Saving June by Hannah Harrington

               Harper Scott is blindsided when her seemingly perfect older sister June commits suicide.  June, always the great student and the responsible one, Harper has a hard time understanding what caused June to take her life and discovers she may not have known her sister as well as she thought she did. 

                On the day of June's wake, Harper runs into Jake Tolan who she barely knows goes to her school.  Surprised to see him there, she doesn't have the vaguest idea why he would attend her sister's funeral.  Where June was popular, Jake ran with the bad crowd. 

                Finding out that her divorcing parents are planning on splitting June's ashes, Harper decides to steal them and embark on a cross country trip to California, a place her sister always wanted to go.  Set out on a summer adventure she enlists her best friend Laney and the mysterious Jake (who has a working vehicle) to go with her.

                A coming of age story through and through, Harper's character grows throughout this book.  She discovers not only herself but who her sister was and the possibility of falling in love.   It is a typical road trip story with many misadventures along the way.  It kept me wanting to know what happens next and reminded me to not take the people closest to you for granted.  You cheer Harper on as she tries to find closure and understanding of June's death.  This is also a great romantic story.  This story captures great moments of that first kiss and what it's like to unknowingly fall in love. 

                It was truly a lovely book.

Release Date:  November 22nd

Rating (out of 5 stars)

Palm Tingling Romance:  ***

Can’t Put Book Down, Must Find Out What Happens Next:  ***

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

            For the past year, I have kept the book Graceling by Kristen Cashore sitting undisturbed on my night stand just waiting to be read.  I can’t explain why I hadn’t read it immediately.  There were just other books that seemed to take president, while Graceling sat there patiently waiting to be picked up.  When all other books that I deemed more interesting to read have all been finished, I finally picked the book up.  After getting through the first half of the book, I wish I would have picked it up sooner.  Who knew I had such a captivating book, for such a long time, just sitting inches away from my grasp every night. 

            It has been a while since I’ve read a leading female character that was stronger both physically and mentally than her romantic interest.  The story tells of a girl who is a Graceling.  Gracelings are marked by their two different colored eyes and each have a special talent.  Katsa’s talent is fighting.  Though it would seem that such talents would be viewed as a gift, they are viewed as a curse.  Parents watch their babies grow in fear that they may have such a curse and will be taken away from them and given to the king, if he views their talent useful to him. 

            This is the fate of Katsa.  Though she has been the king’s assassin all her life, she forms a secret council who carry secret missions to help the innocent and bring justice to those who abuse their power.  It isn’t until she meets Prince Po, she starts to question what really is holding her in the king’s power.

            This book had all the elements that I love: adventure, romance and suspense.  I would defiantly recommend the book to others.  It was a great lazy Sunday afternoon read.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Hands down, one of the best books I have ever read.  Don't let the crappy cover and description deter you.  Laini Taylor has a way of completely transporting you into the two worlds in which Karou is living in.  Karou is a strong unique heroine. 

Raised by demonic creatures, she has blue hair that grows out of her head and when she is not studying at her art or hanging out with her best friend, Zuzana, she is slipping through portals around the city collecting teeth.  A dirty business but someone's got to do it.  The girl who does not know who she really is stumbles upon a Akiva, not really a man but something so much more to Karou than she knows and it is then that begins the catalyst of events.

This is not your typical star crossed lovers story.  This story lingers with you far after you are done reading it.  The worlds that Ms. Taylor has created is truly brilliant and as you discover Karou's mysteries with her, you can't help but become invested in and falling deeper into the story.  You discover a love stronger than Romeo and Juliet's and world far more enthralling and frightening that Narnia. 

I adore this book and covet it in a way where I won't lend it out to anyone in fear of it never being returned.  This is one the best books I've read this year and would recommend to anyone.    

Rating (out of 5 stars)

Palm Tingling Romance:  *****

Can’t Put Book Down, Must Find Out What Happens Next:  *****

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

I had purchased this book on a whim while I was perusing the last call aisle of a well known bookstore going out of business sale.  The summary was intriguing and was in the mood for some breath taking romance story, hence the title name Immortal Beloved.  Though, I did enjoy this book, it seemed that this book was wrote to be a set up for the next books in the triology. 

The book begins with Nastasya and her friends in England where they partake in endless nights of debauchery and partying.  Because she and her friends are immortal, they pass their time by finding things to entertain themselves, which can sometimes be the indirect and sometimes direct destruction of some unsuspecting mortals.  One night, Incy (Nastasya's BFF), takes it too far, leaving a cabbie paralyzed for the rest of his life.  Nastasya can't shake the feeling that maybe she doesn't really know her best friend or the people she has been hanging out with.  She starts to question her life as she notices it becoming empty and completely destructive to her and the innocent ones around her. 

In quick desperation she takes off without even a note to explain her disappearance to find herself on a farm for other wayward immortals and ultimately runs into a "Viking god" Reyn that looks very familiar but just can't put her finger on it where she knows him from.  Hey, she's been alive for some 400 years, you can't expect her to remember everyone she's ever met? 

The majority of this book, regales you with flashbacks of her past and her efforts to live an ordinary if not mundane life at the farm.  The mystery throughout the book is wondering if/what sort of relationship her and this Viking-like god had in the past, where she came from and why her best friends are so livid that she has taken off.   

There are a couple heart stopping moments between Reyn and Nastasya that I loved, which kept me reading hoping to find some more.  The book gave you just enough to look forward to the second.  Cate Teirnan did a lovely job capturing Nastasya's character changes as she grows from someone being so disconnected from life and the people around her to now forming relationships will all sorts of people. 

I would recommend this books but with little red flags that you may want to wait for the sequel to come out.  I look forward to the next book and has peaked my interest to look into the other books written by this author.

Rating (out of 5 stars)

Palm Tingling Romance:  ****

Can’t Put Book Down, Must Find Out What Happens Next:  ****

Release Date:  Currently Available :-)

Sequel?:  Trilogy.  Next book is called Darkness Falls and is out January 2nd, 2012

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica Packwood was looking forward to having a great senior year.  With a new crush, Jake Zinn and her best friend Melinda Sue by her side, nothing and no one could ruin this year, no one except Lucius Vladescu.  Lucius has appeared in Jessica’s life and he is here to tell her that she is a Romanian vampire princess who is betrothed to him and if she doesn’t marry him it could cause a global vampire war.  Jessica is pretty adverse to new information.  Although he is gorgeous and a prince, she can’t look past his arrogant, egotistical and extremely overprotective behavior.  But as soon as her resistance towards him begins to breakdown and things start to heat up between them, Lucius seems to give up on convincing her of her royal responsibilities and doesn’t want to be responsible for them either.  Partying, skipping school and messing around with a conniving cheerleader, Faith, Lucius is living his adolescent teenage life he never got to live and is living it up till Elders come to get him and punish him for his failed mission.  Now Jess needs to convince Lucius she is ready to face her responsibilities, win back his heart and save him from complete self-destruction. 

Lucius is ever the brooding vampire with martyr tendencies (sound familiar, Edward Cullen?) and Jessica is a never been kissed mathlete who doesn’t exhibit any characteristics a vampire princess would have.  I thought this book was okay but to be honest, the title was kind of a turn off to want to read.  I decided to take a chance after reading the summary.  The books started out good but left a lot of lose ends in Jessica’s relationship with her friend and her parents.  You never really know what Lucius feels for Jessica, whether it is just duty or if he truly cares for her.  The relationship with her best friend Melinda abruptly ends and as she chases after Lucius to Romania, you don’t know how her parents feel about this abrupt trip, which is weird as her parents have played an important role throughout the book and have had opinions about her relationship with Lucius. 

This book was a good read but didn’t make me excited to read the next book.  I actually have the advance read of the follow-up book “Jessica Rule’s the Dark Side,” and I am not thirsty enough to want to read it right away.  If you are looking for another brooding vampire romance book, this book is a good bet.  Palm tingly romance?  I’d keep looking! 

Rating (out of 5 stars)

Palm Tingling Romance:  ***

Can’t Put Book Down, Must Find Out What Happens Next:  ***

Release Date:  Currently in stores.  J



Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Need your bad boy fill?  Author, Simone Elkeles is your girl!  In this third installment of the Fuentes brothers, we now follow the youngest of the clan, Luis.  Unlike his two brothers, Luis is carefree and ambitious.  In the beginning of the book, he meets Nikki Cruz at his older brother, Alex’s wedding.    The meeting is memorable, one that leaves Luis naked looking for his clothes on a beach and Nikki laughing at his misfortune.  Nevertheless, though Nikki believes she already pegged Luis as a player and has a great dislike of him immediately, she can’t deny her attraction to him.  And there is something about Nikki that stands out to Luis.  Possibly because she doesn’t give into his charms as quickly as other girls may have?  Or is it that she gives it just as good as she gets it? 

Fast forward 2 years later…Luis and his Mi’ ama move back to Chicago where he encounters Nikki once again at school.  Coincidentally they share Mrs. Peterson’s chemistry class.  The same formula in Elkeles’s previous Fuentes brother’s novel is used once again:  Luis get’s sucked into gang life while trying to keep a relationship with Nikki, after she finally stops thwarting his advances. 

I could see how this book wanted to be different from the last two but it was too much the same of the previous novels.  When I read the summary on Amazon, I was expecting a different book.  Instead of the good girl falling for a bad boy, I was hoping that it was more good boy falls for bad girl.  I do enjoy how Elkeles uses two points of view when she is writing her books.  I also liked how she wove in Luis’s brothers updated lives in this story as well.  Though, I would have also liked more of a build up with the relationship between Nikki and Luis. 

Would I recommend this book?  Probably not.  Not that it was a bad book, it just wasn’t very different from the previous novels. 

Rating (out of 5 stars)

Palm Tingling Romance:  ***

Can’t Put Book Down, Must Find Out What Happens Next:  **

Release Date:  Currently in stores.  J

Variant by Robison Wells

Variant by Robison Wells

For those fans of Divergent by Veronica Roth, Across the Universe by Beth Revis or any other dystopia based young adult books here is another one you will love and be counting down the days for the next installment to arrive.  I finished this novel quite quickly and though this may be due to the power outage in my home, anytime I find myself talking about a book well after, it is usually a good sign hat this book is fabulous and lingers with you well after the last page.

The story takes place through the eyes of Benson Fisher.  An orphaned kid who has moved from foster home to foster home, finds himself on scholarship to Maxfield Academy.  On his arrival, he immediately realizes this is not a normal boarding school.  The teens are trapped in a school with no way out and you must follow the 4 rules.  Most important: do not attempt to escape.  If you do, it means certain death.

In each chapter you learn more and more about this school and how it is run.  You begin to learn more about the friendships that Benson starts to make and begin to think, what really is so bad about this school and it seems that the main character has far more emotional investment at Maxfield Academy than at any of the other foster homes he has been.  Does he really want to leave? 

What I would have loved to read more of is the relationship development between Benson and Jane.  His feelings towards her are slightly vague and it’s hard to feel the attachment that Benson feels towards Jane through the authors words.  I believe that some sort of connection between them both could have written about a bit more.  I did however, like to relationship that Benson creates with Becky.  You see great glimpses of it throughout the book and I loved the flow at it at the end. 

Towards the end the book takes on an unexpected twist and then does it again on the very last page.  For those who are looking for a heart stopping romance won’t find it in this first book but the ending sets the stage for a possible love triangle for the future books.  Fingers crossed.  Throughout the book, it has the reader constantly questioning, who can Benson trust? Why are there teens trapped in this school?  Is it a social experiment or is it training them for something?  What happened to the earlier kids who died?  And what really happens during detention?

This book is definitely on my recommendation list.  Here’s hoping that the next installment will come out soon!!

Ratings (Out of 5 Stars)

Palm Tingling Romance:  **

Can’t Put Book Down, Must Find Out What Happens Next:  ****

Release Date:  October 2011