Luminescence by J.L. Weil
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars



Gavin might be dark and dreamy, but he wasn’t the guy in my dreams. Lukas Devine looks like the boy next door, and it’s his sunny face that heats up my unusual dreams, and the closer I get to Gavin, the crazier they become. Then the unexpected happens, Gavin literally freezes an object mid-air saving my ass.

Turns out Gavin’s a witch, and he’s not the only one around…

I really enjoyed this book. It started out a little slow, but once it got going, I couldn’t put it down. The plot is well developed as well as the characters. The romance was slow and felt natural, not the ‘I can’t breathe without you, even though I just met you’ kind. I also liked that even though she dreams of Lukas, you really didn’t feel the angst of a love triangle. Some authors really play up this angle ‘til it becomes the bulk of their plot, where as Weil maintains it as a subtle possibility in the background. Brianna herself passes off her feelings toward Lukas as ‘only a dream so it can't be real, can it?’.

Of course every good book has an antagonist, and this story isn’t without. The closer Brianna gets to Gavin, the more strange things start to happen to her. She also can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching her. After Gavin needs to save her life twice, she starts to wonder if this is going to be a new trend.

Unfortunately, I must address the ‘elephant in the room’ concerning this book. There are a lot of typos and grammatical errors. Normally I would try to stay away from such unedited formats, but in this case, I think it would be a huge mistake for you to walk away from Luminescence for this reason alone. Once you look past this, the story is really well worth it.

I don’t want to reveal too much, but Weil wonderfully teases you with all the possibilities of what’s to come with her cliff hanger ending. There are definitely enough mysteries left to keep you coming back for the second book. I know I will be looking forward to it.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.


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In Your Dreams by Amy Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Zip McKee lives in a small rural town in Illinois and is a junior who can’t wait to get out, when the Laniers move in next door. Now that handsome dark-haired Kieran is her neighbor, she doesn’t know what she wants. But Kieran has a secret, he sometimes dreams snippets of the future, and a dark past, one that Zip isn’t sure she’s ready to hear.

This story is not my usual cup of tea, and I’m still not sure that it is at all, but it was entertaining to say the least.

It was certainly a new and interesting concept. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a book where one of the main characters suffers from narcolepsy. We’ve all heard about it, and possibly even joked about it, but I had never really thought about the difficulties of having such a condition, or the possible stigmas. Throughout the story, we watch Zip and Kieran navigate the ups and downs of the resulting circumstances, and learn about his tragic past that made him this way.


I gave it 3 stars, but I think my expectations would have been different had I not found it in a paranormal book discussion group. By the very definition, paranormal is meant to be something that is unexplainable by scientific means. However the storyline proceeds to provide a perfectly valid and scientific explanation for why Kieran is the way he is. I think the gap between what was implied and what actually was was what I found a little disappointing.

Unfortunately I also found the ending a bit anti-climatic. Without giving any spoilers, I felt that things were just a little too conveniently wrapped up with just one conversation. With all the lose ends so quickly tied up, by the time I got to the last page I was surprised to see the implication of a possible second book, stating this was just the end of book one, when I had walked away feeling like it was a stand alone.

With nothing really paranormal happening, and no mysteries left to solve in this story, yet the promise of another, I think this book seemed more of a long prequel than an actual first installment, if that makes sense. I hate sounding so harsh, but I must be honest. I know this is her first book and I think the concept has potential if developed more. Who knows? There might be more para-normalcy in the next book. I am at least definitely interested in the premise of the second installment.

I was given this book as part of a Read 2 Review.


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Just wanted to let all of you know the Goodreads Choice Awards is now open for voting. The schedule is as follows:

Opening Round Oct. 30 -Nov. 10

Semifinal Round Nov. 12-17

Final Round Nov. 19-27

Please show your favorite author support by stopping by and casting your vote!

Awaken by Kristen Day
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

If the first book had me intrigued, the second one has me hooked!

I found myself on the edge of my seat for every twist and turn of this book (and there are a lot!). It is anything but predictable. Stasia finds out about more of her abilities and what is needed for her to complete her journey to the Underworld and back unscathed, not to mention Finn’s big secret! With the presence of Nadia, a new arrival from California who already seems to hate her, and the unexpected run-ins with bloody ghosts, having to die just to enter the Underworld is proving to be the least of her worries.

Kristen Day does a wonderful job depicting a world that can be both beautiful and horrifying. The imagery created is amazing and the dialogue is witty. The pace of the story was steady and never dull. I was impressed with her ability to blend both the light and macabre sides of the story so well together. It definitely makes her style of writing unique.

The only con for me was, like the first one, I still didn’t feel like I got to know who Finn was. He was present on and off for the first half of the book but then MIA for most of the second half. He was starting to feel like Edward from the second book of the Twilight series; talked about more than actually present. Yea, we know he loves Stasia and we find out his troubled destiny, but other than that his character still felt a little two dimensional for me. I felt I knew Stasia’s roommates better than I knew him. I couldn’t help but wish for some bonus chapters from Finn’s point of view (especially for that scene with Stasia just before Halloween and the last scene at the end!). Maybe it’s just me, who knows, I’ve been told I could be broken :D

Regardless, this was not enough to stop me from desperately wanting to read the third book. The new insight about her dad and the cliff hanger ending are killing me! I must know what happens next! I seriously don’t know what to write without giving spoilers, but you must know you have to read this series. It is fresh and unique and leaves you needing more!

I am thankful the author gave me a copy of this book for an honest review.


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Forsaken by Kristen Day
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This book was definitely not what I expected, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was like Everblue meets The Goddess Test and Half-Blood all rolled into one. I love the world Day created, and the mysteries wrapped around Stasia's history and Finn's identity kept me intrigued.

Why did her parents really leave her as a baby? And why does Finn seem to know so much about her when they’ve only just met?

The pace of the book was rather steady, but there were a few scenes (mainly ones meant to help explain the intricacies of the world) that seemed to slow parts of the story. I understand their necessity, but there were so many that didn't include Finn, that I felt I didn't get to know him well enough before the end of the book. I know this was to help maintain his air of mystery, but I wish he could have played a larger part in the middle of this book.

All in all, Kristen Day couldn’t have done a better job with her debut novel. The plot was well developed and the characters are easy to fall in love with. There are plenty of secrets to be unraveled and the adventure is ongoing. I know I for one cannot wait to see what else is in store for Stasia and Finn in the next installment!

This book is a great find, and I'm grateful the author let me have a copy to review.


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