Michael Vey: Prisoner of Cell 25 - Richard Paul Evans

Summary Of This Book:
To everyone at Meridian High School, fourteen-year-old
Michael Vey is nothing special, just the kid who has
Tourette's syndrome. But in truth, Michael is
extremely special--he has electric powers. Michael
thinks he is unique until he discovers that a
cheerleader named Taylor has the same mysterious
powers. With the help of Michael's friend, Ostin,
the three of them set out to discover how Michael
and Taylor ended up with their abilities, and their
investigation soon brings them to the attention of
a powerful group who wants to control the electric
teens--and through them, the world. With only his
powers, his wits, and his friends to protect him,
Michael will need all his strength to survive....

I was asked to critique this book on a local radio station! I was over the moon ecstatic! I was personally asked by the person of the radio station! It's a way to use my interest for something! So I was ordered a copy and I set to work reading!
This book is SO out of the genre I usually read. But I LOVED it! It got me hooked by the first chapter, and I don't think I was ever unhooked from it! I wasn't sure I would like it, cause it's not the kind of book I would read.
I loved that the main character, Michael Vey, wasn't some popular kid like how it usually is. He's picked on and he also has Tourette's syndrome. But what most people don't know about him is he has a super power. He is electrical, and can shock people, or anything metal! And he's not the only one... Taylor Ridley, the most popular girl in school, also has a super power. She can reboot people, making them forget what their doing. She can also read minds as long as she's touching the person. When she finds out Michael's like her, she is determined to find out how they are like they are. She then finds out that they were born in the same hospital, just a couple days apart.
Michael and Taylor team up with the help of Michael's super genius friend Ostin, to find out how they became electrical. They find out that there's ten other kids just like them!
One of my favorite characters in the book other than Michael and Taylor was Ostin, Michael's friend. He was hilarious! His brain is FILLED with some useless some very interesting facts. If you say one thing he will go into a monologue of that specific thing! A lot of times Michael or Taylor would stop him from rambling on. Ostin kinda reminded me of one of my friends. He is wickedly smart, and knows A LOT of facts! Maybe that's why I liked Ostin so much! :D Also Ostin thinks he's a ladies man, but really he's not. He hits on every girl, including Michael's mom! He was constantly saying to Michael "Dude, your mom's hot!" LOL
Even though this book is TOTALLY different than what I usually read I cannot wait for the next book in the series! You can bet I'll be waiting impatiently for August!

Emily's Rating For This Book:

This rating does not even come close to the awesomeness of this book! But that's as high as my rating goes is five stars, but just know I would give it MUCH higher!

My next book is the next book in the Tea Shop Mystery series by Laura Childs, Gunpowder Green.


God bless!

The Sheriff's Surrender - Susan Page Davis

Summary Of The Book:
A murder in Fergus, Idaho, has the town’s women scared.
But the men don’t seem able to stop the rash of thefts,
assaults, and vandalism that follow. Half a dozen
women band together to arm themselves against trouble.
The gunsmith's plain sister, the emporium's owner,
a couple of rancher's wives and saloon girls take
their shooting lessons seriously. The men are
skeptical at first and slightly amused. The new
minister's wife shocks the town by joining the club,
and other women follow her lead. When they show no
sign of letting up on their drill, the men beg the
sheriff to disband the club and put their women back
where they belong. Those are fighting words to the
ladies. Domestic rebellion threatens until a new
murder grabs everyone's attention. Will the sheriff
and his men find the killer and put him away?
Or will that honor belong to the Ladies'
Shooting Club?

Susan Page Davis is a new author for me. The series was recommended to me so I thought I'd give it a try. It sounded really cool! I mean tough women with guns, yeah, that's interesting!
Unfortunately, the book did not hold up to my expectations... It was slow going, and I personally did not like that it kept switching to characters who were not the main characters. It kept going to Cyrus Fennel, who by the way was not a character I would choose to keep going to his thoughts. I did not like him from the minute the author introduced him into the story.
I did like Gertrude A.K.A Gert, A.K.A Trudy (Just to Ethan though :D)character. She's tough, not the typical woman you'd read of. She's not into all the frippery other women are into, she dresses practical, not trying to show off to anyone. AND she's a crack shot! Which is one of the things I admire in Gert's personality.
She also dropped everything to go Idaho, to help her brother who was grieving the loss of his wife. She loves her family, and she's compassionate to others. She was by far the best character in the WHOLE book! But the next best was Ethan Chapman.
Ethan DID NOT want to be sheriff, but he stepped up anyway so the town of Fergus would be safe. And on a personal level, he secretly did it because he saw the fear in Gert's eyes, which is hardly in Gert's eyes. He's always secretly admired Gert, and through the book it slowly grows. Has it grown to love? Not yet, but I'm hoping to see that in the next book The Gunsmith's Gallantry.

Emily's Rating Of This Book:



The next book will be completely different from ANYTHING I've ever read! But I was asked to read it and critique it on a radio station, so that's the next book. It's called Michael Vey: The Prisoner Of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans.


God Bless!

Snowflake Bride - Jillian Hart

Summary Of The Book:
Grateful when she's hired as the Davises' maid,
Ruby Ballard vows to help save her family's farm.
There's just one problem: the boss's handsome son,
Lorenzo. He makes her forget family duty, forget her
lowly place, even forget her friends who are in love
with him! But his love is a gift that could never be
hers—not even for Christmas.

Lorenzo knows Ruby is the only woman he could marry.
Yet the quiet beauty refuses his courtship.
As the holidays approach, he will make both their
wishes come true, when he claims her at last as his
snowflake bride.


I've read all the other books in this series, and I liked them all. Everything about them. Ruby was introduced in Meredeth's story, Patchwork Bride . I liked Ruby from then on. Ruby was the shy new girl just trying to fit in. I can relate to that. I'm terribly shy, and I try SUPER hard to fit in. She also struggled with she thought she was plain and no guy is gonna look at her with adoring eyes. Again I can relate, I don't think I'm pretty, personally, I hear people say I am but I don't believe them. I think all girls struggle with this. It's hard to think that a really handsome guy is gonna turn our way.
Ruby struggled with the same thing. She secretly liked Lorenzo, but she figured a guy like that is never gonna like her, the plain shy new girl.
On the other side, Lorenzo said he fell in love with Ruby the minute he saw her. But he thought since she never showed any interest in him she didn't like him. So they both thought the other would never like the other, when in truth they both loved each other.
I understood how Ruby was feeling, but I did get frustrated with her when she was constantly saying Lorenzo would never love her. Then she continued to say she shouldn't love him, cause Scarlett and Kate had a crush on him. But you can't help who you love. Especially with he's the one God made for you!

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." -
1 John 3:18
I thought Lorenzo showed this in the book. He did things for Ruby not to get noticed, but because he loved Ruby and he wanted the best for her. He would go out of his way just to help Ruby. I thought that was just SO sweet! I definitely want a Lorenzo Davis in my life! :D


Emily's Rating Of This Book:



My next book is a new series for me. The Ladies' Shooting Club. The first book is The Sheriff's Surrender by Susan Page Davis.


God bless!

Lonestar Angel - Colleen Coble

Summary of the book:
For Eden, hope is rekindled when her estranged husband
delivers the astounding news: that their lost baby girl
has been found.

Years ago Eden and Clay Larson's baby was stolen.
Kidnappers demanded a ransom, but something went
horribly wrong at the exchange: the kidnapper's car
crashed into the river and was never recovered. Eden
blamed herself, Clay lost himself in work. Their young
and rocky marriage ended. Or so Eden thought.

Now she's met Kent. He's everything Clay wasn't: funny,
stable, and eager to please her. Just as he's about to
propose marriage at a romantic dinner, Clay arrives
and tells Eden she can't marry Kent. She's still
married to him. He never signed the divorce decree.
Even more earth-shattering than this news is that he's
never stopped looking for Brianna. Based on a tip, he
thinks their daughter is in Bluebird, Texas, at a
youth ranch. All five little girls there are the right
age, but he's not sure which is Brianna.

To discover the truth, the couple becomes counselors
to the girls at Bluebird Ranch. They move into small
quarters in the bunkhouse and oversee the kids as they
try to find out more. As they work together, their
love for the children grows and their love for each
other is rekindled. But as danger closes in, Eden and
Clay realize they've been lured to this remote West
Texas location; their lives and the lives of the
little girls are in danger. But as Eden learns,
"hope does not disappoint."


Okay I have to say I LOVE Colleen Coble's writing style. She intertwines romance, suspense, and comedy all in one! Every book I read of hers I love. I read the first three books in this series and I LOVED them. All the books in the series deals with convenient marriages. So this book was different then all the others. But I still liked it. Did I love it? No. But I did like it. It did catch me in the first chapter and had me clinging on till the very end.
I felt sorry for Eden for all the trials she went through in her life. From having a bad mother who abandoned her, being in foster care till she was eighteen, losing her daughter, and her marriage falling apart. She finally gets her life turned around after all the tragedy. Until Clay enters her life again and her world is turned upside down with his declaration of their daughter still being alive! And then that their still married! Eden is pulled into Clay's search for their daughter at the Bluebird Ranch, a ranch that takes in foster kids to help them. They find out that their daughter is one of the kids at the ranch.
They decide to work as counselors for the ranch. A lot of things happen but I'm not gonna mention them cause I don't want to spoil anything! :P
I wish I knew what it was about the book that made me not love it like the other books in the series. I did like it, but I can't say I loved it. But all in all I still LOVE all books by Colleen Coble, and I cannot wait to read future books by her!

Emily's Rating Of This Book:


My next book will be the next book in the series Buttons and Bobbins by Jillian Hart, Snowflake Bride.

Finally A Bride - Vickie McDonough

Summary of the book:
Jacqueline 'Jack' Davis is a reporter for the Lookout Ledger bent on discovering the truth and nabbing her story at any cost. When Noah Jeffers comes to Lookout as a temporary pastor, Jack suspects there may be something hidden beneath his shepherding ways. Soon, though, Jack begins to be attracted to the new pastor despite her initial hesitation. But as she uncovers the truth, will this story cost her too much? Will she reveal what she's uncovered or keep it hidden to protect newfound love? Carly Payton returns to Lookout after years in prison, hoping to rebuild her life there. But she soon discovers that new beginnings and second chances are not always easy to find. Garret Corbett is determined to marry--but not to a jailbird like Carly. When Carly is equally repelled by Garret's prank-playing ways, will the two see past their dislike and give each other--and love--a second look?

Again I LOVED the other two books in this series and the last one :( did not disappoint.
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." - Ephesians 1:7
With this book this verse stuck out. Carly Payton is out of jail for what she did while she was stuck in her outlaw brother's gang. She could not find a way out of his gang so she was forced to stay in. She spent six years in jail for what she did, and was made new in Jesus Christ. She hopes to be accepted by the town of Lookout, but sadly only a few people accept her. When she gets back to Lookout, people still see her as the outlaw she was when she first came to the town impersonating one of the brides the Corbett brothers had ordered for Luke Davis, their cousin. At first Garrett snubs her, thinking she's not changed. Until he gets to know her more and starts falling for her. Carly is attracted to Garrett as soon as she first laid eyes on him after ten years. They soon fall in love once Garrett see the diamond under Carly's rough exterior.
I loved reading about how Jacqueline, 'Jack' has grown up. She's now a reporter for her town's newspaper. She always figured she would never marry. She never really trusted guys, because of what her first father did to her and her mom Rachel. It's taken ten years for Jack to really warm up to Luke, and accept him as a good guy that won't hurt her or her mom.
Enter Noah Jeffers the town's new pastor. The verse above fits for Noah's story too. As a kid he did a lot of bad things. Until he accepted Jesus Christ as his savoir then he was made new. He lived in Lookout as a kid and now is back. When he's back he tries to reconcile for what he did as a kid. Jack instantly is attracted to him though she won't admit it. Noah secretly liked Jack when he was just a kid, and when he sees her again he falls head over heels in love with her, pretty quickly. They both slowly come to grips about the feelings they have for each other. Noah makes it pretty clear he likes Jack, but she's weary of him, at first. Jack slowly starts to open up to Noah. Until he tells her who he really is!
All in all I love this series and I was sad to see it end. Vickie McDonough know how to write western romances!

Emily's Rating Of This Book:


My next book will be the newest book in the Lonestar series by Colleen Coble, Lonestar Angel.



God Bless!

Second Chance Brides - Vickie McDonough

Summary of the book:
After a mail-order bride debacle, both Shannon O'Neil and Leah Bennett find themselves stranded in Texas. There are only two options available to them: get a job or find another man to marry. The Corbett brothers, Garrett and Mark, try to atone for the mess they created when they ordered their cousin three mail-order brides by hosting Saturday socials for the town's eligible singles. Will Shannon, the Irish immigrant, be wooed out of her timidity by the gallant rancher Rand Kesler? Or will Mark Corbett recognize something special in her green eyes? When the livery owner comes to Leah's rescue, will she find a diamond in the rough? Or snub him and seek out a more well-to-do man? The Lookout citizens are in for a wild ride before wedding bells toll again in town.


Sorry it so long to upload this review. Since school has started I have less time to blog. Also I started a job babysitting a little girl I even less time.

I read The Anonymous Bride months ago and could not wait to read the second book in the series. I loved The Anonymous Bride and fell in love with the characters. I could not help but feel sorry for Shannon and Leah as their stranded in a strange town and alone. Their only option is to either find a job or marry.

I loved both Shannon and Leah's characters. Shannon with her quiet personality, but don't get her mad or you'll see her Irish temper come out full swing! And Leah, with her strong-willed take charge personality.
Along with the Corbett brothers. Mark with his silent, mature personality until it comes to his brother pulling pranks on him then his temper comes out as well. I like Mark because he's compassionate, and gentle. And Garrett, who never quite grew up, and is a little boy in a grown mans body. I like Garrett because he likes to enjoy life and never take some things to seriously, he likes to live in the moment.

I loved that Vickie continued the story with Rachel and Luke as well. I loved reading about their story and I like that I can continue reading about their story with the second book. But I liked that she kept the focus on Leah and Shannon's love stories.
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." - Isaiah 1:18
That verse kinda stuck out to me when I was reading this book. Mark felt he was a bad person for something he did in the past. Clearly our sins are made as white as snow because of the grace of God. Mark struggles to remember that he is made new in Jesus Christ. He almost loses Shannon because of his struggle.

Emily's Rating For This Book:


My next book is the last book in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series Finally A Bride.




God Bless!

Dining With Joy - Rachel Hauck

Summary Of This Book:
Joy Ballard has a secret:
she's a cooking show host who can't really cook.

When her South Carolina-based cooking show, Dining With Joy,
is picked up by a major network,
Joy Ballard's world heats up like a lowcountry boil.

Joy needs help. Then she meets chef Luke Davis
who moved to Beaufort after losing his Manhattan restaurant.
A cook at the Frogmore Cafe,
he's paying debts and longing to regain his
reputation in the elite foodie world.

Luke and Joy mix like oil and water…until
Joy is exposed on national television.
With her career and his reputation both under fire,
they'll have to work together to fix the mess.
Is it possible that they can learn to
feast on God's love and dine with joy?

This book caught my eye while I was browsing through my local library. I've never heard of Rachel Hauck before, so she's a new author. I was just blankly looking at ALL the books on the shelf, let me tell you, my paradise is just walking through a library! :D But I was walking around just browsing and found this book, read the description of the book, and thought it sounded interesting.
Let me tell you, the description did not disappoint. I was hooked by the first chapter, and never got unhooked! I loved reading about the back and forth between Joy and Luke. It was comical and sweet at the same time, if that makes sense. Joy brought out the funny, class-clown in Luke, and Luke brought out the inner cook in Joy. He helped her see that her dad, did care about her, did things just for her. Helped her get over the bitterness she held toward her dad.
I think my favorite part of the book was when Joy was unsuspectingly put into a Cook-Off with her nemesis Wenda Divine. Luke steps in to help her and out of the gratefulness she felt toward him came out in a passionate kiss in the middle of the Cook-Off!
If this book is any indication of Rachel Hauck's other books, then I'll be definitely reading other books by her!

Emily's Rating Of This Book:


My next book will be Second Chance Brides by Vickie McDonough.


God Bless!