Review - Captivate by Vanessa Garden

In a glittering underwater world, nothing is as it seems...

For the past twelve months since her parents’ death, seventeen-year-old Miranda Sun has harboured a dark secret — a secret that has strained the close relationship she once shared with her older sister, Lauren. In an effort to repair this broken bond, Miranda’s grandparents whisk the siblings away on a secluded beach holiday. Except before Miranda gets a chance to confess her life-changing secret, she’s dragged underwater by a mysterious stranger while taking a midnight swim.

Review: I loved Captivate! The world was amazing as was the story and characters. At first I was thinking it was about mermaids being a sea story and all but it was a pleasant surprise it was an under sea adventure.

There was no magical or paranormal stuff involved just a breathtaking abduction and love story that sucked me in and left me actually rooting for the "bad" guy Marco in the end. There were a few parts I almost cried and for a story to have that kind of effect on me.....it was really good.

I longed for more and didn't want it to end! The title totally fits as this was a "captivating" adventure!

Review - Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter
Released: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5
Author Site: Aimee Carter

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry’s first wife, Persephone.

I was soooo excited when I got this ARC in the mail yesterday that I just could not wait to curl up on my sofa and read it from start to finish. I was not dissapointed in the least! It was a thought provoking book for me that made me rethink how I felt about a few of the characters and why they were one way or another.

First off lets get Persephone off my chest. I'm just sorry but I don't like her much more than I do Calliope. Some try to portray her as the poor little wounded victum who was forced into a marriage she did not want and had to lead a life of misery because of it. Well I say boo hoo hoo. Poor little Persephone. This is however one of those things I had to rethink because I was comparing it to situations of todays times when if you make a mistake in marriage you can easily file divorce and be done with it. I am sure things had to be different back then but what makes me so put out with her is I still dont see her living with Hades/Henry for thousands of years in such a miserable state and ripping his heart out in the process sleeping with his nephew, James right under his nose! In Goddess Interrupted Kate needs Persephone's help and Persephone has a attitude about it all that makes me wanna smack her down so bad. I'm like where does she get off acting like that especially after she got what she wanted...to leave Henry and be with the mortal of her dreams.

The next thing is I must admit I did get a little peeved at Henry and Kate both because if they would have just sat down and talked more alot of things that happened or didn't happen sooner could have been avoided. They both should have been more patient with the other's feelings. Kate needed reassurance that Henry wanted her and he needed reassurance that Kate only wanted him but both were just too stubborn to see it. Then Kate is so afraid she is not living up to everybodys expectations and being so appalled at some of the relationships of the Gods, and not understanding why Henry is so afraid to show his feelings but she is not seeing the big picture here that these folks have lived a zillion times longer than her and had so many more experiences and time to adjust to God and Goddesshood. Kate just acts like just because she has become immortal that everything shall just happen at once and for lands sake even in mortal life things dont usually turn out that way.

I totally hate that I dont have book three right now because I am soooooo anxious to see what happens next! We are left with a major cliffhanger!

Review - The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Released: April 19, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5
Author Site: Aimee Carter

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.
Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

My emotions were all over the place while reading The Goddess Test. I felt sorrow for Kate and what she was going thru with her mother and having to move to a new town..new school..ect and then to be teased and taunted by a girl at school, Ava, who thinks Kate is after her boyfriend Dylan. (insert eyeroll)

This has got to be one of my most favorite books! I just couldn't put it down until I was done reading it! I have never really cared for mythology very much but Aimee puts a spin on it that intrigues me and I found myself falling in love with Hades (Henry) the God of the Dead. Henry is just as lost and sad as Kate and I couldn't help but want them to hook up and find an incredible love amongst themself but love is never that simple.

I loved the "tests" Kate had to endure especially once I found out what they were based on and the total surprises that were revealed but my lips are sealed now. If you wanna know more your gonna have to check it out!

Review - Unraveled by Gena Showalter

Unraveled by Gena Showalter
Released: November 1, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 192 Pages
Format: Hardback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5
Authors Site: Gena Showalter

Since coming to Crossroads, Oklahoma, former outcast Aden Stone has been living the good life. Never mind that one of his best friends is a werewolf, his girlfriend is a vampire princess who hungers for his blood, and he's supposed to be crowned Vampire King—while still a human! Well, kind of.

I found Unraveled to drag a bit compared to the awesomeness of Intertwined. Eveybody is still trying to come to terms with Aden becoming the king of the vampires and they still have the witch curse looming over there heads as well as creatures still spilling from the woodworks trying to get at the new king, a title that Aden so totally has confessed he does not want and ponders over why Riley cant be the new king but yet there is a nagging moment every time he thinks of giving up the title.

I am also getting so sick of Mary Ann. Cant she just die or get hit with a fallen meteor or something? She is just so pathetic and goody goody two shoes I cant stand her anymore. She finds out she may be a threat to Riley and she decides she must break up with him to save him. I'm rolling my eyes by this time thinking ohh good grief not another one of those freaking story lines where the couple must break up to save each other and it keeps going back n forth back n forth.

On another note I am really happy to see Victoria blossoming out of her shell with new colored clothes, smiling more, and learning how to let her hair down. She has come a long way in such a short while and still have her fighting spirit intact.

Review - Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Intertwined by Gena Showalter
Released: September 1, 2009
Publisher: Harlequin
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 448 pages
Format: Hardback
Source: Library
Rating: 5/5
Authors Site: Gena Showalter

Aden Stone is not your typical 16-year-old. Since birth he has had four souls trapped within him that possess special powers: the ability to time travel, raise the dead, possess a body, and predict the future. As a result, he has spent his whole life in and out of mental institutions diagnosed as a violent schizophrenic. Now able to control the voices in his head, Aden has moved to Crossroads, OK, to live in a halfway house for delinquent boys. His goal in life is to find a means to free these souls and at last be at peace. When he meets Mary Ann Gray, she miraculously acts as a neutralizer, and for the first time in his life, he truly feels normal. The two become fast friends, establishing a sibling-type bond. Little do they realize that when they first met, their connection sent a power surge throughout the world drawing every paranormal creature from fairies to vampires to Crossroads on a quest for power. To complicate matters, Aden becomes romantically involved with a vampire princess and Mary Ann with her werewolf bodyguard. Together the teens must figure out a way to protect themselves, and all of humanity.

Oh My Gosh this book is jam packed full, over the rim, and overflowing with everything you could ever imagine or desire in a paranormal story! I was flipping pages like crazy and never wanting the story to end. From the first couple of pages the reader is taken on a joyride with Aden and his voices as he encounters zombies, bullies, weres, vampires, and all other things he never knew existed.

I felt really sad over Adens situation because he had to basically walk on egg shells thru no doing of his own because folks thought he was crazy when in fact if they only knew...

He is bullied by a resident at the home he is staying at but can't get caught fighting or he may lose his spot at the home and not be allowed to goto school and be normal like he's always wanted and I can just feel the lonliness and despair he is projecting until he begins meeting these other creatures and Mary Ann. My heart just went out to him. Wanted to reach thru and smother him with hugs and let him know he was not alone that he was gonna be just fine.

Mary Ann came off a bit uppity at the beginning but I warmed up to her as her story began to unfold and bless her heart she had problems she never even knew she had but I'm gonna leave that for you to find out.....

Now Riley and Victoria I really was skeptical of them at first. I just knew they were gonna be more trouble for our boy Aden but alas they quickly became allies thank gosh because OMG Riley sounds so dang hot and furry with his werewolf self. Yeppers I love a good were! lol He is just so strong and viscious and then so tender when he needs to be.

OK enough said I have GOT to move on to Unraveled before I become Unglued!

Review - Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen

Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen
Released: September 01, 2010
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 224 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Author Site: Mara Purnhagen

Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV…no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show. And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston—and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings. Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends—and potential boyfriends—is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear. All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive…

This story immediately caught my attention when I realized it was set in my homestate! Then Charlotte began her story and I quickly was drawn into her world. She is not so thrilled with her life, which is typically most any teenager, but with Charlotte's parents being famous and their work they are forever moving from place to place which leaves little room for Charlotte to make any lasting friendships or even join in any school activities until her older sister steps in and convinces them that Charlotte should have stability this year and be able to experience a normal senior year with friends and normal school activities and the whole nine yards. Charlotte soon begins making the friends and joining in like she always wanted but she hides her parents identity from everybody and soon realizes she is not the only one with secrets!

Though not really scary, as you would think when you think of ghost stories, it was still a short wonderful read with small doses of paranormal activity thrown in; just enough to keep it interesting.

Overall I enjoyed Past Midnight and got to know the characters well which is why I must say I really was dissapointed a bit with the ending. It felt rushed and kinda just left you hanging a bit wondering what happened to certain characters. I realize some of that was to get us ready for the next book but still I felt like I had been waiting on this big cresendo that just fizzled out in the last few pages.

The second book is 100 Candles which is out now as well. The third book, Beyond The Grave, will be out later this month I believe.