Zombie Love The Outbreak by Eric J. Sobolik

Quoted from GoodReads:
"Zombie Love is the story of a widespread virus, in a way that has never been done before. As people lose loved ones, some decide that sometimes the people you love are the only ones worth fighting for. As factions form, and the world crumbles, people must choose sides. Help or destroy. When a virus is developed as the ultimate cure all by reversing death itself, the world is plunged into a crisis of faith, dedication, and love. In book one we meet Summer Strom, a normal high school teenager who is thrown cruelly into a set of circumstances that nobody should have to deal with. She has to fight back against everybody she knows as she battles for the only thing worth fighting for. Love."
Paperback, 188 pages
Published August 8th 2011 by Jericho Publishing (first published August 6th 2011)
ISBN 061552396X (ISBN13: 9780615523965)

Cover Art: The cover is a little freaky...I think the zombie eyes and open mouth are very creepy looking, but what should I expect from a zombie story?  Zombie lovers will definitively appreciate it!

This book is a very fun, quick read.  The margins are very large and it gives the pages a unique look.  I think that someone who is not a "reader" might find this style less threatening than a full page of text and it just may encourage some adolescents to give it a try.  I'm all about getting more kids to read, so for me this was a great bonus.

The story is well written.  It has appropriate grammar and sentence structure. It is written in the third person, which for me, gives a book a less intimate feeling.  Although you know what the characters are thinking, I think reading it in the third person, puts a certain amount of emotional distance between the reader and the characters.

The writing is descriptive without feeling forced and it flows along well, although it does backtrack at times as the narrator changes.  This wasn't a bad thing, just different.  The pace is good and the plot is interesting.  The narrator changes through the book and I found this a little distracting at times, because I wasn't always ready for the change. These are very minor complaints and they are not meant to imply that this is not a book worth reading.  I do recommend that you pick up a copy of this one!

The main characters are Summer and Daniel, whose families dislike one another. Summer and Daniel are both crushing on each other, although neither has been brave enough to act on it.  Both characters are insecure but fairly normal teens. They don't have special powers or family secrets or the ability to see ghosts.  (A refreshing change from the glut of other paranormal YA books.)

Summer and Daniel do have somewhat dysfunctional parents. Their Mothers are stereotypical from a YA standpoint.   One is a helicopter parent and the other is detached and uninvolved, even though she believes that she "lives" for her child.  Most teens will relate to some of these traits and sympathize with Summer and Daniels' feelings toward their Mothers.  

Summer and Daniel have very little time to discover their affection for each other before Daniel is turned into a zombie.  I would have liked to see a little more time for their relationship to develop.  It happens very quickly and it makes Summer's devotion to Daniel less believable. Summer's obsession with helping Daniel  seems to have no basis. It made her appear kind of silly and immature.  If Summer and Daniel had had at least one chapter for their relationship to develop, I think most readers would have found the relationship more realistic and thus, inspire more sympathetic feelings towards Summer.  Because of this, I had a harder time liking Summer at first.  However, as the story plays out, Summer becomes stronger and smarter.  She begins to evolve into a character that I care about.

I really found Daniel to be an interesting character.  He has a funny self-depreciating wit.  I was really not quite ready for him to become a zombie and I missed his humor throughout the rest of the book.

The ending of the book has an interesting twist and since this appears to the first of a series of books, I am looking forward to see where the author, Eric Soblik takes us in the next book. If you are a fan of zombie stories you don't want to miss this one.  If you are not a zombie fan, this book is still entertaining and worth your time.  Pick up a copy!

Thanks to Eric Soblik for proving a copy of his self published this book for this review.

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.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Expected publication: January 31rd 2012

My Rating Scores:
Cover Art Rating: ***** 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Content: *** 3 out of 5 stars

Quoted From GoodReads: NEWSOUL  Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.  NOSOUL  Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?  HEART  Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?    The book cover art:  Even on my black and white kindle it is gorgeous! Even without the eye catching cover, I would have picked this one up!  Reincarnation, new souls, Utopian society, mythical creatures and romance-what's not to love?? Well...I'm still trying to figure out of I liked this book or not.  There were things I loved about this book and there were things that just didn't work for me. What I loved: The story concept-a new soul born into a society of reincarnated souls. What potential! The world-centered around the city of Heart, I pictured the city of Oz, only with more of a si-fi feeling.  The heart beat within the walls of the city was strange and mysterious-is the city actually alive? The fantasy creatures-dragons and syphs are the only ones we "meet" in this book, but there are hints of others within this world.  I can't wait to see what  other creatures reside in this world in the next two books. The character of Sam-He is the romantic interest of Ana.  He's sweet, talented and caring, yet a bit mysterious.  He sneaks out of the house at night and has conversations with others that we aren't privy to.  Where is he going?  What does he know that he's not sharing?  He doesn't appear to be dangerous, just mysterious, yet safe.  The perfect mix for the romantic lead in a YA series. He also happens to be living in a hot body in this life-lucky Ana! The Utopian theme- a refreshing change from all of the dystopian books that seem to be popular right now! The opening scene of the book-The main character is on her way to freedom and a new life-what a perfect place to start. Now on to the things that I didn't love. (Notice I didn't say "hate or even "dislike".) Ana-I actually like the character of Ana, but I found her reactions to be inconsistent with her background story. Here's what we know about her: She has spent 18 years in abusive home.  She has no friends. She has had very little contact with the outside world, except what she was read.  The only person she really knows appears to hate her. As the book opens she is leaving the only home she has ever known and going out into a world full of dangerous creatures in search of the reason for her existence. She sticks her tongue out at her mother, turns and wonders out into the world.  Huh??  She just described being starved for days for doing her chores wrong, yet she casually wonders away?  Wouldn't you be terrified to leave, yet ecstatic to escape?  How about some feelings distrust that this might be a trick?  Would you really stand there and taunt your abuser?  These inconsistencies continued to haunt me throughout the book.  Ana would vacillate between bold and brave to timid and fragile.  I'm not saying that she couldn't have had those reactions, but the background information I had about her didn't usually support her reactions. The inconsistencies continued to include the technology that this civilization possessed.  For instance; Sam and Ana go to a library filled with books and journals. They spend time searching for specific volumes and then Sam mentions that all of the books have been digitally archived.  Why didn't they start with the digital versions?  Why did they keep the actual books?  I can think of several explanations, but it is never addressed. All the residents of Heart carry a gadget called a SED, which is like an advanced smart phone, yet Ana has use a hand drawn map and flashlight to navigate the city.  No GPS?  No street lights?  It just didn't work for me.  Maybe I was just thinking too much, but I found myself being distracted from the actual story by the things that just didn't seem to fit with what I knew about this world and it's inhabitants.  It really effected my ability to just sit back and enjoy the book. Looking at the number reviews floating around in cyberspace this book is generating a lot of chatter-both good and bad.  It seems like readers either love it or hate it.    I'm still in the middle of the road, but I'm not ready to give up on the series just yet. The parts I like still outweighed the parts I questioned.  I'm still looking forward to the next book! Thanks to the author and publisher  and NetGallery for providing me with an  ARC and the opportunity 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.

The Goat Woman of Largo Bay by Gillian Royes

The Goat Woman of Largo Bay wants to be the first book in a mystery series when it grows up.   I'm not sure it's quite there yet.  There really isn't a lot of mystery in this book.  The mystery plot is quite predictable and was really not much of a mystery.  Although the "goat woman" didn't turn out to be what I had initially envisioned when I read the title of this novel.

That said, there is much to like about this novel.  The setting of Jamaica is unusual in a main stream novel.  It also happens to be one of my favorite places on earth!  The author, Gillian Royes (who grew up in Jamaica) captures the unique flavor of the island perfectly.  Shad, the bartender, has great potential as a character in future novels.  Royes managed to avoid the stereotype of the island bartender as she developed the character of  Shad. We learn about has past mistakes and meet his family. He embodies the beautiful spirit of the Jamaica people that I find almost more attractive than  the scenery of the island. I'd like to see him play a big part in future novels.

The other characters in this book did not captivate me as much as Shad.  They seemed more one dimensional and I wasn't as invested in their stories.  I did not understand the attraction between Eric, the expat and Simone, the goat woman.  I think with more developed characters, it might work.  I just didn't "know" either of them well enough  to make it a plausible relationship.

I would like to know more about the mysterious character of the Obeah man.   He seemed to be a mix of holistic healer, village shaman and local witch doctor, complete with potions and spells.  "Obeah" is an actual Jamaican practice of the occult arts, if I understand it correctly.  He is another character I would love to read about in future books.

This is also a story about grief and how one woman finds her own path through the process.  This aspect of the book was well done.  Royes managed to capture the despair of grief and the feelings of isolation that Simone encountered and her personal journey to let go and move on with her life.

Even with it's flaws, I can recommend this novel.  I look forward to seeing what the series grows up to be!

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review of this work.

The World We Found by Thrity Umrigar

Everyone should have at least one friend that you can call on to start up where you left off, even though it has been years since you talked. This is where the story resumes for these four friends. They were close friends in college. They drifted apart over the years and have been recently brought back together due to the terminal illness of one of the women. 


The story is set primarily in India, however, it could take place anywhere. The theme is universal. It is an examination of how we change and evolve from the person we were in our 20's,when anything is possible and we think can change the world, to the reality that we eventually end up in as middle aged adults. Things just don't always work out the way you planned. 


This is a coming of "middle" age novel. It is hopeful and still exciting in the possibilities that we are still evolving. It is also a commentary on friendships that transcend the years even though the friends have had little contact over the years. 


Setting of the novel in India subtly infuses the novel with another layer of obstacles unique to a culture that is very different from America. It provides a glimpse into a world that many Americans have little contact with. 


This was a lovely book to read. The writing flowed well and the main characters were well written and three dimensional. It took very little effort to read this book, it was like listening to a good story told by an old friend. Perfect reading for a cold winter night! 


Many thanks to the author and publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and offer my unbiased review this book.

Pandora's Key by Nancy Richardson Fischer

 



Prepare to be disappointed! 
You are going to want to read the other books in this trilogy and they are not in print yet!  This is a story based on Greek mythology with a paranormal flavor but is classified as an urban fantasy. I can't wait for the other books to be available.  In a field of YA books, this one stands out.  It is a refreshing change of pace from the vampires.  This one is not just another Twilight wannbe!

The main character, Evangeline has some unusual abilities, such as smelling pictures and dreams that are a little too real.  All the characters are well written an interesting.  Teens will definitely relate to the characters, especially Evangeline.  Throw in a couple of secret sects that are more than a little interested in  Evangeline, one heirloom key necklace and a few twists and turns and you won't want to put it down.  This one will keep you guessing!   It is a fast read.  I finished it in a day and a half.   I plan to pass this one on to my 15 year old daughter.

There is just enough romance in the story, but no graphic love scenes (one of my big complaints about YA books in general).  This one is safe for 12 and 13 year old's to read! Yeah!

The cover art is unique and eye catching.  I would have picked this one off the shelf, if I hadn't received a review copy directly from the author. (I am always impressed when a book comes from the author and not the publisher.)  I am so glad that I can honestly give this one 4 stars.  I am anxiously awaiting the next book!