Betrayal's Shadow, The Guardians of Eden Book I by KH LeMoyne

Quoted from GoodReads:


What would you do to save your people from extinction? 
What if your race held the key to mankind’s future? 
One Guardian will risk hell to change the future. 


Descended from the race of Guardians, Turen’s people have survived the last two hundred years, quarantined and isolated. Living in secrecy with no mates and no offspring, they fail to deliver on their ability to replenish and heal human souls through the birth of their Guardian children. Risking his life, Turen chooses capture at the hands of a comrade-turned-enemy to seek answers to change the future. 


Mia Bowman has no knowledge of the secret Guardian race. Yet, her uncontrollable, nocturnal summons to Turen’s prison cell and her strong sense of justice leave her with little choice but to help him. She can heed his warning and stay clear of his people’s problems or she can ferret out the lies and unravel an ancient tale of murder and deceit. It will take an ultimate sacrifice to stop the unexpected evil and reverse a fatal ending to the Guardian line. 


THE GUARDIANS OF EDEN: 
A race of beings created in a Sanctum at the far edge of Eden. Co-existing with mankind, they safeguarded human souls and the promise of eternity—until a virus killed all over the age of eighteen. The surviving children fled to the Sanctum for protection, children raising children without the full legacy of their history and knowledge. Two hundred years of solitude have produced a race of semi-immortals fortified with powers and intellect but lacking the mates who will make them whole and allow them to fulfill their covenant with mankind.


My Rating Scores:
Cover Art Rating: *****       5 out of 5 stars
Overall Content: ****1/2      4.5 out of 5 stars

A race of human-like beings known as Guardians,  each with a unique super power. They coexist along side of  humans, created by God and charged with guiding humans from "perils if their own making".

The book begins with some strange events that happen to the main character, Mia. I liked Mia. She is scarred by the betrayal of her dead husband, but attempting to move on with her life. She is persistent in her pursuit of knowledge and new skills, especially related to the new happenings in her life and she really does grow as a person throughout the book.

Of course, there is a male involved in this.  He is Turen. In his first scene, he is  barely clothed and restrained in a cell.  Even dirty and tied up, he is HOT! He's also smart and sensitive.  He's handy around the house and can create useful items out of junk.  What more could you want in a man?  How about some super powers and a very sexy tattoo?

The first sex scene is steaming! You knew there would be sex.  It is inevitable!  The scene is well written with just enough naughty bits thrown in.  Yummmm.

There actually is a plot in this book.  The author takes advantage of her newly created race and uses them to develop a pretty interesting story line.  I really liked that their "super powers" weren't just the usual ones we have seen before.  This is the first book in a series.  I am anticipating seeing  Mia and Turen in the next book, but I also want to see what happens with the secondary characters in the next book.  They appear to have great potential for more fun plot lines.


I Loved the cover art.  It just added fuel to my imagination as to what Turen looked like.  I also liked that I couldn't see his face.  It left more room for my imagination to create Turen as I wanted him to be.

Things I found confusing.... The monster's created by Xavier.  They just didn't seem to mesh with the rest of the setting and plot line.  I found them to be somewhat distracting and more than a little freaky.  I think they could have been edited out of the book.

The other thing that was never really resolved to my liking was the actual goal of the Guardians. What are they really supposed to be doing to save the humans?  It seemed like they were busy with the plague and other issues within their race, BUT....what were they supposed to be doing?  It is really never explained.  I guess that I need to read the rest of the books in the series to find out!  Now,  I love instant gratification and do not like to wait, so I gave the book 4.5 stars, instead of 5. (Actually, the monsters mentioned above was the real reason.)

The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose

Expected publication: March 13th, 2012


My Rating Scores:
Cover Art Rating: ***** 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Content: *** 4 out of 5 stars



Quoted from GoodReads:
"A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra—and lost for 2,000 years. 


Jac L’Etoile has always been haunted by the past, her memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up surrounded by as the heir to a storied French perfume company. In order to flee the pain of those remembrances—and of her mother’s suicide—she moves to America, leaving the company in the hands of her brother Robbie. But when Robbie hints at an earth-shattering discovery in the family archives and then suddenly goes missing—leaving a dead body in his wake—Jac is plunged into a world she thought she’d left behind. 

Back in Paris to investigate her brother’s disappearance, Jac discovers a secret the House of L’Etoile has been hiding since 1799: a scent that unlocks the mysteries of reincarnation. The Book of Lost Fragrances fuses history, passion, and suspense, moving from Cleopatra’s Egypt and the terrors of revolutionary France to Tibet’s battle with China and the glamour of modern-day Paris. Jac’s quest for the ancient perfume someone is willing to kill for becomes the key to understanding her own troubled past."





This book is a mix of ancient history, paranormal, religion, mystery  with a little romance tossed in on the side!  It doesn't sound like a combination that would work, but it really does.  The only thing missing was the actual smell of the fragrances being described in the story (remember scratch and sniff??). 


I really liked the character of Jac.  She had an interesting history  and a few scars from her troubled past remained, but she strong enough to move on with her life.  I would have liked to know more about her brother, Robby.  The author, M.J. Rose, tossed out some enticing bits of information about him that made me want to know him better!  (Maybe in another book...)  


The pace of the book was good, but at times, I found myself re-reading the first few paragraphs of each new chapter.  The story flip flops between ancient Egypt, Napoleonic France and present day.  It was like reading several different stories that all converge in the last few chapters.  Some of the plot was predictable, but there are a few surprises along the way.


So why didn't it get 5 out of 5 stars?  Well....my 5 out of 5 stars are for books that haunt me for days after reading them.  The Lost Book of Fragrances just didn't do that for me.  It's a quality that is hard to pin point, but you know it when you see (or read) it!  This is still a book I will recommend to my friends. It would be a great book to take on a trip.  I look forward to reading more books by this author!


Many thanks to netgallery for allowing me to read and review this book.

Pure (Pure #1) by Julianna Baggott

Published February 8th 2012 by Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 145550306


Quoted from GoodReads:

"We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . 


Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run. 


Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 


There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 


When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again."

I am developing a love-hate relationship with books that are part of a series.  I love that the story continues and that I get to visit some of my favorite characters again, but I hate waiting for the other books to come out.  I want instant gratification!  I do not want to wait to see what happens!

OK, now that I got that out of my system, I can proceed to the book review....

There seems to be a lot of debates out there about the genre that this book falls into.  Is it YA or adult dystopian or is it a "crossover"??  When I was growing up we only had two genres, fiction and non-fiction.  I don't really think it matters what genre you place this book in.  I read what I like.  And I liked Pure.

Now, not everyone is going to agree with me about this book (no matter what their age is).  Which is part of why I liked it.  This a dark, dark world.  It's not a happy place to be. There is very little romance and the heroine is not beautiful, kind and brilliant.  This is a world that the conspiracy theorists will love!  This book is refreshingly different from anything I have read recently.

The story is told from multiple characters view points.  The writing was so well done, that I hardly noticed this until after I was finished with the book.  Usually I have to stop and re-read pages of books that are written in this manner and I find it confusing and distracting.  The author, Julianna Baggott makes the transition between characters seamless.  Overall, it is a beautifully written novel. ( I didn't have the urge to grab my red pen and correct grammar and sentence structure once!)

This is a world where the people of influence, power and wealth have isolated them selves from the rest of the population.  Instead of a gated community and exclusive country club, they built a self contained Dome and plotted to destroy the rest of the population.  They are the "Pures".  Hitler and his Aryan race come to mind about now. This political undertone continues to be just barely submerged beneath the surface of the plot.

The bombs are detonated. The people outside the dome suffer but continue to survive in their damaged world. Instead of the genetic experiments and concentration camps of the Holocaust, the detonations were engineered to destroy and create genetic mutations.  People fused with whatever objects they happened to be near at the time.  The results are so bizarre and deeply disturbing that it adds a surreal feeling to the book, an almost "nightmarish" feeling of horror that persists throughout  the book.  This is where the book begins.

These mutated characters are fascinating, yet repulsive.   Pressia is the "heroine" of this tale, but as I mentioned above, is not your typical heroine.  She has mutations like all of the others, but I found hers to be particularly freakish. Despite this, Pressia is resilient and resourceful.  She evolves as the book progresses and becomes stronger even though she is discovering some horrific facts about her life pre-detonation.

 Not a lot of action takes place in beginning chapters.  But the author uses this part of the book to vividly describes the world and it's inhabitants. The pace of the book picks up in the second half of the story.  The first half didn't drag, but there was a tremendous amount of world building and detailed description needed to set the tone of this world.  It is worth the wait.


When I read the first book of a series, I try to treat it as a prologue to the rest of the series.  There will be unanswered questions and parts of the plot that are not resolved.  I have to remind myself  of this as I get near the end of the book and everything is not neatly resolved.  (back to the love-hate thing...)  But, I am ready for more!  I need to know what happens!

As dark as this story is, I  didn't find it depressing.  At the end you are left with a little glimmer of hope for the main characters and their world.

P.S. The book cover art is beautiful and intriguing!


Thanks to Netgalley and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read and provide an honest review this book.

The California Girl Chronicles, Brea & the City of Plastic by Michelle Gamble-Risley

ISBN- 9780615557878
Pages: 182 pages
Release Date: January 2012

"The California Girl Chronicles, Book 1 introduces Brea Harper, smart, beautiful, blond and sprayed tanned. You know no respectable California girl would actually lay in the sun anymore without sunscreen, right? Join Brea on her tragically misguided romantic and professional adventures to pursue her dream to become a screenwriter in the City of Angels. Meet Brea’s men — safe-and-secure Lance who she lives with out of convenience when he moves to Los Angeles; charismatic and twisted “band boy” Drew; and hot, sexy and loving Kale, the Hollywood producer who mentors, inspires and truly loves her. Get sucked into the steamy, sexy world of Brea Harper as she comes of age in the seductive world of Hollywood"  Quote borrowed from 3L Publishing.

OK, I admit that I wasn't too sure about this book from the start.  The phrase "California Girl"  brings to mind the girl that stars in all the dumb blond jokes.  It looked  like the stereotypical chick lit that I usually dislike, but I was ready for a change of pace and the book didn't look too long.   I really wasn't expecting much....

By page 50 I was hooked!

Brea , the California girl, is the main character.   She sees nothing wrong with multiple sexual partners with no safe sex in sight. I was prepared to dislike her from the start.   But, she really evolves into a  likable character.  She is sweet and has good intentions, although she doesn't seem to anticipate the consequences of some of her decisions.  Before long I was are cheering her on and hoping that she would make the right choices.  Which she usually didn't.  Brea is definitely flawed, but not especially dumb. The author, Michelle Gamble-Risley, has captured that period of time that we all look back on and ask, "What the #$*! was I thinking?"

Warning:  This book is definitely not a "G" rated book.  It has graphic naughty bits, and as I mentioned above, multiple partners.  I didn't find them offensive, but others might.  These scenes were well written, but seemed to lack something.  Brea is pretty willing to jump into bed on the first date.  The sex became a bit boring after awhile. I think that delaying  the sex scenes and letting the sexual tension build  might have made it more interesting.

 That is really my only criticism of this book.  It is a fun, fast read that is very entertaining.  The book ends in a huge cliff hanger.  Thankfully, the first chapter of the next book is included.  Once again, Brea has some decisions to make.... I will be watching for the next book in this series.  I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Brea get into next!

Thanks to 3L Publishing and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Expected publication: January 3rd 2012 by Feiwel & Friends

My Rating Scores:
Cover Art Rating: ***** 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Content: ****.5  4.5 out of 5 stars


Quoted from GoodReads: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 


Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 


In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.

I was so excited to get this ARC in the mail! I loved the book cover, it grabbed my attention right away.  I would have picked this one up in the book store based on the cover alone.   It was perfect reading during the busy holiday season.  Lite and fast read that was thoroughly entertaining. (One of the many reasons I love the YA genre.)

Cinder is based on the Cinderella fairy tale, but with a unique spin.  It's set in a futuristic si-fi type environment in "New Beijing" of all places!(There is not much of an Asian feel to the book and I do wonder about the author's choice of  this setting.)  The strangest part of all is that Cinder is cast as a cyborg. She has some really cool abilities as a result of being a cyborg.  Even one of her feet is mechanical.  That gives the glass slipper part of the fairy tale a whole new set of problems/possibilities.

Cinder has a wonderful "R2D2 type" of android sidekick with loads of personality. It seemed that personality in an android is considered an undesirable trait by this society and the personality of Cinder's android was considered a programming glitch making the android an outcast worthy of Cinder's company.

The defective android is Cinder's only friend until she meets Prince Kai.  That's when the story takes off.  Some of  the plot is predictable, but isn't that what why we love fairy tales in the first place?  This story does have some characters that are cast a bit differently from the original Cinderella tale, so don't expect a  si-fi regurgitation the original story.  The Cinderella tale is just a starting point for the plot.

My only criticism of this book is that New Beijing has many rules, laws and concepts that are presented as fact, but not fully explained to the reader.  The idea that cyborgs are considered  to have less rights than humans seemed to be a law that had a big impact on the plot of the story.  This was just presented as a fact. There is potential for some really  thought provoking situations within this story.  I say potential, because none of them were fully examined in this book. The author, Marissa Meyer, does lay the ground work to do so in the future books. I look forward to seeing if the other books in the series will take advantage of this. Did this affect my enjoyment of the book? No.  I really did have fun reading this story!

Now I have to admit that I peeked at some of the reviews already out there (and there are A LOT of them) before I wrote this review. It seemed to me that some of the reviewers forgot that this is a YA book. Not that YA is a genre to be discounted or considered less valid than any other genre of books. Just meaning that you need to remember the intended audience here.   It seemed like some reviewers were expecting more from this book.  Even though many adults are reading YA, it is still meant for young adults.

 My 15 year old daughter saw this book come in the mail and was begging to read it.  I handed it off to her as soon as I finished reading it.  She loved it and finished it in one day.  It is important to note that my daughter reads, but she has never read a book in one day.  I anticipate that my copy will be passed among all of her friends and coveted by others that are not lucky enough to be her list.  She and her friends ARE the intended audience. I predict that this book (and the others in the series) are going to be considered  a  "Must Read " among this group, and many of us more mature readers as well!

****1/2  ( 4 1/2 out of 5 stars)

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an  ARC and the opportunity to read and review this book.