More of the Good ole West.

Rating: 4/5

Review: This was more simple goodness from a great western series. The two main characters are such a hoot to read about. I hope there will be more to follow.

Book Description: When we last saw Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, they had just put things to right in the rough-and-tumble Old West town of Resolution. It's now a year later, and Virgil has only one thing on his mind: Allie French, the woman who stole his heart from their days in Appaloosa. Even though Allie ran off with another man, Virgil is determined to find her, his deputy and partner Everett Hitch at his side. Making their way across New Mexico and Texas, the pair finally discover Allie in a small-town brothel. Her spirit crushed, Allie joins Everett and Virgil as they head north to start over in Brimstone. But things are not the same between Virgil and Allie; too much has happened, and Virgil can't face what Allie did to survive the year they were apart. Vowing to change, Allie thinks she has found redemption through the local church and its sanctimonious leader, Brother Percival. Given their reputations as guns for hire, Everett and Virgil are able to secure positions as the town's deputies. But Brother Percival stirs up trouble at the local saloons, and as the violence escalates into murder, the two struggle to keep the peace.

Sci-Fi for the Masses

Rating: 5/5

Review: This was an amazing leap into science fiction for me, which is not my usual genre. If it's not yours either, then you should check this book out. Meyers is so very good at mixing real human relationships with fictional ones. In this case, instead of vampires and werewolves, we are dealing with parasites that take over human bodies. They are non-violent and serene creatures, but there are some humans they haven't gotten to yet, and they're not going down without a fight. There's also the parasite that hasn't quite taking over her body completely, and through the memories and feelings of her human host, she begins to realize just how wrong her species are for taking over this world. I was engrossed from the beginning, and this is definitely a book I'll be thinking about and reflecting on for some time. There's lessons to be learned here, but the journey that Melanie/Wanderer take is what makes this story such a pleasure to delve into.

Book Description: The author of the Twilight series of # 1 bestsellers delivers her brilliant first novel for adults: a gripping story of love and betrayal in a future with the fate of humanity at stake. Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

Magical Discovery and Vampires

Rating: 5/5

Review: I wasn't sure about this one at first. It had such thick paragraphs (even in the dialogue), which made it a little difficult to get into. I soon forgot about all of that, however, and was completely taken with the story. It was very interesting, exciting, and magical. I also ended up with a fierce craving for Cinnamon rolls. Ha! I am really really hoping that there will be a sequel.

Book Description: Sunshine's mundane existence as the head baker at Charlie's Coffeehouse takes an unexpected turn when she drives to her grandmother's secluded summer camp. While she is taking in the scenic view of the starlit sky reflecting off the lake's calm surface, she is attacked by a gang of vampires and brought to an abandoned mansion on the far side of the lake. They strip her of her shoes, dress her in a blood-red gown, and shackle her to a wall. In the semi-darkness of the moonlit room, she realizes that a vampire is shackled next to her. After some tense moments, the two begin to talk and quickly conclude that if they don't help each other escape, they're both as good as dead…

Louisa Mae Alcott and the Civil War

Rating: 4/5

Review: This book gives a wonderful inside view of the personal life of Louisa Mae Alcott. Of course, a little of it here and there is merely based on speculation, but there are enough facts to make it interesting. I never realized, for instance, that Miss Alcott was Josephine March. Well, in reality, she was a much sadder version, but she wanted to be like the Jo she wrote about, I believe that. The narrator of the book is a ficticious cousin/friend of Alcott's and the famous author's life is told through her eyes. There were several famous historical figures featured in the novel, which gave it added depth. O'Brien did an excellent job of blending historical facts with her own imaginings of the time period.

Book Description:
From childhood, Susan Gray and her cousin Louisa May Alcott have shared a safe, insular world of outdoor adventures and grand amateur theater — a world that begins to evaporate with the outbreak of the Civil War. Frustrated with sewing uniforms and wrapping bandages, the two women journey to Washington, D.C.'s Union Hospital to volunteer as nurses. Nothing has prepared them for the horrors of this grueling experience. There they meet the remarkable Clara Barton — the legendary Angel of the Battlefield — and she becomes their idol and mentor. Soon one wounded soldier begins to captivate and puzzle them all — a man who claims to be a blacksmith, but whose appearance and sharp intelligence suggest he might not be who he says he is.
Through the Civil War and its chaotic aftermath to the apex of Louisa's fame as the author of Little Women and Lincoln's appointment of Clara to the job of finding and naming the war's missing and dead, this novel is ultimately the story of friendship between women — women who broke the mold society set for them, while still reckoning with betrayal, love, and forgiveness.

Witchy Woman

Rating: 4/5

Review: The Garnet Lacey books just keep getting better every time. This one was still a little Corny sometimes, but very entertaining. I love the settings in the book, and the interaction between all of the characters. You've got humour, suspense, romance, mystery, and even a little action. I can't wait for more.

Book Description: It's been one heck of a week for Garnet Lacey. The Vatican witch hunters finally think she's dead, the FBI has closed their file on her, she's co-founding a new coven-and the gorgeous vampire she loves has just asked her to marry him. How lucky can one girl get?Then, her fiancé goes missing and Garnet's worried sick. Has he been kidnapped? Or could he have run off with that blonde from the coven? Now Garnet will have to seek the help of her future stepson-the same brat who turned her over to the witch hunters for a brand-new Jaguar. But there's more bad news: the Goddess Lilith, who camps out in her body, has been making embarrassing appearances. And on top of that, some killer's on her tail...

To the Death!

Rating: 5/5

Review: This was such an amazing book, I can barely contain myself. Haha! Of course, it was a bit disturbing too. It is about kids getting thrown into an enormous arena to fight to the death, after all. Collins writes in such a way, however, that you just can't help but get caught up in the story. Katniss Everdeen is the narrator, and one of the "players" in the Hunger Games. She's sixteen, brave as can be, and one of the best characters I've ever come across. The things this girl, and the other "players" have to go through kept me turning the pages well into the night. I absolutely devoured this book, and I can't wait for the next one in the trilogy.

Book Description: Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.

Bad Politics and Murder in a Small Southern Town

Rating: 4/5

Review: This was basically a sequel to Iles's The Quiet Game, featuring Penn Cage. He's a great character, with natural flaws. The small town of Natchez, MS is the backdrop, and I wonder if it truly has the racial and political wars that Iles portrays. Parts of this book were very raw with their details, but as a whole, it was completely enthralling. It also deals with some very real, and scary issues that teenagers face today. It makes me nervous just thinking about my son attending high school years from now. There were a couple of interesting twists towards the end, which I like, and the climax was well done. I really hope that there will be more Penn Cage novels.