The Bringer - Samantha Towle

Title - The Bringer

Author - Samantha Towle

Genre - Paranormal, Paranormal Romance

Date published -   May 4th 2011

Publisher -  CreateSpace

Format - Paperback

Pages -236

Author's website - http://samanthatowle.blogspot.com/

Rating - 3 out of 5

"Are you an angel?"
"If I had a penny for every time I've been asked that, well not that pennies are of any use to me, but still. No. I'm not an angel. But I am the one who's here to take you to the angels."

Lucyna is a Bringer, someone who's job is to deliver humans to the door of Heaven. She can't feel..I mean, she is not entitled to feel sorrow, grief, pain. She does understand humans and their feelings, but actually can't sympathize with them and what they are going through while finding out they're dead and about to leave their loved ones. Yes, it's a difficult job, but that's the only thing Lucyna does.

But everything changes for her one day when she "meets" James. She is changed irreversibly!

Could it be she is actually starting to feel? Could it be she is starting to have emotions? Why does she feel she can't bear to be without James?

I did like this book, speaking generally, but since I am giving it 3/5 there must have been few things I didn't like.

Well for start, I really think the story was interesting, but I had difficulties in getting into it completely. Lucyna is confused, that I understand. And I perfectly understand what she is going through, and though I liked the descriptions of her inner turmoil, I think the author over emphasized it.

Another thing which I think this read is missing, though this is totally subjective, is more dialogue. It seemed to me that the author manipulates well the description and the psychology of her characters, but still I felt certain lack of dialogues, which could've made me enjoy this book more.

However it was an interesting book, and I am thankful for the opportunity I have been given to read it. Thank you PNR&UFF group on Goodreads and thank you Samantha for generously giving me a copy of this book.

My rating

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Bound by Blood (The Garner Witch #1) - P.A. Lupton

Title -Bound by Blood (The Garner Witch #1)

Author -  P.A. Lupton

Genre - Paranormal, Mystery, Suspense

Date published -  July 21st 2011

Publisher -  P.A. Lupton

Format - Paperback

Pages - 360

Author's website - http://www.palupton.com/

Rating - 5 out of 5

First off, I would like to thank the PNR&UFF group on Goodreads and the author for giving me a copy of this book! I am thrilled I found out about P.A. Lupton and may I say I am looking forward to reading more from her.

GOSH!!!

I really didn't expect this book to be so GOOD!

Brianna Reece is an FBI agent and just moved from Chicago to Denver to work on a case. She is part of the VICAP, FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, specialized in solving unexplained and unusual crimes. A killer is on the loose and he has already gotten away with three murders, all young girls, and the Denver PD has no clue who it could be. Looks like they have some unpleasant business with a cruel and professional person, neat in his crime, not leaving any traces behind. All of the victims are drained their blood, and there is no evidence or a sign pointing on how the killer did that.

But Brianna is not only an agent, she is a psychic. Actually she's an Empath and has the ability to sense and channel people's emotions. She is about to find out she has even greater powers!

I really enjoyed thoroughly each page of this book! I loved the suspense and the fact it kept my attention while reading. What I also loved was the very easy-to-read-and-understand style P.A. Lupton used, there were no unnecessary descriptions or dialogues. Everything was in it's place, perfectly tied in a captivating paranormal mystery story.

The characters were well developed and I loved Agent Reece, confident, strong female character. She sure is one of the best book characters I came across in my life.

I loved the romance scenes in this book, they were written well and tasteful.

This sure is an amazing read and I recommend it to EVERYONE.

My rating

 

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The Mers - Ami Blackwelder

Title -The Mers

Author - Ami Blackwelder

Genre - Young Adult, Dystopian

Date published - October 31st 2011

Publisher -  eloquent enraptures publishing

Format - Paperback

Pages - 256

Author's website - http://amiblackwelder.blogspot.com/

Rating - 4 out of 5

"One hundred years ago, humans began to reap what they had sewn. The Earth fought back with vengeance. Water saturated the planet in what had been dubbed the Great Deluge. Much of the land on Earth vanished underneath the seas. Many humans died, but those who survived became divided."

Mira always knew she was different. Being raised by Mers while not actually looking like a mermaid seem to always make her wonder who she is. Until the age of seventeen she is just aware of the fact she is not like anyone else surrounding her on Liberty Shore. Though she is forbidden to wonder beyond the border of her homeland she is haunted by the desire to seek for her real family and find out about the reasons why they've abandoned her. 

"Who is she? She hardly knows. A human? A Mer? An Aristo? Something else? Something more?

Oh my...this was truly an interesting read for me. It's my first mermaid dystopian and I really enjoyed every single page of this book. I always found mermaids very fascinating, especially because of their captivating beauty and enchanting singing. I even remember been read a lot of mermaid stories when I was young, and I always envied these beautiful creatures for their freedom to govern the seas. 

So, besides being a great fantasy and young adult read, this book reminded me of the good old childhood days and I thank Ami for this. 

The story is centered around Mira and her journey to self-discovery. While trying to find "her kind" she is about to reveal the truths hidden deep in her heart. It was really very easy to like her, the author developed it's character so well, you could almost see this young cherry-red haired girl wondering through new lands, curiously discovering new worlds.

I restrain myself from giving away more from the plot, because I really don't want to spoil your enjoyment while reading this book. But I will just say, I loved the message behind it - watch for it.

Finally, I would like to thank the author for generously giving me a copy of this lovely book. Thank you Ami, I really enjoyed it.

My rating

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Her Dark Destiny (Hunters of the Dark, #1) - Dave Ferraro

Title - Her Dark Destiny (Hunters of the Dark, #1

Author - Dave Ferraro

Genre -Urban Fantasy

Date published -  April 9th 2011

Publisher -  Dave Ferraro

Format - e-book

Pages - 380

Author's website - http://ferrarofiction.blogspot.com/

Rating - 2 out of 5

I was hesitating about writing a review for this book, mainly because of the poor rating I am giving it. In my short history of blogging and visiting other people's blogs I see that some people would rather skip reviewing a book they didn't like much, than giving a negative review. Well, not my way of doing things. First, because I want to write down my thoughts and opinion on a book, good or bad, and second because I believe an honest review is what the authors are after.

So, what's this book about?

Name: Shanna Hunt

Age: 18 

Previous job: Part-time waitress

Current job: Demon-hunter at "The Agency"

Shanna Hunt lost her parents seven years ago, when they were killed by Demons. Since then, though she is trying to lead a normal life she is after those that killed her family and the evil that threatens Humans. One day she is called to work for The Agency together with people who fight werewolves, vampires, witches, shape-shifters. Together they work as a team hunting down every thread and risking their own lives.

Yes, seems like there's a lot of meat to the story. I must say I did have big expectations because I loved the beginning. The story seems to contain lots of genre elements, from paranormal to action, though I would personally enjoy it more if it were more romance elements included. However, the lack of romance isn't the main reason why I didn't enjoy this book so much. 

Though I do love Paranormal and Urban Fantasy books, I really had a hard time coping with so many characters and creatures, vampires, demons, witches, shape-shifters. This seemed a LOT for me to digest.

Shanna hunts Demons.

Jordan hunts werewolves.

Cameroon hunts shape-shifters.

Amelia hunts witches.

Believe me, I needed to write all this down, so I wouldn't be confused and could understand the plot.

Also, I think some of the dialogue and the descriptions in the book were irrelevant to the story, and made it seem (at least to me) boring at times.

Having in mind that this is the first book in the series to come, I would really like to read the sequel and see on which characters the author is going to concentrate. I really liked Shanna and her energy and I would love to read more about her.

My rating

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Elemental: The First - Alexandra May

Title - Elemental: The First

Author - Alexandra May

Genre -Young adult, Paranormal

Date published - July 22nd 2011

Publisher - Pauma Publishing

Format - Paperback

Pages - 280

Author's website - http://www.alexandramay.co.uk/author/

Rating - 4 out of 5

I would like to thank the PNR&UFF group on Goodreads and the author for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is Alexandra May's debut and I am glad I found another new and talented author. I really didn't know what to expect from it. I was pretty much sure about one thing though - I love the cover. However I am not the type of person that judges a book by the cover, yet I must admit a good cover always seems to catch my eye.
The plot is centered around Rose Frost, who has just been told the news that she is about to spend her summer with her grandmother whom she really doesn't know well and haven't seen for years. The reason behind this is her dad's work. He is a geologist working for the government traveling around the world looking for rare metals, so they move a lot.
Rose is on her way to Wiltshire, England feeling her life would never be the same again. Though the town seems friendly and she enjoys seeing her friends again, some things are about to shatter the life she was used to. Illusions, lies, romance, mystery and action - this book has it all.
While reading the synopsis on Goodreads before actually reading this book I imagined Rose as a strong person who doesn't give her trust to people easily. However, my impressions after reading this book were contrary to this, I have the feeling Rose is a fragile girl, afraid to use her powers and gift to heal and a bit confused. Indecisive at moments, especially when speaking of Morgan and Aiden, two boys she likes and feels strongly attracted to. Morgan and Aiden are just like water and oil, can't mix 'em. They hate each other, but by the end of the book you will see the reason behind this. And I must say, there is a BIG reason.
This is the part that intrigued me the most. I liked Morgan because he was gentle and really sweet, but Aiden with that "bad boy" written on his face and bad reputation in his town was just a tiny bit more intriguing to me.But who will she trust?I didn't mind Rose's hesitation, I've seen this in many YA books and it's something I would pretty much assign to teenage years, but the end of the book surprised me and even disappointed me a bit.
Still, knowing that this book is the first one in the series to come I look forward to Alexandra's explanations and to the sequel. I really loved how she managed to create a story with so many different genre elements, paranormal, romance, mystery and yet make it so enjoyable to read.

My rating:

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Enchantment - Charlotte Abel

Title - Enchantment

Author - Charlotte Abel

Genre - Fantasy

Date published - June 23rd 2011

Publisher - Charlotte Abel

Format - e-book

Pages - 373

Author's website - http://charlotteabel.blogspot.com/

Rating - 4 out of 5

First off, thank you PNR&UFF group on Goodreads and thank you Charlotte for giving me a copy of this book! I really liked it!
Now off to my review of this book.
Channie A.K.A. Enchantment is a mage. She can cast spells, do that curse thing plus is great looking

This could be her, (without the strange looking ears), long white-blonde hair and green eyes. Everything changes for her one day when her family is forced to move out to Colorado because of her dad's debts (yes, her dad is a mag and has debts because he is addicted to gambling). Forced to live with the Empties (Magically Disabled Persons i.e. normal people) she is forced to change her name, her powers..but is on her way to find out more about life. And when I say life, I mean boys! That's when Josh enters the picture, the cute boy with deep blue eyes.

I have to admit, it was a strange experience reading this book. It's an interesting mixture of paranormal and YA. I really liked Channie and Josh, but I would most definitely enjoy this book more if I was into mags and the whole no-talk spells, no-tears spells, etc, etc. Yes, I know the book is labeled as "fantasy", yet it was a bit too much for me.
However the author did a great job in describing the relationship between Channie and her parents, and boy oh boy, got me mad at them on many occasions. But I guess that was just the authors intention. There were few lines in the book I loved, and I even wrote down one so I won't forget it.
"Magic is powerful, but nothing is more powerful than love".
Don't you just love the sound of that?

My rating:

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Do These Jeans Make Me Look Fat?: Breaking the Cultural Mirror - Jocelyn Hamsher

Title:  Do These Jeans Make Me Look Fat?: Breaking the Cultural Mirror

Author - Jocelyn Hamsher 
Genre - non-fiction 
Expected publication: January 1st 2012 
Publisher - Barbour Publishing, Incorporated  
Format - Paperback 

Pages - 176 

Author's website - 

Rating - 5 out of 5 

I received this arc through NetGalley and I would like to thank the publisher and the author for giving me a copy of this book.
Ok. Is there a lady out here that hasn't asked herself the question - Do these jeans make me look fat? Well, I am not one of them. I am actually one of those that is frequently asking herself this question. I know..I know.. I shouldn't obsesses with it, but how to fight it?
This was such an easy and nice book. I totally loved it!
I must admit I recognized myself on many occasions.My obsession to look good, to satisfy God knows what criteria..Well, this book did open my eyes a bit.
I won't go that far in saying it will tell you something you don't already know , but the way the author puts it - it becomes too clear!

Why the poor view of our bodies?
Why the obsession?
Why the neglect?
Whose standards are we using to define ourselves?



Yes, we need to love ourselves before expecting someone else to love us! It's not selfish, it's accepting the love The Creator has for us. We need to finally accept change as inevitable part of our lives and love ourselves because of WHO WE ARE not 'cause of what size do we fit into.
As the author says - Change may find us, but it doesn't define us.
No matter if you believe in God, Jesus, Buddha, the Universal energy..Mother Earth, your attitude towards life is what sculpts you. That is the reason behind you failures and successes. When it comes to the weight issue and the images of IDEAL WEIGHT we create in our minds, the society does play a big role in it. Do we really need to answer some criteria? Or are we here to enjoy life the way it is? Do we want to be thin, or be healthy? There sure is a big difference.
Just think about it!

My rating:

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