Rise of a Rector by Heather McCorkle (Review)

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Number of Pages: 344

For ages 14+

"With graduation~and the hell of the last two years~behind her, Eren is hoping to finally explore her relationship with Aiden and deepen the bonds with her Society. But it seems there's no rest for a soon-to-be legendary Mayan warrior of the apocalypse.

From the green hills of Ireland to the jungles of Mexico, and deep into lands unexpected, Eren and Aiden will stop at nothing to discover all they can about their rare power in an attempt to alter destiny. Learning about ancient secrets that no one can remember proves to be more than challenging with Eren seeing old ghosts at every turn though. Worse yet, behind the ghosts lies something darker and far more deadly than any of the trials she has endured so far.

In the jungles of Costa Rica entire villages are dying inexplicably. Near the carnage live a group of channelers who are hiding a thousand year old secret, one that could change the very fate of the planet. But the ghosts of Eren's past have other plans, plans to seize the thread of destiny~and Eren~and manipulate both."

I was so happy to find out the next and final (*sob*) book of this awesome series was out! I have absolutely loved the past books and I knew to expect that this one would be just as good! Once again Heather has left me on the flippin' edge of my seat for the majority of this book. For cereal.

The book starts off with the whole gang together. Caitlin, Fane, Aiden (*swooooon*), and Eren. I was super excited to jump right back into the world of this book. Because it's so much fun! :) I mean, of course there are times when it's not so fun because we need conflict... DUH. But still, it's fun. ;)

The romance between Aiden and Eren is still beyond adorable and makes me get the warm fuzzies every time they have a *moment* so don't worry, no disappointment there! And in case any one is wondering if Aiden is still his swoon worthy self, because I know every one is, uhhh... YES. Most definitely. He's so stinkin' sweet. Like, seriously.

 This book was more action packed than the last two, and surprisingly, I didn't really mind. I'm not much of an action loving girl, but I think that since there were little things in between I was okay with it! But the suspense? Killed me. So. Much. Suspense. So much. You don't know if so and so is dead or if so and so is coming back to get them or if everything is just gonna crumple into a million little pieces and the whole book will be over. Yeah. That feeling. But that's probably one of the reasons I love books like this so much. Keeps ya on your toes!

The little tidbits with Fane and Caitlin's relationship made me super happy. It was nice to know they were working out just as well as Eren and Aiden! There were also moments between them that made me laugh. Just because Caitlin has such a bold personality compared to Fane. It causes some fantabulous moments.

This book was pretty different compared to the other books. Setting wise, at least! Instead of staying in one set setting the characters when to an array of places. It was pretty cool to be able to travel all over the place with the characters and experience everything through their eyes. Well, Eren and Aiden's at least.

The ending was SO AWESOME. I was melting into a puddle of happiness. I can't tell you anything because of COURSE I'm gonna make you read it, but Aiden does this thing that was super adorable and made me really happy and... YEAH! Read it! I feel like there's lots of exclamation points in this review, but what're you gonna do?


I'm sure you predicted already the number of diva crowns this book was gonna get but unless you didn't.. I give this book 5 diva crowns for being so fantabulously amazing. Perfect book to end this amazing series. I recommend this book to urban fantasy lovers who also like some romance mixed in. You will be happy with what you read! :)

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I may possibly post an essay I'm having to do in English about the psychology of a main character in the book How To Save a Life by Sara Zarr in the near future. So if I do, watch out for that! If you don't want to read stuff like that then.. I guess.. don't read it? Ha ha! Do what ya want! Don't mind me. ;)

Anyways, thanks for reading, everyone! Hope your weeks are filled with *sparkles!*

Blog Tour for Rise of a Rector by Heather McCorkle!

The final novel in Heather McCorkle’s channeler series, Rise of a Rector, has released! To celebrate, and in the spirit of October, Heather is here to tell us about a scary moment in her life. Take it away Heather!

Heather: I heard a loud ‘thunk’ as my horse kicked me in the face, just above my temple. Oddly, it didn’t hurt. Blood started to drip. My husband came running, tearing his shirt off, putting it in my hands. I held it against my eye, which moved unnaturally at the touch. Still no pain. It felt as though my eye would fall out though if I moved the shirt, so I didn’t. My husband helped me to our vehicle and then he started to panic, I could hear it in his voice. With calming words and a steady tone I instructed him to get a towel, my insurance card, and the keys. As we drove toward the hospital I could feel the vehicle accelerating dangerously. Ice crystals still clung to the windshield and the road was covered in snow.

For the rest of the story I hope you’ll visit the Reader Girls book blog.

Check out Heather’s blog for a new tour stop each day until November 2nd. To thank her fans, and future fans, Heather’s historical fantasy novel (a standalone novel that ties into the channeler series) will be free Friday November 2nd and Saturday November 3rd on Amazon. And if Heather gets over 1000 downloads of To Ride A Puca in those two days she’ll give away a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card! So spread the word, get ready to download To Ride A Puca, tell all your friends to download it, and drop by Heather’s blog now to enter to win the gift certificate.

You can find all three novels in the channeler series (The Secret of Spruce Knoll, Channeler’s Choice, and Rise of a Rector) on Amazon and B&N, as well as other retail sites. The channeler novella~and prequel to The Secret of Spruce Knoll~Born of Fire is currently free on Amazon and B&N and you can find a short story about Fane from the series in the FREE anthology, In His eyes. You can add Rise of a Rector to your Goodreads lists at this link.

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I can't WAIT to read this book! I know it's going to be fantastic. Make sure to watch out for my review of it soon! :)

Hope your week is filled with *SPARKLES!* 

Unlikely Allies by Tiffany King (Review)

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Number of Pages: 227

For ages 15+

"Eighteen-year-old Kimberly gets the shock of her life when she learns the father she thought was dead is not only very much alive, but never even knew she existed. Angry with her mother for lying all these years, Kimberly flies to Colorado to meet the father she knows nothing about before heading off to college in the fall.

Her father’s world turns out to be nothing like she expected. Rather than the typical nine to five lifestyle, Kimberly’s father runs a summer foster camp that teaches young children skills to build their confidence and self-esteem. The Colorado Rocky Mountains are a different world than the sunny shores of California, taking Kimberly completely out of her element, and causing her to second-guess her spur of the moment decision.

Never being one to quit anything, Kimberly is determined to show her father that a surfer girl can fit into this rugged mountain wilderness. That is if she can deal with Mason, an arrogant nineteen-year-old guy who has made it his mission to point out every mistake she has made since her arrival. While she would love nothing more than to rub it in his know-it-all face, Kimberly can’t deny the feelings he stirs up inside her, or the chemistry between them, even during their verbal assaults.

When a tragic accident leaves them stranded in the mountains, Kimberly must use her shaky skills to save Mason and survive the elements. Suddenly, fighting is the last thing on their minds as they must rely on each other if they want to live. In their struggle for survival, they realize what they thought they knew about each other isn't true after all." -Goodreads

I was looking for a somewhat fast read this week so I could review for you guys because I've been a total slacker. My apologies! But I am back and ready to review!

I didn't even realize until after reading this book that Tiffany King is also the author of Wishing for Someday Soon which was super good, too! How was I not aware of this?

Kimberly was a character that you couldn't help liking! At the beginning of the book she's put in a situation where she learns she has a father she's never known about. So what does she do? She goes to see him! If I were in her position I KNOW I would be crazy nervous. And she was too. But once her and her father meet each other the relationship they have is seriously the sweetest thing ever.

One thing I thought was super cool was that Kimberly got to help out at her Dad's summer foster camp. And I was pretty  jealous because, to me, that sounds like one of the funnest things ever. To Kimberly, not so much. But that will change! While at the camp, Kimberly meets Mason. And don't let that name seem insignificant because TRUST ME. That guy is definitely important.

At first, you will find Mason to be one of the most infuriating, arrogant guys you've ever read about. But don't you worry your pretty little book reading heads because there will be a change of heart. I can't tell you when, but it will happen. And when it does happen it's probably the greatest thing ever. You'll also find yourself really liking him while you hate him. Difficult emotions goin' on there. And Kimberly is in the same boat the reader is in. And while she hates to admit it, there's definitely some chemistry.

WHEN Mason and Kimberly finally do get on the same terms when it comes to how they feel about each other, it's super sweet. The bantering back and forth was beyond adorable and there were many-a-smiles comin' from me when they were together. But there were also some pretty deep moments. Especially when they are stranded in the mountains with some pretty terrible injuries. They both have to rely on each other to get back. But don't think it was all heavy sad stuff! There were also times in that situation where you had no idea how they could be so upbeat. But I'm glad there was. :)

There will also be times in this book where you want to yell at the characters and tell them what to do. But alas, without the stupid decisions, the ending wouldn't be as perfect. I can't tell you what made it so perfect because you must read it!

I give this book 5 out of 5 diva crowns! It had it's adorable moments but then some super heart felt moments. I loved every page of it. I recommend to contemporary romance lovers! Because if you're like me, you will LOVE it!

Hope you have a fantabulous Sunday and rest of the week! :)

Alone (My Sci Fi Creative Writing Assignment)

Hello everybody! So, no review today because I have had NO TIME (I know, another excuse.) :( Play practice has been hectic since the show is next week. And I've been alpha reading this week so I have nothing to review. So instead, I decided I would post a short story I had to write for World Literature and Composition. If you guys are totally not into this and really don't care about some school assignment I did, I have no problem with it! Ha ha! Just thought it would be better to post something on here than nothing!

My story had to be 2-3 pages long and had to be sci-fi! That was literally all the criteria we had for our story. And me being the type of person who LIVES off of direction this was quite the challenge. But when I finally thought of something I liked, I went with it and I really like the finished product. Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave me a comment letting me know if you liked it or not! Discussion is awesome! :) Also, I'm not the greatest writer so.. caution. ;)

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Alone

The pain is overwhelming. I watch the blood flow from my arm through the needle into a glass tube. After getting your blood drawn every week of your life, you would think the pain would lessen. Not a chance. For the fifteen years that I’ve lived, this is the normalcy I have succumbed to. I’ve never once questioned why my care takers make me do this, I just do it. 

My best friend, Xena, assures me that it’s for my own good, but I’m not so sure. You see, Xena doesn’t have to get her blood drawn. And I think it’s because we look different. We have the same facial structures but that’s where the similarities end. While I have light tan skin, Xena’s is silver and metallic. My movements are fluid; hers are short and choppy. Out of everyone around me, I’m the only one like this. The only person in the house hold who must get her blood drawn week after week. 

And I wonder why. Of course, I would never let Xena know of my questioning. She discourages all curiosity, especially when it comes to the topic of my boundary. I don’t understand what’s so wrong with asking questions, and I don’t understand why I never get answers. It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong, right?

Onyx places a cotton ball and Band-Aid on my arm where I had gotten my blood drawn. Onyx always comes over on Thursdays to take my blood. He never speaks and shows little to know emotion. I’ve tried talking to him multiple times but after a while, I gave up. He also never breaks procedure. He enters the house, draws my blood, and leaves with the tube, repeating the process every week. I hate Thursdays. 

Xena is waiting out in the hall for me. 

“What good is my blood?” I ask, wincing.

 “Curiosity killed the cat, Melody. Be happy with what you know.” 

She’s always doing that, quoting sayings. How does she even remember all of them? I’ve always wondered how she has the perfect saying for every issue. Like she has file folders in her head that are organized to pull something out at just the right time.

“I don’t see why you always get worked up about getting your blood drawn. It’s just a little prick, is all,” she says annoyingly.

She’s clearly frustrated with me. I really don’t have the patience to argue. I’m not in the mood to be shot down again.

“I think I’m going to go on the trail and run,” I usually run on the treadmill in the gym, but today I need some fresh air to clear my head.

“Good, good. You know the saying; Early to bed early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

I squint in confusion, “Yeah, I guess?”

How does that saying fit in with exercise? That’s the fourth time this week Xena’s slipped up on what she’s been saying. The first few times she did I didn’t really pay attention, but now I’m wondering what’s going on with her.

I start with a slow pace on the track. We’re required to get in at least thirty minutes of exercise every day. Actually, there’s no “we,” it’s just me. Xena doesn’t need exercise. Neither do any of my care takers. There must be a reason I need exercise and they don’t. Xena tells me I’m supposed to have a healthy body so I’ll have healthy blood to give.

I quicken my pace when I hear someone shouting.

“Hey! You! Come quick!”

I turn around and see a boy. An actual boy! He seems to look my age. I’m scared, excited, and nervous all at the same time. How is it that in my whole life I’ve never seen someone like me and suddenly, there they are! Should I run? Should I come to him? What if Xena finds out? Would she be just as excited to see someone like me as I am? Maybe the boy can answer some of my questions. 

I tentatively walked to him, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

 The boy looks around worriedly, tugging at his collar. “I’m Dareon. I escaped my boundary because I knew there had to be people like me out there. And I was right.” 

“So you’re telling me you left your boundary? How is that even possible? Xena told me to never ever leave the boundary because of the danger behind it.” 

“They lied. And it seems like they’ve lied about a whole lot more than just the boundaries.”

I stumble backwards, and gasp, “But Xena wouldn’t lie to me! She must not have known about it or she would have told me.” 

“I’m sure she knew. I did some digging and realized there are more people out there like us. All of our caretakers have kept us in the dark. I used to think I was the only one, but there are thousands, maybe millions more like us.”

“Melody! Come back in! It’s been over thirty minutes!” Xena yells from the door.

Dareon looks around frantically, “Meet me here again tomorrow. I’ll tell you everything. Please trust me.”

He quickly turns around and bolts into the trees.

No matter what, I know I’ll go back to that spot. Dareon has the answers I’ve been searching for.

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I hope you liked it! :)

Also: I may not have a review next week either. Which is a BUMMER. Our show is next weekend and once again practice will be hectic. But after that I'll be done with theater for about two months which means regular reviewing. Sorry everyone! 

The Secret Trinity: Unearth by Jenna Bernel (Review)

Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal

Number of Pages: 218

For ages 15+

"Aria Darwin has always considered herself cursed. She is obsessed with finding a cure for the bad boyfriend plague. Worse yet, she’s in denial about her weird abilities and terrified of her mysterious stalker who causes the earth to quake violently with the snap of his finger.

With her two best friends, Aria enters her first semester of college armed with a “no more men” pact in an effort to demagnetize the sleaze balls. Unfortunately, the agreement proves difficult when she meets Liam, a charming foreign exchange student, on the first day of school.

Aria quickly discovers that Liam is not only Mr. Perfect, but he also somehow ignites her supernatural side. Upon the invitation of her dream guy, Aria travels to Ireland through the study abroad program, dragging her friends along with her. But her world of euphoric bliss quickly comes crashing down as she uncovers the truth about her past, revealing who she really is and what she was born to do."   -Goodreads

***I'm going to try VERY hard not to give away any of the spoilers in this book because there are some super duper huge ones that I really want to write about but I can't because I want you all to read this book because it was really good... Wow, run on sentence much?***

I was trying to get away from the usual stuff I read. You know, the contemporary romance that I seem to read in a snap? I wanted to read a book that would take me all day to read. That I could get lost in in more than 2 hours. Because that's the kind of books I've been reading A LOT  Some of you may not have the time. Frankly, I don't know how I have that kind of time, but I some how managed it! I came across this book on Amazon and I believe it was free at the time, which is a BIG plus!

 I read this book in a day. I probably would have read it faster if I didn't have school and play practice and all that fun stuff, but what can ya do? ;) 

It took me a little while to get into the book but once I did, I was definitely hooked. Aria and her friends have decided to make a pact against all boys since Aria always seems to find herself choosing the wrong kind of guys. But of course, that pact's not gonna last for long! I mean, this is a romance book. What do you expect? Aria meets Liam. A guy who I absolutely SWOONED over. But then something kind of... happens... I can't go into any more detail! I CAN'T! 

Liam was adorable, charming, and seemed to know just the right things to say. And while Aria was falling for him, so was I. He treated her sweetly and never seemed to push her to do anything she didn't want to do. And it makes me so darn angry that everything changes. I LIKED HOW IT WAS GOING. Problems spring up and a whole bunch of crud is unrolled. Important stuff happens. Stuff I wanna share so badly but I can't because I HATE SPOILERS. 

Aria also has this somewhat "creepy stalker guy" that she always sees but can never find out who he is.   He will be big in the end of this book. Just you wait. And he will be a VERY big character in the second book. (I've already read it.) And let's just say, he's super swoon worthy too. He just doesn't really show it in this book. He kind of just gives off the creeper vibe. But not to worry! 

One problem I had with this book was the dialogue. There weren't a lot of contractions. So sometimes the conversation wouldn't flow as much as I would have liked it to. Instead of "haven't or can't" it was have not or can not. I just didn't think that a regular teenager would speak like that. I mean, I could understand Liam speaking like that because he was Ireland and maybe they speak like that? Who knows? It just felt a little choppy when Aria or her friends would speak. But after the first few chapters you don't really notice any more. You kind of just accept the fact, and move on. 

All in all this book was pretty fantastic! I would have written a WHOLE bunch more but I can't with all the spoilers and what not. So, I leave you with this. And hopefully you'll want to go buy it so you too can revel in it's spoilery goodness. And if anyone does buy this book and wants to discuss about it with me, please do! Book talk is FANTABULOUS! 

I give this book 4 out of 5 diva crowns! It was really good! Just some very frustrating moments. But  I definitely recommend it to paranormal/ fantasy romance lovers. It absolutely has that aspect, and it's not to pricey! Another plus! 

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I'm gonna be completely random here.. So, if any of you follow me on Twitter you know I'm somewhat obsessed with this song:

                                       

I seriously love Sara Bareilles. I DO. And I've pretty much learned how to play this song on the piano! YAY! But anyways, I know this has NOTHING to do with my review. But I just wanted all of you to know what I've had on repeat for the past week.

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Hope your day is filled with sparkles!

So Over You by Gwen Hayes (Review)

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Number of Pages: 226

For ages 14+

"Layney Logan, girl reporter. 

That's all she's ever wanted to be. This year, her senior year, not only does she have to share the coveted Senior Editor position with her arch nemesis, Jimmy Foster, she also has to figure out how to keep the school paper alive. With the local paper closing and the school cutting Journalism from the budget, it's a long shot. Working side-by-side with Foster, the guy she likes to call Lucifer, makes it even worse.

The only thing Layney dislikes more than swimming in the high school dating pool is Jimmy Foster thinking he got the best of her, so she takes
his ridiculous newspaper assignment--to go on twelve blind dates--to prove his powers of darkness won't work on her. The trouble is, the more she learns about herself on her journey of bad blind dates, the more she wonders if maybe Foster has known her better than she knows herself all this time.

And maybe she should have trusted him with the secret she’s kept for four years—the secret that broke them up to begin with." -Goodreads

Holy cow, holy cow, holy cow. This book was SO GOOD. I couldn't help talking about it to everyone and stinking texting Allie like crazy. I was looking for a quick book that I could read fast and be content with  the ending. This was SO MUCH MORE. (I'm a capsaholic, I apologize.)

Layney Logan is that girl who thinks she can take on everything. She's strong, she's independent, and she is awesooommeeee. I loved her. She was hilarious and the banter between her and Jimmy was absolutely priceless. Layney has a secret that you would never ever ever ever ever guess. Throughout the whole entire book I'm thinking, oh she's just mad at Jimmy for the things he did. Blah, blah, blah. Wrong. So wrong. Your jaw will drop to the floor. I promise you you will be just as clueless as I was throughout the whole entire book. And this secret is serious. SERIOUSLY SERIOUS.

I adored the idea of the 12 blind dates. It was hilarious and I always got excited when I turned to the next chapter to figure out who she was going on a date this time. Some were a lot better than others.. One thing that was amazing was that out of these Layney got a best friend! Yay for someone to share stuff with! She also found someone that she was actually interested in! Of course, with the rules she can't really have any contact with him until after all of the dates, but of course, he found a way! I was in the middle of how much I liked this guy. He was sweet and treated her nicely but I mean, I was rooting for Jimmy the whole time because that guy is just swoon worthy as I'll get out. And I will show you just how swoon worthy he is later. Because I have a quote for you all. And if that quote doesn't make you want to go buy this book nothing will.

Now that we're on to the subject of Jimmy Foster... He is magnificent! At the beginning you think he's totally arrogant and thinks he's all that, but getting into the book and reading about how fantabulous he is will change your mind quite quickly. And here's the quote that is my absolute favorite of what Jimmy says to Layney:


“'I went home that day, and I wrote your name over and over on a piece of paper. I must have written it a hundred times. My mom found the paper a few days later in my sock drawer. She wanted to know why I'd done that...'

I wanted to know why more than anything I'd ever remembered wanting, but a part of me hoped he'd chicken out.

'I told her I liked the way your name made my heart jump.'”

SERIOUSLY?! ARE YOU SWOONING YET?! That is the kind of stuff this guy says. How adorable is that? And by that time I was head over heels. ...For a fictional character... Yeaaahh, I have issues. He also gave Layney advice and always believed in her, even if she didn't realize it. See? This is why I was rooting for the guy.

With every blind date, Layney learned more about herself and what she was keeping bottled up. And every blind date seemed to bring more feelings for Jimmy. And could you blame the girl? Jimmy and Layney had a love-hate relationship, even if it seemed they hated more than loved. But looking into it, you could definitely tell something was between them. And there were some moments that made you stop and wonder if they were both completely over each other. Because you know they're TOTALLY not.

The ending had me in pieces. It was adorable and so amazing. I read the ending probably five times. And then continued to talk non stop about it to Allie afterwards.

I. Loved. This. Book. It was heartwarming, hilarious, and everything in between. I recommend it to contemporary romance lovers. Especially if you're looking for the love hate relationships because it is just plain hilarious. 5 out of 5 diva crowns, and not a crown less!

I'm going to leave you with one more quote, because there are just so many good ones to choose from!

“My best advice is to be yourself. Unless you’re psychotic, then you might want to try a different tactic.” -Jimmy Foster, So Over You by Gwen Hayes.

No review today. :(

Hey everyone! So super sorry that I don't have a review today! The past three weekdays have been CRAZY. School started back up again.. BLECH. And then I had auditions for the play and then call backs and such! Luckily, I made it! :) The play is Les Mis and I got the part of Madame Thenardier!

But do not fret! That will not keep me from reading and writing reviews! I have scadsss of homework. Including writing a poem.. which I detest. Anyways, again, sorry!! I really wish I could have reviewed something but I just didn't have any time. If I have any time before next Sunday I may write a review just to make up for one not being posted today! So keep a watchful eye on that.

Thanks, everyone!