Title: Runes

Author: Ednah Walters

Release: 5/20/13

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Pages: 243

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Purchase Links

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The Story

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only is she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.

What I Thought

So, I liked this one.  I was fun and different from my normal contemporary world!

The story was well written and probably would have gotten higher but hey, when you make a glaring mistake in the first page you lose point, serious points.  Grapes of Wrath was NOT written by Ernest Hemingway, it was written by John Steinbeck. Sorry, the English major in me went nuts over that one and it played in my mind for the rest of the story.  If it wasn’t for that it probably would have gotten a 4/4.5! It is one of those fatal flaws that I have, like mixing up homophones!

Moving on! Raine and Torin were great! Raine reminds me so much of me.  She is so happy in her world, reading, watching movies, hanging out with her friends. Torin is so good looking and such a bad guy! Raine can’t seem to help being attracted to him, even though things are finally starting to move forward with the guy she has been kind of with forever. Raine’s friends were also amazing! Eirik and Cora are loyal and great support for Raine when she needs it most.

This book was such a quick and easy read! I loved how fast it read and what a great story (did I mention that before?)

So, seriously can’t wait for the next book… ugh! This one seriously left you hanging!

Author Bio — Ednah Walters

Rating:

3/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

Title: Since You Asked

Author: Maurene Goo

Release: 6/25/13

Genre: Contemporary Romance

 Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 272

Purchase Links

Goodreads  | Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  

The Story

No, no one asked, but Holly Kim will tell you what she thinks anyway.

Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim is the copyeditor for her high school’s newspaper. When she accidentally submits an article that rips everyone to shreds, she gets her own column and rants her way through the school year. Can she survive homecoming, mean-girl cliques, jocks, secret admirers, Valentine’s Day, and other high school embarrassments, all while struggling to balance her family’s traditional Korean values?
In this hilarious debut, Maurene Goo takes a fresh look at trying to fit in without conforming to what’s considered “normal” in high school and how to manage parental expectations without losing one’s individuality…or being driven insane.

What I Thought

This looked like one of those boolot that I should love, so I was kind of disappointed at first that it took me so long to get into it.  I would say the first third of the book I was reading thinking, oh no….  But then, flip the switch, sound the horns… I started loving it!

Holly is great. I think we all had a friend or so in school that was a little I over the top. That was Mrs. Kim. Holly gets to spend her summer I in SAT classes and Homecoming Dance? Forget about it. Meanwhile, when a column she writes accidentally gets published, Holly goes from being a nobody to being a household name in the school. And along the way she has her three best friends to support her.

I think one of my favorite parts of the story was Holly and her friends and there relationship. Her relationship with her parents could be described as combative on a good day but her friends were just amazing.  Some of the stuff that Holly got into was crazy, it could only happen to her. But her friends were right there with her through everything.

So, I already said I didn’t like the beginning, but really got into the book once it got going….. But then there was the end.  With out giving anything away, all I will say is it left off kind of abruptly. I sure hope that there is a sequel, cause that is the way the ends felt, no real closure…. Just kind of spitting there fogging, huh?

Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend it for the humor alone!

Rating:

4/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

name: an endless summer

author: c.j. duggan

release date: 7/17/13

summary from goodreads:

Sean looked out over the lake, squinting against the sunlight. He turned to me, his expression sobering as his eyes flicked over my face in a silent study.

“Come on Amy, I saved you once, I’ll save you again.”
I met his stare unflinchingly. “I don’t need saving.”
A wicked grin formed slowly. “Don’t you?”

After a rebellious summer night that almost claimed her life, Amy Henderson – the Onslow publican’s only daughter – is sent away to suffer a fate far worse than any other punishment:

Boarding School.

Three years on, a now nineteen-year-old Amy returns to Onslow for the summer. What once was a cauldron of activity with live bands, hot meals and cold beers, the Onslow Hotel now lies dark, deserted and depressing. All fond childhood memories of loitering on the hotel stairs and eavesdropping on customers’ colourful conversations are in the distant past.

How had her dad let it come to this?

With the new threat of putting the Onslow up for sale, Amy reluctantly turns to a local tradesman for help: Sean Murphy, the very same Onslow boy who saved her life all those years ago. With his help and that of some old friends, the task is clear: spend the summer building the hotel back up to its former glory or lose it for good.

In an endless summer, Amy soon realises that sometimes in order to save your future, you have to face your past, even if it’s in the form of a smug, gorgeous Onslow boy

Why I’m Waiting (most impatiently!):

So, yeah, I’m not even going to pretend that I’m waiting patiently on this one (C.J. I’m looking at you and tapping my feet, hope you feel my stare over there in Australia!)

See, I’ve been lucky enough to get a few sneaks here an there on this book because C.J. Duggan is AWESOME and AMAZING and it has just made me so excited for the real thing! You may have been around to catch my review for the first book in the series, Boys of Summer.  It made my top 10 list of books for 2012.  It totally rocked!

I’m expecting even better things out of An Endless Summer. Why? Cause the setting is four years later, and we have already fallen in love with the main character Sean (when she told me that the book was going to be about him I wanted her to write the book THEN!) It has left me hanging waiting six long months to know what has happened to these amazing characters in the four years since we left them. CJ has given me just enough to keep me hanging in there durn her.

Anyway, all I can tell you is to look for a review coming really soon (as soon as I can get my hands on the ARC from her!!!!) and look for a giveaway of both books! Because as much as I adore these books, look for me to share the love people!

What are you waiting on?

Title: Waiting on Forever

Series: Forever Series

Author: Ashley Wilcox

Release: 4/29/13

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Purchase Links

Goodreads  | Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  

The Story

College.

Parties, sororities and getting drunk.

Oh, yeah. And learning.

This may be true for most college students, but not for Leah Bennett.  College life for her includes studying, working, and excelling in school.  When it comes to the social ladder, Leah is at the bottom.  Popular girls, hot guys and star athletes are of no importance to her, except for one.

Matthew Jacobs.

Matt is the starting wide receiver at SUNY Cortland, the most wanted guy on campus and Leah’s best friend.  Although Leah’s feelings toward Matt run deeper than just a friendship, it is something she would never let be heard because the odds of someone like Matthew Jacobs going for someone like Leah Bennett are slim to none.

When Matt starts showing an interest in Leah that goes beyond friendship, she is dumbfounded and doesn’t believe it is possible – until one weekend that changes everything.

Will Matt and Leah’s popularity status get in the way of having a chance at a real relationship?

Or does status mean nothing when it comes to true love?

What I Thought

I had read story 1 in the series a few months back and had enjoyed it… so I was excited to read book #2!

Ashley Wilcox didn’t disappoint!  This series is well written and fun.

Matthew is cute and fun and one of the most popular guys on campus.  All of the girls want to date him, but for some reason his heart is taken with Leah from the beginning of the school year.  Leah doesn’t get what Matt sees in her. He is the type of guy that she has always dreamed about, but never managed to land, but he seems to really like her.

Matt is so sweet and caring, how can you not be crazy about him? But Leah has a few insecure issues to deal with if she and Matt are going to make a go of it….

This one was a winner for me.  Nothing too serious and not a ton of girl inspired drama either.

Author Bio — Ashley Wilcox

Rating:

4/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

Title: The Rules for

Disappering

Author: Ashley Elston

Release: 5/14/13

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Pages: 320

Click on the banner below to follow the rest of

The Rules for Disappearing tour! 

Purchase Links

Goodreads  | Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  

The Story

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

What I Thought

Let me start by saying how much I adored this book! Leila Howland has written a brilliant work here… It was such a different book from most things I have written and I couldn’t put it down until the very end, yep, that AWESOME!

Meg is so tired of running, and she just wishes that she knew what she was running from. And then when she ends up in this town and meets Ethan.  Oh, Ethan. Yeah, he is so going up on my board of boy book heroes! He just won’t leave Meg alone, he keeps at Meg and keeps trying until he finds a crack, and well, I won’t tell you anymore, cause that might spoil the story, but, let me tell you, I don’t know many young men that would stand up and do what he did!

Oh, and I can’t do this review with out talking about Teeny, Meg’s younger sister. In this town she goes by Mary. Teeny is Meg’s whole reason for going on when things around her seem to be crumbling.  Meg’s dad is acting weird, her mom is turning into an alcoholic, and Meg is starting to feel paranoid and spending a lot of time looking over her should, and with some good reason… things are starting to become clearer to her over time.

When  they first moved into town, Meg set up a plan, not to get involved with anyone or anything, and that seems to be crumbling.  But now she’s worried that she is going to get someone hurt.

This was an AMAZING debut novel by Leila Howland and I loved it (did I mention how much I liked this one yet?) I so couldn’t put it down and had to read to the end to find out what happened!

Author Bio — Leila Howland

Ashley Elston lives is North Louisiana with her husband, three sons and two cats. She worked as a wedding and portrait photographer for ten years until she decided to pursue writing full time. Ashley is also a licensed Landscape Horticulturist and helps her husband run a commercial lawn and landscaping business. They also custom harvest pecans and have cows. Yes, cows.

 

Author Links:

Website  |  Twitter

Giveaway

Click on the Rafflecopter link below to enter the tour wide giveaway for a finished copy of The Rules for Disappearing!

Good Luck and thanks for visiting the Bookmark Blog!

Rating:

5/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

name: the moon and more

author: sarah dessen

release date: 06/04/13

publisher: viking juvenile

summary from goodreads:

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo’s sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline’s mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he’s convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she’s going?

Sarah Dessen’s devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

Why I’m Waiting (most impatiently!):

#1 Reason: Sarah Dessen

#2 Reason: it comes out the day before my birthday

#3 Reason: well, if you need any more reasons (which I really don’t think you do… but I have ‘em, so I’ll share!) Oh my goodness! This book just sounds SO AMAZING! The good and safe and easy vs. the moon? Which way should you go? So excited for this one!!!!!

What are you waiting on?

Title: A Summer to Remember

Author: Jessica Gunhammer

Release: 5/15/13

Genre: YA

Publisher: Limitless Publishing

Purchase Links:

Goodreads  | Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  

The Story:

Eighteen-year-old Ava knows this summer is going to be one of the best ones yet, but it isn’t going how she originally planned…

Ava’s life takes an unexpected turn on graduation day, when Jason, the love of her life, suddenly dumps her. Blindsided and feeling betrayed she is determined to win him back at the end of year frat party. Something that wasn’t in her plan, however, was being sidetracked by a complete and total stranger. Caught off guard by this unexplainable attraction, she can’t figure out why she’s having such a hard time forgetting about him.

Adrian had one thing on his mind that night. It was to get through the summer and not have to worry about anything, but working with his dad and getting the hell out of this small town…

When he meets Ava his whole world is turned upside down. He doesn’t know why but he knows that this is the girl he’s supposed to be with. The only problem is going to be trying to convince her of the same thing.

What I Thought:

I was super excited to get the opportunity review A Summer to Remember! I couldn’t wait to dive in and read it.

As I was reading it I kept thinking, yep, it was what I was looking forward to! Ava was cute and sweet.  She gets her heart broken graduation day and meets Adrian (cool name by the way!!!!) and they fall in love (yeah, not so much on the insta love, but I can deal with it.  I was a little skeptical that her parents let her have as much freedom with Adrian (who had graduated college) as they did.  But, okay, she is 18.

But then the book ended.  Throw not he brakes, it’s over, the rest of the story will be in book #2.

Yeah, I get sequels, and I get that we want to read book #2… but I need just a wee bit more of a conclusion than we got here.

I won’t spoil it and tell you what happened.  I will tell you that I liked the book and can’t wait to read book #2, and will be stalking Jessica until she sends me to ARC so I know what happens next… but still… here is your warning… read this book. It is a great contemporary story (short, cute and fun.) You will love Adrian, he is a great boyfriend, the kind that you want to take home to your parents! But be warned that the ending is a little, well, abrupt!

Oh, and I adore the cover… I love the girl on the cover, except she looks a little awkward laying on him like that!

Rating:

4/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Top 10 Tuesday–Top Ten Books Dealing With Tough Subjects

1. Keep Holding On — Bullying

It took me several days after I finished this one to start a new book.  This book just blew me away by the outright bullying that goes on in this book. You hear about it, but to read about it, was crazy. I just hope I am raising my daughters to be better than this.

2. Easy — Sexual Assault

Great story with amazing characters and a great author.  Another well written book about a touchy subject.

3. If I Stay — Family Death

Oh, this book (and the sequel!) tore me all to pieces.  One of my all time favorite books!

4. Me, Him, Them, & It — Teenage Pregnancy

Such a hard subject to talk about.  Teenage pregnancy is so all over the place.  I like the way it was handled in this book though.

5. My Sister’s Keeper — Cancer

Can I say as the mom of two girls this book pretty much tore me to pieces? I loved it and it gave me a new perspective on being a mom. But still…..

6. The Book Thief –Holocaust

This is probably one of my most recommend and loaned out books.  And one of the few books I can honestly say both my husband and I have both read. Such an incredible story.

7. If I Lie — Teenage Homosexuality/Friendship

You’ve probably seen this one pop up.  This book pretty much tore me up when I read it (here is a hint, DON’T read this one at the beach, but DO read this one!) one of my favorite books I read last year, it really tests some friendship paths

8. In Honor — Family Death

I really liked this book. It was such a great story. A road trip about finding yourself and letting go of the past along the way.

9. Hunger Games

This is one book that I really believe that everyone should read.  I still don’t know if I like it or not, but I still believe everyone should read it.  Children killing children, it still gives me chills when I think about it.

10. Something Like Normal — Military

I find these books to be very fitting with the time.  And they seem to deal with what a lot of our military personal are going through as they are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is sad, but unfortunately the truth.

May New Release Giveaway Hop

May 15 -31st

The Contest

This is the May New Release Hop hosted by Book Twirps & Refracted Light Reviews!

The dates for the hop are May 15 – 31st. The contest will close at midnight on February 20th EST.  I will email the winner and they will have 24 hours to email me back with their information before I move on to the next person. Good luck and thanks for visiting the Bookmark Blog!

The Prize

The winner can choose from one of these awesome May Releases! (Click on the cover for a description of each!)

Or suggest another May release!

How to Enter

To enter click on the Rafflecopter image below.

PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO VISIT THESE OTHER BLOGS ON THE HOP!

As always, Good Luck, and thanks for visiting The Bookmark Blog!

Title: Friends & Lovers

Trilogy

Author: Bethany Lopez

Books in the Series:

#1: Make It Last

#2: I Choose You

#3: Trust In Me

Genre: New Adult

Click on the button below to follow the entire Friends & Lovers Tour!

Purchase Links:

Barnes & Noble   |  Amazon     

The Story:

Make it Last:

In a small town, it’s hard to recover from being dumped by your high school sweetheart. That’s just what Briana has to do after Colin leaves her to follow his dreams. She focuses her energy into her friendships and the pursuit of her own goal of becoming a chef. Just when she finally feels like she’s on the right path, he comes back to town.

Colin knew breaking up with Briana before leaving for college was the right thing to do. He was determined to leave small-town life behind forever, and that included his high school girlfriend. But when a sports injury puts him on the sidelines, he’s forced to return home. Seeing Briana again brings back a lot of memories, and Colin wonders if he made the right decision. It doesn’t take long for him to realize he wants her back, and this time, he wants to make it last.

I Choose You:

Up until now, Nicole’s life has been mapped out for her. She’d go to college, marry Jake and become the upstanding minister’s wife. When she leaves that life to begin again in a small town in Texas, she finally has the freedom to live as she chooses. There, she meets Kent, a guy whose charm and passion make it hard to stick to her morals.

Dodging his father’s fists and protecting his twin sister made Kent into the man he is today. He learned by watching his mother stay by his father’s side that it’s better to keep relationships simple. Then he meets Nicole. Her sweet smile and genuine response to him land like punches to his resolve. After a lifetime of learning to protect his heart, can he finally let down his guard?

Trust in Me:

Roni’s dreams of becoming a contemporary dancer were smashed under the brutal rage of her ex-husband’s fists. Getting divorced and starting over at the age of twenty-two was never her plan, but maybe in Texas, she’ll find her path. When the town’s local player, Rich, opens a Rec Center, she sees a way to rekindle her dancing dreams…and maybe have a little fun with her sexy new boss.

Rich never expected to fulfill his dreams in the town he planned to leave behind, but that’s just what he’s doing. His reputation as a noncommittal ladies’ man might make it challenging to earn respect in the business world, but he’s willing to prove that he’s serious. In fact, when it comes to pursuing Roni, he’s more than willing. But she’s taking a page out of his book, not wanting to risk another relationship. Can he convince her that his playboy days are over and that she can trust him with her heart?

What I Thought:

It is no secret I am a HUGE Bethany Lopez fan! Here is a review of Nissa and though I haven’t reviewed her other books, I have read and loved them! So, I JUMPED at the chance to review this series.  I stared reading the first book and, duh! I’d already read Make It Last.  I searched the blog and hadn’t done a review. So I skipped to I Choose You.  Yep, I’d read that one too… I searched the blog and had reviewed that one, but won’t link it because it was a really bad review from when I first started reviewing.

ANYWAY! Moving on. The characters that Bethany Lopez creates are so real.  I seriously want to move in with them and have a beer and be part of their circle.  I’m pretty sure I can convince her to write me in.  I think I would fit in perfectly with their circle.  She can even write me a perfect boyfriend.  I want him to have Rich’s body, with Colin’s face and Kent’s personality! Simple, right?  My favorite of the series is by far Make it Last. I adored Briana and Colin and their relationship obviously was meant to last. I didn’t love Kent, but I think he and Nicole are good together, so it all works out.  Rich and Roni are two of my favorite characters! They are the characters from Trust in Me. I love the relationship that they have.  It is something that they build because of Roni’s past.

All and all, I couldn’t put these books down reading them, and I just loved this series! I am always ready to dive into whatever Bethany Lopez has written next!

Giveaway:

There is a tour wide giveaway of 3 signed copies of The Friends and Lovers Trilogy! Click on the Rafflecopter image below to enter!

Rating:

5/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

Title: Click to Subscribe

Author: L.M. Augustine

Release: 5/9/13

Genre: YA

Pages: 252

Purchase Links:

Amazon | B&N 

The Story:

What I Thought:

What a cute story!

This was a great best friend romance story! It was fun read. This book had such great laugh out loud moments that it made me not want the book to end. And the best part? This book was SO not predicable!

Being from the boys point of view, this made for an interesting angle. I really loved this story. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t clean. But it was an amazing story and I loved it from start to finish. I can’t begin to recommend this one enough! There are so many awkward moments where West has to figure out how he truly feels about Cat. He knows he has feelings for Harper, and he is best friends with Cat, but how does he combine the two?

West and Cat are great characters and LM did an amazing job writing them and their story. Another great thing about Click to Subscribe? It was TRUE YA! Yep, every good thing you find in YA is in this book. It was so good and so worth a read…

Giveaway:

There is a tour wide give away of an ebook of you choice with a $10 Amazon gift card. Click on the Rafflecopter image below to enter!

Rating:

4.5/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

Title: Defiant Heart

Author: Marty Steere

Release: 4/15/13

Genre: Historical Fiction/

General Fiction

Publisher: Penfield

Publications

Pages: 388

Purchase Links:

Goodreads  | Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  

The Story:

Set against the backdrop of small town America on the eve of World War II, Defiant Heart features two extraordinary characters and one unforgettable love story.

In the spring of 1941, young Jon Meyer’s family dies in a tragic accident, and he is sent to live in a small Indiana town.  He arrives to find himself unwanted and shunned.

Mary Dahlgren is the daughter of the town’s mayor.  A pretty girl, she could have the pick of the boys in town, including Vernon King, the star of the vaunted high school basketball team.  To the chagrin of her friends, though, Mary has always been more interested in books than boys.  That is, until she meets Jon.

But Jon and Mary are kept apart by an insidious campaign orchestrated by Mary’s father, who perceives their relationship a threat to his political aspirations, and Vernon, to whom Jon is a rival for Mary’s affections.  For months Jon is subjected to a painful ostracism.  Then, just when the young man’s earnestness and perseverance begin to win over many of the townsfolk and it appears that love may conquer all, tragedy strikes.

As the country is caught up in war, so too are the young lovers swept up in events beyond their control, leaving both fighting for their very lives.  If, against the odds, they are to be together, each will need to find the strength, the courage and the resourcefulness that beat only in a defiant heart.

What I Thought:

I have to say I didn’t start out excited to read this one. Historical type romances aren’t necessarily my favorite.

I am glad to say I was mistaken! From the moment I actually made myself sit down and start reading about Jon and Mary until the last page, well, I was completely hooked into this story. Steere has an amazing writing style.  I would probably argue that the synopsis doesn’t do this book justice and not to go by what it says, because the book itself is about so much more.

Jon arrives in town after loosing his parents and beloved older brother to find a grandmother who can’t get over the fact that his father ‘stole’ her daughter from her.  He soon finds himself ostracized from most of the town because of his religion.

It never ceases to amaze me that something as simple as what you believe or the color of your skin can make you a target, especially in a small town.  This book was amazing.  The relationships that Jon forms, both with Mary and Ben, a pilot in the town, are deep and help him to begin to heal.  Tragedy, however, waits and Jon seems to be a big part of what is happening in this town.  The characters are deep and moved me a lot, more than I thought they would.

A few years ago I was on a mission trip with my youth and went to a small town in the Midwest where race had played a huge roll in the town. To this day the town is still severely divided. I couldn’t help but think  of this town when I was reading this book and how much those tensions hurt that town, and the families in that town, and are still dividing that town.

I was asked to review this book by the author, and as I mentioned above, I really wasn’t sure how I would feel about it.  Imagine my surprise when instead or writing a review about NOT liking the book, I’m writing about how amazing the book really was?!

Rating:

4.5/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.

Title: Nantucket Blue

Author: Lelia Howland

Release: 5/7/13

Genre: YA Paranormal

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Pages: 304

Click on the banner below to follow the rest of the The Forgotten Ones tour! 

Purchase Links:

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The Story:

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

What I Thought:

I was super excited to be included on this blog tour!  I have been eyeing this book since it was listed earlier this year on the debut author list! So when Itching for Books sent out the invite, I was ALL OVER THIS ONE!

I’m going to start with the cover on this one. I LOVE this cover.  I am of the camp that the cover means so much for the book. When I look at this cover I think SUMMER ROMANCE and it definitely makes me want to pick up the book and read it!

Now onto the juicer stuff… Oh how I loved this book! This one was so well written! I will admit as soon as I got this one I loaded it up and read it. I promised myself just a chapter or two.  But if you have read any of my reviews, than you know that doesn’t happen once I get into a good book. Once I’m in a good book it pretty much takes an act of God to pry me out of it. SO…. yeah… I think I read on this one until about 2 in the morning. The only good thing on this was it was a weekend morning.

I totally connected with the way Cricket felt like she was part of another family.  When I was in high school and through much of college I was that way with my best friends family as well.  I can’t imagine what would have happened if I had lost my best friends mom. I probably would have been as devastated as Cricket was.

Anyway, it really is a summer of growing up for Cricket.  She has to learn to navigate without her best friend. She ends up going to Nantucket without her, seeing her best friend having a great time without her, seeing he guy she likes moving on without her.  Cricket does find romance in an unlikely place, and having a job.  Cricket also has to deal with grief that she wasn’t expecting.

I loved this story and that way it was written.  It is a beautiful book. A serious one for sure. A lot of issue about growing up. I shed quite a few tears. And it gave me quite a few things to think about.

Overall, this one is going on my favorite list for sure.

Author Bio — Leila Howland

LEILA HOWLAND loves to read, explore L.A., and engage in funny and meaningful conversations with her friends and family, especially her brother who calls from Washington D.C. whenever he’s waiting for the bus. A lot gets discussed in those phone calls, but they tend to end abruptly when the bus shows up. She can really cut the rug, but wishes she could sing without people covering their ears. A graduate of Georgetown University, Leila spent five years acting in New York where she was a company member of the award-winning Flea Theater in Tribeca. It was a lot of fun and she often talks about “getting back into it.” The closest she has come was a stint as an extra on The Young and the Restless in 2010. Leila now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two dogs. She teaches high school English and blogs for HelloGiggles.NANTUCKET BLUE is her first novel.

 

Author Links:

Website  |  Twitter

Giveaway

Click on the Rafflecopter link below to enter the tour wide giveaway for a finished copy of Nantucket Blue!

Good Luck and thanks for visiting the Bookmark Blog!

Rating:

5/5

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I solemnly swear on my favorite book, whatever that maybe at this moment, that this has in no way changed my opinion of this book in any way shape or form on my favorite book.