Book Review - Day Four

Day Four
Author: Sarah Lotz
Series: The Three #2
Genres: Horror, Thriller | Adult
Release 21st May 2015
Source: Review Copy - Hodder & Stoughton
Rating:

Four days into a five day singles cruise on the Gulf of Mexico, the ageing ship Beautiful Dreamer stops dead in the water. With no electricity and no cellular signals, the passengers and crew have no way to call for help. But everyone is certain that rescue teams will come looking for them soon. All they have to do is wait.

That is, until the toilets stop working and the food begins to run out. When the body of a woman is discovered in her cabin the passengers start to panic. There's a murderer on board the Beautiful Dreamer... and maybe something worse.

When it comes to Day Four, I only really heard of it because of The Three, and then when I was given the opportunity to read and review it for LoveReading I was a bit cautious at first. It's been a long time since I last read what is classed as adult, I used to read them more than young adult books when I was a teenager but recently I've only read 1 or 2 over the last 3 years. Anyway I've been looking to get back into adult books lately, and I thought that Day Four would be just the book to help me make the transition (I'm not leaving the young adult community, don't panic haha). When I first read the summary it struck me as a really creepy read, something that would keep me interested and have me hooked. I was looking forward to it, I wont lie, but sadly it wasn't as good as I hoped. Its meant to be a companion to The Three, but you can read it as a standalone. It has mention of some of the characters from the 'first' book but overall I don't think you would be missing much if you read this first.

Book Review - Twelve Days of Christmas

Twelve Days of Christmas
Author: Trisha Ashley
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Adult
Release Date: 28th October 2010
Publishers: HarperCollins
No. Pages: 416
Source: Gifted
Rating:
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Christmas has always been a sad time for young widow Holly Brown, so when she's asked to look after a remote house on the Lancashire moors, the opportunity to hide herself away is irresistible – the perfect excuse to forget about the festivities.

Sculptor, Jude Martland, is determined that this year there will be no Christmas after his brother runs off with his fiancée and he is keen to avoid the family home. However, he will have to return by the twelfth night of the festivities, when the hamlet of Little Mumming hold their historic festivities and all of his family are required to attend.

Meanwhile, Holly is finding that if she wants to avoid Christmas, she has come to the wrong place. When Jude unexpectedly returns on Christmas Eve he is far from delighted to discover that Holly seems to be holding the very family party he had hoped to avoid. Suddenly, the blizzards come out of nowhere and the whole village is snowed in. With no escape, Holly and Jude get much more than they bargained for – it looks like the twelve days of Christmas are going to be very interesting indeed..

Book Review - Billy and Me

Billy and Me
Author: Giovanna Fletcher
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Adult
Release Date: 23rd May 2013
Publishers: Penguin
No. Pages: 402
Source: Gifted
Rating: 
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Sophie May has a secret. One that she’s successfully kept for years.

It's meant that she’s had to give up her dreams of going to university and travelling the world to stay in her little village, living with her mum and working in the local tea-shop. But then she meets the gorgeous Billy – an actor with ambitions to make it to the top. And when they fall in love, Sophie is whisked away from the comfort of her life into Billy’s glamorous, but ruthless, world.

Their relationship throws Sophie right into the spotlight after years of shying away from attention. Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy? And most of all, is she ready for her secret heartbreak to be discovered and shared with the nation?

Blog Tour Review/Giveaway - Not Quite Dead

Huge thank you to Xpresso Reads for allowing me to host this Blog Tour.

Note Quite Dead
Author: Lyla Payne
Series: A Lowcountry Ghost Story #1
Genres: Paranormal, Mystery, Contemporary | New Adult, Adult
Release Date: 1st April 2014
Publishers: Createspace
Source: Review Copy - Xpresso Book Tours
Rating: 
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A broken engagement sends Graciela Harper crawling back to Heron Creek with her tail between her legs, but finds the sleepy little town too changed to set her life right. Not even her budding drinking problem can obscure her Gramps’s failing health, or erase the mental picture of her first love happily married to her childhood best friend. To top it all off, she’s having a heck of time convincing the town’s dashing young mayor of her unfit-for-dating status.

When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected - being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old. Her brand new "I don’t give a crap" attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion.

If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn't move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.

Book Review - Face Time

Face Time
Author: S.J. Pajonas
Series: Love in the Digital Age #1
Genres: Contemporary | New Adult, Adult
Release Date: 25th April 2014
Publishers: Onigiri Press
No. Pages: 286
Source: Review Copy - Onigiri Press
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones

After the best first date ever, Lee thought Laura was funny, intelligent, and impulsive; a whirlwind of bright laughter and happiness. Laura loved Lee's sweet smile and the way he expertly filled in every awkward pause. He held her hand and then pulled her in for the most perfect kiss she’s had in years. What could possibly be wrong? Just the 7000 miles that separates them the next day.

Even though Lee has gone home to Seoul, Laura can't stop thinking about him. What starts as an innocent text thanking him for their dinner date becomes something much more: someone either of them can't live without. But Laura's got a live-in mother going through a midlife crisis, and Lee's stressful traveling schedule means they'll be apart for some time. Life, family, and a complicated past also get in the way, and they're both going to need actual face time to figure it out.

Book Review - Gameboard of the Gods

Gameboard of the Gods
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Age of X #1
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Dystopian | Adult
Release Date: June 4th 2013
Publishers: Dutton Adult
No. Pages: 472
Source: Borrowed
Rating:
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In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board

Book Review/Author Interview: Bloody Secrets

Bloody Secrets
Author: Jackie Trippier Holt
Series: Dirty Monsters #2
Genres: Contemporary, Paranormal | Adult
Release Date: 31st January 2013
Publishers: Book Snuffler Publishing
No. Pages: 124
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
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"1st November. Venue: Bournemouth."

I thought everything was going well. Despite their natural apprehension, the troupe has been performing spectacularly well – so much so that the Hallowe'en acts prompted a visit from one of our forefathers, Mr Harvey Burfoot. The veil between life and death is, after all, thinnest at Samhain.

"It was a heady evening! My guard down, I accidentally mentioned my plan, explaining how it would give Burfoot's Circus security and space to develop our skills. The idea was not completely disregarded, so I have high hopes. While I still have not discovered who is borrowing The History and presumably reading it, I'm certain I soon will. Also, the townies accused us of stealing their wallets. I've no idea if this is true. There was an unpleasant scene as we packed up to leave for Blandford Forum, diffused thanks to my taking charge, with help from Bridget's spells and The Boy's natural charm.

I'm sorry to report that not sure how to hesitant to repeat not sure what happened after that but one of the performers has run away left us. She packed in the night and has apparently gone back to the Real World, knowing what the penalty is for desertion.

"Harvey, if you're reading this, please don't hurt her."

Book Review - Now That I'm Stronger

Now That I'm Stronger
Author: Valina R. Rudolph
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult, Adult
Release Date: 13th December 2013
Publishers: Outskirts Press
No. Pages: 253
Source: Review Copy - Rudolph's Manager
Rating: 
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'I did it.'

These three words, uttered by Brianna's father, changed her life forever. Confident in her father's innocence, Brianna had been convinced that the jury had made a mistake. Instead, with her father's admission of guilt, everything she believed to be true is suddenly called in to question. Heartbroken and confused, Brianna sets out to find out the truth about her past. But what she discovers is more than she could have ever imagined. From the aunt who helped raise her to the new love in her life, it seems as though everyone in her life has a secret agenda. Shattered a little more by each revelation, Brianna finds herself alone with no one to trust.

Book Review - Freaks Like Us

Freaks Like Us
Author: Jackie Trippier Holt
Series: Dirty Monsters #1
Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy | Adult
Release Date: 11th October 2012
Publishers: Book Snuffler
No. Pages: 132
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
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"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls and children of all ages! Welcome to Burfoot's Circus, the travelling home of freaks, misfits, drop-outs and the socially inept  - sometimes all of the above  - come together for your entertainment pleasure tonight, out of a love of performing in some cases, and simply fear of discovery in others. We have little people, fae, werewolves and mutations, hybrids and humans in The Ring together! We have demons and dogs and those who prefer to keep silent about the stories of how and why they came to join the circus. Yet, most important of all, we have acts! We have The Saw Man, The Cat Boy, The Violet Illusion, Fearless Henry, Lady Fortunata, Benedict The Storyteller, The Bearded Lady, Snake and too, too many more to mention."

"Catch the show now, while you can. We can't stay long in any town and who knows where we'll be next? And honestly, folks, our circus isn't what it was and certainly isn't what it should be. See it now and you'll be able to say, 'Burfoot's? I knew it before it was famous'". Because nothing can remain a secret forever..

Book Review - The Night Circus

The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morganstern
Standalone
Genres: Fantasy | Adult
Release Date: 24th May 2012
Publishers: Vintage Books
No. Pages: 502
Source: Purchased
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway — a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love — a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Book Review - Dead To The World

Dead To The World
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #4
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Adult
Release Date: 3rd May 2005
Publishers: Ace
No. Pages: 291
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
Buy From: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes and Noble | Waterstones

Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana. She has only a few close friends, because not everyone appreciates Sookie's gift: she can read minds. That’s not exactly every man's idea of date bait – unless they’re undead; vampires and the like can be tough to read. And that’s just the kind of guy Sookie's been looking for.

Maybe that’s why, when she comes across a naked vampire, she doesn't just drive on by. He hasn't got a clue who he is, but Sookie has: Eric looks just as scary and sexy – and dead – as ever. But now he has amnesia, he’s sweet, vulnerable, and in need of Sookie's help – because whoever took his memory now wants his life.

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

It took me about a week and a bit to read this book. Firstly because I was dealing with family problems, had my partners little brother over for a half the week and because for the first time in what seems like forever, the sun is shinning, I've been out playing with my little girl. Another reason (probably the real reason) is I just got so frustrated with this book. I'm sick of the love triangle between Sookie, Eric and Bill. Bill goes to Peru at the start of the book to work on his research into vampire history, I thought that it would be a really good time for Sookie to be alone and maybe finally develop her character a bit more. Instead she was faced with the task of looking after Eric, who had lost his memory, and within days she had fallen in love with him.

Book Review - Club Dead

Club Dead
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #3
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Adult
Release Date: 1st January 2001
Publishers: Orbit
No. Pages: 274
Source: Purchased
Rating:
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Things between cocktail waitress Sookie and her vampire boyfriend Bill seem to be going excellently (apart from the small matter of him being undead) until he leaves town for a while. A long while. Bill's sinister boss Eric has an idea of where to find him, whisking her off to Jackson, Mississippi to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead. When she finally catches up with the errant vampire, he is in big trouble and caught in an act of serious betrayal. This raises serious doubts as to whether she should save him or start sharpening a few stakes of her own

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

Finally I'm liking the series. I had heard that it had picked up in this book but after the last 2 books I can honestly say I wasn't optimistic. From start to finish I loved the book, I felt like Harris had settled and was comfortable with where she wanted the story to go, and it showed. It didn't feel like it was all thrown together, the character development was spot on and I was hooked. I love Alcide. Like really love him. I did in the show and as most of my favourite characters have taken the back seat in the books I thought he would too. I'm glad to say I was more than pleasantly surprised. He was described just enough and for the first time I really felt like I knew one of the characters.

Book Review - Living Dead In Dallas

Living Dead In Dallas
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #2
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Adult
Release Date: 26th March 2001
No. Pages: 288
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Sookie Stackhouse likes living in Bon Temps, Louisiana, and she likes working as a cocktail waitress at Merlotte's. But she is having a streak of bad luck. First her co-worker is killed, and no one seems to care. Then she comes face-to-face with a beastly creature which gives her a painful and poisonous lashing. Enter the vampires, who graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it).

The point is: the vampires saved her life. So when one of her bloodsuckers asks for a favour, she obliges and soon Sookie's in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire. She's supposed to interview certain humans involved, but she makes one condition: the vampires must promise to behave, and let the humans go unharmed. But that's easier than done, and all it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly..

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

Sadly yet again I'm still waiting to be wowed. I think my biggest problem with the books so far is Charlaine Harris is trying to fit so much in such a small book. And due to that I feel like there are things just being brushed over when I (not sure if everyone else) would have loved to read more about it. In the book there's a group of people called The Fellowship of the Sun. They are stated to being like what the KKK are to African Americans but obviously to vampires, but there was hardly any back story to them and considering they were such a big part of the book (and still to be in the series according to Bill) I was left wishing for more.

Book Review - Dead Until Dark

Dead Until Dark
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #1
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy | Adult
Release Date: 1st January 2001
No. Pages: 292
Source: Purchased
Rating:

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of 'disability.' She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome - and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life..

But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of - big surprise - murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next..

The book is about a girl called Sookie Stackhouse from Louisiana. She works in a bar called Merlottes as a waitress, lives with her grandma and has a brother called Jason. And she can read minds. One night at work (after waiting forever) Merlottes finally gets its first vampire called Bill, and when Sookie reads a couple of vampire drainers mind, hearing what they planned for poor old bill, she has to save his life. Nearly getting herself killed in the process. After having to save her from death not long after Bill and Sookie start to date. After more than one waitress Sookie works for turns up dead its time to round up suspects. Jason, her brother and also someone who has spent the night with each of them. Sam Merlotte, the owner of the bar, the boss and landlord to one of them or Bill. The murders happened after he came into town and they all had old vampire bites on their body. Or is someone just trying to frame them?