening to you. This story was fast paced, and very hard to put down. I really enjoyed this read and highly recommend it.

This book made me feel like awwe, and then like ahhh! What a great sequel! Being a Jett Girl is almost as good as the original and better in some areas. Get ready for shower scenes with hot men and phone sex as well. This book rocked my socks off. I want some more!

I loved this book almost as much as the first. This book picked up right where Becoming a Jett Girl let off. We see how Lo/Goldie is as an official Jett Girl and how Jett is trying to make a commitment to Goldie. In this book we see that Goldie needs more from Jett and Jett is almost ready to take the plunge for her. The scenes get racier, as if that is possible, and we get even more of Jett, Goldie and Kace. Honestly, I have been waiting for Kace to make a more sexy appearance, and the shower scene is absolutely panty dropping. Jett is everything I want him to be. This book really got my heart racing and kept my attention to the very end.

The only thing that I can complain about is the cliffhanger ending. Meghan, wtf!? I need more. I need this to find a HEA, I need more of Goldie’s story. Please bring it, and soon. We are all waiting on baited breath for more for more of this story. I want more of Goldie, more of Jett and much more of Kace. Please bring it, Meghan!

I don’t read food books. I don’t because I don’t cook. What? There, I said it. Just because I don’t cook doesn’t mean I don’t care about what I eat though. The thing that appealed to me about this book was that it was suppose to be a memoir. At some point, I wanted to study nutrition. I thought this would be a nice what-if book for me. I thought it might have some advice on how to eat better and a life story to go along with it. This book was so much more for me. Passionate Nutrition was a wake up call. I am buying this for my Mom and my sister.

Jennifer Adler tells her story. It isn’t squeaky clean. She is honest and writes conversationally about her battle for better nutrition. She speaks with passion about her quest to fix what ailed her. Her journey with food is horrifying and inspiring. She talks like someone who knows things can’t change overnight. She speaks about her own cheats and things she won’t compromise on anymore. She is someone I would love to meet and thank for letting me in on what may be wrong with my diet and how easy it would be to fix things. I have suffered with digestion issues for years. I am anxious to put her ideas into practice and see if it helps. If nothing else, this book makes me feel better about why I eat the way I eat and things I have been doing right with food.

Even if you don’t subscribe to all of Jennifer’s theories, her book is easy to read. Anyone could glean some helpful information from this text. I didn’t feel bad about the way I eat after reading this. Jennifer is careful not to offend the reader, but meets you where you are. She has done a lot and her honesty is so refreshing. She speaks as someone with a passion to help people stop beating themselves up and really enjoy food. This book includes recipes, lists of foods with the top nutritional benefits, a breakdown of what nutrients are really important for better health, ways to achieve a better diet, ways to rid guilt from eating, ways to improve intestinal health, and personal stories to keep all that entertaining. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it for almost anyone.

This was a great story. It took me half way around the world to a place in Thailand. It swept me aboard a small sail boat into a great adventure. It broke my heart and made me fall in love. The Unimaginable is a great story that made me weep in anguish, and then giddily laugh out loud.

Jessica craves adventure. She leaves her home town of Wolcott, Indiana after her mother’s death for Phuket, Thailand. She has an English teaching job, and she moonlights as a waitress. Jessica meets a man named Grant who is in the middle of his sailing trip around the world. He has a very charismatic crew mate named Quinn, and is looking for a third crew person. Jessica applied for the gig but it doesn’t look good for her since she has no experience. Also, she is a woman. The next leg of the trip will take them into pirate infested waters. This story is a bold adventure with a romance, and a tragedy of the heart.

Once I got into the character of Jessica, I found her to be an average girl with a very brave heart. She really craves adventure and wants to see the world. The risks she is willing to take made me realize how desperate she must be to live a life less traveled. I loved the characters of Grant, her love interest, and his broken hearted tale. He made me cry with his sentiments. Quinn is their crew mate and his story is endearing as well. Jessica has tight bonds to her sister, and great friends at the restaurant in Thailand. I enjoyed getting to know them and their influence on Jessica’s life. I loved how the author described the scenes without giving away too much detail. I doubt my Thailand looks anything like the real thing, but I experienced this story is a way that made the journey very personal.

Unfortunately, I dragged my feet on getting into this story. It may have been my start and stop reading style, but the first few chapters were hard for me to get into. There is a whole continent, and an ocean, between me and this story. Once I realized it was not a missionary story, but instead one of a normal girl coming of age on her own in another country, I got really into this tale. I read from Chapter 3-the end in one evening. I didn’t want this tale to end. I even savored the note from the author at the end until the next day. It was a really great story and very well written. This was a fantastic tale with a message I won’t soon forget. Don’t make the mistake I did. Get this book, get into it. You won’t believe the adventure within.

This book was so good. I was sucked right in. Depressing as the characters lives were, the story line is action packed. Carrier is a thrill ride full of desperation to a place that feels safe. A sex slave released to fend for herself and find a replacement, due to pregnancy. A story too sad to be true. I hope this isn’t real.

Naya is a girl on the line, and then she is cast out to find her replacement. The Line is a place girls go to work as slaves. They start young, sold by family and benefactors. They are sold to men, who are allowed to do whatever they want one hour at a time. The problem is she is pregnant at 23 years old, 1 year away from her contract ends date, with twins. She was supposedly sterilized on the line, but it didn’t take. Naya is cast out with a few credits and told to find her replacement or be force to give her children to the line for payment. After ten years as a sex slave Naya stumbles trying to live her life outside. How can she find a replacement? How can she secure a safe place for her and her children in the outside world? Was she set free because of her contract end date, or is there some other reason?

Admittedly, this book is dark. Sex slaves don’t usually make it out of the line, Naya is an exception. Naya has PTSD severely from her time on the line and can barely stand to be touched. She can’t remember her parents, she has no one. In wanting Naya to survive and be safe, I felt hopeless. There was really no chance of her becoming normal in this book. She was used up, damaged goods, and cringed away from a touch. Miraculously she finds people that are willing to help her.

Her relationships outside the line are poignant and fraught with meaning. Naya is trying to find her place in the world. She is able to save some, and loses others. I really couldn’t put this book down. I had a feeling it would not be resolved in 268 pages and I was right. I am looking forward to getting into the sequel. This is Dystopia as I never wanted to imagine it. The books sends a clear message that slavery takes it toll on its victims.

Walled is the second and final book in The Line, following [b:Carrier|20886571|Carrier (The Line, #1)|Anne Tibbets|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397140964s/20886571.jpg|40228240] which I reviewed last week. This book continues with Naya’s story and is almost as haunting as the first. I loved the discoveries made in this book, the flashbacks giving us more about Naya’s past, the romance brewing in the forefront, and the strength of Naya’s accomplices as she and Ric try to start their lives.

We learn more about Naya’s past in this book. We also get a chance to see the babies. Naya isn’t a good mother by any standards. Although she seems to care, she doesn’t know how to show she cares. A woman has stepped in and does all the day to day stuff. Since Naya has intimacy issues, we cannot expect anything more from her. I am just grateful for the surrogate mother that steps into this story at just the right time. Naya chooses to go on a mission to save the world when she should be home parenting the twins. She doesn’t really have a choice. She is the one who has to start this. Things outside are getting worse and if she doesn’t act, there is no future for her children.

Ric and Naya blossom as a couple in this story. I really enjoyed seeing them in action, and then outside of the city. They work well together despite their oddities. This book opens up to life outside of the wall. What a surprise for the citizens of this world! Life outside the walls is much different, but not perfect. Naya and Ric are on a mission to make things much better for everyone at great personal cost.

My only complaint about this book is the very last chapter. It was a great story, with so much promise for the characters. Then everything felt so rushed. The whole book is play by play for the characters and then the last chapter is like a summary of the end. I wound have enjoyed reading all the details about the final moves. I feel a bit robbed of the story. This is just my opinion. The story is well written and the series is definitely memorable.

Save Me is about a woman who doesn’t necessarily need saving. A woman is faced with the end of her marriage. The thing she though would always be there has been replaced with uncertainty. This story was heart wrenching. Then it was empowering.

Daphne is just living the dream. She has everything to make her happy: big house, great career, health, married to her high school sweetheart, trying to figure out the best time to start having kids. Then her husband comes home and tells her he is in love with another woman. He isn’t sure what he wants right now, they should take a break so he can figure it out. Devastated, Daphne is hoping it is just a one time fling and prepares to take him back. Things get really complicated when she gets the call that his mistress was in an accident, she might be dying. Her husband reaches out to Daphne for help through his loss.

What a jarring tale of love and betrayal! Daphne might be a saint for how much she still believes in Owen (her husband). Maybe not. I think most women would do the same thing, maybe even more, for the one they love. Daphne’s struggle to win back her husband or step out of her familiar life is just so honest. So decisions are not clear. She considers his mistress, both as an adversary and as a unique person worthy of something more. She considers her husband and the commitment they made. Seeing her life for what it truly is.

The characters are very well written and honest. They seem real. I think most women will find Daphne a likeable character, who is faced with very tough choices. I honestly don’t know what I would have chosen if I had Daphne’s choices? She really is at a pivotal point in her life, everything after this will be different. This book also points out that well intended loved ones don’t always have the right answer. Deciding to leave or stay in a marriage after infidelity is a personal choice. There is no cookie cutter answer. This story is about going on, no matter what, and that is very comforting.