Crossed by Ally Condie

Cassia, Ky, and Xander are back in this sequel to Ally Condie's book Matched. But there is a slight twist from the first book. This second is written from two points of view. Cassia's and Ky's.

We start off with Ky. After being taken from the Borough by the Society near the end of the first book, we find that he is now in the Outer Provinces. He is one of many "decoys," people living in towns to trick the Society's Enemy into thinking those towns are truly inhabited. They are told to plant cotton, to give the impression of a flourishing community. But all that comes is fire. Fire rains down on these "decoys" bringing death and destruction. Ky is the strongest of some of these "decoys." He bands together with another boy, to bury the dead. However, he cannot forget Cassia no matter how bad it gets where he is. She is the light in his darkness, Her memory gives him the strength to run away, with two others, from the decoy town and into the unrelenting wilderness of The Carving. A place that will bring back memories, both good and bad, of his past.

Cassia is on a search to find Ky. She cannot let him go without finding him again. So, with some cunning tactics, she lands a spot on an airship traveling to the Outer Provinces. This ship is taking a fresh band of "decoys" to a town, to replace those who are dead. Once there, Cassia searches desperately for any sign of Ky. But to no avail. He is not there. However, she soon comes across someone who knew of where he ran to. Someone who longs to also run.

With the help of a newfound friend, Cassia heads to The Carving herself to find any sign of the boy she loves. 

Along this journey, though, she may find more than she bargained for.

As for Xander, we find he is still in love with Cassia. But, as her search for Ky becomes more and more a part of her, how long will his one-sided love last?

I loved the point of view thing in this book. It was a fresh take on the story, giving us a chance to know Ky better. More of his story was told in this one, which I really thought was great. He is still a mystery, but not so much as he was in Matched.

Xander...let's now talk about him. I have a feeling that there is more to come from him in the third book. There's just something about him that halfway makes me not trust him.

*puts hands around face defensively* Sorry for those of you who like him, I think he is a nice guy, I just don't trust him.

Overall, this book was good. I just probably would have benefited better if I would have reread the first book to refresh my memory. CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE THIRD IN THE SERIES!

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Reynie Muldoon, George "Sticky" Washington, Kate Wetherall, and Constance Contraire are three children on a mission. A mission to save the world from a most terrible fate.

When these four ace a test designed to weed out the best of the best, the cleverest of the clever, and the most imaginative of Imaginations, they have no idea what truly adventurous adventures they are in for.

They soon meet the creator of the test they took part in, a Mr. Benedict. Mr. Benedict is a man who has been on a search for some children to take on his mission for some time. Even though past years of the test have brought him one or two kids, he has never found a suitable group...until now.

Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance have the qualities to outsmart even the most cunning of adults. Which is why Mr. Benedict wastes no time in bringing them up to speed on what he is going to ask of them for their first mission.

They must infiltrate a most horrific of schools. The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened. Once inside, they will need to be their most cunning, their most brave, and their most deceptive in order to figure out the school's true purpose.

With help from morse code, spies in disguise, and a lot of teamwork they will prove to Mr. Benedict and, most importantly, to themselves that they were chosen rightly so for the task at hand.

I have loved this series ever since picking up the third book in the bargain box at my local bookstore a couple of years ago. So, it was a grand thing to finally be able to start from the beginning. This book had no lack of excitement or adventure. No lack of entertainment value or heart. I loved every minute of it, and completely recommend this for both the young and the young at heart.

Cellar Full of Cole by Micheal Maxwell

Cole Sage is back in this latest installment of the Cole Sage mystery series by Micheal Maxwell.

Since the death of his love, Cole Sage has reinvented his life. He has lost weight, changed his attitude, and ultimately regained his faith in his own writing. It seems like everything is coming together like clockwork, and Cole could not be happier. So, when he has an offer to go work for a paper in San Francisco all it takes is the knowledge that he will be close to his newly found daughter and her family for him to agree immediately to the change in scenery.

However, it seems that his welcome will be a new mystery to solve. But this time, there's murder involved.

Little girls are being killed throughout the City by the Bay. The police think it may just be random, but Cole finds the connecting factor that concludes there is a serial killer somewhere. But the killer may be much closer than he thinks.

Can Cole put his sleuthing skills to good use and find who did this before other girls are killed? Or will his snooping finally be the end of him.

I loved this latest installment in the series. There was a happier feeling in this one, with Cole not weighed down by his past. AND you also get to experience what the killer experiences in this one. As the killer finds their next victim, you will delve into their mind and see their true reasonings behind these killings.

There is actually two mysteries to solve in this one, which seemingly become interconnected. While there is only one killer, there is also an acquaintance to the killer that is involved in something just as bad as the killings themselves. Involving children, of course.

There was a faster pace throughout this newest book that did not wane at all, and I cannot wait for more of Maxwell's work.

The Garnet Dagger by Andrea R. Cooper

Brock is an elf who is fascinated by humans. So much so, that he has observed them for many of his years and has learned much of their language and ways. But when he encounters one suddenly on his way back home from travelling to yet another human village, he cannot suspect the trouble that will come of their meeting.

The human, much to Brock’s surprise, is a vampyre, and it seems that Brock’s life may soon be at an end when the vampyre begins to feed from him. However, something strange begins to happen. Because Brock is not human, the effects of the feeding are not the same. In fact, it seems that Brock is sucking the life out the vampyre. Neither knows what is going on until it is too late and the vampire lay dead.

Brock arrives back home, still reeling from the shock of what happened. He decides to go on a private search for some answers, heading down into the vaults where only a select few have access. But the vaults hold only a cryptic message for Brock, and with the sudden appearance of his betrothed he searches for someone to confide in. But tragedy soon strikes, and the message finally becomes clear to Brock, bringing a monstrous reality in its wake.

The fate of his people is in his hands, so with his sudden exile to the human lands, armed with a garnet dagger that will aid him in his quest, Brock goes on a search for the one person that could allow his people to survive. A witch.

The Garnet Dagger was an interesting story to start, because I have never pictured the world of elves along with vampyres. It never occurred to me that these two concepts can go together so wonderfully, but they do. I commend the author on this. Throughout the story, I never felt a lack of substance, every word and sentence hooked me and made me want to read more.

This book is definitely recommended for those who love fantasy, prophecies, elves, humans, witches, evil torturing monks…the whole she-bang.

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Gorgeous New Book By Gena Showalter

Okay, so I must admit that I am a Showalter virgin. That's right, everybody, I have never, EVER, read a book by Gena Showalter. In fact, I think this year is the first year that I have gotten to know her work. And unsurprisingly, I am hooked.

I actually got to know more about her and some of her characters from a blog tour that was going on all of last month. Her Through the Zombie Glass tour where you had to find the white rabbit on each blog host's site to gain access to a big giveaway going on. I participated every single day, and had so much fun being introduced to her writing. Through that tour, I also got to know more about a new book of hers that will be released October 22 of this year. It is called Black and Blue. Ultimately, I was pulled in by the cover. Here, let me show you.

Gorgeous, right?

After seeing the cover, I immediately had to know about this seemingly mysterious character on the cover. And the book blurb told me all I needed to know, well enough to make me want to buy this book immediately when it comes out. So without further ado, here is the blurb.

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter's pulse-pounding paranormal series continues with an electrifying story about the ultimate warrior and his prize: a beautiful woman he will do anything to possess.

HE IS EVERY WOMAN’S FANTASY. . .
Corbin Blue is a man of many talents. One of the most powerful otherworlders ever born, he is wealthy, a professional football star, and a legend in the bedroom. But only a select few know he is also a black ops agent...and there is no better killer. When he and his crew are attacked and separated, he’s forced to turn to his boss’s daughter for help―a woman with even more secrets than Blue.

. . .SHE BECOMES HIS ONLY OBSESSION
Evangeline Black has always been wary, guarded. No man has ever breeched her walls. Until Blue. He has never been denied something he wants, and now, he’s decided he wants her. As he sweeps her into his double life of seduction, intrigue, and danger, he helps her see beyond the darkness of her past. But as an enemy closes in, Blue will have to let Evie go to keep her safe—even though he'd rather die than live without her…

Aagh! Why does the release date have to be so far away!!! I want it now!!! (channel selfish girl from Willy Wonka)

Since I cannot wait, and I know you guys cannot either, here are the sites where you can pre-order it.

Amazon / Kindle / Barnes / Nook / BAM / S&S / Indie Bound / iBookstore

Happy Reading!

_______________________________

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best selling author of the White Rabbit Chronicles, Otherworld Assassins, Angels of the Dark, and Lords of the Underworld series.  She has written over forty novels and novellas.  Her books have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine, and have been translated in multiple languages. 

Viking Fire by Andrea R. Cooper

Kaireen, an auburn-haired beauty with a fiery temper to match, is furious with the marriage that looms ever closer in her future. It is not the marriage itself that angers her so, but her match. He is a Viking, a Lochlann, and in Kaireen's eyes this does not bode well. She sees the Lochlanns as no good and untrustworthy. She even sees him as a possible spy, infiltrating her family's lands. However, what her mind thinks and what her body thinks could mean an internal struggle for her once she sets eyes on her betrothed.

Bram is a man who knows what he wants, and he wants Kaireen. He tells her time and time again that they will marry, and seems to see through her protestations. This aggravates Kaireen to no end, causing her to want to resist him even more. However, a series of events will soon begin to change her mind.

This series of events is caused by the corrupted ways of one person. An enemy who is bent on seeing the destruction of Kaireen and her family's rule and who will not stop until this is fulfilled.

Bram could be the saving grace. But will he risk his life for a woman who wants so desperately to deny him?

I love this book so much. It has fire to it, and action. It is probably unlike a lot of the romances I have read before. I love the inner struggle for Kaireen as her body fights her mind regarding Bram. The way Bram kind of goads her at times regarding this struggle is priceless. But, even through all the goading, you can tell he truly does want to marry her. He truly does care for her, but it is all up to her to decide her own true feelings.

I recommend Viking Fire to anyone who loves romance and a fight, because you will definitely get both.

To see the book trailer and find out more about the author, visit: http://journeywithbooks.blogspot.com/2013/09/guest-book-review-viking-fire-by-andrea.html

Fly Away by Kristin Hannah

Tully Hart is still reeling over the death of her best friend Kate Ryan, even though it has been quite a few years. Her career as a television personality has gone down the toilet, her life seems hopeless, and she just doesn’t know how she can live anymore. When a bad decision, and a terrible car accident, critically injures Tully and brings her to Sacred Heart hospital, it might take facing her past to keep her alive.

Many people are called to her bedside. Her best friend Kate’s husband Johnny, who has held a grudge against Tully since his wife’s death. Kate’s oldest daughter Marah, a confused and hurt teenager when her mother died, now an adult hiding behind the pain she has felt since that dark day. Tully’s mother, Dorothy, a former drug-addict and alcoholic who has hurt her only daughter more times than she cares to remember. Even Kate, who has watched from the heavenly sidelines all these years since her departure.

I mainly chose the book Fly Away by Kristin Hannah, because of its cover. With its purplish hue and starry backdrop, it instantly reminded me of nights spent outside at my childhood home…fireflies flitting about and candles illuminating the darkness. Ironic, since the author wrote a book called Firefly Lane.
Kristin Hannah is not an author who was particularly familiar to me. In fact, I can honestly say that before listening to this book (I have the audio version of it), she was nonexistent in my mind. How I could have gone so long without hearing about her wonderful stories, I shall never know. Because the book Fly Away was truly wonderful.

The story is beautiful, it is emotional, and it was a stunning novel to listen to. I loved every minute of it, and will definitely have to read more of Kristin Hannah’s books.