Book Hollow

REVIEW: EASY BY TAMMARA WEBBER

EASY

TAMMARA WEBBER

GENRE: YA ROMANCE

SYNOPSIS:

Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

MY RATING: 3 STARS

After seeing some of the raving reviews for Easy, I felt it might be something that I would really enjoy so I ordered a copy. I did enjoy this book, but I didn't love it as so many others readers did.

I really can't explain what was so off about this book to me because I don't really know. I just can't exactly put my finger on it. I guess just overall (characters, storyline, writing) just didn't reach out and grab me.

One thing I will say is that I read Easy the same week I read Colleen Hoover's Slammed, and I absolutely LOVED that book. I think that maybe I would have liked Easy more if I wouldn't have read those two books in the same week.

Although I didn't love Easy, it was an enjoyable story and I will definitely read more of Webber's books in the future.

Amazon

Just Evil (The Evil Trilogy Book One)

by Vickie McKeehan (Beachdevils Press)

(62 Reviews)

Genres

>> Fiction => Contemporary Fiction

>> Romance => Romantic Suspense

Book Description

The Evil Trilogy
Despite growing up together in their trendy Beverly Hills neighborhood, three best friends hide dark childhoods. The lives of Kit, Baylee and Quinn have been anything but perfect. Little do they know a stranger is about to unravel long, buried secrets, bringing the past back to life with a vengeance.

Just Evil
Kit Griffin has finally overcome a painful childhood at the hands of her mother, former actress Alana Stevens. No longer living in the grasp of the cold, tyrannical woman, Kit's life is finally on track. That is, until Alana is found brutally murdered on Mother's Day, pulling Kit back to the dark horrors of her past. To make matters worse, the police consider Kit the prime suspect.

Jake Boston is an old family friend and the man Kit has loved since she was a teen. He's fighting his own demons as a suspect in his wife's murder two years earlier. Despite his past, he's determined to win Kit over once and for all. But before that can happen they need to convince the police there's a killer working his way down a list with cold-hearted vengeance in mind.

Forced to delve into Alana's dark past, Jake and Kit uncover a forty-year-old double murder leading them straight to the door of a legal dynasty. Soon they find out just how far the heirs will go to keep the past buried.

The Truth Has Teeth

by Jerry Hanel

(8 Reviews)

Genres

>> Fantasy => Paranormal

>> Fiction => Horror => Ghosts

Book Description

A PARANORMAL THRILLER

A collegiate-aged Brodie Wade takes on his first cold case with Phil Dawson, who has finally risen to the rank of Detective. In this case, Brodie encounters a Truth manifestation like he’s never seen before–a werewolf. He must decipher the latest riddle before the werewolf hunts him down and tears him apart.

Stalk me. (The Keatyn Chronicles)

by Jillian Dodd (Bandit Publishing)

(165 Reviews)

Genres

>> Teens => Mysteries & Thrillers

>> Teens => Romance

Book Description

Gossip Girl meets Hollywood in this steamy new series by That Boy author, Jillian Dodd.Keatyn has everything she ever dreamed. Her life is following the script she wrote for the perfect high school experience. She's popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most-coveted lunch table.

She's just not sure she wants it anymore.

Because, really, things aren't all that perfect.
Her best friend is threatening to tell everyone her perfect relationship is a scam.
Her perfect boyfriend gets drunk at every party they go to.
It's exhausting always trying to look and act perfect.
And, deep down, she isn't sure if she has any true friends.

To add to the drama, her movie star mom has a creepy stalker.
A hot, older man flirts with her and tells her they should make a movie together.
And she's crushing on an adorable surfer. Dating him would mean committing social suicide.

So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life will come together in perfect harmony.
But little does she know, there's someone who will do anything to make sure that doesn't happen.

Rex Rising (Elei's Chronicles)

by Chrystalla Thoma (Amazon.com)

(48 Reviews)

Genres

>> Science Fiction => Adventure

>> Teens => Science Fiction & Fantasy => Science Fiction

Book Description

In a world where parasites create new human races, Elei leads a peaceful life -- until a mysterious attack on his boss sends him fleeing with a bullet in his side. Pursued for a secret he does not possess and with the fleet at his heels, he has but one thought: to stay alive. His pursuers aren't inclined to sit down and talk, although that's not the end of Elei's troubles. The two powerful parasites inhabiting his body, at a balance until now, choose this moment to bring him down, leaving Elei with no choice but to trust in people he hardly knows. It won't be long before he realizes he must find out this deadly secret - a secret that might change the fate of his world and everything he has ever known - or die trying.

CAPTURED

THE CAPTIVE #1

ERICA STEVENS

GENRE: YA/PNR

SYNOPSIS: Blood Slave.
Captured, taken from her beloved family and woods, Aria’s biggest fear is not the imminent death facing her, but that she will be chosen as a blood slave for a member of the ruling vampire race. No matter what becomes of her though, Aria knows that she must keep her identity hidden from the monsters imprisoning her. She has already been branded a member of the rebellion, but the vampires do not know the true depth of her involvement with it, and they must never know. Though hoping for death, Aria’s world is turned upside down when a vampire named Braith steps forward to claim her. He delays her execution, but Aria knows it’s only a matter of time before he drains her, and destroys her. Especially once she learns his true identity as a prince within the royal family; the same royal family that started the war that ultimately brought down humankind, reducing them to nothing more than servants and slaves. Aria is determined to hate the prince, determined not to give into him in anyway, but his strange kindness, and surprising gentleness astonish her. Torn between her loyalties to the rebellion, and her growing love for her greatest enemy, Aria struggles to decide between everything she has ever known, and a love she never dreamed of finding.

Young Adult/New Adult
Book 1 of 4

MY RATING: 4 STARS

I really, really liked this story!

Vampires are my guilty pleasure and I've read a lot of vampire books. I think this story stood out to me because the author incorporated some fresh and different ideas into it.

I liked both main characters. Aria has a strong personality and Braith is interesting. The book ended with an exciting cliffhanger that left me wanting more! I can't wait to read the next book, Renegade.

As much as I liked the story, I couldn't give it 5 stars simply because within the approximate 168 pages, there were about 5 or 6 typos. I'm also not feeling the cover art. I would love to see the errors fixed and the cover art updated because this story deserves it.

Overall, I really liked this story and would highly recommend it if you like vampire romance. Captured is FREE on Amazon right now. Click the Amazon link below to download it to your Kindle.

Amazon

Typos, typos, typos...they happen to everyone, including authors, but should a reviewer just look the other way?

Okay, what brought this up you ask? As I was reading through some threads at LibraryThing, I noticed an author/writer ranting about how reviewers shouldn't point out the typos in their work.

I am no stranger to a typo. I make them often in reviews, blog posts, replies, etc...but I'm also not an author. I'm not putting my "words" out there for someone to buy and read. My typos come free of charge. To be completely honest, typos in a book/ebook are one of my biggest pet peeves. It's funny I can spot someone else's typos yet completely overlook mine. And yes, I am one of those annoying reviewers who will point them out. Not individually of course (unless the author asks), but I will mention they are there. Usually I am pretty forgiving if it's just one or two and won't bother mentioning, but when the work is riddled with typos that could have easily been corrected, I'm not so forgiving.

I just believe that if you are marketing your book as a finished product, tons of grammar and punctuation errors can not be overlooked by the reader. As a reader, I think it makes the author look sloppy and completely destroys the flow of the story. I can't believe there are authors out there who think typos are just a trivial matter and we shouldn't be pointing them out. I highly beg to differ. I know I see more of these errors in ebook editions, than DTE of books. I think pointing out these errors, especially when reviewing ebooks, can only benefit the author. They have the choice then to go back, correct the errors, and release an updated edition of their ebook. For me, it doesn't matter if the story itself is worth 5 stars if it's full of grammar and punctuation errors. It just ruins the story for me.

What do you think?

REVIEW: JIMMY BY WILLIAM MALMBORG

JIMMY

WILLIAM MALMBORG

GENRE: HORROR

SYNOPSIS: High school can be a difficult time in a young person’s life, especially toward the end where one has to start making the sudden transition into adulthood. For Jimmy Hawthorn it is even worse. Not only does he need to successfully make that transition, he has to do it while hiding the fact that he is the one responsible for the disappearances of two fellow high school girls, both of whom are prisoners in a secret underground fallout shelter he discovered behind an abandoned house on the outskirts of town.

MY RATING: 4 STARS

Wow, this was a really dark and terrifying story. Jimmy takes a bondage fetish way too far when he decides to abduct a two fellow classmates and act out his sick fantasies. I felt so bad for these two girls. Samantha was taken first and brutalized by Jimmy to the point where she is broken. Days later, he abducts Megan because she was getting too close to finding Samantha. Megan is determined not to let Jimmy break her as he did Samantha. She's a fighter and isn't going to submit so easily.

Although the story is very dark and the subject matter is disturbing, it was still a fascinating read. Overall, I would recommend Jimmy if you like Jack Ketchum type stories.

Amazon

REVIEW: IDENTITY BY TED DEKKER

IDENTITY

EYES WIDE OPEN PT #1

TED DEKKER

GENRE: SUSPENSE/THRILLER

SYNOPSIS: Identity is Book 1 of a four episode thrill ride from New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker.
Who am I?

My name is Christy Snow. I'm seventeen and I'm about to die.

I'm buried in a coffin under tons of concrete. No one knows where I am. My heart sounds like a monster with clobber feet, running straight toward me. I'm lying on my back, soaked with sweat from the hair on my head to the soles of my feet. My hands and feet won't stop shaking.

Some will say that I m not really here. Some will say I'm delusional. Some will say that I don't even exist. But who are they? I'm the one buried in a grave.

My name is Christy Snow. I'm seventeen. I'm about to die.
So who are you?

In a return to the kind of storytelling that made Black, Showdown and Three unforgettable, New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker drags that question into the light with this modern day parable about how we see ourselves.

Humming with intensity and blindsided twists, Eyes Wide Open is raw adrenaline from the first page to the last pure escapism packed with inescapable truth. Not all is as it seems. Or is it? Strap yourself in for the ride of your life. Literally.

MY RATING: 4 STARS

This is my second Ted Dekker read. I read Kiss several years back and really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Identity, the first part of a 4 part series.

What I really like about this book (and the same is true for Kiss) is Dekker really knows how to project the feelings of his characters to the reader. I found it easy to get sucked in to Christy's fear, excitement, and confusion. What I found to be even better is I'm not sure at this point if Christy and her friend, Austin, are really crazy or if they just found themselves in a crazy situation. After reading part 1, I am definitely going to keep reading because I must know!

I really like the cover art also. It is very relevant to the story.

Overall, I found Identity to be very entertaining and I absolutely recommend you read it. Right now, Identity is free at Amazon. Follow the link below to download it to your Kindle.

Amazon

EXCLUSIVELY YOURS

KOWALSKI FAMILY #1

SHANNON STACEY

GENRE: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

SYNOPSIS: When Keri Daniels' editor finds out she has previous carnal knowledge of reclusive bestselling author Joe Kowalski, she gives Keri a choice: get an interview or get a new job.

Joe's never forgotten the first girl to break his heart, so he's intrigued to hear Keri's back in town--and looking for him. Despite his intense need for privacy, he'll grant Keri an interview if it means a chance to finish what they started in high school.

He proposes an outrageous plan--for every day she survives with his family on their annual camping and four-wheeling trip, Keri can ask one question. Keri agrees; she's worked too hard to walk away from her career.

But the chemistry between them is still as potent as the bug spray, Joe's sister is out to avenge his broken heart and Keri hasn't ridden an ATV since she was ten. Who knew a little blackmail, a whole lot of family and some sizzling romantic interludes could make Keri reconsider the old dream of Keri & Joe 2gether 4ever.

MY RATING: 4.5 STARS

I had a hard time putting my Kindle down once I started reading Exclusively Yours. I really enjoyed the story and the characters. Some of the situations Keri were put in were hilarious.

One thing I really found enjoyable is the Kindle edition of this book isn't riddled with errors. That is one of my biggest pet peeves! I think there was one editing mistake that stood out to me. If there were any others I didn't notice.

I fell in love with the Kowalski family and will continue with the series. Overall, I highly recommend this story if you like contemporary romance novels. Best of all, you can get Exclusively Yours FREE on Amazon right now! Just click on the Amazon link below.

Amazon

MY FAVORITE THINGS, POST #1

POST #1

So this is a new thing I'll be doing on Book Hollow once a month. I'll be posting random things (old and new) that I love and just things I think are worth mentioning. So here goes...

COLLEEN HOOVER

I recently discovered Colleen Hoover this month. She has three books available right now—Slammed, Point of Retreat, and Hopeless. Slammed and Point of Retreat are books 1 & 2 in the Slammed trilogy. Book 3 will be coming out late this year (I think). Hopeless is her latest release and the book that turned me on to Hoover's writing. I immediately read Slammed and POR after I finished Hopeless. I loved all three books and will probably read everything Hoover releases.

Colleen Hoover's Blog

My review of Slammed

SELENA QUINTANILLA-PEREZ

I first heard about the Tejano music sensation the day she was murdered, March 31, 1995. I had no idea who she was and had never heard her music. After hearing samples of her songs on TV, I wanted to hear more. July 1995 her English album, Dreaming of You, was released and I was hooked! I have numerous Selena CDs (probably 14 or more), books, posters, etc... The posters will never be hung, but remain rolled up and stored along with the rest of the memorabilia I have.

Around the late 90s I had a Selena fansite (since closed) and was lucky enough to have the website featured in a Selena tribute edition of a Houston newspaper. I was also privileged to be asked by the moderator of the official Selena chat forum (at that time) to make some graphics for the forum. Through this I was able to obtain a personalized signed poster of Selena's widower, Chris Perez. I've been able to speak to a select few of Selena's family members and have met many wonderful fans of Selena.

Chris recently released a book about his life with Selena titled To Selena, With Love.

The official Selena website

My review of To Selena, With Love

GHOST HUNTERS ON SYFY

Ha! I just love this show and have been watching it for years. I really like all the personalities of the ghost hunters, especially Jason and Steve. I really liked Grant and hated when he left the show. I have always loved ghosts and the paranormal so this show is my candy on Wednesday nights. I also like to watch the spin-off Ghost Hunters International. I don't watch all those other crap ghost hunting shows on TV though. Just can't get into them and I can't stand the people on them.

Ghost Hunters website

My review of Seeking Spirits by Jason & Grant

MY KINDLE TOUCH

My oh my, what would I do without my Kindle? It took me forever to get turned on to the idea of ebooks. I absolutely adore DTE books. I love seeing them on my shelf, the smell, flipping through the pages, etc... I couldn't image wanting to read stories on some clunky hand held device—that is until I got one. My husband got me a Kindle Touch for Christmas in 2011. It hasn't left my side since. I carry it everywhere. I am usually reading a book on my Kindle and one DTE book at any given time. It has definitely boosted my reading. If I read a really awesome ebook, I'll usually order the print book to have on my shelf.

I've been thinking about buying on of the Fire editions of the Kindle, but I am sort of reluctant to learn all the bells and whistles that come with the Fire. To those of you that have the Fire, should I get one? Is it really worth it? What do you find to be the best features?

Okay, that wraps up post #1 of My Favorite Things. I've got to get to thinking about what I want to include for next month :)

GHOUL

BRIAN KEENE

GENRE: HORROR

SYNOPSIS: June 1984. Timmy Graco is looking forward to summer vacation, taking it easy and hanging out with his buddies. Instead his summer will be filled with terror and a life-and-death battle against a nightmarish creature that few will believe even exists. Timmy learns that the person who's been unearthing fresh graves in the cemetery isn't a person at all. It's a thing. And it's after Timmy and his friends. If Timmy hopes to live to see September, he'll have to escape the...GHOUL.

MY RATING: 4.5 STARS

This is my second Keene book. I read Dead Sea several months back and really liked Keene's storytelling. I found Ghoul very entertaining although at some points my stomach felt a little queasy.

Timmy and his buddies, Barry and Doug, are on summer vacation from school. Their favorite place to play is their secret club house in the cemetery near their homes. I really liked these three boys. Timmy seems to have a pretty good home life, and his parents are the typical American mom and dad. Things at home aren't so well for his buddies though. The home life of Doug and Barry are disturbing and I truly felt horrible for those two kids.

The boys begin to notice things are not quite right at the cemetery. Timmy puts a plan in place and takes matters into his own hands with the help of his friend Barry.

This isn't just another creature story, but also a coming of age story for Timmy and his friends. I think the ending really topped-off the story in a very appropriate way.

Overall, I felt this was a very good story and would highly recommend it for fellow horror fans.

Amazon

THE VAMPIRE SHRINK

KISMET KNIGHT, PH.D., VAMPIRE PSYCHOLOGIST 1

LYNDA HILBURN

GENRE: UF/ PARANORMAL ROMANCE

The Kindle version of The Vampire Shrink is the British edition, published by Quercus/Jo Fletcher Books, UK. It contains British spelling, punctuation, etc.

Kismet Knight is a young psychologist with a growing clinical practice, and she's always looking for something to give her the edge in her chosen career. When her new client turns out to be a Goth teenager who desperately wants to become a vampire, Kismet is inspired to become the vampire shrink, offering her services to people who believe they are undead. Kismet herself, as a scientist, knows it's hokum, but she's looking at it in a purely psychoanalytic light, already imagining the papers she's going to write on this strange subculture.

That's until she meets the leader of a vampire coven, a sexy, mysterious man who claims to be a powerful 800-year-old vampire, and she is pulled into a whirlwind of inexplicable events that start her questioning everything she once believed about the paranormal.

MY RATING: 3.5 STARS

After finishing The Vampire Shrink, I'm left with mixed emotions about this book. I like the whole concept because it's a bit different. However, I felt the main characters (especially the character of Devereux) didn't evolve through the story enough.

The second book is available, but I haven't read it yet. It's possible that Dev is more hashed out in the second book. I hope that's the case, because I couldn't really connect with him in this book. I felt more connected to the hunky FBI agent, Alan.

Kismet is somewhat confusing. She stayed in denial way too long about the existence of vampires even when it was staring her right in the face...literally (Bryce lol). I liked her well enough though. She has three potential love interests in this book—Tom (her ex), Alan (FBI agent), and Dev (800 year old vamp). Yeah, I was rooting for Alan because I felt more connected to him than Dev. I shouldn't even really count Tom because he's an egotistical ass.

Overall, I did like the story and will read the next book, Blood Therapy. I think this story was well deserving of 3.5 stars, but I'd give the cover art 2 stars. I just didn't care for it.

Amazon

TUESDAY KINDLE FREEBIES

Get them while they're free!

UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale)

by Chanda Hahn (Word Circus)

(806 Reviews)

Genres

>> Teens => Romance

Book Description

Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated, that is until she saves her crushes life on a field trip, changing her High School status from loser to hero overnight. But with her new found fame brings misfortune in the form of an old family curse come to light. For Mina is descended from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their unfinished fairy tale business. Which includes trying to outwit a powerful Story from making her it's next fairytale victim.

To break the fairy tale curse on her family and make these deadly occurrences stop, Mina must finish the tales until the very Grimm end.

A Hidden Fire: Elemental Mysteries Book 1

by Elizabeth Hunter (E. Hunter)

(648 Reviews)

Genres

>> Fantasy => Contemporary

>> Fantasy => Urban

>> Romance => Paranormal

Book Description

***Semi-finalist--The Kindle Book Review, Best Indie Books of 2012***"Elemental Mysteries has turned into one of the best paranormal series I've read this year. It's sharp, elegant, clever, evenly paced without dragging its feet, and at the same time emotionally intense."--Nocturnal Book Reviews*** No secret stays hidden forever. A phone call from an old friend sets mysterious book researcher Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery that has eluded him for centuries. Little does he suspect a young librarian holds the key to an ancient secret, nor could he expect the danger Beatrice De Novo would attract. Now both will follow a twisted maze leading from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a passion that could destroy them both.

Chasing Nikki (Chasing Nikki #1)

by Lacey Weatherford (Moonstruck Media)

(291 Reviews)

Genres

>> Teens => Romance

Book Description

Chase Walker used to be a good kid--charming, athletic, and with a bright future ahead, but that was before travesty struck his life, sinking him into deep despair. Caught up in a world of drugs and alcohol, he doesn't notice time slipping away until he's arrested for underage drinking one night.

Fed up with watching her son destroy his life, Chase's mom relocates him to live in a small ranching community with his ex-military grandfather. Chase is far from happy about the situation until he meets, Nikki, the cute cheerleader who won't give football players like him the time of day.

Chase enjoys a good challenge though and sets out to claim Nikki for his own. He soon discovers she's more than a pretty face--she's a balm to his troubled spirit also. But when tragedy strikes Nikki's life too, suddenly Chase finds himself put to the ultimate test. Can he trust Nikki, and all that she's taught him? Will it be enough?

The Deepest Cut (a MacKinnon Curse novel, Book 1)

by J.A. Templeton (Julia Templeton)

(266 Reviews)

Genres

>> Fiction => Horror => Ghosts

>> Teens => Horror

>> Teens => Romance

Book Description

(MATURE YA)
***Due to strong language, mention of cutting, alcohol and drug use, and sexual situations, THE DEEPEST CUT is not intended for younger teens.***

Sixteen-year-old Riley Williams has been able to see ghosts since the car crash that took her mother's life and shattered her family. Guilt-ridden over the belief that she's somehow responsible for her mom's death, Riley is desperate to see her mother's elusive spirit to gain her forgiveness.

When her father moves the family to Scotland so they can all start over, Riley believes her life couldn't get worse--that is until the ghost of nineteen-year-old Ian MacKinnon catches her purposely cutting herself. An uneasy truce quickly turns into friendship, and soon Riley's falling hard for Ian.

Riley believes her gift could help Ian end the curse that has kept him tied to the land for centuries, but that would mean letting him go forever and she's not sure she is strong enough to do that. As if her life wasn't complicated enough, the malevolent spirit of the woman who killed Ian returns and she'll stop at nothing to keep Riley from helping Ian find eternal peace.

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