Review: Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold

 

 

 

Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold

Katie Finn

Feiwel & Friends

 

 

 

From Goodreads: The war rages on between Gemma and Hallie in the second installment of the Broken Hearts and Revenge series.

After the humiliating events on the 4th of July, Gemma's trying to handle the fact that Hallie knew who she was all along, and she was the one who stole Teddy from her. Gemma vows revenge, but things get more complicated than she planned. Ford, Gemma’s long-time crush, has arrived in the Hamptons cuter than ever. Josh is refusing to speak to her after she lied to him, and Teddy is playing champion to his beloved Marsh Warbler (in Gemma's backyard, no less).

Gemma and Hallie find themselves locked in an escalating revenge cycle. Just when Gemma thinks she has the upper hand, the biggest bombshell of all is dropped. And it’s one that threatens to change her life forever. This exciting sequel to Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things To Mend will leave you begging for the third installment.  

 

 My Review: I loved this sequel to the first book. Gemma and Hallie are back and up too their tricks and better than ever. I am so looking forward to the third book in this series. Not going into too much detail because I don't want to spoil this delightful, crazy and funny story.

 

    





Review : Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend

 

Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend

Katie Finn

Feiwel & Friends

From Goodreads: Gemma had her summer all planned out, but it takes a sharp turn when she gets dumped and finds herself back in the Hamptons after a five-year absence.

Being there puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friends (that is, before Gemma ruined her life). But people don't hold grudges forever. Do they?

Gemma intends on making amends, but a small case of mistaken identity causes the people she knew years ago—including Hallie and her dreamy brother, Josh—to believe she's someone else. As though the summer wasn't complicated enough already.

My Review: Every once in a while I read a contemporary story. I am luck that so far I have read some funny and interesting stories. This entertaining and laugh out loud book was my favorite so far. Gemma is a girl who I instantly understood and sympathize with. We have all done things when we were younger that we would change if we could, so I understood Gemma's desire to do just that.

I also felt for her when things started to get tougher for her. The ending of this book just begs for a sequel and I am so happy I am reading the second  book in this delightful trilogy .




Review: Perfect Victim

 

 

 

Perfect Victim

Jan Christensen

Createspace

 

 

 

From Goodreads: A few days after Sylvia Leominster is murdered, private investigator Paula Mitchell interviews Sylvia's fiance in their small-town Rhode Island jail. Warren Wade's fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, he has no alibi, and Sylvia broke up with him the night she was killed. After another young woman friend of Sylvia's is bludgeoned to death, Paula is dismayed when the police keep Warren in jail. They claim the second murder could have been committed by a copy-cat and remind her Warren's fingerprints are still on the weapon that killed Sylvia. Working with her best friend who often hires Paula to investigate cases and who is Warren's lawyer, Paula searches for answers. Paula and her computer guru lover narrow down the suspects to the victim's friends. The group is led by a mesmeric young man with political ambitions. Paula doesn't trust him, especially when she learns that all of Sylvia's friends have lied during her interviews. At the preliminary hearing, some answers begin to emerge. Paula zeros in on the killer and sees firsthand how friendship and loyalty can be used for personal gain. With Warren's freedom on the line, she has to find a way to capture the real killer. But in doing so, she doesn't realize she's putting herself and her own best friend in danger. First in a series featuring Paula as a feisty private investigator.

 

My Review:  I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my honest review.

 

 

 I enjoyed this book. It is nice to read about a female P.I. instead of all the hard boil men. A woman who is realistic, not a superhero who knows 15 forms of martial arts. Paula is sensitive and strong a refreshing mix. I also like the humor in the story. This is a fast paced and action packed story, the ending is predictable but does take away from the story at all but brings closure to this quick read.

 







Review : My Year Of Epic Rock

My Year of Epic Rock
Andrea Pyros
Sourcebook Jabberwocky

From Goodreads: If Life Was Like a Song

Nina Simmons’ song would be “You Can’t Always Eat What You Want.” (Peanut allergies, ugh). But that’s okay, because as her best friend Brianna always said, “We’re All in This Together.”

Until the first day of the seventh grade, when Brianna dumps her to be BFFs with the popular new girl. Left all alone, Nina is forced to socialize with “her own kind”–banished to the peanut-free table with the other allergy outcasts. As a joke, she tells her new pals they should form a rock band called EpiPens. (Get it?) Apparently, allergy sufferers don’t understand sarcasm, because the next thing Nina knows she’s the lead drummer.

Now Nina has to decide: adopt a picture-perfect pop personality to fit in with Bri and her new BFF or embrace her inner rocker and the spotlight. Well..

Call Me a Rock Star, Maybe.

 

 

 

My Review : I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.


       I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun and fast read. Nina's world just fell apart, her bff for her entire life just deserted her. Too a twelve year old that is the end of the world. Nina handles it well and her growth in this book is wonderfully entailed in this story of staying strong and empowering through tough time even when someone so young. This is a great book for the younger group and young at heart.

  

Review : Puppet

 

 

 

Puppet

Pauline C. Harris

Patchwork Press

 

 

from Goodreads: Penelope never dreamed she’d become a superhuman experiment masquerading as a puppet.
She never dreamed everything would be taken from her; even her ability to lie.
Nor did she ever dream that she would become something so unreal.

Penelope lives in a world of advanced technology. Marionettes have advanced in the form of robots; lifelike creations remote controlled to perform super human tasks.
When Penelope makes a deal with Jed, a marionette-obsessed scientist, she doesn’t fully realize what she’s getting herself into. In order for Jed to take her away from the orphanage she lives in, she must first agree to undergo his experiments and tests, ultimately creating something no one ever dreamed possible; the first living marionette.
As Jed shows off his scientific creation to the world, concerns arise surrounding Penelope’s abilities and what she’s capable of doing. Ordered to somehow lessen her abilities, Jed makes a desperate attempt to change Penelope to make her more human, more vulnerable. After Penelope lies to the officials about her past, Jed makes sure it’s the last one she’ll ever utter. The truth is now the only thing she is capable of telling.
As Penelope struggles with her past, her disturbingly new present, and her uncertain future, she is thrust into a magically twisted world of mayhem in search of the one thing she wants, but knows she can never have. The chance to be just a girl again. To be normal. To be real.

 

 

My Review: I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

           I went into this book with high hope a retelling of Pinocchio intrigued me too no end. It started off really well but then something happened. The book seemed to just fall flat. I continued to read in hopes that it got better but I am sorry to say it did not recapture the magic I was  hoping for. It had it moment and I thought it was Okay but disappointed I did not love it.

 

 

 





Review : Blur

Blur

Steven James

Skyscape

 

 

 

From Goodreads: The isolated town of Beldon, Wisconsin, is shocked when a high school freshman’s body is found in Lake Algonquin. Just like everyone in the community, sixteen-year-old Daniel Byers believes that Emily Jackson’s death was accidental. But at her funeral, when he has a terrifying vision of her, his world begins to rip apart at the seams.

Convinced that Emily’s appearance was more than just a mere hallucination, Daniel begins to look carefully into her death, even as he increasingly loses the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality.

What’s real? What’s not? Where does reality end and madness begin?

As Daniel struggles to find the truth, his world begins to crumble around him as he slips further and further into his own private blurred reality.

My Review:  I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book for my honest review.

         This book has mystery and ghost. Okay, you have my attention.  This book was wonderful story. Full of mystery and action. Daniel struggles to understand what is happening to him and keep it together at the same time that compels the story even further. I found myself blurring the line between what was real and what was not while reading the story. This put me right in the middle of the story as an observer  and I liked finding all the clues and solving the mystery with Daniel. I already purchased the second book and I am looking forward to reading that just as much.





Review : The Zodiac Collector

 

 

 

 The Zodiac Collector

Laura Diamond

Spencer Hill Press

 

 

From Goodreads: For almost-16 year-old Anne Devans, the annual Renaissance
Faire means three things—her dad spending weeks in the smithy, her bipolar mom doing some manic costume making, and another ruined birthday for her and her twin sister, Mary.

This year, Anne wants things to be different, and she's going to do things her way.

On the eve of the Faire, Anne (along with a reluctant Mary) conjures up a spell that will make their 16th birthday party a whirlwind event. Little do they know that it's a literal request.

After the mini tornado in their room subsides, the girls realize they've invoked the power of the Gemini Twins, Castor and Pollux. That's the good news. The bad news is they also caught the attention of a sorceress named Zeena who has been collecting children born under each Zodiac Sign to enhance her power. Once she captures Anne and Mary, Gemini twins, the entire Zodiac—and the world—will be hers.

Anne leads the fight against Zeena, but her one-sided decisions could throw them into a world so far from home, even the Renaissance Faire would seem like a brilliant vacation. Between managing their new Zodiac powers, dodging their manic mother and trying to stop Zeena, they'll get a 16th birthday they'll never forget.  

 

 

My Review: I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book.

 

 

      I had no idea what to expect going into this book, but the title and cover looked great to me. I am glad I liked the story too. This was an intriguing read. Enjoyed the elements of the zodiac and I was interested to see how they would play out. Working with witchcraft is always dangerous but this brought that home for the twins. This uses all the elements of the story just perfectly and taught me some things about the zodiac. Anyone who like family stories dealing with witchcraft will enjoy this fun story.