Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Goodreads Summary:
Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since.  Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief.  Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known.  Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world.  When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in.  Are they being betrayed by someone in their circle?  Worse yet:  Is Alison back?  A strong launch for a suspenseful series.

My Review:
2 Stars out of 5


Pretty Little Liars is the first book in the series of the same name and I just recently started watching the television show so I wanted to read the books behind the show.  The book follows for different girls who all have secrets that have been haunting them and are finally coming out in the open.  While I did find the book interesting I will continue to read the rest of the series, I didn't find the characters as likable as the character on the television show.  What attracts me to the series is the mystery and that's what will keep me interested, but none of the girls really appealed to me as characters.  I'm hoping that my thoughts on them change in the future books.

While I did enjoy the book, I was a little disappointed by it, but I have my own reason for reading the books so I will try to finish the series.  I will at least give the next book a try.

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

This is the third book in the Mercy Thompson series, my previous reviews are linked below:
Moon Called Review
Blood Bound Review

Goodreads Summary:


I could smell her fear, and it satisfied something deep inside me that had been writhing under her cool, superior gaze.  I curled my upper lip so she could get a good look at my sharp teeth.  I might only weigh thirty or so pounds in my coyote shape, but I was a predator...


Mechanic Mercy Thompson can shift her shape - but not her loyalty.  When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it's up to Mercy to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not.

Mercy's loyalty is under pressure from other directions, too.  Werewolves are not known for their patience, and if Mercy can't decide between the two she cares for, Sam and Adam may make the choice for her...

My Review:
5 out of 5 stars


In the third installment of the Mercedes Thompson novel, I was just as captivated as I was with the last two.  In this book, Mercy has managed to get herself into even more trouble as one of her closest friends, who happens to be fae, is arrested for murder.  Of course, Mercy being stubborn refuses to let it go and continues to investigate despite everyone's warnings that it is incredible dangerous for her.

Another thing that Mercy is dealing with is her continuing confusion about the two men in her life.  She is terrified of the control both of these men are able to exude over her but she knows she must choose one of them before the competition turns to bloodshed.

As always with this series, it wasn't long before I was frantically flipping pages trying to discover more and more the answers to all the mystery and troubles that Mercy finds herself in.  There was a lot going on during this novel.  I loved this book and have already finished the rest of the series that is out.  I'm a little behind on my reviews, but they should be coming soon.

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

This is the second book in the Mercy Thompson series, and I have already reviewed book one:
My review on Moon Called

Goodreads Summary:
Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings.  In return, the average law-abiding citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night.  Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...


Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones.  And now she owes one of them a favor.  Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.

My Review:
4 out of 5 stars


Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs is the second installment to the Mercedes Thompson series.  Having loved Moon Called I was very excited to start the second book.  I absolutely love Mercy Thompson as a main character and I love her stubborn personality.  In this book, she is once again thrown into danger and this time it has to do with vampires.

I was very excited to hear more about what her being a walker means, it was hinted at in Moon Called, and I'm very glad that they elaborated on that.  While I like Adam more, I love that both him and Samuel are prominent in the book but the romance isn't the main feature.  The main focus of the series is the adventure and mystery and I love that.  Just as the first book did, this book completely caught my attention and I could not put it down.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Goodreads Summary:
Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they'll leave you alone if you are careful.  They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I'm not human.  I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.

Mercy Thompson's sexy next door neighbor is a werewolf.

She's tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.

But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself... and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.

My Review:
5 out of 5 Stars


I really liked this book, it was very attention grabbing and easy to be absorbed into.  And I found that once I started, I couldn't stop reading and I'm planning on reading the rest of the series as soon as possible.


Mercy, the main character, is amazing and I really loved her, with her narrating the story it was easy to become apart of her world, the world with werewolves, shifters, vampires and witches.  What I found the most fascinating was the pack dynamic, it was very interesting to see how the alpha works with the pack and the hierarchy of it.  I'm usually more of a vampire girl, so I was surprised by how much I loved the werewolves.


Anyone who likes fantasy and paranormal stories will love this book.  Let me know your thoughts on the series or if you would be interested in reading it.

Nearly a Lady by Alissa Johnson

Goodreads Summary:

"Lord Gideon Haverston wanted to right his family's wrongs.  So when he promises young Winnefred Blythe the money that his stepmother had cheated her out of over the years, he expects to be greeted as a hero.  But the situation is much more complicated that Gideon expected and the task of taming the untrusting Winnefred much more alluring."

My Review:
3 out of 5 stars


Winnefred Blythe is a woman who has been abandoned almost her whole life and forced to make do with whatever she scrapes together.  She's done exceptionally well for herself under the circumstances, but when Lord Gideon Haverston shows up to repay his family's debt it stirs up both of their lives.  I related strongly to Winnefred's independent personality and her need to do things on her own, and I really enjoyed her confidence when voicing her opinion during a time when women were seen as merely objects.

It took me a very long time to get into this book, and I'm not sure why.  I was about to give up on it, but after checking fellow goodreads reviews I discovered that Nearly a Lady had a lot of great reviews, so I decided to continue reading.  While I do think it got better the more pages I got into it, I only marked it three stars.  I love Winnefred and Gideon as individual character and I was ultimately rooting for them, I was just not fully absorbed into the story.  I do think it was a good read and for fans of the author, worth reading and I would probably have had a higher opinion of it if I had read it at a different time, I was just not completely sold on the story.

As always let me know what your thoughts were on this book if you've read it, and if you haven't let me know if you would be interested in reading it.

Change of Pace

Hello, I've decided to completely rework this blog and dedicate it solely to book reviews and book related information.

Some important things to know:

I read a wide variety of genres (which they tell you NOT to do when you blog), but I just can't help it.  Plus I think it might actually help fellow readers find other types of books to read.  I know sometimes I get in a rut where all I'm reading is one genre and it can get a little formulaic.

Another thing to know is that I organize all of my reading information on goodreads.com my user profile is http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2741883-rose

Now finally, I am completely open to suggestions and am willing to take recommendations on any books people think I should be reading.