Mysterious Saturday Review: Buried in Buttercream

*17th in the series*

Savannah's recovering from her previous adventure where five bullets entered her body. She still gets tired. She still has the scars. She's still angry.

Despite that, she's ready to live her life in a big way. She's finally getting married to Dirk. Unfortunately, on their wedding day, the venue burns down.

Their next wedding day, Savannah discovers their wedding planner dead moments before the ceremony. It seems that everybody had a reason to hate the wedding planner from her ex-husband to her former business partner to her ex boyfriend's wife. Finding the murderer isn't easy.

Finding another wedding venue proves much harder. With Savannah's family all staying with her in her little house, she's feeling pressure from all sides.

My Thoughts: I love this series. This addition was lighter than the previous book, but still contained the weight of the matter as Savannah goes through recovery - both psychical and emotional.   I loved the sweet moments between Savannah and Dirk. I enjoy Savannah's crazy family - they're entertaining for sure. I love their Southern language.   The identity of murderer kept me guessing until the very end. I can't wait to read the next one to find out if life changes for Savannah and Dirk. 


Cover Thoughts: Love it, especially the skeletons!


Source: My Library

Review: Pretty Crooked

Willa and her mom move to a posh neighborhood where Willa enrolls in private school. It's the first time they've had money.  Willa isn't too sure about the school, but she lands among the Glitterati.

She soon discovers that the popular girls aren't the nicest girls. They talk trash about their fellow students, especially those students on scholarship. Willa can't bring herself to break up with the Glitterati, but she wants to find a way to help the scholarship students.

Willa begins thief lessons. Soon she's taking money from purses and buying items in secret for the girls.  She's a modern day Robin Hood. Willa loves the rush she gets from seeing the scholarship girls wear the clothes. She wants to do more and more.

Will her big ideas be her downfall?

My Thoughts: In writing this review, an idea just occurred to me in the future of the series. In my mind it makes sense and I can't wait to see if it's true. I liked this book. I liked the action. I liked the modern day Robin Hood idea. There were times that I didn't like Willa and I didn't understand her decisions.  I'm interested to uncover the truth about her mother. I really liked Tre. I didn't really like Aidan, but I could see his charm.  The ending took me by complete surprise and it will keep me reading the next book.


Cover Thoughts: Cute - but it doesn't totally match the book


Source: Netgalley

Challenge: Debut Author 2012

Review: Spell Bound

*end of the trilogy - some spoilers of the previous books*

Sophie wakes up in a strange place with her life in danger. There she learns about her family history and it's secrets.


She was her family's hope for fighting the Casnoff witches but Sophie's magic has been stripped. She can feel it still fluttering in her, but she can't access her kick-butt powers. 

 When her life's in danger, magic swells in her. It takes her a moment to realize that Elodie's inhabited her body. Through Elodie's magic, she can defend herself, change her appearance, and talk through Sophie.

With a war coming, Sophie must decide to wade through all the half-truths, lies, and family drama to see the truth. She can't do much without her magic, but there is a way to retrieve it if she has the courage. Will she find a way to recover her magic and defend all whom she loves?


My Thoughts: I ADORED this trilogy!!! It has great action, danger, friendship drama, and amazing romance. I love Sophie. I love Jenna. I love the moments between them. I love the moments between Sophie and Archer. But I also like Cal. It's a great love triangle and hard to choose between the two.  I loved the ending. I can't wait to see what Rachel Hawkins writes next! She's on my instantly read list.


Cover Thoughts: Love them but they don't really match the book


Source: My Library

What's on My Hold List (5)

 

My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea.  It's to highlight the books on hold at the library. I usually have 20-40 items checked out at the library and another 20 items on hold.

Phantom of the Post Office: The 4th in this charming series. 

Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet: Love Fancy Nancy!

Renegade Magic: Loved  Kat, Incorrigible! Can't wait to continue the series.

A Killer Read: The start of a new cozy series - centering around a book club. 

Tween Tuesday Review: Keeping Secrets

Kate finds a summer job taking care of Holly. Holly's confined to a wheelchair after a car accident. There's nothing physically wrong with her, but she can't walk. Kate's job will be part companion and part nurse while Holly's mom works at the barn.

Kate hopes they won't have to go to the horse barn often. She has a secret history with horses. She's responsible for the death of the horse she used to ride. He was beautiful. Since the accident, she's turned her back on riding and horses.

She tells Holly and her mother that she's scared of horses, making it easier on herself. Holly and Kate rarely go to the horse barn. Holly, a former rider, misses horses and riding.

One day, Holly convinces Kate to watch the horses ride. When one of the riders gets hurt - Kate acts instinctively. Soon her secret is out. Will she be able to stay out of the horse world?

My Thoughts: A cute fun read centered on one girl's summer.  I loved the horse barn - the description of the horses made me want to go horse back riding. I loved the competition - especially the cross country competition. I hated Angela - the girl who must win blue ribbons to capture her mother's attention.  I liked Holly and her story. I'm anxious to see where that goes next. A fun tween read for girls who loves horses, friendship drama, and a dash of romance.


Cover Thoughts: Great! I love the horse jumping!


Source: from the author - thanks Maggie!


Up Next: Racing into Trouble

Similar Read: Canterwood Crest series

Review: Out of Sight, Out of Time

*the 5th and final book in the Gallagher Girls series - this review will contain spoilers if you haven't read the rest of the series.*

Cammie left at the beginning of the summer. She wakes up in a strange bed. She's dumbfounded to learn that it's October. The last thing she remembers is leaving school.

She has scars on her body she doesn't remember. Her hair's a different color. Her body is different. She is different. As she regains her strength, she learns she's in the alps.

With one phone call, her mom (and headmistresses of Gallagher Academy) is on her way to retrieve her. Once back at school Cammie must deal with the fact that her memory isn't returning, her friends are mad at her for leaving, and her mom begs her to leave her past in the past.

Cammie's not about to let her missing memory rule her life.  Will she uncover something she wished she had left alone?

My Thoughts: I adore this series and devoured the book. I'm sad to see the series end, but I loved it. I love Cammie for her strength, her determination, and her courage. I love her snark. It was hard watching her struggle to regain a sense of self.  While it was hard reading the ending of the series, I feel as though the loose ends were tied up and the readers leave Cammie in a good place. I adore Ally Carter and can't wait to see what she writes next (along with book 3 in the Heist Society series)

Cover Thoughts: Cute and ties in with the other covers

Source: My Library

EDITED TO ADD: I've been told that this ISN'T the final book in the series. I can't tell you how happy that makes me!

Mysterious Saturday Review: Perception

*2nd in the series - Clarity is the first book*

 After the summer, Clare's gained a reputation in school. She
s not bullied quite so much. Some of the popular crowd want to befriend her. Still, the moments from the summer haven't faded.

She's still trying to figure out her feelings for Justin and Gabriel.  Perry's spending a lot of time in his room or fighting with Clare.

When a local girl goes missing, Clare's anxious to help.  She's not sure what she can do without anyone wanting her assistance.

Then she starts receiving notes from a secret admirer.  It's not long before the notes escalate. She can feel someone watching her. The notes become pictures and presents. While Clare doesn't know the culprit, she's getting jumpy. Even around her new friend.

Could the disappearance be connected to her stalker? Is she next on the list?

My Thoughts: I devoured this book - just as I did the first one. I love Clare. She's smart, sassy, and unique. I love her power. I loved her struggle between the two guys (although I'm really glad about the one she chose). I found Mallory interesting. I loved the suspense and the creepiness of the stalker angle.  So looking forward to more!


Cover Thoughts: Love it!


Source: My Library


Fun Fact: Kim lives kind of close and she'll be coming to my library to kick off the Teen Summer Reading Program. How awesome is that?


Up Next: Did you know that Kim has a new middle grade series starting? It looks super cute! It's out May 1st. I can't wait to check it out.