Review- Pimpernel by Sheralyn Pratt

For centuries, the elite of the world have sought the Pimpernel everywhere. Some want to kill him, others want to hire him, but Jack Cavanaugh knows that the love/hate relationship comes with the job title.

At present, Jack is trying to dismantle an investment scheme centered in Las Vegas, but "trying" is the operative word. It's been a month since he put the face of the scheme behind bars, yet the scam is still going strong. As Jack tries to uncover who has stepped in as the new head, what miniscule evidence there is all seems to point him back to Claire Ramsey, an introverted PhD student studying at UNLV.

If ever there as an unlikely head of an investment scheme, Claire's it. She has a genius IQ, but from all Jack has seen, Claire’s intelligence is as much a blessing as a curse when paired up with her acute OCD. Claire can barely make conversation with the cute guy down the hall, which makes it hard to believe she could be the charismatic salesperson who is getting international businessmen to invest $5—50 million a pop.

So what is Jack missing? What is the real story behind Claire Ramsey? And once Jack learns it, will he be able to walk away?

I am a huge fan of the 1930s movie version of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I will admit, I have not read the original book, but the movie is one of my favorites. You can imagine, then, that I was super excited when I saw Pimpernel by Sheralyn Pratt was available for review.

Claire is obsessive compulsive. But in a way that is needed at the beginning of the book. She's been forced in to defrauding millionaires out of their money because she thinks it is the only way to keep her mentor, and the man she thinks she loves, alive while he's in jail for a crime he can't possibly have committed.

At the risk of spoiling the book, I won't say too much on the plot. But Claire has definitely bitten off more than she chew when it comes to her mentor. She finds herself pulled in to a world of theft and trickery and manipulation.

I liked Claire. As OCD as she was, it served a purpose in the story and gave her incredible dimension. She's quiet and shy and kind of pathetic when we first see her but she transforms throughout the story in to someone incredible.

Jack, Margot, and Ren are great characters. Each with their own specific specialties and quirks and faults. They mesh well together and they've always got each other's backs. It was incredibly refreshing to read a story with characters who made promises and did everything they possibly could to make sure they were kept. I wish we had seen more of Margot's and Ren's back stories, but it was fascinating to learn Jack's.

I will definitely say that there were no lulls in this story. It was action packed and fast paced and exciting. The characters were written well and everything flowed really nicely. Now, with that being said, and this may be because I've only seen the movie and not read the book, I was kind of disappointed that I didn't really see any mention of or correlation to the Pimpernel until preeeetttty far in to the book. I don't think it detracted from the story really, but I just expected.... More.

However, I really enjoyed this one. A lot. You really feel for the characters and their heartaches and frustrations. And you'll be totally impressed by their operations and how they manage to pull off what they do. If you're looking for an exciting story I would definitely recommend this one.

Review - Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard

It's a better life, a fresh start--and a heaven-sent second chance. Founded by three Amish sisters determined to put misfortune behind them, Promise Lodge is a colony where faith's abiding promise can be fulfilled--and love can make all things new…

Energetic widow Mattie Bender Schwartz is working day and night to get Promise Lodge going. She's also hoping the change will help her son Noah's heart to heal after his broken engagement. But his former fiancée, Deborah, is looking for a fresh start too. Filled with regret, and cast out by her dat for a reason she can't yet reveal, Deborah can only pray Noah will forgive her foolishness.

Deborah is the last person Noah expected to show up at Promise Lodge. But with her cruel words still ringing in his head, he's reluctant to accept her apology--even if the Old Order ways demand he try. If only he could obey Christ's most important commandment: love one another. But one thing is certain--his mother and aunts, and their beloved Preacher Amos, will do their best to help him get there.

I was so excited to get a chance to review Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard. I am a huge fan of her other series, of all of her characters from Willow Ridge and Cedar Creek. I've read so much of those that I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the characters from Promise Lodge, but just as with the other books, the people in this story felt like instant friends.

Since this is a brand new book, I will try not to give too much away.

Rosetta, Mattie, and Christine have left Coldstream, along with Preacher Amos and their children, to start fresh at Promise Lodge. Their former Bishop's son is causing all sorts of problems back home and his inability or unwillingness to hold him accountable for his behavior has definitely overturned some apple carts. On top of that, all 3 sisters are single or widowed and are just looking for somewhere peaceful and serene to reside. They're also looking to make a place for other women like themselves AND create a new colony for anyone likeminded who might come along after them.

Deborah has been sent away from Coldstream by her father but is hesitant to tell everyone all the details. The only problem is that her ex fiancé lives in the very place she's run away to. She'd do anything to mend fences and repair their relationship but it doesn't seem that he'll be having it. His heart is still broken and he doesn't trust that Deborah won't just up and break it again.

*

As with all of Charlotte Hubbard's novels, I loved this one so much. I absolutely love the sense of community that I always find in her stories... the willingness of everyone to help anyone who comes along. I love how her characters always band together to make the most wonderful things happen. But no matter how fantastic her characters are, they are always human. They make mistakes. They mess up. They jump to conclusions or assume things they shouldn't. They're never made out to be better than anyone else. Sometimes they're wonderful, sometimes they're frustrating, sometimes they're mean. But always human. And no one is ever unredeemable.

Deborah is a wonderful character. Even with the heartache of being cast away from her home and the seemingly unwillingness of Noah to want to have anything to do with her, she makes the best of the bad situation she's found herself in, thanks to her friends, and makes a home at Promise Lodge. She jumps in with both feet to help them ready the apartments and the cabins and offers up her baked goods for them to sell at the produce stand they're looking to make. She's hiding a secret that she's sure will turn everyone sour, but she's strong and she's kind and I just thought she was a beautiful character.

Preacher Amos was a fantastic man. An Amish Preacher who was willing to leave the community he was chosen to preach to, he sold his farm and left with the sisters and their families to seek out the peace of Promise Lodge and the hope that it could be turned in to something magnificent. He never tried to assert the power of his position to his own advantage and he never used the fact that he was a man and a preacher to force the women of Promise Lodge to "obey" him. He was firm in his beliefs and his teachings but he was gentle and he was quick to guide when guidance was needed and a calmer head was required.

At the risk of giving away too much of the story, I will stop with those characters. 

I will say, though, that the concepts of sexual assault and domestic violence in this story hit very close to home for me but I think that they were handled pretty realistically and with care. And I appreciate that very much.

I cannot wait for the next Promise Lodge adventure. Because I'm sure that's what it will be. And I was happy to see at the end that there were recipes from Rosetta's kitchen that I will definitely be trying. These books are always so inspiring. Whether they make me want to crochet more, bake more, try my hand at soap making or some other kind of wonderful craft or trade, they always make me want to DO something. To BE something. They make me long for the kind of community that I read about within the pages and to be the kind of person and neighbor that these characters always are.

Grab a copy and give it a read. It's brand new... just hit shelves. It's a wonderful story and if you liked reading about Willow Ridge and Cedar Creek then you will DEFINITELY like reading about Promise Lodge.

Review - A Healing Spirit (Riverview #2) by Melissa A. Hanson

A freak ski accident brings nineteen-year old Mia Kinney within minutes of death. Hurt and scared, Mia is calmed by the southern drawl and clear green eyes of her rescuer.

Twenty-one year old Dylan Blackburn is one of the first Ski Patrol members on the scene. As his patient is airlifted to the local trauma center, he can’t shake her from his thoughts.

As Mia fights for her life, Dylan, is haunted by the blond hair beauty, and knows he needs to make sure she’s going to be okay.

With a troubled past Dylan has vowed never to completely open himself up to another girl, but Mia continues to knock down every wall he’s constructed. When his past arrives at his front door and threatens once again someone that he loves, will Dylan be able to save Mia yet again? Or will he be too late this time?

A story of love, friendship, and the determination to turn a horrible experience into something worthwhile.

"A Healing Spirit" is book 2 of the Riverview Series, however each is a standalone story.

I don't generally like to review a novel that's not first in a series without having read books before it. But A Healing Spirit by Melissa A. Hanson, book 2 in the Riverview series, is a standalone novel so I didn't have to worry about not being caught up with the story.

The long and short of it is this: Mia is seriously injured and has to be hospitalized and undergoes a few surgeries to try and fix all of her broken bits. Dylan is a member of the Ski Patrol and, along with his friend, saves Mia's life. Mia fights to come back from her accident but she can't get Dylan out of her head. It was his voice that sort of grounded her after her accident, kept her from giving in to the pain, so to speak. And Dylan can't get her out of his head. They kind of fall for each other but Dylan has a past he doesn't want Mia to know about.

I liked the story. It was very sweet. Dylan is a pretty stand up guy and Mia isn't some frail little girl who is begging to be rescued. Her friends are fantastic, even if one of them fancies himself more than a friend. What I liked about that was that it never really became a love triangle. Like a decent person, he realized Mia didn't feel the same way about him and he let her go. What a breath of fresh air.

Dylan is a wonderful, chivalrous, knight in shining armor without being completely egotistical about it. And instead of curling up in a ball and letting what happened to Mia overcome her, she's determined to try and use her experience to make a difference in the lives and safety of other people. I don't see that combo a lot in the stories I read. It made this story different and new.

Their families (well, part of Dylan's at least) are wonderful and accepting and friendly. There are no boyfriend/girlfriend/hateful family conflicts like I see a lot. Our main characters are pretty likeable so, in turn, everyone likes them. Yes, Dylan holds back a part of his life that inevitably puts a few lives in danger (the part of his life, not that he holds it back....) but he does everything he can to make it right, and Mia doesn't hold it against him.

The story seems extremely real. Not like it's a story. More like it's a narrative of things that are really happening. Completely believable. It even switches perspective quite a bit so we get to see inside a lot of the characters, rather than just the main 2. Everyone plays a part in the story so everyone gets a chance to tell part of the story. I was worried that switching back and forth and all over would get confusing, but it didn't. And it's loosely based on a true story.

I would definitely recommend this book to just about anyone. It's romantic, but not heavy. It's sweet but intense at times. And it's a pretty quick read because you get sucked in to the story from the word go. So check it out!

Review - Promises Kept by Scarlett Dunn

Lady of marriageable age with two young boys, in need of husband.

I am a good cook and hard worker.
Victoria Eastman grew up in a Texas saloon—an experience that made her tough, resourceful, and determined to forge a new life. So she places an ad in a gentleman's newspaper... and soon finds herself a suitable arrangement on a farm in Promise, Wyoming. Only problem is that her would-be husband turns up dead the day she arrives.

Rancher Colt McBride is known for his true grit and business smarts. Yet when it comes to his new neighbor, Victoria, he's stumped: Who is she, really? She's lovely to look at, of course, and has proven herself a gentle soul. She's even causing him to question his staunch bachelorhood. But any kind of future may be shattered when a stranger reveals a secret about Victoria's past—one that could destroy them both. Unless, together, they can take a leap of faith—right into each other's arms...

I love Historical Romances like Promises Kept by Scarlett Dunn. I love being able to see how things used to be even if through the eyes of a fictional romance. It's fun and it lets me forget the kind of world we're in now for just a little bit.

Victoria Eastman is a strong woman. For much of the book it seems like she doesn't even fathom just how strong she is. And to be honest, while I love the cover, according to the descriptions of her in the book it does her no justice. So here we have this gorgeous woman who tries like hell to hold her own and provide for her boys. She's willing to go so far as to advertise her need/want of a husband. Someone who can help take care of her and the kids.

Colt McBride is the dreamy sort of cowboy that every woman, or at least a lot of them, fantasize about at least once in their lives. The kind that will step in and defend you. The kind that will take care of you. The kind that will treat you with the utmost respect. And the kind that will make you melt like a popsicle on the pavement in July. He's a hard worker and he's a good, kind man. He takes care of people and they love him for it.

But both of them are stubborn as hell. And it gets frustrating at times. Victoria has sworn off cowboys all together and Colt swears that he's never going to get married. Ever. Haven't fictional characters figured out yet that they shouldn't do that sort of thing? I suppose it's good that they did, or else we'd not have fantastic stories like this to read.

Not everything is biscuits and gravy though. There's a man in town who wants the land that was left to Victoria, and all of the land around it, and has decided he will stop at nothing until he owns it all. This includes stealing and killing off cattle... and people. He even goes so far as to try and "court" Victoria but things turn sour and she's not sure how to save herself, or her boys.

I loved this book. I think I may have mentioned that already. I love period novels. Just love them to death. Promises Kept delivers the window in to history along with the romance and the suspense all rolled up together. There are a lot of wonderful characters that we get to meet and see fleshed out quite a lot. Even if they seem like they're just background, they're not. No one is just a "bit part". I think that's wonderful. Lots of well rounded people to love and read about.

If you love historical romances, this is definitely the book for you. If you love Christian or inspirational fiction, this is the book for you. Even if you don't, this is still a wonderful story to read because it's not an overwhelming aspect of the book at all.

I am definitely looking forward to reading others in this series!

Review - Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

“Dead girl walking”, the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret”, the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.

Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery.

It's been a couple of months since I wrote up a review. And a couple of months since I read this Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. It's not a novel that's easy to review to be honest. I've read Fever 1793 and Speak by Anderson and while Speak was by no means a happy story to read, Melinda's ordeal was one that I was, unfortunately, familiar with... so it made it easier.

Lia and Cassie have eating disorders. But we don't see much of Cassie at all in the story. At least not in a conventional way. She's more... haunting... than anything else. She sort of manifests as one of Lia's demons.

The writing in this book is definitely different. Not told in solid story form but mainly through the jumbled thoughts of the main character. And I can tell you, it was so frustrating to read. So frustrating that I KNEW all this girl needed to do was eat... and so frustrating that she REFUSED even though she knew that was what she needed, too.

But eating disorders are never that easy. You can't just look at someone with bulimia and tell them to stop throwing up their food. You can't look at someone with anorexia and say "Here, have a sandwich," and expect everything to get better. It's a battle. And not a battle between you and that person, but a battle between that person and whatever demons are waging battle in their heads. Clearly Lia had many. And it was sad.

I'd seen a movie like this once. Long ago and far away. Best friends become anorexic... they literally compete to see who can eat the least and get the skinniest and then... one of them dies. The other is left with the guilt on top of the disease and her family's insistence that she seek treatment and "get better".

Lia has a family who knows what she's doing... in a way. They know she has a problem. And they believe they're monitoring it correctly. But Lia lies and manipulates her way in to "seeming" normal. The anger and irritation at seeing her lie conflicts with the sadness and the heartache of "watching" her waste away...

It's a hard book to read.

If you've read any of Anderson's other novels... I'd suggest giving this one a go. I'd probably recommend it for highschool and up because unfortunately, I know how easy it is for younger kids to read or see something like this book and "identify" with it to the point where they think they're experiencing the same issues... again, something I'm familiar with personally, sadly. So... less easily influenced minds are probably better suited for this particular type of story.

Review - Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

found.
Cole St. Clair has come to California for one reason: to get Isabel Culpeper back. She fled from his damaged, drained life, and damaged and drained it even more. He doesn't just want her. He needs her.

lost.
Isabel is trying to build herself a life in Los Angeles. It's not really working. She can play the game as well as all the other fakes...but what's the point? What is there to win?

sinner.
Cole and Isabel share a past that never seemed to have a future. They have the power to save each other and the power to tear each other apart. The only thing for certain is that they cannot let go.

Ok, so I finished Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater almost 3 weeks ago but I was putting off actually getting online and typing up a review because I am exhausted. Well, I'm less exhausted now than I was before... but still. So, sorry there hasn't been much activity on the blog as of late.

I was super stoked when I heard Sinner was coming out. I loved the Wolves of Mercy Falls series and I was so sad when it was all over. I was even more stoked when I learned that this one would be following Cole and Isabel. I love the Grace/Sam story with all my heart, but I wanted to know where Cole's story went.

Cole has gone to Los Angeles to find Isabel. In the process he's also supposed to be filming some kind of reality show and making a new record with a new band. Or at least, mostly new. Isabel is happy to see him, and she isn't happy to see him at the same time. She doesn't want to fall in love with him because she doesn't want to be hurt and she thinks that Cole is definitely the kind of person who is going to hurt her.

I have to admire Cole and his persistence. And the fact that even in the face of blatant temptation he didn't let his former addiction overcome him and cause him to undo all of the things that he's accomplished since becoming a wolf. I loved his carefree attitude and I loved being able to just be inside his head. He was trying so incredibly hard with Isabel.

Isabel kind of ticked me off a bit, but then I had to remember that she was putting up with a lot when it came to Cole's reality show. A lot that she didn't really have to put up with at all. And she was doing so quite well for the most part. I cut her some slack even though a few things she did still irritated me. Like insisting that Cole was doing things he shouldn't without really giving him a chance to plead his case.

She'd put up a wall though. One that she wasn't sure she wanted to put down for Cole. Well, in a way, she desperately wanted him to bust right through it and sweep her off her feet and carry her off in to the sunset with his mustang... but the rational part of her wanted to keep the wall in place because the lifestyle he was accustomed to (and she wasn't) was one that normally would have lead him to tear her heart to pieces and leave her broken on the ground. He had to prove himself. Over and over again. And I think he did that with flying colors. I love Cole. I really do.

And it doesn't hurt that when I read his chapters I hear Dan Bittner's voice in my head.

This was a great installment in the series. A definite deviation from the normal back and forth between Sam and Grace and their sort of ... innocence. Both Cole and Isabel are world weary and tired of the phoniness of people and the hurt they've gone through where as Sam and Grace were full of hope. Cole and Isabel hold each other up, though. They kind of find a new strength in each other and it makes the world not seem as bad.

If you've read the rest of the series, you should absolutely pick this one up. It's a fantastic read.

Review - Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

There is danger in dreaming. But there is even more danger in waking up.

Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs.

The trick with found things though, is how easily they can be lost.

Friends can betray.
Mothers can disappear.
Visions can mislead.
Certainties can unravel.

Blue Lily, Lily Blue is book 3 in the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. And, as I love all things Maggie Stiefvater, I had to read this. Although, I have put it off because book 4 is not scheduled to come out until February of 2016 so I didn't want there to be a million days in between reading this and reading that but... as with all things... I am impatient. And I had to stop procrastinating and get to reading.

Blue and Co. (Or Gansey and Co. however you want to look at it) are so close to finding Glendower's tomb that they can taste it. Sort of. But Maura is gone and there are curses on caves and Greenmantle is now teaching at Aglionby and Adam has to go to court to testify against his father and things just aren't working out the way they're supposed to be.

Some finagling has to be done to gain access to certain places and to make other things go away... it's getting scary. They're getting so close but everything is upending and they're not quite sure what to do next.

*

That was the best summary I could give without giving much away. As this is still a relatively new book.

First of all, I would like to say that I would love Blue's sense of style. I really would. But unfortunately I am the type of person that can really only rock jeans and t-shirts and still look like some semblance of a human being.

Moving along. This book has a lot of surprises in it. Some interesting. Some incredibly sad. One in particular I didn't see coming at ALL. Not at all. I guess that's kind of how surprises work though. You don't see them coming.

I didn't want to put this one down. I brought it with me to babysit, to dog sit... I brought it to read while I was waiting for my daughter's band concert to start... I read it outside, inside... everywhere and anywhere and all the time. That is how magnificent this installment is. It's also frustrating in a way. Everyone seems so stubborn and no one seems to give anyone the credit that they deserve.

The crew makes some new friends in this story. One I enjoyed immensely and I thought was just absolutely fantastic. Another was... different. Although I'm not sure yet whether or not that's a bad thing. I guess we will have to wait for the 4th book to find out for sure.

I loved Blue Lily, Lily Blue. But then, I love all of Maggie's books. It's fun to read about stories that are set close to home with names of places that I've been to. It had enough suspense without making the entire thing one big ball of "Oh my gosh what's going to happen!?" and the characters (Blue especially) had enough sass to keep things funny. We get a look at how strong they can truly be when bad things happen, and boy do they happen in this one. We also get to see just how magical things are the closer they get to their goal. It's pretty incredible. And I'll just warn you now, you'll get a punch to the gut in the end. Just saying.

If you've read the other 2 in this series, you HAVE to give this one a go. If you haven't, I suggest reading books 1 & 2 first before even attempting this one. You'll be completely lost if you're not all caught up on things. I can't wait for The Raven King to be released!