Book Review: Haven by Kristi Cook

Haven by Kristi Cook

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publish Date: February 22, 2011

Hardcover, 416 pages
Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal

My Review:
Why I read this: I love the cover, the blurb sounded interesting (I am a sucker for private school settings) and it was getting a lot of positive reviews around the blogosphere.

How is the novel driven: Character and plot are a good balance in this one.


My thoughts: What a fun book.  I love a book that I really like all the characters from the first time they enter the book.  Violet is fun, she is a great character and has always felt out-of-place in her own skin and around others because of the visions that hit her when she least expects it.  So not only does she zone out but she can frequently see when bad things are going to happen to those around her. And this is bad enough but when she tries to tell people they never believe her.  So Violet feels very out-of-place until she sees the brochure for Winterhaven.  It calls to her and when she starts at the school she quickly finds out why.  At Winterhaven, Violet is not alone.  Everyone there has a special ability and finally Violet feels like she is at home.  With  a great roommate, who is a lot of fun herself, CeeCee and several other girls that quickly befriend her, she is part of a group and happy for the first time in a long time.


Add into the mix a handsome, mysterious boy who seems to have eyes only for her (even though he spends a lot of time in the chemistry lab) and Violet is just about in Heaven.  Then the visions start and things get a little weird.  But I won't give any more away - you have to read it.


Fun characters, a plot that sucks you in and great storytelling make Haven one of my favorite YA books this year.  It comes out today so I suggest you get a hold of this one.  I am hoping there will be more in the series.  The book ties itself up well but it also lends itself to a series.  I was impressed with this book - it's light fun yet serious at times too.  It's a very enjoyable read, that I would read again in a heartbeat - I loved being immersed in the world of Winterhaven and the students and teachers there. 

My Rating: 4.75/5.0


About the Book:

Violet McKenna isn’t a normal girl with normal teenage issues; she has more to contend with than most people could handle. Violet thought she was just crazy when she had a vivid vision of her dad’s murder. Her life started falling apart when her premonition came true. She’s had flashes of other events too. The problem was nobody believed her until she found a new school: Winterhaven.

At Winterhaven, Violet finally feels like she belongs. She quickly finds a close group friends and discovers that they too have psychic ‘gifts’—as do all the students at Winterhaven. But as soon as she feels settled she discovers the most intriguing and alluring boy she has ever met, and things quickly go awry. As the attraction between them grows, intense visions of the boy’s death start to haunt her. In her premonitions the secret he is unwilling to share begins to reveal itself. And to Violet's horror, she learns that their destinies are intertwined in a critical--and deadly--way.

About the Author: 

Kristi Cook writes adult novels for Zebra (as Kristina Cook), including To Love a Scoundrel, Unveiled, Unlaced, and Undressed. She also writes for Harlequin adult (as Kristi Astor), including A Midnight Clear and Winter's Desire. Kristi lives in Riverdale, NY.

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FTC Information: I received this book from Simon and Schuster's Galley Grab program for a honest 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.

Book Tour and Review: Final Vector by Allen Leverone

 

My Review:

Why I read this: From the blurb it sounds like a very exciting book so I asked to be a part of the tour.


How is this novel driven?  Plot, it's a suspense novel.

My Thoughts: If you like edge-of-your-seat suspense, then try out Mr. Leverone.  From page one to the end you will be breathless with the suspense.  I loved this book.  I love how the plot wove itself and how the action played out.  The writing was well done, the characters were interesting and the descriptions of how air traffic control works were interesting and informative.

I don't really know what else to say about this book - it is just simply an entertaining and enjoyable and intense story.  Mr. Leverone understands how to craft and exciting suspense novel.  The bad guys are scary, the good guys are heroic.  Final Vector is hard to put down and I look forward to more works from Mr. Leverone in the future.

This is one of the things I love about book blogging - find new authors from smaller presses that are true gems.  Final Vector is definitely one of those.


My Rating:  4.5/5.0

About Allan Leverone

Allan Leverone is a three-time Derringer Award Finalist whose short fiction has been featured in Needle: A Magazine of Noir, Shroud Magazine, Twisted Dreams, Mysterical-E and many other venues, both print and online. His debut thriller, titled FINAL VECTOR, is available February 2011 from Medallion Press. For details, please visit www.allanleverone.com or his blog at www.allanleverone.blogspot.com.

 

 

About Final Vector

Air traffic controller Nick Jensen’s life is in a shambles. His wife Lisa has died following a horrific automobile wreck and the authorities suspect foul play. He finds evidence suggesting Lisa, a Pentagon auditor, had discovered potentially treasonous material on a fellow employee’s computer, a man who also winds up dead.

Desperate to escape the pain, Nick throws himself into his work and is on duty at the radar ATC facility serving Boston’s Logan Airport on the night U.S. President Robert Cartwright is scheduled to fly into Boston. Armed terrorists storm the facility, killing the security staff and taking Nick’s fellow controller hostage as he works.

Nick escapes capture, but with time running out, must use the information from his murdered wife to unravel the terrorists’ plot and stop an assassination while outnumbered, unarmed and on the run…

Read the Excerpt!

Jackie piped up, his normally high-pitched voice rising a couple of octaves. “So we’re going to use these Stinger missiles to shoot down an airplane?” “That is exactly correct,” Tony answered. “But not just any airplane. The president is flying into Logan International Airport in Boston very early next Sunday morning. We will be removing him from office. Permanently.”
“The president? The president of what?”
“What do you think?”
Stunned silence filled the room as the significance of Tony’s statement began to sink in.
“The president of the United States?” Joe-Bob whispered. “We’re going to shoot down Air Force One?”
Tony’s eyes glittered like hard black diamonds as he turned his cool smile on his small band of revolutionaries—the group that was about to change the course of history. “That is correct. President Cartwright is scheduled to celebrate the reopening of a historic church in Boston. I have learned that he will be flying into the airport around 5:00 a.m. next Sunday in order to arrive at the church in time to attend a sunrise service. He is then scheduled to lunch in the city with some of his major political contributors before flying back to Washington in early afternoon.
“Of course, as we now know, he will do none of those things, because he will be dead, lying at the bottom of a smoking hole in the ground just shy of Logan Airport. With a little bit of luck, perhaps people in the city will be killed as well, but that remains to be seen.”
Chaos erupted and then died down immediately when Tony held up a hand to silence his men.
Brian shook his head. “But how will we know where the plane is going to be and when to fire the missile? It’s a big sky out there.”
Tony smiled again. “We’ll know because we’re going to tell the pilot where we want him to go.”

Final Vector Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Tuesday, February 1
Interviewed at Examiner
Wednesday, February 2
Guest blogging & book giveaway at Between the Pages
Thursday, February 3
Guest blogging at The Story Behind the Book
Friday, February 4
Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book
Monday, February 7
Book reviewed at Pick of the Literate
Tuesday, February 8
Guest blogging at Night Owl Reviews
Wednesday, February 9
LIVE chat at Night Owl Reviews
Friday, February 11
Book reviewed & book giveaway at The Nearsighted Bookworm
Monday, February 14
Interviewed at Crimespace
Wednesday, February 16
Interviewed at The Book Connection
Thursday, February 17
Interviewed at Blogcritics
Friday, February 18
Interviewed at Literarily Speaking
Monday, February 21
Book reviewed at My Reading Room
Tuesday, February 22
Interviewed at Kindle Author
Wednesday, February 23
Interviewed at Review From Here
Thursday, February 24
Interviewed at The Hot Author Report
Friday, February 25
Book reviewed at Community Bookstop
Chat & Book Giveaway at Pump Up Your Book’s February Authors on Tour Facebook Party
Tuesday, March 1
Book reviewed at My Book Retreat
Wednesday, March 2
Book reviewed at Southern Fiber Reads
Thursday, March 3
Interviewed at Beyond the Books
Friday, March 4
Guest blogging at Writing Daze
Monday, March 7
Guest blogging at Murder by 4
Tuesday, March 8
Guest blogging at Literarily Speaking
Wednesday, March 9
Book trailer spotlighted at If Books Could Talk
Thursday, March 10
Book reviewed at Bri Clark: The Belle of Boise
Friday, March 11
Interviewed at The Hot Author Report
Monday, March 14
Guest blogging at Fantasy Pages
Tuesday, March 15
Interviewed at Book Marketing Buzz
Friday, March 16
Interviewed at Digital Journal
Friday, March 17
Interviewed at As the Pages Turn
Friday, March 18
Interviewed at As the Pages Turn
Monday, March 21
Guest blogging & book giveaway at The Book Faery Reviews
Tuesday, March 22
Guest blogging at Two Ends of the Pen
Wednesday, March 23
Book reviewed & book giveaway at Two Ends of the Pen
Thursday, March 24
Book spotlighted at The Plot
Friday, March 25
Guest blogging at The Plot
Chat & Book Giveaway at Pump Up Your Book’s February Authors on Tour Facebook Party

***I received this book from the author for tour with Pump Up Your Book Reviews for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  I do not receive money for my amazon links since I live in NC (something about some law), so they are up purely for my readers to have a place to check out the book.***

It's Monday What Are You Reading - February 21

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 

• The Tudor Secret by C.W. Gortner
• The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy
• Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich 
• Final Vector by Alan Leverone (review) 

Reading Now: 

• How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper (review)
• Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran (review)
• Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich (library, audiobook)

Next:

• A Heartbeat Away by Michael Palmer
• The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry
• Trickster's Girl by Hilari Bell
• Red Wolf by Liza Marklund

Summary -

Another great reading week and finally our weather has become nice - days in the 60s and evenings in the 40s/50s.  It sure beats what we have been having.  This is more like normal for the coast of NC.  Hope your weather is good and your reading is too!

Best of the week: That's a tough call this week - they were all good and the best for different reasons so I'm not going to give a best of the week this week - it's like picking your favorite child ;)


How was your week?

Book Review: The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy

The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy

Publisher:Thomas Nelson

Publish Date:February 8, 2011

Trade Paperback, 352 pages
Christian Fiction

My Review:
Why I read this: I read Erin's first solo novel, Never Let You Go last year and loved it.  When I was offered The Promises She Keeps, I read the blurb and was intrigued and I had to read it.

How is the novel driven: This is tough - I would say plot, but the characters are a strong force in the story as well.


My thoughts: I thought The Promises She Keeps would be a hard book to review, until I started reviewing it and really thinking abou the book. When I finished the book I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I knew I could not put it down and I was enthralled by the book, but at one point I was also perturbed by the book.  So read on and find out what I mean.  And please do read on because I need you to understand that I truly love this book even though I did have a strong dislike reaction at one point.   Also, please remember that this is just my subjective opinion.

What did I like?  Ms. Healy can writes an amazing book and did with The Promises She Keeps, her writing just flows and describes things so well without being wordy.  I loved Promise, Chase, and Chelsea.  Wonderful characters. I was fascinated by the fact that the main character in this novel, Promise has Cystic Fibrosis.  My nephew has Cystic Fibrosis and 6 years ago we had no idea what that disease entailed, and only knew that it existed from the yearly telethon on tv.  Now we do know about it and from what I read in this book Ms. Healy did her research well or she knows someone with CF.  Promise is an amazing character and I welcome this book to educate so many others about this disease and help understand that each year that CF research is funded that people are helping extend CF patient's life.  20 years ago the life expectancy was in the teens, now it is in the 30s.  Wow - that is pretty amazing.

Another main character, Chase, is autistic and I loved the look into his life and his mannerisms and the life of his twin sister, Chelsea who is his primary caretaker.  These two were fascinating characters and I enjoyed reading about them just as much as Promise.  Chase is just amazing, his drawings sound beautiful and his dedication to God is just beautiful.   Chelsea's dedication to Chase is also awe-inspiring.  She sacrifices everything to do what she can for him and that is a beautiful quality in a person.

The plot kept me entranced, I kept turning the pages to see what happened next and I read the last 200 pages in one sitting - that is how involved I was in the book.  Ms. Healy does a marvelous job building up the tension without making it too intense.  You can kind of see where the book is going, but that doesn't hurt how you read the book because you still don't know how it will get there and the ending is still a surprise.

My moment of dislike (and this is a personal opinion) came about 1/3 of the way through the book.  I did not like the character of Porta, which you are not supposed to like her, she is the "bad guy".  The problem was at times I felt such disgust towards this woman that I thought I would put the book down.  The other characters were what pulled me through.  But I think Ms. Healy accomplished something here - a truly bad, "bad guy".  I can't recall in any recent books where I had that strong of a dislike towards a character and I read suspense and serial killer books.  Porta just did not sit right with me as a human being.  One thing I did like was that Ms. Healy could have made her a stereotype of witches, but she did not, she used another friend of Porta's who was a wiccan also as a foil to show that this group is not made up of  bad people, and that Porta is the one bad seed that can make others look bad.  This friend also wanted to help Porta and I liked the friend, but still could find nothing redeeming in Porta.  Porta is the only thing I really did not like in the book.

The supernatural elements of the plot were interesting.  And the linking together of Chase, Chelsea, Promise, Porta and Zack was very well-done.  The good and evil were very obvious and the parallels to the story of Jesus and his sacrifice were very evident.  Ms. Healy does a great job mixing the Christian element into the book without appearing preachy.  It's just natural and it's just there.

All-in-all, The Promises She Keeps is a book that will stay with you after you read it.  It is one you need to absorb when you finish and the beauty of the story starts to come to life the more you think about it.  This one really makes you think and I love the polarization of good and evil.  So many times the evil comes out kind of ho-hum, that is not the case in this book.  If you haven't read Ms. Healy before, I highly recommend this one, it has suspense, love, good and evil and a storyline that won't let you put the book down.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:

It's her destiny to die young. The man who loves her can't live with that. 

Promise, a talented young vocalist with a terminal illness, is counting on fame to keep her memory alive after she dies. Porta is an aging witch and art collector in search of the goddess who will grant her immortality.

When Promise inexplicably survives a series of freak accidents, Porta believes that Promise is the one she seeks. But Chase, an autistic artist who falls in love with Promise and opposes Porta, comes between the women with his mysterious visions and drawings, and plunges everyone into a flesh-and-blood confrontation over the true meaning of eternal life.

About the Author (from her website): 

Erin Healy is an award-winning fiction editor who has worked with talented novelists such as James Scott Bell, Melody Carlson, Colleen Coble, Brandilyn Collins, L. B. Graham, Rene Gutteridge, Michelle McKinney Hammond, Robin Lee Hatcher, Denise Hildreth, Denise Hunter, Randy Ingermanson, Jane Kirkpatrick, Gilbert Morris, Frank Peretti,Lisa Samson, Randy Singer, Robert Whitlow, and many others.
She began working with Ted Dekker in 2002 and edited twelve of his heart-pounding storiesbefore their collaboration on Kiss, the first novel to seat her on “the other side of the desk.”

Erin is the owner of WordWright Editorial Services, a consulting firm specializing in fiction book development. She lives with her family in Colorado.

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***I received this book from Amy Currie at Phenix and Phenix Publicity for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  I do not receive money for my amazon links since I live in NC (something about some law), so they are up purely for my readers to have a place to check out the book.***

Valentine's Day Books With Love Hop Winner

It's time to announce the Valentine's Day Books with Love Hop winner!  The winner has been contacted and has 72-hours to send their address or I will redraw the winner.  If you see yourself here as a winner and have not received an email, please feel free to email me at crystalfulcher(at)ec.rr.com with your address and the book of your choice (sometimes things get lost in cyberspace).  Thanks to all who entered!

The Winner is:

Cindi (email starts with jchop...)

Book Tour and Review: The Tudor Secret by C. W. Gortner

 

 
The Tudor Secret by C. W. Gortner

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publish Date:February 1, 2011

Trade paperback, 352 pages 
Historical Fiction

My Review:
Why I read this:I am trying to read more historical fiction and the blurb on this one sounded very intriguing.  I know very little about this time in history so I thought it would be great to read.

How is the novel driven: Plot, the characters are pivotal, but the plot drives the book.


My thoughts:I have not read anything about this period of history in England nor do I remember much about the Tudors from history or literature classes in high school.  So The Tudor Secret was a very interesting novel to me.  I am familiar with Queen Elizabeth and know how highly regarded she was so it was interesting to see how it all came about.

That being said, I don't know how close to history, The Tudor Secret is.  The author states in the afterward that he proposes a what-if into the time frame and therefore the story is fiction, but it is built around what is known of the time.  Thus the genre of historical fiction.  I know I enjoyed the book and this look into Elizabeth and the fascinating fictional character of Brendan Prescott.  I also loved that this book is told from a male point-of-view.  I am so use to reading books from the female point-of-view that this was very refreshing to me.  Suspense books from male point-of-view, yes, but historical fiction books, not so much, at least the ones I have read.  I really liked Brendan as a character.  He had a strong character and a desire to do what was right.  He wasn't perfect but he tried.

The suspense plot that runs through The Tudor Secret was well-constructed.  I found myself trying to guess what might happen next but almost always getting it wrong.  The book held me spellbound and I was really sorry that work got in the way of me reading it this week.  I think if I had started it on a weekend it would have been like These Things Hidden and I would not be able to put it down.  Which is a rare quality in historical fiction for me personally.  I know a lot of you are lovers of the genre, but I am fairly new to it and I am not often enamored by historical fiction books.  Michele Moran always captivates me and now I think I will be sure and check out C. W. Gortner's other novels.

This is the first in a series of books and I look forward to reading the upcoming books, and learning more about the world of Brendan, Elizabeth, Kate and Peregrine.  The Tudor Secret did a great job of getting me into the time period, creating characters I cared about  and captivating my attention from beginning to end.  That makes a great novel for me and I am sure I won't forget this one for awhile.


My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:

The era of the Tudors was one of danger, intrigue, conspiracy, and above all, spies.

Summer 1553: A time of danger and deceit. Brendan Prescott, an orphan, is reared in the household of the powerful Dudley family. Brought to court, Prescott finds himself sent on an illicit mission to the King’s brilliant, enigmatic sister, Princess Elizabeth. But Brendan is soon compelled to work as a double agent by Elizabeth’s protector, William Cecil—who promises in exchange to help him unravel the secret of his own mysterious past.

A dark plot swirls around Elizabeth's quest to unravel the truth about the ominous disappearance of her seriously ill brother, King Edward VI. With only a bold stable boy and audacious lady-in-waiting at his side, Brendan plunges into a ruthless gambit of half-truths, lies, and murder. Filled with the intrigue and pageantry of Tudor England, The Tudor Secret is the first book in The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles.

About the Author: 

C.W. Gortner is the author of the acclaimed historical novels The Last Queen and The Confessions of Catherine de Medici. He holds an MFA in Writing with an emphasis on Renaissance Studies from the New College of California. In his extensive travels to research his books, he has danced a galliard in a Tudor great hall and experienced life in a Spanish castle. He is also a dedicated advocate for animal rights and environmental issues. Half-Spanish by birth, he divides his time between Northern California and Antigua, Guatemala.

The Tudor Secret is the first book in Gortner’s The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles series.

You can visit the author online at www.cwgortner.com or his blog at http://historicalboys.blogspot.com/.

Exerpt from The Tudor Secret

There are moments that define our existence, moments that, if we recognize them, become pivotal turning points in our life. Like pearls on a strand, the accumulation of such moments will in time become the essence of our life, providing solace when our end draws near.

For me, meeting Elizabeth Tudor was one of those moments.

The first I noticed was that she was not beautiful. Her chin was too narrow for the oval of her face, her long thin nose emphasizing the high curve of her cheeks and proud brow. Her mouth was disproportionately wide and her lips too thin, as if she savored secrets. And she was too pale and slim, like a fey creature of indeterminate sex.

Then I met her stare. Her eyes were fathomless, over-wide pupils limning her gold irises, like twin suns in eclipse. I had seen eyes like hers before, years ago, when a traveling menagerie entertained us at Dudley Castle. Then, too, I had been captured by their dormant power.

She had the eyes of a lion.

“Lord Robert’s squire?” she said to Cecil. “How can it be? I’ve never seen him before.”

“I’m new to court, Your Grace,” I answered. “Your dog is foreign, is he not?”

She shot me a terse look; she’d not given me leave to speak. “He is Italian. You are familiar with the breed?”

“I had occasion to learn many things during my time in the Dudley stables.”

“Is that so?” She tilted her head. “Hold out your hand.”

I hesitated for a moment before warily extending my wrist. She loosened her grip on the chain. The hound thrust his muzzle at me. I almost recoiled as I felt his breath on my skin. He sniffed. To my relief, he licked my skin and retreated.

“You have a way with animals,” Elizabeth said. “Urian rarely takes to strangers.” She motioned me to my feet. “What is your name?”

“Brendan Prescott, Your Grace.”

***I received this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book Tours for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  I do not receive money for my amazon links since I live in NC (something about some law), so they are up purely for my readers to have a place to check out the book.***

CSN Stores Giveaway: $50 Gift Certificate

My husband and I have just recently rearranged our living room and in doing so realized that most of our furniture is getting old and also we need some new pieces to supplement what we have.  One easy way to solve this problem is head over to CSN Stores.  When going through the main website I found the modern furniture and I was in heaven.  I am still trying to decide what we need and when to get it, but there are lots of items to be found in just this 1 of the over 200 stores that make up CSN Stores.


Lucky for you, my readers, you have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to spend at any of the 200+ CSN stores.  Entering is simple, just fill out the form below.  I do ask that for your entry you go to the link above and tell me one item that you like (you don't have to get that with your gift certificate).  The giveaway will run for two weeks, so it will end March 2, 2011 and is open to US/Canada only.  Shipping will not be covered by the gift certificate, but there are always lots of items that are free shipping.

If you have trouble viewing the form, you can find it here.