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Title: Crossroads
Author: Mary Ting
Series: 1st in a Series
Released: July 29, 2011 (First published April 6, 2011)
Publisher: World Castle
Tags: Angels, Young Adult, Fantasy

On the same night of her friend’s tragic death, Claudia Emerson encounters another world, Crossroads, through her dream. There, she learns about a mix breed of angels and humans, who possess supernatural powers. Among those with these powers, lies evil, known as the fallen. Mystified by her ability to enter this place called Crossroads, certain that the fallen will be after her, she is assigned a guardian angel named Michael. Aden, the fallen leader, is convinced that Claudia holds the key to help destroy Crossroads. Her dream becomes a nightmare as more secrets are revealed, about who she really is, and the true identities of the people she loves most.

Currently there are a wide variety of young adult books that deal with angels... I've read a lot of them. Crossroads is a welcome addition, especially for those looking for a different, unique twist on fallen angel/guardian angel mythology.

There are a few details in the story line I wish had been explained more clearly, but overall I was satisfied. The writing is descriptive and believable and the characters were well developed and likable.  There was enough mystery to keep my interest and bring me back to the story, but it was a book I could put down. Crossroads is first in a series and wrapped up nicely, at least without the Epilogue. If you stop reading before the epilogue this could be a stand alone.

Overall Crossroads is fairly clean. There is quite a bit of romance and kissing that takes place including one scene where Claudia inexplicably ends up without a shirt on.

If you love this genre give this one a try, it's received some great reviews on goodreads.




Rating: 3.5 Stars - Good Book

Source: From Author for Review

Content: no language or sex but has a passionate kissing scene with the main character in just a bra.

Have you read Crossroads? What did you think? If you have posted a review on your blog or website please feel free to link it up.

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Hell on earth.
That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.
It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.
At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous.
What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?
The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.

Grrr... I thought this series was a trilogy. The 3rd book is out so I figured it was time to read book 2 so I could finish the series and cross it off my list. I finished this book and went to start book 3 only to find out this isn't a trilogy... There will be a 4th book. So now I'm wishing I had waited until next year to read this book and will wait to read Passion until the 4th book Rapture is released.  The book does end on a cliffhanger but it wasn't a cliffhanger that left me frustrated, more of a set up for the next book.

Given a choice on what to read this falls into my favorite genre. I admit that I really do enjoy young adult paranormal books. My biggest problem is I have read so many of these books that I forget which story line fits into which series and confuse many of the characters and forget details about them.

I've read mixed reviews on the Fallen series, some people love it and others don't. Personally I'm enjoying it. I admit it's not my favorite series - it moves quite slowly at times but managed to keep my interest throughout. I did enjoy the second book more than I did the first. If this is genre you enjoy than you should read this series too. If you enjoy books like Twilight, Mortal Instruments, Hush Hush, Hex Hall, Iron Fey, Wolves of Mercy Falls, Wings, Paranormalcy, Wondrous Strange, 13 to Life, etc. then give this series a try. Personally I've read and enjoyed ALL the above mentioned young adult series so you can tell I'm not too hard to please when it comes to this genre. If you don't love this kind of book than this probably isn't for you.

Content: some language scattered throughout, some innuendo and talk of sex and desire but nothing graphic or implied.

Rating: 3.5 Stars - Good Book

Source: Download from Audible.com

Torment was released by Delacorte Books for Young Readers on September 28, 2010.

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Meet a young seagull named Stanley. Follow him as he wanders far from home and tries to find his way back. Join Stanley on his journey as he learns how humans affect the balance of nature.

Stanley Seagull is a children's picture book that could be used to teach several concepts. Filled with colorful illustrations, this book could be a springboard for a discussion on listening, conservation, healthy eating, consequences or not giving up.  Most of us can probably easily relate to Stanley's predicament and have likewise found ourselves in a bad situation because we didn't listen or pay attention to what was going on around us.  Hopefully like Stanley we don't give up but instead keep searching until we find our way out.


Rating: 3.5 Stars - Good Book

Source: From Publisher for Review

Stanley Seagull web site:
http://www.StanleySeagull.com

Stanley Seagull YouTube video book trailer:


Stanely Seagull was released on June 27, 2011 by TB Press.

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A Kid's Guide to Being a Winner by C.D. Shelton:

A Kid's Guide to being a Winner is an easy-to-read book for kids who are in need of that little "Extra" spark of understanding. A Kid's Guide to being a Winner is a book for young people on the Values of being responsible, being thoughtful, being respectful, having a positive mental attitude and having gratitude. A Kid's guide to being a Winner is about timeless and fundamental principles, which are essential to SUCCESS. A Kid's Guide to being a Winner includes steps that are simple, yet the results are POWERFUL.

A Kid's Guide to Being A Winner is a book that would useful to help reinforce positive character traits in our children.  In this book the author focuses on helping kids make the choice to be a "winner" by being responsible, thoughtful, respectful, having gratitude and a positive mental attitude.  Simple black and white illustrations reinforce the simple concepts that even younger children could grasp.  This quick easy read may be just what you are looking for to help motivate your student or child.


Rating: 3.5 Stars - Good Book

Source: From Author for Review

A Kid's Guide to Being a Winner was released by Choice PH on June 25, 2011.

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Someone is watching . . .

As a young widow, all Elaina Bryant wants is a fresh start. Determined to put ten painful years behind her, she returns to her hometown and moves in with her sister, Natalie. Elaina soon accepts a job working at a small bookstore owned by the handsome Ryan Hill and his mother. Despite her reluctance to become romantically involved with anyone, she is drawn to Ryan and finds herself falling in love.

But someone isn’t happy with Elaina’s new life and is watching her every move. Her tormenter seems determined to destroy her sanity and her future, but Elaina can’t convince anyone the threat is real. Natalie is preoccupied with her own blossoming romance, and their friend Peter, a police officer, seems to believe the threat has been manufactured in Elaina’s own mind as a result of her guilt and grief.

Now Elaina’s plans for a new start are crashing down around her. She knows she will have to find the answers before she can overcome the past and enjoy love and happiness again. But how can she protect those she loves when she doesn’t know whom to trust?

Double Deceit kept me turning the pages until the end to find out who was stalking Elaina.  Stephanie's writing made the scenes that were unfolding easy to picture in my mind and I could relate to her characters.

With a title like Double Deceit I started looking for clues early on as to who was being deceived and who was the deceiver. About half way through the book I told my husband I was really enjoying it and had to keep reading to the end but I was fairly sure of the outcome. However I did have a few doubts, at least enough to keep me turning the pages.  I love to be surprised but in this case there were no surprises for me. I had guessed exactly where the story was going and it played out just like I thought it would. Even with having figured out the story line Double Deceit was still a book I enjoyed and would recommend to those who enjoy clean, romantic mysteries.


Content: Clean

Rating: 3.5 Stars - A Good Book

Source: From Author for Review

Be sure to stop by Stephanie Humphrey's site to enter her Double Deceit Blog Tour Contest which includes your chance to win prizes including an amazon.com gift card.



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OF COURSE you think I did a horrible thing by eating Little Red Riding Hood and her granny. You don't know the other side of the story. Well, let me tell you...

The Big Bad Wolf is trying so hard to be good.  He is after all a vegetarian and tries hard to resist meat.  He much prefers apples but when red riding hood shows up looking as plump and juicy as a big red apple what is a hungry wolf to do?

I enjoy fairy tale retelling and although this wasn't my favorite it was a fun read.  The pictures are adorable.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Source: Netgalley

Honestly Red Riding Hood Was Rotten by Tricia Speed Shaskan was released on August 1, 2011 by Picture Window Books

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With the same candor and creativity that made Men Are Life Waffles-Women Are Like Spaghetti (more than 270,000 copies sold) a bestseller, author Pam Farrel gives wives 52 ways to wow their husbands and add spark to their marriages. Pam delivers humor in her fun woman-to-woman style through inspirational stories, godly advice, and easy-to-read offerings that include:
wow assignments: simple ways to support, love, and encourage husbands
wow wisdom: Bible verses and wisdom to help women cover their spouse with prayer
wow dates: creative ideas for everything from shared meals to weekend getaways
Newlyweds, married with kids, or empty nesters will appreciate these ideas crafted for the busy life. A woman can try one idea a week for a year or take on a few at a time to deepen her spiritual, emotional, and physical bond with her loved one.

The title of this book scared me a little bit. I'm conservative and wasn't sure what would be involved in "wowing" my husband. The only reason I considered reviewing this book was because it was by a Christian Publisher. Although the author has no qualms about talking about the importance of sex, sex is not the main focus of this book.

This book has 52 creative date ideas and suggestions to build a stronger relationship.  Although not all of them were ideas that fit me there were some really great suggestions I'm planning to try.  The chapters are short which made this a really quick read.  With as crazy as my life has been this book helped me remember that despite all the trials and stresses of life with 5 kids I need to remember to take time for my marriage and put my husband first.


Rating: 3.5 Stars

Source: Netgalley

Content: Clean - but obviously aimed at married women.

52 Ways to Wow Your Husband by Pam Farrel was released August 1, 2011 by Harvest House Publishers.

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Prince Sterling wishes to marry beautiful Princess Rose. Princess Rose wishes to own a beautiful hairpin. The pampered princess agrees to the marriage if Prince Sterling finds her the "perfect" present. Join Prince Sterling on his quest for the ideal hairpin for the prickly and hilariously horrid Princess Rose. Is beauty more important than character or is it only skin deep? Find out as Prince Sterling encounters miners mining for diamonds, a woodland fairy riding her pet peacock, a dragon with rainbow-coloured scales and Lily, a kind-hearted, plain peasant girl who lives in a cosy little cottage with a menagerie of animals. 

I received this picture book back in January and here it is six months later and I'm finally getting around to reviewing it. This book disappeared for quite a while and I finally found it in my daughter's bedroom.

Fairy tales and princesses are a big thing here in my house so this was a hit with my 5 year old. As a parent I really appreciate books that teach a lesson while being entertaining and this book fit that bill. Even at the age of 5 my daughter picked up on the fact that beauty is only skin deep and said she would rather be friends with the plain but kind peasant instead of the beautiful but unkind princess.

This was an enjoyable read that we have read more than once.  It's a little long for a quick bedtime read so I attempted to abridge it on our last read.  My daughter was not happy that I had not read her all the words.


Source: From author for review

Rating: 3.5 Stars - A Good Book!

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On the first day of Lillian’s summer-before-college, she gets a message on her cell from her sort-of friend, Penny. Not only has Penny faked her own kidnapping, but Lil is the only one who figures it out. She knows that Penny’s home life has been rough, and that her boyfriend may be abusive. Soon, Penny’s family, the local police, and even the FBI are grilling Lil, and she decides to head out to Oregon, where Penny has mentioned an acquaintance. And who better to road-trip across the country with than Lil’s BFF, Josh. But here’s the thing: Lil loves Josh. And Josh doesn’t want to “ruin” their amazing friendship.

Josh has a car and his dad’s credit card. Lil has her cellphone and a hunch about where Penny is hiding. There’s something else she needs to find: Are she and Josh meant to be together?

After my senior year I took the "road trip" that Lil & Josh took so this was fun to read.  (Although my trip was with family and lasted full 7 weeks).  As they described the places they were visiting I kept thinking - been there, done that!

Don't Stop Now was a fun, quick read that I really enjoyed.  I liked the characters and found myself thinking about them when I was done reading.  With as crazy as my life has been it's been hard to find the desire or time to read, but this book hooked me and I want to know how the story ended so I spent a morning reading it.

My only complaint is that the ending was just too easy.  I'm a believer in fate and coincidence but I couldn't really buy how easily things all worked out - I've been to Portland and it's a big city - it just didn't seem plausible to me.  That said it was a fun enough read that I let myself suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the ride.

Rating - 3.5 Stars - Good Book

Content - language especially at the start of the book, implied teen sex but no details, abuse but again no details

Source - From author for review as part of The Teen Book Scene Blog Tour

For all the tour stops please visit The Teen Book Scene

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A captivating and magical tale that begs to be read aloud, Princess Zaara and the Enchanted Forest by children’s author Umbreen Asghar is the sort of tale that sparks the imagination and fuels a child’s curiosity. With lavish, highly stylized illustrations by Diane Lucas, this beginning children’s book introduces a curious Spanish princess named Zaara. She’s seven and the only thing she wants in the whole wide kingdom is to explore the forest that is just beyond her empire, so when she gets a chance, she jumps at it. She discovers that the forest is all she has ever heard or dreamed about, and there in the mesmerizing dark folds, keeping her royal lineage a secret, she makes friends. They’re a curious lot. There’s Morgan the Giant, Elvin the Elf, Banji the Bear and Tiffany-Annabel, all who bring something special to the group. When an evil wood spirit puts a spell on her new pals, Zaara shows courage and tenacity befitting the best sort of princess—the kind that is a friend first.

Priness Zaara and the Enchanted Forest is a fairytale that teaches a message about friendship.  Princess Zaara sneaks away into the forest and comes across magical creatures who teach her about being a friend.  I like the illustrations, especially the one on the cover.

I read this to 3 of my children ages 5-11.  They enjoyed the first half of the story but then seemed to lose interest about half way through the book.  There was a lot of writing on each page and they got distracted before I was done reading the pages that had a lot of text on them.  It's a cute book but not one we'll reread over and over again.



Rating: 3 Stars

Source: From Author For Review

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When you're the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life should be pretty good. But 16-year-old Alice Amorous has been living a lie ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness. After putting on a brave front for months, time is running out. The next book is overdue, and the Queen can't write it. Alice needs a story for her mother—and she needs one fast.


That's when she meets Errol, a strange boy who claims to be Cupid, who insists that Alice write about the greatest love story in history: his tragic relationship with Psyche. As Alice begins to hear Errol's voice in her head and see things she can't explain, she must face the truth—that she's either inherited her mother's madness, or Errol is for real.

Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors was a quick, cute read. A good mix of mystery, romance and real life issues with a little mythology mixed in. The book held my interest through out but I never really connected with the characters.

I like how this book tackles the real life problem of bipolar depression. Alice has been dealing with her mother's depression and erratic behavior for years. Her mother is now secretly staying in a mental institution and her next book is overdue. Enter Errol who has a story that he wants told. Can they work together to get a book published in time?

I would recommend this book to those who are looking for an sweet, imaginative romance story with quirky characters and a good message.



Content: a couple swear words but otherwise clean

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Source: From Publisher for Review

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The First-Timer's Cookbook is the one cookbook that teaches all the basics. With simple techniques and easy step-by-step instructions for cooking almost anything, now you can learn how to cook, not just what to cook. Easy to follow step-by-step instructions. Lots of descriptive photos. Easy to understand and fun to use.

This book claims it teaches the "basics" and it isn't kidding. There are no actual recipes in this book it is truly meant for a beginner who does not know their way around a kitchen.

The first 5 chapters define the basics of cooking explaining how to set a table, basic cookware to purchase, how to properly use a knife and cooking procedures. The remaining 8 chapters include how to cook meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruits, how to bread food, cook pasta, potatoes and rice, how to prepare sauces and season foods. Truly a book on how to do the basics. As I have cooked quite a bit I found this book too basic and wasn't able to glean much from it. I thought it could have been improved by having a couple more chapters that included some basic recipes.

If you have never cooked before this book would be a great place to start. It has descriptive photos and easy step by step instructions.

About The Author:
Chef Shawn Bucher holds business degrees and a culinary certificate and has worked in the food service industry for over 12 years. Having been involved in most aspects of the industry “from grocery stores to restaurants, hotels, schools to corporate training and development,” he brings a unique and overall perspective to cooking and the food service industry.



http://www.firsttimerscookbook.com/

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Source: For Review as part of MediaGuests.net blog tour

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The timeless tale of a boy (with autism) and his (shelter) dog. Over the past 10 years, author Sandra Gerencher has been on a mission to save dogs from high-kill animal shelters. Her first rescue was P.J., the black and white Pomeranian in the story. She also adopted the orange Pomeranians Shelby and Lil Rascal, and of course, Chance, the big black Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix. All characters in the story are based on Sandra's real life family. The book is filled with softly blended watercolor photos of her loved ones. Her most significant adoption was her son, Terry. He was considered a special needs child because he was born with a genetic disorder known as Fragile X Syndrome. The disorder can cause many cognitive disorders, such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, mental retardation and depression.

Second Chance is narrated by Chance a shelter dog who is adopted into a family with an autistic boy.  He keeps hearing the word adoption and wonders what it is.  Ryan is autistic and has trouble communicating with most people but is able to communicate with Chance.

This is a book I would recommend to the right audience: those who are adopted or autistic or have children that are. It's a great book for helping to explain what adoption is to a child.  It didn't delve into autism as much as it did adoption but still addressed the subject.

The biggest drawback of this book is the way it was formatted. Small print on dark colored pages made the text difficult to read. There were too many words on each page for it to be a read aloud yet it was a picture book making it a little young for older children who would be able to read it alone.

What I really liked was knowing this was based on a true story.  A visit to the authors website and seeing the pictures that the illustrations were based on made me appreciate the book more.

About the Author:
Sandra J. Gerencher is a special education teacher in the Bangor Area public school system. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked at Lehigh University in a school-based program, as a Program Specialist for adults with disabilities. Over the past 20 years she has worked with children and adults with special needs in such areas as counseling, Behavior Specialist Consultation, behavioral research, crisis intervention and abuse therapy. Sandra graduated from Lehigh University with a M.Ed. in Special Education (2004) and from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia with an M.S. in Counseling Psychology (1999).



Rating 3.5 Stars

Source: Tribute Books Tour

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Lost on Spirit River by Tommy Batchelor:

Thirteen-year-old Tony's parents are in the middle of divorce, his mother sends him to his Grandpa's along the banks of the Flint River in Southwestern Georgia. With his younger cousin Kathryn, they set out to look for a Christmas tree for the holidays, along with Grandpa's aging beagle, Sally. The three become lost in a snowstorm, which has not hit Georgia in three hundred years. Finding shelter in a hidden cave, stumbling upon Native American art. Now the adventure begins...

In Lost on Spirit River, author Tommy Batchelor has written an entertaining young-adult novel with a multi-pronged message. He uses suspense and adventure to capture his audience's attention...The dialogue is crisp...The characters are well developed... Readers glimpse the spirit world of ancient native tribes in a way that will stir imaginations...Kim Reale's illustrations solidify the images already created by Batchelor's exceptional ability to describe scenes and setting. Highly Recommended by William Potter for Reader's Choice Book Reviews.

Book Trailer:


Lost on Spirit River is an adventure story for middle grade readers. Kathryn and her cousin Tony set out to find the perfect Christmas tree. Tony takes them further and further from home until they find themselves lost in a sudden snow storm. What follows is an adventure story that mixes elements of Native American folklore with Tony and Kathryn's quest to find their way home.

The back cover of the book bills this as a young-adult novel but it is most definitely aimed at a younger middle grade audience. There are a few editing errors mainly with punctuation and the way the pages are laid out that were a little distracting but otherwise a great adventure story. The illustrations really added to the book and helped bring the story to life.



Content: Clean

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Source: Received a review copy from the author through The Teen Book Scene.

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Tiny Angel by Nancy Carti Lepri
When her dad is transferred to a new town, Macy Carver leaves behind her best friend and everything she knows. Suddenly she is the new girl…alone and bullied. An unexpected flash announces guardian angel Jody, who teaches her how to fit in and become a forever friend.

Read an Excerpt:
“Hey, chubbo quit hogging the sidewalk!” Kenny Thompson yanked the front of his bike off the ground, circled around eight-year-old Macy Carver, and stuck out his tongue.

“Don’t,” she yelled. Kenny cut the bike’s front wheel, covering her with dirty water. Laughing, he sped toward school.

“Creepazoid!” Macy said, brushing mud from her jeans, which made a worse mess. Mud even splattered her favorite top. Tears filled her eyes. Stupid North Carolina! Why did her dad have to move here? She hated being the new kid in class. Thanks to Kenny, the kids either ignored her or were mean. To make things worse, she had to sit next to him. Sighing, she trudged on, hoping that when she got to school, Kenny would have sprouted huge warts on his nose.

The first bell rang. Macy walked to her desk and tripped over Kenny’s outstretched foot.

“Hey four-eyes.” He laughed when she stumbled. “Are you a klutzo, too? Aw, poor Macy, dirty and klutzy.”

Macy grabbed the side of her desk to keep from falling. She glared at Kenny, ready to stick out her tongue, but decided he didn’t need anything else to tease her about. Biting her lip, she sat at her desk. She wanted to go home—fat lot of good that would do her. She knew she wouldn’t feel better there.

The letter she got yesterday from her best friend, Emily burned in her back pocket. Darn Emily! At least they’d been best friends back home. When she thought about everything Emily wrote, Macy’s stomach tightened and jerked as if she’d dropped three floors in a runaway elevator, and those muscles wouldn’t relax. It was the same feeling she got in the pit of her tummy every time she lied to her mother about something. Guilty.

But what do I have to feel guilty about? I haven’t done anything wrong. It isn’t like I wanted to move away.

Betrayed. That’s how Macy felt every time she thought about Emily telling her how she and Tricia Mitchell rode the school bus together now, played games and how they were always at each other’s house. Emily told Macy how much fun they were having, even saying they were going to the roller rink on Saturday then having a sleepover at Tricia’s house…something she and Emily loved doing together. Tricia Mitchell! Funny, Emily never liked Tricia before. She always called her stuck up. Now they’re best friends? What’s up with that?

Maybe Emily didn’t miss her at all. Macy suddenly felt lonelier than ever and she really wanted to cry.

A thwack to the back of her head reminded her that her misery was endless. She grabbed the runaway pencil from her lap and held it up. Kenny reached and snatched it from her. Macy blinked hard to keep the tears away. Please don’t let me cry in front of the other kids.

“Hey, I think Macy forgot her pencil. She’s trying to steal mine.” He leaned in with a nasty smirk and whispered, “Hey, chubbo, do you get a royalty every time someone up-sizes their burgers at Wendy’s?”

Choking with anger, Macy bal

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