Within Reach

Within Reach by Sarah Mayberry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this ARC from NetGalley


Within Reach by Sarah Mayberry

Within Reach is a beautifully written book by Sarah Mayberry that looks at people finding love after a tragedy. Angela and Billie are best friends and have been since their days in boarding school. Angela designs jewelry, travels and lives the single life while Billie is a woman who has it all: a wonderful husband, two wonderful kids and a life full of fun. On her thirty-second birthday, Billie suffers a heart attack and dies. Her husband Michael and her two children Eva and Charlie are left to pick up the pieces and find a way to carry on.

Angela spends as much time as possible with Michael and the children, providing support and heling them get through the days immediately after Billie’s death. Ten months later, Angela shows up at Michael’s house and finds him and the children living what she calls a ‘half-live.’ She goes out on a limb and tells him as much and encourages him to go back to work and start living again, that Billie wouldn’t want him to be miserable.

Eva and Charlie are Billie and Michael’s amazing children and both Angela and Michael do everything they can to support the children and get them through their loss. Eva is a whirlwind, much like her mother, and often sees more than the adults do within the story. Angela loves spending time with the children and Michael, it helps her feel like she is doing something to help them all move forward.
What began as a tentative friendship between Angela and Michael grows into something much more. Both are shocked and scared of the feelings that develop between them as time goes on, but in the end they find it’s far more painful to be apart than to wade through their murky feelings and see what they really mean. In the end, they find a love that is real and based on the future, without forgetting Billie and how important she was in both of their lives.

Within Reach had me laughing and crying through and through. The way Angela interacts with Billie and Michael’s children and deals with the harsh realities of their loss is amazing and very human. She isn’t perfect, she makes mistakes as does Michael as they try and understand the new feelings they have for one another. What Sarah Mayberry wrote is a beautiful story of overcoming loss to find what is waiting in the future. I highly recommend it, just make sure you have some tissues nearby…

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Cinder

I've had this book for some time now and I've been hesitant to pick it up. I admit the cover art drew me to it, and the title leaves little to the imagination about the story line, but still I had it, looking at me on my shelf and I finally decided on a rainy day to take a chance and gave it a read.

And I was glad I did.

I think Marissa Meyer wove an interesting tale using elements from Cinderella in a very blatant way but in a new setting and with so much more to it than a girl who is mistreated by her family and lands a Prince in the end. There is no fairy-godmother for Cinder who makes her dreams come true. The closest she comes is a doctor who ends up providing her with information she needs to stay alive.

Here is my review of

Cinder

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm giving this one 3.5 stars...
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I have to admit, when I decided to read this one I was a bit leery of the whole "Cinderella" premise and how it would work in this story. I have to say, I was very pleasantly surprised how Marissa Meyer used it in a unique way to enhance her story.


All the girl wants is a foot that fits.

A plague is killing countless people. Once someone shows signs of the plague, black spots on their skin, medics are called and the infected are taken away. To be quarantined. To die. In the midst of this plague, Cinder is a cyborg who works as a mechanic in New Beijing. Her reputation and skill leads to a very special request from Prince Kaito who happens upon her booth and asks her to see if she can fix a robot of his. He hints it might have important information on it, then reveals it's a robot he's had for many years and it has sentimental value. A flustered Cinder agrees to look at it and get back with him. And so begins Cinder.


What I liked about it: I liked how Marissa Meyer didn't shy away from the references to Cinderella in her book, even going so far as to name her lead character after her. Many authors would have written a story line similar to this, but given the character a different name and played it off as it's own creation. I liked how she went back to small pieces of the story of Cinderella, but they were more accessory pieces to the main story line. I liked the relationship between Cinder and Kaito, it seemed very true to the situation they were both placed in.

What I didn't like: Many of the characters on the book are not what they seem. The first one, I bought, the second one, was a stretch, by the third one I was wondering how anyone with 'powers' could be so dense. I also am not a fan of the "big cliff-hanger ending" in a book. Especially because in this book, nothing is settled as it ends. Many things are set up, but nothing comes to conclusion. It ends with more questions raised than answered. I also figured out the big secret early in the story because it was a bit predictable, but it didn't matter it was interesting to see it all play out.

I think this one is definitely worth a read just to see how Marissa Meyer weaves elements of the classic Cinderella tale into a futuristic, cyborg setting that is far more like Star Wars than Disney World.

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Ghostwalkers Continued...

I love reading a good series by an author. Why? I like seeing the vision unfold, I like watching all the pieces and characters fall into place. I enjoy learning more and more about each of them as they grow and mature and evolve. I love trying to guess who the next book will be about or waiting and wondering when a certain character will fall in love and who it will be with. Will it be someone I already know? Or a new face that appears in a later book. All those things keep me reaching for the next book and when it's well done, it's a magic ride for a reader.

Not all series have that. Not all series can keep a smooth transition and introduce new characters in a way that the reader has time to develop feelings about them or they are thrown into the picture and you are flipping through earlier books wondering who this person is. When that happens, it feels disjointed and it takes time to fall back into step with the series.

In talking about series, the Ghostwalkers has a definite point where it breaks off from the smooth transitions from book to book. That point is the 8th book in the series - Street Game. In this book, we are abruptly introduced to a whole new set of characters and it is jarring. Don't get me wring, I still love the series and will continue to read it again and again because of the world Christine Feehan has created and I simply have to be there when Peter Whitney is found and finally gets what's coming to him!

 Here is my review of

 Street Game

Street Game by Christine Feehan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Street Game is the the 8th book in the Ghostwalkers series and the reason for the 3 stars instead of 4 like I gave the previous books is because the series takes a jump here and goes from the the characters in the first Ghostwalker Team to a new set of characters (Ghostwalker team 3) that haven't been in the series at all until now so it feels a bit disjointed from the rest and I had to become invested in them and their story much more than I had to in previous books. The plot is fine, but that blip in the arc of the series really throws me.

Mac and Jaimie are solid characters. I like that Jaimie is a different kind of Ghostwalker, not at all a warrior like many of the women at times seem to be. She is more wary of their powers and enhancements and chooses to fight not with weapons, but with her brain- and is just as capable.

I still enjoy the series, but I wish the transition into this new group of characters was handled smoother like when the Nortons came into the picture as part of the second Ghostwalkers team in earlier books.

A good book, worth the read for sure!

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Ghostwalkers

As I hide inside from the scorching heat that is burning up the area, I have my AC cranked and my book in had. I recently cracked open one of my favorite series for a re-read because I can't get enough of it. It's the Ghostwalker's series by Christine Feehan. Her elite group of military men and the stories she weaves for them are always a good read. Her latest book Samurai Game came out last week and I wanted to refresh my memory before digging into that one. So here is my review of  the first book in the Ghostwalker's Series:

Shadow Game

Shadow Game by Christine Feehan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Christine Feehan is one of my favorite authors. I have read all of her books, and the Ghostwalkers is one series I return to time and time again.

Shadow Game centers around a woman, Lily Whitney, who is brought onto a project by her father as a consultant. The day she is introduced to the Ghostwalkers, an elite military group who signed up for Dr. Whitney's psychic enhancement experiments, her father is brutally killed. Before he dies, he issues a plea and apology to her, asking her to help the Ghostwalkers, who are all being held more or less as prisoners at the lab with horrible side effects from the enhancements and to forgive him for what he has done. As Lily forms an immediate connection with the leader of the group, Ryland Miller, she finds out they are all in grave danger and need answers. Her life is torn open when she learns the truth of her childhood and how far her father's experiments have gone. Lily also struggles with her powerful feelings for Ryland, wondering if they are real or more of her fathers scientific manipulations.


What I liked about it: The premise behind it is great. Enhancing psychic powers to make an elite military unit. Lily Whitney and her warped childhood and the lengths she goes in this book and future ones in the series to right her father's wrongs. Ryland and his men pull you in with their personalities and make you want to see who the next book is about.

What I didn't like: Because the characters often use their senses, there are times where everything is described to the last detail. Again, that is in part a function of the story line, but it had me skimming back to character interactions. Description lovers will enjoy it, but for me it at times was a bit much.


This series has action, it has emotion, it has heat and it has laughs. Christine Feehan has a great style to her writing that draws you in and makes you fall headlong into her series. As an opening book, this is a strong one that I know readers will definitely want more of.

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Summer Series Rec - Virgin River

So I finished my first series of the summer and I have to say, this was a good one. On a whim I checked out the Robyn Carr series- Virgin River- and fell in love. Read the review because to be clear- this is my definition of a fun, summer read. If you're looking for something gritty, new, fresh or risque, this isn't it. This is a book about a place, and people you want to meet, hang out with, and share a beer with in the local hangout. Here's my review of

Virgin River

Virgin River by Robyn Carr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Definitely 3.5 STARS!

The Virgin River series is what I would call a great, light summer read. If you're like me and want to get caught up in a series for the summer, one that won't keep you up at night or stick you in the middle of messy love triangles, this was a fun one to spend time in. Is it cutting edge new, angsty to the point you can't breathe writing? No. It's calm, it's fun, it will make you smile and swoon and want to pack up your car and drive to Virgin River and check out Jack's restaurant or Doc's office and cross paths with the rest of the gang you grow to love over the course of this series.

Virgin River is about a woman, Melinda, who leave the hustle and bustle of her big city life in the ER after her husband's death and in a desperate attempt to wipe the slate clean and start over, she takes a job offer from an ancient busy-body named Hope McCrea in the tiny town of Virgin River to work as a nurse midwife. When she arrives, things aren't exactly what they seemed. From the nearly falling down house that looks nothing like the picture promised, to the cantankerous town doctor who had no idea he was 'in need of help' and disliked her right away. Ready to bolt before she even unpacks, she wanders into Jack Sheridan's bar/restaurant and her future changes.

What I liked: The cast of characters. From Preacher - who isn't a even preacher, to Mel, Jack, Rick, Doc Mullins the grumpiest guy you ever want to play a game of gin with, To characters that come in later books like Paige, Brie, Walt and Muriel. The list goes on, each tugging at your heart in a different way.

*This part contains tiny spoilers*
What I didn't like: everyone in the town is fertile- hyper fertile. Men look at a woman, and she's pregnant against all odds, one their first try, condoms break and the like. BUT again- think light, summer read at the pool... and that's not a terrible thing ;) The series goes long, over 15 books. The last ones feel like random people thrown into a town you love because she's married off all the 'regulars' if you will.

I liked this series, loved Robyn Carr's easy writing style. Think low stress, low angst, lotsa hunky men (who mostly happen to be ex-military types) and a series full of HEAs then this is the series for you. I adore Jack and Mel and their story starts in Virgin River, but with each book in the series, they make an appearance and their story continues to grow. I laughed, I cried, I want to go to Virgin River... I hope you do to.

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Shadow and Bone

The drought is over!!

The last few books I've read have left me feeling like they were okay, nothing to write home about. This book - Shadow and Bone - was a complete page turner that I found myself thinking about all night and desperately waiting for the next book to come out. It was a dark, exciting, adventure I think many people will be talking about.

Here's my review of:

Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let's say 4.5 stars really...

Shadow and Bone I have to say pulled me in from the very beginning. Leigh Bardugo created a unique world that kept me turning the pages. Before I knew it, hours had passed.

Two orphans, Alina and Mal grow up together and are the best of friends- the only things they have in the world. As they grow up, Alina's feelings grow into more, but she never tells Mal. He's the outgoing one, people are drawn to him and she is more of the loner, the outsider who doesn't quite fit in, but Mal doesn't seem to mind. They stay close to one another even as they become part of the Second Army where she works as a map maker and he is a soldier/tracker.

Their regiment is assigned to cross the Shadow Fold which is described as "a swath of nearly impenetrable darkness that grew with every passing year and crawled with horrors." Volcra are the terrifying creatures that inhabit the Fold, waiting to kill. Knowing the dangers, their regiment is ready to cross the Fold in order to get to the port city on the other side. It's during that crossing that they are attacked by volcra and Alina has her world turned upside down and she becomes pulled into the world of the Grisha and the Darkling.

Shadow and Bone is dark and chilling fantasy book. Alina is taken on a roller coaster of a ride and you are right along side of her. There were times in the book where I found myself just as shocked as Alina by something that happened because of Leigh Bardugo's writing. All of the characters jump off the page and keep you guessing about their intentions toward Alina. I loved Genya and the Darkling too.

The biggest drawback to this book- it's a trilogy, and this is book one. Now I have to wait (impatiently for sure) for the next one to come out. Here's to hoping Leigh writes fast ;)


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What I liked about this book: The characters- she wrote a rich cast of personalities. Some were good and some were bad, but all left you wanting to know more about them. I almost read the whole book in one sitting, it was that good and for me- a self admitted skimmer- I read every word. And this will make sense after you read the book but - I love the color black.

What I didn't like about this book: There were a lot of 'terms' that were unique to her world and it took a while to straighten out in my mind what things like a corporalki, etherealki and materialki and verious others were and how they were different. But they were labels given to groups of people and the story usually showed you what they were if the word was confusing.


This was a great book, I highly, highly suggest this one!

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Summer Series

This summer, I want to start reviewing different series of books. I think there's something that so many of us go through that we don't often talk about. Have you ever read a book, loved it and wanted to read the next one in the series, and the next and the next? You fall in love with the characters and keep reading. At some point however, in most series you end up being disappointed somewhere along the line. It's impossible to write a series that's 10 or 20+ books long and have each one be a home run. Knowing that, I always wonder why do authors keep a series going past it's expiration date? Are there series that go the distance? Should there be a series longer than a trilogy?

I'm going to review a number of series in the romance and YA genres that I have read, and reread in many cases. Some of what's to come is:

Immortals After Dark Series by Kresley Cole 
Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward
Dark- Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Wilderness Series by Sara Donati
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
The Bridgertons by Julia Quinn
Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon 
And many more.....


Check back soon for my first series review - The Immortals after Dark

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