Book Review: Her Mad Hatter by Marie Hall

Title: Her Mad Hatter

Author: Marie Hall
Series: Kingdom #1

ASIN: B008IL48BK

Publisher: Marie Hall (Self-Published)

Pub. Date: 2013

Source: Kindle

Genre: Novella/ Fantasy/ Paranormal/Romance/Fairy Tales/ Retelling

Pages: 129
Rating: 3 Kisses
Author's Website

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Alice is all grown up. Running the Mad Hatter's Cupcakery and Tea Shoppe is a delicious job, until fate--and a fairy godmother with a weakness for bad boys--throws her a curveball. Now, Alice is the newest resident of Wonderland, where the Mad Hatter fuels her fantasies and thrills her body with his dark touch. The Mad Hatter may have a voice and a body made for sex, but he takes no lovers. Ever. But a determined fairy godmother has forced Alice into Wonderland--and his arms. Now, as desire and madness converge, the Hatter must decide if he will fight the fairy godmother's mating--or fight for Alice.

My Reveries and Ramblings: Her Mad Hatter was such a cute story. I love retellings of Alice in Wonderland! That and the fact that it was free on Amazon Kindle was why I picked it up. The story immediately sets itself up for a series in the first few chapters. (The other books are about the other "bad guy" characters from popular fairy tales/stories). Hatter is insane. He quotes Poe and rambles nonsense all the time. Although he has few brief moments of clairty. He reminds me of a spoiled child. I guess due to his insanity, he's all about instant gratification. Alice has always been obsessed with the Mad Hatter from the Alice in Wonderland book. They've met once before when she was a young girl. Alice never forgot. Hatter needs to find his Alice (his mate according to prophecy) however he's been sent so many Alices over time that he no longer trusts in love or if any Alice is the right Alice. If he doesn't find his true Alice, then Wonderland will die. Her Mad Hatter is a novella (the whole series is?), therefore, it's quite short. It wasn't until I was almost finished that II realized how short it was. I kind of felt cheated. I wanted more. There was so much potential for it to be huge and epic. It felt very rushed. There wasn’t much plot and the stakes weren’t high enough. Now to be fair, as a novella it was fantastic! I just wish it was a full length novel. (<<<Pretty much why it felt rushed and why there wasn't that much plot) Now onto what I really liked about this book. Hatter was adorable and so so hot! I really liked how Wonderland and the Hatter were connected. Wonderland was basically the Hatter. What happens to one, happens to the other. What The Hatter thought/felt would be manifested in the Wonderland world. Another thing I liked was how both Alice and the Hatter referenced/quoted a lot of profound people which was cool. The romance was also pretty hot! Seriously….HOT! Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I just wish there was more, more of everything. I just never wanted it to end! Her Mad Hatter is a super quick read that will leave you grasping for the rest of the series.

Side Notes: AHH! That cover! *Swoon*.....Also, THIS BOOK IS FREE ON AMAZON AND B&N....sooo no excuses ;)

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Book Review: My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Title: My Name is Memory

Author: Ann Brashares

Series: My Name is Memory #1

ISBN: 978-1594485183

Publisher: Riverhead Trade

Pub. Date: June 2010

Source: Purchased

Genre: Romance/ Fantasy/ Historical Romance/Paranormal Romance/ Contemporary Romance

Pages: 352
Rating: 5 Kisses

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  The latest from Ann Brashares, the New York Times bestselling author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, a magical story of reincarnation and a love that lasts more than a lifetime Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. For all the times that he and Sophia have been connected throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. But just when Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally awakens to the secret of their shared past, the mysterious force that has always separated them reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.

My Reveries and Ramblings: My Name is Memory is one of those books where you read the first page, and you immediately know that it will be amazing. There is so much I have to say about this book, so bear with me as I try and collect my thoughts and communicate them to you. 
          I have a not-so-small obsession with stories that involve reincarnation and romance. Something about soulmates and love lasting lifetimes just warms my heart and makes me smile. There is a drawback, however, to reading so many stories like this; they tend to all start to mesh together because most of the time they are all too similar. This book is not like that at all! The story was so original. It was so grounded in reality! It barely felt like a paranormal romance. In fact, by the end I felt like it could totally be possible. 
          The book switches between Lucy and Daniel’s POV; It also alternates between lives. There are many chapters dedicated to Daniel telling the story of his past lives and how he came to meet Sophia (Lucy) in all the other lives. He can recognize her soul even though her body changes with each life. Her soul becomes a beacon throughout his lives. However, they usually are far apart in age and it almost always ends in tragedy. It was painful to watch Daniel in his past lives try so hard to be with her, make her happy, make her know, and to apologize for what he did to her in that first life they met, only to fail again and again.
          Daniel and Lucy in the present spend most of book apart. We see Daniel falling in love with Lucy through the stories of his past life. When Daniel transfers to Lucy’s school, she immediately becomes obsessed with him and that scares her. It’s the insta-love syndrome, but the heroine isn’t giving in to it (like in almost every other book), instead she seriously questions her sanity. When he approaches her after two years at the end of senior year, she remembers some of a past life with him. That is what causes her to run. She leaves him, heartbroken, because she is scared she has finally gone insane. The rest of the book takes place in the six years following the incident. She uses this time to flesh out her thoughts and feelings and find out the mystery surrounding Daniel. But neither of them realize that a danger from the past has been following them and wants revenge. This danger could tear them apart once again. 
          I feel so bad for Lucy. She is a very realistic person. The fact that she is being haunted by memories that knows didn’t occur in her lifetime very nearly convinces her she belongs in an institution. She spends a lot of the book trying to come up with an explanation for her love for a man that she’s barely spoken a word to, and the strange visions and memories. 
          There was only one teeny tiny thing about this book I didn’t really like that much. The pacing was inconsistent. The beginning was good and super interesting. Then the entire middle was long and ever so slightly tedious. The end picked up, though. But the information presented in the middle is extremely important for the series. It sets up the story and the history; plus the reader gets to see Lucy and Daniel fall in love. So it was still enjoyable. 
          What I really loved about this book (other than the reincarnation romance part), was that Ann Brashares explored the consequences of having memory as a special power. Daniel’s character changes throughout his lives. He learns and grows like most people do, but in many lifetimes, carrying those experiences over from life to life. His love and dedication to being with Lucy strengthens with each lifetime. 
          Ann Brashares has written a beautiful novel that touched my soul. While reading this book, I realized one of the reasons why I love reading about love is because it IS so beautiful. Words can caress the heart, bring tears to your eyes, pull at your heartstrings, make you stop breathing, make you laugh until your side hurts, and so much more. There were moments where I felt like crying. Their love was so beautiful it tore at my heart. 
          This book is not stand alone. It’s the beginning of an epic love story. The only sad thing is that now I have to wait for the sequel (THANK GOD it is a series), which from what I’ve heard, may or may not happen. Let me just say, IT BETTER! I’m serious, I will write a letter to the publisher if i have to! 
         So my recommendation, is that you stop reading whatever it is that you are reading right now, AND READ THIS!!!!

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Book Review: Torment by Lauren Kate

Title: Torment

Author: Lauren Kate

Series: Fallen #2

ISBN: 978-0385739153

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pub Date: June 2011

Source: Purchased

Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Young Adult/ Fantasy

Pages: 464

Rating: 3 Kisses

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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.

My Reveries and Ramblings:  Torment is one of those “in-between” books. You know, the kind of book where you LOVED the first and third one but the second is just eh. Well, I haven’t yet read book 3. But I’m really hoping I’m right. 
         I read Torment when it first came out. I didn’t like it very much. So it stayed on my to-be-reviewed shelf for a few years because I really didn’t want to sit and talk about a book that wasn't that great. However, recently I picked it back up, wanting to get back into the Daniel and Luce story. And I found myself flipping through the pages rather quickly--stopping when I couldn't stand what certain characters were doing--then picking it right back up again after popping some chocolate chips into my mouth. 
          Fallen (book #1) centered on the insta-love of Daniel and Luce. Book # 2 goes a bit deeper and has Luce questioning whether or not she trusts the mysterious Daniel, who has sent her away to keep her safe. In the process of trying to figure out who she is and was, she meets and befriends a whole bunch of really awesome people (Miles, Shelby, and a bunch of other angels, nephilim, and demons). 
         So I’m not going to lie, Daniel and Luce have a LOT of problems, starting with their ever-present and growing trust issues. Daniel spends most of the book trying to stay away from Luce only to fail and visit her while refusing to tell her anything useful other than “I love you.” and “You can’t do that.” Meanwhile, Luce is falling apart. She’s having a major identity crisis, which fuels her fights with Daniel. All the while, she is searching for anything that could help jog her memory of the past. 
          While I definitely related to Luce, I had a hard time accepting some of Luce’s decisions. It was so obvious what was going on, why she needed to be protected. But she just kept breaking the rules. Daniel, too. He was all “I love you!” but then when asked even a tiny question about what was happening, he was all brooding and distant. Come on! 
          Even though I wanted to strangle certain characters in this book, I still liked it and was able to finish it (with interruptions) in a day. I will FOR SURE be reading the 3rd book in the series.  

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Book Review: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Title: Spellbound

Author: Cara Lynn Shultz

ISBN: 9780373210305

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pub. Date: June 28, 2011

Source: NetGalley

Genre: YA Romance/ Paranormal Romance

Pages: 324
Rating: 4 Kisses

Excerpt | Author's Blog

Synopsis (from Goodreads): What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

My Reveries and Ramblings:  Oh. My. Goodness.  This book seriously surprised me.  Going into it, all I knew was that it was a YA paranormal romance.  Boy, was I amazed to discover there was so much more.  For starters, Cara Lynn Schultz successfully wrote from a teenager’s perspective.  I never once cringed at the language used.  (Don’t you hate it when a YA author starts throwing around the word “Yo”).  Actually, I really enjoyed Emma’s voice.  She was nice, funny, and completely relatable.  She has insecurities, like every teenager.  She worries about her hair, if she will fit in, and what Brendan thinks of her.   Also, Emma is not a push over.  Especially when it comes to the kids at school who constantly gossip about her.  Cue the jerk: Anthony.  He just makes Emma’s life a living hell at school (and outside it).  At first its just a matter of ego, but it soon turns into something much more dangerous.  As the story progresses, Anthony’s darker side surfaces.  He is seriously insane.  By the end, I was scared of him. 

The second thing that literally brought this book up a full kiss was the fact that it a) has a tragic love story for a base; b) involves soul mates; and c) involves past lives/reincarnation.  As you know, I love books that contain even just one of those.  But this one contained all three!  The tragic love story: Emma and Brendan are cursed to fall in love over and over again only to be torn apart by an untimely death.  Something is different this time around.  They might have a shot at breaking the curse.  If they don’t hurry, it could all end, once again. 

Poor Emma.  In every life she is born poor.  This one was especially  brutal for her.  After her mom and brother die, she lives with her step-father who would rather drink and abuse her then man-up and be a father for her.  After getting into a DWI accident with Emma in the car (she gets injured), Emma escapes to her aunt’s home in NYC.  Going to the exclusive Vince Academy has Emma feeling even more of an outsider with all the rich students (think Gossip Girl). 

Yes, it does have a HEA.  But, you know, it was still a lot of fun to read.  The ending was suspenseful.  The romance was lovely.  And Brendan was just soooo cute.  You can’t see me, but I’m crossing my fingers hoping there will be a sequel. 

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Book Review: Seers of Light by Jennifer DeLucy

Title: Seers of Light

Author: Jennifer DeLucy

Series: Light #1

ISBN: 978-1936305032

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

Pub. Date: February 2010

Genre: Paranormal/ Romance/ Fantasy

Pages: P-396

Rating: 5 Kisses

Author's Website

Excerpt

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):  Lillian Hunt has never truly lived. Always sensing more to the world than is easily perceived, she fears that her instincts are stubborn flights of fancy, or worse, mental instability. But some things—disappearing strangers, tangible dreams, and visits from malevolent creatures—cannot be ignored. Before it's too late, Lillian is ripped from the only existence she’s ever known and thrust into a reality that she always suspected, but could scarcely believe. She must learn the truth about who she is, the powerful beings that wish to destroy her, and the two men who would die to protect her.

Jennifer DeLucy has created a unique, enchanting tale of destiny and the ageless power of love in her debut novel, Seers of Light. DeLucy's novel charms readers with quirky characters, while sketching a haunting portrait of one woman's journey on the path of the supernaturally gifted. But be prepared. Once you've entered the world of Seers, you will never be the same.

My Reveries and Ramblings:  Jennifer DeLucy’s Seers of Light is a journey of love, hope, and courage.  The story follows Lily, a pathcrosser and empath, who is saved by Christian from a vampire attack.  After a brief explanation from Christian, he takes her to Georgia to Abram and the other endowed people.  There she discovers who she really is and her destiny, to battle evil spirits and beings.  She trains with William, the vampire with a soul.  Before their first training session Lily decides to hate him for what he is not who.  He expects and puts up with her attitude stating that she can hate him all she wants just as long as she learns what she needs to survive.  As the training sessions continue, she starts to see the humanity in William.  Christian, seeing that Lily is being less hostile with William, becomes very clingy, even though they are not dating.  He starts to follow her around like a “golden retriever.”  When a coven of vampires located near her hometown starts to threaten Lily’s new happy life, she along with her new family, must defeat them, or die trying. 

       All the characters in Seers of Light were real.  I found I had a lot in common with Lily.  Although, I don’t think I’m quite as stubborn as she is.  After spending most of her life seeing spirits and being empathetic, Lily is more than happy to go where she is accepted and even admired for her abilities.  She is very kind, but also judgmental and a bit gullible.  Her love interest in the story is William Maddox.  I could talk about William for the rest of my life.  In fact, I’ve reread Seers of Light so many times that I’ve actually lost count, all because of William.  Even after reading it X amount of times I still feel my heart beat erratically whenever he walks in the room, or speaks, or is brought up in the conversation.  Jennifer DeLucy did a marvelous job writing his character.  William is a vampire who got his soul back.  Everything about him is human except his body.  The sentients, other endowed people, around the world aren’t too fond of him, nor is Christian.  Christian spends most of his time voicing his hatred of William to his face.  Poor William.  He is so tortured but still strives to do what is right.  Unlike Christian, William allows Lily to make her own mistakes and decisions.  All I can say is that every time William did something or said something especially cute or witty I pretty much swooned- which was quite often.  Christian bugged me.  There were so many times when he interrupted William and Lily moments that got me out of my seat screaming “Shut up, Christian!” or “Go away, Christian!”  But to be fair, Christian has problems of his own.   By the end, I thought Christian was okay.  Abram was kind of like the head of the house.  If I had to pick an actor to play him it would be Morgan Freeman.  He’s wise and very grandfatherly.  The rest of the characters are beautifully brought to life and fill the novel with an amazing story. 

       Jennifer DeLucy explores love and courage in her novel.  Love is a huge, and I mean gigantic huge, theme in Seers of Light.  She forces the characters to examine their hearts and what it means to love.  Love takes courage-it is a leap of faith.  As a reader, I felt the love wrapped around the characters.  To love someone, sometimes sacrifices must be made to keep or save that love.  Seers of Light contained every form of love as well as the ups and downs of it. 

       Seers of Light is one of those books that I can’t recommend enough.  I’ve read this book more than three times (lost count after that).  After every reread, I dreamt about William.  I’m not exaggerating.  I did.  This is the only book that I’ve dreamt about more than once.  It will stick in your mind.  It will make you reflect about your own life and how love has affected you.  The smooth and easy flow of reality and the paranormal is proof of Jennifer DeLucy’s skill at story-telling.  The paranormal aspect takes up a huge part of the book, but it is so completely believable that you barely notice it.  There are so many books where the paranormal is just too unbelievable that it ruins the book for me.  I’m so glad my library didn’t have this book.  By buying a copy (kindle!) I am now able to bring it with me wherever I go.  Which means, William goes with me everywhere ;)   Goodness!  Seers of Light is an exceptional novel.  The characters are memorable, the dialogue is absorbing, the suspense is thrilling, and the romance is truly beautiful.  I adored this book!

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Book Review: The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Title: The Eternal Ones

Author: Kirsten Miller

Series: Eternal Ones #1

ISBN: 1595143084

Publisher: Razorbill

Genre: YA/Romance/Paranormal

Pages: H-416

 Amazon

Read an excerpt here
Also check out the author's website for extra stuff (like letters between Ethan and Constance)

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):  Haven Moore can't control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother's house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

My Reveries and Ramblings:  Haven Moore has spent most of her life passing out and having visions through the eyes of a woman named Constance.  All her visions center around the handsome Ethan.  Everyone, apart from Beau-her friend, thinks she’s either crazy or a bad seed.  Her grandmother is convinced she’s possessed.  The only person who ever really knew the truth, or beginning to learn the truth, was her father who died in a car accident when she was little. 

       One day Haven sees Iain Morrow, a celebrity, on TV.  She can’t stop thinking about him.  After some time she decides to go to New York to try and find him.  After finding him, Haven discovers that she and Iain are soul mates who have been reincarnated for thousands of years.  Problems continuously arise threatening their relationship and the reincarnation cycle.  People start going missing or turning up murdered.  Haven is constantly being watched, and not always by the good guys.  Iain is hiding something from Haven, and she knows it.  By going out and trying to find answers on her own, Haven ends up even more confused and unwilling to trust anyone.  She must decide who to trust before its too late. 

       Oh my! This book was good.  It was so different from most girl-and-boy-fall-in-love-at-first-sight books.  This story centers around the idea of immortal (not vampire) people, reincarnation, and soul mates.  I felt like I was being pulled in every direction alongside Haven.  I wasn’t sure who to trust-although I always...let me repeat that, ALWAYS trusts Iain.  I hated how she kept ruining the moment with her paranoia about how Iain may or may not be the murderer.  The twists throughout the book were so good.  After closing the book, I waited about an hour before rereading it.  Then a few days later I reread it again.  I couldn’t stop thinking about this book.  It was one of those I-wish-I-was-that-character moments.  I believe in soul mates.  This book definitely fueled that belief.  I really really really really wish this would happen to me-except maybe no killing and creepy secret society- but definitely all the true love stuff. 

       You don’t have to believe in reincarnation or soul mates to love this book.  It’s a beautiful love story filled with mystery that will leave you wishing you were the characters.  *secretly wishing I was Haven.  The only...and I mean only problem I had was with Haven’s trust issues.  I found them a bit annoying-but that’s it.  It was such a great book.  I give it 5 kisses. 

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