Emma Daley = Fantastic Storyteller
938679
To be honest, I didn't know what to think of this book at the very beginning. It seemed to be starting a little slow for me. As I continued reading though, I was captured by the stories of Novell's travels almost as completely as Aniah herself. The storytelling is done expertly, even though at first I though it was a little too much. The story progressed and I was starting to appreciate the background information of the tribes.
When I hit the halfway point of the novel, I was officially hooked. The darkness lurking in the shadows began to make me anxious for the safety of Aniah and her family. The end, though, was so captivating. It did what every book should at its conclusion... It made me want to read the next book.
On that note, I'll be looking forward to reading the next two books in the series. Congratulations to Emma Daley for writing such a captivating ya series which can stand next to any of the top series this year.
2020919
I'm finding myself really loving Derting's way of writing. It's not over packed with information, the pacing is wonderful, and she writes characters and situations I can't help but be drawn into. Desires of the Dead is no different. After being introduced to Violet in The Body Finder, Desires takes the story a step further.

Desires of the Dead doesn't have the serial killer storyline of the first book, but there is just as much searching for Violet. She's trying to figure out how to deal with her abilities and keep the people she cares about safe. She doesn't know how much to share about herself with her family and with Jay. Things have changed now, and she sees how easily her ability can harm those she loves. On top of that, she's been contacted by someone connected to the FBI about her possible special abilities.

The relationship between Violet and Jay is interesting and real. It's so easy to see that they are friends who became more, but aren't quite sure how to handle this new part of their relationship. They don't want things to change in their friendship, but they want things to change in their romantic relationship. Part of the "normal" conflict in this book is Violet and Jay trying to figure them out and I enjoyed that. Derting didn't just write the perfect couple and pass it off as coming from their friendship. She's added in teen challenges that make the book feel like it could have been written about anyone in my own high school.

Not only are the "normal" parts of this book well written, the paranormal parts are, too. That can be a little difficult to find, sometimes. Either the normal aspects take over and the paranormal suffers, or the paranormal is fantastic while the relationships suffer. Derting has found a perfect balance between the two. The paranormal bleeds into the normal, but doesn't take control. Every once in a while, Derting throws in something that shakes up the normal and reminds you that there is a mystery behind every word. There isn't the serial killer, like in the first novel, but there is death and echoes. Violet has to figure out different deaths that put her in harms way.

Desires of the Dead is a fantastic follow-up to The Body Finder and sets things up for a wonderful series. It has a little bit of everything I love in a book and leaves me wanting more. I know there's much more to Violet's story and after finishing Desires of the Dead I can't wait to keep reading.
154163
THE FAERYS VIEW

Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey was everything I thought it would be plus it had Faeries! BONUS! This is one book I couldn't wait to get my hands on and I'm so glad I did because this romp within the realm was fantastic. Ms. Harvey is one of my favorite authors and the reason behind that is her incredible narrative, intricate plots and fantastic descriptives. I am never disappointed when I finish one of Ms. Harvey's books and Stolen Away was no exception; the only disappointment for me is when I get to the last page and realize that the book has ended!

On to my review, Ms. Harvey wrote Stolen Away in two person POV, told by two best friends: Eloise and Jo. Eloise is the `Main Character' but Jo is just as much featured in this fun and thrilling fantasy full of mystery, intrigue, young love and of course, my favorite topic: the Fey. Eloise and Jo couldn't be more different; while Eloise chooses a more laid back style, Jo is into lace skirts and blouses but they are very much in sync with each other and truer friends are hard to find. Ms. Harvey does a wonderful job of showing the special friendship between the two girls showing both the snarky fun side and the loyal `to the end' side which really endeared the characters to me, making them my `friends', too.

Eloise has no idea that she has any tie with the Fae until she is abducted by the Unseelie King where she learns it is really about her favorite wacky aunt Antonia but has no idea why.  Jo, ever the faithful friend is captured as well in an attempt to rescue Eloise. What ensues is love in the land of the Fey, war and I must admit some wacky hilarity.

There's so much more to this story then I've included but it's those delicious little (and some big) parts that make this book such a winner for me. I'll leave those bits for you to savor as you come across them. Ms. Harvey is a wonderful weaver of words and I whipped through Stolen Away in a day-say that 5 times without stuttering! Truthfully, her writing was what made the book so interesting, the interplay between the characters and her description of the Unseelie Realm was worded beautifully, I found myself completely engrossed! I adored the `love' interests for each girl and this was one time where the battle didn't completely bore me.

THE FAERY SAYS READ IT, IT ROCKED MY WINGS!
2392926
An utterly charming and compelling read! I'm not generally a fan of bildom romance but I took a chance on this book because I am a fan of Alexis Hall. And I am so glad I did. The characters are engaging and the story drew me in from the beginning. Arden is delightful. Caspian is irresistible. I found myself both laughing out loud and getting teary-eyed at various points of the story. As with all of this author's work, the writing is evocative and lyrical. I am eagerly looking forward to the next book in this series.
3978262
FANTASTIC READ!  I read it more or less in one day, and it is wonderfully written.  Doughty is an excellent storyteller, weaving past and present into an excellent yarn that keeps readers wanting more.  Plus, she's started an excellent movement of calmly and sensibly facing death.  So, you know - she might be a super-heroine.
4476492
This was a wonderful read. It was sexy, fun, and hard to put down. Emma Payne creates characters that are very relatable and easy to like. The story line is well developed and gives the reader a fantastic experience.  I don't give spoiler reviews so you'll have to read this naughty little piece for yourself. I highly recommend it.
1503304
I read this in conjunction with the second half of Emma, switching back and forth from that to this book to read Mr. Knightley's perspective of essentially the same story.

First of all, this is a continuation of George Knightley, Esquire: Charity Envieth Not and is NOT a stand-alone novel. There are characters and storylines in the first book of this series which progress here without specifically recounting what occurred previously and are not in Emma.

This story is rich in memorable characters - some straight from Emma, and some from this author's vivid imagination. It works in perfect harmony with the source book. For example, this explains more detail about the rash of thefts leading up to the break-in at Mrs. Weston's poultry house, which is mentioned only briefly at the end of Emma. Every encounter between Emma and Mr. Knightley is recounted here with the significant pieces of conversation exactly the same, but with all of Mr. Knightley's thoughts and feelings presented rather than hers. During all the scenes in Emma in which Mr. Knightley does not appear, he is otherwise occupied, and we now learn exactly how he spends his time.

Mr. Knightley proves himself to be a very busy landowner. He confers daily with his steward, William Larkin, on any number of issues relating to his estate and tenants, and Mr. Larkin also fills him in on all the neighborhood gossip. He corresponds regularly with his brother John, who is a London lawyer, exchanging news and sometimes asking his advice, particularly regarding legal matters. He actively participates in all neighborhood events, even those he doesn't personally enjoy. He is sought out to solve problems and provide advice about everything from the mad Miss Castleman to the mysterious goings-on at the Crow's Nest (the local tavern). He provides for the poor and visits the sick and elderly. He regularly spends time with Mr. Woodhouse, the fussy and fragile gentleman who lives a short walk away.

And every night, he talks to Madam Duval, the pampered cat given to him by his young niece Bella. She hears his meditative ramblings about his despair from watching Emma Woodhouse and Frank Churchill flirt and banter whenever he sees them together, and this feline companion is the only witness when he looks out the window toward Emma's home each evening and wishes her a good night.

Both this book and its prequel, George Knightley, Esquire: Charity Envieth Not, are wonderfully matched in terms of plot, writing style and characterizations in Emma, although it is not necessary to read Jane Austen's original work to enjoy them on their own. I already appreciated Mr. Knightley, but he is vividly fleshed out as as character here, which makes me love him even more!
756097
As soon as I started the book, I was pulled in right from the off and we're introduced to Jemima and those who inhabit her world: Saskia, who buys Jemima's jewellery, Rosie her best friend along with her son Harry and Jason, who Jemima shares a studio with. I was transported instantly into Jemima's story as she struggles to find someone to show off her belt buckles, until she happens on Ben Davies' guitar shop, down a York side street. The sparks fly off the two since they first meet and I found their interactions very entertaining as they took the Mickey out of each other constantly. It made for amusing reading, and when I learnt that they both were keeping secrets, I was dying to know what they were and it definitely kept me turning the pages as they both kept almost blurting it all out.

I loved all of the characters. Jemima is a very intriguing character right from the off. I knew she had a secret, as the synopsis says so, and I was desperate to find out what it was. Despite her secrets, I loved Jemima, she's very sarcastic, and she's someone I could definitely see myself being friends with. She's exactly what I look for in a main character and she carried the book with aplomb. At first, I wasn't completely taken by Ben. He interested me, but the description Jemima gives of him makes him sound very skinny and a bit scruffy, but as Jemima changes her opinion of him, I did too and by the end of it, I loved him. I also really liked Rosie and Jason, Jason in particular were hilarious and they were such good friends to Jemima despite not knowing her as well as they might have liked.

Please Don't Stop The Music is really well written, and I flew through the pages and the book just seemed to pick up steam the more I got into it. It's told entirely from Jemima's point of view with regular diary entries from Ben and I liked that small addition, because it gave us a bit of an insight into Ben's head. As I've mentioned, both characters have big secrets and while I eventually guessed Ben's, I had no idea of Jemima's. We're told a little bit about Jemima during the book, just snippets, so while I was expecting something a bit different to what you normally find in a Chick Lit book, I wasn't expecting what I got! It was very much a surprise. I absolutely loved reading Please Don't Stop The Music, I loved the writing style, I adored the characters and I loved the humour within the pages but most of all, I loved the romance. I'm a sucker for a happy ending, and I was rooting for Jemima and Ben throughout, practically from their very first meeting. Jane Lovering is definitely an author on my radar and I really hope she's working on a new novel. I hugely recommend you pick up this book, it's really great.
474215
She is an incredible storyteller! It's even better on audiobook! I prefer books, but her voice is so animated and accurately portrays the varied emotions you feel throughout her story; it never gets old or tiring to listen to her speak! Not to mention, her story itself is incredible! So much nuance goes into speaking about very touchy subjects and she breezes through them with such grace!
4631910
The ability to tell a story with characters who have warmth, humor, and humanity to them is my greatest reason for loving Jessica Day George's work. Sun and Moon is a fabulous retelling of the fairytale: East of the Sun West of the Moon. The Nameless ninth daughter of a poor woodcutter saves a white deer and is given the gift of speaking to animals which leads her on an adventure where she's stuck living with a polar bear for a year and a day so her family can have wealth. Loved the book, love the moments of humor, loved the characters, and HATED that it all ended when I closed the book.

I love how our heroine was spunky and imaginitive enough to try to solve her own problems (even if she made a few things worse for herself) I can easily see fans of fairy tales placing this book on their "favorites" shelf. The writing was beatuiful and lyrical, and yet straightforward and simple to read, which makes it accessable to a wider audience. Loved it and cannot wait for more!
2925681
This is the first book by Alisha Ashton that I have read, and after finishing it I'm happy to say it won't be the last.
This story was fantastic from beginning to end.

The story itself was wonderful, Graham and Sorena have such amazing chemistry that you can practically feel it coming off the pages of the story.
But what really drew me in was the fantastic character development.

Something that I have found a lot of very talented authors have trouble with, is the secondary characters and developing them into the stpry, making them seem like real people and not just an after thought thrown in to further the story.
That was not the case here. The supporting characters seemed every bit as important as the main characters, giving the story even more of a real feel to it.

As a young female myself, I love books like this that have such a great female lead. She's someone that you can look up to but at the same time you can feel a connection with, because at the end of the day you realize how much you have in common. She's just a woman trying to make her way in the world the best that she can, while trying to do what she loves and make herself happy.
She's not the kind of woman that's going to sit back and take crap from anyone and that's something that more of us should aspire to.

I greatly enjoyed this story and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
4943541
I first read Forever Right Now last year. I fell into the lives of Sawyer and Darlene as one does with an Emma Scott book; easily and relentlessly. Frankly, I did not want to leave them, which probably explains why Ive reread FRN this year and frequently skim my kindle copy to relive my favorite scenes over and over again. Each time feels like finding a $10 bill in the pocket of a winter coat. Its full of exciting discovery and pure joy mixed with a bit of surprise. How these simple feelings can be brought out by Emmas easily read prose is something I delight in when reading one of her books, but somehow shes amplified it with Forever Right Now.

There is one specific thing I want to discuss, or make note of; Darlenes gray old man sweater. Its described as bulky, ratty, old, ugly. Im probably wrong but I feel like this sweater of Darlenes is a metaphor for her addiction, her recovery, and her guilt.

I love this sweater. I wear it all the time.

She wears it for protection and comfort, and as a reminder and motivation. Every time the sweater made an appearance the scene felt more significant, especially when the characters would make note of it.

She wore a bulky sweater, but it didn't conceal what she was.

As the story progresses, she doesnt wear it as much which mirrors her characters growth and development as she gained confidence and self-acceptance. In the end its loved by Sawyer too, which to me signifies his acceptance of her and her past and all of the fragility she brings to their relationship. Again, I love how the simplistic nature of something so innocuous can be so significant to a character in a story. It makes me want to reread all of Emmas books to see if this is her thing or a conscious choice she made for Darlene. Id love to discuss it with her, and other parts of Darlene. She is a character that is equal parts vulnerable and resilient, and I just love her.

Emma also wrote Sawyer fantastically well. He is so hard yet so soft. There is an insistence is his admiration for others, as though his love comes with an added strength or protectiveness and not something given to others without thought. Its difficult to describe but it is easily identified throughout the story. I also felt all swoony any time he would use his mega-mind to make recollections about Darlene. It felt as though his eidetic memory was bothersome to him but every time he would use it remember things about Darlene, it was more of an enjoyable and emotionally torturous bother. The good kind of bother. You get what I mean.

The supporting cast of characters was also fantastic. Id be happy if Jackson got a book, or a novella. Short story. Newsletter outtake. SOMETHING. Sorry, Im weak for a funny man. Olivia was also written exceptionally well. I never had the a one year old would never do that thought. She was cute and funny and really brought an emotionally dynamic layer to the story.

This is an easy, no brainer, must read recommendation for Forever Right Now. I hope you love it as much as I did.
2659200
Emma Hart is one of my favourite authors and will continue to be, she hasn't released a book I haven't enjoyed.

If you're expecting a similar book to the rest of the Burkes you will be disappointed this one is completely different -in a good way. Jase is a hot Brit rockstar and Leila is a smartarse and hates the limelight. However the chemistry between them is intense. Leila has the most random thoughts and Jase just finds her amusing. The way they met and the beginning of their relationship wasn't conventional but they sure as hell make it work.

Every book by this author has had me laughing out loud, the relationship between Leila and her brothers is sweet and I really enjoyed seeing things from her perspective in DLR. We got to spend plenty of time with all the characters we loved so much in the original series.

Emma always writes fantastic books and is an automatic one-click author for me.

One thing I do want to know is whether Jase's brother will get a story? I thought he was great and I would like to see what happens with him.
3196722
Love this book.  I was drawn into th e story from the first page.  Morik and Tessa are pure awesomeness,  a few shocking moments that totally threw me, definitely a telly didn't see that coming.  Highly recommend
3576426
I devoured this book. Normally I listen to audiobooks on my commute (a total of two and a half hours every day), but with this story I was bringing my iPod into the house and also listening after I got home (while doing the dishes, planning next week's meals, etc.) I couldn't get enough!

I should probably lead with this: This story either has magical realism or it doesn't. The reader is left to decide whether Cara (the primary narrator) is actually experiencing the otherworldly things, or whether her suppressed memories are leveraging her imagination to force her to remember. We see evidence of both. So even if you don't like magical realism, I recommend this book. I, of course, chose to believe they were supernatural happenings because I find it more charming and more eerie.

Beyond the basic plot, this story is about families, communication, secrets, and the inevitable sad conclusion of hiding from truths. The language is fantastical- not florid or purple, but lyrical. Cara is a storyteller from a family of artists, so that's totally in character. It also brings this world to life. They live in a small hamlet in Ireland (and the audiobook narrator is Irish, by the way, which added to the charm), in modern day. There are four main characters the story revolves around, and each one is fleshed out so much, I felt like I knew them. If you read this, know that I was aiming to be a mix between Cara and Bea when I was in high school. I doubt I pulled off either.

This book is at heart a mystery. The accident season happens every year (in October) and within the family it's accepted but not talked about. Why does it happen? As secrets and bizarre happenings start occurring over this year's accident season, more mysteries float to the surface. What Cara thought was true, and what Cara wanted to be true, are not necessarily (or not as she assumed). That tension remains throughout the story, making it a compelling read.

There's plenty of layered action as well, but all of it adds to the character development and contributes to the deeper mysteries. There's also some romance, which never kidnaps the plot but adds to the tension, and there is a bit of a steamy scene in there. There's also some very tough, realistic issues- be prepared to have some twisting of the heart.

Needless to say, I loved it and will definitely be reading more books by Fowley-Doyle in the future. I recommend this to fans of complex, realistic characters, contemporary YA, slow-burn romance, deep mystery, contemporary relevance and real-world issues, supernatural and eerie elements, and/or lyrical world-building.
3656848
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. My regret with this book was that I started it too late at night and couldn't put it down until I finished it! I loved Emma's character. She is not your typical lead character in a romance book, pining after her ex or desired lover. She had a strong sense of self and independence that is so admirable that I kept cheering her on with every choice she made. I was worried that there would be some annoying cliches but it was so well written with many twists that kept me guessing. It was such a wonderful, feel-good read that I will definitely add it on my "to re-read list".
126208
What a treat! After loving Isabelle Broom's debut, My Map of You, I was really looking forward to her second book and after finishing it, I can truly say A Year and a Day is a magical and evocative story. Set in the beautiful city of Prague, this book tells the story of three different couples that find themselves in the same hotel. My favourite couple was Megan and Ollie. They are actually only friends but it's quite clear from the begining that Ollie has other intentions. I really enjoyed reading about them and their back stories, and they had so much fun together.

Then we've got Hope and Charlie. She has just left her husband for him and their are still getting used to each other and their quirks. I really liked Hope, she was like a mummy bear, always worrying and taking care of the younger girls. I think her story was really inspiring, especially as she started to realise that her own happiness should be her priority and everyone else's. And finally, we've got Sophie and Robin. At the beginning of the story, Sophie is alone, waiting for Robin to get to Prague. I found her a bit needy and annoying, always missing him and thinking about him. I felt like she couldn't function without him. But then as I got to know her better, I started to warm to her and she really got me by the end of the story.

And then, there's an addition character in the story: the city of Prague. I had the pleasure of visiting it a few years ago during winter too and found it a really interesting and beautiful place but Isabelle Broom makes it a magical place (I need to revisit pronto). I loved reading her descriptions of the cobbled streets, the statues on the bridge, the clock in the main square and all the secrets places we discover during the story. I think that reading about Megan's pictures (she's a photographer) and her instant connection with the city added a new dimension to these description. I could totally picture her photos, the light and the feelings they evoked.

Isabelle Broom has done it again with A Year and a Day, an unforgettable story that will surprise you and will make you fall in love with the magical city of Prague. Definitely one not to miss these holidays, pick a copy and get lost in the colourful Christmas Markets of Prague!