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 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 of Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

I attended the Changing Hands Bookstore official launch party - bus tour - book signing for CLOCKWORK PRINCESS-The Infernal Devices #3 

One big thrill for me is meeting my favorite authors and learning where they get their inspiration from. Cassandra Clare said she meet with a friend who's a tattoo artist and they talked about the different designs and meanings and the idea of Shadowhunters having tattoos to help them have special powers was born. 

At her launch party she played the movie trailer for City of Bones which is coming out August 23rd 2013. http://youtu.be/4axPibsp4Ao

She also played the book trailer for Clockwork Princess. http://youtu.be/qyw0FqR-bjc

Cassandra Clare told how she was in England sitting in a park plotting for Clockwork Princess and a large worm crawled onto her blanket and she said, "there's going to be a  worm in the book."  

And indeed the book has a large vicious worm attacking the shadowhunters and this is where the book starts out. Tessa shows up to help in her wedding dress and ends up getting blood all over it. Jem takes a turn for the worse and needs more medicine. With Tessa & Jem engaged, Will has to push his love for Tessa aside. More than anything he wants to see his best friend Jem happy. 

Mortmain is determined to get Tessa for his own evil plan to get revenge on the shadowhunters. When he buys up all the medicine that will keep Jem alive Tessa has to put her life on the line to save the man she loves. 

There are lots of tie-ins with the Mortal Instrument series through out Clockwork Princess. It made me want to reread the whole series starting with City of Bones. 

If you don't want the biggest spoiler of all don't read the family tree on the inside flap of the book. I did that. Ugh!

Cassandra Clare is a great writer and she intertwines a bizarre supernatural world within our world. This wrapped up the series nicely and it was a great end to The Infernal Devices. 

If you haven't read it buy your copy at:

http://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Princess-Infernal-Devices-Cassandra

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-clockwork-princess-cassandra-clare

Learn more about Cassandra Clare and her awesome series:

http://www.shadowhunters.com/theinfernaldevices/index.php

http://www.cassandraclare.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Cassandraclare

https://twitter.com/cassieclare

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

She loves you, She loves you not: Writing Romances

When an editor started editing Anything but Normal she didn't like Boyd my hero because he allowed Krystal to get into trouble and didn't save her like a strapping hero would. After Janette's romance writing class I'm making my hero much more Knight-In-Shining-Armor. Hope it helps the reader fall in love with Boyd. 

I'm sharing my notes in hopes it helps you too. 

She loves you, She loves you not: Writing Romances Editors want to buy – by Janette Rallison -

http://janette-rallison.blogspot.com/

Romantic Heroes qualities need to be- Powerful in some way, Rich, Titled, and have a successful job.

We want to read heroes who are clever, street smart, resourceful, tough, and protective of the heroine.

We love the witty banter.

Heroes need to be faithful and loyal.

Love triangles really only work one way.

He’s also good even when he’s a bad boy.

Don’t make them too bad. You don’t want a hero who is a total rake and a player. They can change for the heroine.

Romance has grit, wit, and hot.

#1 rule – It is not enough for heroine to fall in love. The reader has to fall in love too.

A heroine is:

-          Fairly young

-          She doesn't know she’s beautiful

-          Likable and strong

-          MC is a woman (POV can change)

-          She isn't weak

-          She isn't perfect

-          She is well developed

6 elements every story needs:

1.      . A likable character
2.         Who has a problem
3.         Which leads to a goal
4.         The character encounters obstacles
5.         There is an antagonist
6.         There is a consequence of failure if the MC doesn't get the goal. 

The character needs to grow. Romance is character driven more than plot. If hero and heroine don’t have to change, what’s keeping them apart?

Writing exercise:  

 Write 10 good qualities about your MC.

 What are her fears?

Main Plot-line can’t be that the heroine’s goal is to fall in love.

Rules of thumb-

-          Must be worthy goal that the heroine wants to accomplish

-          Best goals are important and urgent

-          If goal can be postponed until next year than it isn't good enough

-          All MC should have goals

-          Goals can change

-          They don’t have to be achieved always

-          Be specific

Strong obstacles/ conflict

Conflict is not arguing. Conflict that can be cleared up with a 2 min conversation is not good enough.

Don’t throw unrelated conflict at MC.

Make sure the consequences of failure are big.

10 mistakes to avoid:

1. Physical attraction is not the only reason why they are in love.
2. Weak conflict (a snippy rude heroine overcomes and falls in love.)
3. Unlikable characters – example: a Jerk or a vixen
4. Not enough character development
5. Starting slow
6. Bringing characters together to soon.  For romance we need tension, something has to keep the    hero and heroine apart.
7. Bad boy is too bad
8. Weak, stupid, or poorly motivated heroine. Your readers shouldn't ever say, “I’d never do that.”
9. Not knowing sub-genre and all the rules and cliches
10. Writing like it’s 80’s or 90’s

    Here are some of my favorite romances.  Please share with me some of your favorite romance novels. 

        

     

Me with Janette Rallison my favorite author