"The Rose of Winslow Street" Review

"The Rose of Winslow Street"
by Elizabeth Camden
 
Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: Jan 1, 2012

Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

The last thing Libby Sawyer and her father expected upon their return from their summer home was to find strangers inhabiting a house that had been in their family for decades. Widower Michael Dobrescu brought his family from Romania to the town of Colden, Massachusetts with a singular purpose: to claim the house willed to him long ago. Since neither party has any intention of giving up their claim, a fierce legal battle ensues between the two families.When important documents go missing from the house, Libby suspects Michael is the culprit. Determined to discover the truth behind the stolen papers, Libby investigates, only to find more layers of mystery surrounding Michael and his family. Despite their rivalry, Libby finds herself developing feelings for this man with the mysterious past. As a decision about the house looms in the courts, Libby must weigh the risks of choosing to remain loyal to her family or give her heart to a man whose intentions and affections are less than certain.

My Review:

I loved this book! It was really different from a lot of the inspirational fiction I've read lately, and I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. The storyline was unique from anything I've read and so were the characters. All of the characters drew me in, both the leads and the supporting cast. I really cared about both Libby's and Michael's families.

I loved that Libby loved and cared for Michael's family regardless of their nationality, even when everyone else in the community shunned them. It really showed that she lived out her faith and beliefs instead of just saying she believes something and not backing it up with anything.

The romance between Libby and Michael was really special. They truly had a bond that overcame all of their legal obstacles. Their cultures and personalities made for some clashes, but that just made their romance all the more realistic. They truly had a lot to overcome to be together, but they were both equally up for the challenge, and both willing to compromise.

The mysteries surrounding the house and Michael's half-sister were quite intriguing. I liked that they were family secrets slowly coming to light, not a murder mystery to be solved.


Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5


Bottom Line: I loved this tale of family bonds and new love overcoming obstacles. It's a new and different read and really stands out from the crowd.
 

"Transcendence" Review

"Transcendence"
by C.J. Omololu

Publisher: Walker & Co.
Release Date: June 5, 2012

Source: ARC sent by publisher

My Rating: 4. out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider.
As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both.
Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live?

My Review:

This book was definitely a new and different type of YA paranormal romance. Dealing mostly with past lives and reincarnation, I hadn't read any YA books with this type of plot line. The romance was interesting also, because of all the twists and turns that their relationship took. Sometimes Griffon was a little too mysterious and aloof for me though. One of the twists in their past lives really threw me for a loop, I wasn't expecting it at all.

I didn't really get into the conflict that Cole had with Veronique, which was actually most of the book. The two ladies shared a bitter conflict in their past lives. I suppose I would have rather been reading about Cole's conflicts within herself with her cello ability being due to past lives, and with her becoming acquainted with being Ahket, and of course I'd rather have read about her romance! The Veronique drama slowed the book down for me, especially the flashbacks written all in italics. They were certainly neccessary for the story, but my eyes aren't really fond of reading large chunks of texts in italics.

There's a twist coming in book two that I was curious about for most of this book, and I thought maybe it would play out within book one. I'm very curious about it, so I will probably read book two as well!

Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 3/5
Setting: 3/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 4/5


Bottom Line: There were a lot of new and different stories to be told here, and in future installments of the series.

Sunday Shout Out (6)

Recently, I introduced a new feature here at In the Hammock on Sundays. It's called "Sunday Shout Out" and it's a place where I can give a special shout out to those publishers and authors who have sent me books over the week, as well as those bloggers who have hosted contests that I've won! I'll also be giving shout outs to any other cool books, blogs or bookish news that I've spotted during the week.

Check out my first Sunday Shout Out post for even more info, here!

Contest Wins

"Empress of the Seven Hills" by Kate Quinn

 

won from Peeking Between the Pages

"Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend" by Matthew Dicks

won from St. Martin's

Books for Review

"At Last" by Jill Shalvis

 "The Legend of Mickey Tussler" by Frank Nappi

"Sophomore Campaign: A Mickey Tussler Novel" by Frank Nappi

I really enjoyed the movie based on these books: A Mile in His Shoes

Book News

"Of Poseidon" Prequel Story available at Tor.com

Tor has posted a free short story prequel to "Of Poseidon" by Anya Banks to read on their website, no downloading or e-reader necessary.  The story is called "Legacy Lost." It's pretty short but it's definitely worth reading if you've already read the novel or if you are trying to decide if you want to buy it or not. Enjoy!

I first saw this story posted at the Radiant Shadows blog.

I have a ton of contests going on right now! 

"The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide" Ends 6/8

"Lucky in Love" by Jill Shalvis Ends 6/8

"Tempest Rising" Autographed by Tracy Deebs Ends 6/10

If you would like to do your own Sunday Shout out, please link back to this post, and leave your link in the comments section this weekend so I can check it out, and so that other readers can stop by too!!

"The Ride of Her Life" Review

"The Ride of Her Life"
by Lorna Seilstad

Publisher: Revell
Release Date: May 1, 2012

Source: sent by publisher

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

The only man pragmatic Lilly Hart needs in her life is a six year old. Widowed two years ago, Lilly leaves the shelter of her intrusive in-laws' home to stand on her own and provide for her young son by working for the summer as a cook at Lake Manawa. However, her in-laws find that life utterly unsuitable for their grandson, and when a row ensues, a handsome stranger--who designs roller coasters, of all things--intercedes on her behalf. Still, Lilly is not about to get involved with any man, especially this cocky (though charismatic) gentleman. Little does she know she is about to begin the ride of her life.Filled with delightful characters and the romance of summer, The Ride of Her Life is another supremely entertaining story from the witty Lorna Seilstad. Readers will laugh out loud and sigh contentedly as they spend the summer of 1906 in Lake Manawa.

My Review:

This was the first book I've read by this author, but now I've got to go back and read the first two books in this series ASAP! The book had everything that I'm looking for in a historical romance, great characters, a fun and unique setting, and so much romance!

The story had a lot of romance, which is something you really don't see that often in historical romances. It's almost like the romances are thrown in at the last minute sometimes. But this story really is a romance, the bulk of the tale focuses on Lilly and Nick. They spend so much time together getting to know each other, I loved all of their scenes together. I really did understand why Lilly had such a hard time handling a new romance since her husband had passed away, on the other hand it was so frustrating watching her push away someone as great as Nick when he wanted to help her so much.

The supporting characters in the book were fantastic as well. It was fun to see the pitfalls that Lilly and her kitchen assistant at work would fall into, since the poor assistant was just so accident prone. Lilly's son, Levi, is adorable and his scenes never feel forced or used just to be cute. He had a lot of funny lines, but they all seemed very realistic. Even the somewhat bad characters (no spoilers, you'll find out!) were so well written, representing both the bad and good sides of their characters.

The main reason I wanted to read this book was because of the roller coaster and the theme park setting, and it did not disappoint. It was such an interesting and unique setting, and the author really makes the reader feel like she/he is there. I admit that in some ways the cover does look a little silly (even though I love it at the same time), so I was pleasantly surprised that the book isn't silly at all. It is a light read for the most part, but there is a lot of heart. All in all it's a perfect heartwarming, romantic summer read.

Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5


Bottom Line: I can't wait to read the first two books in this series. My only complaint is that this series is over now!

 

Guest Post and Giveaway: Tracy Deebs Author of "Tempest Unleashed"

As part of the blog tour for "Tempest Unleashed" by Tracy Deebs, I'd also like to welcome Tracy to In the Hammock for a guest post! 

You can see my review of Tempest Unleashed here!

 Thank you, Tracy, for taking the time out today to visit as part of the blog tour!

Here's Tracy:

     A bunch of studies have been done in the last year or so on who the typical ebook reader is.  What the studies show is that she is an upper middle class woman between the ages of 30 and 50, who likes to read romance.

  But with every month that passes, and every reader who turns to ebooks as a viable reading alternative, that demographic is changing.  More men are buying books for their iPads, more senior citizens are getting in on the act with the Kindle and Kindle Fire.  More children are reading books on iPods. But the one group that was stagnate for years, and that is still growing at a very slow rate—despite having access to all the technology—is teens.  For whatever reason, the typical teenage YA reader is hanging on to the print book by the fingernails.  Or at least, that’s what the statistics say.

 What I’m curious about, is what do you say? 

How do you feel about e-readers or reading on your iPad?

Do you own one?

Are you open to trying one out?

Or are you stuck on the feel of a book in your hands?

I have a Nook and I use it regularly, because it’s easy and convenient and I can get a book at three in the morning when my insomnia strikes and Barnes and Noble is closed.  But at the same time, I admit that I still love to hold a book in my hands.  I love the smell when I walk into a Barnes and Noble and I love trolling up and down the aisles looking  for a book to leap off the shelf at me.  Just the other day, a package arrived from my editor with finished copies of Tempest Rising in it and I squealed like a little girl when I opened it.  I took the books out, poured over every detail of them—including the purple and white belly band at the top of the binding, the purple foil writing,  the waves at the top of every new chapter and Tempest’s tattoo, which is stamped numerous places throughout the book. No matter how convenient my Nook is, it can never give me that same feeling, that same excitement.

So while I understand that e-readers really are the future, I would be lying if I said I won’t miss the print book.

  How about you?  How do you like to read your books?  Leave a comment and be entered to win an autographed copy of the first book in the series, Tempest Rising. ☺

Thank you, Tracy! 

Tracy Deebs has generously offered an autographed copy of the first book in the series, "Tempest Rising", to one lucky reader of my blog! The giveaway is open to US and Canada. Must be 18 to enter. Book will be mailed out by the author. Ends Sunday June 10. No extra entries, just answer Tracy's question in a blog comment with your email address!!

"Tempest Unleashed" Review

"Tempest Unleashed"
by Tracy Deebs

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: June 5, 2012

Source: ARC sent by publisher

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother’s clan within the ocean’s depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest’s old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest’s two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose.

My Review:

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but the sequel is even better by far! I had a hard time with Tempest's final decision in the first book (I suppose it's not a spoiler since it's in the blurb for this book), but now that the decision (seemingly) was made, I really enjoyed the story told from the ocean world better than the story on land in the first book.

The author has a built an amazing world under the sea, and I'd much rather read about that than Tempest's everyday life on land while she struggles with her new status as a mermaid.  I feel like that maybe has been done a lot, but the great mer-world hasn't really been done in this way before.

Remember how I thought Tempest had made her final decision to live as a mermaid, it turns out the decision is not so final yet. Wow, is she confused. She's not only confused about whether she wants to live on land with her family or live at sea and save the mermaid world from disaster, but she also can't decide between her selkie boyfriend, Kona, and her human boyfriend, Mark. I really couldn't believe how much she goes back and forth between the boys. It's a true love triangle because I had no idea who she would choose. She really wasn't being fair to either of them though. If one boy made any kind of a mistake, she jumped ship and ran to the other.

I also thought that both boys weren't really the same characters they were in the first book. I wasn't sure I really agreed with this aspect. Kona seemed so great in the first book and he did some weird, possessive things in this one. Mark seemed shady the first time around, but now he's perfect. Hmm...no wonder Tempest is confused.

There is so much action in this book, it's a real page-turner. I read the first half in one sitting, which is a rarity for me. Tempest is such a strong female character. She doesn't take anything from anyone without a fight. There is also a ton of romance in this book. Probably more than I've seen in most other YA books. The author has a great style of writing her romantic scenes that I really liked.


Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 5/5 (which one? haha)
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5


Bottom Line: I enjoyed this installment even more than the first book. Non-stop action and romance.

If you think this book sounds interesting, you might want to read my reviews of other books in this series:

"Tempest Rising" Review 

"Dead Reckoning" Review and Guest Post by Rosemary Edghill

As part of the blog tour for "Dead Reckoning" by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill, I have my review of the book and a guest post from one of the authors herself!

 I'd like to welcome Rosemary Edghill to In the Hammock for a guest post! 

 Thank you, Rosemary, for taking the time out today to visit as part of the blog tour!

Guest Post

Rosemary Edghill here!  I was thrilled to be invited to make a guest post about my new book.  Dead Reckoning is another collaboration with my long-time co-author, Mercedes Lackey, and we had a huge amount of fun writing about Jett and Gibbons in the still-wild 19th century West.  I really hope it's as much fun for everybody to read as it was to write.

I've been a writer for most of my adult life, and there are always new stories to tell.  But sometimes there are characters wandering around in search of a story, and that was the case with Jett Galatin.  I've known her for years, but somehow I never found the right story for her.  She was a drifter and a gunslinger, and I'd written more than three dozen books, but none of them had been a Western.  Then Misty said to me: "Hey!  Let's do a historical as our next YA!" and Jett poked me and said: "It's my turn now."

As soon as I told Misty about Jett, we were off and running, and I made the acquaintance of Honoria Verity Providentia Gibbons (known to one and all as "Gibbons"), an inventor, scientist, and explorer, and Jett's opposite in nearly every way.  Jett is a Southern Belle in her heart of hearts, but she dresses and lives as a man.  Gibbons is an emancipated woman who feels that traditional gender roles are archaic nonsense that have no place in a rational scientific world.

Of course, adventurers need an adventure, and what adventure could be better than … zombies?

When zombies invade a West Texas cattle town, Jett barely escapes with her.  Fleeing for her life, she meets Gibbons, who is testing her newest invention, a steam-powered horseless wagon.  When Jett tries to warn her about the walking dead, Gibbons says there must be another explanation for what Jett saw.  Gibbons doesn't believe in anything that can't be explained by science, and says zombies are scientifically impossible.  Jett says seeing is believing, and she knows what she saw: zombies.

So who's right?  And can Jett and Gibbons stop arguing long enough to avert the zombie apocalypse?  Come to Alsop Texas in April of 1857 and find out.

I love to hear from … oh, practically anyone (honest!).  Find me at: http://rosemary-edghill.dreamwidth.org/ or http://www.facebook.com/rosemary.edghill



Thank you, Rosemary!!

My Review

"Dead Reckoning"
by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: June 5, 2012

Source: ARC sent by publisher

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Summary from goodreads.com:  

Jett is a girl disguised as a boy, living as a gambler in the old West as she searches for her long-lost brother. Honoria Gibbons is a smart, self-sufficient young woman who also happens to be a fabulous inventor. Both young women travel the prairie alone – until they are brought together by a zombie invasion! As Jett and Honoria investigate, they soon learn that these zombies aren’t rising from the dead of their own accord … but who would want an undead army? And why? This gunslinging, hair-raising, zombie western mashup is perfect for fans of Cowboys vs. Aliens and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.

My Review:

I really loved this book! There were so many aspects that I loved, it's hard to mention them all. I knew the book was about zombies, but really the zombies weren't totally the focus of the book. Instead of focusing on the typical, gory zombie attacks, the authors really hone in on how the characters solve the mystery and use their brains to outsmart the zombies.

The story has a steampunk feel, especially with Gibbons' steam-powered travelling contraption. But again, the steampunk aspect didn't take over the whole story. It was almost trying to hide within the rest of the story. I loved that it was a historical setting as well, it's just so much more of an escape, especially in this type of fantasy story.

The three mismatched main characters were fantastic. I loved Gibbons the most because she was so unexpected. She was very wealthy, and also her father made sure she was heavily educated in science. The steam powered vehicle she drives, yeah, she invented it. She's extremely book smart, but also, so practical and smart in common sense ways too. She has preparedness down to a science. Jett was a lot of fun to read about, her accent was very charming, as was her style of disguising herself as a boy instead of a girl. White Fox was a bit of an enigma, a bit of the strong silent type. Overall, the three of them made a great team. I'd love to see more from these characters and this setting in the future.


Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: n/a
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5


Bottom Line: Great mix of historical, zombies, steampunk, and mystery! The leading characters really made this book a keeper.