Review: A Thousand Heartbeats

A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Annika has lived a pampered life, but as a princess and the spare heir, she knows that her life is not her own.  The next task she must undertake?  Marry a man she does not love.  Miles’ life has been the opposite.  He has trained with the Dahrainian army and wants to help reclaim the kingdom that was stolen.  Lennox doesn’t have time for anything else … even love.  When these two are thrown together, love sparks, even though they both know it is impossible.  What will these young people do next?  Who will end up in control of the kingdom?

A Thousand Heartbeats is a stand-alone romance told in alternating voices.  Readers will experience a full story as the point of view switches between these two protagonists.  Cass has created a wonderful world with believable characters and a captivating story.  Although this is a stand-alone novel with a firm ending, this newly created world has hidden depths and I wouldn’t be surprised if more books are released.  A good romance that wasn’t too long and wasn’t risqué at all.  

View all my reviews

Review: Five Survive

Five Survive by Holly Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is time for the senior year spring break road trip and Red plans to enjoy time with her friends in an RV.  The drive seems to never end but everyone is trying to enjoy themselves until they make some wrong turns and the RV breaks down in a secluded area with no cell phone reception.  They quickly learn that this wasn’t an accident when a sniper shoots out their wheels and their gas tank.  He tells them that he knows who they are and he will let them go IF they tell him the secret he wants.  What secret?  Who is hiding something?  Who is going to die?

Five Survive is a stand-alone mystery that was a page-turner from the start.  Jackson has created a new cast of characters that readers will easily relate to and as different people slowly admit to their secrets; readers will be just as shocked as those within the pages.  We know from the title that one of them will die, but the why and the how is a shocker.  I enjoyed this book and think all mystery fans will enjoy it too.

View all my reviews

Review: Children of Ragnarok

Children of Ragnarok by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eiric has had a fairly good life on his modir’s farm.  He must work hard to keep everything going, but he must also try and stay out of his stepfadir’s way.  When Eiric is put on trial for killing his stepfadir, he knows that there isn’t going to be a good outcome since the jury is made up of his stepfadir’s family.  Reggin is a performer who is controlled by a fire demon.  She wants to get away and when two wyrdspinners offer to train her, she thinks it is an offer she can’t refuse.  These two stories alternate throughout the book and readers will willingly anticipate when they will converge.

Children of Ragnarok is the first book in the Runestone Saga series.  This series is different than many of Chima’s other series because it takes place during the time of the Vikings, but as a person who enjoys books and TV shows about this time period, I willingly jumped into this one.  There is a lot of world-building and character development, but the time spent on these pages adds so much to the story that readers won’t be bothered by it.  I enjoyed the start of this new series and can’t wait for the next book to be published.

View all my reviews

Review: Gleanings

Gleanings by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many readers have enjoyed the world where Scythe decide who dies and people live what seems like forever and Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe will take them into new storylines, new worlds, and introduce new Scythes.  As with any short story collection, there are some amazing stories and some ho-hum stories, yet everyone who liked the original books will be happy that this volume was released.  I did find myself pacing myself; I wanted to pause after each story before going on to the next so that the events could cement more into my brain.  I know that isn’t the only way to read this book, but it worked for me.  This collection has a variety of secrets from some very talented authors.

View all my reviews

Review: The Luminaries

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Winnie wants to be a part of the Luminaries, but since she had to stop training four years ago when her family was shunned, she isn’t sure she has what it takes to survive the three tests.  When Winnie unexpectantly accomplishes the first test, her family is quickly welcomed back into the community.  She asks Jay to help train her before the next two tests and he seems to understand what she saw the night she “killed” her first monster.  What is the creature that is stalking the already dangerous forest?  Does Winnie have what it takes to join the Luminaries? 

The Luminaries is the first book in a series by the same name.  This fantasy/supernatural novel took elements from older stories and weaved in new and updated creatures that made it a refreshing read.  Dennard has created a new world that has the promise for many stories and the end left readers with no doubt that there will be more books in our future.  Readers don’t need to be diehard fantasy or supernatural fans to enjoy this story.

View all my reviews

Review: Wait for Me

Wait for Me by Sara Shepard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Casey may only be seventeen years old but she is already a college sophomore and is dating one of New York City’s most eligible bachelors.  When she starts hearing voices, she thinks it is the stress of school and takes an impromptu trip to Avon, a small coastal town.  The voices don’t go away and now she is seeing visions.  She doesn’t know if these visions are trying to tell her something, but she does know that there is something about Jake that draws her to him.  Will Casey discover why she has these voices and visions?  Why is she pulled to Jake and Avon?

Wait for Me is a stand-alone romantic mystery.   Yes … I did just make that genre up.  This book does not fall easily into a genre and I could even be compelled to add supernatural to the mix.  The story was easy to follow, but I feel that Shepard wrapped it up too quickly.  One minute we discover a small piece of the back story and suddenly the book is over.  Other than that, Wait for Me was a wonderful escape read that will satisfy many different reading profiles.

View all my reviews

Review: Going Rogue

Going Rogue by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephanie is as ready as she can be to start her day at work when she arrives at Vinnie’s Bail Bonds and it is locked up tight and Connie, the office manager, is nowhere to be found.  The truth is discovered when they receive a call from the kidnapper.  They will let Connie go if-and-when a coin used for collateral is returned.  The coin is no longer at the bail bonds office and it is now up to Stephanie and her friends to discover where the coin went and return it to Connie’s captor.  Why is this coin so important?  How will Stephanie and her friends get out of this situation?

Going Rogue is the twenty-ninth Stephanie Plum book and it was a fun and easy escape.  The overall story is only slightly different from past escapades, yet it is still enjoyable.  Stephanie is just as accident prone and the bad guys aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed either.  Although there are a lot of repeats, Evanovich has still created an entertaining story that left me feeling lighthearted and pleased.

View all my reviews