Book Review: Dreamology by Lucy Keating

Dreamology

by Lucy Keating

Publisher: Harper Teen

Release Date: April 12th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fantasy

Rate: 4 Stars

Synopsis:

For as long as Alice can remember, she has dreamed of Max. Together they have traveled the world and fallen deliriously, hopelessly in love. Max is the boy of her dreams—and only her dreams. Because he doesn’t exist.

But when Alice walks into class on her first day at a new school, there he is. It turns out, though, that Real Max is nothing like Dream Max, and getting to know each other in reality isn’t as perfect as Alice always hoped.

When their dreams start to bleed dangerously into their waking hours, the pair realize that they might have to put an end to a lifetime of dreaming about each other. But when you fall in love in your dreams, can reality ever be enough? 

What first caught my attention was the cover of Dreamologly, it’s simplistic and beautiful. After viewing the cover, I needed to know what the story was about, and that too caught my attention. I’m glad both those things grabbed my attention because this story was great!

Alice has been having dreams which included Max for as long as she could remember, but only knew him as her dream guy. When she moves into her Nana’s house and starts at a new school in Boston, Alice meet her dream guy in the flesh, but he isn’t like the guy she’s been dreaming about. Ms. Keating takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster where dreams and reality start to bleed together. I loved all the characters during the story, at first I didn’t want to like Max, but he was charming and I could see why Alice liked him. I absolutely adored Alice, she was a great relatable character, that young readers will love. It was interesting to have a bit of a fantasy aspect to the story.  I don’t want to say more than that because I don’t want to ruin any surprises for anyone who would like to read this story.

I would completely recommend this book for young readers and also readers that enjoy a sweet romance that’s easy to read.

Read an excerpt now by clicking here!

Dreamology 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow the Dreamology by Lucy Keating Blog Tour and don’t miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucy lives in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, attended Williams College in the Berkshires, and still misses the East Coast very much.

 

 

When she’s not writing, Lucy can usually be found obsessing over the latest music, inventing new flavors of ice cream, or having what she feels are perfectly acceptable conversations with her dog, Ernie.

 

 

You can follow Lucy on Instagram @lucy.keating, and Ernie The Dog @ernsboberns

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: The Land of the Shadows by Lissa Bryan

Title– The Land of the Shadows

Author- Lissa Bryan

Publisher- The Writers Coffee Shop

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/KULknK

Book Summery:

In the highly anticipated stand-alone sequel to The End of All Things, Lissa Bryan returns readers to a world devastated by disease, and the breakdown of modern society.

Two years after a horrific virus swept the globe, decimating the world’s population, Carly Daniels and her husband, Justin, have made a safe home in the isolated southern town of Colby. Protected by fences and a vigilant population, the residents there had somehow managed to keep the Infection out. Until the sight of Carly and Justin’s healthy baby girl convinced them it was safe to allow Outsiders in.

Now, in the wake of fresh losses, the small band of survivors struggles to rebuild a community. With only nineteenth-century technology to aid them, they must learn skills long forgotten to provide for their basic needs. Each day brings new challenges, and every choice they make affects their long-term survival. While Carly and Justin adjust to a growing family, and to their roles as community leaders, they must rely on one another for strength and support when they face difficult questions.

Carly has to decide how to move forward in a world where equality, justice, and freedom from tyranny are no longer guaranteed. And when new threats emerge, she has to decide what she is willing to do—and how far she’s willing to go—to protect what she has worked so hard to build.

When the end has come and gone, it’s a journey down a long and broken road through The Land of the Shadow.

My Thoughts:

“’Will they remember how much I loved you? That’s the most important part of the story. I want the world to remember that. I want to write it in the stars’ She turned and kissed him, and then there was no more need for words.”

The Land of Shadows begins where The End of All Things leaves off. Carly and Justin have been building a community after tragedy hit them one they joined. The first part of the book showed what they have done and were going to build up Colby again. Since it was about the rebuild the pace of the book was a bit slower. It wasn’t until we show a real threat did the book pick up.

I was a huge fan of the love story between Carly and Justin in the first book, and now that their family is going with the addition of Kaden, a boy who was left behind after everyone fell sick in Colby. There were some really great family moments in this book that pull at my heart.

Through reading you really begin to learn more about the other characters in the community and all of their roles. It is interesting to see how everyone copes with everything that is happening with them.

Lissa Bryan defiantly saved al the action for the end, and after the ending I cannot wait to see what happens in book three.

Mad Mondays: Guarding His Heart by Annie Seaton

Title- Guarding His Heart

Author- Annie Seaton

Publisher- Entangled Bliss

Release Date- March 10, 2015

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/CFQfAJ

BOOK SUMMERY:

Some people get under your skin.

Some get into your heart.

Bestselling author Liam Wyndham needed an escape, and Half Moon Bay, with its small town charm and beautiful ocean, is the perfect place to hide out from the scandal surrounding his estranged dead wife. A place where he can enjoy his writer’s block in sweet isolation. But all of his plans to become a surly recluse disappear when carpenter Georgie Sacchi marches into his house…

Georgie wants an adventure, and she has a plane ticket that promises her everything she needs—excitement, independence, and a way to escape the memory of her last ruined relationship. Still, she has one last job to complete before she can leave the country. The last thing she needs is a recalcitrant author with a gorgeous face (and a hot body) distracting her from her plans.

But life doesn’t always give you what you think you need…

MY THOUGHTS:

Another Entangled Biss book that I enjoyed reading from beginning to end! It was a great book to snuggle up on a snow day with. This book brought me to the warm weather while snow was falling outside.

Since this was a Bliss book there wasn’t a lot of drama and that is one of the main reasons why I like Bliss books so much! Liam went through a tragedy where he lost the woman he was married to, even though they were separated, he still cared for her. I like how he was able to open his heart up and give into his feeling for Georgie. Georgie on the other hand knew her feeling for Liam, but wouldn’t give into them because she was leaving and going on a trip she didn’t want to go on in the first place. There were so many times I got mad at her because she was just hiding behind this trip.

I always love a sweet contemporary romance that you can read from cover to cover in a day and this was one of them! I would recommend this book to anyone looking for exactly that!

Sizzling Saturdays: His Last Redemption by Clarissa Yip

Title- His Last Redemption

Author- Clarissa Yip

Publisher- Entangled Ignite

Release Date- March 10, 2015

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/N6XVVG

BOOK SUMMERY:

First comes marriage. Then comes murder…

Lauren Burke waited fifteen months and twenty-three days for her divorce to be finalized. Instead, her ex-husband went one step further—he turned up dead. And the detective working on the case is none other than Kane Hollister—the man who ran off over three years ago and shattered Lauren’s heart into a zillion pieces…

It looks like Lauren, but she’s no longer the carefree girl Kane once knew. And yet he can’t deny the awareness that heats his blood at the sight of her. But when the death threats begin, Kane realizes that the killer has a new target…and it’s Lauren. Now he must protect the woman he’s always loved—and always hurt—from a vicious murderer. And when the sparks between them ignite, Lauren will have to make a choice between her life… or her heart!

MY THOUGHTS:

His Last Redemption was a second chance suspenseful romance. I like a little mystery in the books that I read from time to time, and that is what drew me to this book. I think that is what kept me reading this book as well; I wanted to know who the Pearl Killer was. Yes, there is a story line other than that, but I wasn’t a fan of it as much.

There was something about Lauren that made me annoyed. I’m not sure if it was because it too her three years to leave a man that was cheating on her while she was giving him money to build his company or hot/coldness towards Kane. Both Kane and Lauren opened up to each other to allow themselves to be happy.

This was a very quick read as well and I think that it can be made into a series if the author chooses to write a book about another one of the characters. I can see a book about Ryan or even about Lauren. I thought Ryan was funny and I think his book would be great.

Book Review: Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins? by Liz Kessler

Title- Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins?

Author– Liz Kessler

Publisher- Candewick Press

Release Date- February 24^th, 2015

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/9Corji

BOOK SUMMERY:

Jessica Jenkins has always been a perfectly ordinary girl—until one day part of her arm vanishes in the middle of geography class! Jessica’s friends Izzy and Tom are determined to help her develop her newfound invisibility, though Jessica is more concerned with discovering where the ability came from. When it becomes apparent that there may be other kids developing strange powers of their own, Jessica marshals them into a slapdash band of “slightly superheroes.” But when an unscrupulous adult discovers the origin of their powers and kidnaps one of the team, the rest must put their heads—and all of their skills—together to avert disaster.

MY THOUGHTS:

When I first saw this cover on Netgalley while searching for a childrens fiction to read, I request right away. Then I read the book summery and became really excited to get the chance to read it.

While reading this book, there were times that I needed to remind myself that this is a book that is geared towards younger children. Even though Jessica Jenkins is in 8^th grade, I do not particularly think this age group will enjoy reading this book as much as younger children will. What young reader hasn’t wanted super powers or thought about if they could have any superpower, what it would be.

For me the beginning of the story ran a bit slow and then I felt there was a lot of action in the end, which felt a bit rushed. But again, that is my thoughts as an older reader; I think the slow pace might be good for children when reading a new story.

I thought that all of the main characters were very relatable for children, who were going through normal problems, well other than their superpowers ;). Each character had a different personality and so different children can grasp upon on they relate to the most.

I would love to see this book made into a series, there is so much that can happen and I do not think the story is done with this group of children!

I know I will be purchasing a copy to put into my classroom’s library!

Read Me Fridays: Waiting for April by Jamie Loren

Title- Waiting for April

Author- Jamie Loren

Publisher- Momentum

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/37s1qC

BOOK SUMMERY:

April Fletcher has died nineteen times… but she doesn’t know it.

As far as April is concerned, she’s just a normal seventeen-year-old, looking forward to spending spring break with her friends and going to college in the fall. April doesn’t know she has never lived past her eighteenth birthday, nor does she realize that Scott Parker, her best friend, is actually her childhood sweetheart and fiancé from her very first life.
For nineteen-year-old Scott Parker, spending quality time with his soul mate has proved difficult ever since her tragic death in 1729. Since then he has lost her an additional eighteen times—each of her deaths more devastating than the last, and each of her births wiping the slate of her memory clean. Unable to save her but unwilling to give up, Scott has to hide the fact he’s immortal—and will be until April confesses her love again.
But this time, things have changed. April has denied her feelings for him, is dating someone else, and with her eighteenth birthday fast approaching, their friendship is falling to pieces. Fearing their souls are irrevocably drifting apart, Scott must race against the clock to win her heart and save her life.
Or risk losing her forever.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the first book that I have read that involved reincarnation and it had me very interested in from the very first page. I like that there was a bit of a mystery within the story; why is Scott immortal and why does April keep dying but to return with the same name each time. I think that Jamie Loren did a great job with keeping it all a secret until the very end. I was not excepting the story to end the way it did.

The love that Scott had for April was amazing! I only care what was best for her. When he thought it would help, he would stay away. He had so much devotion and patience. April was of course drawn to him and since she doesn’t remember him from her past lives, she’s not sure why. I like that this story was told in a duel POV. I was able to understand what was going on in both of their heads and how each of them felt for each other.

When I first started looking at this book, I thought it was young adult book. I think it can still be classified as that after reading it, but just mature audience maybe 17 and up. Maybe borderline New Adult.

Wonderland Wednesday: Centaur Legacy By Nancy Straight

Title- Centaur Legacy

Author- Nancy Straight

Publisher- Smashwords

Release Date- Already Released

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/jQF0YS

BOOK SUMMERY:

Camille and Drake are on the run from the head of the Centaur Council, seeking the mythical pasture of Thessaly and a family heirloom that may keep them safe. As their journey progresses from the rolling hills of Ireland to the snow covered forests of South Dakota, Cami learns more about her mother’s secrets, including a twin brother and a Centaur legacy that puts a death warrant on her entire family.

Camille and Drake don’t know who to trust or where to hide. Camille’s family is quick to come to her aid, but who among them can be trusted?

A supernatural benefactor forces Drake to choose between being the man he wants to be and the Centaur warrior Camille needs him to be.

 MY THOUGHTS:

I think by now we all know by now how much I love reading novels by Nancy. She has a way in engaging me thought out the whole book. I don’t think of her books, just as romances, they are so much more. The romance is in the book yes, but I also think there’s an amazing plot in each of her books. Time flies by while reading her books and before I know it, I’m finished!

Centaur Legacy starts where we left off Drake and Camille are on the run hiding from her grandmother. I love these two together; I am so glad that they ended up together. Though out this book, I felt their connection even more. They are definitely a team that I am rooting for.

We learned a little more about Camille’s brother, Beau, and I really enjoyed his story line. Beau went through a lot and had a lot to figure out and I like how things ended for him. It was nice to be able to relate to the other characters in the book through their storylines; Nancy does a really great job in having the multiple POV to accomplish this.

I have always been a huge fan of mythology and learning about them. I think that is another reason why I like these books so much. Nancy did a great job incorporating more if it in Centaur Legacy. She did this by not only having centaurs in the book, but also having the character interact and refer to numerous gods.

Book Review: Losing it: a Collection of Vcards

Title- Losing it: A Collection of Vcards

Author- 22 Best Selling Authors

Publisher- Elephantine Publishing

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/SRUC0E

BOOK SUMMERY:

22 Bestselling YA authors reveal what went on behind the curtain in your favorite YA novels! From paranormal to contemporary, this collection features over 200 pages of ALL NEW CONTENT full of deleted scenes, extended endings, and more from the young adult series’ you love.

In this YA/NA crossover collection all of your favorite heroines are cashing in their VCards! YA just got steamy, sexy, and not afraid to go all the way!

Due to the graphic nature of some content, this collection is recommended strictly for mature readers.

Stories include excerpts and extended material–ALL NEW CONTENT featuring the following YA novels & authors:

The Grimoire Saga by SM Boyce
The Death Series by Tamara Rose Blodgett
Penny Black Trilogy by Stacey Wallace Benefiel
Dirty Blood series by Heather Hildenbrand
The Mythology Series by Helen Boswell
Stories About Melissa Series by Bethany Lopez
Keegan’s Chronicles by Julia Crane
The Tate Chronicles by K.A. Last
Fragile Creatures by Kristina Circelli
The Spellbound Trilogy by Nikki Jefford
Judgement of the Six Series by Melissa Haag
A Dark Faerie Tale Series by Alexia Purdy
The Double Threat Series by Julie Prestsater
The Elsker Saga by S.T. Bende
Ovialell Series by Tish Thawer
The Runes Series by Ednah Walters
The Cornerstone Series by Misty Provencher
The Waiting Series by Ginger Scott
Forged Series by A.O. Peart
The Arotas Series by Amy Miles
Funeral Crashing Mysteries by Milda Harris
The Wolf Trilogy by M.R. Polish

MY THOUGHTS:

This book is a great idea!! We get to read extended scenes from some of our favorite New Adult and Young Adult book, plus some of the author’s insight. I was also able to read passages to books that I haven’t read yet. In reading these, I now want to read so many of these stories to see what happens. Not only can you read a mix of young adult and new adult book, there is also a mix of genres from paranormal to romance.VI like this idea because there might be books that you would never think to read but because of the excerpt, you will give it a chance. I also think that seeing different authors’ stories might expand on who you are a fan of reading.

Mad Mondays: Everything Has Changed by Mia Kayla

Title- Everything has Changed

Author- Mia Kayla

Publisher- MAM Books LLC

Release Date- February 16, 2015

Amazon–   http://goo.gl/rxc3oi

BOOK SUMMERY:

Imagine finding the love of your life at the age of six.

Bliss Carrington did.

Bliss has known Jimmy Brason since first grade. He took on the role of the big brother Bliss never had, breaking Bliss out of her shy shell, encouraging her to have fun in high school, and pushing her to live her life to the fullest. They have always been friends—until one day, Bliss wanted more. Now seeing women everywhere swooning over Jimmy, head quarterback of the New York Cougars, is enough to drive her to madness.

Jimmy has been in love with Bliss forever, but she doesn’t know and she can never find out. In all the craziness of his fast track to fame and money, Bliss is the one person who has kept him sane. He firmly believes that history repeats itself and with his tainted past, he’s afraid that he’s fated to hurt her if he allows himself to follow his heart.

Bliss has watched Jimmy grow from a boy into a man, and it’s not fair that someone else will get to keep him when she knows in her heart that he only belongs to her.

When they tiptoe on the edge of love, can their friendship remain intact with both of them ignoring the rumblings that’s threatening to explode?

Everything Has Changed is a story of love, loss, and longing for the one you grew up loving.

MY THOUGHTS:

“‘Bliss,’ he whispered, ‘is defined as a state of perfect happiness… You’ve made this man the happiest man alive.'”

Everything has changed is a very emotional book and had me close to tears more than once. The two main characters, Jimmy and Bliss, where always there for each other through family problems to being there for each other through major events (prom, first games, and first kisses).

I like that there were flashbacks with in the store, I think it connected me more to the characters and the emotions that Bliss felt for Jimmy. I understood her feeling from the very beginning, but I couldn’t really feel what Jimmy was feeling. He seemed very hot and cold with her and I wanted to know why he was tutoring himself the way he was. I might have like this book to have a duel POV so I could truly see what he was actually feeling. I do feel like they had such an amazing connection. I love that Jimmy called Bliss every morning at 8 for a daily call and if she needed him or he was worried about her, he would make sure he was there for her (He just had to jump on a plane each time).

Of course when you like a book there are always things that you don’t like, and the one thing I didn’t like was all the relationships that Jimmy had with other women when he was so in love with Bliss. We only see it with one character, but it is hinted that there have been more girls than just her. Everyone even referred to her as “Jimmy’s girl” but he had all these other women that they all knew about, in a way it made me believe that he wasn’t as in love with her as I thought. Which a duel POV would have helped me figure out 😉

This is the first book where I didn’t get an epilogue, those are always my favorite. I would have liked to see where they ended up, to see if what happened in the end was true.

This book wasn’t just about two people in love but about friendship and family. I highly recommend this book to any new adult romance fans out there!

Book Review: Losing Track by Trisha Wolfe

Title- Losing Track

Author– Trisha Wolfe

Publisher– Smashwords

Amazon-   http://goo.gl/pRNrcb

BOOK SUMMERY:

Sometimes you have to lose your way before finding the right track.

The roar of a bike engine. The vibration between her thighs. The feel of cool darkness kissing her skin as she coasts along twisty back roads at night—Melody Lachlan lives for these things. Ever since Mel and her best friend Darla escaped their small, backwoods town, they’ve traveled the countryside in search of fast rides, tatted bikers, and good times.

A self-proclaimed poet and lover of all things free, Mel views her life as one long bike ride—with pit stops along the way to numb the pain. But she never saw herself as a junkie. Party as hard as you ride. That’s her motto…until a tragic night steals her soul. Then she’s forced to delve below the surface, to where her demons rage.

When she meets recovered drug addict Boone Randall, she’s more likely to deck him than kiss his dimple-adorable face. She doesn’t want his help; doesn’t want to own up to her part in that night. She just wants to do her time and keep her promise to her friend. Yet Boone challenges Mel, and soon she doesn’t mind sharing the road. Only when Boone’s own secret demons threaten their newfound, fragile security, Mel’s course becomes rocky, and she must decide if letting her well-worn track marks fade is worth finding a new path.

Told from Dual point of view from Melody and Boone, this is a New Adult Contemporary Romance intended for readers seventeen years of age and older.

MY THOUGHTS:

“I thought I was like the heartwood of a tree, the dead part. But there’s a very special heartwood that’s anything but dead- it lives. A living anomy that flourishes in the midst of so much decay, rot, and ruin. The destruction breaking down the tree doesn’t touch this. It fights back and it wins. Even thrives. And the reward is something so striking, nature has to stop its hands of time just to acknowledge that one breathless beautifully stubborn tree”

Losing Track was a heart wrenching emotional story and the second installment in the Heartwood series. Trisha Wolfe did a great job showing the harsh world of drug addiction through her main characters Melody, and Boone. She was also able to show what happens through Darla and Jesse, and the ways they all lost themselves. I love that this book shows how it’s not easy to overcome addiction and how easy it is to relapse.

As a character Melody was a little hard to relate to, not sure if it was hard attitude, but it didn’t stop me from liking her. I was rooting for her from the very beginning and only hoped once she got clean, she would go back to the MC and drugs, but stay with Boone. I think Melody grew a lot during the story and where she ends up is fantastic! I adored Boone a lot, I think he had a huge heart and just wanted to be with Melody. He of course had his own demons and began working through them in this story.

Of course I read The Darkest Past and was so happy when we were able to see Sam and Holden in this book. I like where they ended up and how she remained in Mel’s life.

I always love reading epilogues and this was my favorite that I have EVER read!!! Where the main characters end up is so perfect. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen in Ari in book three!