I loved Under Heaven and this book eclipsed my expectations and ...
593432
I loved Under Heaven and this book eclipsed my expectations and was actually better than his other books.  I like how he used some of what happened in Under Heaven, which took place three hundred and more years before River of Stars, and linked the two stories together.
4337793
This is the best book I have read this year and the one I didn't even expect to like. I just ordered it on a whim and WOW. I have read a ton of best sellers this summer and anticipated greatness without fulfillment. I picked this book up and couldn't put it down. I really cared about the characters and thought about the plot as I would fall asleep at night. This book made me laugh (out loud), made me cry, and inspired me to evaluate life and what ifs. It was an amazing story, it filled you with anticipation during the climax and ended wonderfully. Who knew I would love this book so much! I have already ordered more of Liane Moriarty's books.
3511139
I love when an author can take supernatural creatures I think I know and make them something unexpected. Nothing in this book was quite what I was expecting. The vampires, elementals, witches, and weres aren't typical. Even the way magic is used is slightly off-kilter from what mainstream media would have us believe. And that makes this book priceless to me. I also loved the snarky pop culture references that delighted my inner nerd-girl. For me, it was in the developing relationship between Alec and Dianna where this book really shone. It wasn't love at first sight, it was something they both had to work up to which made it feel all the more real.
I received a complimentary copy of this book.
1659002
Once in a while I dabble in young adult fantasy and this book was so much more. It had a heart and humor and raw emotion that just spoke to me. This book was beautifully written and captured my attention from page 1. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has lost someone or just wants to believe again.
1463329
I stumbled across the book by complete accident and I am so happy I did! This is my new favorite book and I can't wait to read more from these two. Completely amazing and utterly brilliant.
373512
The title to my review could have been: WOW!. I actually had low expectations for this book and I was so wrong.
I fell in love with both characters, it was heart renching and I even cried at times (I hardly ever cry from books). I couldn't put it down. Although it is a romance nothing was expected. It was real and surprising and sad and beautitull and so well written.
Thank you Amy Lane.
719309
Once in a while you come across a book that touches you on a soul deep level and that was what happened to me as I read Hell on Heels. I don't know if I can adequately describe how this book made me feel. I quietly cried on and off throughout, Im tearing up trying to write this review. It is exquisitely written and accurately portrays the struggle that loved ones go to when they lose someone to addiction. I do have to say that what I was expecting was so not what I got with this book. It is a case of do not judge a book by its cover. It was an emotional roller coaster of a read for me and I couldn't put it down.

At a relatively young age, Charlie got hit with a double dose of loss. Her first love disappears without a trace and then three months later her older brother dies. This leads to her being lost and broken. Years later, she has her own company and her own non-profit but is deeply lonely. The book is a journey of healing from her losses and finding herself again. The character development is beautiful. While still broken and lost, Charlie is also strong and resilient. The pace and the flow of the story made it easy to immerse myself into Charlies life. As the younger sister to a (now recovering) addict, I could easily relate to Charlie and the struggles that her family went through.

The side characters introduced add to the story. We have Charlies best friends Kevin and Leighton, who have stuck by her and support her. And we have the love interests. There are three.

Yes, I said three.

We have Maverick, the dominant alpha bodyguard; Beau, the sweet and tender Mayoral candidate; and lastly we have Dean, her first love who reappears. Let me just warn you now, this isn't a typical romance novel. She dates all three and there are sexy times with all three. Each one brings something to her that she needs at this time in her life. But they aren't the heroes of the story, she is her own heroine. And I love that.
3783648
Oh my goodness, I love this book!!  In our misguided concerns for "saintliness" we have painted heaven to be such a "vanilla," bland place of stilted and dull monkish inhabitants.  This book has awakened in me such an amazing glimpse of what heaven and the renewed earth will be!!  I sit here listening to the Audible version from my Echo and just feel myself wrong up over and over again with the anticipation of a much more lively and fulfilling life after this one that I am so excited and couldn't help but as my review.

When I was a child, a well-meaning pastors wife taught us about such a bland heaven that I really was not at all looking forward to it. Later, in my 30's I read a book titled "Visions Beyond the Veil" that have me reason to hope for more.

This book has based those impressions on Scripture and given me a secure basis for my faith in a heaven of unlimited beauty, love, opportunity, and creativity.  Though I had a basic understanding of this, his deep and imaginative descriptions have opened up my conception as one stepping forth from a prison cell into the vast open spaces of the wilderness.

Oh, that all Christians would read this book. I believe it would so enliven their excitement and joy in their salvation that their witness to this dark and sad world would become so much more powerful and positive!!

I have to say it again, I Love This book!!!
2156166
I was wonderfully surprised by this book.  I started with the mind setting that it would be like the other 100 fantasy books.  After all, how many ways can you write about angels and fantasy?  Thankfully this author shattered my illusions and created a new world full of rich characters and a plot line that kept me reading all through the night.  I could not put it down!
1116291
Oh. My. God. This book. I have to say, The Angel was a shock. A delicious surprise, which may seem surprising since I've read and enjoyed book one, The Siren. I feel silly for being surprised, but typically, "seconds" in a series tend to be a bit of a letdown. The Angel, though, was not only as good as The Siren, it was beyond incredible. It was a gorgeous piece of work that has left me feeling slightly obsessed with The Original Sinners.

For those who've read The Siren (and if you haven't, please remedy that ASAP.), I'm sure you're dying to know what happened after that sad ending. (Poor Wes. Poor Nora.) The Angel resumes over a year later, but thankfully, Reisz slowly and seamlessly fills in the blanks throughout the story. Nora and Soren are together and happy. But an investigation into Soren's past sends Nora and her new student Michael out of sight, to stay with Griffin. Though she loves Soren and misses him desperately, the time away from him forces, or allows, Nora to rehash her past, and confront unresolved and painful feelings for the love Nora turned away. All the while, Michael, whose desperation pushed him to drastic actions, is finding himself. An eager student, a willing lover, an Angel, this story is as much Michael's as it is Nora's.

What I loved the most about The Angel was the fact that author Tiffany Reisz surprised me on almost every page. I felt that I knew Nora so well, and Wes, to a large extent, and that I had a true grasp on them. Even though I didn't get to know Soren, Kingsley, and Griffin particularly well in The Siren, I dismissed them, particularly Griffin, as easily-pegged characters. Ohhhh, how wrong I was, and I am happy to admit it. What Reisz has mastered is the art of creating fully dimensional characters. Her characters are good (sometimes), bad (a lot of the time), and always so good at being so bad. Take Soren, for example. He's a Priest. A very, very good Priest who has done remarkable things for the Church. And yet, he has broken vows. He's a Sadist. He has been in love with Nora since she was fifteen. He has given the very best parts of himself to the Church, and yet he is the head of the Underground. He's Complex. I also love that characters I originally thought of as marginal, are not marginal in the slightest. Griffin is a character I dismissed as a fun, "fill in" character in The Siren. But in The Angel, Griffin is magnificent, becoming my favorite in the story. And Michael. Who could forget poor Michael? I thought his appearance in book one was a device used to wake Nora up. I never imagined he would play a central role in The Angel. I'm left feeling blown away by these characters.

Speaking of blown away (heh), The Angel is one of the most erotic books I've ever read. Sometimes it was playful, sometimes it was scary, but it was always seductive. Reisz has a remarkable way of writing sexual scenes. Her seduction lies more in the implication than in relying on an actual "description" of the act. The scene works as a whole; the type sheets on the bed, the color of candles lit, the color of lingerie worn, the whisper of a breath on the back of a neck, the placement of a hand, a sigh... It all works beautifully together to create an intensely erotic atmosphere that will leave you feeling heady and completely satisfied.

The Angel has helped secure The Original Sinners series on my "Must-Read-or-I-Will-Die" list. The clever, sharp, beautifully seductive writing; the characters that I love, like, and am terrified of; the story of a group of Sinners, these complicated, worthwhile characters, have all combined in this perfect storm to create what I consider a perfect book. The ending left me crying...on a bike...at the gym. Sad tears? Happy tears? I'll never tell, but I will tell you that I will cut someone to read book three, The Prince.
4580280
wow what the hell did I just read?? what lies beneath is such a beautiful and amazing book and is Richard's best novel yet. I loved the unpredictability how for most of the book you don't really know what's going on until the end it was truly one of the best book I've read all year. the book starts off with Blair being pulled into the water someone tried to kill her but why I asked myself about every chapter I loved the writing style as I do in all of Richard's books. but in this on it was just different in a very good way. I loved at how Blair begins to question how she is getting these thing that only her boyfriend Dylan knew. so this book definitely has it's twists and turns, I truly loved this book and I love how Richard writes such amazing standalone novels. great job Richard loved it with all my heart 5/5 stars.

there are deep wishes that maybe someday in like 5 years that I hope a sequel will be written because I just loved this beautiful world and would love to see more of it.

What lies beneath by Richard Denney has 13 chapters and 172 pages.
3626705
<3ed!!!  This book was so different than what I was expecting.  I knew this was a love story and figured it would be a little steamy but the heart and 'soul' that I found was a complete surprise.  I laughed and cried (several times).  I truly felt the love and pain the characters went through.  The end was beautiful (which I knew to expect) because Amy is amazing.  One of my favorite aspects was how much the characters from book 1 were in here.  Not only was I reading about a new couple's journey, I also got more than a flash here and there of Molly & Carter (whom I also adored).

5 absolutely deserving stars from me <3
955706
I can't say that I've read a book that has kept me so intrigued and hooked the entire time - at least not recently anyways.  I bore easily and it's not often that I can't put a book down.  This book is hot with a capital H.  I was a little worried with the whole religion aspect that this book would be a bit cheesy, over the top, and frankly.. trashy.  It was so well written and so realistic of some thing that I could see happen in real life.  This is the first book I have read by Sierra Simone and she had me snagged me as a fan by the end of the first chapter.  I can't wait to read the follow up to Priest and more of what she writes in the future.
4901827
Im not sure what I was expecting, but this book far exceeds any expectations I might have imagined.  In having read other essays by Laura Jean Baker, I was amazed at the complexity of her writing.  In addition, her authentic, brutally honest depiction of love, marriage, parenting, babies, addiction and the court system leave much to think about. Her honest account of her own imperfection helps us all be a little gentler with ourselves.  Her overall message There by the grace of God go I leaves us all with much to ponder.
780520
Wow, I was not expecting to be stood on my head and have my whole view,of grace turned upside down. Not only grace but God's unconditional love and delight in me. Mr Sprinkles analogies and examples came from left field but truly made me understand, feel and touch the grace he was describing . Thank you for this enlightening book I hope to be seeing more books from you.
3164394
This exciting book took me on a thrilling trip through Heaven, Hell, and planet Earth as it provided some truly horrifying scenes, steamy sex, and even some humor. The book provides scary, unusual, and entertaining insights into the inhabitants of Hell and how their way of life is dependent on the hapless humans caught in the middle of a power struggle between Heaven and Hell with Earth's survival at stake. This is a must read. I can't wait for the sequel!
3246626
I got the book from my local library because the premise looked intriguing -- missionary to another planet and all that.  I enjoyed the book because it defied my expectations at every turn.  I won't say how because that would introduce spoilers, but it's a lovely little book and I recommend it, regardless of what your position on missionaries might be.  On the basis of reading this book, I also got two other books by the same author, both quite different from this one.