Monday, September 03, 2018

#BookReview: A Cold Legacy (The Madman’s Daughter #3) by Megan Shepherd

Publisher: HarperTeen
Recommended Age: Young Adult 
Genre: Historical Fiction (Horror, Retelling) 
About the Book:

After killing the men who tried to steal her father’s research, Juliet—along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet’s secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present within the manor’s own walls.

Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor’s long history of scientific experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets. And she must decide if she’ll follow her father’s dark footsteps or her mother’s tragic ones, or whether she’ll make her own.

With inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this breathless conclusion to the Madman’s Daughter trilogy is about the things we’ll sacrifice to save those we love—even our own humanity.
 




#BookReview: Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy #1) by @raecarson

Reviewed By: Jessica P. 
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Recommended Age: Young Adult 
Genre: Fantasy (Realism the Gold Rush) 
Goodreads | Amazon
About the Book:


Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.




#FirstPage: Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Viviana Mazza

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Recommended Age: Young Adult 
Genre: Contemporary (Cultural > Africa)
About the Book:

On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls. Some managed to escape. Many are still missing. A new pair of shoes, a university degree, a husband—these are the things that a girl dreams of in a Nigerian village. A girl who works hard in school and to help her family. A girl with a future as bright as live coals in the dark. And with a government scholarship right around the corner, everyone—her mother, her five brothers, her best friend, her teachers—can see that these dreams aren’t too far out of reach. Even if the voices on Papa’s radio tell more fearful news than tales to tell by moonlight.

But the girl’s dreams turn to nightmares when her village is attacked by Boko Haram, a terrorist group, in the middle of the night. Kidnapped, she is taken with other girls and women into the forest where she is forced to follow her captors’ radical beliefs and watch as her best friend slowly accepts everything she’s been told. Still, the girl defends her existence. As impossible as escape may seem, her life—her future—is hers to fight for.





August Picks with @demetrabrodsky on #TheBookAddicts group @WinterHavenLib with @Patrick_Ness & Enter the Featured #Giveaway for @JChabotAuthor


This month we have two wonderful bookclub books to choose from as well as a great giveaway that has already started! So we have something for everyone! If your online and on Facebook make sure to join us throughout the month of Aug. to talk with author Demetra Brodsky and her newest title Dive Smack!  

If your local to Winter Haven, Florida make sure to join us Sept. 4th at 5pm EST to chat it up with the Winter Haven Library and Patrick Ness' title The Knife of Never Letting Go. 

#NerdBlast: So Say We All by @markaaltman Edward Gross #Giveaway @JeanBookNerd


Genre: Non-Fiction
About the Book:

From the best-selling authors of the definitive two-volume Star Trek oral history, The Fifty-Year Mission, comes the complete, uncensored, unauthorized oral history of Battlestar Galactica.

Four decades after its groundbreaking debut, Battlestar Galactica -- both the 1978 original and its 2004 reimagining ? have captured the hearts of two generations of fans. What began as a three-hour made for TV movie inspired by the blockbuster success of Star Wars followed by a single season of legendary episodes, was transformed into one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved series in television history. And gathered exclusively in this volume are the incredible untold stories of both shows - as well as the much-maligned Galactica 1980.

For the first time ever, you will learn the uncensored, unbelievable true story of forty years of Battlestar Galactica as told by the teams that created a television legend in the words of over hundred cast, creators, crew, critics and executives who were there and brought it all to life. So Say We All!





Sunday, September 02, 2018

#BookReview: Tiny Pretty Things (Tiny Pretty Things #1) by Sona Charaipotra Dhonielle Clayton

Publisher: HarperTeen
Recommended Age: Young Adult 
Genre: Contemporary 
About the Book:

Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed novel featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.

Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet-star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever.

When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

#BookReview: Dead Ringer by @AlterKates

Reviewed By: Jessica P. 
Publisher: Redhook 
Recommended Age: Adult
Genre: Thriller
About the Book:

A gripping thriller by Kate Kessler (author of the Audrey Harte novels), in which an FBI agent becomes entwined in a missing persons case that directly connects to a horrific event from her past.



Eighteen years ago, FBI Agent Rachel Ward's mirror twin, Hannah, was taken by the Gemini killer, a serial killer who delights in sending photos of his victims to their twins. Rachel assumes her sister has been dead for years, but she's never stopped hunting the monster who took her. Now, another twin has been taken, and when the case reopens, Rachel is assigned as an agent. But her relentless hunt for the killer may drive her to her breaking point.



#BookReview: A History of Glitter and Blood by Hannah Moskowitz

Publisher: Chronicle Books
Recommended Age: Young Adult 
Genre: Fantasy 
About the Book:

Sixteen-year-old Beckan and her friends are the only fairies brave enough to stay in Ferrum when war breaks out. Now there is tension between the immortal fairies, the subterranean gnomes, and the mysterious tightropers who arrived to liberate the fairies.

But when Beckan's clan is forced to venture into the gnome underworld to survive, they find themselves tentatively forming unlikely friendships and making sacrifices they couldn't have imagined. As danger mounts, Beckan finds herself caught between her loyalty to her friends, her desire for peace, and a love she never expected. 

This stunning, lyrical fantasy is a powerful exploration of what makes a family, what justifies a war, and what it means to truly love.


#BookBlitz: The Warrior Princess by @SiobhanDavisTwitter #Giveaway @XpressoTours


The Warrior Princess
Siobhan Davis
(Alinthia #3)
Publication date: August 28th 2018
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
She’ll tear the galaxy apart to save them…
Captured by a special, secret government agency, Alinthia is now facing another new reality—one where she’s separated from the four guys who have come to mean so much to her. But she has faith in Dane, Coop, Maddox, and Beck, and she refuses to give up hope.
Until she discovers General Arantu and his despicable daughter, have imprisoned her protectors and time is running out to save them.
Desperate to escape the government’s clutches and rescue her loved ones, Alinthia finds unlikely allies in the strangest of places. With their help, she finally understands what is required to assume full control of her powers and fulfil her legacy.
However, the more she uncovers about herself and her abilities, the more she understands how fragile the line is between good and evil, darkness and light, right and wrong.
Will she make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love, or are there some lines that can’t ever be crossed?
The third book in the enchanting Alinthia series is intended for readers aged seventeen and older. This is upper YA/NA crossover reverse harem paranormal romance which gets steamier as the series develops. This is not a standalone read. Full-length novel.

Previous books in the series:
 
EXCERPT:
Cooper
I come to, groaning as several of my senses are assaulted at once. A putrid, decaying smell tickles my nostrils, and I’d probably puke if I was human and capable of vomiting. Moans, cries, and screams filter into the room from somewhere outside. Shivers tiptoe up my spine as a blast of cold air sweeps over me, and my arms ache like a bitch. A dull pounding in my head and pain burning at the back of my eyes make seeing difficult, but I push through my discomfort, forcing myself back to consciousness.
Slowly, my vision clears, and my surroundings come into focus.
Mad Dog and Beck are still unconscious,” Dane says into my mind.
Where are we, and how the fuck did we get here?” The last thing I remember is being ambushed by Alandra and a bunch of goons outside Kylie’s house. I put up the mother of all fights, but I was outnumbered, and they had the element of surprise. It’s embarrassing how easily they overpowered me after that.
My head spins around, my eyes scanning the small cell. The walls are exposed stone, and the floors are coarse black slate. It’s dirty, cold, and unforgiving under my butt. There is little natural light in the room, the only glimmer of brightness trickling in through a small, open window above my head.
Beck, Maddox, and Dane are all stripped to their boxers, arms elevated, and wrists bound together, chained to the stone wall. I look down at myself, confirming I’m in the same predicament. “Where’s Alinthia?” The connection that bonds my brothers and I to our girl thrashes anxiously about, trying and failing to locate our missing piece. “Where is she, Dane?
It’s not good, Coop, and it’s all my fault.
Copyright © Siobhan Davis 2018


Author Bio:
USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis writes emotionally intense young adult and new adult romantic fiction with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She is the author of the international bestselling Kennedy Boys, Saven, and True Calling series’.
Siobhan’s family will tell you she’s a little bit obsessive when it comes to reading and writing, and they aren’t wrong. She can rarely be found without her trusty Kindle, a paperback book, or her laptop somewhere close at hand.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.

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 Disclaimer: "All opinions are 100% honest and my own."  Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information. Buying via these links allows my site to get a % of the sale at no cost to you. 

FTC Guidelines: In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. If am compensated for any reviews on this site I will state that post has been sponsored. 





Comments are DELICIOUS! and now that were using this new format for comments the TOP 3 Commenters will all win bookish goodies each month! So that is just one more reason to comment!  This is open to everyone!  So get commenting!  

Don't forget to check out our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest! 
@CrossroadReview 


Saturday, September 01, 2018

#BookReview of Dating Disasters of Emma Nash by Chloe Seager


Dating Disasters of Emma Nash
Reviewed By: Rachael
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Recommended Age: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
About the Book: Don’t miss the laugh-out-loud novel of the year!

Online, you can choose who you want to be. If only real life were so easy…


Emma Nash may be down, but after months of wallowing, stalking her ex online and avoiding showering—because, really, who’s going to care?—Emma’s ready to own her newly single status, get out with her friends and chronicle her dating adventures on her private blog.

But life online doesn’t always run smoothly. Stumbling upon her mother’s Tinder dating profile, getting catfished and accidentally telling the entire world why her ex-boyfriend Leon’s not worth any girl’s…um…time… Okay, those were disasters.

But surely nothing else can go wrong?

Filled with fun, flirty encounters and heartwarming friendships, Dating Disasters of Emma Nash will shock and delight scores of readers looking for something fresh.





#BookReview of The Rosemary Spell by @VZAuthor


The Rosemary Spell
Reviewed By: Rachael
Publisher: Clarion Books
Recommended Age: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
About the Book: Best friends Rosie and Adam find an old book with blank pages that fill with handwriting before their eyes. Something about this magical book has the power to make people vanish, even from memory. The power lies in a poem—a spell. When Adam's older sister, Shelby, disappears, they struggle to retain their memories of her as they race against time to bring her back from the void, risking their own lives in the process.












#BookReview of Scarlett Undercover by @jenandapen


Scarlett Undercover
Reviewed By: Rachael
Publisher: Little Brown
Recommended Age: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
About the Book: Meet Scarlett, a smart, sarcastic, kick-butt, Muslim American heroine, ready to take on crime in her hometown of Las Almas. When a new case finds the private eye caught up in a centuries-old battle of evil genies and ancient curses, Scarlett discovers that her own family secrets may have more to do with the situation than she thinks -- and that cracking the case could lead to solving her father's murder.

Jennifer Latham delivers a compelling story and a character to remember in this one-of-a-kind debut novel.







#ReleaseDay: Oslo Spies (Phyllis Bowden, 2) by @jeanne_harrell

Norway is a destroyed country at the end of World War II. After a relentless German occupation, Norwegians have lost more than imports and exports, everyday goods and services, communications and social events. Norway lost more than 10,000 men and women in the resistance as well as in slave labor and concentration camps scattered throughout Europe. Norway lost hundreds of teachers and religious leaders who died resisting Vidkun Quisling, the head of the Norwegian Nazi Party. Quisling’s demands for Nazi indoctrination to be taught in schools and churches forced teachers and pastors to quit their posts and work underground. Perhaps worst of all, Norwegian children were deprived of their childhoods, a most precious commodity.


It seems a horrendous assignment for Phyllis Bowden, a young woman in military intelligence assigned to the Office of the Military Attache in the American Embassy in Oslo. Her official tasks include intelligence duties and finding families of lost loved ones. These duties, as tough as they may be, pale when she’s faced with something that occurs outside the office. One night Phyllis finds a runaway child in a café bathroom one night, a little girl labeled a quisling because her Norwegian mother married a German officer. A contentious purge has overtaken the country and quislings are not to be tolerated. But the girl has been tortured and abused by the time Phyllis finds her. She's faced with the conflict of doing the right thing or doing what the government dictates. Either way could have international complications.


Meanwhile the love of her life, Joe Schneider, an Mi5 agent, has disappeared in Romania while on assignment and it's a race to find out what's happened to him. Between nerve-wracking tasks in her job, trying to decide the fate of the little girl and being heartbroken over Joe’s disappearance, Phyllis is in for the struggle of her young life and intelligence career.
 
 

Goodreads | Amazon

Biography

SJ Slagle is an award winning historical fiction novelist. Her book, London Spies, received the B.R.A.G. Medallion for excellence in historical fiction. She is a celebrated mystery and suspense writer and author of the Sherlock and Me mystery series.
A teacher and nonfiction writer for most of her career, she taught in high schools and community colleges in Florida, California and Nevada. She began her writing career with the the Floyd Sisters Mysteries as Sinda Cheri Floyd and went on to write western romances as Jeanne Harrell including these bestselling series: Rancher, the Westerners and These Nevada Boys with picturesque settings in the wild west of Nevada.


Find information about SJ Slagle on these sites:
www.jeanneharrell.com  
www.twitter.com/jeanne_harrell.
www.facebook.com/sindaslagle 
www.anauthorsworld.com



Relatively new on the scene, SJ has increased her reader base by leaps and bounds the last few years and looks forward to new readers discovering her work.
















 Disclaimer: "All opinions are 100% honest and my own."  Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information. Buying via these links allows my site to get a % of the sale at no cost to you. 

FTC Guidelines: In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. If am compensated for any reviews on this site I will state that post has been sponsored. 





Comments are DELICIOUS! and now that were using this new format for comments the TOP 3 Commenters will all win bookish goodies each month! So that is just one more reason to comment!  This is open to everyone!  So get commenting!  

Don't forget to check out our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest! 
@CrossroadReview 


#NerdBlast: The Missing (Shadow House #4) by Dan Poblocki @JeanBookNerd #Giveaway





About the Book:

Shadow House never sleeps . . .
Five children have been lured into Shadow House, all for different reasons. None of them knows the others. And none of them knows what to do when they can't find a way back out.
But something is different inside the house. Someone -- or something -- is there with them, and seems to know more than they do. Only how are the kids supposed to decide if that someone is trying to help them . . . or trap them there forever?
Step into Shadow House.






Friday, August 31, 2018

#BookReview of Endangered by @LRGiles


Endangered
Reviewed By: Rachael
Publisher: Harper Teen
Recommended Age: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Thriller
About the Book: The one secret she cares about keeping—her identity—is about to be exposed. Unless Lauren "Panda" Daniels—an anonymous photoblogger who specializes in busting classmates and teachers in compromising positions—plays along with her blackmailer's little game of Dare or . . . Dare.

But when the game turns deadly, Panda doesn't know what to do. And she may need to step out of the shadows to save herself . . . and everyone else on the Admirer's hit list.





 





#BookReview of The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone: A Novel by @adelegriffin


The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone
Reviewed By: Rachael
Publisher: Soho Teen
Recommended Age: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
About the Book: Brilliant young artist. Her mysterious death. Fandom that won't let her go.

From the moment she stepped foot in NYC, Addison Stone’s subversive street art made her someone to watch, and her violent drowning left her fans and critics craving to know more. I conducted interviews with those who knew her best—including close friends, family, teachers, mentors, art dealers, boyfriends, and critics—and retraced the tumultuous path of Addison's life. I hope I can shed new light on what really happened the night of July 28. Fully illustrated.
—Adele Griffin








#BookBlitz: Twelve Months of Awkward Moments by @Apocalipstick_ #Giveaway @XpressoTours


Twelve Months of Awkward Moments
Lisa Acerbo
Publication date: August 30th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
Dani can’t wait for senior year at college. A straight-A scholar whose anxiety is a daily struggle, being awkward, introverted, and studious has become a way of life. She vows this year will be different. It’s time to move beyond her comfort zone, but that’s not easy.
Dani’s wild roommate and handsome best friend hate each other; her crazy family won’t leave her alone; and a new job forces her to be social. Unfortunately, when college romance finally calls, Dani is unable to answer thanks to a stalker who has her all tied up.
Can she stay alive long enough to find love and graduate?










15 Amazing Dystopian Novels!



15 Amazing Dystopian Novels! 



Hello readers I decided to create a really great list of dystopian novels!  These are ones that I have personally read and loved so you know they won’t do you wrong. 

#BookTour: Freefall Summer by @writingtracy #Giveaway @JeanBookNerd

Reviewed By: Jessica P. 
Publisher: Charlesbridge Teen
Recommended Age: Young Adult 
Genre: Contemporary 
About the Book:

WHUFFO: Someone who hasn't made a skydive (yet), especially a spectator. Supposedly derived from "What for do you jump out of a perfectly good airplane?"

Sixteen-year-old Clancy is no stranger to extreme sports. Her father runs a skydiving dropzone, but after her mother dies in a freak accident, her father grounds her--permanently. Clancy is resigned to being a whuffo and packing parachutes for her dad's latest girlfriend until cute college freshman Denny starts taking classes at the drop zone. Denny assumes Clancy is eighteen, an innocent mistake that gives her a rush--and that she doesn't correct. 
But the lies snowball, relationships are damaged, and suddenly Clancy isn't the person she wants to be. She wants to make things right . . . but it seems the more Clancy imagines the life of a skydiver, the more she imagines she can escape her dull reality of life outside the drop zone. Will Clancy make the jump?




Thursday, August 30, 2018

#BookReview of The Skylighter by Becky Wallace


The Skylighter (The Keepers' Chronicles, #2)
Reviewed By: Rachael
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Recommended Age: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
About the Book: Johanna and Rafi are in a race against time to save their country before a power-mad Keeper destroys everything they hold dear in the “enthralling magical world” (Cinda Williams Chima, author of The Heir Chronicles) introduced in The Storyspinner.

As the last of the royal line, Johanna is the only person who can heal a magical breach in the wall that separates her kingdom of Santarem from the land of the Keepers, legendary men and women who wield elemental magic. The barrier protects Santarem from those Keepers who might try to take power over mere humans…Keepers who are determined to stop Johanna and seize the wall’s power for themselves.

And they’re not the only ones. As the duchys of Santarem descend into war over the throne, Johanna relies more than ever on the advice of her handsome companion, Lord Rafael DeSilva. But Rafi is a duke too, and his people come first. As their friendship progresses into the beginnings of a tender relationship, Johanna must wonder: is Rafi looking out for her happiness, or does he want the throne for himself?

With war on the horizon, Johanna and Rafi dodge treacherous dukes and Keeper assassins as they race to through the countryside, determined to strengthen the wall before it’s too late…even if it means sacrificing their happiness for the sake of their world.