Carries Book Reviews

Hoping everyone has a wonderful New Year, may it bring you peace, joy and happiness!! And to all the book fanatics out there like myself, may every new read in this year be a wonderful one! May each of you have a amazing 2016. 🙂

Carrie

Evergreen Springs by RaeAnne Thayne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cole Barrett is a single father with a sordid past. His ex-wife has recently passed away leaving him to suddenly be a full time father while he’s also struggling to get his life on track and his ranch turned into a successful business. When his very pregnant with twins sister who has been visiting takes a tumble he rushes her to the ER where they meet the young doctor Devin Shaw.

Devin knew Trisha when they were growing up and considers her a friend so when she hears of her brother Cole’s struggles and knows Trisha will be on bed rest she decides to pitch in and do something for the struggling little family. Devin puts out a call to the helping hands group of Haven Point and soon has a bunch of meals to deliver to the Barrett’s but when going out she can’t help but volunteer to spend more time with the two grieving children and soon finds herself falling in love with them and their father.

I’ve really enjoyed all of the Haven Point books that I’ve read so far but this one just not quite as much as the first two in the series. I think for me, while I enjoyed Devin’s character immensely and her helping others spirit, I just found myself struggling to connect to Cole for most of the story. He seemed so distant to me which is what his character is meant to be but it’s hard to really root for him when I don’t feel much of his personality stood out either. Also, Devin admits that she wants to fix everyone in the book. While this makes her a lovely soul who enjoys helping others it also makes me question the idea of a relationship starting off on her wanting to “fix” Cole and his problems.

Still overall a lovely book set in Haven Point, a small community where everyone cares about each other and what seems would be a beautiful place to live. It’s very hard not to enjoy the overall atmosphere and warmth in this series. This one takes place right before Christmas so you get to enjoy reading all of the holiday warmth and activities associated with the season in this lovely town.

Redemption Bay by RaeAnne Thayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

McKenzie Shaw loves Haven Point, the small town she grew up in and is currently the acting mayor. When Ben Kilpatrick returns to Haven Point he doesn’t get a very warm welcome from McKenzie, he had left the town and not looked backed several years before and hadn’t taken care of all the properties and boat manufacturing company he’d inherited which eventually he shut down causing a loss of jobs and other businesses in the community.

Ben however has returned to Haven Point to scout out the town to see if it would be good for a new facility for his current tech firm. McKenzie vows to show him just how wonderful a place Haven Point is and prove to him the town and residents deserve the opportunity.

Another great read from RaeAnne Thayne filled with all the beautiful, heartwarming aspects of living in a small community where neighbors help each other. Filled full of community events and great characters it’s hard to go wrong with one of these lovely novels.

Ben and McKenzie were both likable characters although I did at one point think McKenzie seemed a bit immature overreacting to something so couldn’t give this a full five stars. Otherwise they both showed their emotional sides and each had their own strength that I admired.

I won this book from Goodreads First Reads, receiving a free copy in no way reflects upon my review and all thoughts are my own.

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Etta Spencer has trained her whole life to play the violin but when she gets her big opportunity to perform things do not turn out as planned. When beginning to play Etta hears what she thinks is feedback but no one else seems to notice it until another young girl, Sophia, says she hears it too. Sophia whisks Etta off to investigate but the next thing Etta knows she awakens aboard a ship in the year 1776.

Nicholas Carter is the captain of the ship and has been hired to bring Etta and Sophia back to the Ironwoods. Nicholas soon finds out that Etta is not there by choice and he vows then and there to make sure nothing bad happens to her. The two soon find themselves paired up and being sent on a dangerous journey together.

Being one of the most talked about books I’ve seen lately I was almost a bit hesitant to read and review this one as a part of me was worried I’d end up hating it due to too much hype. After finishing though I am completely hooked and can’t wait until the next book comes out next year.

The reason this didn’t get a five star rating from me though is I felt it got off to a slow and somewhat confusing start. It takes a while for the story to really start explaining itself and bringing a reader in with the action and adventure. I would warn anyone to really give it a chance and not give up reading too early on. Early on it can be a bit confusing as to what is going on but once everything got explained a bit further in I didn’t have a problem at all piecing together what the beginning meant and where the story was going.

The world building and fleshing out of the characters in here was completely excellent in my opinion. I felt like I knew exactly where and when they were with the bits of history being thrown into the mix it made for an interesting read to me. Etta and Nicholas each fit into their characters quite well from where they were born and raised and it was interesting to have them interact and develop a relationship coming from two very different backgrounds.

Overall, with such an exciting ending I can’t wait for the next in the series and would recommend this to any fan of time travel adventures.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After Nicole Cassidy and her family move from Georgia to Salem she gets quite a shock on her first day of classes in her new school. When handed her schedule Nicole sees she’s been placed in all honors classes and feels it must be some kind of mistake but is told she won’t be able to change until the end of the day. When entering her homeroom for the first time her new teacher suddenly makes the writing on the chalkboard completely change.

Nicole learns that not only is her teacher and new classmates witches but they tell her that she is one herself. When trying to do some of the experiments in class Nicole finds herself a complete natural at magic and begins to learn the origins of her powers come from the ancient Greek Gods.

A great start to what will hopefully turn out to be great series. The tie in with Greek Mythology and the modern day characters being witches was certainly fun to read. There was a lot of action in this first installment to keep the pages turning. And certainly an ending that makes the reader want to know what will happen next.

I would warn readers though to be prepared for the old insta-love and love triangle that are involved in a lot of YA books. Nicole is instantly attracted the hot bad boy in school and he already has a bitchy girlfriend. None of that would bother me except Blake became the “I swear I’m going to break up with her” type which is a huge turn off. Hopefully he’ll redeem himself in the next book.

Overall, good start to what can be a great series, would recommend giving this one a try.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.