Random Reviews by Leanne

Bad things come in 3's right???? Somehow I got more than three! I had pneumonia, then an abscess above a tooth in my jaw bone and blood clots in my legs. That's three! Then we moved and While cleaning out the belongings in our new house from the previous tenants I got bit by a brown recluse and got test results back telling me that my kidneys are starting to go south! That is enough! I refuse to have anymore bad stuff happen to us! This blog will be back up and running next week even if I have to do reviews from a hospital bed!

Speaking of reviews, I read this really awesome book. I loved it so much I contacted the author! It is not one of the genre's I normally pick but I stumbled across the first book in the free list on Amazon. I am so happy that I did! This book was great! let me give you the synopsis before I give you the review. 

 Introductions by C.L.Stone

 With an agoraphobic mother and a barely-there father, Sang abhors the isolation keeping her in the shadows. The only thing Sang craves is a fresh start and to be accepted as ordinary by her peers, because for her being different meant being cast out alone.

When her family moves to a new school district, Sang infiltrates a group of boys nearly perfect in every way. Grateful for an influence outside of her parents’ negativity, she quickly bonds with the boys, hoping to blend in and learn from them what it means to have a natural relationship with friends.

Only the boys have secrets of their own and they’ll do anything to keep her safe from the knowledge of the mysterious Academy that they've sworn allegiance to. Bit by bit, Sang discovers that her friends are far from the normalcy she expected. Will her loyalty change when she's forced to remain in the dark, or will she accept that she's traded one house of secrets for another?

Meet Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North in a story about differences and loyalty, truth and mystery, friendships and heart-throbbing intimacy.

The Academy, ever vigilant.

My review:

I was able to relate to the characters and was astonished by how how easily I fell into the story. I was not even mad as I normally would be at the ending. It is a cliff hanger but now a cliff hanger. I guess I need to explain that a bit better. I read the last page knowing that something was going to happen in the next book but I also knew that the author very generously tied up a lot of the loose ends in the story. Normally you get a story with a cliffhanger and it just stops. There is no actual ending and you are left going "Really you are just going to drag me inside and then dump me out until the next book come?" Ms. Stone did exactly what she said she was going to do in this book she introduced us to the characters and to the issues they dealt with. I ran to the next book when the author kindly gave me review copies.

The second book:

Sang Sorenson used to be the invisible girl in class. As a new student to Ashley Waters High School, Sang hopes that her new friends will be the change she’s been craving and will make fitting in a breeze.

But Academy students aren’t there to take it easy. The high school is overcrowded and rife with violence. When fights begin, Sang will uncover the true reason the boys traded in their private school life for a public one.

This year, Sang will no longer be invisible. This year, Sang is a target.

The principal and vice principal are hot to take Sang down, and her own mother is determined to entrap Sang forever in her belief that the safest place to be is in the shadows. Despite this, Nathan, Luke, Kota, North, Silas, Victor, and Gabriel will discover Sang’s unyielding loyalty.

And they will sorely need it.

The Academy, supremely influential.

My review:

The first days is exactly what it covered, we see the beginnings of love and how well they are adapting to not only a new school for Sang and her new friends but also how Sang adapts to not being the invisible student. We all know what that is, I think. I know exactly who it is, because this is one of the things that helped me relate to Sang. I was the invisible child in some of my schools. I loved Sangs courage and the genuine care that the boys exhibited through out the novel. I was surprised when I got to the end as it again held a cliff hanger that didn't make me mad and I quickly moved to the next book. 

The third book in the Academy series:
Synopsis:

Sang Sorenson is forced to suffer through another of her mother’s extreme punishments. It almost kills her. The Academy boys vow it will be the last. They're determined to keep Sang safe, especially from her own family.

Their solution: complete invasion of her life.
Kota, Luke, Silas, Nathan, Victor, Gabriel and North do everything within their power to show Sang what true loyalty means. It takes more than blood to make a family and they want Sang in theirs.

In this third book of The Academy series Sang experiences a taste of freedom and what it’s like to truly be cared for...to be wanted. Sang learns a bit more about the boys’ broken families and the boys discover more than they could ever have bargained for about Sang’s. The Academy was the answer to their problems. Could it be hers?

Sang’s actions will force her mother to reveal a startling truth. A truth that will change Sang’s life and the boys’ lives in unpredictable ways. Forever.

The Academy, Allegiance

My review:

My first words at reading this  just "Wow! Her mother is nuts and not in a good way!" Not that there is a good way to be nuts but she definitely was missing a few colors in her fruit loops! I loved the way you can see the team actually forming their family together. You see the hesitations and the acceptances of each other and the plight they are facing. I wondered the pages and had a ton of questions, most of them were answered by the end of the book and I found myself charging towards the fourth book that is out.

The fourth book!

Synopsis:

Sang Sorenson's abusive mother is secure in a hospital, and her father has vanished to a new family of his own, leaving Sang and her sister to fend for themselves. Sang is hanging by a thread, and her only hope is a group of boys she feels she barely knows.

She's never really alone. The Academy team has stepped in, promising to protect and care for Sang. Kota, Victor, Silas, Nathan, Gabriel, Luke and North take over, showing Sang they can be depended on for anything. But just because the parents are away, doesn't mean Sang's life has become any easier.

The newfound freedom will have a higher price than any of them had imagined.

Principal Hendricks now wants to use Sang to exploit Academy secrets. Mr. McCoy has his own dark plans for her. Enemies are closing in. Sang will need to learn to believe in the boys, and the boys will need to learn to trust her if they want to survive their rivals.

And each other.

The Academy, Relentless Trust

My review:

This book opened up a whole new can of worms for the group of teens and adults that formed this unusual family. We found out a great deal of things and held on to our chairs during one dilemma after another seemed to rear its ugly head. Sang and the gang have a lot on her plate and I look forward to book five to come out and tell me all about them. I was left wondering what exactly is in the boxes though and I am hoping the next book tells me something. That was my only complaint about this series, the fourth book left us with a real cliff hanger and a couple of unanswered questions. I cannot wait until book 5 comes out!

About the author!

C. L. Stone once lived in Charleston, SC, and currently lives among Cajuns. She writes about cute boys and uncomfortable situations, usually mixed together.
You can email her at clstone@arcatopublishing.com
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Published through Arcato Publihsing
http://www.arcatopublishing.com/

Usually, I have the book and all the stuff about the book first and then my review but I was so overwhelmingly happy with this book that I decided to change things up a bit. Just Live Juliette is by far one of my favorite reads now and one that I will be adding to my read again list. I loved it. I was expecting something so different than what I got when I started reading that I actually had to check twice to make sure it was the right book. 

There is a reason behind this, let me explain: Religious books, books dealing with angels or death have been off my radar for some time. I have tried to read them but more often than not find that they are preachy or are telling me that my Wicca practicing beliefs are evil and therefore I am evil... Or they make me sad and I think about my grand daughter and her death and well, it is not a good thing. So I was shocked that I had chosen to review this book. I was pleased though that I had given it a chance because none of the things that normally would deter me from reading a book on this subject were in this book at all!

I understood the characters and at times could identify with each of them. I even understood the meaning behind each story. My first thought after I read the book... ( okay really honest moment here pay attention!) I should have wrote this book! Why didn't I think of this? This woman is a genius because she said all the things I would have wanted to say and presented a love story in a nice little package that encompassed everything with compassion and yet it didn't preach at me. In fact it barely mentions religion at all. Once or twice it mentions God, he is there, but he's not, but he is (lol). If you read the book you will totally understand that sentence I promise. 

Without giving too much of the story away, ( which I do not think is possible with this book) I will say that a book about the here after that seems to have crossed lines with The Others and encompassed a message that the living could do with learning a lot about, is one that I will not only read again and recommend it to friends. I will go one step further and say I want more! Please!

Here is more about this wonderful book and the author that wrote it!













































a Rafflecopter giveaway

AN UNEXPECTED BRIDE (Book 1 of the Bride Series) by Shadonna Richards

Emma Wiggins is about to marry her heart-stopping, gorgeous boss, CEO Evan Fletcher, in seven days—too bad he doesn’t know it yet!

Desperate to fulfill her ailing grandfather’s last wish to see her settle down and get married, Emma Wiggins, a 30-year-old, career-focused executive tells him a little white lie on his deathbed that she is in fact engaged--to her boss, deliciously handsome and emotionally unavailable, Evan Fletcher.

The situation takes an unexpected turn when her grandfather's condition improves slightly and to her shock, he goes ahead and arranges a wedding ceremony at his hospital bedside before he passes on. Now, all Emma has to do is convince unsuspecting, commitment-phobic Evan to tie the knot with her in seven days.  Can love blossom in the most unlikely situation?

Chapter 1  

“…It is better to marry, than to burn with passion.” -1 Corinthians 7:9 (NIV)

“You mean to tell me, you can’t find a decent man? Not one?”

“Grampa!” Emma Wiggins felt the blood siphon from her face. She could not believe she was having this conversation again.

She shifted her hips uncomfortably on the hospital bedside of her ailing grandfather, trying to find the right words to say. She knew quite well where he was going with his comment. He was desperate to see her settle down, get married and have kids one day—like normal people. But after her previously tainted relationships left her with emotional burns to seventy percent of her heart, no way was she going down that yellow brick road to happiness again. There was no place like home…alone.

   “Oh, Gramps!” she whispered, tilting her head to the side. “Look, I promise you, I won’t end up…dying alone and penniless. You have my word on it—okay?”

Her whispered reassurance was virtually inaudible. Was that a promise she could even keep? She really didn’t want to fall in love again. It would hurt too much. On the other hand, she wanted to give her grandfather hope, something to cheer about. Especially now as he neared the end of his long time battle with what he called "a dreadful opponent that had a habit of sneaking up at the wrong time—prostate cancer."

The long-term care unit at Mercy Springs Memorial Hospital was unusually quiet during the busy lunch hour. The place was tranquil except for the sound of the air conditioner gently humming in the background and the odd clanking of knives scraping plates as some patients ate their meals. The aroma of hospital food filled the air. The scent of fresh cut flowers she’d bought and placed at the bedside table wafted to her nostrils. She eyed his untouched lunch tray. The smell of mashed potato with gravy and sliced beef reminded her she hadn't eaten.

Laced with guilt, Emma glanced down at her watch. She didn’t want to leave him. Not ever. Not after what the doctor told her about his prognosis. But she didn’t want to push her luck at work either. Her boss, Evan Fletcher, president of Fletcher Advertising where she worked as an account executive had been more than kind to extend her lunch hour to visit her ailing Gramps. They had the pivotal conference call meeting in half an hour with one of their biggest potential clients. She didn’t want to blow this. Not now.

This was a career clincher for her. But speaking of careers.... Her grandfather, whom she’d always referred to as Gramps when she was a little girl and had trouble pronouncing Grandpa, just finished a fresh round of chastising his only granddaughter for putting career ahead of love and family. If only he knew. She would love to have a family and a husband. But…

Her grandfather, Mr. Wiggins, reclined weakly and peered at her with droopy eyelids. His favorite pair of thick brown spectacles propped on the tip of his nose. He felt comfortable with them on, even when resting. The head of his bed elevated to a ninety-degree angle.  The green and white hospital bed sheets covered him up to his chest. He hadn’t eaten much during the past few days and he appeared older than his eighty years. Emma knew her grandfather loved her and wanted the best for her. She was also painfully aware that he regretted only having one child, a son, Emma’s father. Oh, she looked like her dad. Deep, almond shaped brown eyes that sparkled, dark, curly long ebony hair that shined. And a dimpled smile to melt even the coldest of hearts. Always willing, always helpful.

“I know that silly guy hurt you when he left you but—"

“Oh, Gramps. Why are you talking about that now? I’m so over him.” She emphasized the "so" and bit down on her lower lip. She wished she could simply delete the bitter memory of her ex-fiancé’s betrayal from her mind. She longed to erase the baggage of emotional scars he packed her off with. Yes, her hope was singed during that nasty breakup period, but she couldn’t dwell on relationships now. Her work was her love. And so was Gramps.

“Sometimes you need to take your messed up relationships with a grain of grace so you can appreciate when the right one comes along. I just don’t want to see you let him ruin your chances of happiness with someone else. In hindsight, I can say that other guy was a goof, not worthy of you!” He struggled to lean forward and touched her cascading mane of dark, spiraling curls. 

Emma was amazed at his strength. She didn’t realize that many palliative patients had energy before their inevitable demise. In fact, she was always in amazement when she visited the quiet unit. Patients were up and about, walking, conversing, and partaking of typical activities. Of course, not all patients were responsive and ambulatory. It was a mixture of diagnosis, prognosis, and illness processes. The ages of the patients ranged from eighteen-years-old to those who reached their ninety-ninth year.

“You realize you’re my only grandchild.” A muffled cough emitted from his throat. He grabbed a tissue from the side table and covered his mouth with it, coughed up, and wiped his mouth clean before tossing the Kleenex in the black garbage bin by his bedside.  “The Wiggins line will be finished if you don’t marry and have kids, pumpkin,” he emphasized tearfully, water filling his eyes. Emma could barely watch him cry.

Just then, one of the nurses, a perky redhead sporting bright pink scrubs, bought in a plate with a slice of cake on it. Her cheeks glowing red.

“Oh, what’s the occasion?” Emma was glad to change the subject as she peered at the icing on the cake.

“Oh, this is from Mr. Harry next door. His granddaughter just got married in the room.”

“Married? Here?”

“Yes.” The nurse placed the cake on the table before the untouched tray of food. “We sometimes get requests for wedding ceremonies to take place at the bedside for palliative patients who are too ill to otherwise attend. He wanted to give his daughter away. We arranged for the chaplain to do the honors, but sometimes patient's family members bring in their own minister.” The nurse smiled and fixed Emma's grandfather’s pillow and repositioned him before darting out of the room.

Emma couldn’t help but notice her grandfather’s fresh round of tears.

“What’s wrong, Gramps?” Surprise caught her voice.

“I just wished it were you, pumpkin. It’s my only wish before I go to be with your dear old grandma to see you get married, settle down, and have a family. You’re hiding yourself in your work. There’s so much more to life than work, you know. We all need love, pumpkin. It won’t be nice to be alone when I’m gone—" His voice cracked and broke off. “I just hate to think you’ll be alone with no one. Just don’t give up too easy on finding true love.”

Emma’s heart took a serious plunge into the deep end of despair. She could bear no more. If only he knew it was just as unsettling to her as it was to him to see her in this state.

Lord knows she tried hard to make things work with her ex-fiancé, of whom she could barely bring herself to recite his name. But, oh, nothing escaped the careful observation of her grandfather. He knew her all too well.

Truth was, she really did hide behind her work, bury herself in its corporate arms, and lose herself to the company’s aims and objectives.

But it was the perfect cover. And why not? She’d at least be doing some good service while keeping her mind busy at the same time.

Why not pour her heart into working to change images through advertising? Fulfill a need. Utilize her communications skills to write and design advertisements for special clients to inform the public about products and services that could help them to make their lives better. Contribute to economic growth. Yes, there were some things much more critical than love, Emma tried to convince herself.

 Still, she really couldn’t live with herself knowing the doctor told her in the family meeting earlier that Gramps only had days to live. Days! How could she not want to see him happy?

Her large, tearful brown eyes surveyed his aging, graceful face as if each blessed, earned wrinkle had a story of its own to tell. Her eyes penetrated his dark, kind, tired eyes glazed over with cataracts. At one time, this same pair of eyes was so filled with life. Love. Hope.

He was all she had now.

She was all he had.

Those time-honored crow's-feet in the corners of his eyes ever so present. Each wrinkle represented wisdom and sacrifice made to his country and to his family.

“Gramps, don’t worry. I’m…I’m okay. I-”

His tears fell hard like the Texas rain. Her grandfather bellowed out in pain. Her grandfather, the stronghold of the family, loving, determined, but wore his heart on his shirt sleeves, was never afraid to weep. That took a powerful man to do that. This same man took her in when everyone else—meaning her parents—could not care for her.

Soon, the nurse would come back in and wonder what Emma did to upset this poor, dying man.

“Gramps, I didn’t want to tell you before but…I’m seeing someone. I am getting married.” Liar.

Emma bit down on her full, defined lips. Anything to make him happy—a dying man’s last wish. But before Emma could stop herself, she swallowed another hard lump of reality. What did she just do? Did she just tell a lie to spare his feelings? She could shoot herself. But she hoped he didn’t hear amongst his own wailing.

As if someone turned off a faucet, his flow of tears almost dried up immediately.

“What did you just say, darling’?” He sniffled and grabbed a tissue at the bedside to dab at his tears, his shaky hand removed his spectacles while the other free one wiped his eyes.

“I’m…you know…” Hesitation. Crackles shadowed her vocal chords.

“Getting married? Sweetheart, that’s wonderful news. Why didn’t you tell your dear old Gramps before? Getting me all worried. Who’s the lucky guy? What’s his name?” He peered over his spectacles. A light seemed to beam from his face.

Okay, now what do I say?

“Um…”

Think, Emma. Think.

“Evan.” She could kick herself. By the time she was through she would be beaten and worn.

“Evan who?”

Okay.

“Fletcher.” Good Lord. Okay, now I’ve done it. What’s wrong with me?

She tried to convince herself she wasn’t entirely dishonest. She was seeing her sexy, heart-stopping, gorgeous boss Evan for the sole purpose of work—every day. They worked closely at the agency for the past three years—sometimes late nights to meet tight deadlines, travelling together. He’d promoted her from new grad receptionist to office manager to account coordinator and possibly more. He’d always believed in her. She admired him from afar. Though Evan was as distant as a star in the galaxy from Earth. Okay, so he was a self-professed bachelor who had made it known to staff he despises the institution called marriage. He’d never know about this little secret lie she just spilled out to her grandfather.

Emma’s BlackBerry vibrated with a gentle hum.  It was the office. Evan probably wanted to know where she was—since they had that important conference call shortly.

“I’d love to see him,” her grandfather blurted out. “When are you going to bring him by so that we can meet?”

Emma’s entire body stiffened.

My Review:

This is a wonderful romance. I fell in love with Emma almost immediately. The author made it easy for me to love her and her personality. She could very much be the girl next door, all grown up. The hero made me swoon and her descriptions led me to believe that love can happen, if we just give it a chance. The sticky situation she put herself in, is completely understandable. Well at least from me, I am always trying to do things to make others happy, even sometimes when I shouldn't. I loved everything about this book and I will be looking forward to getting into some more of work!

1. At Last by Etta James
2. When I Fall in Love by Nat King Cole
3. The Power of Love by Celine Dion
4. Can You Feel the Love Tonight? By Elton John
5. Eternal Flame by The Bangles
6. This I Promise You by ‘NSYNC
7. You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker
8. Here and Now by Luther Vandross
9. All My Life by K-Ci & Jojo
10. Have I Told You Lately? By Rod Stewart
11. On Bended Knee by Boys II Men
12. A Moment Like This by Kelly Clarkson
13. Thank You (For Loving Me) Bon Jovi
14. Everything I Do (I Do it For You) by Brian Adams
15. We Belong Together by Mariah Carey
16. My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion
17. I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston
18. Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley
19. Always by Atlantic Starr
20. Endless Love by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie

Hope you enjoyed the list