Legendary by Stephanie Garber

 

Book 2 in the Caraval series. This book is centered more on Tella's story. Tella has made a deal with the Prince of Hearts to find her mother. Caraval never has back to back games, but this year it will as they go to celebrate the Empress of Elantine's birthday. Donatella is determined to win Caraval in order to hopefully find her mother and set her free from whatever curse she is under. Can Tella's heart take what transpires throughout the game? And is this round of Caraval really a game or has it transformed into reality? Whatever the ending it will be legendary for sure! 

Magic, heartbreak, romance. Legendary has it all! I enjoyed reading this. It was fast-paced. I liked the twists and turns it took. Donatella finds herself engaged to the heir of Elantine, but not everyone is who they claim to be! Tella is still attracted to Dante, but is determined that she cannot fall in love with him. Her only goal throughout the game is to find her mother. But is her mother worth the cost to find? Some secrets are revealed, but by the end of the game hearts are still unsettled and secrets are still hidden. Will all be revealed in Finale? If you enjoy a good fantasy then this is a series that will keep you entertained!

Lost Hours by Susan Sleeman

 

Nolan Orr and his team Lost Lake Locators have been invited to a "killer of an evening." Being locked in an escape room is not what any of them had in mind, especially when they find the dead body of the mayor. Unfortunately the sheriff Mina Park is Nolan's ex-girlfriend. Will they be able to work together to find the killer or will their anger from the past keep them at cross-purposes?

I really enjoyed the first book in this new series by author Susan Sleeman! I love the whole concept of the Lost Lake Locators and am looking forward to each of their stories. We were introduced to each one in Lost Hours and each has their own personality and their own backstories that I can't wait to read about. Nolan and Mina have a past together. But Nolan left, seemingly without a word. Now he is back and Mina has to decide if she can trust him once again. As always Susan Sleeman brings a spiritual aspect to her characters with lessons learned throughout the story. Both Mina and Nolan have been hurt but Mina seems to be the one that is dealing with some trust issues. Can she trust the Lord to work things out and will she decide to hang onto her anger at Nolan or can she learn to forgive in order to have a future with him? Lost Hours started out as I have come to expect from all of this authors books, exciting and making the reader eager to turn the pages! A must read!

Disclose by Joelle Charbonneau

 

Meri is determined to expose the government lies. With that in mind she offers to be captured by the Marshals in order to gather evidence that all is not well within their country. When Meri is captured she finds things worse than she ever thought possible and is more determined than ever to escape and find a way to disclose what is going on. Will people believe her or turn a blind eye in order to delude themselves into a sense of safety. 

Wow! Talk about history repeating itself, only in our country and not Germany. The horrors that Meri sees and experiences totally reminded me of the Holocaust. Could that ever happen in our country? Read these books and find out how easy it can happen! 

Favorite Quotes:

Bread and circuses--giving a sense of security through everyday essentials like food and at the same time providing outrageous entertainment to distract the mind. pg. 40

Diversity--a word to celebrate differences when the government wants only what is the same. Sameness makes people comfortable. It discourages discussion. Most of all,  it represses change. pg 78

"When I looked back at the texts my teachers had us read, I noticed the word "worker" was frequently used in place of the word "slave." With a change of that one word suddenly an entire history of pain and dehumanization is softened into something less shameful." Meri--pg. 157

Words matter. Facts matter. Truth matters. Author Joelle Charbonneau

My Thoughts:

I love a book that entertains, offers a bit of reality and also teaches a lesson. Verify and Disclose did those things and more. There were so many cautionary things going on in the story. In a way I think that this book should have been called Revolution. I mean the word is used several times throughout, but especially at the end. This says it is a two book series but I think that it could go further. We'll see if that happens. I love that in these types of stories there are always those people willing to fight for what is right. That is what Meri and others like her are willing to do even if it means losing their lives for it. Is there triumph for their cause in the end? No, but there is a start, and I like that hope at the ending. Thought provoking and entertaining. A book I'd recommend.

Verify by Joelle Charbonneau

 

I bought this book at an antique mall. It was wrapped and advertised as a "blind date with a book." So all I had of the description was what genre it was. I thought it was a clever idea and the packaging was so fun!

Seriously, how could I not be intrigued after seeing this? So kudos to the person that put this together. My blind date with this book was off to a good start!

I was explaining the storyline to a friend and she mentioned that "It sounds like Fahrenheit 451 and 1984." Well, that is exactly how it is described on the front cover by author Michael Grant. I have never read either of those books(which I hope to remedy this year), but I can tell you that I found Verify thrilling and believable. 

Book Description:

Meri lives in a society where the use of paper is considered extravagant and selfish. Where TV channels are reduced to a few stations rather than many to choose from. And where the government would never lie to citizens. 

Meri soon learns that her mother may have been involved in something she chose not to share with her husband or daughter. Meri soon questions her mother's "accident" and finds herself learning of a history that was never taught in school. Soon Meri starts to question the "truth" that the government has slowly changed over many years. Meri is shown words that have been eliminated from the dictionary in order to get a more compliant citizenship. When Meri starts questioning the circumstances surrounding her mothers death her life is changed forever and sets her on a course to a modern day revolution that will once again change history. 

Favorite Quotes:

        "Tablets are just as easy to write on and writing on paper is not only extravagant and unnecessary, it's         selfish. It means you don't are about fresh air and the environment. "

        "Words have power. They are the way we pass along history and knowledge and thoughts and ideas.         Sometimes conflicting ideas about the same subject."

        "He warned my grandfather before he died about the danger of destroying books, because, no matter         the justification the action is always meant to eliminate the ideas and the history those books                        contain."

        "History can only be rewritten if no one remembers the way it existed before."

        " Words have power. They change minds. They inspire and create fear. Words shape ideas--they                 shape our world--and the words down here will someday be the ammunition we need to change it all         back."

        "But if everyone believes in something, isn't that just another kind of truth? Who's to say your version         is better?"

        "People deserve to hear the truth. If we aren't willing to risk everything to share it with them, I don't             see how we are any better than the ones who took it away."

My Take:

I think that if we aren't careful we can slide down this slippery slope any time. The rhetoric is already out there. If we aren't careful we will lose our ability to "verify" facts and start believing whatever we are told. It is easier to go along with the crowd rather than question and think for ourselves. Our history books are already being rewritten!

My Review:

I enjoyed reading Verify. After getting halfway through the book I ordered Disclose because I knew I'd want to continue Meri's story and find out what happens to she and Atlas. There were exciting parts to the story as well as a bit of romance between Meri and Atlas. I love a story where the characters are wanting to take a stand for freedom and the ability to think for themselves. I rarely find passages that speak so loudly to me, but look at all of the quotes that I thought were so profound. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next! I think Verify will be one of those books that sticks with me for quite a while.

        

Serial Burn by Lynette Eason

 

Years ago Jesslyn McCormick's family all died in a house fire. It was arson and Jesslyn has made it her life goal to find out who killed her family and why. Now it seems she has poked the culprit because lately there have been a string of fires that all seem to be pointing at Jesslyn as the target. FBI agent Nathan Carlisle is determined to keep Jesslyn safe. He's interested in her, but he has his own past to deal with and doesn't have time to pursue a relationship with Jesslyn. 

This is the 3rd book in the Lake City Heroes series. I really liked the pace of this book. It started out exciting and just kept that energy up throughout the whole story. I loved Jesslyn and Nathan together. I loved that even though Jesslyn was independent she also knew when to let people help her. I liked how both of them were able to open up to each other about their pasts. An exciting addition to the series and I look forward to more to come!

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

 

First book of the New Year and a book on the Mystery puzzle list:

I'm going to keep plugging along on reading all of the books that were represented in this puzzle. This is number 11 out of something like 37. I'm not sure. Anyway, some of these books that are presented as the best all time mysteries just aren't doing it for me. Bluebird, Bluebird was one of those books. It was more of an investigation than a mystery. I guess there was a mystery as to who done it. If you are interested in reading books that have racial violence and justice as a theme then this would be a good book for you to read. I hate acts of violence against anyone and so at times it was a bit hard to read. The main character, Darren, was admirable in his desire to find out how a black man died in a small little town in Texas. The desire of the local law enforcement to sweep the crime under the carpet or to arrest an easy target was frustrating and irritating to me. There were times I wanted to put the book down, but I continued on to the end. The ending wasn't very satisfying and I did see that there are two other books in the series with Darren as the main character. I probably won't read them, but they are out there if you find this book to be to your liking. 

The Light by Cindy Vincent

 

In the midst of her husband dying of cancer Libby finds an outlet to help her get through the tough time. Her artistic ability helps her to focus outside of the pain that she is going through. Caleb has made the mistake of a lifetime with his choice of women. Now it is affecting the family business. Will these two be able to find light in the midst of all of their troubles? 

At first I thought this would be a romance, but even though there is a bit of that in the story it doesn't come until almost the end. I enjoyed how the story focused on Libby and Caleb separately. How the reader was able to get to know both characters and their lives and struggles. I do think that the romance was lacking a tad and would have liked to have seen that develop a bit more, but it was a sweet story aside from that and the characters were all very likable. I like how the light theme was carried out throughout the story for Libby and also how Caleb's character developed and matured. Mr. Ritchie was a great character that helped dole out great advice and was invaluable in helping both Libby and Caleb get back on their feet and pointed in the right direction. Even though the subject of Libby's husband dying was heavy I found that this story was "light" and didn't bring the reader into a depth of darkness or sadness that would make the story too depressing to read. I also enjoyed that I read it as Christmas was closing in. Even though I don't believe the theme is a Christmas one I thought it was perfect for this time of year! If you find yourself focusing on the dark this would be a good book to read to remind us that there is still light out there.