All I Need – Susane Colasanti

All I Need
By: Susane Colasanti
Available 21 May 2013

Description:
Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it’s obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did—and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?

Teen favorite Susane Colasanti returns to the alternating-voice style of her beloved debut When It Happens in this Serendipity-inspired story about summer, soul mates, and the moments that change our lives forever.

This Blonde’s Review:
Skye believes that someday she’ll meet a guy who will change her life. It’ll be an instant connection and she’ll know they’re meant to be together. When she meets Seth she just knows he’s that guy. They only have a little time together before Seth disappears. They were supposed to meet but he never showed. Meeting him changed the way she looks at other guys, and even though she dates it just isn’t the same. No guy she dates is him and she can’t find that connection with any other guy. When the next summer rolls around she can only hope that she’ll be able to find him again.

Seth meant to be at the meeting place and beats himself up every day for missing it. But when his mother showed up to get him early he had no choice but to leave. Just like Skye, he beats himself up for not getting her number before they left each other that last day. He dates but it isn’t the same for him either. No girl is Skye and he can’t seem to care about them as much as he cared for her, even though he only knew her a short time.

When the next summer starts they both hope they can find the other. The magic hasn’t diminished but life is complicated. He’s in college, she’s still in high school. They come from different backgrounds and they have the distance between them. All they want is to be together.

I enjoyed reading this one. Skye is a bit too dreamy for my taste, but I can still appreciate a girl who finds that guy who makes everything change. And Seth is really great, even though he lets his ideas of their family financial differences impact too much of what he sees.

This was an easy read. There were differences and complications but it was also clearly going to work out. If you like reading about a couple who is meant to be trying to overcome their differences and distance then you’ll enjoy this one.

 

Dirty Little Secret – Jennifer Echols

Dirty Little Secret
By: Jennifer Echols
Available July 2013

Description:
Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

This Blonde’s Review:
This story is about what happens to Bailey after her dreams are swept under a rug while her sister is given a chance to shine. Bailey then changes from good girl to depressed rebel who just wants to feel again. She acts tough, dyes her hair, and refuses to let people’s opinions matter. The only person she feels is on her side is her grandfather.

When her parents say she isn’t allowed to play music while her family acts like she doesn’t exist he lets her get a job with tribute groups at the mall. It’s the kind of work where you could end up with a different type of group every day. She gets to go have Elvis, Dolly Parton, and others. The people she meets run from creepy to sweet and high to serious. One of those groups includes Sam.

Sam recognizes the brilliance in Bailey’s fiddle playing and knows that she could be an asset to their band. As a guy who won’t take no for an answer he keeps trying to get her to join the band, even as she says no. Soon she’s playing and making money with the band, even though she hadn’t committed to it.

Obviously there is the romance angle, but can Bailey trust that Sam wants her and not her in the band? Sam comes across as a total charmer and we see the ways he’ll say and do what is needed to get his way. What will happen when he finds out who her sister is?

When her sister needs her Bailey can be with the band or go back to the family who abandoned her. And the choice could change everything.

I really loved Bailey. She didn’t handle things well but the things that happened were really screwed up. She reacted badly but her family let her down and used her reaction as justification.

I really hope there is a spinoff book because I hated that this one ended. I’d love to see Bailey again.

If you enjoy reading about teens whose family lets them down, they act out, then have to find their way to the life they really want then you’ll love Bailey’s story.

 

Dead Silence – Kimberly Derting

Dead Silence
By: Kimberly Derting
Body Finder – Book 4
Available Now

Description:
Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

This Blonde’s Review:
After gaining an imprint of her own Violet has had a hard time adjusting. She can’t sleep or concentrate since all she hears is the music that is now her imprint. She’s being forced to stay with the team or risk her family. They can expect her to show up for her required appointments but they can’t expect her to talk. Violet can’t seem to care about anything and no one else should expect her to either. She wants to be left alone to attempt to get the sleep she can’t seem to find without medication. Until she starts reading her grandmother’s journals.

Violet’s grandmother had the same gift so of course it would be great for her to read what it was like back then. Reading the journals brings some secrets to light that she never expected, things that affect the other members of her team as well. Her grandmother’s journals were really great, they gave plenty of questions as well as some answers. It gave us a chance to get to know the grandmother we had heard so much about in previous books.

I feel that the description on this one isn’t entirely accurate. When I read that someone close to Violet became suspect in a murder I kept waiting for Jay, Chelsea, a family member, or another member of the team would be looked at suspiciously since they’re the ones who are closest to her. Instead it is someone else we have heard about and that she knows but not someone she’s close to.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t believe it was the last book in the series based on the way it ended and with so many questions left unanswered, yet I heard that it is the last book. Which is a shame. I would have loved to know more about the things that were left hanging.

If you enjoyed the other books in this series you’ll want to know more about what happens to Violet and her friends. Just don’t expect it to be tied into a neat little bow. If you haven’t read the other books them I’m sure you’ve spoiled so much for yourself but I really recommend them. If you like the idea of a girl who can hear, see, and smell the imprints left behind after a violent death, the way those imprints call to her, and what she does with that information then you’ll love this series.

 

Right Of Way – Lauren Barnholdt

Right Of Way
By: Lauren Barnholdt
Available July 2013

Description:
Can a road trip repair a romance gone wrong? Find out in this standalone companion to Lauren Barnholdt’s Two-way Street.

Here are Peyton and Jace, meeting on vacation. Click! It’s awesome, it’s easy, it’s romantic. This is the real deal.

Unless it isn’t. Because when you’re in love, you don’t just stop calling one day. And you don’t keep secrets. Or lie. And when your life starts falling apart, you’re supposed to have the other person to lean on.

Here are Peyton and Jace again, broken up but thrown together on a road trip. One of them is lying about the destination. One of them is pretending not to be leaving something behind. And neither of them is prepared for what’s coming on the road ahead.

This Blonde’s Review:
What do you do when you’re stranded and the guy who broke your heart is your only way to get where you’re going? What about when the one who broke your heart is stranded and you can’t seem to let her down? Meet Peyton and Jace. They had a relationship once but it fell apart. They can’t stop thinking about each other or the way they were hurt.

Peyton is trying to run away from her problems. She had the best plan for it until things fell apart. She finds herself stranded at a wedding far from home and the only person left in sight is her ex, Jace. When he offers to give her a ride home despite the distance she figures she can get him to take her where she really wants to go. She thinks she can keep from falling for him again, or from admitting she never got over him.

Jace is not interested in the hoopla that comes with graduation, nor is he as interested in the girl he’s dating as he should be. When Peyton bursts into tears over her failed plans he can’t help but offer to help, especially since she’d the girl he can’t forget. He can give her a ride without facing what happened between them or all they lost.

Watching Peyton and Jace try to make it across states without falling apart was great. I really enjoyed Two-way Street so I knew I was bound to like Right of Way as well. I was so right. Peyton and Jace are great characters with great names. I love seeing the way they think of their own actions and the way it is perceived by the other. And no matter what they think they’ll do, the people around them seemed to know best when they said that couples have a way of getting back together on road trips.

I enjoyed this story. It’s great to see couples realize that what ripped them apart wasn’t worth it and find a way back to something stronger than what they had before.
If you enjoyed Two-Way Street you’ll enjoy this one as well as seeing some familiar characters. If this is a first Barnholdt book for you then I’m sure you’ll love the introduction. Lauren Barnholdt writes about people who make bad choices, jump to conclusions, and have to find their way to forgiving and forgiveness. If seeing two people who aren’t together anymore get thrown into a vehicle together with no one besides a dog to occupy them, then you’ll love this one.

 

Rise – Anna Carey

Rise
By: Anna Carey
Eve – Book 3
Available Now

Description:
How far will you go when you have nothing left to lose?

When she lost her soul mate, Caleb, Eve felt like her world had ended. Trapped in the palace, forced to play the part of the happy, patriotic princess of The New America—and the blushing bride of her father’s top adviser—Eve’s whole life is a lie. The only thing that keeps her going is Caleb’s memory, and the revolution he started.

Now, Eve is taking over where Caleb left off. With the help of Moss, an undercover subversive in the King’s court, she plots to take down The New America, beginning with the capital, the City of Sand. Will Eve be able to bring about a new, free world when she’s called upon to perform the ultimate act of rebellion—killing her father?

In Rise, Eve must choose who to leave behind, who to save, and who to fight as Anna Carey’s epic tale of romance and sacrifice in the chilling dystopia of The New America comes to a stunning conclusion.

This Blonde’s Review:
Eve is trapped in a life she doesn’t want. She’s the daughter of the king but is treated more like a prisoner. She is expected to act like she’s happy to be princess and happy to be married to someone who isn’t Caleb. It doesn’t matter that all she thinks when she looks at him is that he’s not Caleb. All she wants is to take her father down and according to Moss, her rebel contact, she is the only one who can.

When things start to get chaotic Eve finds herself in the position to run. This book had so many sad parts to it that we can’t help but wonder how this could possibly work out for Eve and her friends. I really didn’t know what to think at times or how it could have a happy ending. Eve’s health is a big part of the story as well so there is a constant undercurrent of worry about what will happen if her health takes a turn.

I enjoyed this one. I didn’t particularly care for the vague way it ended, but at the same time who says we need the solid. Sometimes just the idea of something can leave you with a surprise happy glow.

If you liked the first two books in the series then you’ll enjoy getting to see what happens to Eve, Arden, and the rest of the people who matter to her. If you enjoy the idea of a girl who is more rebel than princess and willing to do whatever it takes to create a better life for the people around her, then you’ll love Eve and her story.

 

The Girl With The Iron Touch – Kady Cross

The Girl With The Iron Touch
By: Kady Cross
Steampunk Chronicles – Book 3
Available 28 May 2013

Description:
In 1897 London, something not quite human is about to awaken

When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What’s left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons—or forfeit her friends’ lives.

With Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke’s sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally confront her true feelings for him…and for Griffin.

Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel’s desolate alleyways to Mayfair’s elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could imagine.

To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist’s ultimate creation—an automaton more human than machine. And if she’s to have any chance at triumphing, she must summon a strength even she doesn’t know she has.

This Blonde’s Review:
I’ve really enjoyed this series so far! I love that each of the characters have their own talents and histories that make them such a perfect group of misfits. We still get to see plenty of Finley and Griffin, though they’re not the figures of this story. This story is about Emily.

We don’t know a lot of Emily’s story from the first two books, but in this one we learn she has a very sad history. Something happened to her that shouldn’t happen to anyone. But we see that Emily isn’t living afraid. She refuses to let anyone hold her fourth, even Sam.

Many find Sam’s size & gruff attitude intimidating. Not Emily. She remembers when he had an easy smile and she knows the attitude is worry. We can see Sam the way she does and it makes him much more likeable than he was before.

I really enjoyed getting to know Emily better in this book. We get to see how strong she really is. She’s one if the strongest characters in the book. Finley has been my favorite through the series but Emily takes a close second.

I love that there are so many things going on at the same time. Other characters have issues beyond what we see through Emily. Obviously that means more books in the series!

If you’ve read the first books in this series you won’t want to miss Emily’s story. Watching a small girl take on a world of machines and things so much bigger than her and you know she’s going to find a way to win, no matter what it costs. Because she won’t pay the price of losing anyone she cares about.

 

Towering – Alex Flinn

Towering
By: Alex Flinn
Kendra Chronicles – Book 3
Available May 2013

Description:
At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.
Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.

Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her.

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.

Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now.

A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Alex Flinn knows her fairy tales, and Towering is her most mind-bending interpretation yet. Dark and mysterious, this reimagining of Rapunzel will have readers on the edge of their seats wondering where Alex will take them next!

This Blonde’s Review:
I’ve read the other books in this series so was familiar with the way Alex Flinn writes these story retellings. For some reason I really wasn’t feeling this one.

She stays true to the fairy tale by having Rachel in a tower with hair that grows quickly. Strangely her hair grows even faster when it’s ‘needed’ then goes back to her usual. Wyatt isn’t your typical prince charming since he’s a guy with baggage. He lost his best friend and still struggles with it. Before he was sent to the Adirondacks he had withdrawn from everyone and so never really expects anyone to attempt to contact him, yet he can’t help but check his phone in the technologically obsessed way of today.

There are so many things that didn’t quite make sense to me. I really would have liked more answers on some issues. There is magic and we are supposed to accept it all without question, but I’m surprised that Wyatt accepts it as easily as he does. I don’t really accept it and would have loved to know where everything came from. Like the unusual plant and how Rachel’s hair knew when to grow faster and when to stop.

It wasn’t a terrible book, it was still interesting to see Alex Flinn’s take on Rapunzel. But it really wasn’t what I was hoping it would be. If it sounds appealing to you then you should definitely give it a chance. It wasn’t for me but you may enjoy it.