Impeccable Petunia by Katie Christine and Jonathan Edward

Genre:
Young Adult, Fiction, Children, Fantasy

Format:
EBook

Publisher:
Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Release Date:
May 2012



Petunia is a chicken with a heart. She wants nothing more than to fit in with the other chickens, but thanks to jealousy and betrayal, she isn’t accepted. The one who does accept her is a human woman. They develop a strong friendship, even if they don’t completely understand each other. (Petunia does not speak the human language.)

Petunia finds herself in some of the strangest and most difficult situations including tangling with a jealous chicken, a fox and a mischievous gray cat. With the help of her friends, Petunia tries to hold on and find her own place without getting physically hurt in the process.

I didn’t know what to expect when I read this book, but I absolutely adored it. It’s cute and even has some adventure and danger tossed in to leave readers chewing on their fingernails.  It's charming, sweet and highly entertaining.

I read this on my Kindle Fire and the drawings are magnificent. The colors were so vibrant. The story itself is beautifully written and fast-paced. This isn’t just a children’s book. I think adults would enjoy this too. I know I did and I normally don’t read books like this but I’m glad I read this one.

The book actually ended with a cliffhanger. I want to read the rest of this series…NOW!


5 out of 5 kitties!



FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

Foxy’s Tale by Karen Cantwell and L.B. Gschwandtner

Genre:
Chick Lit, Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal

Format:
EBook

Publisher:
Novelette Books

Release Date:
March 2011

Single mom and former beauty queen, Foxy Anders, hasn’t had an easy life but she’s doing the best she can to make ends meet. After a messy divorce, she opens an antique shop in Washington D.C.’s fancy DuPont Circle. She hopes to sell her merchandise to the wealthy people living in the area.

Foxy’s teenaged daughter, Amanda, is sick and tired of her mother’s antics. Her mom does nothing that Amanda expects a mom to do like cook and take care of their house. To make matters even worse, Foxy goes on shopping sprees and spends money they don’t have. Amanda takes her frustrations out in her blog, where she lets her feelings be known to all…that is, if anyone is really reading it.

Things get really crazy when Foxy rents out two apartments in their building. One goes to Knot (pronounced Kuh-not) who becomes Foxy’s best salesman. Of course Knot has a few quirks of his own – he has a shoe fettish and has a thing for a wealthy political figure. The other apartment goes to Myron Standlish, an older Yiddish-speaking gentleman with a refrigerator full of bottles of blood.

When Amanda becomes involved with Nick, a fellow high school student, she’s shocked to see him being stalked by an older woman and Nick is doing nothing about it. She has to wonder if perhaps he’s interested in the older woman, but she’s stunned when she learns exactly how old this person is. She confides in Knot and Myron, since she’s convinced her mother’s failed love life wouldn’t be of any help.

Meanwhile, Foxy is going through her own romantic issues when she meets a guy she’s convinced is the man of her dreams. But, when she meets his fiancé, she knows she has once again made a bad choice in choosing men.

This is a cute book which has a little bit of everything – romance for adults as well as young adults, comedy, and a touch of paranormal. The book has characters you will really come to care about. I know I did. An old Yiddish vampire? Too funny. You might not want to read this one in public or people will wonder why you are laughing out loud. This is the first book of a series “The Reluctant Vampire” and I’m already looking forward to the next one.





FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

Blog Tour: Review of "Settling" and Book Giveaway (US and International!)

Genre:
Young Adult, Paranormal

Release Date:
July 4, 2011

Publisher:
CreateSpace

Following her successful first novel, "Solid", Shelley Workinger's "Settling" picks up the story of a group of teens who recently learned they had been genetically altered before birth. The Army has set them up in a special school where they can learn more about what has happened to them and the super-powers they each have acquired. The teens are desperate for answers and have become a close-knit group during the process.

One teen, Calliope "Clio" Kalid, is particularly interested in learning the truth and finds herself involved in a romance with two men, which could turn their group inside out. When one of the school's staff members is murdered and a fellow student is beaten up, the kids can't help wondering what they are in the middle of. They begin an investigation which leads to putting themselves in danger, even the Army can't keep them safe.

The characters we fell in love with in the first book are all back for more adventure, mystery and romance. It's a fast-paced book, which will have readers cheering for Clio and her friends. These characters group up right in front of our eyes. This is a very well written series that will leave readers holding their breaths during the final explosive scenes.




FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.



Check out Shelley's website to learn more about her young adult series by clicking here.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!

Now....would you like to win an autographed copy of Settling of your very own? Shelley is graciously offering a copy to one luck winner! (US and International!). Thank you, Shelley!

Here are the rules...


1) Comment here that you want to be entered.

2) Leave a valid email address in your comment (I need a way to contact you! No email address, no entry!)

3) For an extra entry, follow my blog. If you already follow my blog, just mention that in your comment.

4) Subscribe to my blog and mention that in the comments, too, for another entry! If you already subscribe, mention that in the comments!

5) If you blog about the giveaway on your blog, you get 2 extra entries! Please leave the direct link of your post!

All entries must be submitted by July 9th, midnight est. I will contact the winner by email. If I don't get a response within 3 days, another winner will be chosen.

The winner will be picked by Random List.org.

Good luck everyone!

Solid by Shelley Workinger

Genre: Young Adult
Format: EBook
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release: July 2010-11-13

A group of teenagers discover they have been genetically altered before birth. They are invited to a place where they would be tested for “super abilities”. Away from their families and friends, they begin to form a close friendship with each other. It is not long before they develop a tight bond.

One of the teens, Calliope “Clio” Kaid, lost her father many years ago. One of the people in charge happens to have been a close friend of her father’s, but she questions the coincidence of running into him now and wonders if her father’s death was truly an accident. When she can’t reach her mother, she becomes even more suspicious of what is happening.

Clio stumbles upon information that could be dangerous to her and her new friends. She shares her information with them and together they search for the truth and expose a conspiracy that could destroy them all.

This book has a nice mix of mystery, suspense, thrills, and even a bit of romance. I don’t usually read young adult books, but the premise of this book intrigued me and I’m glad I read it. The characters are all realistic and their motivation is believable. The story moves at a fast-paced and the characters come to life in a way that will have readers caring about them. I devoured this book in just a couple of days.

A side note, this is the first book in the “Solid” series. To read more about these books, go to Shelley Workinger’s website http://solidnovel.com/

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult

Format: EBook

Bella Swan and Edward Cullen are back in the second book of the Twilight saga. Bella and Edward are in love, but Bella finds it very difficult to be in love with a vampire. To protect Bella from his family and himself, the Cullens leave town and Bella is devastated. She befriends Jacob Black and they form a relationship of their own. Little does Bella know that Jacob has some huge secrets of his own.

Although Bella enjoys Jacob’s company, she can’t help but miss Edward and she’d give anything to have him back in her life. Bella finds herself in the midst of one problem after another – from werewolves, to a vengeful vampire enemy, to a group of vampires ready to kill her. The only one who can help her is Edward, but can he even help himself?

This is an adventure and thrill on each page. I enjoyed it, but I can’t say that I’m caught up in the whole Twilight thing as so many others are. I’ll read the rest of the series, but there are other books I’d rather read first.

For Reading Challenges:

A to Z Reading Challenge

TBR Lite Reading Challenge

Read Your Own Book Reading Challenge

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (Book #1) by James Patterson

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Thriller
Format: Audio

A group of six genetically enhanced children escape from the lab where they were raised (98% human, 2% bird). When one of their own is kidnapped, the flock takes off on adventure to save her. Angel is behind held by an evil group called Erasers (part wolf, part human). Max leads the way to freeing the six year old.

It doesn’t take long for 14 year old Max to realize her role is to not only free Angel, but take care of her flock and save the world while she’s at it. Not an easy task. They are also determined to find out who their real parents were and why they allowed them to be used in these genetic experiments. The flock has their work cut out for them.

Patterson takes us on a crazy adventure as we follow Max and her flock fight the evil powers threatening to destroy them. I didn’t think this would be my kind of book, but I listened to the audio and it made for a nice diversion in the car. I started to care about Max and her friends. I wanted to find out what would happen next. There are five other books following this one and I will eventually get to those as well.

For reading challenge:

James Patterson Reading Challenge

Everything Sucks by Hannah Friedman

“Losing My Mind and Finding Myself in a High School Quest for Cool”

Genre: Young Adult, Non-fiction, Memoirs

In middle school, Hannah is nicknamed “The Monkey Girl”. She doesn’t fit in with the “cool” kids and is nothing more than a misfit. Her parents pull her out of school for a year to live on a tour bus with her father’s band. This further alienates her from the kids at school.

When she enters an exclusive boarding school, her life is changed forever. She’s suddenly a member of the cool group, buying great clothes and even finding a new guy in her life. Still, life is never perfect and…well…everything just sucks!

Hannah’s life takes one wrong turn after another from problems in school, drug addiction, an eating disorder and a boyfriend she’s really not sure she wants to remain with. This is one woman’s journey from school to adulthood.

This book will bring a smile to your face and a few tears to your eyes. Hannah will be someone you truly come to care about. Her story is told with humor and I’m sure it will strike a chord with everyone who reads it. This book feels more like a friend telling you her life story. It’s not just for young adults, everyone will enjoy reading this one.

20 Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Published by Little, Brown and Company
Release date: June 1, 2009
Genre: Young Adult

Anna Reiley’s best friend is Frankie Perino. They do everything together, they share all their deep dark secrets, but then Anna falls in love with Frankie’s older brother, Matt. Suddenly Anna has a secret from her best friend. Matt wants to be the one to tell his sister about their relationship. He makes Anna promise not to spill the beans just yet and she agrees. Tragedy strikes before Matt can tell Frankie anything. Now, Matt is gone and Anna intends to honor the promise she made to Matt. Frankie must never know the truth.

A year later, Frankie and her parents invite Anna to join them on their yearly trip to Zanzibar Bay, three thousand miles from home. Anna is thrilled to go since her own family never goes anywhere and she will get to be where Matt vacationed every year. She’d be able to see for herself all the places he told her about. Frankie tosses in a bit more fun then just a vacation, she vows they will meet 20 boys in twenty days. It’s the last thing Anna wants, but she goes along with it for Frankie’s sake. Anna has no intentions of meeting any other boy. She fears he would erase Matt completely from her life.

Things take a painful turn when Frankie gets out of control and Anna is attracted to a new guy she meets on the beach. This is a realistic look at two teenagers trying to deal with a tragedy that nobody, regardless of their age, should have to deal with. We also get a glimpse into the lives of Frankie’s parents and seeing how they are trying to deal with their own grief.

Sarah Ockler portrays each character quite realistically in their handling of grief, sadness and trying to move on with their lives. Readers will feel their own hearts tearing apart for the heartbreak these people experience. Ockler is an author to watch out for – I’m sure there are many more books coming our way from her, but it’s hard to think any can measure up to this beautifully written novel.