Review*** Dead Money by Steve O'Brien

Paperback: 315 pages Publisher: A&N Publishing (January 10, 2013) You Can't Stop It. The stranger's menacing, dismissive laughter echoed in attorney Dan Morgan s head. In the heart of thoroughbred country--Churchill Downs--a major con was about to be pulled. Despite Dan's efforts, his filly, Aly Dancer, was somehow part of the scheme. You Can't Stop It. Dan's dream as a thoroughbred owner was to run in a Grade I race a televised stakes race. That opportunity had finally appeared. So far it had only resulted in threats, violence and death.You Can't Stop It. What was the scam? Who was involved? Who could he turn to? Post time was nearing. The man's sinister voice would not leave him. You Can't Stop It. REVIEW~ 4-STARS **** I won a paperback copy of Dead Money by Steve O'Brien for free- from Early Reviewers on Library Thing> Those who like descriptive books will enjoy this one, I loved it- Fast Pace and Great Characters. Sometimes a harsher book is good to through in... It took me some time to get into the book, but once I did I was able to keep a good pace. I would recommend this book- I'm glad I had the chance to read and review the book. Thank You!!

Review*** Dead Men Kill by L. Ron Hubbard

Series: Stories from the Golden Age Audio CD Publisher: Galaxy Audio; Unabridged edition (January 1, 2010) Detective Terry Lane is a standout homicide cop who thought he’d seen it all . . . until now. As tough as Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness of The Untouchables—and just as incorruptible—Lane has seen the darkest side of human behavior. But he’s never seen a murder spree like this, targeting the wealthy, the powerful and the privileged. For the evidence is clear: the killers have not emerged from the seamy underside of the city . . . but from six feet under it. They are the walking dead, spreading terror and showing no mercy. Following a trail of drugs, blackmail, and the twisted clues of a seductive nightclub singer, Detective Lane will have to think outside the box…or he could end up inside one, buried alive. In 1934, while living in New York, the heart of the publishing industry, Hubbard struck up a friendship with the city’s medical examiner—a relationship that started his education in undetectable crime and provided him with authoritative clinical background for his detective stories. “A rollicking horror yarn [that] taps into the current craze for zombies. . . . heart-pounding.” —Publishers Weekly REVIEW~ 4-STARS **** This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I won a Audio Book CD of Dead Men Kill (Stories from the Golden Age) by L. Ron Hubbard in a giveaway for free from the Early Reviewers Program on Library Thing- I really enjoyed listening to this book. I was impressed that I liked it so much. I had a little bit of a hard time getting into it at first, but once I did- I was hooked. The voices were entertaining and the story and characters interesting. I would recommend this story in any form. I look forward to listening to another audio book from this author.

Friday Reads***

Age Range: 12 and up Grade Level: 7 and up Series: Altered (Book 1) Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (January 1, 2013) They were made to forget. But they'll never forgive. Everything about Anna's life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch, at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There's Nick, solemn and brooding; Cas, light-hearted and playful; Trev, smart and caring; and Sam . . . who's stolen Anna's heart. When the Branch decides it's time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape. Anna's father pushes her to go with them, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. On the run, with her father's warning in her head, Anna begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about herself. She soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they're both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

In My Mailbox- Book Haul***

Series: The Mara Dyer Trilogy Hardcover: 544 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (October 23, 2012) The truth about Mara Dyer’s dangerous and mysterious abilities continues to unravel in this gripping sequel to the thrilling The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past. She can’t. She used to think her problems were all in her head. They aren’t. She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets. She’s wrong. In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

Age Range: 12 and up Grade Level: 7 and up Series: Altered (Book 1) Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (January 1, 2013) They were made to forget. But they'll never forgive. Everything about Anna's life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch, at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There's Nick, solemn and brooding; Cas, light-hearted and playful; Trev, smart and caring; and Sam . . . who's stolen Anna's heart. When the Branch decides it's time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape. Anna's father pushes her to go with them, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. On the run, with her father's warning in her head, Anna begins to doubt everything she thought she knew about herself. She soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they're both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.

Age Range: 12 and up Grade Level: 7 and up Series: Immortal Beloved (Book 3) Hardcover: 464 pages Publisher: Poppy (November 6, 2012) After 450 years of living, Nastasya Crowe should have more of a handle on this whole immortal thing.... After a deadly confrontation at the end of Darkness Falls, the second Immortal Beloved novel, Nastasya Crowe is, as she would put it, so over the drama. She fights back against the dark immortals with her own brand of kick-butt magick...but can she fight against true love? In the satisfying finale to the Immortal Beloved trilogy, ex-party-girl immortal Nastasya ends a 450-year-old feud and learns what "eternally yours" really means. Laced with historical flashbacks and laugh-out-loud dialogue, the Immortal Beloved trilogy is a fascinating and unique take on what it would mean to live forever.

In My Mailbox~ Book Haul***

In My Mailbox~ Book Haul***

Series: Quarantine (Book 1) Paperback: 432 pages Publisher: EgmontUSA (June 11, 2013) “As original as The Hunger Games, set within the walls of a high school exactly like yours.” – Kami Garcia, New York Times best-selling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures novels It was just another ordinary day at McKinley High—until a massive explosion devastated the school. When loner David Thorpe tried to help his English teacher to safety, the teacher convulsed and died right in front of him. And that was just the beginning. A year later, McKinley has descended into chaos. All the students are infected with a virus that makes them deadly to adults. The school is under military quarantine. The teachers are gone. Violent gangs have formed based on high school social cliques. Without a gang, you’re as good as dead. And David has no gang. It’s just him and his little brother, Will, against the whole school. In this frighteningly dark and captivating novel, Lex Thomas locks readers inside a school where kids don’t fight to be popular, they fight to stay alive. "Take Michael Grant's Gone and Veronica Roth's Divergent, rattle them in a cage until they're ready to fight to the death, and you'll have something like this nightmarish debut...Thomas' whirlwind pace, painful details, simmering sexual content, and moments of truly shocking ultra-violence thrust this movie-ready high school thriller to the head of the class." - Booklist (starred review)

Age Range: 12 and up Grade Level: 7 and up Series: Unwind Dystology (Book 2) Hardcover: 416 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (August 28, 2012) It’s finally here. The long-awaited sequel to the bestselling Unwind, which Publishers Weekly called a “gripping, brilliantly imagined futuristic thriller.” Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simltaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished. Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself. Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.

Series: No Going Back Paperback: 230 pages Publisher: Elizabeth Watson (October 23, 2013) If you died, could you live with your regrets? When Kendra’s mother drags her to a creepy Paris cemetery for work, the last person Kendra expects to see is Amber, her best friend who moved away three years earlier. Amber helped Kendra through a dark time, and Amber’s departure was just one more loss for Kendra. Amber was Kendra’s confidante but it turns out Amber failed to share her biggest secret: she was dead. Amber never planned to disclose her true identity to Kendra, but a boy’s life is at stake. Amber is suddenly unable to connect with troubled kids and she needs Kendra to console Pierrot, a despondent boy who holds the answers to the suspicious death of his brother, Loic. Although Loic needs closure to cross over, the truth about his death might impact everyone’s future, including Kendra’s, since she has fallen for Pierrot, the mysterious boy and murder suspect. But dead or alive, there is no going back…

REVIEW: Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross

Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross~ Age Range: 12 and up Grade Level: 7 and up Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (June 11, 2013) When Maude Pichon runs away from provincial Brittany to Paris, her romantic dreams vanish as quickly as her savings. Desperate for work, she answers an unusual ad. The Durandeau Agency provides its clients with a unique service—the beauty foil. Hire a plain friend and become instantly more attractive. Monsieur Durandeau has made a fortune from wealthy socialites, and when the Countess Dubern needs a companion for her headstrong daughter, Isabelle, Maude is deemed the perfect foil. But Isabelle has no idea her new "friend" is the hired help, and Maude's very existence among the aristocracy hinges on her keeping the truth a secret. Yet the more she learns about Isabelle, the more her loyalty is tested. And the longer her deception continues, the more she has to lose. REVIEW: 5-STARS ***** Five- Stars- This was a unique story that held my interest until the very end. I would recommend to everyone (Clean Read). I adore this book and it's atmosphere- I could not put it down. I loved the characters in this book they were interesting, likeable, and I felt as though I were in their world. I enjoyed this book much more than I anticipated, and it left me wanting more. I loved the whole idea surrounding this book and I could definitely see this being transformed into a movie. I do not read books more than once but this is one I would choose if I had to.This is a book you must read- it's not perfect, but delightful. (I won a free copy of this book in a giveaway)

Waiting on Wednesday***

Product Details Age Range: 12 and up Grade Level: 7 and up Series: Unwind Dystology (Book 3) Hardcover: 416 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (October 15, 2013)

The story that began with Unwind continues. Connor and Lev are on the run after the destruction of the Graveyard, the last safe haven for AWOL Unwinds. But for the first time, they’re not just running away from something. This time, they’re running toward answers, in the form of a woman Proactive Citizenry has tried to erase from history itself. If they can find her, and learn why the shadowy figures behind unwinding are so afraid of her, they may discover the key to bringing down unwinding forever. Cam, the rewound boy, is plotting to take down the organization that created him. Because he knows that if he can bring Proactive Citizenry to its knees, it will show Risa how he truly feels about her. And without Risa, Cam is having trouble remembering what it feels like to be human. With the Juvenile Authority and vindictive parts pirates hunting them, the paths of Connor, Lev, Cam, and Risa will converge explosively—and everyone will be changed.

In My Mailbox~ Book Haul***

Product Details: Age Range: 12 - 17 years Grade Level: 7 and up Series: Lunar Chronicles (Book 3) Hardcover: 560 pages Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (February 4, 2014)

Age Range: 12 and up Grade Level: 7 and up Lexile Measure: 750L (What's this?) Series: Rot & Ruin (Book 3) Hardcover: 480 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (September 11, 2012)

Age Range: 12 - 17 years Series: Lux (Book 4) Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Entangled: Teen (August 27, 2013)

Hardcover: 528 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (November 6, 2012)

Series: Unearthly Hardcover: 416 pages Publisher: HarperTeen (January 17, 2012)