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The amazing world of books, a heaven for brain, books will never let someone down, they'll keep coming back with new adventures and new worlds more powerful every time.

Ship Breaker - Paolo Bacigalupi ShipBreaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi, is the story of Nailer, a young teenager, who is part of a scavenging crew that strips off old ships and oil tankers from their metal which will be sold to big corporations or countries that can afford it. Like everyone on the beach of the Gulf Coast, he works hard for his survival, to make the daily quota to live another day, but he dreams to a better life. One day, after a city-killer storm, Nailer and his crewmate and friend, Pima, discovers a high-end clipper ship along with its only survival, Nita, a wealthy girl, a swank, the heir of one of the biggest corporation in the world. He’s torn between saving the girl or scavenging the ship and turn the girl over for a reward.

Nailer Lopez, the lucky boy, is the main character of the story. Being young and scrawny, with his ribs showing through, assured him a place in a light crew that scavenge wrecks from copper wires, metal staples or other recyclable metals that can be sold on the market. Living all his life in a shack along the Bright Sands Beach, with a constant sensation of hunger, the only life he ever knew was among the lowest humans of society of all colors and beliefs. Terrified by an abusive father that is high and drunk almost all the time, his main concern is that he would get too big to slip through the small and rusty ducts, but not big enough to be taken on to heavy crew and he will starve to death. With an exceptional instinct of survival, he proves to be very wise for his age and harsh life. Nailer is a complex and dynamic character in the story since very early on till the end, whose perspective changes as a result of the situations he encounter.

The story is set sometime in the future where the society is characterized by oppression and human misery. The world is depleted by its natural resources, the weather is wild, and the major cities are drowned. The author choice of words could not have been better for the world he wanted the reader to envision.

The novel is told in third-person with a limited point of view. The narrator of the story is close to the Nailer’s point of view. As we can hear Nailer’s thoughts, the author lets us to make our own decisions when confronted with different situations without any manipulation from his part. The choice is remarkable since the reader is let to make a strong bond with the protagonist.The perspective on life that the author has created is very cruel and materially oriented to the point that someone could care less about the life of another human being when it comes to gain means of survival.

I found ShipBreaker to be a thoroughly interesting and brilliant story that I enjoyed a lot.
Rainshadow Road  - Lisa Kleypas **Disclaimer**
I received a copy of the Rainshadow Road, the second book in the series Friday Harbour,by Lisa Kleypas through the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

The novel is a light read, not too much of plot turning and it seems to follow the same path like the first book of the series, Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor. I didn’t know what to expect from the author since it is the first series of her's that I read.

Apart from the first novel in the series, this one added some magical elements that I don’t see fit in this type of story. It feels like it doesn’t belong in the book. As a Contemporary romance, the magical elements look like they are strayed from the original path of the series. I wonder if the decision of the author to add magical elements in the story was a consequence of the fact that lately most books are based on fantasy/paranormal/magic subjects.

The story of the Nolan brothers continues. This time it is about Sam Nolan, a passionate winemaker, who owns a vineyard on Rainshadow Road, hence the title of the novel, and Lucy Marinn, a talented glass artist. As main characters, they could have been developed a little bit more. Sam and Lucy engage into a type of relationship like friends with benefits which has nothing special, nothing out of the ordinary; Sam being against commitment while Lucy has trust problems. Then why bother?

On the other hand, the story deals with important issues in everyday life. Connection with friends and the unity of the family are well portrayed. Nolan brothers care and support each other in delicate moments of their lives while Lucy finds comfort among her friends.

Overall, a nice story that can keep someone company for a while. I like the story and I might recommend it.
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor - Lisa Kleypas Since I received the second book in the series, Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas through goodreads giveaway, I felt compelled to read the first one, Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor.

To quote Publishers Weekly - “Sweet, romantic, and genuine…a refreshing holiday treat.”

This is the story of a young widow, Maggie Conroy who lost the courage of marrying again. The past of her life being too much to bear, she moves in Friday Harbor, in San Juan County where she opens a children’s shop. Here, she encounters the quiet Holly, a six years old girl and Holly’s guardian and uncle, Mark Nolan.

I’ve never been to Friday Harbor even this place is very close to me. I was not even aware of its existence, but Lisa Kleypas made me want to visit this place and its people.

The way that the author describes the place and the characters in the story, made me see the Friday Harbor through her own eyes, to feel what her protagonists felt.

The story introduces us in the life of the main characters, Holly, Mark and Maggie, as well as the life of Sam Nolan as a second character. Also, the story has three main themes: magic, holidays and family.

Magic and Christmas

Magic, is the way that makes children dream and enrich their imagination. Most of the kids forgot what a story is, or what the magic is, or they forgot to believe in Santa, or Tooth Fairy. Mark Nolan said that “..one of my rules is not to let her believe in stuff that’s not real.” What in fact was happened is that magic healed Holly who stopped speaking after her mother death.

Christmas has also an important role in the story. Shopping for Christmas decorations, gathering around the Christmas tree, opening the gifts is a special time of the year when children can dream and adults can hope. All about Christmas is magic and family warmth.

Family

“Come sit by me. And take the baby…I need two hands for this.”
Carefully Maggie settled the warm, sleepy weight of the baby onto her shoulder. “Whose is he?” she asked. “I don’t recognize this one.”
“I have no idea. Someone handed him to me.”
“Is he one of your grandchildren?”
“Could be.” :)


The importance of family is also a strong theme in the story. You can find Maggie surrounded by a massive number of people, her family. On one hand, family can mean safety, confidence, trust, and support but on the other hand family can let a child suffer or live in fear, neglection.

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor is a pleasant story, kind and touching story, best read it on the Christmas Eve. I enjoyed the story but I'm afraid that it won't last over the time and soon will be forgotten.

Wolf Revenge (Forsaken Worlds, #2)

Wolf Revenge (Forsaken Worlds, #2) - Susan  Cartwright
I was lucky enough to get my hands on the second book of the series Forsaken Worlds, Wolf Revenge,by Susan Cartwright.

The Wolf Dawn has the foundation of the series. The sequel, Wolf Revenge, continue the story in a more alert tempo with all kind of elements: conflicts, mystery, greed, politics, corruption, mind control, surprise, anxiety, terror and last but not least romance.

The question that will nag the reader from start to the end will be: Will Ash have the chance to confront Neopol?

Everything in the story is told with precision, with detailed presentations. The characters do not hesitate to give you their opinions and thoughts, which I find very entertaining since we don’t have to wait for another character’s POV after the book is written and published.

The author likes to play with the patience of the reader. She just gives a piece to stimulate the reader’s brain, giving somewhat a sense of knowledge of what will happen next, then everything is turning, it tips over, making you eagerly to want and to know, right at that moment, what is the outcome. This will keep you with book in your hand long after midnight.

The story is sprinkled with romance and humorous elements.
The author creates distinct characters with personalities well defined and contrasted with each other that are forced to work in unusual circumstances.

The force of the main character, Ash, is amazing and I’m not talking about physical force. The author manages to create a complex protagonist with unique qualities. On the other hand, the negative character in the story, Neopol, is also complex. Sometimes, when an author creates another complex character it tends to be distracting but in this case, this two characters are in contrast, the antithesis of right and wrong gives the internal and external relationships conflicts, strength and richness.

The level of author’s versatility in creating her characters is amazing. She is peeling away every layer of the character’s essence, exposing the innermost thoughts, leaving you amazed by the strong inner conflict inside one’s mind.
The path of the story is described with a real talent, building suspense specific to Science Fiction thriller.

The worlds she creates are original and realistic. She manages to have technical elements that make sense even if they are futuristic. Interplanetary conflicts and politics are driven by power; mad people in highest places with the sinister agendas and interests in a world of greed, manipulation and deprivation are ready to use everyone to see their purpose done or just for entertain themselves.

I cannot spoil the surprise of the story but I can't help myself soo I have a little teaser: you’ll be surprised about Janson, the aide of Admiral Neopol Jones. You are not expecting what is coming, I tell you that. I loved the part when we finally find out what’s with Janson.

If I recommend this book to Sci-Fi people? Definitely.
I think I would recommend this book to everyone who has an open mind, even if you like paranormal books, horror, fantasy or romance or any genre/subgenre and you can appreciate a good book, a gem.

To the author: You are an amazing writer. I hope you will not keep us waiting too long for the next book.
WOLF DAWN: Adventure Sci-Fi/ Heroic Fantasy/ Romance - Susan Cartwright Thank you Susan Cartwright for having this book available in electronic format free on amazon for awhile so I received this book on my "Kindle". Thank you again and as I promised here is my honest opinion about your book.

I would start this review telling you that this is NOT a young adult book.
This book is in the Sci-Fi genre and as an adult, if you are going to read this book, you must have an open mind and be less judgmental since there are some controversial aspects.

The author, Susan Cartwright set her story into a universe where every world has something different. She contours a few of her worlds almost to the thinnest details.

Human nature is revealed to the extreme in some characters. You can find extreme hate and anger, also you will witness jealousy and love, despair and guilt. There are characters that are pure evil and others that are very gentle but the main character, Ash, seems to have all the ingredients.
With a delicate health, prone to illness, with an amazing gift of mind-touch, Ash as a prince lived in a fairytale world soon to be destroyed through the genocide. After a crash landing, he found himself wounded and the last of his kind, on another planet, in a harsh environment, raised by a pack of wolves into a world completely different from his. His chances of survival? Close to zero.

Even though the plot is not always fast paced, you will enjoy being into a totally different world and environment, a world that is magnificently described and also you will explore deep into the soul, into the complex personality of characters where the combination between emotions and behavior are sometimes extreme.

The book has it all, from the mystical and religious beliefs to the new and modern and incomprehensible technology, from the human, pure and noble characters to the most ignoble and brutish evil ones.
The author, Susan Cartwright used her creative power in all areas. Using graphic description she generates new worlds and she is going straight to the bottom of the soul. But she did not stop there. Aided by her brilliant intelligence, unusual power of observation and mastery of drawing her characters, she conducted studies of human nature around a twisted plot.

This first book of the series has a good foundation for the following ones.

The only thing that kept me from reading the book right away is the cover. In my opinion, the cover is far from reflecting the value of the story.
Sanctus - Simon Toyne 3.5 stars - This means I enjoyed this book, it was good, but there was something that kept me for loving it.
---> *Warning: May Contain Spoilers

Sanctus by Simon Toyne, a British television producer and a writer, is the first book from the Sancti Trilogy.

From the beginning, the author introduces us into a world that seems just unbelievable yet he made it ticking. In the Citadel, a self-governing state ruled by its own laws, built into a mountain close to the city of Ruin, southern Turkey, lives a secret and ancient order: Sanctus. They have the greatest secret of humankind to guard from thousands of years, the Sacrament, that only few selected and worthy monks, Sancti, were allowed to know.

Monks who are swarming deep down in the caves of the mountain are practicing rituals that are of unimaginable violence.
One morning, one of their own, Brother Samuel, climbs the mountain of Citadel and stands on top of it with his arm crossed in the symbol of cross. Finally, he jumps to his death after he was sure he acquired both the crowd and media attention.

Detective Arkadian has a difficult task in solving what appears a common suicide.
When the New Jersey journalist Liv Adamsen arrives in the city of Ruin, things are heating up fast since the most terrifying secret of civilization that was kept hidden for millennia is about to surface and once it is revealed it would shake any known religion.

Sanctus has all the right ingredients: religious mystery which goes up to the idea that these Sancti monks have covered up the story in the Bible and changed the primary events, blood, turn of situations, dangerous chases. The novel big surprise came at the end when, instead of being left in an eternal fog, the mystery that followed us the entire story is revealed to us.

The author did not left any unfinished conflicts or actions but he left behind enough for the following novels.
The novel captivates by how paced and how cleverly carries everything related to references of religious rituals, ancient cultures and latest technology.
Sanctus is like a rollercoaster once you got the taste of it, you cannot stop.
The Key, the second book of the trilogy Sancti, book I won through goodreads giveaways its waiting its turn.

Sunset Love: The Sunset Love Series

Sunset Love: The Sunset Love Series - Missy Lynn I received a copy of this novel through Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

I’m sorry I had to say these but this review is going to be severely honest.

The story is about Sherry, a single mother of three talented children who had recently moved from her small hometown to Hollywood, California to try to give her children a chance to make their dreams come true. After their arrival, they meet Michael, an actor, a star, a manager, someone too good to be true ?

Well, the story started in a wrong way for me because even the author tried to contour a strong character in Sherry, her protagonist has too many holes in it. Therefore, I find it hard to believe that a woman who has so much on her plate would be that naïve to fall for someone practically unknown after just two days, let alone to blind trust that man. Everyone can fall in love even after a day but trust or better say blind trust requires time, especially when you are not the only one involved, especially when your children are involved.
We are not talking about a teenage girl here but an adult, a single woman with three kids. Hello, some responsibility is a must.

Anyway, the second part of the book looks better , that being the reason I finished the book.

The plot I found it simplistic and hardly believable. Not that this is a wrong thing about something being simplistic but the story is shallow and insufficiently developed. I have no problem with an unrealistic story as long as the ride is good and enjoyable but this story seems, for me at least, hard to be at least credible.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy romance and love stories as long as they are at least plausible.But then again, this is me, if you want your own opinion you should read it yourself.

Let Love Find You

Let Love Find You - Johanna Lindsey I received a copy of this novel through the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

Since is #4 of Reid Family series, I felt that I had to read the other three books.
“Let Love Find You”, is by far the best in the series.

The sweet Amanda Locke, the daughter of Preston Locke,the 10th Duke of Norford, is the most that a noble young man can possibly want as a wife, still she’s on her third Season for “ shopping ” a husband, hoping that she’ll finally find the man of her dream, the true love. Since she spent the first two Seasons without luck, her family had decided to take radical measures and hire a matchmaker. Devin Baldwin an occasional matchmaker, the London’s newest Cupid, whose profession is breeding horses, has an interesting theory about marriage, which seems to work. For Amanda to be suitable to her future husband, an earl passionate about horses, she must overcome her fear for horses and ride again and Devin must take care of this sensitive task. From the beginning, they step on each others toes, Devin being too bold and sincere for the rebel Amanda, his advices are the last thing Amanda will consider.

The author contours both characters with a fine touch of her pen, drawing a perfect chemistry between her main characters. The plot is perfectly paced.

The book is easy to read and I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of romance novels.
“Let Love Find You” is refreshing and a good company in this summer heat.

All Shall Go to Wrack: Book 1 of the Laughing Lip

All Shall Go to Wrack: Book 1 of the Laughing Lip - Gregory Lee Yoo-Hoo!!! I just received my first ever autographed free copies of All Shall Go to Wrack and Demand the Debt that's Owing – Books 1 and 2 of The Laughing Lip by Gregory P. Lee.
Let me tell you this: I FEEL SO HONORED.
For me, there are no bad books. Every book has its own beauty just like people. You can’t possibly like all the people in the world, but you can value them for what they are or learn from their life’s experiences. Books represent the author’s personality or an extension of his life. The way the author shapes a world or its characters, can send you to unimaginable places or deep in the characters’ mind.

Without books, we would be empty on the inside. Without books there would be no history, the literature would not have this magnificent voice and we would be left without brain’s food.
I can’t wait to read my new precious books.

“Every reader finds himself. The writer's work is merely a kind of optical instrument that makes it possible for the reader to discern what, without this book, he would perhaps never have seen in himself.”
Marcel Proust

A huge THANK YOU !

I received this book through a Goodreads first reads giveaway.
Obsidian - Jennifer L. Armentrout Obsidian, the second book of the Lux series, it gives you even more than the prequel of the series, Shadows. As expected, the book is fast-paced with full of humor. The author portrays the human nature and the acutely sense of extra-terrestrial race and family preservation.
The strongest character of the book is Daemon, an alien being in human form.

Paradoxically, Daemon, is a beautiful “death” with brilliant green eyes who renounced his own life. He not only thinks of his own race and family but he also put the human life before his. The “arrogant” and “stab-worthy” descriptors are just a mask and you should see beyond that see him the way he is, the real Daemon.
From the turmoil of that noble soul, the desire and passion emerged a message of deep humanity, the sublime and its unparalleled sacrifice. Even without the prequel and the Daemon’s point of view you can understand his behaviour around Kat.

An entertaining book with a deep message.
Thank you Jennifer L. Armentrout!
Shadows - Jennifer L. Armentrout First time reviewing a book.

Well for starters, I didn’t expect much about the book since I don’t read much YA Paranormal books. They were not my type and adding the fact that English is my second language I had my doubts. It took me few pages to get used with the author’s writing style but let me say this: I GOT HOOKED and I got hooked badly.
I really don’t know who taught Jennifer L. Armentrout to write like this or she's just simply brilliant but the way she puts the reader in the middle of the action right from the beginning, the way she creates such strong characters is remarkable.
Placing her main characters, Dawson and Bethany, in danger, she made them fall in love, creating moments of great tension that were almost tangible. Good humor kept creeping in just in time for the reader to catch his breath only to take the reader the next second back on that frantic ride. Blending humans with superior beings, the aliens, J.L.Armentrout portrayed profound human emotions in both species. Second characters were also very well-defined.
Deeply impressed with the author imagination, all I can say is that the book is a thrilling ride and the end has its sorrowful beauty.

To the author: Since this is a paranormal/science-fiction series I hope that you’ll make us, the readers, a surprise even is in the last book of the Lux series.
Daimon - Jennifer L. Armentrout Since I loved the Lux series I thought I should read the rest of Jennifer L. Armentrout's books so I started Covenant series.

Same like in the Lux series book, author style of writing is amazing. Her books are refreshing and page turning.

Alexandria, who lived for the past three years among mortals, is a half-blood, the daughter of a mortal and a Hematoi. Her duty is to protect the life of the pure-bloods, descendants of the Gods. Even though, Alex has sheer strength and high skills in combat than a normal human, fight being her second nature, she still have human concerns, worries and vulnerabilities. Sometimes her human nature is more visible than the pure-bloods’ one.

The author creates a good balance between the action of the book and the characters feelings. You literally can feel the mixed emotions brilliantly portrayed in the thoughts of the characters.

It has humor, action and other ingredients that keep you glued till the end.