Half in Love with Death Author: Emily Ross Publication Date: December 18th, 2015 Publisher: Merit Press Synopsis: It’s the era of peace and love in the 1960s, but nothing is peaceful in Caroline’s life. Since her beautiful older sister disappeared, … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: December 2015
Synopsis
It's the era of peace and love in the 1960s, but nothing is peaceful in Caroline's life. Since her beautiful older sister disappeared, fifteen-year-old Caroline might as well have disappeared too. She's invisible to her parents, who can't stop blaming each other. The police keep following up on leads even Caroline knows are foolish. The only one who seems to care about her is Tony, her sister's older boyfriend, who soothes Caroline's desperate heart every time he turns his magical blue eyes on her.Tony is convinced that the answer to Jess's disappearance is in California, the land of endless summer, among the runaways and flower children. Come with me, Tony says to Caroline, and we'll find her together. Tony is so loving, and all he cares about is bringing Jess home. And so Caroline follows, and closes a door behind her that may never open again.
Inspired by the disturbing case of Charles Schmid, ‘the Pied Piper of Tucson’, Half in Love with Death is a heartfelt thriller that never lets up.
My Review
Based in the 1960’s, Emily Ross’s novel Half in Love with Death deals with one family’s nightmare of having their daughter and sister go missing. Jess, the older sister of Caroline, spends her nights out with her friends and boyfriend, … Continue reading
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. Love, Lies and Spies Author: Cindy Anstey Publication Date: April 19th, 2016 Publisher: Swoon Reads Summary from Goodreads: … Continue reading
Synopsis
Like most 18th century Venetians, Adriana d'Amato adores music-except her strict merchant father has forbidden her to cultivate her gift for the violin. But she refuses to let that stop her from living her dreams and begins sneaking out of her family's palazzo under the cover of night to take violin lessons from virtuoso violinist and composer Antonio Vivaldi. However, what begins as secret lessons swiftly evolves into a passionate, consuming love affair.Adriana's father is intent on seeing her married to a wealthy, prominent member of Venice's patrician class-and a handsome, charming suitor, whom she knows she could love, only complicates matters-but Vivaldi is a priest, making their relationship forbidden in the eyes of the Church and of society. They both know their affair will end upon Adriana's marriage, but she cannot anticipate the events that will force Vivaldi to choose between her and his music. The repercussions of his choice-and of Adriana's own choices-will haunt both of their lives in ways they never imagined.
Spanning more than 30 years of Adriana's life, Alyssa Palombo's The Violinist of Venice is a story of passion, music, ambition, and finding the strength to both fall in love and to carry on when it ends.
My Review
If ever a beautiful, alluring historical novel has been written, The Violinist of Venice, debut novel from author Alyssa Palombo, is definitely it. Absolutely captivating, this stunning novel will capture your heart with the beautiful descriptions of Venice, the characters … Continue reading
Welcome to my stop of the 2015 Debut Authors Bash, hosted by YaReads! I have the privlege of hosting debut author Maggie Hall, who has written The Conspiracy of Us (Penguin 2015), and the upcoming Map of Fates (Penguin, 2016). … Continue reading
Synopsis
It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey...With her trusty baton and six insanely organized clipboards, drum major Liza Sanders is about to take Destiny by storm—the boat, that is. When Liza discovered that her beloved band was losing funding, she found Destiny, a luxury cruise ship complete with pools, midnight chocolate buffets, and a $25,000 spring break talent show prize.
Liza can’t imagine senior year without the band, and nothing will distract her from achieving victory. She’s therefore not interested when her old camp crush, Lenny, shows up on board, looking shockingly hipster-hot. And she’s especially not interested in Russ, the probably-as-dumb-as-he-is-cute prankster jock whose ex, Demi, happens be Liza’s ex–best friend and leader of the Athenas, a show choir that’s the band’s greatest competition.
But it’s not going to be smooth sailing. After the Destiny breaks down, all of Liza’s best-laid plans start to go awry. Liza likes to think of herself as an expert at almost everything, but when it comes to love, she’s about to find herself lost at sea.
My Review
The Trouble with Destiny definitely had a cute romance, a pretty decent plot, and a lot of the characters were interesting…but something about this book just stopped me from really, truly enjoying it. I’m pretty sure it just had something … Continue reading
Synopsis
Lose yourself in a riot of beauty and mindful drawing with bestselling adult coloring book author Millie Marotta—whose books have sold 1.5 million copies!!Created by the bestselling author of Animal Kingdom, this is one of the most gorgeous adult coloring books out there. Millie Marotta's intricately designed tropical world beckons would-be artists to enter and make their mark. Add bright and brilliant colors to exotic blooms or a parrot's feathers. Complete a rainforest scene, add fine lines to palm trees, create new patterns, or use your creativity to personalize the illustrations. It's a wonderful way to fire up your imagination and relieve stress—and the high-quality paper makes it perfect for color pencils.
My Review
When I first heard about this book, I fell in love with the cover and the fact that it was focused on being tropical. While I haven’t seen Millie Marotta’s first coloring book – Animal Kingdom, I thought this one … Continue reading
Synopsis
Misfit teen Lola Lundy has every right to her anger and her misery. She's failing in school, living in a group home, and social workers keep watching her like hawks, waiting for her to show signs of the horrible mental illness that cost Lola's mother her life. Then, one night, she falls asleep in a storage room in her high school library, where she's seen an old yearbook--from the days when the place was an upscale academy for young scholars instead of a dump. When Lola wakes, it's to a scene that is nothing short of impossible. Lola quickly determines that she's gone back to the past--eighty years in the past, to be exact. The Fall Frolic dance is going full blast in the gym, where Lola meets the brainy and provocative Peter Hemmings, class of '24. His face is familiar, because she's seen his senior portrait in the yearbook. By night's end, Lola thinks she sees hope for her disastrous present: She'll make a new future for herself in the past. But is it real? Or has the major mental illness in Lola's family background finally claimed her? Has she slipped through a crack in time, or into a romantic hallucination she created in her own mind, wishing on the ragged pages of a yearbook from a more graceful time long ago?My Review
Imagine cleaning out a small room in the library in your school…then falling asleep looking through an old yearbook you found…and waking up in a completely different year. You wander out of the library to find a school dance going … Continue reading
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. The Forbidden Orchid Author: Sharon Biggs Waller Publication Date: February 2nd, 2016 Publisher: Viking Summary from Goodreads: Staid, … Continue reading
Synopsis
The Kinsey sisters live in an unconventional world. Their parents are former flower-children who still don't believe in rules. Their small, Northern California town is filled with free spirits and damaged souls seeking refuge from the real world. Without the anchor of authority, the three girls are adrift and have only each other to rely on.Rachel is wild. Asha is lost. Sarah, the good sister, is the glue that holds them together. But the forces of a mysterious fate have taken Sarah's life in a sudden and puzzling accident, sending her already fractured family into a tailspin of grief and confusion. Asha has questions. Rachel has secrets. And Sarah, waking up in the afterlife, must piece together how she got there.
Jamie Kain brings us The Good Sister, a stunning debut young adult novel about love in all its joyful, painful, exhilarating manifestations, and about the ties that bind us together, in life and beyond.
My Review
This is one of those books that is written so beautifully and thoughtfully that by the time you finish it, you wonder how this could possibly be Jamie Kain’s debut novel. This book provides the reader with a powerful, thought-provoking … Continue reading
