Wraithsong by E.J. Squires is more captivating than Twilight, The Hunger Games, and City of Bones

The Desirable Creatures Series, Book I

Sonia goes to the greenhouse after school to pull weeds as a punishment for spiting on the school bully. There she meets Anthony, a gorgeous boy with intense light blue eyes and a great build. Sonia is surprised at how attracted she is to him. Anthony is rude one moment and then asking her out the next.  Sonia’s emotions are out of control. Her mom explains that she will turn into a Huldra when she turns eighteen in two weeks. With her Flair she can control people when they come into contact with her saliva. Her mom warns her that her flair is getting stronger and she must not kiss a boy or even think of dating. 

Behind her moms back Sonia goes out with Anthony. He takes her to the ballet, Her favorite place because she use to be a dancer but since her Dad’s death she gave it up. She gets a bunch of frantic messages from her mom and she knows something is wrong. Anthony comes clean and tells her who he really is and that his mom has kidnapped Sonia's mom. She has to trust Anthony to help her attack Wraithsong the invisible island where the Darkalfars have taken her mom.  Lightalfars and other Huldra's are planning to help but nothing goes as planned. Sonia doesn’t know who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. She needs to rescue her Mom and she will do anything to accomplish that.

I love this story! I am hooked. I can’t wait until the book two Blufire comes out on July 31st 2014 . 

I started rereading Wraithsong right after I finished it just to experience it all over again. The book is contemporary but based on Norse Mythology. I absolutely love stories that make you think about other worlds happening right around us. I’ve always been interested in Norway but now I’m obsessed with the folklore. There's plenty of action and a heart gripping romance. My favorite is how it ties in with the other series by E.J. Squires, A Viking Blood saga. 

An epic historical fantasy romance based on Norse Mythology.

Th Desirable Creatures Series has surpassed all other YA series and is by far my favorite. I mean it; I’m more captivated than I ever was with Twilight, The Hunger Games, or City of Bones. And if you know me, you know how much I loved those series. This is a different kind of YA paranormal romance. I want to know more about these magical people and places. 

And of course a movie will have to be made about it. Here's a couple of my picks if I got to cast the movie:

Austin Butler as Anthony

Milla Sunde as Sonia 

(Milla is the lead singer for The Green Children)

Here's an example of Milla's awesome voice and Norway's beautiful scenery.  

Mansfield Ranch by Jenni James

I absolutely love The Jane Austen Diaries series. I was interested in seeing how Fanny Price from Austen’s world would transform into today’s world. I instantly liked Lilly Price. Lilly stands up for herself and she doesn't mind being different. As a foster child she feels lucky to be part of the rich Benally family. They treat her poorly - Especially her foster sisters who make her feel inferior.  Sean, her foster brother is the only friend she has and Lilly can’t help falling for him. (Don’t gross out.) They aren't blood and he’s the kindest and sweetest person she knows. When Sean gives her Princess Buttercup I adore him. But when Harrison & Julia Crawford move in next door and Sean’s attention turns to Julia, I don’t like the way he plays with Lilly’s heart. I guess he’s trying to be noble and not like his sister. Out of guilt, he tries to push the conceited Harrison Crawford onto her. Harrison is overly flirty with everyone but he sets his sights on Lilly--because she’s the only girl not to fall all over him. I must admit Harrison’s character is really irritating but just like Henry in Jane’s book we aren't suppose to trust him. When Harrison finds out Lilly’s secret - that she’s in love with her foster brother - He turns everyone against her. In the end, I admire Lilly for turning a bad situation around and touching people’s lives for the good.

Great job Jenni, once again you thrill me with your talent. It's a quick and easy read. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.


Purchase your very own copy at:

http://www.amazon.com/Mansfield-Ranch-Jane-Austen-Diaries

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mansfield-ranch-jenni-james

Get to know the fabulous Jenni James

http://authorjennijames.com/

https://twitter.com/Jenni_James

https://www.facebook.com/authorjennijames

http://authorjennijames.blogspot.com/

Book review of Divergent by Veronica Roth

A friend recommended this book and I was not disappointed.
Right off the bat you're pulled into Beatrice's gray world. She can't look in a mirror. She has to be asked a question before speaking at the dinner table. What has the world become? I instantly know we are in a futuristic Chicago with trains everywhere and the sears tower. The people have separated themselves into five groups. The groups are set up by their personalities and strengths. When you turn 16 you go through an aptitude test and they tell you what group you would best fit but in the end you get to choose. When they first came up with the five groups it might have been a good idea but over time people became corrupt and the groups started fighting with each other. Beatrice knew she would disappoint her family if she didn't choose her own people the Abnegation. A group that was completely focused on being selfless, which Beatrice wasn't. She had been watching the Dauntless kids and admired them for being wild and bold. She felt like she fit that better. When she took her aptitude test and found it was inconclusive, which meant she was Divergent. Beatrice was warned to keep that hidden because people were afraid of those who didn't fit into one of the groups. Divergent wouldn't conform and follow the rules so they would be eliminated to avoid trouble. When you choose a different faction you leave your families and have to go through initiation before you are officially a member. If you fail you will be factionless (homeless). When Beatrice picks Dauntless she changes her name to Tris and instantly is whipped into a dangerous and deadly world. She makes friends with Al, Will, and Christina but they make enemies really quick with Peter, Molly, and Drew. The initiation is harder than Tris ever imagined and wonders if she has made a mistake. Even though she is brave you have to be strong and Tris is small and soft. Four is their trainer and Eric is one of the Dauntless leaders over seeing the training. The two seem to have different ideas on how to train and clash with each  a lot. Eric is ruthless and gives Tris the creeps. Tris has to learn to use a gun, knife, and fist fight. Four has empathy for Tris and wants to help her. Tris's father who is a Abnegation leader is in the news because both of his children choose different groups and rumors are starting. Tris visits her brother who choose Erudite because they are more logical and intelligent. He warns her that a war is about to start against the Abnegation. Tris excels in the next round of initiation when they have to face their fears in a simulation. This makes the others jealous and even her friends turn on her. Tris doesn't know who she can trust but something is wrong and she has to help her parents and the Abnegation people.

http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/veronicaroth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Veronica-Roth/108433975887375

I truly enjoyed this book. The characters are so real and you're involved in what happens to them. When they hurt you hurt. The writing is gripping and keeps you needing to know more. This is the first book in a trilogy and they are far from being out of danger. I'm going out to pick up Insurgent as soon as possible. They are also filming the movie right now and should be released in March 2014. Veronica is a wonderful writer and I just saw on her blog that the third book Allegiant will be released this October. Yipee! I think this is a book my husband would like too. It isn't to mushy and romantic but enough to keep me happy but it has plenty of action to keep the men happy. A great read!

Book Reviews for House of Night series by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

For my birthday I received 5 books and have been on a reading rampage. I read the first 4 books in the House of Night series. I also read Divergent which I'll do a separate review for it on my next blog.

House of Nights starts out as a typical high school drama but when Zoey gets marked as a vampire things change. In this story the world knows about vampires and they mostly live in harmony. This book really makes you feel like your hanging with teenagers again.(*Because I review a lot of clean romances I'll put out a disclaimer that this book does have language and sexual content.)


Marked book #1

Zoey Redbird is 16 years old and having issues with her almost ex-boyfriend Heath. He is the high school quarterback and chooses to party more then focus on school. Zoey is marked and will start the process of becoming a vampire. She has to live and attend school at the House of Night, a school for Fledglings (A Vampire finishing school in Tulsa, OK). She is more than happy to leave her family behind since she doesn't fit in with them and especially hates her step-dad. Her mom only cares what her new husband wants and his obsession with church. Zoey's Grandma is the only one she can count on. Her Grandma is Cherokee and lives on a lavender farm. She understands Zoey's special talents with the godess Nyx. Zoey meets a groups of friends at her new school. Stevie Rae is her roommate and they become best friends. Erin and Shaunee are roommates and act like twins even though they look nothing alike. Damien is the gay "boy" friend of the group. Eric is the hottie of the school. And his ex-girlfriend Aphrodite, the perfect popular blonde warns Zoey that Eric is hers. Zoey and her friends plan to overthrow Aphrodite as the head of Dark Daughters because she is abusing her power.  


Betrayed book #2

Zoey's hot vampire boyfriend Eric is out of town at a Shakespeare competition and she's missing him. Loren Blake, Vampyre Poet Laureate is the perfect man. Loren starts flirting with Zoey and makes her feel like a women. He should be off limits because he's a teacher. A couple human football players turn up dead and detectives start asking Zoey questions. Some Fledglings died too because their bodies didn't accept the change and Zoey has seen them as ghosts. Heath is the next football player that goes missing and Zoey has to save him before he's killed. 

Chosen book #3

Zoey is juggling three boyfriends and can't decide on who she really likes. Zoey is trying to help Stevie Rae with her humanity and has to keep secrets from all her friends. Aphrodite is the only one she can turn to for help. Vampire teachers are being killed. Zoey's friends and boyfriend learn the secrets she's been hiding and no one can trust her anymore.







Untamed book #4

Life sucks for Zoey.  She lost all her boyfriends and friends. Erik is now a full fledged vampire and is teaching drama at the school. Things couldn't be more awkward. Neferet blames the humans for vampire killings and wants to start a war. Shekinah the head priestess of all the schools arrives to try to find out what's happening. Zoey knows Neferet is evil and behind everything but she'll have to prove it first.





All in all, I like the series. I do hate when Zoey makes stupid mistakes, but what teenager hasn't made their fair share of them. It has captured my interest enough that I will read on. Check out the website which has lots of fun pictures and videos. http://www.houseofnightseries.com/

Thank you P.C. and Kristin for putting your creative juices together to make another fun vampire story I can obsess over.

P.C. and Kristin Cast

Photo: Joerg Steinmetz

The 11th book in the series Revealed is coming out October 15th. I have a lot more reading to go but It's an easy read so no problem.

Book Review Vanguard Legacy: Foretold by Joanne Kershaw

I finished this YA Paranormal series and can't stop thinking about the story. It's similar to Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and The Mortal Instrument series. It's like them but very original in its own world crisis and endearing characters. With a perfect balance of familiar and unfamiliar you are inducted into a world focused on training their children to fight against evil. Elora is in Vanguard training with fellow classmates Aaron, who is her best friend; Matthew a Magicae who is learning to be a spirit reader; and Teya a vampire who is training as a forensic. All of them are learning how to defeat the Dark Seekers. Elora's mother is one the best Vanguard's and has returned to the training compound. Elora thinks her mom only came to keep an eye on her. The relationship between them has always been bad but the secrets and lies start to come out and Elora doesn't know who she can trust. Thankful for her friends and new boyfriend Zak, who's a senior trainee, they try to figure out what Elora's visions mean.  With Elora's special talent her group is placed in an accelerated training class. When all "hell" breaks loose Elora has to face her family secret. Don't miss out on this exciting new book.


 Join the release party for Vanguard Legacy – Foretold on April 5^th https://www.facebook.com/events/591516437542734/

Joanne Kershaw lives in Wakefield, England, with her husband, four young children, and an uppity cat named Dipstick. As a teacher of five- to eleven-year-olds, she spends her days playing at being a grownup, then goes home to delve into Young Adult dark romance and being sixteen again.

Joanne lives and breathes books, whether reading, writing, or marking them. She wrote her first novel in six weeks. Encouraged to submit her work by a friend and fellow YA novel addict, Joanne now finds herself a signed author at Xchyler Publishing. http://www.xchylerpublishing.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Joanne.Kershaw.Author

https://twitter.com/Kershaw_Joanne

Book Review of Drawn by Marie Lamba

There are so many things I liked about this book. It was original in so many ways, especially with the time travel. Michelle's an artist and when she starts drawing a picture of a sexy man with piercing glow-stick green eyes dressed like someone right out of the history books she finds herself thrown into a different century. She comes face to face with Christopher Newman a warrior fighting in the War of Roses. I love that time frame in history so it was great to be a part of it in this book. But we don't only spend time in a different century but we experience the hardships of a teenager today. Michelle moves with her dad from New Jersey to England. She's trying to start new and not be the freak girl anymore. She's dealing with family issues because her extravagant psychic mother abandoned her and her dad, and her brother is in a mental hospital back home. These are all issues that are hard for anyone to deal with so you really feel for Michelle. When the richest most popular boy William starts pursuing her you'd think it would be a good thing, but not for Michelle since Constance William's x-girlfriend starts digging into Michelle's past. Michelle has to figure out why she keeps coming into contact with Christopher Newman from the past and where she belongs in the future. It's a great read and you really feel for all the characters. I'd recommend this book for not only teenagers but all ages who like a wonderful book that is original and grabbing.

Maria Lamba is not only great writer but an agent and she has an awesome newsletter. She's always sharing very helpful information as a writer and as an agent. I'd advise all authors to go to her website and sign up for the newsletter at http://marielamba.wordpress.com/about/

Like Marie on https://www.facebook.com/Marie-Lamba-Author

Purchase her books at http://www.amazon.com/Drawn

Book Review of Emmalee by Jenni James

I heart this story! I think Emmalee is my favorite character of all the books so far in the Jane Austen Diaries. She seems to have it all; a rich family with a big house, money to spend on anything she wants but she still lacks one important thing, love. She takes on a project Hannah Smith and thinks she’s helping her out by being her friend. Chase Anderson is the guy next door and he’s a perfect George Knightly (He's also the older brother to Taylor Anderson from Pride & Popularity). Chatty Claire Hart (which we meet in Northanger Alibi which I loved!) is the annoying younger sister to Chloe & Cassidy that Emma has to endure and is annoyed by her busy-body ways. You have all your favorite characters from Jane Austen’s Emma in a modern-day twist. Matching-making by Emma gets all messed up and her new friend Hannah is heartbroken. It’s a wonderful story and I want to read it again and again. I’d love to see this one made into a movie. I know we already have an Emma movie but I want a modern version and not Clueless (even though I did enjoy that one). There are a lot of characters that make appearances from the other books and you start getting a complete picture of how they are all connected. Jenni is brilliant in her writing, the way it all works together. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

Get to know the awesome author Jenni James and purchase her books:

http://authorjennijames.com/

http://jennijamesbookstore.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Emmalee-Jenni-James

http://authorjennijames.blogspot.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2937053.Jenni_James

Book review Persuaded by Jenni James

Another wonderful story by Jenni James; I absolutely love the Jane Austen Diaries series. All four books are by far my favorite books I've read this year. Persuaded and Emmalee were my favorite Christmas presents I received. When I got home Christmas evening I started reading Persuaded and didn't put down the book until I finished it in the middle of the night. I love the way Jenni uses the characters and events that Jane Austen did but turns them into a modern situations we can all relate to; like four-wheeling in Moab instead of a walk to the Cobb in Lyme. The character Amanda Ellis became an instant favorite of mine. She was just as nice and sometimes to a fault as Anne Elliott was. It’s the perfect classic tale of girl meets a boy, he’s geeky but she still likes him. She lets friends talk her out of being with him and breaks his heart. Big Mistake! He comes back years later and he’s hot, smart, and very successful... And he doesn't want to have anything to do with her. Amanda has to deal with the choices she made. I love that so many guys are into Amanda but she is completely clueless of her effect she has on them. The song "She doesn't know she's beautiful" kept playing in my mind as a theme song for this book. It is a great adaption and wonderful read. 

Get to know the awesome author Jenni James and purchase her books:

http://authorjennijames.com/

http://jennijamesbookstore.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.com=persuadedbyjennijames

http://authorjennijames.blogspot.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2937053.Jenni_James

Book reviews of two of my favorite books

http://juliemartinwallace.blogspot.com/book-review-of-pride-popularity

http://juliemartinwallace.blogspot.com//book-review-of-northanger-alibi  

I'm an aspiring writer but I spend most of my time reading books. Of course we can consider this research. I find it very rewarding to escape into someone else's world for a time. Here are two books that provided plenty of wonderful distractions.

Now back to writing and editing Far From Normal.

Book Review of City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

     We start right into the story after City of Fallen Angels left off and Jace went missing from the rooftop and Sebastian/ Jonathan the-demon-blood-dead-guy was now missing with Jace. Everybody is looking for Jace. Alec senses he is still alive but something is not right. After two weeks of missing the Clave changes their focus and stops looking for Jace. Clary and her friends go see the faire Queen to see if she can help them find Jace. She agrees to help them if they bring her two Shadowhunter rings that allow those who obtain the rings to speak telepathically. At the institute, Clary was about to steal the rings when Jace and Sebastian show up to retrieve some books on dark magic. Clary hides and is shocked to see Jace going along with Sebastian like they are best friends. 

     Jace shows up in Clary’s bedroom and tells her that Sebastian has a good plan and she needs to go with him. He also tells her that he is linked to Sebastian and they can’t kill one without killing the other. Clary decided to join Jace, this way she can find out what they are planning. If she wears the ring and Simon wears the other ring they can speak to each other. She has to play along with Sebastian and pretend she is starting to trust him as a brother. After getting drugged at a night club her ring goes missing and she has no way to warn the others about Sebastian’s plan to let free the worst demons on the world.  

     I thought this was the final book of The Mortal Instruments but since it left a lot undone I’m hoping it’s not. I liked the different story-lines that were going on throughout the book. Jordan and Mia who are werewolves are helping the shadowhunters find Jace. Jordan hopes he can rekindle his relationship with Mia and that she will be able to forgive him for turning her into a werewolf. Magnus and Alec are having relationship problems as Magnus is immortal and Alec is not. Alec runs into an old lover of Magnus’s and is trying to find a way to become immortal or make Magnus mortal. Isabelle can’t stop thinking about Simon, Clary’s vampire BFF, and Isabelle is struggling with finding a way to let him know she’s interested. Clary has to find a way to save Jace before the shadowhunters kill him because he’s connected to Sebastian and his evil plan. There is a lot happening all at once and “Team Good” as Clary calls her group of friends has to stop “Team Bad” before it’s too late.

     It was an exciting and nail-biting read. If you like vampires, werewolves, demons, angels, fairies, warlocks, (did i forget anybody?) and whole secret society saving the world from the unknown, then you'll like this series. Cassandra Clare has a great imagination and makes her characters go through all kinds of hard times. Good news! They are turning the first book City of Bones into a movie. 

For more information about The Mortal Instruments series go to : http://www.shadowhunters.com/mortalinstruments/

To purchase:

http://www.amazon.com/City-Lost-Souls-Mortal-Instruments/dp/1442416866

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/city-of-lost-souls-cassandra-clare/1104511184

Book Review of THE LIFEGUARD by Deborah Blumenthal

juliemartinwallace.blogspot.com is where I usually do book reviews of historical romances. Since this was a Young Adult Paranormal story I decided it would fit perfect into this blog genre, where my WIP is a YA Paranormal novel. 

What a great setting, A 16 year old girl spending the summer with her aunt in Rhode Island on the beach. Sirena’s parents back in Texas are preparing to sell the house and move into two different homes. You feel empathy for Sirena and her depression is understandable as she faces a hard reality of parents divorcing. Sirena is enamored by a blond, tan, strapping lifeguard named Pilot. 

When Sirena hears voices during a storm, she finds out her aunt’s house has ghosts; nothing menacing or too scary, just yelling when it storms outside. 

Sirena’s aunt makes her volunteer at the hospital over the summer to keep her from moping around. When a young boy comes into the hospital with a head injury Sirena is upset by the thought of someone dying so young. She’s relieved when he makes a miraculous recovery. 

Marissa, Sirena’s BFF is at camp and they write back and forth providing a clever way to tell us what's going on in Sirena’s life. 

Antonio is an 80 year old artist who encourages Sirena to become an artist. While sketching on the beach, Antonio tells stories to Sirena about his people and how they are healers. 

Pilot the hunky lifeguard saves Sirena from almost drowning. Sirena will never forget this summer as her life changes in ways that she doesn't even understand. 

This isn’t an instant kind of love story. In fact, Pilot seems to be blowing Sirena off and she becomes an obsessed teenager. The author portrays a love struck, confused teenager girl perfectly. At first it was slow getting into the conflict of the story. The ghosts sparked my curiosity at the beginning but it isn't a main focus until the end. I like the depth that Antonio brought to the story line with his ancestors legend. It’s not your normal teenager summer lovin’ story. 

For more information or to purchase your copy of "The Lifeguard":

http://www.deborahblumenthal.com/lifeguard.html

Order The Lifeguard now from Barnes&Noble.com

Order The Lifeguard now from Amazon.com

If you would like to win this copy of THE LIFEGUARD, leave a comment. Tell me if you had a summer romance? Leave a comment by Friday April 27th at midnight PST.

*I remember my best friend one summer had a lifeguard job at Golfland and I practically lived there. Ah... Those were the days.*

I received this book for free and didn't receive any compensation for this review.