Book Review: Girls and Monsters by Anne Michaud

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Release Date: April 30th 2013

This dark but uplifting collection of five Young Adult novellas includes:

Death Song: Liz is in love with Joe, but the monster of the lake has other plans for them.

Black Dog: Scarlet is engaged in a struggle for her sanity, but according to the voice in her head, she may be too late.

A Blue Story: When Katherine’s beloved dog goes missing, she fears her strange new neighbor might be involved.

Dust Bunnies: Christiane faces her childhood arachnophobia and ends up confronting even greater fears in this test of sisterhood.

We Left at Night: Brooke and her family must abandon their home and their lives to make it out of a disease-plagued town overrun by zombies.

Girls & Monsters is for everyone who has ever been brave enough to confront their childhood fears…and lived to tell about it.

Overall this book was just okay. Several of the stories just kind of lacked for me, We left at Night and Death Song for me stick out as the ones that just kind of sat there for me. However I really enjoyed A Blue Story and Dust Bunnies was a fast section to read. It is not a terrible book I think a little refining and it would be a really good book. But it is not a great book either. If you like Angsty stuff that has little monsters here and there you will like most of it at least.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

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Heiress of one empire and prisoner of another, it is up to the daughter of Cleopatra to save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers…

To Isis worshippers, Princess Selene and her twin brother Helios embody the divine celestial pair who will bring about a Golden Age. But when Selene’s parents are vanquished by Rome, her auspicious birth becomes a curse. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, the young messianic princess struggles for survival in a Roman court of intrigue. She can’t hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands, nor can she stop the emperor from using her powers for his own ends. But faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to resurrect her mother’s dreams. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win-or die?

So those who know me best will know why I both loved..and tossed this book across the room several times (yes I mean you melda, Legolas..ect).

I am firmly Pro Antony and Cleopatra and Anti Octavian and I love to read about this period in time it feels like going home to me. Stephanie Dray introduces us to the children of Antony and Cleopatra just after Antony has killed himself and Cleopatra is not yet dead. An emotional ride by any stretch of things. We see this book and the events that happen through Selene’s eyes, she struggles, she blames her parents, she blames herself all of those things you would expect. But she does have her twin Helios and her younger brother to give her some sense of family still left. A sense of purpose.

I really did enjoy the book it got many of the historical facts completely correct down to the golden chains they were marched through the streets of Rome in. Many of the Egyptian traditions are spot on and everything. There is of course creative license taken on some parts. We can not possibly know what happened completely in those years because the winners write the stories not those who lost. I am looking forward to getting my hands on the next book in the series. Hopefully there will be less Octavian so I can more than happily give it a five. I know terrible reason to give this one a four but that is how much I truly dislike the guy. I do strongly recommend this read.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Teaser Tuesday 4/23/13

- Ambrosia 4 Comments

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“Cherries jubilee?” Fran repeated doubtfully. Cherries jubilee reminded her of fusty country club dining rooms, the sort which were always decorated in shades of Mauve and served the food buffet style, with carving stations were thick slices of chewy, flavorless roast beef were hacked off for each diner. ~ Table for Seven 2%

Blog Tour Book Review:Innovera Yakov by Kia Garriques

- Ambrosia 1 Comment

innovera tour

Tour Schedule

Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes

Innovera Yakov – The Journey of A Thousand Eyes takes you into a world of excitement and danger where thoughts and feelings are overheard and minds can travel to other worlds.

Be prepared to immerse yourself in a world where falling in love could cost you your life and nothing is as it seems. Innovera Yakov – The Journey of A Thousand Eyes is the first book in an action-packed fantasy drama series where characters with powers of healing and destruction live, love, compete and disappear without a trace while they are being prepared for the Journey.

Audio Link
Author Kia Garriques

Kia Garriques studied writing and English literature at University and has been a published short story writer since 2009. Her first story “The Invisible Alien Watcher” was published by Micro Horror in 2009 and reprinted by Pill Hill Press in 2011. Innovera Yakov: The Journey of a Thousand Eyes – is her first novel in the ‘Worlds’ series.

 

This was a Unique read for me and the first one of it’s style that I have taken on. I enjoyed the read and I think Kia Garriques has created a very nice and enjoyable novel. It was a fast read with intense characters and twists. I am still sticking my foot gingerly into the pool with this genre but if all of my reads can come out like this one I will be getting into it a lot faster for sure. I would recommend this one for friends to read if they want a fast pace intense book.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Table for Seven by Whitney Gaskell

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Release Date April 23rd 2013

A warm and witty novel about friendship, fine dining, and learning that life doesn’t always turn out quite how we expect it to—perfect for fans of Barbara O’Neal and Nancy Thayer

On New Year’s Eve, Fran and Will Parrish host a dinner party, serving their friends a gourmet feast. The night is such a success that the group decides to form a monthly dinner party club. But what starts as an excuse to enjoy the company of fellow foodies ends up having lasting repercussions on each member of the Table for Seven Dinner Party Club.

Fran and Will face the possibility that their comfortable marriage may not be as infallible as they once thought. Audrey has to figure out how to move on and start a new life after the untimely death of her young husband. Perfectionist Jaime suspects that her husband, Mark, might be having an affair. Coop, a flirtatious bachelor who never commits to a third date, is blindsided when he falls in love for the first time. Leland, a widower, is a wise counselor and firm believer that bacon makes everything taste better.

Over the course of a year, against a backdrop of mouthwatering meals, relationships are forged, marriages are tested, and the members of the Table for Seven Dinner Party Club find their lives forever changed.

Table for Seven was a great read that took you into the lives of the Table for Seven Club. What starts out as just a fun new years eve dinner turns into a monthly event and ends up changing the lives of everyone involved. Each one of the characters has something that you love about them and something that you did not like to much. If I had to pick a favorite it would be Coop! This is a book I would recommend for those who want a real life, well written book that will make them emotional. You will laugh, you will cry..you will feel when reading table for seven.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Musing Monday 4/22/13

- Ambrosia 2 Comments

Musing Monday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

 

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

Today I am going to muse a little bit about a book I wrapped up reading and will be posting a review for soon. Lily of the Nile is a Historical fiction that plays with the children specifically Selene of Cleopatra and Antony and what happened to them after the war. Those who know my Love of Ancient History know I support and always will Antony, and think Octavian is a fathead (to put it nicely). Those who know me very closely know just how deep my dislike of that man run. Nearly as bad as Brutus…but that is a whole different post.

I have to say I like this story. I wish there were more stories about the children of Cleopatra and Antony. There were parts that galled me like when Antony was refereed to as having been a coward for killing himself. Bad understanding of Roman tradition there. So my muse is really do you take up reading a book if you know without a doubt there is going to be at least one character within it that you dislike a great deal?

Booking Through Thursday 4/18/13

- Ambrosia 4 Comments

This one is Hosted at the Booking through Thursday Blog.

I saw a Latin edition of “The Hobbit” last time I was at the bookstore… Do you read any foreign languages? Do you ENJOY reading in other languages?

Well I have not been able to Master reading books in other languages just yet. That said I have close folks who can read them in other languages and when I get the chance I ask them to read out loud to me. I very much do enjoy having books read in other languages there is something romantic and curious about it.

Book Review: The Plantagenets The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England by Dan Jones

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Release Date: April 18th 2013

“Outstanding . . . A thrilling history of royal intrigues, violent skullduggery and brutal warfare.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore

The first Plantagenet king inherited a blood-soaked kingdom from the Normans and transformed it into an empire stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic history, Dan Jones vividly resurrects this fierce and seductive royal dynasty and its mythic world. We meet the captivating Eleanor of Aquitaine, twice queen and the most famous woman in Christendom; her son, Richard the Lionheart, who fought Saladin in the Third Crusade; and King John, a tyrant who was forced to sign Magna Carta, which formed the basis of our own Bill of Rights. This is the era of chivalry, of Robin Hood and the Knights Templar, the Black Death, the founding of Parliament, the Black Prince, and the Hundred Year’s War. It will appeal as much to readers of Tudor history as to fans of Game of Thrones.

I fully admit to having gone geek wild when I saw this book and was so glad to get a chance to review it through net gallery. I love the Plantagenet’s and follow the history pretty closely. Those who know me of course know my favorite of the brood is The Black Prince, Edward. This book was a fantastic read and the history was spot on. You can tell that a lot of research went into the book and all of the information is presented in a way that will appeal to even someone who is not a major historian. It is not dry or drab at all. The only thing that for me kept it from being a perfect 5 gem was that I really wanted more on The Black Prince and his family line. I know they are not the most infamous of the Plantagenets but still they did a lot of things. A great read though really.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Teaser Tuesday 4/16/13

- Ambrosia 1 Comment

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

They came from Memphis, Thebes and Helipolis to see the Savior born. Slaves and freedmen, merchants and artisans, poets and priests-they call came. Babylonian oracles came with their prophesies. Even Romans came, for their mystic poet Virgil, had foreseen a new era and a worthier race of men. ~ pg 1 Prologue 40BC Lily of the Nile

Book Review: Replacing Gentry by Julie N. Ford

- Ambrosia 2 Comments

When Marlie attends a cadaver ball at Vanderbilt Medical School, she did not expect to actually see any cadavers. Or, that a strange apparition would issue her such a chilling message. Despite the cadaver’s warning, a year later Marlie is married to Tennessee State Senator, Daniel Cannon, and living in a plantation-style mansion with two step sons. Add to the mix her growing suspicion that something is amiss with the death of Daniel’s first wife, Gentry, and newlywed Marlie is definitely in over her pretty Yankee head.

What begins as an innocent inquiry into her new husband’s clouded past, ends with Marlie facing a dangerous conspiracy. A modern twist on the classic Gothic romance novels like Rebecca and Jane Eyre, Replacing Gentry follows Marlie’s precarious journey as she seeks to learn the truth about the man she married.

Replacing gentry has a little bit of everything, ghosts, romance, swearing, mystery and more. Over all I found the book enjoyable and an entertaining book to read. However because of all the different things loaded into it I did find a few times I was a little overwhelmed. I think if a few of the things had been paired down I would have been able to call it a 5 gem review. That said it still gets 4 gemstones and so is still a very readable book that I think would appeal to many readers.

Marlie is a character that many people can relate too. If you can handle several things coming at you at once and stick out the little bit of a slow start your really going to enjoy Replacing Gentry.

My Gemstone Rating:

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