The Story of Lucius Cane by Vanya Ferreirh

Goodreads Summary

London, 1794.  Lucius Cane, a peculiar sort of vampire, comes upon an opponent the likes of which he has never seen before — a brute with remarkable abilities.  But not all is as it seems as their encounter unfolds in a manner that neither of them expected.

My Thoughts

I don't typically read vampire books so this was something different for me.  This is a short story and, like all short stories, you can't expect very much character development.  With most short stories you are basically just thrown right into the story and that is pretty much how this one was too.

The writing is very well done, not too simple but not overly fancy and wordy.  I have read many books where it seems like the author was trying too hard to where it was more confusing than enjoyable but this is not like that at all.  The reader isn't overwhelmed with excessive wordiness but instead you are given just enough background information that you aren't confused.

I did enjoy that Lucius was a "kind" vampire that chose not to harm humans.  I'm not sure how most vampire based books are but I'm glad that this one wasn't all about killing humans!  The voice in Lucius' head did confuse me a bit but not to the point that it would lower my level of enjoyment at all.  I also wasn't expecting the character 'Jack the Hound' at all.  I'm not really sure how I felt about him.

The story was left fairly open ended so you don't finish reading it with a satisfying end.  You'll have to read the next book to see how the story continues.  The Story of Lucius Cane is a very short story, I think it was about 20 pages, so it took just a short amount of time to read it.  If you like vampire stories, and you either don't have much time to read or you just want a short story to read between novels, this might just be the book for you.

*Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

Goodreads Summary

Neil Gaiman meets Joe Hill in this astonishingly original, terrifying, and darkly funny contemporary fantasy.

Carolyn's not so different from the other human beings around her. She's sure of it. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. She even remembers what clothes are for.

After all, she was a normal American herself, once.

That was a long time ago, of course—before the time she calls “adoption day,” when she and a dozen other children found themselves being raised by a man they learned to call Father.

Father could do strange things. He could call light from darkness. Sometimes he raised the dead. And when he was disobeyed, the consequences were terrible.

In the years since Father took her in, Carolyn hasn't gotten out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient Pelapi customs. They've studied the books in his library and learned some of the secrets behind his equally ancient power.

Sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.

Now, Father is missing. And if God truly is dead, the only thing that matters is who will inherit his library—and with it, power over all of creation.

As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her.

But Carolyn can win. She's sure of it. What she doesn't realize is that her victory may come at an unacceptable price—because in becoming a God, she's forgotten a great deal about being human.

My Thoughts

I tried, guys... I really, really tried.   But, I failed.

I tried so hard to like this book.  I started reading this and I was so, so, so, confused.  I started looking up other reviews of this book to see if I was just crazy and, it seems that I am.  At least that's what it feels like since so many other people gave it four and five star reviews! And here I am not even sure if I could give it one star.

I really just don't know what to say.  The Library at Mount Char was so confusing, weird, dark, gory, gross, and just something that I would never typically read.  I say this every time I have to write a negative review, but here I am saying it again... I hate having to write bad reviews!  I really wanted to like this book!

Maybe it was just me.  Maybe you would like this book.  I will keep looking at other reviews to see if I'm alone in feeling this way about The Library at Mount Char or if someone else felt the same as me.  I don't know, guys... I really don't know what else to say.  I just really wasn't a fan of this book.

*Note: I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.

If At Birth You Don't Succeed: My Adventures With Disaster and Destiny by Zach Anner

Goodreads Summary

"Meet Zach Anner...He's handsome, smart, and funny [and] has won...legions of online fans."--Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times

Comedian Zach Anner opens his frank and devilishly funny book, If at Birth You Don't Succeed, with an admission: he botched his own birth. Two months early, underweight and under-prepared for life, he entered the world with cerebral palsy and an uncertain future. So how did this hairless mole-rat of a boy blossom into a viral internet sensation who's hosted two travel shows, impressed Oprah, driven the Mars Rover, and inspired a John Mayer song? (It wasn't "Your Body is a Wonderland.")

Zach lives by the mantra: when life gives you wheelchair, make lemonade. Whether recounting a valiant childhood attempt to woo Cindy Crawford, encounters with zealous faith healers, or the time he crapped his pants mere feet from Dr. Phil, Zach shares his fumbles with unflinching honesty and characteristic charm. By his thirtieth birthday, Zach had grown into an adult with a career in entertainment, millions of fans, a loving family, and friends who would literally carry him up mountains.

If at Birth You Don't Succeed is a hilariously irreverent and heartfelt memoir about finding your passion and your path even when it's paved with epic misadventure. This is the unlikely but not unlucky story of a man who couldn't safely open a bag of Skittles, but still became a fitness guru with fans around the world. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll fall in love with the Olive Garden all over again, and learn why cerebral palsy is, definitively, "the sexiest of the palsies."

My Thoughts

I’ll be honest, I had actually never heard of Zach Anner before I was contacted by the publisher and asked to read and review this book.  You would think that I must live under a rock or something because I didn’t even know that Oprah had done a show on her channel to choose a new reality show!  Where have I been?! Oh, probably reading books!

Anyways, this book was pretty funny!  There were a few things that I wasn’t crazy about (language and things like that) but for the most part, I enjoyed this book a lot.  Fun fact about me: I tend to research things… a lot.  So, about halfway though this book, I started looking up Zach, watching videos, and reading things about him.  It made me like him even more and that made me enjoy the book more.

I haven’t read many memoirs so I don’t have many to compare this one to, but I think it was a pretty good one!  If you don’t know much about Zach Anner, look him up.  You’ll definitely want to pick this book up once you learn more about him.

*Note:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Fae Wars Book 1: Grace Notes by Marik Berghs

Goodreads Summary

When seventeen-year-old Lunabel O'Hara hums, she can shatter glass.  She uses her voice to vibrate latches off their hooks or secretly melt the fillings in the mouth of the town bully.  For the most part, Lunabel keeps her sonic abilities undercover.  In her small hometown at the edge of the wilderness, being too different is never a good thing—then she finds a faery slipper.

Jeremy Fields, a classmate, knows all about the tiny shoe.  Jeremy is determined to break through Lunabel's defenses and overcome the prejudice of his own people to find his missing sister, the owner of the slipper.

Living in self-imposed isolation has left Lunabel lonely and alone.  But when Jelly Jones, a legendary high school athlete, befriends Lunabel, things start to happen.  Jelly makes movement look like dancing and her mind is as sharp as a crack of lightening.

Something's going on in Thornhill Forest.  If the three band together, combining their talent and courage they could share the secrets of the last wild place, where the Fae are hidden and anything can happen.  Trust could cost them everything or save them and everything they love...

My Thoughts

I have never read any books about Faeries (Except Tinkerbell Books when I was little) so I wasn't sure what to expect.  When the author contacted me and asked if I would like to read and review this I agreed and, after finishing a few books that I had in line already, I jumped right in.  I am actually still trying to figure out exactly how I feel about this book.

Grace Notes is definitely a book unlike any I have read before.  It is a story full of imagination and colorful characters.  There were times when I was so completely drawn in and I didn't want to put it down and then there were a few times when I was a bit confused.  Now, the confusion could possibly be due to the fact that I am a Faery book newbie and I wasn't completely sure what some of the terminology meant.

With that being said, it was a good book.  It ended quite abruptly, which confused me a bit there as well, but I'm guessing that things will be clarified and the story will continue in the next book.  The ending did make me want to read the next book so that I can see what happens next.

Thank you, Marik Berghs, for sending this book to me and allowing me to read and review it!

*Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Faith by Lyn Cote

Goodreads Summary

The Civil War battlefield is the last place Quakeress Faith Cathwell thought she'd find herself.  But with a gift for nursing, Faith seizes this opportunity to pin the fight for abolition—and to search for Shiloh, a freeborn childhood friend who was kidnapped and sold south by unscrupulous slave catchers.

Knowing it's much too dangerous for her to search enemy territory alone, Faith enlists the help of Colonel Devlin Knight, who is indebted to her for saving his cousin's life.  A career soldier, Dev is committed to the preservation of the Union but conflicted about freeing his own slave and confidant, who plans to enlist as soon as Dev gives him manumission papers.

Blazing a trail east with the rest of Grant's army, Dev and Faith fight their personal battles—and a growing attraction to each other.  When beliefs clash and passions flare, they quickly find that the only thing more dangerous than the war surrounding them is the battle within their hearts.

My Thoughts

I struggled.  I really, really struggled.  Here's the thing, this book probably wasn't bad, I think I just really don't enjoy Quaker/Amish type books.  I thought I would be able to get into it a little more with the Shiloh storyline, but I still really struggled.

It is very possible that I was just not in the mood to read this kind of story, or maybe it was just in my head that I don't usually enjoy Quaker/Amish books...  I really don't know.  I feel horrible to have a not-so-great review for Faith!  It's probably a lovely book!  There are plenty of people who enjoy these books so I'm sure there are plenty of people who would like this one :)

Bottom line... it wasn't bad, it just wasn't the book for me!

*Note: I received a copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer

Goodreads Summary

Planning and Post-It notes are the epitome of Evie's life.  But when she meets Jack, her life gets more than a little complicated.

Thirteen years ago, Evie's firefighter husband was killed in the line of duty, leaving her to raise their young son, Cody, alone.  Now, Cody is marrying the love of his life, and as he packs up his belongings, the house feels as empty as Evie's heart.  But for all her planning and mad organizational skills, Evie could never have anticipated the dramatic shift her life about to make.

Tattooed, rough-around-the-edges Jack raises quite a few eyebrows in the tight-knit community of Banister Falls.  Where Evie's life is stream-lined, Jack's approach to living is moment by moment.  But as Evie gets drawn into Jack's world—a world that isn't as safe or predictable as the one she's worked so hard to create—he challenges her to open her eyes to the problems outside the walls of the church.

Jack doesn't make Evie feel comfortable, but he definitely makes her feel something.  Something she hasn't felt since Max passed away—or, maybe ever.  Because even though Jack isn't anything like her late husband, he might be everything she needs.

My Thoughts

This book is just lovely!  Wonderful amounts of sweetness, drama, funny little parts, faith, and love!  Just simply lovely!  I am ready to read more books by Kathryn Springer right now!

I wanted to get to the end so bad, and yet I didn't want it to end!  I caught myself trying to skim ahead on the page so that I could see what was going to happen several times (mostly nearing the end of the book) and had to stop myself and go back to where I was supposed to be reading.  There were times that I got so frustrated at Jack, just wanting to smack some sense into him, and then I would feel the same way about Evie!

Faith was a big part of The Hearts We Mend but it wasn't the kind of book that shoves it in your face. If you enjoy reading faith based books, you will like this one.  But, even if you don't typically enjoy faith based books, you'll most likely still enjoy this book.  It was just really well written.  I highly recommend reading The Hearts We Mend by Kathryn Springer!

*Note: I received a copy of this book from BookLookBloggers in exchange for an honest review.

Bad Analysis by Colin Knight

Goodreads Summary

In London, a delusional racist aristocrat, invisible, privileged, and well-protected by his station, ruthlessly coordinates a diabolical attack, a slaughter disguised as a domestic terror assault.  Deep in the core of MI5, a traitor, misuses, redirects and controls official resources.  Manipulating a group of cowards, rapists, murderers, and virulent racists culled from the ranks of the English Defense League, the aristocrat and the traitor aim to throw England into a state of xenophobic frenzy.  Only two men stand a chance of stopping their fanatical plot.  One is a victim of state-sponsored madness twice over, a humble Egyptian cab driver who brought his family to England in search of a better life.  Aalim is meant to be a scapegoat for the actions of his captors, a "rag-head" who can be made to take the blame for their actions lest his innocent wife and son, taken hostage, suffer a terrible fate.  The other, Wilson, is a crotchety intelligence analyst.  An iconoclastic workaholic, rapidly losing patience with his superiors' political gamesmanship, Wilson relies on his own brand of intelligence analysis when one of the plotters makes the attack personal and when one of his closest friends at MI5 pays the ultimate price for discovering too much.  Can Aalim's faith and humanity overcome his fear of the monsters keeping his family captive?  And can Wilson overcome the Bad Analysis that infests a system that, from the very beginning, was set against him?

My Thoughts

I was contacted by Mr Knight and asked if I would like to read and review his novel, Bad Analysis.  I agreed and am glad I did!  I admit that I was hesitant when I first read the summary of this book.  It is not the typical genre that I read so I wasn't sure how I would feel about it.  To be perfectly honest, there were a few things that I personally didn't love (the detailed violence and the choice language) because I'm just not a violence and terror kind of girl but I could totally see this becoming a movie!

Bad Analysis was well written and extremely detailed.  Colin Knight certainly did his research!  This is not a fluff book or one for the faint of heart!  If you enjoy reading Thrillers then you will probably love this book!  Go get it!

*Note:  I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.