Challenges

Book Review: Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead

- Ambrosia Leave a comment

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks… This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…

This one started off really a little bit slow for me. I don’t know if it was my mood or the book or what it was but the first few chapters were a little ho hum to me. However it did pick up and I enjoyed it when it did. Rose is of course having all sorts of teen angst problems between her want for hunky Russian mentor Dimitri and then to make matters worse for her Mom shows up.

Along with everything else royal clans are being slaughtered. Not a good thing at all. I won’t give spoilers but let us just say things end with a very big bang kind of moment and Rose comes into her own. Not bad not bad at all.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Real Vampires Don’t Sparkle by Amy Fecteau

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Matheus Taylor didn’t ask to be murdered.

To be fair, the percentage of people actually asking to be murdered is probably small enough to be safely ignored, but he felt it was worth stating regardless.

His life might have been ordinary, but it was his life and he wasn’t done with it yet. Quin didn’t care. A seventeen-hundred old Roman, Quintus Livius Saturnius had a different view of morality than most people. Killing Matheus and hijacking his undead existence seemed perfectly acceptable to him.

Now, Matheus spends his nights running for his life, questioning his sexual orientation, and defying a mysterious new threat to the vampires within his city. Not that he set out to do any defying; he just wanted to be left alone.

Unfortunately, that was never going to happen.

This book was fantastic. I laughed, I worried, for the most part I did not want to stab anyone for getting Vampire mythology wrong. I did however want to stab the bad guys and I did have a little bit of a fit when the book ended. Not because the ending was bad mind you, but because it just dropped off and I wanted more. I hope there will be another book.

It is hard to say who I love more, Mat or Quin they are both sarcastic humor kind of guys that just make you laugh as they banter with one another. If I was forced to pick one I think it would be Quin because in many ways he reminds me of what Marcus Antonius might have been if he was a vampire. A killer at destroying those who need it, a man with rules (no feeding from women who are pregnant) and sarcastic as the day is long when the occasion calls for it.

Love this book, because guess what? Real Vampires don’t sparkle.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Lacey’s House by Joanne Graham

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Lacey Carmichael leads a solitary life. To her neighbours she is the mad old woman who lives at the end of the lane, crazy but harmless.

Until she is arrested on suspicion of murder.

When Rachel Moore arrives in the village, escaping her own demons, the two women form an unlikely bond.Unravelling in each other tales of loss and heartache, they become friends.

Rachel sees beyond the rumours, believing in her innocence, but as details of Lacey’s life are revealed, Rachel is left questioning where the truth really lies.

Another strong and emotional read that will pull you through the gamete of emotions. This one was a little hard for me to read because of the strong subject matter, in the sense that it took me a little longer then some books. This was not a fast read but it was a very good read. I would recommend this to someone who is looking for a well written novel that has depth to it. This is a story that is going to stick with you for a long time after you have read it.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Confessions of a Chalet Girl by Lorraine Wilson

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Release date: June 27th 2013

Set in the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Verbier, the winter playground of the rich and famous, Confessions of a Chalet Girl is a fun and flirty contemporary romance novella from the fabulous Lorraine Wilson.

The slopes seriously start to heat up when chalet girl Holly is propositioned by her sexy new boss!

Well I am not sure the events would happen like they did so fast in real life. The casual hacking of face book and twitter that Magda did as well, was a little bit meh. However over all the story was a good one. This was a very fast read and cute. I rather liked Holly and the boss man Scott was the kind of handsome rugged fellow you would expect at a ski resort. I can admit I was a bit jealous of Holly not just for the super handsome fellow she was having and enjoying in all the ways you expect but the wonderful alps. I would not mind a nice fun swim in some of the natural pools that she enjoyed. All in all, fun, fast and flirty just what I needed after the heavy read I took on before this one. This is a good one for summer.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: The Lost Letters Of Aquitaine (Alais Capet #1) by Judith Koll Healey

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The only thing I felt was a strong hand around my neck, another around my waist, and — before I could cry out — I smelled the thick, sweet scent of a mandrake-soaked cloth. Unforgiving hands clapped it against my face, and all went dark.

Alais, the king of France’s sister, is abducted while on her mission for the wily Eleanor of Aquitaine, the former Queen of England, to retrieve hidden letters that, in the wrong hands, could bring down the English king. In exchange, the French princess was to receive long-heldand dangerous information. Now Alais, along with help from the very intriguing leader of the Knights Templar, must unravel a tangled web of family secrets and lies.

I love historical and I love mystery within them, however this was not my favorite book. The plot was a bit convoluted to me and I did not like the writing style. Now even though I did not like the style itself the words were well written. I just think the plot needed some more rounding out so you could feel more involved with it. Personally I also think there needed to be a bit more character development to make you enjoy Alais a bit more. Not a bad book just not the best one for me.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold

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Release Date: July 2nd 2013

At once a captivating mystery, a love letter to classic literature, and a sharp-eyed examination of marriage, The Book of Secrets is a gripping novel of family, friendship, and the undeniable pull of the past.

After more than twenty years of marriage, Chloe Sinclair comes home one night to find that her husband, Nate, is gone. All he has left behind is a cryptic note explaining that he’s returned to their childhood town, a place Chloe never wants to see again.

While trying to reach Nate, Chloe stumbles upon a notebook tucked inside his antique copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Written in code, the pages contain long-buried secrets from their past, and clues to why he went home after all these years. As Chloe struggles to decipher the notebook’s hidden messages, she revisits the seminal moments of their youth: the day she met the enigmatic Sinclair children ane the increasingly dangerous games they played to escape their troubled childhoods; the first time Nate kissed her, camped out on the beach like Robinson Crusoe; and the elaborate plan she and Nate devised, inspired by Romeo and Juliet, to break away from his oppressive father. As the reason for Nate’s absence comes to light, the truth will forever shatter everything Chloe knows—about her husband, his family, and herself.

The first thought that went through my head when I finished this book was intense. This has to be one of the best written books I have read. The wonderful intertwining of books I love like Narnia and Robinson Crusoe with the story of love, loss, lies and a deep mystery. This book has so many layers when you are done with it your not even really sure you should be. Like you want to delve into more chapters because it really was that good. I felt so deep into the lives of the stories of the characters. I played along with them as they did a play with Narnia, grieved at the loss of a Son and was I was completely stunned when everything came to light along with them. This is a fantastic book and I recommend you read it.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

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Published over ten years ago by Ace, Guilty Pleasures marked the debut of a series that was destined to grow from cult favorite to a major New York Times bestseller. Now, for long-time Anita Blake junkies and newfound fans, Guilty Pleasures makes its trade paperback debut. Readers will learn how Anita Blake started raising the dead-and killing the undead. And how she met Jean Claude, the master vampire destined to become not only her biggest nemesis, but her greatest lover..

There are somethings I loved about this book and somethings that I just kinda went Meh about. That said it was enough of a decent introduction to make me want to read the next book in the series, so for a First series book that is not to bad. I have had friends trying to get me to read this book since it was first published, so success there right?

Anita well she did grow from the start of the book to the end of the book. She is a bit Buffy like although naive season 1 Buffy and well I am not so much a fan of how much see seems to sweat. I mean I get it scared is scared but the author could have found another way to talk about it I think. I also knew who the Vampire murderer was about 150 or so pages before Anita did, so that takes a little of the fun out of it.

Jean Claude I like over all but, I think I need to see more of him to know for sure if I like him or not. After all he has been locked in a box for most of this book. Edward now there is a guy I can like. A killer yes, but hey that is his job, he is good at it, loves it and makes no apologies. So at the end of the day I will be reading the next book, it was a fun enough book not my favorite but not a stinker.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

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On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can scarcely believe it when he’s forced off the train by a retired outlaw and presented to the man’s daughter as the minister she requested for her birthday. Worried this unfortunate detour will ruin his chances of finally serving a congregation of his own, Crockett is determined to escape. But when he finally gets away, he’s haunted by the memory of the young woman he left behind–a woman whose dreams now hinge on him.

For months, Joanna Robbins prayed for a preacher. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. A man to help her discover answers to the questions that have been on her heart for so long. But just when it seems God has answered her prayers, it turns out the person is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett to stay in her little backwoods community? And does the attraction between them have any chance of blossoming when Joanna’s outlaw father is dead set against his daughter courting a preacher?

Okay friends who know me..get laughing at the title of this one out of your system.

Now onto the review. Bethany house seems to have a habit in of being the one with..missing F’s and some various other letters in the books with the Early copies. Again another one I happily got from Net Galley which I am happy for but gah it is hard to read the word coffee over and over again without the f’s. Hopefully it has been corrected in the final copy.

Jo and her family are the kind I can see myself sitting around with and enjoying some good laughs. They are hard working ranchers, although Jo’s Dad and her adopted Uncles were once outlaws. They however were not the kind that ever harmed anyone and only took enough to survive and for the last 16 years have been reformed, except when Silas steals Crockett Archer off a train for his Daughters birthday. Yes I personally laughed at that as well.

Crockett ends up forgiving his kidnappers and because what happened to him basically lost him the job he was going after takes up preaching in the small local church that Jo was so desperately trying to find a preacher for. It seems a little bit idealistic but it fits with the character we learn about Crockett and brings the whole story together. This was a good read with enjoyable characters that I am going to remember for a while.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: The View from Garden City by Carolyn Baugh

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Author Carolyn Baugh tells the moving story of a young American student living in the Garden City district of Cairo. Having come to study Arabic, she learns far more from the Egyptian women, young and old, she meets within the swirl and tumult of Garden City. Living, loving, and flourishing amid the fierce inflexibility of tradition, these women reveal a fascinating world of arranged marriages, secret romances, and the often turbulent bonds between four generations of Arab mothers and daughters.

Meet the women of Garden City:

Huda, who waited desperately for the man she loved until she could wait no longer
Karima, who found her husband in a collapsing post-war world
Afkar, who paid a dreadful price for her freedom
Selwa, who suffered through the deaths of her children
Yusriyya, who left her native village for a new life in the city
Samira, who loved a man who was not hers

Rich with the sights and sounds of modern Egypt, The View from Garden City lifts the veil of privacy to explore the stunning inner strength of women torn between their dreams for the future and the sacrifices women must make in a world of harsh realities.

This is a read that I was conflicted about from the first couple of pages. The writing style put me off a little bit because it is not what I usually enjoy personally. Some of the actions that take place seemed to me a little bit off putting as well or not what is normal. There is a disclaimer from the author however that does explain that. Now those complaints aside it is a good book overall.

My favorite character I think is Huda. She at times is immature but really she is just a flawed person trying to deal the best she can with what life has given her, what one of us doesn’t do that? The scenes are painted vividly and you can almost hear the noise, smell the traffic and the spices and everything that unfolds before your eyes. This one gets a middle of the ground rating for me, but it was not a total waste of time I think if your someone who could deal with the tense it is written in better then me you will really enjoy it.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

- Ambrosia 2 Comments

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.

Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn’t simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain

I laughed, I cried I gave this book the not easy to get this year 5 gemstones from me. If I had more to give I would give it more! This is a fantastic book that has everything in it that makes for a good and emotional story. You will follow the life of Denny and his family, the ups and downs through the eyes of the loyalist friend of them all, Enzo the dog.

Having dogs myself and having always had them since I was a young child it is not hard to imagine the thoughts as they go through Enzo’s head. I have often wondered if my dogs are thinking the same thing and with some expressions they get I give them their own voice. Like Denny I often have conversations with my dogs. What true pet owner doesn’t? I think the only thing missing in the whole of things that Enzo takes on is what he would have done if there was also a cat in the house.

The events that take place in this story are so emotional. From Denny struggling to become what he wishes in his career, to his marriage, the child and his wife dying of brain cancer. As if that was not bad enough the Grandparents scheme to take his child away. All while Enzo ages but stays loyal, and shows us what is going on as a dog would see it. This is a must read for anyone.

My Gemstone Rating:

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