Review | Escaping Reality by Lisa Renee Jones

About:
Title: Escaping Reality (The Secret Life of Amy Bensen #1) 

Author: Lisa Renee Jones 

Publication Date: July 22nd 2013 

Format: Kindle, 250 pages 

Rating:

Description:
Infinite possibilities… Infinite passion… Infinite danger… His touch spirals through me, warm and sweet, wicked and hot. I shouldn't trust him. I shouldn't tell him my secrets. But how do I not when he is the reason I breathe? He is what I need. At the young age of eighteen, tragedy and a dark secret force Lara to flee all she has known and loves to start a new life. Now years later, with a new identity as Amy, she’s finally dared to believe she is forgotten–even if she cannot forget. But just when she lets down her guard, the ghosts of her past are quick to punish her, forcing her back on the run. On a plane, struggling to face the devastation of losing everything again and starting over, Amy meets Liam Stone, a darkly entrancing recluse billionaire, who is also a brilliant, and famous, prodigy architect. A man who knows what he wants and goes after it. And what he wants is Amy. Refusing to take “no” as an answer, he sweeps her into a passionate affair, pushing her to her erotic limits. He wants to possess her. He makes her want to be possessed. Liam demands everything from her, accepting nothing less. But what if she is too devastated by tragedy to know when he wants more than she should give? And what if there is more to Liam than meets the eyes? 

Review

I received this Kindle book in exchange for an honest review. The protagonist, Amy, is on the run from some unknown person that was apparently responsible for the death of her family. She has an anonymous "Handler" that warns her when she's in danger and sets her up with a new identity. She's about to start her new life in Denver when she meets Liam on her flight from New York. Liam is a prodigy billionaire architect that takes what he wants when he wants. He knows Amy is in trouble and is willing to do anything to keep her safe, whether she wants it or not. Let me just start off by saying that at the beginning, I strongly disliked the book. Amy sees a tall, dark and handsome guy staring at her while waiting to board a plane and just has luck would have it they are seated next to each other. They get talking and when they land Liam offers to help her with her luggage. Paranoid from her past Amy runs, get's in a cab and tries to flea. When she thinks she is safe the cab stops and Liam is there telling her to get in his car and she does.Then when they get to Amy's apartment one thing leads to another and they have sex. Now, I find that extremely un-realistic. If you see a guy you don't know staring at you and not even try to hide it and then makes you get in his car you just wouldn't do it. Or is this where I have been going wrong in my life? But as the story progressed it slowly drew me in. Questioning peoples motives and trying to figure everyone out and that ending was amazing! Amazing cliff-hanger, I didn't even realise it was the end until after a few attempts at flicking my Kindle to turn the page. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! I will definitely be checking out the second book.

Friday Finds #2

Friday finds is a meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading which showcases the books you've recently ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list.

Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales #1) by Holly Black
Description: Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms - a struggle that could very well mean her death.

The Circle (Engelsfors #1) by Sara B. Elfgren & Mats Strandberg

Description:
On a night after the apparent suicide of high school student Elias Malmgren, a blood-red moon fills the night sky. Minoo wakes up outside her house, still in her pajamas, and is drawn by an invisible force to an abandoned theme park on the outskirts of town. Soon five of her classmates—Vanessa, Linnéa, Anna-Karin, Rebecka, and Ida—arrive, compelled by the same force. A mystical being takes over Ida’s body and tells them they are fated to fight an ancient evil that is hunting them. As the weeks pass, each girl discovers she has a unique magical ability. They begin exploring their powers. The six are wildly different and definitely not friends... but they are the Chosen Ones.
In this gripping first installment of The Engelsfors Trilogy, a parallel world emerges in which teenage dreams, insanely annoying parents, bullying, revenge, and love collide with dangerous forces and ancient magic. An international sensation with rights sold in 26 countries, The Circle is razor-sharp and remarkable from start to finish.

Deeper We Fall by Chelsea M. Cameron

Description:
Two years after her best friend was involved in a car accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, Lottie Anders is ready to start her freshman year of college. Ready to move on. Ready to start forgetting the night that ripped her life apart. Her plans come to a screeching halt when not one, but both brothers responsible for the accident end up back in her life again. Zack is cruel, selfish and constantly rubbing what happened to her friend in Lottie's face. Zan is different. He listens to her awkward ramblings. He loves "To Kill a Mockingbird" as much as she does, and his dark eyes are irresistible. His words are few and far between, but when he does speak, she can't help but listen. The trouble is, Zan was the driver in the accident, and now Lottie's discovered he lied to her about what happened that night. Now she must decide if trusting him again will lead to real forgiveness, or deeper heartache.

Teardrop (Teardrop #1) by Lauren Kate

Description:
Never, ever cry... Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.
But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth... and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic... a world where everything you love can be washed away.

Review | A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

About:
Title:A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness
Publication Date:September 27th 2011
Format:Hardcover, 215 pages
Rating:

Description:
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming... This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth.

Review

This book was totally not what I was expecting when I first picked it up but it definitely did not ;disappoint. The original idea for this novel was by Siobhan Dowd but sadly she passed away before it's completion. So it was then passed over to Patrick Ness. The story is told through Conors point of you. Conor is having to deal with his mother's illness and the relentless bullying he has to endure at school. I don't really know how to explain my reasons for liking this book; I just do.The book itself is beautiful. I love the illustrations by Jim Kay, I think they complemented the story very well. A points in the story I got the feeling that Conor made up and used the "monster" as an excuse for his behaviour but you never really find out. The book is aimed at younger readers but I think older readers will be able to enjoy the story. I first heard of Patrick Ness through his novel "More Than This" And after reading this I will be sure to go out and purchase his other books. I feel this review is a bit lacking and all other the place as I just can't express my reasoning very well but I would definitely recommend it to readers into fantasy or mystery.

Teaser Tuesday #1

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading. Grab your current read, open to a random page and share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page - remember, no spoilers!

"A huge, twisted, branch-wound hand grabbed Conor around the middle and lifted him off the floor. It swung him out of his room and into the night, high above his back garden, holding him up against the circle of the moon, its fingers clenching so hard against Conor's ribs he could barely breathe" 

- Page 19, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.

Review - The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

About:
Title: The One Plus One
Author: Jojo Moyes
Publication Date: February 27th 2014
Format: ARC, Paperback, 436 pages
Rating:

Description:
Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your stepson is being bullied and your daughter has a once in a lifetime opportunity... that you can't afford to pay for.
So imagine you kept some money that didn't belong to you, knowing it would pay for your daughter's happiness and in so doing make life a tiny bit more bearable all-round.
But how do you cope with the shame? Especially when the man you've lied to decides to help you out in your hour of need...
Jess is in hell - her family is stranded on a pavement in the middle of the night and Ed is their knight in shining armour. How on earth is she going to make it through their crazy and impromptu road trip without confessing her crime?
Is her family's fleeting chance of happiness worth this agonizing guilt?

Review

I was kindly sent an Advance Readers Copy of this book in return for an honest review. This is my first read of Jojo Moyes work, even though I have had "Me Before You" in my Reading list for quite some time. All I can say is that after reading "The One Plus One" I will not be hesitating to go out and purchase her other works. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It had my laughing, crying, smiling, gasping out loud and everything in between. Very likeable, realistic, relatable and well thought out characters. The book is written in multiple points of view - Jess, Ed, Tanzie and Nicky - and I think this works well in this book and allows you to to feel as if you know them a lot better and to also care for them a whole lot more. The book covers a bunch of issues, some being: single mum struggling to make ends meet, broken marriages, misfit kids, the misconception and judgements people make on each other, betrayal, honesty, love and loyalty. I think there is someone for everyone to relate to. If not there will definitely be a certain situation. Maybe even both! At certain parts of the book I just wanted to grab both Jess and Ed and bang their heads together... In a good way! I would recommend this book for any chick-lit, romance or realistic fiction lovers.

Review - Lyrics for the Labyrinth by T.J. Garcia

About:
Title: Lyrics for the Labyrinth
Author: T.J. Garcia
Publication Date July 20th 2013
Format: Paperback, 58 pages
Rating:

Description:
What happens after the end of all things? For three decades, I drank the Kool-Aid, colored inside the lines, and followed all the rules set out for me--as a woman, as a wife, as a mother. All for... nothing. Or so I believed. After it all came apart, I struggled for four dark years to purge the poison of other people's expectations from my life. This poetry is a peek into the pain of that transformation, but it also holds hope for better days ahead.

Review

I was kindly sent this book for free by the author for review. This short book is a collection of poems by T.J Garcia. They tell a story of a woman's struggle with other peoples expectations amongst other things. I normally don't read poetry nor have I ever had the urge to but I am glad I got a chance to read this collection. It starts off in a very dark place and as you read on you can see the light slowly shining in on the writer as she starts to take a hold of her life. Some of my personal favourites are: 'Bipolar', 'Frustration', 'No Regrets', 'Graduation' and 'A Pound of Perspective'. Sad but with a sense of beauty that someone could pull themselves up and try rebuilding their life. I would recommend for any lover of poetry.

Friday Finds #1

Friday finds is a meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading which showcases the books you've recently ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list.

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Description:
Kennedy Waters didn't believe in ghosts, until one tried to kill her.
When Kennedy finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn't know that evil forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into her house and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon - a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.
Now Kennedy has to take her mother's place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon - battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.
Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures novels.

Wake by Abria Mattina

Description:
Eighteen isn’t too young to run your life into the ground, but it’s not too old to fix it, either. The desire for change drives Willa Kirk from St. John’s, Newfoundland back to hometown of Smiths Falls, Ontario, away from her mistakes and the place where her sister died. She’s looking for a place to settle and rebuild, but Jem Harper just wants to get out of town, back to the life he knew before cancer. By letting the tragedies in their lives define them, they are both dying a little more every day. Welcome to the wake.

Hyde by Lauren Stewart

Description:
To survive, they must embrace what they most despise in themselves and each other.
Mitch Turner is everything women want most in a man—charismatic, successful, drop-dead gorgeous. Except he’s not a man—he’s a monster. The only way Mitch can protect others from his monstrous side is to stop them from getting too close…that and a 7x7 foot cage. Isolated by his genetic curse, he spends his life hurting people emotionally, driving them away before Hyde can harm them physically. But, after a night of the best sex Mitch has ever had, he realizes that might be impossible. Except the woman he wakes up with claims she doesn't remember any of it. Eden Colfax is everything men want most, men other than Mitch, that is. She’s kind, honest to a fault and sickeningly sweet. To rid herself of the monsters that haunted her broken childhood, Eden doesn't lie, doesn't curse, and definitely never wakes up naked in strangers’ beds… until the day she does. Then the flashbacks start—places she’s never been, people she’s never met, blood she’s never spilled. She discovers she’s split into two parts—the woman she thought she knew and another who is capable of anything. And the only person with any answers is the one man she never wants to see again.
What neither of them know is that someone is watching them both, manipulating them, determined to see just how evil the two of them really are. And when the truth begins to seep through the cracks, leaving them nowhere to turn but each other, they will be forced into a partnership neither had expected.
Because in life, who you trust is as important as who you are. And when you can’t even trust yourself, sometimes the only person you can rely on is the last person on Earth you should be falling for.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Description:
To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.
Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.
Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Description:
Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children. Now, for the first time, this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and newly added second and third appendices. The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams