Feb 28, 2016

Love Me To Death.

☆☆☆☆
love me to death.
sharlay.

Publisher : CreateSpace.
Publication Date:February 12,2016
Genre:Contemporary Romance
Format|Pages: EBook|368.
 Source: Recieved E Copy From Author.












Brennan Cole...




Is a player. He sleeps with women at night and kicks them out of his bed by morning. NO strings. NO attachments. And NO falling in love.



But not even his good looks, hot body or sexy way with words can get him out of the eviction notice stuck on his door.

Desperate for money and running out of time he finds himself signing a contract for an acting job that is about to break every rule that he’s ever made...



Neddie Waters...



Is dying. With only a year left to live, falling in love is the last thing that she wants to do.



But with a mother desperate to see her find her one true love before her final days and an inability to say no to the one woman that she loves more than anything in the world, Neddie sets herself a simple task...










~ A E Copy was provided to me, by the author, Sharlay in exchange of honest review. Thank you! ~ 




LOVE ME TO DEATH is the second book that I have read by this author and it won’t be the last. I knew that this book was going be an emotional read when I read synopsis of the book, when Sharlay told me about her new book, but I wasn’t prepared how emotional it would be. On multiple occasions while reading this book I had teared up. From moment that I found that Neddie was sick, I found myself wondering what would happen to her, would she make it through the year? Would she fall in love? Thought at first I felt like Brennan would be the last person that I thought she would fall for, considering how different they were and that he was a player. It wasn’t long before my opinion changed. What I loved about this story was fact that it did have some humor added in mix as well, and there were some things that Brennan said that had me laughing as well, mostly because I couldn’t believe that he just said that. LOVE ME TO DEATH is impossible to not love. I was hooked from start and I actually was sad to see it come to end. To me, both Brennan and Neddie became my friends, the story felt real.







Neddie & Brennan: The relationship between the two of them is unlike any relationship that you read about, most of all because it was a fake one, at least in the beginning. But right from start, from moment that the two of them met, I could feel the tension between them and I knew that Brennan was attracted to Neddie from start. In beginning I wasn’t biggest fan of Brennan because of how big player he was and I felt like he would end up hurting Neddie and I loved her right from start. It wasn’t long before I realized how much he cared for her and even if she wouldn’t admit it, so did she. I believe that’s why she ended the agreement so fast because she was scared of those feelings. Neddie changed Brennan and turned him into a guy that you can’t help but love. He went all way to Paris just so he could tell her that he loved her and I loved that scene, it had me smiling. The way that the two of them took care of each other, you knew that it was love and you couldn’t help but root for the two of them. I was hoping they get their happily ever after since middle of the book.



I loved how realistic the book is. I feel that what Neddie went through is something a lot people can relate to. I was never sick like Neddie did, but I did have grandmother who died from breast cancer in 2003, who as Neddie, refused treatment after certain point. I remember how hard that was for me, how hard it was watch someone you love get that sick, not knowing where it be last time you see them. I felt like Brennan did when Neddie got sick again all sudden and got send to hospital. In a way, I could relate to pain and fear that they were feeling. It’s heartbreaking. I also loved how different the family relationship was in Brenna’s family and Neddie’s. Of course I loved the title and the cover, it was stunning and fit the story beautifully. If I could give this story more than 5 stars, I would. A story I found myself thinking afterwards, after I reached the end.



LOVE ME TO DEATH is a must read for 2016. A love story about love, grief, friendship, second chances and hope. I can’t wait to see what story Sharlay will come up with next, but I am sure it be as beautiful as this one.

Feb 27, 2016

EON: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon,#1)

☆☆☆☆
EON
DRAGONEYE REBORN
Eon,#1

Alison Goodman.

Publisher  Viking Books.              
Publication Date:December 26,2008
Genre:YA Fantasy|Adventure.
Format|Pages:Paperback|544
 Source: Goodreads|Gift.










Swordplay, dragon magic--and a hero with a desperate secret



Twelve-year-old Eon has been in training for years. His intensive study of Dragon Magic, based on East Asian astrology, involves two kinds of skills: sword-work and magical aptitude. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye--an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune.



But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a boy for the chance to become a Dragoneye. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured.



When Eon's secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.




 






Spectacular! After readings this novel, I am even more fascinated with dragons that I was before, it has me wishing that I had next book in the series. At first I didn’t even know how to begin, to explain the feelings that I had about the book, I was amazed. My dad got me a book few months earlier but I didn’t have chance to read it till now, and I wished that I had. Not only was book about dragons but it had a culture as well and it was one of the things that was unique about it. EON: DRAGONEYE REBORN was a masterpiece that you couldn’t help but get hooked into because from start you will find yourself wondering what will happen. I have read few books about dragons before but there were nothing like this one was and so far, this had been one of my favorites. In training and a dragon who choses you? That’s a storyline that couldn’t help but be curious about, how can you not? Plus there is always something unexpected happening in the book, fact that Mirror Dragon that been gone for years, returns and claims Eon and fact that Eon is Eona but in order protect herself, she has to pretend all these years. There is a lot feelings that will go through you while you reading the book, and it will keep you on turning the pages and each page will increase your curiosity. It’s magical.



EON/ EONA : I loved the character from start, though I did feel bad for Eon at start, because it felt like nobody took Eon seriously because of the handicapped, expect for the master, though he had his moments. I could see the disappointment when the Rat dragon didn’t claim him and then surprise when Mirror Dragon did. I believe that out of all characters, you could see the most significant and visible change in Eona. It was hard for her in beginning, once she became Dragoneye without much training, that’s a lot of responsibility to take and so fast too. Plus she had keep on hiding her real identity and fact that she didn’t have her dragons name and the power. I hoped that she would figure out fast and before Lord Ido would. I had feeling from start that there was something off about him from start but it wasn’t anything I imagined, it was worse. I did wonder if there was reason she couldn’t connect with her dragon, but once we found that dragon wasn’t what everyone imagined to be, it made sense. Eona had been doing it all wrong, and she had known dragon’s name, their shared name. I thought that was pretty amazing, fact that they shared such unique name together, now it makes sense why she whispered the name.



I loved the different dragons names, and what they represented, I couldn’t help but wonder how author came up with idea like that. Of course the battle, especially at the end of the book, it was breathtaking, I could see and picture everything while reading the book, it had filled my head with so many images, and I found myself rooting for Eona to win, to keep him from killing all of the Dragoneye’s. I felt sad that all of them were being killed. I felt like Dragons became part of family and I felt sad and of course angry at Lord Ido. Hoping that they would be able to stop him, before it was too late. And that ending, it had me wanting to get the next book, to see how all of this would end. Story wasn’t only what captured my attention but the cover, it was stunning and fit the story of Eon/Eona so well. Do you love Fantasy? Dragons? Well be prepared because this unlike other fantasy book you read before. A magical adventure.

Feb 17, 2016

The Choice.

☆☆☆☆
The Choice.
Nicholas Sparks.

Publisher : Grand Central Publishing.
Publication Date:September 30,2007
Genre:Contemporary Romance
Format|Pages: EBook|272.
 Source: Goodreads|Bought.










Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life -- boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies -- he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him...and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help.



Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, The Choice ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive. 


 



I had originally read THE CHOICE while I was still in college. Since the movie came out recently, I decided to re-read it before I went to see it. I loved it as much as I did the first time around. Even if I had read THE CHOICE before I couldn’t get enough of Travis & Gabby’s story, and I found it hard to put it down. After couple chapters, I felt like both Gabby and Travis were my friends, and as if they were telling me their story, and I wanted to see what will come next, how it will all end for them. Once again, Sparks knew a way to capture reader’s attention from start. The way that he started the story, where Travis was thinking about and feeling guilty about argument that he had with his wife. How can you not but help and be curious about that? I was. I found myself wondering what argument was about. I wondered what the story behind that was. The moment that you pick up THE CHOICE

Gabby & Travis: I wasn’t sure what to think about their relationship at first. To me, it felt like they were going back and forth half of time, or at least Gabby was. One minute she was attracted to him, the next she acted like she didn’t want anything to do with him. Considering that she had a boyfriend, I could understand why, she was conflicted about her feelings for Travis while she was still with Kevin. I could tell that she tried hard to not get attracted to him, to put her feelings for him aside but after a while, it got hard to not. I could see that there was something, some sort of connection between the two of them, even if Gabby tried to deny it at first. It was also interesting how their relationship was then and how it was now. I also felt for Travis, I don’t think I would been able to make any choice, I can’t even imagine it. I can’t begin to imagine how it is to watch someone you love in that situation. I prayed that Gabby would wake up. That she would be okay.



The ending wasn’t what I expected to be, considering how long Gabby has been in coma, I had my doubts that she would wake up. Once again NICHOLAS SPARKS put the most unexpected twist. There were actually tears in my eyes as I read it, but from joy. I was happy for Travis and for their daughters who will finally have their mother back. Once in a while it’s great to read a sad story with a happy ending. THE CHOICE will have you go through so many emotions, but then most of Sparks books are like that. It was heartbreaking yet beautiful story about love, friendship and hope. If you are a Sparks fan or love a romantic story with a twist, it’s a book that is worth picking up. I loved every second of it. Sparks is author I loved for years and will for years to come.



Astonishing, beautifully written love story.

See Me.

☆☆☆☆
See Me.
Nicholas Sparks.

Publisher : Grand Central Publishing.
Publication Date:October 13,2015
Genre:Contemporary Romance| Thriller.
Format|Pages: EBook|486.
 Source: Goodreads|Bought.










See me just as I see you . . .

Colin Hancock is giving his second chance his best shot. With a history of violence and bad decisions behind him and the threat of prison dogging his every step, he's determined to walk a straight line. To Colin, that means applying himself single-mindedly toward his teaching degree and avoiding everything that proved destructive in his earlier life. Reminding himself daily of his hard-earned lessons, the last thing he is looking for is a serious relationship.



Maria Sanchez, the hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants, is the picture of conventional success. With a degree from Duke Law School and a job at a prestigious firm in Wilmington, she is a dark-haired beauty with a seemingly flawless professional track record. And yet Maria has a traumatic history of her own, one that compelled her to return to her hometown and left her questioning so much of what she once believed.



A chance encounter on a rain-swept road will alter the course of both Colin and Maria's lives, challenging deeply held assumptions about each other and ultimately, themselves. As love unexpectedly takes hold between them, they dare to envision what a future together could possibly look like . . . until menacing reminders of events in Maria's past begin to surface.



As a series of threatening incidents wreaks chaos in Maria's life, Maria and Colin will be tested in increasingly terrifying ways. Will demons from their past destroy the tenuous relationship they've begun to build, or will their love protect them, even in the darkest hour?



Rich in emotion and fueled with suspense, SEE ME reminds us that love is sometimes forged in the crises that threaten to shatter us . . . and that those who see us for who we truly are may not always be the ones easiest to recognize. 


 






When I found out that NICHOLAS SPARKS wrote a new book, I couldn’t wait till the day that the book came out, I wanted to read about his newest adventures. The wait was worth it, NICHOLAS SPARKS did it again! Came up with a story that you couldn’t put down and that you wouldn’t be able to get out of your mind afterwards. I have been fan of Sparks work since I was 16 years old, and once again I wasn’t disappointed. SEE ME was unlike his other books, it wasn’t only romance but there was a suspense added in the mix, an unexpected suspense. It will have you on the edge of your seat and will have you wondering what’s going happen next, how all of this will end. I was. It was one of those that had me kept on turning pages because I needed to see what happened next. I was actually anxious of what the outcome might be. That’s what I loved about this book that it wasn’t all about love, but added mystery and suspense because you couldn’t help but wonder who was beginning, if it was her boss or if it was someone else. The most important question was, Why? .



Colin & Maria: Their story was unlike the others, most of all because of how they met, and Colin’s past. I didn’t even imagine that Colin would end up falling in love with Maria, mostly because of how he was. What I did love about him, fact how honest he was, especially about his past, I think I was surprised as Maria was when he told her about his troubled past. There aren’t many guys out there that would be honest like Colin was, they would just kept in past. But that’s what told me that he cared about her, and him being honest I felt like got Maria to like him even more. But it was his loss of control that Maria couldn’t handle but I couldn’t blame her, how he acted with the waitress, I would been scared too. Despite what happened between two of them, he was still there for her when the stalking situation got out of control. I think if it wasn’t for him, that police officer would die and possibly Maria. Colin did all of that, not to get in trouble but to help, to protect the woman that he loved. Who doesn’t want a guy like that? He’s type of guy that Maria needed.



Look at the cover, I just loved it. I also loved the fact that the reader’s got to pick the cover for this book and it fits the story perfectly, considering what happened in the novel. At first I did wonder how the cover fits the story, but as I read the novel, it all started to make sense. Considering that Maria receiver flowers from her stalker. SEE ME defiantly has a suspense that will have a reader on the edge of their seat. If you are a Nicholas Sparks fun, or love a love story with a twist, SEE ME Is a book that you will love. After reading this book, I am eager to see what adventures Sparks will come up with next.

Strings.

☆☆☆☆
Strings.


David Estes.

Publisher  David Estes.             
Publication Date:February 15,2016
Genre:YA Fantasy| Romance
Format|Pages: EBook|354
 Source:Received E Book from author, in exchange of review.








Sometimes the strings that tie us down are the same strings that set us free.



Sixteen-year-old Pia has always lived in a mysterious facility where mechanical strings control her existence. She plays apprentice to her father, Gio, in performing nanotech designs for the Company, and she soon suspects there are diabolical human forces behind the manufactured reality of her world.



Though her childhood memories and the origins of the strings remain strangely elusive, she begins to find solace with the introduction of two unlikely friends: daring, irrational Sofia, and calm, tender Marco.



As the truths of the past and present unravel together, Pia must find a way to free herself from her strings and escape the facility before facing the wrath of the unstable head of security, Mr. Davis. But to gain her freedom, she must navigate the dangers posed by Davis and by her suspicious new friends to find the real identity of the puppeteer.



If Pia can succeed in revealing the secrets of the Company, she may very well find the independence she so desperately seeks. But in her controlled world nothing is as it seems, and the closer she gets to the truth, the graver the consequences.






Have you ever come across an author whose books you couldn’t get enough of? Where every book that you read blow you away? DAVID ESTES is that author for me; there haven’t been a single book of his that I didn’t love. STRINGS wasn’t any different; I was in love with the novel, the characters within only few pages in. Pinocchio had always fascinated me and has been one of my favorite stories in childhood. Estes retold the story in most unique and fascinating way, that you couldn’t help but fall in love with the story, it’s Pinocchio but with a different twist. STRINGS was unlike the other novels that Estes had written but once again, he found a way to capture a reader’s attention and heart. I couldn’t get enough of the story, and it made me glad that I received ARC for review purposes because I was hooked from moment that I picked the novel and before I knew it, I was part of Pia’s adventures and I needed to know what would happen next, how all of this would end for her.



Pia: You can’t help but love her, how can you not? I loved her as female version of Pinocchio, a completely different twist to the modern fairy tale. Honestly I don’t know how she held on for as long as she had, but I feel that one of the reasons that she had was because of her father, she did it for him. I loved the relationship, the bond that the two of them had, you could see how much the two of them cared for one another. There weren’t anything that the two of them wouldn’t do for each other, it almost killed them. They showed that they would do anything if it meant protecting their family. It takes a lot of courage to do what she did and what her father done. I believe that if I were in her situation I would done the same thing. To me, Pia was a fighter and strong. She had been through a lot in her life and a lot of pain but in end she kept on going. She kept fighting.



Sofia & Marco: Like Pia I loved Sofia, at least in the beginning I did. I loved how she was with Pia and the friendship that two of them had. So of course once I found the reason that Sofia got close to Pia, her plan, I was heartbroken like Pia was once she found out the truth. Sofia was one of those characters where you feel like you lost a friend once you find out truth about her. It was unexpected especially since I didn’t see Sofia as someone capable of something like that, not in beginning. Marco was one of those characters who you weren’t sure about at start but then end up falling in love with at the end. I didn’t think that Pia would end up the one falling for him, mostly of because how she acted with him when the two just met. It was more of hate/love sort of relationship. As book progressed I could see the significant change in both of them and how both of them grew to care for one another. The way that both of them wanted to protect each other, now that’s love right there. I loved reading the scenes between two of them.



STRINGS was a heartbreaking, astonishing retelling of Pinocchio. A story that you will be thinking afterwards. You will find yourself becoming part of Pia’s story. Another breathtaking novel by DAVID ESTES I can’t wait to see what adventures he will come up with next. Be ready for a thrilling ride.

Release Tour ( Strings By David Estes)

"A wonderful retelling of the Pinocchio story…I simply couldn’t put this book down." 
Rysa Walker, bestselling author of TIMEBOUND

Strings
Written by David Estes
Add Strings to Goodreads
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Sometimes the strings that tie us down are the same strings that set us free.

Sixteen-year-old Pia has always lived in a mysterious facility where mechanical strings control her existence. She plays apprentice to her father, Gio, in performing nanotech designs for the Company, and she soon suspects there are diabolical human forces behind the manufactured reality of her world.

Though her childhood memories and the origins of the strings remain strangely elusive, she begins to find solace with the introduction of two unlikely friends: daring, irrational Sofia, and calm, tender Marco.

As the truths of the past and present unravel together, Pia must find a way to free herself from her strings and escape the facility before facing the wrath of the unstable head of security, Mr. Davis. But to gain her freedom, she must navigate the dangers posed by Davis and by her suspicious new friends to find the real identity of the puppeteer.

If Pia can succeed in revealing the secrets of the Company, she may very well find the independence she so desperately seeks. But in her controlled world nothing is as it seems, and the closer she gets to the truth, the graver the consequences.

EXCREPT


I am not a picture. You can’t frame me and fasten me to the wall and stare at me. You can’t just turn me around when you don’t want to look at me. I’m not a thing. I’m not. Right?
Right?
Is anyone listening to me?
The harshest lies are the ones we tell ourselves.
The truth is, I am a doll. When I’m not being used they stick me on a shelf to gather dust. They take me down to play with me, pulling my arms and legs in ways they’re not meant to go. Ways I don’t want them to go. My actions are not my own. My life belongs to those who control my strings. I am a doll with a stitched mouth, melancholy but exhausted beyond true sadness. Sometimes I feel like even less; like I’m not a real girl. Like I’m more like Fig than I thought, someone’s creation. Used, tired of, and eventually thrown out. What is real? Am I real if my body is not my own? Am I real if I have no right to choose my own destiny?
No.
The answer is no.
I’m just somebody’s thing, a marionette dancing on strings so strong they might as well be steel cables. We’re both puppets in a street show, my father and I.

Giveaway


About the author

David Estes is the author of more than 20 science fiction and fantasy novels that have received hundreds of thousands of downloads worldwide, including The Moon Dwellers, Fire Country, Slip, Brew, and his new SciFi Pinocchio retelling, Strings. He lives in Hawaii with his inspiring Aussie wife, Adele, rambunctious son, Beau, and naughty cat, Bailey. When he's not writing, you'll likely find him at the beach swimming, snorkeling, or reading under an umbrella.
 

Story For Dessert Published @ 2014 by Ipietoon