Book Review: The Candidates (Delcroix Academy Book 1)

 
The Candidates (Delcroix Academy Book 1) by Inara Scott

Publisher: Hyperion Book  CH

Publish Date: August 24, 2010

Hardcover, 304 pages
Young Adult

My Review:
Why I read this: I love boarding school novels and this one had paranormal elements and sounded really good, plus it was the beginning of a series, and I love series.

How is the novel driven: This one is character and plot driven.  There is time spent in this the first novel in the series getting to know the characters and the surroundings, but I think it's more plot-driven. 


My thoughts:  This book was hard to put down.  As I stated above - I love boarding school novels so that is what attracted me to this, but really the boarding school aspect in this book is different from most books.  This doesn't focus on cliques as much, they are there, but Dancia doesn't want to be noticed or be a member of a popular clique - she wants to fly under the radar and simply learn more about the power she has.  The boarding school seems to be a character of it's own, is it normal or is there something else going on there besides typical learning?

Add in two hot guys, one the most popular guy at the school and the other the bad boy and you have the typical love triangle that is not so typical in this book.  I really like both Jack and Cam for different reasons as does Dancia.  I love the mystery surrounding Jack and the school.  And I like Cam because he does seem to care.  Dancia is a great character, she's trying to figure her power out, but she's not whiny, and she learns in this book she has strength.  She's also not a girl that pines for a boy, in fact she really doesn't want to get involved, she wants to be her own person and I like that in the female leads in YA books.

The book is well-written, the plot moves quickly and since this is part of a series the ending has me eager for the next book so I hope Ms. Scott is writing quickly. 

My Rating: 4.75/5.0

About the Book:

Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that's not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just...happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt.  So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to anyone, belieiving this way she can supress her powers and keep them hidden.

 

But when recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia's days of living under the radar may be over. Only, Delcroix is a school for diplomats' kids and child geniuses--not B students with uncontrollable telekinetic tendencies.  So why are they treating Dancia like she's special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make Dancia feel welcome.

 

And then there's her mysterious new friend Jack, who can't stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at the Academy and wants Dancia to help him figure out what.  But Dancia isn't convinced. She hopes that maybe the recruiters know more about her "gift" than they're letting on. Maybe they can help her understand how to use it...But not even Dancia could have imagined what awaits her behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.

About the Author:
Inara Scott lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and children. She is currently hard at work on the next book in the Delcroix Academy series.

Her Website
Blog

FTC Information: I received this book through Book It Forward Tours for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Giveaway: The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard

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Thanks to William Morrow, I have one copy of The Good Daughters, the latest release by author Joyce Maynard to give away to one lucky blog reader.  Simply fill out the form to enter, extra entries are available, but not a necessity to enter.  Good luck - I'll be reading this one later this week so look for a review coming soon.  Open to US/Canada only, ends 9/27.

They were born on the same day, in the same hospital, into families that could hardly have been less alike. Ruth is an artist and a romantic, with a rich and passionate imaginative life. Dana is a scientist and realist whose faith is firmly planted in what she can see or hear or touch. Yet these two very different women share the same struggle to make sense of their place ...more About The Good Daughters:

They were born on the same day, in the same hospital, into families that could hardly have been less alike. Ruth is an artist and a romantic, with a rich and passionate imaginative life. Dana is a scientist and realist whose faith is firmly planted in what she can see or hear or touch. Yet these two very different women share the same struggle to make sense of their place in a world in which neither of them has ever truly felt she belonged. Told in the alternating voices of Ruth and Dana, "The Good Daughters" follows these birthday sisters as they make their way through the decades, from the 1950s to the present. Master storyteller Joyce Maynard chronicles the unlikely ways the two women's lives intersect - from childhood and adolescence to first loves, first sex, marriage, and parenthood; from the deaths of parents to divorce, the loss of home, and the loss of a beloved partner - until an unavoidable moment when a long-held secret from the past alters everything...

What are you Reading Monday - September 13

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in!

Books Completed Last Week 

• Candor by Pam Bachorz
• Last to Die by Kate Brady
• Crusade by  Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie  
• The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan  

Reading Now:

• Definitely Dead (audible on my Kindle)
• Tough Customer by Sandra Brown (audiobook in car)
• Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich
• The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Next:

• She's Gone Country by Jane Porter
• Simply from Scratch by Alicia Bessette
• Re-read of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins to prepare for:
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Reviews completed this week (books read before this week):
Other books still need to review:

• Wings by Aprilynne Pike (library) 
• The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (mine)  
• The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz
• Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs (audiobook)
• Matched by Ally Condie (review)
• Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs (audiobook) 
• Evermore by Alyson Noel (library)  
• Spells by Aprylynne Pike (library) 
• The Candidates: Delacroix Academy by Inara Scott (review) 
• Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford (review)
• Nightshade by Andrea Cremer  (review)
• Manifest by Artist Arthur (review) 
• Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler (review)
• Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers (review)
• The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff (review)
• God is in the Pancakes by Robin Epstein (review)

Summary -

Good week - not as much reading time as I would like, but still fun.  Went fishing with my boys, read with the youngest at night.  A new experience.  My oldest learned to read at pre-K and I didn't have anything to do with it.  The youngest didn't learn during pre-K so parents help the children in kindergarten so I've been helping him - it's a lot of fun and the books we are reading bring back a lot of memories of reading with my oldest.

Best of the week:  Last to Die by Kate Brady - excellent romantic suspense - she is now an author on my must-buy list.

Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway: Last to Die by Kate Brady

Last to Die by Kate Brady

Publisher: Forever

Publish Date: September 1, 2010

Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages
Romantic Suspense

My Review:
Why I read this: I love romantic suspense and have been wanting to read Ms. Brady's books (I won One Scream Away but haven't read it yet), so when I saw it was available for book tour I signed up.

How is the novel driven:  It's romantic suspense, so it's plot/action driven and character driven, just the way I love it.


My thoughts: Right off I really liked the main characters, Dani and Mitch (how can I not like a man named Mitch - it's my husband's name).  They have a history, but that history is 18 years in the past, but it was so much more than typical teenage puppy love so when you put them back together there are sparks, but first there are murders.  Since it's romantic suspense, there has to be some form of suspense and I would say that Ms. Brady does a marvelous job with the suspense.  She unpeels the layers of the suspense like an onion, slowly letting the reader know little bits and pieces about what is really going on.  I would figure something out and be right, then figure something else out and be wrong.  Lots of great red herrings and great suspense done in a way that does not frustrate, just makes you want to keep reading.

So to some it up - great romance, wonderful characters with some flaws, but who are perfect together and compliment each other well.  Add to that a great suspense plot with enough twists and turns that keep you turning pages and you get a brilliant romantic suspense novel.  I have Ms. Brady's first book, One Scream Away and it will be quickly making it's way to the top of my tbr pile.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About the Book:
A ruthless killer hides in plain sight, someone no one believes is capable of murder. Within a week, six women will be murdered, all punished for their dark pasts. Detective Dani Cole is determined to track down this serial killer whose victims include a young woman she pulled out of a life of crime. Her investigation leads her to a photography foundation and the renowned photographer Mitch Sheridan, a man she she fell in love with years ago but has tried to forget. Dani and Mitch are instantly attracted to each other again, though their troubled pasts keep them from getting too close. Together, through the course of the investigation, they unearth a dark chain of deception that leads to a killer who is closer than they think.

About the Author:
Kate Brady has won or been a finalist in many writing contests, including the Golden Heart, the Maggies, and the Suzannah.

Her Website
Blog

Giveaway:
Thanks to Anna Balasi and Forever Romance I have 3 copies of Last To Die to giveaway to people commenting on this post.  Open to the US/Canada only, no PO Boxes.  Enter simply by commenting.  For 5 extra entries, tell me your favorite romantic suspense book you have read lately.  Additional entries for following me (goodreads, like my facebook page, rss, google friend, twitter, etc.) and for tweeting (1 per day).  You can put all of your entries in one comment if you like.  No need for 5 comments for the favorite romantic suspense book - I'll add your entries (saves you time).  Good luck!

FTC Information: I received this book from Anna Balasi at Hachette Books.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

BlogFest 2010 My Giveaways

Welcome to BlogFest 2010 at My Reading Room.  I am thrilled to participate and can't wait to travel around to other blogs as well.  If this is your first time here, please take a few minutes and look around.  Add me as a Google Friend if you wish, check out my sidebar for other giveaways and check out some of my reviews.

Enough of the welcome speech - let's get to what you came here for - the giveaway.  I have to be honest and say I almost forgot about BlogFest, so I was scrambling at the last minute to make this post, but I do have some good books up for grabs.  It's simple to enter, just fill out the form.  Giveaway is open to the US/Canada only (sorry international, money is tight) and it ends at 11:59pm on the 9/12.  I'll announce the winners early next week.  So what can you win?

There will be three winners and your choices are:


An ARC of The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

  
An ARC of Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie


An ARC of You by Charles Benoit

Winners

I know  - it's been a week and a half since these giveaways have ended, but it's been crazy here.  So without further ado, here  are the winners:

CarolNWong

Cheryl F

Chey

holdenj

misskallie2000

elaing8 - already won
dor

JoAnna

tetewa

All winners will be notified shortly by email and will have until Monday at 6pm EST to reply with their addresses or I will draw another winner.

Thank  you to Hachette Books for both of these giveaways, and thanks to all of  you who commented.  I have more giveaways coming in the next few weeks as life begins to fall into place again and I can devote time to the blog.

Mini Book Review: The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

 
The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

Publisher: Washington Square Press

Publish Date: November 3, 2009

Paperback, 400 pages


Confession time:  I was fully planning on having this book done today for  my tour date even though I received the book last week.  I couldn't wait to dig into this one.  What I didn't realize is this isn't a book you just rush through, this is a book to savor and savor it I will, so today you get a mini-review with a full review to follow when I finish the book.

Mini Review:
Why I read this: I have been wanting to read this one since it came out - the cover it's beautiful, the description sounds exciting.  So when I was offered a chance through Pump Up Your Book Promotion, I said yes.

How is the novel driven:  From what I have read so far, primarily character, though there is action, there is murder, mayhem and suspense, but mainly this is about Luciano.


My thoughts:  I did start this book with my usual reading mentality - blow through it quickly, enjoy it enough and be done with it.  However, this is not what The Book of Unholy Mischief allows you to do.  I got sucked into the descriptions and would daydream and picture Venice at the time of the book.  I created the looks of Luciano and his friends in my mind.  I envisioned the kitchen Luciano works in and the streets he runs through.  The chefs house and so much more.  The book takes you from the seedy side to the wealthy and Luciano straddles both worlds by working in the kitchen of a wealthy and important man.  The intrigue is just starting to build, but I have a feeling it will be great.  If the rest of the book is half as good as the beginning, then it will still be a wonderful book and I know it will exceed my expectations.

Beautifully written, The Book of Unholy Mischief takes you back to Venice and the beginning of the Renaissance and tells a tale of intrigue and suspense. 



About the Book:
It is 1498, the dawn of the Renaissance, and Venice teems with rumors of an ancient book that holds the secret to unimaginable power. It is an alchemist's dream, with recipes for gold, immortality, and undying love. Everyone, rich and poor alike, speculates about the long-buried secrets scrawled in its pages and where it could possibly be hidden within the labyrinthine city. But while those who seek the book will stop at nothing to get it, those who know will die to protect it.
As a storm of intrigue and desire circles the republic that grew from the sea, Luciano, a penniless orphan with a quick wit and an even faster hand, is plucked up by an illustrious chef and hired, for reasons he cannot yet begin to understand, as an apprentice in the palace kitchen. There, in the lavish home of the most powerful man in Venice, he is initiated into the chef's rich and aromatic world, with all its seductive ingredients and secrets.

Luciano's loyalty to his street friends and the passion he holds for a convent girl named Francesca remain, but it is not long before he, too, is caught up in the madness. After he witnesses a shocking murder in the Palace dining room, he realizes that nothing is as it seems and that no one, not even those he's come to rely on most, can be trusted. Armed with a precocious mind and an insatiable curiosity, Luciano embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth. What he discovers will swing open the shutters of his mind, inflame his deepest desires, and leave an indelible mark on his soul.

Rich with the luxurious colors and textures of Venice, The Book of Unholy Mischief delights the senses and breathes fresh life into an age defined by intellectual revival and artistic vibrancy. A luminous and seductive novel, it is, at its heart, a high-spirited tribute to the fruits of knowledge and the extraordinary power of those who hold its key. In a world of violence and intrigue, who guards the truth?

About the Author:
Elle Newmark is an award-winning writer whose books are inspired by her travels. She and her husband, a retired physician, have two grown children and five grandchildren. They live in the hills north of San Diego.

Her Website

FTC Information: I received this book through Pump Up Your Book Promotion for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.