Review: The Restorer

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

Mira Books; April 2011

400 pages

ISBN13: 9780778329817

Picture the southern charm of Charleston, SC. The fern covered grounds, the moss hanging from the trees, the trees so full and thick that they form a canopy above you........ Now picture yourself standing in a graveyard staring at a ghost.

1. Never acknowledge the dead
2. Never stray far from hallowed ground
3. Never associate with those who are haunted
4. Never, ever tempt fate.

My father's rules....I've never broken them.....until now.

Now that you know the rules you have to keep them in mind throughout the story. Amelia is 9 when she sees her first ghost. Her father can see them as well. It's a secret between the two of them, even her mother doesn't know.

Amelia has a pretty interesting job in that she is a cemetery restorer. She has a special talent for restoring old deteriorating burial sites. These sites for various reasons have been neglected or forgotten over the years and she brings them back to life and beauty.

The main character is called in to consult on a case when a body is found in a cemetery she is currently restoring. This is where she meets the dark and brooding John Devlin. Devlin has a past that is slowly revealed in pieces throughout the story and it makes him even more intriguing. You wonder what he hides behind his distant eyes, dark circles and what it is about him that immediately pulls Amelia to him but at the same time instills fear in her.

The characters are well developed, introduced and intertwined perfectly, the background stories are brought out in perfect timing, and the details were wonderfully explained. It is very apparent that the author truly did her research on the subjects described. I loved how details of inscriptions on the headstones were explained revealing rituals, beliefs, and symbolism.

The twists and turns involving all the supporting characters were well done as well. Secret organizations, cover-ups, hidden past transgressions, old money, prestigious universities and the charming south. All woven together perfectly.

The creepiness factor is definitely there with the ghosts... staring in through the windows, the bursts of cold air, the feeling of someone touching your arm and the breath you feel on your neck. Trust me, these ghosts are no Casper...

"Just when sun bids farewell and the moon says hello, between day and night- twilight- a veil is lifted, the unrest sprits rise to roam the land of the living once more…"

***I received this book from Mira via Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. It in no way influenced my review or opinion of this book. 

IMM: 6/5/11

"In My Mailbox" is a fun weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren where we get to see what goodies everyone has gotten the past week.  The books shared can be ones that were bought, borrowed, won, or received to review.

  These were purchased by me or received via NetGalley

Marissa Rogers never wanted to be an alpha; beta suited her just fine. Taking charge without taking credit had always paid off: vaulting her to senior editor at a glossy magazine; keeping the peace with her critical, weight-obsessed mother; and enjoying the benefits of being best friends with gorgeous, charismatic, absolutely alpha Julia Ferrar. 

And then Julia gets hit by a cab. She survives with minor obvious injuries, but brain damage steals her memory and alters her personality, possibly forever. Suddenly, Marissa is thrown into the role of alpha friend. As Julia struggles to regain her memory- dredging up issues Marissa would rather forget, including the fact that Julia asked her to abandon the love of her life ten years ago- Marissa's own equilibrium is shaken.

With the help of a dozen girls, she reluctantly agrees to coach in an after-school running program. There, Marissa uncovers her inner confidence and finds the courage to reexamine her past and take control of her future.

The Art of Forgetting is a story about the power of friendship, the memories and myths that hold us back, and the delicate balance between forgiving and forgetting.

**********

It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

**********

The first boy disappeared on the day of his birth, on a night when the pale yellow moon of the nighttime sky turned red and bathed the heavens in the ghastly color of blood, on the same night the Kingdom of Cokyri abruptly ceased its merciless attack.

Across the land of Hytanica, under the shadow of the crimson moon, infant boys continued to vanish. Not until the blood had faded from the sky did the disappearances stop and the bodies of the murdered infants were found outside the gates of the city, a final word from the greatest enemy Hytanica had ever known. For the next sixteen years, peace reigned, but one mystery remained unsolved. The Cokyrians had abducted forty-nine newborns, but returned only forty-eight bodies.

Now, as seventeen-year-old Princess Alera of Hytanica is besieged from all sides by suitors vying for the Throne, a teenage Cokyrian boy, Narian, is encountered within the walls of her Kingdom, a boy who will show Alera a world where women serve a purpose and not just a husband. As Narian helps Alera find her voice, she struggles against an arranged marriage that will shatter the life she has scarcely begun to live. And when Narian's shocking past is uncovered, and war with Cokyri looms once more, he must fight to defy a fate ordained at his birth. 

 **********

In the Belly of Jonah is a fast-paced mystery with a likable protagonist and an intricately woven narrative brimming with bizarre yet believable twists. The first in a series, the book expertly lays the groundwork for Liv Bergen, amateur sleuth, and her love interest, FBI Agent Streeter Pierce.
Liv becomes involved in the investigation of the murder of Jill Brannigan, a summer intern at the limestone mine Liv manages near Fort Collins, Colorado (a breathtaking setting that unwittingly becomes an accessory to crime). In doing so, she inadvertently puts her friends, her family, and herself at risk of being swallowed in the belly of a madman bloated with perverse appetites for women, surrealistic art, and renown.
Perhaps a bit too daring (and at times irreverent) for her own good, ''Boots,'' as Liv's eight siblings call her, soon realizes she has a knack for outsmarting and tracking down the Venus de Milo murderer--and she enjoys it! As the gripping plot of In the Belly of Jonah unfolds, Liv Bergen takes her place alongside the best female crime-solvers as a woman with smarts, self-confidence, and intuitive savvy.

********** 

 

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.
When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….
Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.
Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.
But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

So did you get some that you wanted this week??? 

RAK: Random Act of Kindness

 Isalys & Vanessa over at Book Soulmates started doing this feature a few months ago.  This will be the first month that I have participated in it and I'm really excited!

Here are the rules from their site:

• Sign up each month that you'd like to participate.

• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button :)

• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.

• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.

• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!  Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE!

Let's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

 

If you would like to sign up for June, please see their post under June sign-up.

 

My wishlist

includes books that have been on TBR list for some time now...maybe this will help me clear it out.  Of course if I receive some, then they will be removed from the list.

Be sure to stop by and see them!!

Review: Hereafter

Hereafter by Tara Hudson
HarperCollins; June 2011
416 pages

ISBN13   9780062026774

 

What if you could see ghosts? Or talk to them, smell them or touch them? Would it make you question your mental stability??

This was a wonderful twist into YA paranormal. Amelia is a ghost who has been wandering in a "fog" since her death. She isn't quite sure of how she died, other than knowing that she drowned. She is wandering in the fog when a car suddenly crashes into the river where she drowned. This car crash is where Amelia is finally awakened from her fog and she begins recalling things about her life with the help of a "Seer", the handsome teenager Joshua. Amelia saves Joshua from drowning that night and he develops his ability to see the dead, while awakening Amelia's spirit.

The story was really well written in both character development and plot. It has your nasty bad guy, Eli, who is really creepy in his own sense, the not so nasty Grandma Ruth, and the skeptical sister Jillian. Eli is the "guardian" of the netherworld with his own agenda for Amelia. Grandma Ruth is bent on sending Amelia to the other side so she can protect her grandson. Jillian is in denial about what is going on and trying to be Miss Popular with the kids at school with not so much help from her older brother.

The story moves at a nice pace and connects all of the characters really well. The descriptions throughout the book were so vivid that you could almost see the dark netherworld, smell the honeysuckles and feel the electricity. I really enjoyed the fact that the romance didn't overtake the dark ghost story nor did it really have a weak character to it.

This is the first in the Hereafter series as well as the debut novel of the author. I can honestly say that I will continue to read the series to see how each of the characters develop their individual abilities and how they use them. If you like ghost stories, this one I recommend.

***I received this book from HarperCollins via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It in no way influenced my review or opinion.

Review: She Smells The Dead

 

She Smells the Dead by E.J. Stevens

Sacred Oaks Press; September 2010

165 pages

ISBN13: 9780984247523

What would you do if you had the ability to help souls cross over? What if you found out that your best friend also had a secret of his own?

She Smells the Dead is the story of Vanessa aka Yuki who can smell the dead. Not in a gross way, but in a way that the smell is related to the soul that needs help. She is beginning her senior year in high school when the soul needs her help. Cal, with a secret of his own, and Emma, who is her strictly vegan friend know of Yuki's ability and help her with the mysteries surrounding the souls.

I really enjoyed the unique spin on this paranormal story. It took the paranormal, ghost story, and spirits to a completely different level. It was a fast paced and short read, after you get used to Yuki's thoughts interjected here and there.

The story develops well and the characters are likable. You aren't really given much of a background for Yuki's ability to smell the dead, however, when Cal reveals his secret, his background is well developed and explained in a way that I have not seen in YA books lately. And it was perfect.

Emma is a character that I really enjoyed. She was quirky, funny and had the uncanny ability to pop off with sarcastic comments without missing a beat. As she learns Cal's secret, she is calm and takes everything in stride. I have the feeling that she may have some special ability of her own that may come out in later books in this series.

If you like a quick witted, fast paced light read of the paranormal kind, I think that you will enjoy this book. I am looking forward to reading the second in the series.


***This e-book was given to me by the author, free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. It in no way influenced my review or opinion of the book. 

Book News: Kate Quinn

I'm so excited to see this!  Last week on her blog, author Kate Quinn announced that her next book in the Mistress of Rome series will be released April 2012.  The following is taken from her blog:  

From the national bestselling author of Daughters of Rome and Mistress of Rome comes a tale of love, power, and intrigue spanning the wilds of the Empire to the seven hills of Rome.

Powerful, prosperous, and expanding ever farther into the untamed world, the Roman Empire has reached its zenith under the rule of the beloved Emperor Trajan. But neither Trajan nor his reign can last forever . . .

Brash and headstrong, Vix is a celebrated ex-gladiator returned to Rome to make his fortune. The sinuous, elusive Sabina is a senator’s daughter who craves adventure. Sometimes lovers, sometimes enemies, Vix and Sabina are united by their devotion to Trajan. But others are already maneuvering in the shadows. Trajan’s ambitious Empress has her own plans for Sabina. And the aristocratic Hadrian — the Empress’s ruthless protégé and Vix’s mortal enemy — has ambitions he confesses to no one, ambitions rooted in a secret prophecy.

When Trajan falls, the hardened soldier, the enigmatic empress, the adventurous girl, and the scheming politician will all be caught in a deadly whirlwind of desire and death that may seal their fates, and that of the entire Roman Empire . . .

Set for release in April 2012.

Be sure not to miss her other two books:

and 

Review: Still Missing

 Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
St. Martins Press; July 2010
352 pages
ISBN13: 9780312595678



Wow.... just wow!

It is hard to sit here and wrap my head around the fact that this is a debut novel. Chevy Stevens has done a remarkable job with this book!

The book is broken down into "sessions" with a therapist. I felt like I was actually reading a dictated copy of the main characters chart.

Annie is a realtor who is abducted during an open house. She spends a year being tormented physically and emotionally by her abductor who she calls "The Freak" and I can't think of a better description of him.

The book is broken down into "sessions" with a therapist. I felt like I was actually reading a dictated copy of Annie's chart. The book starts out with her first session with the therapist after she returns home. That's not a spoiler, but as you continue to read through each session you learn more about who she was before the abduction and who she is afterwards. The two couldn't be more different.

The story of the abduction isn't scary...it could happen to any person any day. The year spent in captivity was at times horrific. One part of it Annie was talking to her psychiatrist:

"I've watched shows about women who stay married for years to guys who keep beating the crap out of them-worse, they don't just stay, they try desperately to make the guy happy, which of course never works- and I'd want to be sympathetic, want to understand, but I just never got it, Doc. Seemed pretty simple to me. Pack your shit and tell the jerk goodbye, preferably with a boot to his ass. Oh, yeah, I thought I was one tough cookie. Well, all it took me was five days of being left alone for this cookie to crumble. Five stinking days, and I was ready to do whatever he wanted."

If you haven't been in a violent relationship, it's easy to say "just leave". The story that unfolds for Annie shows that the scars that are left are more than skin deep. I lost a close friend to domestic violence... at the hands of someone who supposedly loved her. Annie was held by a complete stranger, she didn't mean anything to him...that's what made her captivity even scarier for me.

The story is fast paced, edge of your seat, non stop suspense. It was one hell of a roller coaster. Just when you think you figured something out, Stevens throws a curve ball at you and you are asking yourself "what the hell just happened?!".

If you love psychological suspense that will keep you turning pages you have to read this book. I was lucky enough to have received Stevens second book Never Knowing from the publisher. I can't wait to read it!