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Granted: Curse Of The Emerald Jinn by Rachel Huffmire – Review by Karen Pearman

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Granted: Curse of the Emerald JinnGranted: Curse of the Emerald Jinn by Rachel Huffmire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So, this was a great young adult read and I thoroughly enjoyed every page of it. For me, the best part of this book was that it featured a male as the main character because there are so few books out there now that do. I loved how the story incorporated a single-parent home life, teenage romance, magic, and mystery all together to create such a relatable book. I fell in love with the story immediately and didn’t want it to end. In fact, I am hoping that there is a follow-up to this story because I could certainly see this having several sequels to it. I felt that the author pulled me into the story as I was reading because her writing skills were so keen and informative. This was the first book I have read by this author but I’m going to check out more of her work from the library because if all her books are as good as this one then I’m going to become addicted. If you have a young adult male reader in your household or know someone that does, this will make for a great read for them.

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The World Beyond the Walls: epic dystopian eco-fantasy (Natural Forces Book 3) by Jean Gill – Review by Karen Pearman

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The World Beyond the WallsThe World Beyond the Walls by Jean Gill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Epic-Dystopian is not a genre that I would normally read, but the book cover drew me in when I walked past it on the library shelf. I’m glad that I picked this book up to read as it was filled with many things I do like in books: magic, danger, drama, and great characters. I must admit that the book drew me in from the beginning to the end and I felt like I was on a wild fantasy ride I didn’t want to jump off. The author knows how to use description to truly make you feel like you are in this story. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew the characters personally and that at some point in my lifetime I had met many of them. It is certainly a tale of finding out who your true friends are, and which ones will stab you in the back to overthrow you. Apparently this is the ending of a trilogy written by this author and I have placed the previous two on my library wish list so that I can read the entire collection.

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Love Between the Lines by A.D. Brazeau – Review by Karen Pearman

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Love Between the LinesLove Between the Lines by A.D. Brazeau
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a new release, and I was so anxious to read it that I picked it up and couldn’t seem to put it down. It’s a quick read once you get into the story line as I was able to complete it in about 3 hours. It’s a cute romantic story and the characters are so easy to fall in love with. I loved how the writer didn’t seem to make a relationship the goal for the characters. Instead, they had other goals and frustrations that they were dealing with, anxiety being one of them. I could totally relate to this as it is something I too deal with in my own life. The characters were likable, the book had a great plot, and it was hilarious without being that cheesy romantic rom-com. I found this book to be a fun, light, and easy to read book. It was also easy to put down and pick back up without having to remember a lot of details so I could get right back to the story. The author has a way with words that pulled me into the story and made me want to keep reading. In fact, there were some lines that I had to stop and reread because the insight from the author was so amazing. It is definitely a great book, so I highly recommend you add this to your list.

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Hook’s Little Mermaid (The Untold Stories BOOK 1) by Suzanna Lynn – Review by Karen Pearman

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Hook's Little Mermaid (The Untold Stories #1)Hook’s Little Mermaid by Suzanna Lynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had not read a book by this author prior to reading this book. I have always loved the stories of Peter Pan & The Little Mermaid, so I was intrigued by the title of this. I was surprised to realize that this is a new twist on Captain Hook and his story. And I LOVED IT! I truly had a new outlook on the villain of Peter Pan and could really start to sympathize and understand why Hook was as evil as he was. I was very impressed with this book and found it to be a very fast read. In fact, I read the entire book in less than 24 hours because I was reading it so quickly. I was quite shocked with the writing and the characters. I was expecting the Captain Hook I have grown used to but was surprised to find out that wasn’t the case at all. I believe that this story is geared towards young adult readers but thought that the author did a fabulous job immersing me into their world. The characters resonated with me and I was able to visually see and feel the images around me. I can honestly say that I felt as though I were an actress in this movie. I didn’t want it to end. If you are a fan of Disney then I believe that you will love this book. I am excited to read the next installment in Lynn’s series.

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Can Dreams Come True? (The Cecily Taylor Series Book 1) by Krysten Lindsay Hager – Review by Karen Pearman

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Can Dreams Come True? (The Cecily Taylor Series Book 1)Can Dreams Come True? by Krysten Lindsay Hager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I must say, I love this book. In fact, I want to re-read it that’s how much I loved it. I have never read a book by this author before but I’m planning to check out some of her others to see if I like them as much as I did this one. I am a sucker for coming of age stories about love. Especially first loves. And this one topped the charts for me. The writing is phenomenal. It was so easy to read and follow along and I refused to put it down because I was page turning so fast. I felt that she did a good job making the characters very familiar to me. I was quickly teleported back to my own teenage years and all the angst that plagued me during that time. I could sympathize with the main character in wanting to be understood and accepted for who and what I am, but instead feeling sad and rejected by everyone around me. I was extremely satisfied with the ending and could see this being made into a young adult romantic movie. In fact, I could see this being another Sixteen Candles movie by John Hughes. I look forward to following along with this story in the next chapter of their book. I highly recommend reading this book. In fact, I would say, this would be a great book for a mother and her daughter to read together and discuss. I could also see this being chosen as a young adult book club read. It’s well worth picking up and discussing.

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THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST AVENGER (ANNIE TILLERY MYSTERIES) by LINDA MARIA FRANK – Review by Karen Pearman

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The Mystery of the Lost AvengerThe Mystery of the Lost Avenger by Linda Maria Frank
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is the fourth book in the series from Linda Maria Frank’s Annie Tillery Mystery books. They are categorized as a young reader book series. However, if you love to read “young adult” books like myself, then you will absolutely love this book and her series. I LOVED THIS BOOK! I would give it 10 stars if I could. I loved that it took me on a mystery back to the World War II era involving a crashed plane and its missing pilot and her treasures. I thought her storytelling of the mystery solving processes in this era were fantastic because they certainly didn’t have all the technology back then that they do today. I think that for children it’s especially important for them to be able to read about the differences in the eras and how the processes were so different in solving the mystery. In my opinion, I think that young adults of all ages will enjoy this book. Even though this is part of a series, each book is a stand-alone and you don’t have to read in any order. I think these books should be available in all school libraries and the kids’ reading lists. I look forward to the reading the next book in the series.

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Best Of My Love (Love in Emerald Creek) by N.D. Jackson – Review by Karen Pearman

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Best of my LoveBest of my Love by N.D. Jackson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So, let me just say that I can’t give this book the best of my love after reading it. As much as I wanted to love it, I honestly didn’t. It began extremely slow and was hard for me to get into the story. Once the story did start moving along it was hard for me to connect with the main character, Dre, until closer to the ending of the book. I felt that there were some unresolved issues at the end which left me confused and wondering if she was going to release a follow-up and complete the story. If not, then that’s a shame. I really despised the “love of her life” and the choices and decisions that he makes. Just my opinion, but there was no love in that relationship. Maybe desperation. Or hope. Whatever the case may be, I truly cannot believe that anyone would believe that this was the best love of their life. But again, I am hoping that this isn’t the ending of this story and that there will be completion and satisfaction in a sequel.

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Strings Attached: A Braebeach Rock Romance by Loriana Cappello – Review by Karen Pearman

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Strings AttachedStrings Attached by Loriana Cappello
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let me first start off by saying, I love music. Music of any all genres. I have since I was tiny. So, I thought I couldn’t go wrong with this book because it is about music and romance and that’s a winning combination in my opinion. Also, I am an avid young adult reader, so this made picking up the book even more of a win/win situation. And am I glad that I did because it is actually a very good read, although a little slower than I would have liked for it too. However, I was glad that I stuck it out and completed the book. I will say that it certainly tugged at my heart and had me rooting for the main character and biting my fingernails at the end. I wasn’t familiar with this author previously, but she has a way of showing the young adult anxiety and lack of confidence that so many of us have experienced at some point and time in our lives.

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Price of a Rose: a Beauty and Beast tale (Historical Fantasy Fairytale Retellings Book 2) by Byrd Nash – Review by Karen Pearman

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Price of a Rose: A Beauty & Beast Tale (Historical Fantasy Fairytale Retellings Book 2)Price of a Rose: A Beauty & Beast Tale by Byrd Nash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading Dance of Hearts by Byrd Nash, I didn’t think I could love a book more. Well, I was wrong. Price of a Rose is spellbinding and pulled me in to the point that I felt I was the main character. I was living the life of Rose and I didn’t want it to end. I truly couldn’t put this book down. I was up almost all night to finish reading it. And that’s something I don’t really do anymore considering I have to be at work at 8 AM. But it was SO WORTH THE LACK OF SLEEP!!! I must admit, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney fairytale of all time, but this put such a spin on the story that I think I love it more than the original. And that’s me being 100% honest and something I never imagined I would say. There is love and a happily ever after to this story, but with so many twists and turns I never could have seen this ending coming. Byrd once again sends us back into the 1800’s with a third person retelling that is reminiscent of the 1991 animated film. It’s a very short story but the attention to details and the characters keep you entranced and feeling like it’s you. I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK ENOUGH! Please, please, please give this book a read.

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Dance of Hearts: a Cinderella Regency Romance Retelling (Historical Fantasy Fairytale Retellings Book 1) by Byrd Nash – Review by Karen Pearman

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Dance of Hearts: a Cinderella Regency Romance Retelling (Historical Fantasy Fairytale Retellings Book 1)Dance of Hearts: a Cinderella Regency Romance Retelling by Byrd Nash
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I fell in love with this book from the beginning chapter and honestly I couldn’t stop reading it. I would start doing housework and immediately return to reading this book. That’s how much I loved it. I needed to be Cinderella getting chores done but was so immersed in her world I couldn’t. There were so many references to the original Cinderella that made this a fairytale mixed with old English language. I am a sucker for fairytale romances and this one put a spell on me. I found it to be a very sweet romantic fantasy with some magic, history, paranormal & drama mixed into it. Not to mention the typical fantasy of a damsel in distress, but in a woman supporting woman manner which is important today because there is such a lack of it in my opinion. The writing is full of so much wit and humor, but they come in just the right places at just the right times. I absolutely cannot wait to read more from this author as she is new to me. But she drew me right in to her tale and I can’t wait to see what other surprises she has in store for me.

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Sons of Sindicato (Sons of Sindicato ) by Cam Johns & Sonya Jesus – Review by Karen Pearman

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Sons of Sindicato (Sons of Sindicato #0)Sons of Sindicato by Cam Johns
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I honestly was concerned about reading this book because I normally wouldn’t consider “the mob” as my reading genre. But gosh am I glad that I picked it up. I was immediately enthralled in this suspenseful, interracial love story. I was shocked to realize that I was able to enjoy this book without a lot of mob family knowledge and found myself rooting for them in the end. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot that will keep you so intrigued and turning the pages faster than you can read them. Or at least it did for me. This was a book I almost found myself wanting to read the last chapter to find out what happened and then reading the middle sections to know how they got there. But I didn’t give into that temptation. And I am glad that I didn’t. Please take the opportunity to pick up this book and read it. I think that you will be happy that you did.

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8 Second Ride by Shannon Nemechek – Review by Karen Pearman

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8 Second Ride8 Second Ride by Shannon Nemechek
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this to be a really good read although it’s very short. I did think that it contained a lot of story writing despite being as short as it was. I’ve read several of the authors books and this was not my favorite, but then again I’m not really a “rodeo” type girl so I couldn’t really place myself in the characters boots. There were some funny moments that made me chuckle as the main female character tries hard to be difficult. I think I would have enjoyed the book more than I did if I were into the rodeo lifestyle so if you are I’m sure you will thoroughly enjoy reading this book.

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Beckoned (Born of Darkness Book 1) by R. B. Fields – Review by Karen Pearman

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Beckoned (Born of Darkness, Book 1)Beckoned by R.B. Fields
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am going to be honest when I tell you that I wasn’t a fan of this book at the beginning. It seemed very slow to start, but gosh was I glad that I didn’t let that deter me from reading this book. Once I really sunk my fangs into the meat of this book, I didn’t want to put it down. I have never read a book from this author before. To be perfectly honest, I’ve never heard of the author previously. But let me just say that she has grabbed my attention, and this will not be the last book I read from her. The characters are amazing, and she provides the reader with enough detail that allows your imagination to just roam freely. I especially found the vampire erotica story captivating and the detail was so descriptive that I felt like I was there watching it all take place. And it was steamy! The chapters contain different character points of view which I personally thought was brilliant. I think that was what threw me off at first, but once I figured out what was going on I LOVED IT! If you liked Twilight and wanted more erotica then this book is perfect for you.

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Guardians of the Garden by Theresa Pocock – Review by Karen Pearman

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Guardians of the Garden (Guardians of the Garden, #1)Guardians of the Garden by Theresa Pocock
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book pulled me in from the very beginning and I really couldn’t stop reading it. In fact,
I really hated when it ended. I wasn’t expecting this to be as riveting as it was but I truly
found it to be truly captivating. Honestly, it left me considering my own faith in life. I was
conflicted trying to decide who & what was right and wrong. I especially was confused trying to
decide who and what should be forgiven. The characters have such depth to them that I felt as if
I knew them personally. While written for the young adult genre this book is honestly a great read
for adults as well. In fact, I will personally be recommending this book to friends and family to
read along with their kids. I think that this is a great book for a family to sit down and discuss
because of the views that can make us doubt our intentions as well as the intentions of others.
I truly feel that it’s a book that needs to be read and discussed from the forgiveness standpoint
alone and how and when it should be offered to individuals. I certainly hope that there is a sequel
in the works for this book. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this garden more!

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