"Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

SUMMARY :
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.


PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Published by:  Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre:  YA Fiction/Supernatural
Pages:  592
Series
Find it here:  Barnes & Noble 


ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Kami Garcia is a teacher and reading specialist with an MA in education, and leads book groups for children and teenagers. Margaret Stohl has an MA in English and studied creative writing under poet George MacBeth at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. They both live in Los Angeles, California, with their families. Beautiful Creatures is their debut novel.


THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

I've had my eye on this book for quite a while.  It captured my attention because of the small Southern town setting and the "To Kill A Mockingbird" sort of hype.  It didn't let me down.  From the earliest chapters I was caught up in the story of a young man whose father and elderly housekeeper reminded me happily of those "...Mockingbird" surroundings.  Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl are not to be overlooked as just YA writers with a light story to tell.  This is a book with depth and interest for a cross-over read for adults, as well.

The primary characters, Ethan and Lena, are sophisticated and well drawn with plenty of interesting dialog and formidable backgrounds to draw upon.  I loved the suspense of finding out all the intricacies of their attachment to each other.  And, I enjoyed learning about their Southern roots and the people who intersected their previous and current lives.  Some things never change in small towns in the South!

The circumstances of witchcraft and mysterious happenings just adds thickness to the soup in this novel.  It's the pre-life that intrigued me most.  Garcia and Stohl bring an over all eerie magic to their setting.

I look forward to reading all the books in this series.  It's charming and well-written, and the characters are worthwhile.  I can see how they would stand up to more.  Interesting and exotic.  I highly recommend this book!

5 stars             Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"Mything You" by Greta Buckle~YA Fiction in Ancient Athens

SUMMARY :

He wasn't looking for love. He only wanted to prove he was worthy of being a king's son.

Adventurer Theseus had dreamed of meeting his father, King Aegeus. As Theseus journeys to Athens, he meets his match in strength along the way. But is it the will of a beautiful young princess that puts this strong young man finally at his mercy? Or will he be able to conquer the princess’s heart?

She had settled for a life of unhappiness and believed a man who would love her for herself was only in her dreams.

Princess Ari has followed her father’s dictates all her life. On her way to meet her bridegroom, she is attacked. Saved by a handsome adventurer, Theseus, she tempts fate and follows him on his journey to Athens. Being with Theseus opens up a whole new world of opportunity for her. But will she allow her heart or loyal duty choose her life for her?

 

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance

Formats: Print and eBook​

Publisher: Self-Published/Edited by Written Dreams aka Brittiany Koran

 

LINKS:

 

Website Link: http://gretabuckle.com   

 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Greta-Buckle/e/B009JLHC66/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1350419816&sr=8-1

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Greta-Buckle/294685373900979?ref=ts&fref=ts

 

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

 

Greta Buckle grew up in Irish Catholic Boston before moving to the Miami sun. She’s worked in engineering, then became a lawyer. After realizing she hates clients, she became a high school teacher. Teaching is fun, but writing is a passion. She wrote one hundred and one fan fiction stories online before deciding to transition into writing her own stories. Never ask her to republish her fan stories from age eleven- horribly written stories of princesses. Greta dreams of writing professionally, where her barista can make her coffee and a walk on the beach, can motivate her tales. Theseus story came to her when she was a freshman in high school as her English teacher, the nun, told her how life was hard and tragedy teaches lessons. Greta’s love of writing has kept her centered and focused. How is she crazy? The voices in her head are characters in novels and she’s not insane.


A GUEST POST FROM GRETA :


Hi, Greta, we know you set your book in ancient Athens.  Can you tell us a bit about that...why did you choose this setting?

 

We don’t know a lot and so many stories are based on the writings. I wanted to write a science fiction book and began my research. I googled for images, but of course photography didn’t exist then. My sisters and brother both spoke Latin (yes the dead language), and I did take a Mythology course in high school. And the stories have such highs and such lows. Greeks myths are often tragic. Science fiction is chalk full of ancient stories with better endings. And one day I hope to write an amazing science fiction novel, but while researching I realized I love Myths and have this image in my head of the time period.

 

This leads back to rereading the myths and movies. I do love some movies and shows set in ancient times. Action rocks. Troy, 300, Rome Season One, Spartacus Season One, and I’m sure I’m missing a few on my list of favorites. Sometimes there are great movies to me, like these listed, set in those times. Other times, epic fail as I’m not connecting and cannot stand the movie or show at all.

 

In reading and researching, I realized I’ve never seen a fun action story starring the Theseus who lived in my head. The movies I saw that I enjoy from the past all helped me with the setting. I did forget the Kevin Sorbo Hercules, as that one really painted an interest in me with a setting of ordinary people against monsters or mythological creatures. Sorry went off topic for a second.

 

The idea of Theseus being a man, not a god, has always struck me as something relatable. Theseus goes to meet his father, confronts him, fights the Minotaur to save his father’s city-state, and then life throws a curve ball or two. Tragedy? Really? No, not in my head.

 

Also in the myth Ariadne is the girl with the red string who helps Theseus find the minotaur and free himself. She loved him, and I heard the heroine. She’s strong and goes after what she wants.

 

Stewing on these facts, I wove a story where true love wins, and heroes defeat monsters and their own internal fears.

 

I hope people allow me creative license. What I don’t know in Ancient Athens is the details of everyday life and I did research and decided take some liberties, like the mirror. I get that in that myth about the guy seeing his reflection in the water makes him fall in love with himself. But in wanting to stay fast paced, that minor detail of water reflecting versus someone’s ease of using a mirror… mirror won. And you can’t tell me mirrors didn’t exist at the time. You can’t prove it. I can’t prove they did and I moving along. And hey who knows perhaps it was all alien influence like another show tells me… I’ll get into anything for a good story.

 

Yet I did try to hold important truths and ancient writers, and have people live as close as possible as to me how humans interact is far more important. This is a value judgment, and my list. The Amazons did procreate in the manner I described sometimes, and they did cut off a piece of their breasts to shoot straight. This detail struck me as more important. They show up far later in the story. How did I learn this? Research. Books and Google.

 

Honestly, if there is a part of the story I can gloss over is setting. It’s why those movies I mentioned are so important. We don’t know so much from this time period. And characters are why I write. Stories are better with good setting. Oh and the pictures of what the togas and what a Chilton and how men and women dress differently, help tremendously. Google and online directions on how to sew one are fun, even if I can’t go in a straight line with a needle.

 

My characters, Ari, would have a keen eye on setting because she grew up in a palace and noticed everything. Theseus wouldn’t notice what color was in the tapestry on the wall or the significance. So the settings became through Ari’s eyes that the world gets painted because that would matter to her in Mything You.

 

 

So Athens is the perfect setting for your love story!  Thanks for sharing that background with us.

I'm giving this small excerpt for everyone to enjoy for a taste of "Mything You" :

 

 

EXCERPT:

Theseus’ entire body must have been made in the nectar of desire because she wished to bury herself in his arms. And he didn’t stop her from running to him. She jumped when a crash cracked through the air. Blinking, unsure of what happened, her body became rigid. Theseus pulled her into his arms and onto the ground seconds before the giant flew over the pair of them.

He took his hand off her head. He had protected her. Again.

Staring up at him stirred something unique inside her that she never believed could happen to her. She’d seen the plays and the tragedy that love caused, but never understood temptation. The fire in her belly burned into every part of her body from his smoldering eyes. He looked down at her as he cradled her in his arms. “That was Sinus. I don’t think he’ll kill anyone else ever again.”

“He won’t. How do you know his name?”

“He’s the reason I chose this path when I was fifteen. I had planned to prove my courage to my father, and take out the biggest villain on the road.”

“Check that off the list of goals then.” she said. “Good job.”

She continued to embrace Theseus, making her body tingle from crazy stirrings. What would he taste like? She’d die a happy death if he put his lips on hers. My, what was she thinking?

“I never believed you’d be here, or that my goal in that moment would turn to protecting you.” he said, pulling her closer.

She shook off her desires. She needed to let him go. She focused on logic instead of the male body in front of her. “I don’t know what to say. Today has been the craziest day.”

“It’s the middle of the night, little one.”

“You’re right. I don’t know what’s happening to me anymore. Theseus, this never happens to me.”

“What doesn’t happen to you?” he asked, smiling.

“I don’t know.”

He played with her hair, and straightened her clothes. “Your innocence and desire are a siren’s call to me, Ari, and you don’t have a clue, do you?”

“Who’s Ari?” She half expected to be disappointed with whatever he would say.

“You are. It fits you much better than Ariadne. Ari trembles for me.”

She licked her lips, wanting to kiss him. But she couldn’t. Theseus embodied a man out of her dreams.

She looked away thinking of what waited for her when her father’s men found her. “I don’t know my bridegroom. I’ve only ever known my duty.”

Theseus’ body tensed. “You’re betrothed?”

“I never agreed. The bride price, I’m told, paid for my father’s upgrade to the artillery. In the morning or someday soon, I’ll be found. But…can you do me one last favor?”

“What, little one?” His arms grew warm again, tightening around her. She dared for a different life, where she lived with a chance of walking next to him in life. Letting him go and going back to the life her father chose sounded cold and dreary. She couldn’t, not yet.

“Kiss me, Theseus, just once.”

Taking a step closer to him, she looked into his mesmerizing eyes. His strong hands framed her face, his fingers circled her mouth and his eyes darkened with tenderness. When he leaned into her, her eyelids fluttered shut. His light pressure sweetly opened her mouth.

Her secret wish had come true. The prison walls in Ariadne’s heart disappeared in her soul, and today Ari’s lips ached.

He bent his head close. Then, she felt his strong lips on hers, and she lost control.

Please see more and visit more book tours on Black Lion Virtural Book Tours by choosing this link:
http://www.blackliontours.com  and searching under "Mything You"


This is a fun book for a lazy afternoon of reading!    Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"Fuse" by Julianna Baggott~"Pure" Trilogy Bk 2

SUMMARY:  

Book 2 of the Pure Trilogy

We want our son returned.

This girl is proof that we can save you all. If you ignore our plea, we will kill our hostages one at a time.

To be a Pure is to be perfect, untouched by Detonations that scarred the earth, and sheltered inside the paradise that is the Dome. But Partridge escaped to the outside world, where Wretches struggle to survive amid smoke and ash. Now, at the command of Partridge's father, the Dome is unleashing nightmare after nightmare upon the Wretches in an effort to get him back.

At Partridge's side is a small band of those united against the Dome: Lyda, the warrior; Bradwell, the revolutionary; El Capitan, the guard; and Pressia, the young woman whose mysterious past ties her to Partridge in ways she never could have imagined. Long ago a plan was hatched that could mean the earth's ultimate doom. Now only Partridge and Pressia can set things right.

To save millions of innocent lives, Partridge must risk his own by returning to the Dome and facing his most terrifying challenge. And Pressia, armed only with a mysterious Black Box containing a set of cryptic clues, must travel to the very ends of the earth, to a place where no map can guide her. If they succeed, the world will be saved. But should they fail, humankind will pay a terrible price . . .

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Grand Central Publishing
Pages:  Approximately 465
Genre:  YA fiction/Post Apocalypse
Trilogy
Author:  Julianna Baggott
Learn More:  Julianna Baggott
Book Released:  February 2013

Pre-release purchase:  Barnes & Noble   and   Amazon


THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

"Fuse" is the second book in the "Pure" trilogy and if possible, it's a better book than the first.  While I felt the first section of the book was slow on the up-take, it never faltered in terms of catching the reader up on who's who; the background of the troupe of players involved.  Fascinating young people with a gripping goal of fighting the uber powers contained in a Dome set on controlling the Wretches on the land below them after a catastrophe of detonations they caused.

The beauty of this book and the series in my opinion lies in the magnificent imagination of Julianna Baggott to create people fused together with objects and other people and animals.  She also creates new "creatures" that rise from the dust, as well as muck and forests that are just horrific.  And she creates cyber creatures that sit on the edge of believability...mechanical spiders with timed detonations that sink into human skin, for instance.  I just love the bird back of one of  her main characters, Bradwell.  And the doll head fist of Pressia.  These and others are symbolic of their stations in the story.  So many possibilities for symbolism to ferret through in this book and the series so far.  It's flat entertaining, and one of those sets of books to sit down with a group of friends to discuss.

The story itself grows in depth as the young people are called to greater risks when Partridge, the head of the Dome society's son, is forced to go back to the Dome.   All the answers aren't given in this volume, but so much is told that I was kept in suspense with the characters.  I love them all and can't wait to follow them to the end!

This is a book that will stand on its on, but is best read as a part of the series. 

Fascinating in detail, imaginative and absorbing.  This is a scifi book that grips the heart at the same time it draws the mind in on a symbolic journey through a world nearly descimated by a privileged class. That torn and fused world is on its way to being recaptured by the hope and fortitude of a band of young people with the vision to set things right. 

I am captivated...I think you will be, too.

5 stars               Deborah/TheBookishDame

 

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"Beyond the Valley" by Rita Gerlach~Completes the Trilogy

SUMMARY :
When Sarah Carr's husband Jamie drowns, her young life is shattered and takes a turn that she never expected. Pregnant and now widowed, she reaches out to Jamie's family for help but they are unwilling. Instead they devise a plan to have her kidnapped and taken to the Colonies to live a life of servitude.

In the wilds of Maryland, Sarah endures the hardships of being indentured and the debasement of being a woman. In despair, she offers up faithful prayers that are answered. But Sarah's new life in the Colonies finds her surrounded by a family's whirlwind of secrets, while she hopes the young doctor she loveswill bring her freedom.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Abingdon Press
Pages:  336
Genre:  Historical Fiction/Inspirational
Author:  Rita Gerlach
Find Out More:  Scarlet Dawn Series


THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

Having just finished the long-awaited final book in The Scarlet Dawn trilogy, I'm a little sad.  I fell in love with the characters of these books, as I said in my earlier reviews (the most recent one just last week).  Rita Gerlach has a gift for writing historical fiction.  She never fails to entertain, but more than that, she doesn't fail to bring a note of truth and spiritual warmth to her stories.  I always come away feeling better for having read one of her books.

In "Beyond the Valley" we find the conclusion and story behind Sarah, the quiet and gentle helper Eliza found for her time of need in "The Scarlet Dawn."  Sarah was always a character that touched my heart and left me guessing.  I was so delighted to know that Rita was going to resolve her story.

Sarah is a rich character with strengths that only a young woman whose life is centered on God can come to terms with.  Her kidnapping and enslavement, as well as her loss of a child could have made her bitter and angry to the point of self-destruction, but Gerlach shows us another way out of Sarah's
nightmarish predicaments.  It is her faith in a God that makes this heroine memorable. Despite every odd that says otherwise, Sarah has faith that God will provide for her and show her loved one the way to her. She is the greatest of Ms Gerlach's creations.

This is a series that I highly recommend for hours of very enlightening and heartwarming reading.  Rita Gerlach only gets better as the years go by.  Her writing ranks with the best of historical fiction authors.

Please find her books here:  Barnes & Noble  and Amazon

Wonderful books for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons!


5 stars      Deborah/TheBookishDame


 

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"Wear This Now" by Michelle Madhok~Wardrobe Makeover!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Online shopping expert and style guru Michelle Madhok is the founder and CEO of SHEFINDS MEDIA, the company behind shefinds.com and the sites momfinds.com and bridefinds.com. She provides online shopping tips on behalf of Bank of America and PayPal and has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, the Today show, and Good Morning America, among others. Madhok has been featured in Woman’s Day, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, and New York Daily News.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Harlequin
Pages:  304
Genre:  Non-fiction
Author:  Michelle Madhok
More By This Author:  Madhok


THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

Michelle Madhok and Eileen Conlan are editors and writers, experts from SheFinds media for women execs, brides and moms and all around fashionable women!  Who wouldn't want them dressing you?
They are mavens of clothing and dressing other people as well as themselves.  This fabulous book is a reference guide and closet "helper" for women.  Stand in line, ladies, this is one of the best books I've ever read on the subject!

There's much to be learned in this volume, so I'm going to summarize in a nutshell just to whet your appetite. 

There are 5 Fashion Commands to Live By....did you know this?  Here they are:
1)  The right fit flatters
2)  Style and trends are not mutually exclusive
3)  When in doubt, buy a dress!
4)  Your personal style is your calling card
5)  Browse often, buy sparingly

And here are some more Stylish Tips I learned about from these divas of dressing:
1)  Jewelry selecting for body and face types
2)  Foundations are "foundational"
3)  Checking out seasonal sales
4)  Where to buy luxury clothing and accessories at discount prices...consignments, outlets and online shopping!!
5)  Business dressing...the whole nine yards and every occasion
6)  Seasonal wardrobes demystified
7)  Travel attire
8)  Holiday and special occasion wear

This is a book that keeps on giving.  I thought the suggestions and solutions to major wardrobe questions were timeless.

A great gift idea for the upcoming holidays, this book is one every woman could use on a closet shelf!

4 stars               Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo" by Francisco Haghenbeck

SUMMARY : 

When several notebooks were recently discovered among Frida Kahlo’s belongings at her home in Coyoacán, Mexico City, acclaimed Mexican novelist F. G. Haghenbeck was inspired to write this beautifully wrought fictional account of her life. Haghenbeck imagines that, after Frida nearly died when a streetcar’s iron handrail pierced her abdomen during a traffic accident, she received one of the notebooks as a gift from her lover Tina Modotti. Frida called the notebook “The Hierba Santa Book” (The Sacred Herbs Book) and filled it with memories, ideas, and recipes.

Haghenbeck takes readers on a magical ride through Frida’s passionate life: her long and tumultuous relationship with Diego Rivera, the development of her art, her complex personality, her hunger for experience, and her ardent feminism. This stunning narrative also details her remarkable relationships with Georgia O’Keeffe, Leon Trotsky, Nelson Rockefeller, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Henry Miller, and Salvador Dalí. Combining rich, luscious prose with recipes from “The Hierba Santa Book,” Haghenbeck tells the extraordinary story of a woman whose life was as stunning a creation as her art.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Atria/Simon and Schuster
Pages:  368
Genre:  Fiction/Historical
Author:  Francisco Haghenbeck
Learn More:  Frida Kahlo

ABOUT FRIDA :
Frida has been described as: "…one of history's grand divas…a tequila-slamming, dirty joke-telling smoker, bi-sexual that hobbled about her bohemian barrio in lavish indigenous dress and threw festive dinner parties for the likes of Leon Trotsky, poet Pablo Neruda, Nelson Rockefeller, and her on-again, off-again husband, muralist Diego Rivera."

THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

"Frida Kahlo's Secret Book" is a collection of recipes and journal entries that parodies her actual "The Hierba Santa Book" or notebooks.  To say this is an extraordinary novel is to be understated.  It's a rare adventure.  Lively and visual, this is a book that hits you at gut level in many ways.  From the impact of Frida's childhood illnesses, to her near deaths, to her heartaches and her life challenges, this novel chronicles her existence like a bowl of lush and over-ripe fruit.  Bursting with detail and flowing with visceral imagery, you can't help being drawn along a river of Death with it.

Frida coexists with Death.  Her every waking moment and her dreams are immersed in Death.  Her conversations and paintings/artwork...even her attire and interiors are inspired by her obsessiveness with it.  She lives with constant pain and that pain and her struggle with death at her door becomes her very existence.

This book is beautiful and dark.  I found it told in nearly fairytale fashion...like an original Grimm's Fairy Tale...sometimes ugly, yet beautiful and hypnotic at the same time.

I won't reiterate the summary, but will tell you that her life story is gorgeous and lush.  I was not always in agreement with her choices (far be it from me to make judgements!!), but I was always amazed and in awe of them!  I loved her panache and fearlessness, her over-blown manner no matter the occasion or the people she met.  I love her artwork, as well, and appreciated the book in terms of a background to those paintings and altars to the Dead.   What a strange and exotic creature she was.

"The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo" wouldn't be fully reviewed without my mentioning that it is packed full of recipes for the times and people she knew and cooked for.  Just amazing recipes for famous people such as her husband, Diego Rivera, and certain others including Georgia O'Keefe with whom she was rumored to have an affair.

Here's the recipe for Mole she cooked called "Georgia's Delights:"

MOLE DEOLLA

1 lb. shredded beef
2  1/4 lbs. beef shank
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/4 onions, chopped
5 guajillo chilies, deseeded
4 Roma tomatoes
Salt
1 ear corn, husked & cut into chunks
2 carrots, peeled & sliced
2 squash, sliced
1 sprig epazote
1 prickly pear, peeled & cut into small squares
14 oz. pre-mixed masa rolled into small balls
Cilantro leaves
Lemons, sliced
Chopped onions

Saute meat with 1 garlic clove and 1 onion.  Then puree and strain chiles, tomatoes and remaining garlic clove and 1/4 onion.  Pour mixture into pan where meat was cooked.  Add salt, corn and carrots.  Cover and cook 45 minutes over low heat.  Add squash, epazote, pear and masa balls.  Cook for 10 more minutes.  Serve accompanied by onion, cilantro and lemon.

Enjoy!   And enjoy the entire book.  This one is a keeper on any shelf...your regular bookshelf or kitchen.

I loved it!

5 stars                   Deborah/TheBookishDame

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Beth Revis: Celebrate Books & Win a Library of Signed YA Books

Beth Revis: Celebrate Books & Win a Library of Signed YA Books

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YA Novels~Signs of the Times

Before I begin my post, let me direct your attention to this humongous giveaway going on at Beth Revis's blog!!!  See the link: http://bethrevis.blogspot.com  Talk about a Thanksgiving Special!  Please do yourself a favor and go there to sign up for a change to win this spectacular stash...

I just wanted to take this time to be thankful this year about the plethora of YA novels and writers of them.  I used to spend more time reviewing them, and  hope to continue in that vein in coming months. 

What has impressed me most with the ones I've chosen to read, and which have become the best sellers in the past years or so is their impact on how our future is interpreted for young adult readers, and not only them but adults who are cross-over reading the same books.  Books like the obvious "Hunger Games," but also "Divergent," "Pure" and many others will see our future as projected through the eyes of authors for this generation who may experience a time in the future holding destruction and survival like we've not known to this point.  Frightening...and hopeful at the same time.  I'm drawn to the dystopian novels in particular.

Personally, I've found the fantasy novels with angelics, psychics and faeries interesting, as well on most counts.  But, they fail to hold my attention and they aren't the first books I reach for on the shelves.  To me, most are less compelling than the dystopians and more infantile.  I can see they have a huge draw for the young adults, however, and I've read some very well written examples of them!

I'm a die-hard vampire fan for those who don't know me well.  So, all those having to do with vampires, were's and such are just chocolate to me!  All I can say is give me more!  Richelle Mead is one of my favorite authors in this genre...but there are so many more.  Love them all.

I've left out categories, I know, but there are so many!  If you haven't tried the YA section of your bookstore or library or online shop, you just have to.  There's more than "Harry Potter" out there today for you. 

Here are some new recommendations:

"Reached" is the third in the "Matched" trilogy which is a futuristic novel series.

"The Evolution of Mara Dyer" is the second book in a series you have to read!  "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer" is an unforgettable novel!

"Pure" is a novel I reviewed here recently about a post-apocalyptic world...fantastic book.

and "Divergent" is a sort of "Hunger Games" book, only better in my humble opinion.  This one could be the next great movie.  It already has a cult following.

(Have I erred on the side of dystopians?  Oh, well, you can see where my heart is....  :]  )

Happy reading!

Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"The Other Woman" by Hank Phillippi Ryan ~ Timely!!

SUMMARY:  

Jane Ryland was a rising star in television news…until she refused to reveal a source and lost everything. Now a disgraced newspaper reporter, Jane isn’t content to work on her assigned puff pieces, and finds herself tracking down a candidate’s secret mistress just days before a pivotal Senate election.

Detective Jake Brogan is investigating a possible serial killer. Twice, bodies of unidentified women have been found by a bridge, and Jake is plagued by a media swarm beginning to buzz about a “bridge killer” hunting the young women of Boston.

As the body count rises and election looms closer, it becomes clear to Jane and Jake that their cases are connected…and that they may be facing a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to silence a scandal.

Dirty politics, dirty tricks, and a barrage of final twists, The Other Woman is the first in an explosive new series by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Seduction, betrayal, and murder—it’ll take a lot more than votes to win this election.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Macmillan Audiobook from Forge Books
Unabridged:  13.5 hours
Narrator:  Ilyana Kadushin
Author:  Hank Phillippi Ryan
Find out more:  Ms Ryan

A Brief Note On Ms Ryan :

Hank Phillippi Ryan is the investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate. A television journalist since 1975, she has won 27 Emmys and ten Edward R. Murrow awards for her work. Her work has resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in restitution. A best-selling author of four mystery novels, Ryan has won the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity awards for her crime fiction. Her newest thriller, THE OTHER WOMAN, was published by Forge in September 2012. She's on the national board of directors of Mystery Writers of America (and an instructor at MWA-U) and will be president of national Sisters in Crime in 2013.

The Bookish Dame Reviews :

How timely can it get?  Hank Phillippi Ryan's new book/audiobook reads like it's torn from the front pages of today's newspapers!  I thought it was timely when I was listening to it during the Romney/Obama campaign.  Boy, did I have no idea! 

This is a fabulous book which gives the perspective of a young woman who's caught between a blockbuster story and everyone who wants to be "off the record."  Every newswoman's nightmare.  Jane Ryland, the main character, is a tough and tender news reporter who would do anything to protect her sources, and does.  She's also feisty and ferocioius when it comes to those she wants to protect in her private life.  Coupled with the sometimes "off the cuff" love of her life, Jake Brogan, an equally manned-up cop, she does all she can to help turn a campaign on its ear, solve the mystery of the (several) other woman, and dig into the case of The Bridge Killer, a seemingly serial killer loose in Boston.  A lot for one woman and a cop to deal with while they steal kisses and longing looks!

Boston becomes another actor in this hot and heavy thriller, which I absolutely loved.  The town is home to me, and Ryan describes it so well as she chases after big stories and people of interest.  More of this would be wonderful as Jane becomes a series persona!

This is a fast-paced, heavy hitter of a book.  Never a dull moment as Jane works to find the other woman within a maze of different senarios.  Misadventures, mistaken identities and miscrossed situations make this a story that won't let up for one second!  If you wonder how things can get so tangled in the headlines, read this one!  The twists will defy even your attention!

I listened to this audiobook while preparing jewelry items for market this last month.  It stopped me dead in my tracks on several occasions.  Hot and searing in its complexity...it doesn't let go until the wrap up at the end.

I recommend it!

5 stars                      Deborah/TheBookishDame


Audio Excerpt:

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"The White Forest" by Adam McOmber~Gorgeous Storytelling

In this hauntingly original debut novel about a young woman whose peculiar abilities help her infiltrate a mysterious secret society, Adam McOmber uses fantastical twists and dark turns to create a fast-paced, unforgettable story.

Young Jane Silverlake lives with her father in a crumbling family estate on the edge of Hampstead Heath. Jane has a secret—an unexplainable gift that allows her to see the souls of man-made objects—and this talent isolates her from the outside world. Her greatest joy is wandering the wild heath with her neighbors, Madeline and Nathan. But as the friends come of age, their idyll is shattered by the feelings both girls develop for Nathan, and by Nathan’s interest in a cult led by Ariston Day, a charismatic mystic popular with London’s elite. Day encourages his followers to explore dream manipulation with the goal of discovering a strange hidden world, a place he calls the Empyrean.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :

Publisher:  Touchstone/Simon & Schuster
Pages:  303
Genre:  Fiction/Fantasy
Author:  Adam McOmber
Find out more:  McOmber


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Adam McOmber’s novel, The White Forest, will be published by Touchstone, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, in September 2012. He is also the author of a book of short stories, This New & Poisonous Air (BOA Editions, 2011). His work has appeared in Conjunctions, StoryQuarterly, The Fairy Tale Review, Third Coast, Quarterly West, The Greensboro Review and Arts and Letters . He has been nominated for two 2012 Pushcart Awards and received an AWP Intro Award. He lives in Chicago and teaches at Columbia College where he is also the associate editor of the literary magazine Hotel Amerika.


THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

This was a completely unexpected novel for me.  I expected a Victorian love story with a bit of mystery.  What I got was heads and shoulders above that.  Adam McOmber is a writer to be aware of, absolutely.  His "White Forest" is one that reminds me of the writings of Henry James.  Beautiful and intoxicating.  This book is very hypnotic.  The cadence of his writing and the pace catches you up in a heart racing adventure.

I love the setting of Victorian England, of course.  But what brings the book to life is the details this author chooses to illuminate...the Romanesque garden, certain small household items that "speak," the street scenes in minute detail and the haunting interactions between the players amongst these and other "wild" things.  This is above all a haunting story. 

Characters are instantly within our grasp and they cling to our hearts and minds like those in "The Children's Hour."  They are ethereal and magical...are they real...what do they know that's different from the real world...why do they have such other-worldy experiences?  The trio that's central to the story, Jane, Madeline and Nathan are gorgeous and compelling, moving us along a sort of rabbit's hole experience as we try to unravel the mystery of Jane's powers and why they're all caught up in another, dark world.

This is just the sort of Victorian, fantasy fiction that adults love to read.  I did and I highly recommend it.  Set during the time when Victorians were all enamoured of crystal balls and psychics, you'll love to read this walk down the dark side with a mysterious secret society.

4.5 stars                   Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"A Lack of Temperance" by Anna Loan-Wilsey

SUMMARY :  From Anna Loan-Wilsey comes the first installment of a new historical mystery series featuring Hattie Davish, a traveling secretary who arrives in a small Ozark town only to discover her new employer has disappeared. . .

On the eve of the heated presidential election of 1892, Miss Hattie Davish arrives in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a scenic resort town where those without the scent of whiskey on their breath have the plight of temperance on their tongues. Summoned for her services as a private secretary, Hattie is looking forward to exploring the hills, indulging her penchant for botany--and getting to know the town's handsome doctor. But it's hard to get her job done with her employer nowhere to be found. . .

An army of unassuming women wielding hatchets have descended on the quiet Ozark village, destroying every saloon in their path--and leaving more than a few enemies in their wake. So when their beloved leader, Mother Trevelyan, is murdered, it's easy to point fingers. Now that she's working for a dead woman, Hattie turns to her trusty typewriter to get to the truth. And as she follows a trail of cryptic death threats, she'll come face to face with a killer far more dangerous than the Demon Rum.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Kensington
Pages:  304
Genre:  Historical fiction/Mystery
Author:  Anna Loan-Wilsey
Series planned
Find out more:  Anna Loan-Wilsey


THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :
On the eve of a presidential election in the late 1800's, the American Women's Temperance Coalition is hard at work in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  Travelling secretary, Hattie Davish, has been called on assignment to work as the private secretary to the coalition's president, Mrs. Trevelyan.  However, Hattie has difficulty locating her employer right from the start.  And, right from the beginning, I'm hooked!

This is a great new time-specific mystery series and heroine!  Hattie Davish is engaging and the perfect "private eye" character welding her wise, calculating mind and "only a typewriter."  She's curious and adventurous but very professional and methodical...all the right ingredients for solving mysteries and crimes.  Just love her snooping skills!

Ms Loan-Wilsey is very adept at creating not only characters that draw interest, but setting them in a fantastic timeframe.  The town of Eureka Springs came to life in her capable hands, and the peoples were so enjoyable.  I felt she'd really set me down in the 1890's.  I also enjoyed the book in conjunction with our recent presidential election and the issues we faced in our own time.

This is a new author of what I think will be a wonderful and fun-filled series for historical mystery lovers.  I had a very enjoyable afternoon's read!

4 stars                    Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"Beside Two Rivers" by Rita Gerlach~Inspiring Historical Fiction

SUMMARY :  A tale of love won and love lost, and the faith to find it again.From the banks of the Potomac to the misty moors of England, Darcy follows a path where the secrets of the past slowly rise to the surface in this dramatic saga that began in Before the Scarlet Dawn. She meets Ethan Brennan, an aspiring English horse breeder, who embraces her independent spirit and marvels at the simplicity of her faith. Ethan and Darcy fall in love, but are kept apart by a promise to another and a sworn oath to a dying woman whose long-hidden secret threatens Darcy’s and Ethan’s lives.

PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by:  Abingdon Press
Pages:  326 (Including Bookgroup questions & recipe)
Genre:  Historical fiction/Inspirational
Author:  Rita Gerlach
Series:  "The Daughters of the Potomac"  Book 2
Find out more:  Rita Gerlach

ABOUT MS GERLACH:

Rita Gerlach lives with her husband and two sons in a historical town nestled along the Catoctin Mountains, amid Civil War battlefields and Revolutionary War outposts in central Maryland.

She was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in a large family in the Maryland suburbs. Her family claims that storytelling is their blood, handed down from centuries of Irish storytellers. Rita believes there just may be something to that theory.

"Romantic historical fiction that has an inspirational bent, is one way people can escape the cares of life and be transported back to a time of raw courage and ideal love," she says. "The goal of my writing is to give readers a respite from a stressful world.."

In many of her stories, she writes about the struggles endured by early colonists, with a sprinkling of both American and English history. Currently she is writing a new historical series set in the Gilded Age.

A quote from Rita:

"Ever since I was old enough to read, I have loved books. That is why I write inspirational historical dramas.

Inside the pages of my novels you will find romance, stories about relationships, forgiveness, redemption, faith, and loyalty. Each character has good points, but they are also flawed human beings that make mistakes and fall hard, and at some point struggle through the adversity, dust themselves off and move on—reminders that God never forsakes us, especially in our most trying moments."


The Bookish Dame Reviews:
Rita Gerlach is the best of historical fiction writers who gives us a slice of Americana and inspirational story together.  She is a wonderful author of human relationships, and she's a solid storyteller.  Her books simply wrap me up from the first sentence and keep me reading far into the night.  I've come to love the characters she's invented in "The Daughters of the Potomac" series, as well as their great attachment to our country in its early years.  Her knowledge and application of scripture bolsters her story but never becomes intrusive in the plot and development.  I can't tell you how much I look forward to reading her books!

In "Beside Two Rivers" we find the daughter of the first star-crossed lovers of "Before the Scarlet Dawn" (reviewed here a year or more ago...please search!) grown up in America and wondering what happened to a father who abandoned her as a young child to his brother and family.  As far as she knows, her mother is dead, and she has no way of knowing if her father is, too.  Darcy is a strong willed and strong minded young woman who gains the attentions of a dashing young man from England who visits to find horse stock.  They fall in love and off goes the book! 

This is not a sappy romance novel, rather the romance is beautifully and well-defined within the historical novel.  Darcy's story helps round out the story of her parents who I came to love in the first book in this series.  A story of redemption and forgiveness, this  is told from the perspective of a child whose heart might have hardened in being injured and rejected, but whose faith and love caused her to rise above it.

Rita Gerlach's characters are so loveable and  fully developed that they linger in the heart and mind long after her books are read.  I've never forgotten Eliza, the main character of "Before the Scarlet Dawn," nor had I forgotten and stopped worrying about what happened to Darcy!  I can't wait to read the next book in this wonderful series....which I'm going to do right away.  I'll be reviewing "Beyond the Valley" asap!

These books are available in paperback or ebook.  Please do yourself a favor and get the whole series.  You won't want to stop after the first book.  I can guarantee that much!

5 stars             Deborah/TheBookishDame

A view of the Potomac River where Darcy loved to climb and watch...

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