Review: Hearth Stone by Lois Greiman

  

Wow, what a powerful story! I loved getting to imagine the beautiful countryside through Sydney's eyes. The scenery and cast of lovable characters immediately drew me in to this emotional and captivating story. But what really had me head over heels for this book was Sydney and Hunter's chemistry. Hunt as he's called by his friends is such a hoot! He had me giggling uncontrollably quite a few times throughout the book. He doesn't let Sydney get away with being snobby, distant, or cold and between him and the wild mustang she's fighting so hard to save, no wonder all her walls get broken down. I felt like they were the perfect match, not as in they suited each other but they challenged and supported each other. 

I loved when Sydney named the mustang. It was so perfect! I believe Sydney took one look at that horse and saw herself injured and hoping someone could still love her and that was that. No turning back until she knew she'd done everything she could. I admire that determination and bravery and it's one of the things that made me really like her despite her backtracking to old habits of throwing up her stoney walls.

I definitely am looking forward to more books in this series and can't wait to see where the story goes from here. 

** I received this book from the publisher in exchange for honest review **

  

Review: Sherwood's End by Diane J. Reed

Due to mature themes, readership is advised for ages 17+.

My Review:

Sherwood's End is an amazing ending to the captivating Robbin' Hearts series. It's raw intense passion flowed straight from it's pages and into my heart. The storyline takes place in both the past and present, bringing to light both pain and love, while also answering some lingering questions. I was speechless at how Ms. Reed flawlessly wove together different aspects of the present with the past and tied them all together in such astonishing ways. Some elements were a bit chilling and you should keep in mind that this is a NA novel and may be more suitable for more mature audiences than the YA book one.

* small spolier alert*
I think one of my favorite things about the story was getting to find out about Creek's mom and dad and see where all that wild passion came from. It's remarkable how much Creek could be like a father he never met. Also Creek finally knowing about his past and getting to heal those wounds was so heart wrenchingly bittersweet.

This entire series is AMAZING and magical and if you haven't read it you are missing out!

Review: First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

This book was such a wonderful treat! I absolutely loved Garden Spells and the Waverley's of course and was so excited to find out where they are a decade later.

First Frost is just as charming as the first book. I love how enchanting it feels to read one of Sarah's books! She expertly weaves magic into every aspect of her stories leaving you with this wonderful sense of a world with endless possibilities. It's hard to explain exactly what I mean, but to me it's like the story is about magic and this wonderful family, not about a family with magical abilities. It's not just their abilities that make them special. But this wonderful whimsy of what it means to be a Waverley.

I thought this was a very pleasant read with great timing and a little humor sprinkled throughout. I always feel a little nostalgic after reading one of Sarah's books. Hers are some of the only ones that I immediately know I will want to reread again one day. I highly recommend First Frost and although I also highly recommend Garden Spells, I do think it would work as a standalone. Even though in my personal opinion you'd be missing out if you skipped it. 

** I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for review purposes. **

Review: A Love Undone

Wow! I have never read an Amish novel before but was drawn to this one after reading the blurb and I am so thankful that I was. A Love Undone is a beautiful, deeply soul resonating story with tragedy, love, faith, laughter, and family, filling it's pages and my heart with a wide range of emotions. I cried and laughed and was even angry at times while reading and for me that's always the sign of a great book!

 The characters were all very well developed and so relatable, something I wasn't sure they'd be for me, with me not being Amish myself. I found Jolene to be very admirable with her strong faith, eagerness to do what she knows to be right, and pure strength she shows throughout the entire novel. I loved that the secondary characters all had distinct personalities and felt like real assets to the story as well. The conflicts brought a perfect sense of suspense and tension to the story that kept the pages flying by quickly as I hoped for a resolution to come for these characters who somehow had stolen my heart. 

 I am looking forward to reading more Amish novels. I just hope A Love Undone hasn't set the bar too high because it was the perfect read for me! 

more info

author bio

**"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. **

Review: Stone of Thieves by Diane J. Reed

Stone of Thieves is the amazing New Adult sequel to the quirky YA novel Robin in the Hood. Just like the characters have matured, so has the story. It's gritty and dark and even mire mesmerizing.
One of the things I think I love the most is the author's ability to weave light through the darkness, and bring magic and passion to every page. The gypsies, the stone, curses, and true love bring a unique mystical aspect that I truly love. Not to mention Creek. Ah, what to say about Creek... He's like a beautiful, passionate, troubled angel made especially for Robin. He can be so romantic and getting a peek inside his and Robin's most intimate moments really made me feel a special connection and investment to their relationship. I also feel the whole thing taking place in Italy added to the mystery and romance of it all. I've always wanted to go to Italy so I really enjoyed that.
Stone of Thieves has it all... magic, danger, romance, mystery, and a super hot male lead. What more can you ask for? Me, all I ask for is the next book to this fantastic series!

Review: Robin in the Hood by Diane Reed

Never have I read a story so unique and captivating as Robin in the Hood! The characters were quirky and some outrageous and I loved every second of it.

At first I had no idea what to expect when a rich privileged girl finds her family broke and breaks her father out of the hospital to keep from being sent away. I was thinking maybe this story would follow the usual rags to riches storyline but then it turned into something totally unexpected. Robin finds herself in a trailer park with a cast of colorful characters and finds she may actually have roots there. As she longs to find out about her family's past she finds herself and love in the process. She may have also found herself becoming a thief. WHAT?!!! But with the beautiful bad boy with a heart of gold, Creek leading the way, I can't blame her for doing some crazy things.

Reed's writing has a mysterious & mystical aspect that left me with the feeling of wonder and intrigue page after page. I simply cannot wait to read the next book in this enchanting YA series.

** I received this book in exchange for my honest review. **

Review: The Vampire In My Dreams by Terry Lee Wilde

When young witch, Marissa goes out looking for a suspected vampire with her best friend, she never would have guessed that what she would actually find was her soul mate. Too bad for Marissa an evil vampess named Lynetta had already set her sights on him and she wouldn't give up easily.

This was a quick,fun read with a sweet yet action packed romance between a young witch and a vampire. I really enjoyed that we get to hear the story from both Marissa and Dominic's point of view. I think this really helped me to feel connected with the characters and ultimately to swoon over Dominic's sincere affection for Marissa.Even the secondary characters have me hoping for a sequel to this captivating YA novel.