Desires of the Dead (Review)

Desires of the Dead

(The Body Finder, #2)

By: Kimberly Derting

Release Date: February 15th, 2011

Genre(s): YA Paranormal/Mystery/Romance

My Review (4.5/5 stars*)

Desires of the Dead was unexpectedly great. Where the first book seemed to lack a good murder plot this one delivered it. The sequel felt more centered on Violet and less focused on the romance which I felt previously took over the first novel which was both good and  bad. It's even more intriguing with the introduction of four new characters. But I didn't care much for Mike and Megan they seemed like random obstacles that Violet had to deal with. The addition of the FBI on Violet's trail really kept me reading on because I wanted to see what they knew and what she would tell them. It didn't disappoint but the FBI weren't in as many scenes as I'd have hoped for. Violet's keeping a lot of secrets from Jay and at times I found that to be frustrating yet a little exciting. What I mean by that is I wanted to see what Jay's reaction would be since he's so fiercely protective of her and wants to shield Violet from danger and she's off doing things her way. Their was a moment in this book where it almost seemed like Violet's ability was manifesting itself in a new way—I really want that to be the case! Desires of the Dead weaves in two different stories at once and it was amusing and enjoyable to follow both. Like the first book it alternates viewpoints between Violet and an anonymous stranger whose keeping tabs on her. So far this series has its ups and downs but this sequel has renewed my excitement and I'm invested in it. Also it would seem the secondary characters have some depth to them after all but they still feel a bit underdeveloped and their personalities are continually changing. Despite the little things the book turned out to be really good, and I enjoyed it way more than The Body Finder which I also liked.

Violet is just getting on with her life months after almost being murdered by a serial killer...until she feels the pull of an echo at a shipyard. She does her best to ignore the call but when it won't leave her be she leaves an anonymous police tip and resumes her daily life with her best friend and newly turned boyfriend Jay Heaton. After the body of a small child is found Violet's certain she was careful enough not to be linked in any way to it—that is until the FBI show up at her school. It wouldn't be so bad if they just wanted to question her about the case but it seems like their less interested in the murder of the boy and more interested in her. Now she has to work even harder to keep her secret under wraps and its more complicated than she imagines when Jay seems to be spending more time with his new friend Mike and less time with her. It falls upon Violet to fix the mess she's gotten herself into—alone.

Although Violet's actions made me a little angry at times that can be easily overlooked as the story was wholly enjoyable. Whereas The Body Finder felt like it was missing something Desires of the Dead was satisfying and a great entertaining read. I had a difficult time putting this one down. It's quick, has a compelling mystery with a totally unique paranormal twist. I'm excited to see what will come next in this series. Derting has created a different type of story that's bound to grab your attention. I'm sure that Desires of the Dead will resonate wonderfully with young adults.

Synopsis:

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger. 

LINKS: GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR | B&N | SHELFARI !

  

Waiting on Wednesday! (#10)

~ Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is a weekly meme post hosted by: Jill from Breaking the Spine that showcases not-yet-released books that I'm eagerly awaiting to read! ~

 

I'm waiting for:

Options

By: Abbi Glines

Release Date: December 5th, 2013

Genre(s): YA Fantasy/Romance

Synopsis:

Two paths.
Two completely different roads.
Each one standing before me.
Each one holding a different destiny.
In life you're just supposed to choose one path.
In life you're not given the chance at choosing one specific future.

Until now.
Until me.

Why am I different? I don't know. But I'm going to see those roads and walk down each one. When it's over I'll know which one to choose because I'll know my - options.

Why am I waiting? 

Simply because I love books that explore alternative futures with different possibilities. Options reminds me of Pivot Point by: Kasie West which I really enjoyed! I'm psyched for this one because not only does the story appeal to me but Abbi Glines is writing it and she writes brilliantly. Also I think the cover is pretty cool especially the tree looking maze and the model is gorgeous. Can't wait for this release!!

LINKS: GOODREADS | AUTHOR !

Will you be checking this one out? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

 

The Body Finder (Review)

The Body Finder

(The Body Finder, #1)

By: Kimberly Derting

Release Date: March 16th, 2010

Genre(s): YA Paranormal/Mystery/Romance

My Review: (4/5 stars*)

Straightaway I knew The Body Finder was going to be an intriguing story and it was. I found it engaging and I especially enjoyed the romantic aspect of it. Generally I tend to like books told from first-person but the third-person narrating was easily followed. You get Violet's point of view and than the murderers so that was pleasantly entertaining. I liked the main character but I couldn't really connect with her which was a little disappointing. Violet's best friend Chelsea seemed really shallow at times which also threw me off just a little bit. The main heroine is very brave and especially courageous because she takes the initiative to do something to apprehend the killer and I was pleased to see that. But like all teenagers she makes a few mistakes along the way which isn't unusual because we all do. But it didn't wow me in the way that I was expecting it to however I did enjoy it nonetheless. Violet's ability is incredibly useful and inventive - I'm excited to see how it develops in the next books. Kimberly Derting's writing is enthralling I couldn't get enough of Violet's story so I went ahead and bought the rest of the series immediately after finishing this one! Although it wasn't exactly what I had expected it was a great read with a nice teenage romance and an interesting enough mystery.

Violet Ambrose is your normal sixteen-year-old that is except for the dark secret she's been harboring her entire life. She can sense where dead remains are—be it human or animal—she's not alone in knowing her best friend Jay, her parents, and uncle all know she has a special gift. Violet can only find the bodies of those who have been murdered and she does so by seeing and feeling their imprints that are left behind. They are all unique to each individual and it draws her to their corpses as well as to their killers. It's like a calling card for death. When some local girls go missing and their bodies keep being unearthed Violet's uncle who is a police chief takes the lead and gets Violet involved to find the killer. Only things get slightly more complicated when the killer ends up finding her instead...

What I would have liked to have seen is more background on Violet's inherited gift. Unfortunately The Body Finder scratches the surface on all further analysis of her ability. I did like the fun nature and deep friendship between Violet and Jay although their feelings for each other were very obvious. Their inseparable relationship is sweet and I was satisfied with the unfolding romance. At times it did seem to overtake the story and stray from the plot but still managed to get back on track. Anyone who likes a blend of mystery with paranormal elements and romance will like this book because it has all of that. Just don't expect too much from the mystery and crime part of it because it's predictable and the resolution too easily solved. The Body Finder creates an interesting story that's both fast-paced and teen-friendly. Although the premise would suggest this book is creepy, and full of mystery and suspense it falls short as two thirds of the book focuses on the feelings Violet develops for her long time best friend Jay Heaton and vice versa. Overall a decently written book with an uncommon paranormal component that will either keep you reading on or make you lose interest—fortunately I'm sticking with this series!

Synopsis:

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

LINKS: GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR | B&N | SHELFARI !

The Boys of Summer (Review)

*Welcome to the Boys of Summer Blog Tour - below is my review of this fantastic Summer read!*

*Presented by: YA Bound*

 

The Boys of Summer

(Summer, #1)

By: C.J. Duggan

Release Date: December 17th, 2012

Genre(s): New Adult Contemporary Romance

My Review: (4.5/5 stars*)

The Boys of Summer is so much fun and made me feel like summer was already here! It's times like these that I wish I lived in the fictional town of Onslow, Australia living it up with Tess, Ellie, Adam and the Onslow boys. It's fantastic, utterly enjoyable, and satisfyingly absorbing with lovable characters, witty banter, and sexy boys. Tess is an amazing character and my favorite who goes from laughing stock in high school to living it up summer style with hot Aussies. It's a lovely escape and a great romantic story to get lost in. There's some extremely Australian slang tossed in but it still remained easy enough to understand and enjoy. The writing is well-done, the story is gripping, and it's a heck of a lot of fun! A contemporary romance that's worth reading!

Tess McGee is a seventeen-year-old girl whose school days are numbered but not before her ex-boyfriend spreads around the mortifying nickname he gave her. Tic Tac Tess is what's whispered around for her alleged lack of a chest, thankfully her two loyal best friends save her from more humiliation. Summer is right around the corner and Tess' best friend Adam has somehow convinced her to take a summer job at the Onslow hotel with him. He claims it'll be the best summer ever but when he ends up getting sent away she's forced to work her entire summer alone—save for her other bff Ellie. While summer looks almost as worse as high school things start to look up when she meets some hot older boys who are former graduates of her high school—one of which she's been crushing on since she was in middle school. Now work seems like play when the Onslow Boys come around to hang out at the hotel/pub, and she's got a chance to prove to them she's not just Tic Tac Tess but so much more.

I completely loved Tess McGee she's funny, at times awkward, but she's also courageous and straightforward. At first she's shy, not much for partying, but when she gets to live a little she comes alive and she's brilliant. Tess turns her life around in the course of one summer, bettering herself as well as stepping out of her comfort zone and from the shadow of her friends. Toby is 22, gorgeous, part of the Onslow boys, and off the market but when he meets Tess McGee their chemistry gets harder to resist. I liked that it took awhile for the characters to change; it didn't just happen overnight so it maintained realism. The secondary characters are great, Adam and Sean are really amusing and not-to-mention hot. From the moment I started reading I had this stupid grin on my face because it's literally that kind of a book - I hardly wanted to see it end! It was funny, charming, flirty, with a little drama and %100 entertaining! I haven't read a contemporary romance this good since the Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines! This is the book to read when you're looking for effortless fun, pure escapism, and a hot summer read. Highly appeals to any mature YA/New Adult Contemporary Romance fans. You won't regret buying this one; you'll totally fall in love with the story and all of the characters. C.J. Duggan knows how to write a book you'll just be drawn into! I'm already waiting for the next one—impatiently might I add! The Boys of Summer is an Australian gem!

Synopsis:

It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.

Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.

To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.

It will be a summer she will always remember.

Warning: sexual references, and occasional coarse language. 

 

LINKS: GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR | B&N | SHELFARI !

Waiting on Wednesday! (#9)

~ Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is a weekly meme post hosted by: Jill from Breaking the Spine that showcases not-yet-released books that I'm eagerly awaiting to read! ~

 

I'm waiting for:

Unbreakable

(The Legion, #1)

By: Kami Garcia 

Release Date: October 1st, 2013

Genre(s): YA Paranormal/Fantasy

Synopsis:

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels.

Why am I waiting? 

Paranormal Fantasy is a genre I always enjoy reading and the story sounds pretty decent. As far as Kami Garcia's writing goes Beautiful Creatures is a series I've not yet read but I really want to. I'm confident that her work will speak for itself and be enjoyable. Also the fact that it sounds just a little like the Supernatural TV show plot just slightly twisted with a female lead and a younger group, how could I not want to read it! Two brothers who hunt ghosts that save Kennedy and how the one pulling the strings is of course a demon, and then there's the one brother being named Jared...hmm! Sounds very intriguing indeed! Purely coincidental or not I'm looking forward to this one. Perhaps I may just being reading too much into it with the Supernatural similarities ;)

LINKS: GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR | B&N | SHELFARI !  

 

 Will you be checking this one out? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Stacking the Shelves! (#6)

~ Stacking the Shelves is a meme post hosted by: Tynga from Tynga's Reviews. Stacking the Shelves is a blog meme where you share your recent book purchases, physical book buys, review books, borrowed books, or any books you have recently acquired. ~

Bought via Amazon: Desires of the Dead | The Last Echo by: Kimberly Derting | Shattered Promises by: Jessica Sorensen | The Hunger Games | Mockingjay | Catching Fire by: Suzanne Collins  

 Physical ARCS: Dead Silence by: Kimberly Derting | The Last Academy by: Anne Applegate

Feature & Follow Friday! (#14)

*Fun blog hop feature hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read*
 

Activity: Hopefully warm weather for most of us is here soon…so tell us about your favorite outdoor reading spot. Or take a picture.

My favorite outdoor reading spot is anywhere secluded, silent, and comfy. Although I love sitting cross-legged on a camping chair on my back deck with my Kindle, or a physical book. Nothing in the world beats a quiet reading area where I can just be lazy and absorb the words of a book as well as the summer air. My back deck has a place where the sun shines through the trees and hits it perfectly. I also have the option of a shaded area when it gets too hot. Plus there's a grill and a cooler nearby for food and drinks so naturally I have the best set up!

The Good Daughter (Review)

The Good Daughter

(Brennan Sisters, #2)

By: Jane Porter

Release Date: February 5th, 2013 

Genre(s): Adult Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit

My Review: (4.5/5 stars*)

Fantastically written The Good Daughter is just as beguiling as The Good Woman. Kit's story is poignantly realistic and riveting. Emotions are taken to another level, and Kit's life proves more complex than her sister Meg's. Their is a lot of women's issues addressed and they are done so with great wisdom and insight. The problems aren't tip-toed around; these struggles are faced every day in real life and Porter tells it like it is. The main character Kit faces her own morality just as we all do. There are many relatable concerns brought up that all women deal with at one time or another and it's revitalizing to read about them interwoven into the story. Kit Brennan is brave, flawed, and kind-hearted and I felt at times like I was reading about myself. As well as being able to really connect with the characters in the story it's very entertaining and totally engrossing. Each sister in the Brennan family has some skeletons in their closet, regrets, and are emotionally wounded but somehow they find their way in a world that seems at odds with them.

 
The Good Daughter is the second book in the Brennan Sisters Trilogy. It focuses on the middle daughter and fraternal twin Kit who is introduced in The Good Woman as Meg Brennan's younger sister. Kit Brennan has always been the peacemaker between her sisters, the compassionate one—always putting everyone's needs before her own. Kit is just about to turn forty and she realizes how lonely her life has become. Previously having broken up with her good-for-nothing boyfriend of 10 years who wouldn't even commit to her, she's now living alone as a high school teacher trying to find Mr. Right and move forward with her life. Unfortunately for her she runs into a bit of a problem when Mr. Right turns out to be Mr. Wrong. To make matters worse her new student Delilah keeps acting strange and leads Kit to question the safety of this young girl's home life. Meanwhile Kit's juggling men, work, and her mother's health which is deteriorating rapidly.

I have to say I really enjoyed Meg's story in The Good Woman for its happy yet emotional tone, but I liked the darker side of things in Kit's story. It had a lot going on and I loved the depth and unraveling layers of the characters. It's a winding emotional roller coaster. The romance is slow but develops nicely at the end. Jude is far from perfect but he somehow manages to fit into Kit's life and he makes it interesting. I love how Kit really challenges herself and finally goes for what she wants and needs. All her life it has been about pleasing everyone else but now she's in control free to do what she wants and not have to be the good daughter. There were some great little twists thrown in that really changes how you view some of the characters which I found intriguing. Overall Kit's story drew me in and never let go! I'll definitely be waiting for the last Brennan Sisters novel to release titled The Good Wife.

Synopsis:

Love was given to all, except herself . . . Kit Brennan has always been the most grounded of her sisters. A Catholic school English teacher for seventeen years and a constant giver, her decisions have been sound—just not very satisfying. Her fortieth birthday is right around the corner, causing Kit to consider some wilder notions, like skipping right past the love and marriage to raising a child all by herself . . . A girls’ weekend away is just the reprieve Kit needs from school, Mr. Wrongs, and life-changing decisions. It’s there that she meets a man who’s dangerous; a man who challenges who she thought she was, or rather should be. Kit wants to indulge herself this once, but with one of her students in crisis and the weight of her family’s burdens weighing heavy on her heart, Kit isn’t sure if now is the time to let her own desires take flight . . .

LINKS: GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR | B&N | SHELFARI !

Click here to read my review of The Good Woman (Brennan Sisters, #1). 

"The Good Woman is heart-gripping, real, and moving on so many different levels. It sheds light on the real-life struggles women face and it's extremely relatable."