Carries Book Reviews

Sweet Disaster
Sierra Hill
Publication date: TBA
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Kady:

My life is a complete and utter disaster.

One major screw up after another.

In other words – I’m trouble.

I attempted college, but made a mess of that scene, too. Chalk it up to yet another disappointment in my parents’ ever-growing list of Kady failures.

Deciding I needed an escape from reality, my best friend and I flew off to Europe, where we were going to have the time of our lives.

The only problem with that plan is that I ran out of money after two weeks, and now I’m stuck in Florence, Italy with no means of getting home.

See? Trouble finds me wherever I go.

Gavin:

All I ever wanted to do was play basketball.

It’s all I’m good at.

I bypassed college and went straight to the pros. I’ve been playing overseas in Italy for six months, gaining fame, fans and having fun.

There’s only one problem. I miss home. I’m not too big to admit I’m homesick for my family and friends.

But that all changed when I heard from Cade Griffin, a former college hoops star. He called and asked me to rescue his sister, Kadence, who’s stranded and alone here in Florence.

Seems easy enough, right?

Except for the fact that Kady Griffin is gorgeous, completely off-limits and a sweet disaster waiting to happen all over my life.

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Previous books in the series:

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Author Bio:

Since writing and publishing her first book in 2014, Sierra Hill has found her creative passion in writing about the fictional characters that live in her brain, who are constantly shouting for their own love stories to be told.

Sierra frequently indulges in what some might consider to be an unhealthy dose of reading, dark chocolate candy, and way too much coffee. She hates cold weather, and frequently finds herself traveling around the country to see her favorite live musicians in concert.

Sierra resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of twenty years and her long-haired, German Shepherd. She is currently working on her next book.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Reported Missing by Sarah Wray
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Four month before Rebecca Pendle’s husband had disappeared but she’s had a tough time getting the police or other area residents to care that he is missing since on that same day fourteen year old Kayleigh Jackson also vanished without a trace. From the very start everyone assumed that since a young girl was gone that Rebecca’s husband must have been the one who took her.

Now Rebecca is staying as off the grid as she can to avoid the whispers, stares and sometimes even threats that she must have known what her husband was up to. All Rebecca wants are answers since she’s never believed her husband could have anything to do with the missing girl and that their marriage was solid until his disappearance.

I went into Reported Missing extremely excited to read this story as it reminded me a great deal of a story that had been on the news recently here in the US. There was an older male that had left with a teenage girl and of course the controversy to the story came with did the girl go willingly or was it kidnapping? And regardless the man should not have taken off with an underage girl so the hunt was on to find that man. My thoughts had always wandered to the wife that was left behind and felt this story was extremely close to that situation.

The first few chapters of this book had my attention for sure learning of how Rebecca was still somewhat in mourning for her husband and unable to face that he may have been involved. There’s also be the build up of everyone being against her and her husband without a bit of proof that the two disappearances had anything to do with one another. But that was where it fell a bit apart in my opinion, the story just sort of stalls in that mode without much progress and leaving the reading just hanging on for something, anything exciting to happen. By the end of this one the slow pacing just had about done me in in really caring who had done what so this one only rates in at about 2.5 stars for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Penhale Wood by Julia Thomas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rob McIntyre thought he was going to have the family vacation that he so desperately needed after his girlfriend of ten years had left him however when Rob arrives he finds his brother and his family needed to leave due to an emergency. Finding himself alone and away from home Rob is surprised when the doorbell rings and he finds Iris Flynn on the doorstep.

Iris is the mother of Sophie Flynn, a three year old that was murdered the year before and Rob had been a detective on the case. It was believed that their nanny at the time, Karen Peterson, was responsible for the death having left with the children that night and disappearing. In the past year there hadn’t been any luck locating the mysterious Karen though and now Iris wants Rob to reopen the case.

Penhale Wood had the promise to be a completely gripping thriller but unfortunately I found it fell a bit short of that mark while reading. My first complaint really would be some of the actions of the characters really did read as realistic to me with the situation going on in the story making me a bit disconnected with the story afterwards.

Also, while we knew from the beginning of the book who was suspected of murdering the little girl what the reader didn’t know was what had happened to her. Now to me there didn’t seem to be enough twists to really throw my suspicions off in this one although I’m happy to say I wasn’t quite right. But that led me to my last though which was I would have liked more of an explanation on the how and why at the end. Overall the story just ended on a kind of average and possibly forgettable note for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Each Little Lie by Tom Bale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jen Cornish is a single mother struggling to make it on her own and care for her child after leaving her husband. In a rush on her way to work she crosses paths with a man that she has seen many times before as he leaves his home but today Jen notices that the stranger has dropped his keys. Trying to chase after him doesn’t work so Jen is left wondering what she should do to safely return the keys.

Jen decides her best bet would be to simply leave a note telling the man what she had found not knowing if she could trust leaving the keys for someone else to find. Jen however doesn’t have a pen and paper to leave the note so she decides to enter his home with the keys to find some. After doing what she thought was a good deed she heads off to work but later the police come and arrest Jen for entering the home and vandalism that has taken place.

Each Little Lie was one of those reads I was a bit on the fence about off and on all throughout the book. Starting off I knew the general idea of entering a stranger’s home whether trying to do a good deed or not seemed really sort of far-fetched. I couldn’t help but question just how many people out there would really even remotely consider doing this and not come up with another option.

The beginning aside I thought the story landed in just the OK range. I didn’t find the characters or story extremely engaging but still found myself wanting to know how it would turn out in the end. As for the end though it’s a bit far-fetched of an idea to have actually have happened but it fit the story well enough.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Cursed
Freya Black
(The Price of Magic, #1)
Publication date: June 14th 2017
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Born of the rare and powerful Crescent bloodline, Fiona Mandrake is no ordinary witch. Because of her ability to divine the future, Fiona has visions of dark Fey who started a war between the realms that killed her parents. Fiona’s visions foretell the deaths of her coven and the destruction of the human world. But the war is not over.

Through clues her mother left behind, Fiona discovers that the Council responsible for magic is corrupt and working with the dark Fey. She seeks the help of her coven and Sloane Blackwell, a Telepath who can see her visions and change her emotions with a single touch. They share a telepathic bond, one that brings them closer.

Sloane’s unique abilities and his link to the Fey aid Fiona in her quest to end the war between the realms. But magic comes with a price. To save her town from destruction, Fiona and Sloane have to defy the Council, using magic that breaks an ancient law punishable by death. With the Council after them and dark Fey on the loose, Fiona and Sloane have to work together to extinguish the dark Fey before it’s too late.

Cursed is the first book in The Price of Magic urban fantasy series.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

I delivered the drinks on my tray, leaving Sloane for last. In the middle of a heat wave, it was odd that he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Black cotton fit snug against his chest while the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He leaned over his book with a serious expression on his face, as if cramming for a midterm. Even the parade of girls in skimpy shorts couldn’t garner his attention. I wondered if supernatural creatures could feel human things, like hot and cold, happiness and despair.

When I reached Sloane, I organized the cups on my tray to distribute the weight, attempting to steady my nerves, as the glasses clanged together.

“How was the Magic Mocha?”

He looked up with a crooked smile, and I almost forgot to breathe.

“It was magical.”

Even for a Hexenjager, he was charming. When he handed me his plate, our fingertips collided for a split second. His touch sent a tingling sensation throughout my entire body, similar to an electric shock. It rushed over me like breaking waves, pulling me under. No longer in control, I staggered back as the purple-and-gold damask wallpaper swirled together. Then, my legs buckled beneath me.

Moonlight cast its shadow over the dark street. Lampposts and electrical wires fell with each explosion of thunder that pierced my eardrums. I turned my head, taking in the crumbling scenery and what was left of Pine Street. A sea of people darted toward me with crazed looks in their eyes. I stood in the middle of the street, paralyzed by fear.

And that was when I saw them—monsters so terrifying that they could only exist in nightmares.

As they moved forward, giant beams of light struck the asphalt in a methodical fashion, as if thrown from the sky by Thor and his mighty hammer. The pavement cracked in half and began to collapse under my feet. With the ferocity of a hurricane, wind plowed through the trees. A domino effect sent oak slamming into the concrete, wiping out rows of people in its wake. Jolted by the sheer force, I was about to plunge into the abyss when someone grabbed my hand.

“Hang on, Nona,” the boy said.

A boy the same age as me, no older than ten years old, squeezed my tiny bicep. Steely blue eyes peeked out from a chunk of black hair. He led me through the mayhem, calling out for our parents. No one answered.

Droves of inhuman warriors charged forward, riding black horses. Viking helmets covered most of their faces. The parts of their gray skin not protected by armor were branded with tattoos that had a crimson glow shimmering in the darkness. Soulless pits, eyes like lumps of charcoal, glowered at us. They severed the heads from the bodies of those in their way, blood splattering everywhere, rolling off the red cloaks that flapped behind them.

We dashed down Maple Drive, my heart thumping out of my chest, and we hid under a tree. Cocooned by its low-hanging branches, I failed to catch my breath until the boy wrapped his arms around me. My body stopped shaking, and my pulse returned to normal from his touch. I rested my head on his shoulder. The warmth of his energy circulated through my veins, meshing with my own powers, until the electricity pulsating between us consumed me.

Author Bio:

Freya Black is an emerging fantasy author who loves creating fictional characters and worlds. Her first book Cursed is the start of The Price of Magic Series with other young adult fantasy titles to follow.

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