Always the Baker, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

" Thirty-six-year-old Emma Rae Travis has been baking specialty cakes and melt-in-your-mouth pastries at The Backstreet Bakery in historic Roswell, just outside of Atlanta, for the last six years. But here’s the rub about her job as a baker … Emma is diabetic. When she tastes her creations, it can only be in the most minute portions. Emma is considered an artisan for the stunning crème brulee wedding cake that won her the Passionate Palette Award last year, but she’s never even had one full slice of it.

When Jackson Drake hears about this local baker who has won a prestigious award for her wedding cake artistry, he tells his assistant to be sure and include her in the pastry tastings scheduled at his new wedding destination hotel the following week. And for Jackson, that particular day has started out badly with two workmen trapped in a broken elevator and a delivery of several dozen 300-thread-count bed linens in the wrong size abandoned in the lobby. But when the arrogant baker he met a week prior in Roswell stumbles into the dining room with a platter of pastries and a bucketful of orders, he knows for certain: It’s going to be a really rotten day.

Can these two ill-suited players master the high-wire act and make a go of their new business venture? Or will they take each other crashing downward, without a net? And will the surprise wedding at The Tanglewood be theirs?" - GoodReads.

Genre: Christian Fiction, Romantic Comedy
288 pages

Published September 1st 2010 by Abingdon Press

How much would it suck to be an awesome baker and not be able to taste more than just one small bite of your amazing creations because of diabetes? Well Emma is just such a baker. She has won awards for her treats but has never been able to fully enjoy them herself. Which would be awful if you ask me, I would probably end up in a sugar comatose because I don't have that kind of self control. But Emma has a lot of self control.
Even when it comes to Jackson, the good looking but kind of rude owner of a wedding destination hotel that has just hired her as the hotel's baker.
He can be incredibly infuriating, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime for Emma so she doesn't want to pass it up. Finally to have her own kitchen to create all her goodies in.

This story had me giggling late into the night. It was just such a sweet and fun story that I didn't want to stop reading, so I didn't. In one night I finished it. The characters felt so real, like people I would really like to know in real life. From Jackson's sisters to Emma's best friend Fee, I loved them all.
 And there are actual recipes scattered throughout the story. They sounded so good so I ended up highlighting most of them on my Kindle to go back later and attempt making myself.

Though there is an undeniable attraction growing between Emma and Jackson, they are both trying to get over things from their pasts. So the question of 'will they move on and get together' is always there.

Funny and oh so sweet. I loved this book.
If you like Christian fiction or romance with a bit of real life humor thrown in you should definitely give Always the Baker, Never the Bride a shot.

For The Love Of A Vampire by M. Leighton

"Like most seventeen year olds, Ridley Heller thought she had her future all planned out. What she wanted most in life was to get out of small town Harker. Her only goal was to keep her mouth shut and her grades high so she could win a cheerleading scholarship to Stanford. But that was before she met Bo. 

In Ridley's wildest dreams, she could never have planned for someone like Bo, for a love so intense it left her breathless. No human girl could.

A haunting stranger that watched her from afar, Bo stole Ridley's heart from the moment she laid eyes on him. But he has secrets. Bo's a vampire. Both his past and his present are a danger to Ridley, but the biggest threat is not her blood; it's her heart. He's feeding a thirst for revenge that will cost him his life, and it may already be too late.

The more darkness Ridley uncovers, the more she realizes that her life will never be the same-with or without Bo. Can she sacrifice her future and her heart for someone who has a death wish? "-GoodReads.

Kindle Edition

Published April 20th 2011

I thoroughly enjoyed M. Leighton's first book, The Reaping. That woman knows how to write a great romance. So I was excited when she asked me to read and review this one, as well. 
Though it did not end up being one of my favorite vampire story, it was a good read. 


I really wanted to love the love story between Ridley and Bo, and sometimes I did, but most of the time it seemed to have happened so fast that not a whole lot of anticipation was allowed to build. It's just hard to believe, in any story, that after so little time of knowing someone you would be willing to do anything for them and feel such a passionate love. It needs more time.


And I wish there hadn't been the references to popular music and movies. That always tends to date a story and it can either still work in 10 years, or it may make it unrelatable. 


The revenge aspect of the story was my favorite. It made the story intense and emotion-filled and I will be curious as to how it all plays out in the other books.


If you enjoy YA paranormal romance then you should give Blood Like Poison a shot. Especially now with Halloween right around the corner!


I received this book free of charge from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, altered my opinion of the story or my review.

Bug Island by R. G. Cordiner

"They destroyed the mighty Mayan Empire. What hope for a few shipwrecked survivors?

A South American cruise. It should have been a once in a lifetime experience. And it was. But not in the way they imagined. Barely surviving a horrific shipwreck, the remaining passengers have to try and cope with finding food, water, shelter, let alone the constant arguments.

And then there are the bugs. Not the sort that you squish and then get on with your day. Oh no. Toe biters, pond skaters, assassin bugs and harvestmen that drop down on top of their victims – all of these could be found in your garden. But on this lost island they are all at least twenty times their normal size. Trapped on an island with a six metre long giant centipede with armoured plates was not on the cruise itinerary. Now all they want is to get off – without being squished!

“Anyone pack the bug spray?”"-GoodReads.

Kindle Edition

Published October 31st 2010

Campy horror movies are kind of my thing. My mom and I used to get snacks and hang out on the couch all day on Saturdays just to watch whatever silly movies SciFi had playing. So when I read Bug Island's synopsis I knew it would be a fun read. It's not a long story and not in-depth but it did make me giggle. 


I've only read one Stephen King book, but how Bug Island was written reminded me of it in the way that R. G. Cordiner jumps around from character to character a lot. That bothered me at first (as it did in King's novel) because I felt like I wasn't really getting to know any of the characters. I would have liked to have been able to favor at least one person over the others and root for them to not get eaten. But I eventually settled on the fact that I wasn't going to get to know anyone that well. Instead of hoping for a certain character not to get eaten I started bets with myself on who would be the next to go. I think that was a pretty fair trade.


Bug Island is littered with onamonapias (the fact that this book allowed me to use that word in my review makes me want to give it extra cool points). Every time a bug was around there were things like "CRRRKKK", which I didn't mind, but have seen that it bothers other readers, so here is your fair warning. Their noises aren't described, but actually put in onto the page.


Also a fair warning, the formatting is a bit off. Sometimes there are only a couple lines and some bug noises on a page  which at times makes the story feel a bit choppy.


 If you are rolling your eyes at the description, then this book probably isn't for you. But if you want something kinda campy and fun, give Bug Island a shot. It didn't blow me away, but it most certainly was a fun book, and one that I probably won't soon forget. Especially the ending, which was just as out there and unbelievable as I was hoping it would be.

Wasteland by Patricia Williams

"One year ago, Becca Wilkinson changed the lives of dozens of people. Now, one word will change her life forever... 

Becca Wilkinson is a nobody, and those that are aware of her existence know her as "that quiet girl in the back of class", "loser", or her favorite-"that chick that killed all those people."

While most people at Leeville High have long forgotten Becca's role in the devastating car wreck that happened over a year ago, she still has nightmares. Her memories are in fragments and what little she remembers doesn't make sense--things like hearing voices and moving things without touching them.

New at Leeville, Luke Johnston has everyone eating out of the palm of his hand...except Becca. There's something dark and dangerous about him that she distrusts. Despite her rebuffs, Luke is adamant about getting to know her better.

Becca will have to let her guard down if she wants answers--but can she handle the truth?"-GoodReads.

ebook

Published March 14th 2011

First, I would like to thank Patricia Williams for giving me the opportunity to read this great book.

I was really quite impressed with how good Wasteland ended up being. In the beginning it felt a little slow and I kept thinking the story was staying on the safe side, that it was being cautious. But then BAM! There were these twists and turns and caution was thrown out the window. Risks with the story were being taken. And it was all executed wonderfully.

Becca was a great character. Having caused a huge tragedy in her not so distant past, she has a lot to deal with and heal from. She tries to make herself average and not noticeable.  

That works until Luke starts at her school. Even though she is mean to him and tries to get him to leave her alone, he is very persistent. For some reason, he just won't go away. And soon we find out that is because he can help her, and, hopefully, save her life.

Luke didn't like disclosing too much information which bugged me a couple of times, but that leveled off pretty quickly and there was a good balance of him being secretive but then sharing information.

Once Becca and Luke were thrown together and secrets started being revealed, the story really got going. At times it felt like it was going by a little too fast. I think that was mostly because I was really starting to enjoy it so much that I didn't want it to go by as fast as it seemed. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a trilogy so there will be more stories.

There is so much more to Wasteland then the synopsis reveals, so be prepared for a wild ride in this story. It really isn't like many other YA paranormal/sci-fi books that I have read. But I'm not going to spoil the surprise and will just encourage you to get a copy of the ebook and find out for yourself what kinds of  creepy things are going on in Wasteland.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, altered my opinion of the story or my review.

Euphoria (Book 1, Part 1) by Jourdan Alexandra

"Disruption. Initiation. The Unknowable. So say the Runes, the ancient Viking Oracle of marked stones ominously laid out before college freshman Riley Dawson a few days before her departure for Lyndon State College. Leaving the sun of her California childhood for the crisp northern air of Lyndonville, Vermont, Riley soon dismisses and forgets the Runes’ prediction of the choices she would make, choices borne of her own unseen nature, a nature invisible even to herself. 

Dismisses and forgets that is, until she meets Remaunt: enigmatic, sensual, arrogant, and vulnerable. Describing him as the dark shadow of Adonis, his veneer of cool poise captivates Riley from the moment she meets him. Yet, even as Riley tries to deny her growing intrigue and fascination with her magnetically mysterious classmate, she ultimately finds that she cannot evade the truth of what he is. Remaunt is an immortal. Remaunt is a vampire.

And immortals have immortal enemies. As Riley soon finds out, Remaunt is not the only vampire residing in Lyndonville—and, after a few near-death encounters, she is forced to conclude that there are other vampires significantly more dangerous than Remaunt, and that they are not to be trifled with. Posing a formidable threat to not only Remaunt, they endanger her friends, the community, and, most importantly, Riley’s life itself.

With the crisis of disruption activated, the mystic power of initiation summoned, and the fire and chaos of the unknowable at hand, Riley finds herself as bait between several supernatural beings, locked in a war of wills fueled by revenge and anguish destined to a fate not even the immortals could envision"-GoodReads.

ebook

Published March 5th 2011

After I first read the description of Euphoria I was very intrigued. Being in the mood for a new vampire story I decided to take up on the author and her offer to read and review it. 

In the beginning Riley is sitting on the beach talking to her mom, who brings up Viking Runes. I became even more intrigued as runes are a new subject for me. Riley then heads off to the East Coast to live with her cousin and go to college. 
That's about the time the story took a turn, and not for the better. Her cousin, Hailey, is super sweet and shows her around town, introduces her to her friends, and treats her like a sister. One of Hailey's friends, Nick, develops a crush on Riley, and he is just the cutest. I was totally digging him.
Right about the time that it becomes obvious to Riley that Nick likes her, she starts acting like a really mean brat. I cannot remember a scene in the book when she is hanging out with her friends that she doesn't act mean, rude, or irritated. And these are the people she is calling her friends, yet her actions make it seem like she doesn't ever want to be around them.


Enter vampire Remaunt. He's mysterious, dark and handsome. And, of course, since he is a vampire, he is irresistible. I often found myself wondering why though. After reading the whole book the only thing I know about him is that he is a vampire and his name is Remaunt. Finding that out was a task in itself. There is no information disclosed about him, so I could not connect with nor care for him. 


I wasn't too big on all the descriptions. Pretty much every word that could have an adjective before it had one. I found myself skipping pages to get to 'the story'.
But I could have handled all of that. It wasn't a terrible story. Just wordy and the characters could have been developed more. Then I got to the ending...or lack thereof. There is no resolve. No questions answered. It just stops. It frustrated me sooo much that I read the whole story and nothing was given to me for it. I understand setting up a story to carry over to a sequel...but I am not kidding when I say this one just stops. There is an epilogue but it's pretty much just a teaser for the next story, which I am still not sure I will be 
reading. There were just too many things going on and not enough answers.


But I am in the minority, I have seen many other reviews on GoodReads by people who have loved it. So if you love paranormal stories, give Euphoria a try. You may end up loving it.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, altered my opinion of the story or my review.

Bittersweet by Marcia Colette

"Phaedra Thorne's goals in life are simple. Make it to eighteen so she can legally adopt her sister and hope she never becomes like her deranged mother who secretly lives in the attic. They're not the normal hopes and dreams of a kid her age, but then again, Phaedra is anything but typical. Schizophrenia and psychokinesis go hand in hand in her genes. With things always upending or blowing up around her, she’s already halfway there and horrified one of these days she'll be the next to go insane. 

Five years have passed since Phaedra has seen her older, estranged brother. She’s hesitant about his return and even more so when he comes bearing a cure for their mother. However, this so-called antidote, having sex with an incubus, comes with a catch that's larger than the statutory rape implications. The incubus who's willing to help the Thornes has unwittingly been followed by beings who call themselves hags. They want to drain the demon dry of his power and don’t care if they threaten Phaedra's desire to have a normal family. She'll do whatever it takes to protect her loved ones, even if that means trusting her uncontrollable powers won't kill everyone in the process."-GoodReads.

ebook

Published March 2nd 2011 by Dusk Till Dawn Books

The description of this book was intriguing and creepy to me so I was a bit disappointed when about a quarter of the way through the story started to lag and lose me.

At first Bittersweet seemed like a really original story. This family has telekinetic powers which are slowly making them go crazy. The mother has already been crazy for years. So crazy in fact that her daughter has had to lock her in the attic only to let her out when they give her some bittersweet, a special plant grown by a voodoo lady that makes the mother sane for a few hours.

It was about the time that the girl’s brother came home after being gone for years trying to find a cure for their mother (and because he has been gone so long the girl hates him, which I just did not get), that the story started to lose me. Because at that point so many things started happening it was hard to keep up. And I could just not connect with any of the main characters at all.

There were just so many elements thrown into this story and it was very wordy. There were many paragraphs that were just not needed or did not make sense.

Being self published I expected some grammatical errors and I can usually get past them, but it was hard not to notice them. It got especially bad at the end of the book when one of the character’s name kept changing from Logan to Lucas. That got a bit confusing until I figured out it was the same person.

I did enjoy the part about the hags though. They were definitely creepy and helped pick up the action towards the end of the book.
Even though this particular story didn’t fit me, if you like paranormal books and are looking for something a little different than the norm and like a lot of elements, I would suggest giving this one a try.




I received this book free of charge from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, altered my opinion of the story or my review.