Curiosity Thrilled the Cat

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat 

This is the first book in a cozy mystery series.  Kathleen has just become the librarian in a small town.  She discovers a dead body in the library and becomes a suspect.  Her cats, Owen and Hercules, seem to be helping her try to solve the murder.  These cats seem to have some sort of magical powers that sets them apart from "normal" cats.  This book included a good mystery storyline; I was guessing the killer's identity up until the end of the book.  I also enjoyed the characters in this book a lot and loved Hercules and Owen especially.  #2 in the series comes out in the fall and I will be anxious to read it.

The Undertakers: Rise of the Corpses (YA)

The Undertakers: Rise of the Corpses (YA)

Will Ritter begins to see that some of the people around him are zombie-like creatures.  He is told these creatures are called corpses.  Will is told that by members of The Undertakers, teenagers who have the "sight" to see these creatures and who fight to keep them for overtaking their city.  This book had lots of action and great characters.  Both boys and girls would like this book.  I enjoyed the writing style of this book--it flowed well for a book of over 450 pages.  I was sent this book by the publisher to review.

Bearwalker (YA)

This was a good YA read, especially for boys interested in adventure and survival books.  Baron is heading to a camp in the Adirondacks on a school trip and he is hopeful to see some of the bears he is so interested in and has so many stories from his Mohawk heritage about in his head.  He is not expecting to run into con men and psycho killers.  But he copes extremely well with the change in plans.  This is a decent high interest read from an author local to my area.  I enjoyed the mention of places that are not that far from me.

The Chosen One

The Chosen One

This was a powerful read.  Kyra is a member of "The Chosen One" and she lives with her father and his several wives.  Kyra questions whether this is truly the right way to live.  She sneaks in books to read, sneaks out at night to be with a boy in the order and mentally questions what she is taught to be gospel.  When she is picked to marry her uncle (in his 60s), she makes a decision to not go along with this idea.  When she rebels, she is severely punished.  This book was incredibly moving and disturbing all at once.  Kyra is a character that readers will immediately be drawn to and root for in her escape attempt.  I highly recommend this book.

Perfect Chemistry (YA)

Perfect Chemistry (YA)

This was a great YA romance.  Alex is a gang member; Brittany is the high school princess.  When the two are assigned as lab partners in Chemistry class, their worlds begin to turn upside down.  They are powerfully drawn to each other and both are willing to sacrifice their worlds to be with each other.  Alex and Brittany are well-written characters and readers will get totally swept away by their stories and how much they go through to be with each other.  This was a great read and I enjoyed it.  I want to read the next book, Rules of Attraction.

It's Not Summer Without You (YA)

It's Not Summer Without You (YA)

This is the second book in a good YA realistic fiction/chick lit series.  This book picks up pretty much where the first book left off--Belly is still drawn to Conrad.  When Conrad takes off without telling anyone, his brother Jeremiah asks for Belly's help.  The two find him at the summer home and try to figure out what is going on with him.  There is still tension between Conrad and Belly.  I enjoy this series--I like the three main characters and the writing is good.  I have #3 to read on my Kindle.

From Dead to Worse

From Dead to Worse

This is the 8th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, which has become one of my favorite series.  In this book, there is a werewolf turf war, a vampire kingdom being overthrown and the introduction of the fairy prince and of course Sookie is involved in all of it.  Quinn, Bill and Eric all continue to vie for Sookie's affections.  I love these books!

In the Arms of Stone Angels (YA)

In the Arms of Stone Angels tells the story of Brenna Nash, returning to her hometown two years after finding her best friend, a young Native American man, standing over the slashed body of a murdered teenage girl.  Brenna called the police and turned in White Bird.  White Bird has spent the last two years in a comatose state in a mental institution.  When Brenna returns to her hometown, she realizes that she must try to reach White Bird and bring him back to the land of the living, as she does not truly believe the he was the murderer.  Some of the hometown crowd is not pleased at Brenna's return, and they make that abundantly clear by their actions and bullying of her.  This book was a good, edgy read.  I enjoyed it.  There were good twists and turns that kept me hooked.  I received this book through the Amazon Vine program.

Fallout (YA)

Fallout (YA)

This is the final book in the three book series of Crank and Glass.  This book continues the gritty story of Kristina, hooked at a young age on meth.  Fallout focuses more on the effects of Kristina's addiction on her family, namely her several children.  Hopkins always writes a book that is hard to read but also hard to put down, and Fallout is no exception.  Not for the faint of heart, Fallout tells the horrible story of drug addiction and trying to compensate for lack of love in all the wrong places.   The publisher sent me a copy of this book to review.

The Cat, the Lady and the Liarthe

The Cat, the Lady and the Liar 

This is the third book in a great cozy mystery series.  Jillian is trying to figure out Isis, a diva black kitty, ended up outside of the house of her wealthy owner.  When she meets the owner, Ritaestelle, Jillian realizes that something is not right within the household.  She tries to help Ritaestelle, especially when Ritaestelle becomes a murder supsect.  I love the characters in these books, especially Jillian's cats: Syrah, Merlot and Chablis.  I have read all the books in this series and it has become one of my favorites.

Scent of Jade (Kindle)

Julie is on a tropical getaway when she discovers her husband getting it on with one of the natives.  Julie takes off and gets lost in the forest.  She has a piece of jade from the church where she discovered the tryst and she is not even sure why she took it.  This book is a mix of chick lit, mystery and action, with some humor thrown in for good measure.  The exotic setting made it a bit of a jungle Indiana Jones book.  The author sent me this book in exchange for a review.