Review - Tight Knit

You have seen this beautiful cover on here before. Today I'm review Allie Brennan's Tight Knit.

Goodreads Summary
Talia Gregory relies on her Nan for everything, especially helping her calm the anxiety that controls her life. But Nan gets sick, and it couldn’t be worse timing. Talia’s panic attacks are getting worse, her boyfriend is a jerk, her best friend is distant, her parents are more absent than usual and she’s stuck planning the Cozy Christmas Charity Drive for her knitting group in place of Nan. If that’s not panic inducing enough, enter Lachlan.

Lachlan McCreedy doesn’t rely on anyone. Not after what he’s been through. It’s him and Gram, nothing else matters but keeping his past buried, and his secrets hidden. So when Gram forces him to help with her Christmas sale, Talia is the last thing he expected, and trusting her with his secrets comes as a shock to both of them. But when he unexpectedly falls for her, the question becomes can he trust her with his heart?

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This book is one of the cutest things I have ever read, and that’s saying a lot. It’s the debut baby of my genius cover artist, AllieBrennan, and I’m so glad I moved it up my list.

I was immediately drawn into Talia’s panic-driven world. I wanted to hug her, tuck her into my heart, and strip her of all her fears. With her sweetheart personality, it was heart-wrenching to see her suffer. But panic attacks are something that so many do suffer from, I appreciated this subject being brought to light. Though I do actually knit (I’m terrible at it) and crochet (pretty good at it), I wasn’t sure how I’d respond to the knitting aspect being such a big part of the novel, but I loved it. It was a great addition to the story, wonderfully unique. I was pleasantly entertained by each of the ladies Talia meets with. Nan and Georgina both made me laugh, made me cry. I have only one grandmother that I’m close with, but we live so far away. This story made me miss her terribly.

Lachlan was what I like to call a real dream. He was incredibly real and honest and hooked me from the get-go, but he’s a dream because he’s a dream. Duh. He’s cute and kind. Can be an ass at times, but what guy isn’t? And come on, girls. We can admit that the jerky part of a guy makes us swoon sometimes. Even prudish little jock-hater me can appreciate the swoon-worthiness of a guy being a guy. My heart also broke for Lachlan and the suffering her went through as a child.

What started as a classic case of two broken people finding each other became so much more. The characters were deep. They brought me to tears and wrenched at my heart more times than I can remember. For me, this novel was a slow read, which is not to mean that it was long and/or dreary. The opposite actually. When I term a novel a “slow read” it simply means that the story was so beautiful, I took my time reading it and digested every delicious word. I didn’t rush through paragraphs of inner monologue to get to the dialogue, I enjoyed it all.

If you haven’t put this on your to-read, do it now. And if you can, I suggest moving it up the list. You won’t regret it.

Connect with Allie:

 Author Website

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Oopsy, I forgot to add one of my favorite quotes:

She puts my arm in her lap and runs both her hands up and down it. The sensation is tormenting me, the mixture of desire for her to keep going and the pain of the memories those scars hold is too much... Talia drops my arm and my heart falls with it. There's no turning back now. 

Review - There is No Light in Darkness

Goodreads Summary
A past hidden in darkness. Her present cloaked in secrets. The future holds the only truth that cannot be escaped.

After the mysterious and violent death of her parents, Blake Brennan finds comfort with an unconventional family. As the dramatic loss of her parents continues to haunt her—and hinders her from reciprocating love that others give freely—Blake embarks on a harrowing journey in search for the truth.

Living in a constant state of fear and need for control, vivid nightmares reveal details that lead to perilous situations. The past begins to collide with the present, and Blake must decide if the truth is worth losing the ones she loves.

Can love conquer all as her past comes to light? Or will Blake realize that there is no light in darkness? 
Book contains: Explicit language & sexual content.

 

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Buy on B&N

There is No Light in Darkness… How to begin this review, because I have a lot of things to say. First, thank you Ana Zaun for adding me to Claribel’s Facebook Beta group. That’s right, folks. I got to beta this sucker. And, oh, was it so worth the eye ache I got after staring at my laptop for ten hours straight.

First, I have to commend Claire (I have to call her by her first name. It feels weird referring to any author as Ms. So-and-So when I know them.) for such a wonderful debut.

The book begins with Blake as an adult, but continuously flashes back to her childhood throughout the novel, giving us glimpses into the mystery that surrounds her mother’s death. This worked very well for this story, and it was woven seamlessly. I was never confused as to what was happening, where we were, past or present. The mystery drew me in instantly. I immediately wanted to know what happened to Blake’s mother. The situation behind it was intense and built beautifully as Blake begins to uncover details and the people behind everything.

Blake was strong, loving, vulnerable, and smart. She made mistakes, but she had a good head on her shoulders. Her burning curiosity kept her delving into the delicate details of her mother’s death, but her sense of self-preservation smartly kept her safe when necessary.

Cole. Holy Hot hot hothothot Cole. There are not enough words in the English dictionary to describe the hotness of Cole. He takes the cake on the piles of book boyfriends I’ve accumulated over the years. Not that he’s the Be All End All, but he is definitely in the that atmosphere. And the way he loved Blake… again, no words. He was honest and real and loved from the deepest core of his heart. I could feel it. Yet he was enough of an ass to make you want to just punch him in the arm really hard every now and then.

The rest of Blake’s family/friends make up a very entertaining and loyal band of misfits. They come to life on the page, and I wanted to squeeze each of them and thank them for making me smile.

But mostly, Cole… Okay. Nope. Not going to go there. There have been some recent cat fights in my circle over who is the reigning Mrs. Cole Murphy, and if I talk about him anymore, I’m afraid I will be showing up to work tomorrow with a black eye. So I’ll stop right there.

In all, this novel was awesomesauce, amazeballs, greatness, and a whole ton of other words I don’t really like to say out loud, or type, but I feel like I need to because I loved this story that much. Be on the look out for Claire’s next installment in this series.

Coming Soon!

Find Claire Contreras on Facebook and on Goodreads

Review - Defy the Stars

Goodreads Summary 

Julia Cape: A dedicated classical piano student just trying to get through her last semester of high school while waiting to hear from music conservatories.

Reed MacAllister: A slacker more likely to be found by the stoners’ tree than in class.

Julia and Reed might have graduated high school without ever speaking to each other…until, during a class discussion of Romeo and Juliet, Julia scoffs at the play’s theme of love at first sight, and Reed responds by arguing that feelings don’t always have to make sense. Julia tries to shake off Reed’s comment and forget about this boy who hangs with the stoner crowd—and who happens to have breathtaking blue eyes—but fate seems to bring the two together again and again. After they share an impulsive, passionate kiss, neither one can deny the chemistry between them. Yet as Julia gets closer to Reed, she also finds herself drawn into his dark world of drugs and violence. Then a horrific tragedy forces Julia’s and Reed’s families even farther apart…and Julia must decide whether she’s willing to give up everything for love.

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When I found out about this book, and that it was in verse, I was eager to start. Gimme gimme gimme. I have a soft spot for books in verse. I absolutely love how an author can pack a page with emotion in so few words. I didn’t feel Defy the Stars had that true verse-y flow, though it was still packed with emotion, just in a fuller way.

I loved Julia. She was driven, focused, and, let’s face it, MUSICAL. As a fellow pianist, I adored reading the scenes where Julia was playing the piano. She plays a Chopin Ballade that I PLAYED! It made me feel special, and I identified with her. The descriptions of her playing are so well done, and as a musician, I am extra picky with musical descriptions. I wanted to feel her playing, and StephanieParent definitely captured that.

Reed broke my heart a little. I hated his situation, his tragic past. I wanted so much more for him, and I thought Julia would be the answer. But instead of her pulling him out of his abyss, he dragged her into his. Unintentionally. Sort of. This isn’t your typical Bad Boy seducing Good Girl story. It’s much deeper than that. Julia is dealing with some self-made stresses that she is unable to suppress or cope with naturally, so when Reed presents an opportunity, she takes it.

This is where the drug use comes in. I admit, I was really shocked at first. Angry. Guarded. I wanted to scream at Julia for risking everything for a momentary high. But I understood it. I felt the pressure she was under, and her first experience was so impactful, she was left craving more.

Oh, Julia… Sad face. Sad heart.

This story is sort of a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, and the underlying theme is brought about in their English class. Stephanie did a beautiful job of embedding the theme without overwhelming the story with “retelling”. This story was different, new, fresh, and vivid.

I am not ashamed to admit that my favorite scenes were during Julia and Reed’s drug induced hazes. The language is so vivid.

"This golden rush of energy blasts through my mind, invades my veins till it fills every inch of me. I've never felt this awake - the world has never been so clear, like I could reach out and hold it in my hand... I can actually feel the tension crackling between us until we collide and now I know what it feels like to be this close to someone, lips hands tongue teeth, breath mind soul, I will never ever go back to the way things were before."

Overall, this was a heart-wrenching, beautiful tale of love gone wrong, of the pressures of life, and of the things we will sometimes do to overcome – or bury – those pressures.

Keep an eye out for Stephanie Parent. She has a new novel coming out - Precious Things, coming out this Spring!

Review: Skylark AND my Babyfaces Contribution

Goodreads Summary 
Sixteen-year-old Lark Ainsley has never seen the sky.

Her world ends at the edge of the vast domed barrier of energy enclosing all that’s left of humanity. For two hundred years the city has sustained this barrier by harvesting its children's innate magical energy when they reach adolescence. When it’s Lark’s turn to be harvested, she finds herself trapped in a nightmarish web of experiments and learns she is something out of legend itself: a Renewable, able to regenerate her own power after it’s been stripped.

Forced to flee the only home she knows to avoid life as a human battery, Lark must fight her way through the terrible wilderness beyond the edge of the world. With the city’s clockwork creations close on her heels and a strange wild boy stalking her in the countryside, she must move quickly if she is to have any hope of survival. She’s heard the stories that somewhere to the west are others like her, hidden in secret—but can she stay alive long enough to find them?

 ____________________

 Meagan Spooner’s Skylark was recommended to me by my very best reading friend, my sister, Anna. Aww, cheers, lovely sis. Anyhoo. I must say my sister and I have similar tastes that tend to bob and weave. Lately, I’ve leaned more toward the contemporary side of YA and NA, while she’s stayed strictly with the paranormal and dystopian YA. It makes me a little sad, because we’re reading primarily different books now, and haven’t been able to discuss a book together in quite some time.

*sad face*

So when she recommended Skylark to me, I was like Eh, okay. But, somewhere not so deep in my subconscious, I knew I was going to struggle with this book. And, let me tell you, it was not because of the writing – which was FANTABULOUS. No. It was the story.

Lark is a 16yo girl living in a city controlled by magic. At a certain age all the children are harvested for their magic – sacrificed to the city – and given an occupation. The end. But Lark is different. She’s a Renewable, an endless magical resource, and a promise of safety for her city’s future. However, becoming this energy source for her city will require an unimaginable sacrifice – she will become the city’s slave and live in constant pain.

When the story began, the first thing I noticed was the writing. Amazing. Truly. The author has a fluid way with words, creating a vibrant and grim picture of the current world. The world building was great. Once I was into the story, I didn’t feel lost or confused, including when Lark escapes the city. So it wasn’t that it was lackluster or boring, it just wasn’t what I was in the mood to read at the time. I passed this book over for others, and ended up finishing it over a span of several weeks – which I never do. Never.

When I finally did buckle in and decide I was going to finish it,  I was immediately drawn into the second half, reading wide-eyed and ignoring my child for periods of time because Holy Surprises, Batman!

My take on Lark – I liked her, didn’t love her. She did not come off as sixteen. She felt much younger and too innocent. I guess I can understand with how sheltered of a live she’s lived in her city, but I still thought she was a touch too innocent. The other characters were pretty wonderful. It’s hard to say much about them because they were all very background. The story mostly revolves around Lark and her experience. And there are betrayals I don’t want to give away by discussing the character’s, er, character.

In a nutshell, the story was wonderful. Anyone who likes magic will LOVE this book. Now that’s it’s over I can honestly say I did love it. I just wish I’d have loved it over a few days rather than weeks.

Favorite Quotes:

There was a rawness to his voice that cut me more than any anger would have. "I know," I said, keeping my gaze ahead of me, on the fractured surface of the water. "I'm sorry."

 

He had been so like an animal that first time I'd seen him. Then, I would have believed him to be a monster. The way he'd gazed at me, as the ghosts faded into mist around us, with such shock and such hunger, had shaken me to my core. The blood-stained face, the bestial grace. Why hadn't I remembered it later? Because he saved my life. Again and again. And because I learned, or thought I had learned, to see through the dispassionate exterior. Had I truly learned, or had he been growing more and more human, the longer he stayed in the aura of the my magic?

AND... Ready for it?

ME!

Trisha at WORDS + STUFF is hosting Baby Faces Blogfest:

1. Between December 2nd and 3rd, post a pic of yourself as a baby, and/or;
2. Tell us a story about when you were a baby (no doubt you can't quite remember it yourself, but you've probably heard some stories from other members of your family).

You can choose to do one or the other or both, depending on your mood on the day(s). ;)

 Here's my story. I actually had to call my mom this morning because I couldn't remember any baby stories of facts about myself. I do, however, remember using this picture for a 2nd grade contest. It was a last-to-be-picked kind of thing. And I won. Because everyone thought I was a boy, haha! 

My mom said I was a very independent baby, toddle, and child. That does not surprise me as I am a bit too independent as an adult. She said when I was 18months, she went away for a weekend retreat. When she returned, I turned my nose up at her, ignored her, and would not look at her for TWO DAYS! Wow, that's some determination.

I'll be posting my favorite Christmas in the next week or so. Think about your favorite Christmas story. I wanna hear!

Accidentally On Purpose

 Goodreads Summary
Emmy thinks her boss Kyle Sterling of Sterling Corporations is a jerk.

So, she sleeps with him.

Emmy tries to put the mistake behind her, but then finds herself snowed in with Kyle. As the snow builds, so does the heat in the house between the two. The problem is that Kyle has a steady girlfriend that he is unwilling to break up with. Emmy cuts Kyle off and starts dating Luke. Even as their relationship takes off, Emmy is finding Kyle hard to shake. He is blatant in his feelings and desires for Emmy, putting her in an awkward situation. She tries hard to resist Kyle, but deep down inside Emmy's motives are shady. When Emmy succumbs to her hidden feelings for Kyle without setting Luke free, devastating consequences ensue.

In addition to her two men, Emmy daydreams about doing violent things to her loud mouthed, opinionated mother.

With some humor and sarcasm, and of course, some tequila, Emmy's world will flip upside down as she deals with the results of "accidentally on purpose" falling for two men at once.

 _____________________


Oh. Wow. First, I must say, I have read books about cheating before, and they usually leave me with a bad taste in my mouth, yet I can’t seem to stay away from them. I’m a glutton for punishment, I guess. But when I read Bookaholic’s review of this book, I was very intrigued and big-ole-glutton me had to check it out. I had a feeling I’d be in for a rollercoaster, but I also thought it would be a quick and fun, light romance about a girl and guy that just couldn’t stay away from each other, despite not wanting to let go of their current relationships.

I was right and wrong.

Rollercoaster, it was. Fun, light, handsy, hot romance it was not. Well, except for the handsy, hot part. This story was far more serious that I expected, and to give an apt description as to how I felt, I’ll say this:  Accidentally On Purpose took a hammer to my glass heart and had me on my knees happily taking my time, picking up the shattered pieces. I have read a lot of books, but none that so precisely describe the addictive duality of pleasure and pain. I took it all in the gut, the pleasure and the pain, and gleefully asked for more.

Emmy was a spunky, sure woman. I loved her from the start. Especially her no-holds-barred mouth with her boss. Her antagonistic relationship with her mother was… familiar. I would bust out laughing during their phone conversations. Kyle was really fun and sexy. To start. My opinion of him ping-ponged throughout the novel, and rightfully so.

Luke. I fell in love with Luke the moment I met him. And I actually felt like I met him. And I wish I could meet him again… Down, girl. Okay. I’m back.

The story definitely had its moments where I was going bu-bu-but I want this and this and this to happen. But as a whole, it was so wonderfully spun, I can’t imagine it going any other way. And usually these types of stories have me screaming in frustration, pulling my hair out when the characters act like complete idiots because they are completely blind to the disastrous consequences barreling their way.

Accidentally On Purpose was also mature beyond my expectations and spans quite a bit of time, which I really liked. It dealt with a few heavy issues that I can't get into, because I don't want to give anything away. But I felt these situations and the aftermath were very realistic and handled with grace. The amount of time the novel spans, gave us a true sense for the characters, and we got to see the growth of the characters over time, not just their immediate actions and reactions. I don’t usually do this – compare story with story – but this story, with its longer lapse of time and maturity and emotional growth of the characters, reminded me of On the Island. I absolutely adored that book, and already feel like I adore this one just as much.

Thank you, L.D. Davis for such a beautiful, truthful, and pleasantly painful story. I have a feeling I will find myself reading this one again. Soon.

How I fell in love with a villain

I read Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me at the end of last year in almost one sitting. I was thirty pages from the end when we had to go to a New Year’s Eve party. We went, I socialized for an appropriate amount of time, then I snuck (I like this word way better than sneaked) away, and it hit my one-hundred and oneth book for the year just before the ball dropped.

Shatter Me was unlike anything I had ever read – a girl that can kill with just a touch. But it wasn’t necessarily the premise that was so different and captivating. It was Mafi’s writing style. Wow. She certainly knew how to keep a person chained to the couch!

I expected equal awesomeness from her follow-up, Destroy Me. What I didn’t expect was for it to be in Warner, the villain’s, voice. So, because of the unique circumstances, I checked in with My Heart to make sure we were still on the same page.

Me: *knocks on door*

Heart: *opens door, glances around wildly* Yeah?

Me: I just wanted to, uh, make sure we’re good.

Heart: Yeah. We’re good.   She says it in a rush *door starts to close*

Me: *puts hand in doorway; pinched brow tries to convey gravity of situation* He’s a villain. Understand? We hate him. Okay?

Heart: *nods like a druggie trying to convince a cop she’s clean* Course. Sure. Uh-huh.

Me: *suspiciously tries to peer inside*

Heart: *narrows opening; only her head is visible* Well, thanks for stopping by. I really gotta go. You know all the pumping and feeling things, don’t wanna get behind. *slams door in my face*

Me: *shrugs, turns, nods to herself* She gets it. *walks away, oblivious*

Heart: *leans against closed door inside; wipes sweat from brow* I think she’s on to me.

Goodreads Summary

 In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

_______________

Destory Me was unlike anything I have ever read. A middle novel in the voice of the villain. The wha? The villain. We’re taught to hate him throughout the first novel. He’s evil. He wants bad things for Julliette, and he wants to do bad things to her. So we thought. Then Mafi takes our preconceived notions by the nostrils and shoves them facedown.

And I gotta say – GENIUS!

Warner is still everything he was, but now we get a look inside his head, and holy crap there’s a LOT we don’t know. What an amazingly rare experience, to be front-row-center to a villain’s inner sanctum. We get glimpses into his past, stomach-churning moments with his monster villain of a father. We see why Warner is the way he is, what made him, what keeps him, his actual plans for Julliette, his true reasons for barging into her life, and his undeniable – and strangely beautiful – feelings for her. We get it all. And Mafi’s writing is just as mesmerizing as I remember, even in another voice.

Maybe some of you have read books like this. I’ll honestly say that I can’t remember. My memory is worse than a flea’s. Take a flea’s brain, cut it into eight equal pie pieces, flick all but one of those pieces away, and you have my memory. If there are other books like this, TELL ME. This is such a cool concept. Now my expectations for the next books are all tangled up. I have no idea who I’m going to favor more, but Destroy Me has definitely leveled the playing field. It’s anyone’s game now.

Destroy Me is a novella, and is out as a digital copy for $2.99. Worth the buy! It’s labeled as book 1.5 and will leave you salivating for the next installment. Thankfully, Unravel Me is due out February 5^th, YAY!

Favorite Lines:

“I, like the rest of the puppets in this world, am entirely subservient to my father’s will. It’s a truth I’m forced to contend with every day: that I’ve never been able to stand up to the man who has his fist clenched around my spine.”

“Empathy is not an emotion I’ve ever known, but now it’s drowning me, pulling me into a world I never knew I could enter. And though I’ve always believed she and I shared many things in common, I did not know how deeply I could feel it. It’s killing me.”

HAPPY PRE-TURKEY DAY, EVERYONE! 

Have a safe and wonderful and food-filled holiday tomorrow :)

Rouge by Leigh Talbert Moore

When Leigh first told me about her book, I was… not disappointed, but I certainly didn’t expect it – a Cabaret Theater novel set in the 1890s. I thought, Okay. I’ll read it. Someday soon. Then I kept seeing updates for it. The cover. The synopsis. Her excitement for the release. At the time, I was only about 15,000 words behind my NaNo goal – having a two year old will do that – and I had already blasted to bits my personal promise of no TV and books. This book was really starting to intrigue me, and I was feeling particularly antsy that night, so I purchased it and started it right away. And spent the next two days swept away (still ticking away at that NaNo goal, so I couldn’t completely immerse myself). 

If I didn’t expect the summary, the novel pushed my expectations over the edge. It pierced my heart with a fishhook and tugged and tugged and tugged until my ribs cracked under the pressure. So here I am, with my displaced heart, and a knot in my stomach, swelling by the page, and then – She did what? He did what? They did WHAT?

Goodreads Summary

Trapped in the underground theater world of 1890s New Orleans, Hale Ferrer has only one goal: escape. But not without Teeny, the orphan-girl she rescued from the streets and promised to protect.

Freddie Lovel, Hale's wealthy Parisian suitor, seems to be the easy solution. If only his touch could arouse her interest like Beau's, the penniless stagehand who captures her heart.

Denying her fears, Hale is poised to choose love until an evil lurking in their cabaret-home launches a chain of events that could cost her everything.

                                         

I loved Hale. She was loving and generous and only slightly hardened by her upbringing. Other souls would’ve been more so, but she was a soft-tough cookie. And her motherly love for Teeny, while she was only seventeen herself, was so real. I felt it. Her emotions were so strong and THERE that I experienced them with her.

Beau… What can I say about Beau? He was beautiful, soft, manly, wonderful. Heroic, protective, and strangely impulsive yet patient. Some of his actions shocked me, but they humanized him, and he redeems himself.

Leigh really had a way with her secondary characters, as well. I wanted to be courted by Freddie, mother Teeny, and accept the shadow of Roland’s protective wing. Teeny – I wanted more of her. She was the typical semi-selfish twelve year old, but bright and good to the core. She broke my heart. Roland was a great friend to Hale, and – as a fellow pianist who’s never smoked a cigarette – I loved his ultra-confidence, and could picture perfectly him going at the piano with those big man hands, a burned down cigarette glowing from the corner of his mouth. Even Evie cracked my heart a little.

And the evil that lurked beneath the surface threw me. Leigh makes some bold choices in her story, but I can kind of see Hale pulling the strings and telling her, It has to be this way. I can relate to that – the character making a choice you wouldn’t even consider.

Overall, this was a wonderful novel. Set in the 1890s with the pace of a contemporary story, meaning there weren’t gobs of paragraphs of historical background/setting descriptions. I felt this fast paced life in my bones as I read it, could smell the cigarette smoke and all of Freddie's beautiful red roses. I could feel the rosin crackling beneath my feet. Leigh painted a world with just enough words to bring the scenes to life, perfectly showing how this time in New Orleans was vivid, wild, changing, and unpredictable, while hurrying us along with the characters. Be warned, this is the first of a series, and will leave you wanting oh so much more.

I am looking forward to the oh so much more…

What the fudge?!

Sorry, Melanie, I stole your picture. It IS hilarious!

Yes. I went to see the new Twilight movie last night. I am not ashamed. In fact, I'm not ashamed to admit that I LOVE all the books and have read them several times. Melanie from Daydream to Writer was just saying yesterday that it's sad that, as Twilight lovers, we for some reason feel embarrassed now to admit we love the books/movies. I agree. It is sad. Partly because the biggest reason people hate on them is they're so popular and it's become "cool", like going all black-lipped Goth or walking with a limp-swag just because you have to sag those jeans halfway down your rear. I'm not campaigning for everyone to love them. I just think it's silly to feel shunned or not taken seriously for loving them.

At the start of one of my college classes one quarter, we were introducing ourselves and giving the class a Fun Fact. This girl introduced herself and her Fun Fact was that she loved 'such and such' books and couldn't stand Twilight. I brushed it off, even though she said it with such naive attitude. But she kept referring to it during random class activities. So I asked her once, "Why don't you like Twilight?" She looked at me blankly, and I asked, "Have you ever read them?" Her stunned face turned a little red. "Um, no."

SERIOUSLY?

"BUT," she huffed on. "I've had many friends read them and say they're terrible."
  
Mmmhmm. Everything she said from that day forward, I never took her seriously. 

So. The movie. Now my undying love for the books has no bearing on the cheesy productions that are the films. This is my opinion, maybe some of you will share it, maybe not. The first movie was a complete travesty. The others have gotten better, but they still have the quality of a TV movie. Oh well. I've long since accepted it, and I still go to the openings every year, because I love partaking in it, and even with the lack of quality, I've loved seeing these beloved characters in the flesh, with all the smoke and mirrors of incredible CGI. (First movie, not so incredible.)

And for Breaking Dawn, I was going into it a little antsier and more hyper than normal, because they'd been blasting all over TV there was going to be a TWIST. What was this twist going to be? Well, first, I can say the movie went as expected to start. Glorious cheese, but fun to watch. Then the TWIST.

WHAT. THE. FUDGE! And my sister and I almost walked out of the theater ten different times. I was MAD, and screaming in my head "THEY HAVE MURDERED HER BOOK!" But we did not leave. We stuck it out. And it was worth it. I can't spoil it, but... No. Can't spoil it. I will say, though, I cried in those last sixty seconds. In a good way. This series of movies I was forced to keep such low expectations for actually had one of the most beautiful last minutes of a movie I've ever seen. It was perfect. The music was perfect. The characters - for that one minute, lol - were perfect. And all was right with the world.

If you're going to watch it, prepare yourself. DON'T LEAVE! Be patient and you will be rewarded. And I'm sure anyone who's interested has already seen the trailer, but here it is. Now, in the words of my brilliant sister (I almost snorted Root Beer when she said this to me last night) - Let's go sparkle together.

What inspires you?

Since this blog is relatively new, I am biting my lips and hem-hawing on what I really want to do with it. I follow a lot of book blogs, but I am a writer, so while I love reviewing books, and my beloved indie movies, my main focus is going to be on writing, dreams, inspiration, etc...

I know we all get our inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. I do. I've heard a lot of people get inspired in the shower. I totally do that. I think it's because we actually have a moment where we're forced to be stationary, and our brains begin to wander.

The novel I'm working on for NaNo is the antithesis of my last book. Where my last story was mostly action and took place over the course of two days, this next project is a love story brought about by tragedy and spans the course of over a year. It's a much softer, quieter story, and requires me to be in a different state of mind.

To get me into this state of mind, every time I sit down to write, I read an excerpt from Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening.

This book is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. It's not a novel. It's a collection of insightful passages on just about everything. I truly can't even fathom how this man came up with this many. Each and every passage is deep and wonderful. Most of them bring me to tears. They manage to pluck those heartstrings way in the back that no one else can reach.

I found this book when my husband and I were on vacation, perusing the nearest Barnes and Noble. I picked it up, started reading, and the room faded away. I was alone, and his words spun around me, clutching, prodding, piercing. When I came back to myself, I looked at my husband, wide-eyed, and said, "I'm getting this."

Excerpt: 

Before we blink, we know each other.

We speak before we speak, with eyes and lips, in how we tip our heads, in how we lean like trees tired of waiting for the sun... We pretend we are strangers and deny what we learn before words.

We are all made up of yearning and light... This is enough to begin... That we want to be held and left alone, again and again; held and left alone until the dance of it is how we survive and grow, like spring into winter into spring again.

At the end of each passage is a small list of things to think on or mental exercises to get us to that peaceful place. I find I don't usually need the list. The words are enough to get me there.

Do you have a book or passage that helps put you where you need to be before you write? 
Share with me! 

Movie Monday - Dakota Skye

I’m back today with my Indie Movie spot, and am happy to report that – so far – Mr. Netflix and I have been getting along. (Read about our reunion here.) It’s been mostly peaches and roses… do those go together? Either way, I see a bright future for us. Let’s hope. I tend toward the optimistic.

Today, I’m introducing you all to Dakota Skye.

Summary (from IMDB)

For as long as she could remember, Dakota Skye has been cursed with a super power. She has the ability to see the truth in any lie she hears. From small, harmless white lies, to the more devious kind, they have come from the people that she should trust the most; her family, friends and teachers. These lies have snowballed, leading to her becoming bitter and apathetic towards the world around her. Now seventeen, Dakota just watches the world happen around her, unmotivated to join it. She has a boyfriend who plays in a semi-popular local rock band and her best friend from childhood, but finds little joy in her own life. One day, Jonah comes into town. It only takes a few days before Dakota notices something about him that sets him apart from the other people in her life. He doesn't lie.

Through her friendship with Jonah, her eyes are opened to the world around her and she sees that there is something out there more than all the lies. There is a possibility of something different... something better. If only he wasn't her boyfriend's best friend. Now she must make a choice. Can she go back to the apathy that has dictated her life, ignoring something potentially amazing? Can she take the leap into the unknown with Jonah, ignoring all the repercussions that may come from that decision? Is he really the person that she thinks he is and wants him to be? The only thing that becomes clear is that Dakota can no longer be a spectator in her own life. She has to look at her life as it was, is and could be and make a choice for the first time.

 ______________________

I had no expectations going into this film. The opening didn’t promise big things. The main character was a pretty good actress, and the narrative of her “talent” was funny enough. Her friends were atrocious actors, but I could overlook them. The boyfriend, however, with his dirty mullet, goofy rocker-wannabe attitude, and narcissistic view of himself was bwaha funny.

Examples of Dakota’s narrative went like this:

Dakota and her boyfriend are bowling and Dakota says, “I suck.” Boyfriend says, “Nah, babe, you’re not that bad.” To which the caption underneath him (the non-lie) says, “Yeah, you suck.”

True to the Indie style, the scenes were a bit lacking with emotion sometimes, and the transitions felt like they’d been pasted together by a Kindergartner… Until Jonah.

I fell in love with Jonah.

Which is saying a lot. Because his first impression didn’t leave me impressed. I don’t like to think of myself as a shallow girl, I fall in love with personalities not looks. But when it comes to Movie Stars, I like to be impressed. If I’m not, I shallowly admit, I won’t stay engaged. And when he made his grand entrance, twenty minutes into the movie, I didn’t even know he was going to be the male heroine. I felt nothing.

Then he makes THE DECLARATION. The I-can’t-get-you-outa-my-head speech. The I-know-you're-with-him and even-though-he’s-my-best-friend, dump-him-and-come-be-with-me speech. And, darn it all, I’m a sucker for that crap. So I was all Oh, Jonah after that.

He and Dakota have several scenes of alone time where he shares his deepest thoughts and life questions with her. What surprises Dakota is – dun dun dun DUN – he’s not lying to her.

*Gasp* What? SOULMATE!

If only it were that simple.

Why? Because Dakota has a boyfriend, duh. So, because Dakota has this loser boyfriend, she and Jonah can’t be together, really? I guess, but come on. With this useless barrier in their way, they of course have to hide their budding relationship, and decide to give themselves one day. One day of passion, of pretending that no one has a boyfriend, that no one has to leave (Jonah’s from New York, and, forgetful me, I can’t remember where Dakota’s from, but let’s just say it was way far away). I have to say, though, that one day of passion was bee-you-tee-full. It got my heart pumpin’. And it was mostly innocent. They didn’t even cross that line.

Oh, Jonah… sigh.

Overall, this movie was too stinkin’ cute for words. The characters surprised me with their depth as much as the no-namer actors surprised me with their skill. Dakota was funny, sincere, and it was interesting and somewhat heartbreaking to watch how she dealt with her “talent”. I would absolutely hate to know every time I was being lied to. I would definitely become even more jaded than Dakota was. It would wear on me as it did her, and she portrays that well. We even get to see her grow up a little, despite the unrealistic (or maybe too realistic) complete lack of a mother in the film. This movie left me feeling warm and fuzzy, just as I hadn’t dared hope when I started it.

And it ends exactly as it should, but shh, I’m not telling. Go watch for yourself :)

Lengths

A day late, but here as promised!

Okay. Let me be a girl for just a second… Oh man, oh man, ohmanohmanohman.
Alright. Got that out of my system.

First, I need to give a shout out to Steph Campbell and Liz Reinhardt. I’ve read other books of theirs, and LOVED them. So please check them out. They are bow-worthy writers in this amazingly rich Indie industry. Second, I must thank them for this Absolute Piece of Genius, I believe this book to be.

Alright, enough groveling.

Amazon Summary

Nineteen-year-old Whit Conrad leaves her conservative Pennsylvania home for sunny California, looking for independence, a fresh start, and a place to stash her grief. She promptly finds a job at a tattoo parlor, a craptastic first apartment, and one friend—Ryan—who is a little less friend, a little more benefits.

Deo Beckett is a soulful surfer with a passion for tattoos and beautiful women. On the eve of his twenty-second birthday, he finds himself living with his grandfather, recently unemployed, and seriously adrift. He doesn’t know much about what he wants out of life, but he does know his current situation isn't cutting it.

When Deo meets Whit, she’s all sexy makeup and fierce, smart-ass fun. It doesn’t take him long to see past her tough shell. And when he gets a good look at what's under all the superficial stuff that usually gets his attention, it leaves Deo wondering if there might be more to life than living fast and free.

Too bad Whit has a past she doesn't plan on sharing—no matter how hot Deo is. She might want him, but she knows better than to let her guard down.

Deo falls for Whit, and falls hard. But everything about her, down to that mysterious tattoo and the way she thrashes in her sleep, tells him that the girl he loves is hiding something. And the more he pushes for answers, the more Whit pulls away.

Having your guard up is one thing, but are the lengths Whit goes to to protect her secret worth throwing away the second chance she has at happiness with Deo?

Hummuna hummuna… Hummuna.

From the get-go, Lengths had me, but it wasn’t like a kick-in-the-stomach or a vise-to-the-heart kind of had me, it was more like a hot sexy bug crawling up my leg, burrowing into my skin, eating its way to my brain… Okay, maybe this direction isn’t so appealing. Simply put, it was a slow burn, but like on a California brush fire scale. This book was H-O-T. HOT! And the best part was, the intimate stuff didn’t come until about halfway through the story.

Deo. Sigh. He could be put into words, but I’d much rather pinch his rock-hard surfing non-existent love handles. He was juicy. Aside from that, he was sweet, real, and honest to a hilarious fault. His huge blunders only managed to make him more lovable, and the lengths (get it? ha) he goes through for Whit are seriously love-him-for-life material.

            One of Deo’s best lines:

                       

            Whit looks like an angel when she sleeps. She’s all sweet, full lips, long, curly eyelashes, and a tumble of sleek, dark hair against the pillow.

          She also kicks like a mule, snores like a bear, sweats like a hog, and steals the covers like a fat, menacing caterpillar about to cocoon herself before her metamorphosis.

Bwahahahaha! I think I almost peed my pants when I read this line.

Whit was a strange blend of controlled and crazy, but also severely broken, vulnerable, and more guarded than the President of the United States walking into an open ring of terrorists. This girl had it all when it came to issues. Yet she also had this inner glow that only Deo managed to coax out. I have to say, though, when her secret finally came out, I did feel like I’d gotten a Whit-sized stiletto to the gut.

I loved her. I loved him. And nearly every supporting character had the ability to make me bust out laughing or glaze my eyes with tears. From the slightly nutty/hippy mother, to the crotchety but endearing grandfather to the calm, cool, eclectic tattoo artist to the loyal and sincere best friend, I fell for them all. Such a rare quality in a supporting cast.

I couldn’t really tell you how the pacing was, because the story was so scrumptiously good, I found myself rereading whole paragraphs over and over, so it took me a little longer to read this one than it should have, but I enjoyed every little delectable word, period, comma, quotation mark… I can only imagine how much fun these two authors had writing this thing. It must’ve included many caffeine-induced slaphappy all-nighters of email tag and digital high-fives.

Clearly, I loved this story.

And just so everyone knows, it is a Contemporary New Adult Romance (I love that New Adult is becoming a category!).

Score: Can you give a story 5+ stars? It’s my review so I can do whatever I want ;)

Level of enjoyment: The answer is obvious.

Recommend to friends: Um, hello… Whoever has eyes (and by that, I mean eyes for Deo), should read this.

Will I read it again: Okay, have you seen When Harry Met Sally? If you haven’t, youtube the restaurant scene. I think that sums it up.

Movie Monday- Listen To Your Heart

Netflix, Netflix, wherefore art thou, Netflix…

Netflix and I endured a long-suffering battle that ended faux-tearily in what I thought would be a permanent separation. It was annoying to have to turn on the Xbox to use it, the movie selection at the time was poor, the search engine sucked, oh the woes of the First World... (If you haven't read these, they're hilarious.)

For too long, Mr. Netflix and I wafted, teetered on the brink of divorce, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Then they raised their prices, split the services down the middle, and Redbox became the reigning Convenience Champion of Movie Nation. So, I shouted: Good riddance eight-ninety-nine piece of crap, don’t let your ass bump my ‘cancelled account’ email on the way out! I breathed a sigh of relief, dusted my hands off on my jeans, and stomped over to the sink to do the dishes. Cable sucks, but so what? I didn’t need TV, and I didn’t need Netflix. But when our TV broke down and his bright red, well-designed outline-fonted button glowed at me from the remote of our new LED 3D TV, I couldn’t look away. We, he and I, were stuck there, momentarily locked with our histories reeling past our eyes, and I felt weak.

But it was short-lived. I fisted my hands, set the remote on the coffee table, gritted my teeth, and walked away. Again. Then the wooing began. A draw of my eye toward his pop of color on our black remote. The hush of his whisper in my conscience with that unmistakable air of seduction.

Mr. Netflix: Give me another chance. I've changed. I have so much to offer. (Like I haven't heard that one before.)

Me: Not from what I remember. (Damn straight.)

Mr. Netflix: You haven’t seen me in so long, how do you know? Check out my new sexy interactive menu. You won’t even recognize me.

Me: I don’t think so, Mr. Netflix. We tried this before, and I gave it my all. It. Didn’t. Work!

I really thought I had him with that. I barreled through. I was strong. But Mr. Netflix did not come to the table unprepared.

Mr. Netflix: But it’s one month free. How can a beautiful, beautiful woman like yourself turn down FREE?

Me: (blushing) Mr. Netflix, please. I’m married. But…

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Okay, if you’re thinking I fell for that double beautiful comment, you’d be wrong. But another weekend of absolutely nothing on cable totally did me in. I caved, rejoined, and my oh my, Mr. Netflix, you were not kidding. Your new sexy interactive menu is so full of promise, choice, and endless hours of adding fun-looking and inspirational indie movies to my Instant Queue….

Which brings me to my choice of the day.

LISTEN TO YOURHEART

This little gem would not have found its way to me if it weren’t for Mr. Neflix and my joyous reunion.

Synopsis (from IMDB)

Danny (Kent Moran) has an apartment as small as his paychecks, no family, and a struggling music career. But with unwavering optimism, for Danny, "every day is a great day to be alive." It's love at first sight when Danny meets Ariana (Alexia Rasmussen), a wealthy hearing-impaired girl from Greenwich, CT who tragically cannot hear the music she inspires him to write. Ariana is torn between hanging onto the shelter her controlling mother (Cybill Shepherd) provides and fighting for a love that, if just given the chance, might just change her life. When tragedy strikes, determined that nothing can keep them apart, they must trust in the power of their love, and together discover just how important it is to "listen to your heart."

WARNING: SUBTLE SPOILERS.

My first impression of the movie was that it was low budget, maybe less than stellar acting, but duh, I knew what I was getting into when I started it. Other than that, I was very drawn in by the opening song, where the main character (a musician) is singing one of his compositions, and I have to say, I was captivated. And being a late-bloomed addict of ABC Family’s SwitchedAt Birth, Ariana’s disability was a pull to me even before I hit play. (I’ve become only a little hyper-obsessed with signing. I may fake having a deaf friend just so I can have an excuse to take ASL, because I think it’s such a neat and beautiful language.)

Danny and Ariana’s first meet was all eyes. Obviously love at first sight, but so cute, I couldn’t fault them using this tactic for the movie. It felt real to me. Cybill Shephard is perfetto! in her role as Ariana’s controlling, manipulative, heinous wench of a mother, and to see Ariana rise above, not only her disability, but her thousand pound weight of a mother was truly applause-worthy. I literally wanted to stand up off my couch, eyes glazed with tears, and shout WOOHOO at the top of my lungs.

I rooted for these two the whole time, and Kent Moran was pure man-candy to ogle, a bonus. Their story kept me glued, riveted, and feel-good woozy with secondhand love… Right up until the end. I won’t divulge top-secret stuff, but I will outright say that the ending went too far for me. Well, that, and they basically stuffed every clichéd, heart-wrenching dialogue into one movie. Danny to Ariana: “Not everyone gets to say they’ve found the love of their lives.” Danny to his best friend: “You know, man, I’ve never had a brother.” Things like that, that really should be touching, but because we’ve seen them so. many. times, they’re kind of nauseating. If they would’ve weeded those out, or perhaps made them slightly more creative and less recognizable, and stopped it about a half hour sooner, LISTEN TO YOUR HEART would’ve received 5 GIANT SMOOCHES from me! But they didn’t, so they get 4. And a half. And maybe another quarter.

(Sigh…)

I really did enjoy this movie, and ended up watching it again a few days later with my mom, because I knew she’d enjoy it. It’s about becoming a champion over one’s circumstances, some unfortunate, some not, which I’m a total sucker for. It’s about friendship, brotherhood, rising above our sad economy (a smaller storyline). But most of all it’s about love, and with love as real as Danny and Ariana’s, who can resist a little peek, regardless of my personal feelings.

Danny and Ariana, you made me heart you. Thanks ;)