Portia Malatesta is an art dealer who was utterly devastated by the theft of thirteen pieces of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum where she is a docent.  Portia is even more upset that The Concert, a piece that reminded Portia of her deceased brother, Antonio is one of the missing pieces.  In an attempt to help find the missing pieces and make sense of the theft. Portia begins to analyze the pieces and put together a profile of the thief.  A chance meeting leads Portia to the FBI, who is interested in her profile.  When her information leads the FBI to a credible suspect, Portia is recruited to take part in the mission to recover the artwork.  The suspect is the son-in-law of a Columbian drug lord, leading Portia to one of the most dangerous places in Mexico. 

In 1990, thirteen pieces of art were stolen from the Gardner Museum.  However, unlike this story, they were never recovered.  The Gardner Museum theft is still an active and ongoing investigation.  The story pulled me in with Portia's passion for artwork and the author's ability to describe the pieces I have never seen.  The pacing is a little slow at first with a lot of discussion about art and why someone would have stolen the specific pieces.  While this is all fascinating, it was a lot of dialogue and rehashing some of what the reader already knew.  The pace did pick up as Portia was scouted by the FBI and sent to Mexico.  The suspense of Portia being up close and personal with the suspected thief and his family added danger as well as a sense of humanity to an art thief.  Portia's time in Mexico revealed how the drug trade transformed some Mexican cities as well as the lifestyles of everyone nearby.  It seemed almost impossible to stay out of the business as everything was connected.  I was compelled by the psychology of the pieces and what they would have meant for the thief.   Portia's insights pay off for an exciting and satisfying conclusion, if only this were true for the real pieces of stolen artwork. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Fresh water has become scarce and is now a commodity.  The Water Train brings water to the city, but is constantly being sabotaged and must be closely guarded.  Glaciers are now being towed in as a source of fresh water.  An Ice Dock must be constructed to support the giant glacier, moving entire communities in its wake.   As news of the displacement from the Ice Dock spreads, the lives of several people become entwined by the element that keeps us alive. 

Stillicide is defined as:  a continual dripping or the servitude of eavesdrop binding a servient tenement to receive from the dominant tenement rainwater from the eaves of a building located on the latter.  Stillicide is a collection of short stories all taking place within the same time frame around a future dystopian city in England struggling to receive fresh water.  At first, the stories all seem a bit disjointed, but they do give a good sense of place.  Through the eyes of the storytellers, a world where humans continue to live their daily lives as yet another catastrophe of our own making threatens to dismantle everything.  To make coffee, we harvest the respiration from trees, protests emerge as the impact of the Ice Dock is made imminent.  The writing creates the feeling of a slightly off-kilter normal or a boring dystopia.  Despite the world crashing down and the inherent risk of running out of fresh water, people are continuing on with their own drama, motivations and human needs.  As the stories continue, the connectedness becomes apparent and the power of nature over human life is shown.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Twelve year old Abbey is starting the school year at a new school once again.  This time she is in Tennessee and her school is farther from her father's Army base than usual.  Abbey has also managed to make a friend in happy and athletic Camille.  She might even make friends with the artistic and cool Jiman.  Then, September 11, 2001 comes.  Abbey wakes up with her first menstrual cycle along with the news that will change her life forever.  Once the news hits, Abbey's mother rushes to New York, her sister Rebecca is missing.  Abbey is left with her father, her new body and a new world to navigate.  As time passes, Abbey's father is deployed, and kids change their opinion about her at school, all the while her body keeps on schedule, slowly marking the months. 


Uniquely written in narrative verse, The Places We Sleep beautifully captures the thoughts of a preteen experiencing the trauma of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The writing immediately took me back to that day that connected so many of us across the country in fear.  Just like Abbey, the day has been cemented in my mind.  The verse perfectly captures the raw emotion at the time paralleled with coming of age. Through Abbey's eyes there is a deep look at the grief, depression and confusion that defined the months following the attacks. Between Abbey's Aunt, parents, and classmates there is a wide cross section of representation of how people reacted and were effected by many aspects of 9/11.  Abbey shows that while an event may seem defining, the support of friendship and love can help you through. 
​
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​John Voltaire returns to his childhood home of L along the banks of the Mississippi in order to settle his parents estate.  John thought he escaped the backwards confines of L long ago, but he is right back where he started.  Now, L is experiencing a strange plague of drownings.  More than usual, the water seems to be taking more lives than usual in an array of unusual and terrifying circumstances.  Locals are in disagreement of the cause- increases in drunken accidents, a supernatural force, a serial killer or natures revenge.  John's return coincides with the uptick and on top of the unusual circumstances, John's siblings, Cristo and Laura aren't helping much with the sale. 

Told through the device of John's scientific journal, Water Bodies presents a unique view of a very strange circumstance through the eyes of a former resident of the town and a current Doctor of Biology and Freshwater Science.  Since it is John's science journal, I really didn't get a good sense of his character.  In fact, the first section of the book is just a recounting of all of the strange recent drownings and no sense of who is recording it.  As John's family history unfolds, it also gives hints that John may not be the most reliable of narrators.  The plot of the story sort of dragged for me, but I was pulled along by the mystery of the water.  There may have been something in this story that I didn't quite get or something that went over my head and I was left unsatisfied and a little confused. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

There is trouble in the supernatural world of shifters, vampires and witches and Mina Van Helsing is stuck in the middle.  As a Reaper, a direct descendant of the Van Helsing himself, Mina has trained her entire life to police the supernatural beings who break the pacts agreed upon long ago.  On a mission gone wrong, Mina is captured and injured.  She wakes up with no recollection of the past few weeks except for strange fragments.  There is video evidence however of Mina killing two vampires without cause and for this, Mina must be punished.  Mina's parents know there is something bigger at play and have Mina sentenced to Van Helsing Academy, a rehabilitation center for wayward supernatural beings.  Mina's sentence is not just punishment, she is directed to find out the secret plot that  framed her for the vampire deaths and might begin a war between the factions.


Van Helsing Academy is a fun and exciting paranormal romance.  Mina's character is gracious, smart and not afraid to go against the status quo.  I really liked the idea of the Van Helsing Academy and that there were supernatural beings all around.  The plot was intense with multiple factions, secrets and intrigues.  The characters were all distinct.  I loved Kiera, her friendship and willingness to open up to Mina allowed Mina to realize that not all was well at the Academy and that supernatural beings were not the stereotypes that she believed.  Mina's open-mindedness helps her to see that all is not right at the Academy and that all that she was told may not be true.  Cassius, the vampire prince and the other vampires were sleek, sexy and secretive. The shifters and Sacha, the Alpha were strong, courageous and handsome.  The romance took a while to build, but felt right.  There were definitely some great steamy sections that put this book more in the New Adult category.  The ending brings together many revelations and a lot of action with a cliff hanger.  I will be diving into the next book as soon as it comes out. 


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Sylvie is new to the school. Her old-school clothes and head in the clouds demeanor make her an easy target for boys like Tommy Payne and his gang.  George knows what Tommy will do to a girl like Sylvie.  When George intervenes on Tommy's attack of Sylvie the pair become fast friends.  Sylvie accepts George with all her quirks and faults.  George accepts Sylvie's strange gift of knowing the background of the antiques at her father's shop with a simple touch.  As life moves on, Sylvie goes to University far away.  George stays and works in the antique shop waiting to desperately rekindle the feelings that they shared in school.

The Attic Tragedy is a short story about friendship and how it changes us over time.  The unique elements of Sylvie's gift brought me into the story, but isn't the main focus.  I would love to have a gift like that, to know the history of objects with a touch.  The stories Sylvie shared were amazing whether they were sweet, heartbreaking or silly. Since this is a short story, the timeline moves quickly and the characters are carved out along the way.  I do wish there was more information about Sylive's gift and George's background.  The real focus, however, is on the value of friendship and how it affects us, even if the friendship changes.  Overall, a unique story with elements of the paranormal and acceptance.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Rhett Masters is high school royalty, wealthy, good-looking and a star football player. Rhett has a new girl every day and plans to go to school on a football scholarship.  After a family tragedy that Rhett believes is his fault, his life spirals downhill and causes him to loose his chance at a football scholarship.  Rhett changes his focus to becoming one the Elite, a secret society in New Orleans that recruits seven members a year.  The Elite will pave the way for Rhett's future, but getting in will come at a price.  The task that the Elite give Rhett seems simple for a guy like him, but once Rhett learns more about the the woman he has to target, he has to choose her reputation over his dream.


From the absolutely heart-wrenching opening of Lust, I knew I was hooked.  I really liked the idea of the secret society, The Elite and how they were based on evil and sin.  Rhett seemed like he was going to be the stereotypical good-looking bad boy, however, his motivations were much deeper.  From the beginning, I could tell that Rhett had much deeper emotional motivations than her ever showed on the surface.  Rhett's initiation into the Elite was intense, but predictable.  Although, Rhett and Chastity did make a really cute couple and the heat and dirtiness factor ramped up when their relationship took off.  I can't wait to go deeper into the stories of the other seven member, especially Rhett's friend, God.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Mason and Evelyn Blackwell have been in the foster care system for years.  Mason is almost out when the siblings are placed with the Griffin family.  Lillian Griffin decides that Mason will be the perfect leader for her secret society since he has so much to lose if he doesn't do exactly as Lillian says.   Holding Evelyn as a bargaining chip, Lillian puts Mason through hell until he agrees to lead the initiates of the Elite.  Mason must delegate evil deeds to the other members to complete as well as complete his own.  Mason's task is to expose the dark secret of the new Theology professor at St. Augustine University.  However, once he finds out who the unlikely professor is, Mason's task becomes much more difficult. 


The second book in The Elite Seven series focuses on the group's leader, Mason who has been given the sin of pride.  So far, books one and two have meshed together really well, keeping characterization and timeline all in sync.  In Pride, the evil nature of The Elite Seven becomes apparent as Mason is a very reluctant initiate.  Mason's life has not been easy, so his character is more relatable than Rhett in book one, Lust. Through Mason, we find out a lot more about LIllian's character, her motivations and how much pull she has within the Elite.  Mason's story line is as much seated in revenge against Lillian as it is his relationship with his target, Meghan.  Mason and Meghan's relationship was explosive, dirty, hot and incredibly sexy.  These steamy scenes also happened a lot throughout the book, so this one has a high heat rating.  Pride's story pushes along the plot of the Elite Seven society and leads into the next story of Wrath. 
 
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

​Samuel Gunner grew up in an abusive household- told by his father he was the reason for his mother's death and physically assaulted by his grandparents as well as countless nannies.  Samuel learned early on that if he acted up, he could keep the focus and pain on himself and off of his twin sister Sabella.  As Samuel grew, so did his anger.  Now, Samuel is looking for a way to permanently separate himself from his father.  The opportunity comes when Samuel learns about the Elite, a secret society with power and money.  Samuel attracts their attention, but has to complete a task in order to get in.  The task is to seduce and then break the heart of the mayors daughter, Patience.  This would typically be an easy task for Samuel; however, Patience is the only girl that Samuel has ever considered a friend and he broke her heart years ago.
Wrath is the third book in The Elite Seven series and now some of the stories are beginning to connect and the Elite players are becomming familiar.  Samuel is a difficult character to connect to.  With his sin of wrath Samuel is a difficult character to get to know.  He is angry and a jerk all the time to pretty much everyone around him, even to those who don't deserve it.  It wasn't until a little after halfway through the story when Samuel receives his Elite task with Patience that he begins to soften and we can see his true personality.  The romance with Patience seemed a little off to me, but considering their past history was probably just right for them.  The sex scenes didn't capture me as much as the other books, but this may have been because of Samuel's need for dominance. The ending leaves many questions to be answered with Samuel's position within the elite, his sister Sabella as well as Elite brother Sebastian.  
​
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Sebastian Westbrook seems to have everything: wealth, cars, fancy digs and good looks.  However, the one thing he wants seems to continuously slip through his fingers- a girlfriend.  Sebastian doesn't just want meaningless sex, he can get that whenever he wants.  He needs someone loyal to him, someone who makes him feel good about himself.  After Sebastian causes some trouble, his uncle decides to place Sebastian at St. Augustine in order to try to get him noticed by a secret society, The Elite.  Sebestian agrees since The Elite might be just the way to get him noticed by the type of woman who would treat him right.  Sebastian uses his computer skills and ruthlessness to gain a spot into The Elite.  With the Elite he finds a brotherhood and with the brotherhood, a woman who he thinks is worthy.  Sebastian's task for The Elite is easy for him and he quickly refocuses on the woman of his dreams, Sabella.  However, when Sabella doesn't agree to everything Sebastian wants, things begin to unravel and everything Sebastian has built up for himself might come crashing down. 


Envy is book four in The Elite Seven Series.  I would highly recommend reading at least book three, Wrath, beforehand since the stories are inextricably linked.  Envy breaks the mold of the other Elite brothers.  Sebastian is different and he just doesn't have some qualities of the sin he is given, but truly encompasses the meaning of Envy by destroying the lives of others for what he covets and not caring about the causalities it causes. Sebastian's character is darker and isn't a character that I could get behind, but is a character I understood.  Though most of his actions are heinous, I understood his need to be part of the group and his willingness to do anything to get there.  I sort of liked the break of the obvious romantic interest that the other stories had and Sebastian's infatuation with Sabella heightened the suspense.  I really want to jump into the next book after this since so much went wrong for Sebastian at the end.  

Baxter Samuel Goddard V, or God to his friends has been given life on a silver platter.  His father is one of the richest men in the world an has made sure that everything is in excess.  This also means that he was able to buy God into The Elite, the controlling secret society in New Orleans.  God takes on The Elite mostly for his best friend, Rhett so they can be members together.  However, the task that God has been given will directly impact Rhett and their friendship.  God completes his task for The Elite, but also injures a young woman in the process.  Even though God's dad takes care of any consequences for the snafu, God feels terrible for ruining the life of the woman and stays by her side throughout her recovery.  Zemira is horrified that the man who hurt her is there when she wakes up; but, he is helpful and the only one she has.  As she recovers, Zemira discovers that maybe all Gluttony needed was a little lesson in temperance.   

Gluttony is the fifth book in The Elite Seven Series and things are getting really good now. I would definitely read the other four books beforehand since a lot of plot points are beginning to come together in this book. I actually really liked God's character, he was flawed and he knew it and his worst fear was becomming his father. Though it seemed wrong, I really enjoyed the progression and romance between God and Zemira. I was well paced and surprisingly respectful. They turned out to be exactly what each other needed. Gluttony moves the plot along at a good pace as well. I was glad to find out more about Lillian's situation and see what her consequences were to her scheming. Wrath's story is also continued and it looks like there might be some closure for Sabella and some ramifications for Envy. The ending seems to signify that some change is coming with this class of The Elite and I definitely want to jump into the next two books soon.

​Rush Dempsey doesn't care about much in life except finding out the truth about what killed his mother.  He knows that the secret society, The Elite has something to do with it.  It isn't until his father mentions that Rush is a candidate for the very same group that he is compelled to do something again.  Rush knows that getting into to The Elite will be the only way to destroy it.  His task to become a member of the group is to desecrate Archbishop Savoie's daughter, Isabelle on the alter of the church.  Rush's task becomes easy when Isabelle is pushed into her hands and taking down The Elite is in sight.  No one expects the laziest member of the group to have planned so carefully.


Sloth is the sixth book in The Elite Seven series.  Sloth brings together a lot of the previous stories, so I would definitely recommend reading the rest of the series first.  Rush is motivated from the very beginning to end The Elite and expose their secrets.  His character, from the outside seems like to least likely to do so, however; Sloth is just a cover for patience.  I enjoyed Rush's relationship with Isabelle and the fact that it didn't seemed forced or even too tied to his task.  The romance is sweet and sexy with plenty of steamy scenes.  Isabelle was courageous on her own and I was glad that she was able to use Rush to get out from under her father.  For a book about Sloth, this installment was really action packed as Rush and his brothers begin to bring down The Elite.  I was impressed at how well all of the stories have fit together so far and can't wait to see if Rush's plan will work in the last book, Greed. 

​Micah Dixon wants it all.  Above all he wants to know what happened to his best friend, Mason and his sister, Evelyn.  Two years ago, Micah asked his father with help protecting them, but it was all lies.  With membership to New Orleans secret society, The Elite, Micah will be able to figure out a way to make up for it all.  The Elite have control of both Mason and Evelyn, and together they are going to find a way to bring it all down.  First, Micah has to take care of his task. Then there is  Sabella, the twin sister of Wrath and the girl that everyone believes that Envy has killed.  


Greed is the last book in The Elite Seven Series and needs to be read last.  Micah's story brings together the suspense that has been building within the past six books.  The brothers are finally ready to take The Elite into their own hands by taking out the old order.  For this book, the story switches between Micah and Sabella's point of view.  The women's characters have been just as influential in the story as much as the men's.  Sabella regains her self confidence and builds her strength with Micah and becomes just as much a part of the group.  I'm glad that their romance was slower and took the time Sabella needed to find confidence again without losing any of the steamy scenes. The ending is exciting, violent and accomplishes what it needs.  I do wish there was a continuation of what this set of brothers achieve afterward.  

​Billy Strikeleather is returning home to the Chinati Indian Reservation after a washed up NFL career.  He returns to help his uncle, Sam with something that has been happening in the hot springs on the reservation.  In college, Billy earned a geology degree and suspects that the issues of the hot springs has something to do with the hydraulic fracturing nearby.  However, as soon as Billy and Sam reach the springs, they are shot at.  Billy does get a small sample from the spring and recognizes it as dysprosium, a rare earth mineral he studied in college that could have the ability to wreak havoc on the energy and big oil markets and give a payday to the Chinati people.  Billy's discovery begins a whirlwind of trouble as every player tries to get their hands into the dysprosium source for different reasons.


Ascending Power highlights the modern day David and Goliath struggle between energy corporations and Native Americans.  From the very beginning I was grabbed by the action, suspense and Billy's character.  I liked that Billy was struggling and was invested in using a skill other than football to save his town.  The narration begins from his point of view and I wanted to see the rest of the story through his eyes; however, in order to get the full view of the many different sides of the story, the point of view changed hands many different times.  With the numerous characters, I felt that not all of them were fully fleshed out and some became a stereotyped or caricatured version of themselves.  The suspense and many plot twists kept me reading and I'm glad that Billy story felt resolved.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

​Will Alexander is a lawyer, an up-and-comer at his firm who is just trying to get through the daily grind. His life changes when he meets Erica, a social worker turned energy healer.  Will and Erica are drawn to one another.  Erica sees a strong energy around Will, one that he doesn't realize he possesses.  Will tries to dismiss Erica's beliefs as eccentricities, however as he is pulled more into Erica's life and healing practice, Will's own beliefs begin to waver as Erica tells Will that he has helped her patients simply by being with them and one of Will's legal clients feels a weight lifted off of his shoulders after Will met with him.  Will begins to realize that there might be something about him that can help others, but his beliefs are still on the fence and his legal mind won't allow him to admit to doing anything, even as he begins to take on his own clients in Erica's practice.  

The Reluctant Healer is a book to read with an open mind.  It is the story of a perfectly ordinary man, Will -who thoroughly believes he is an ordinary man despite evidence of the extraordinary.  There isn't a lot of action or suspense in The Reluctant Healer, it is  mostly the story of Will coming to grips with forces within himself yet outside of his control, and slowly changing his worldview and belief system.  Even without a lot of excitement,  The Reluctant Healer still had me intrigued.  I really wanted to know what Will's ability was, how he was going to decide how to use it and if it had any limits.  Since this is a story of Will, his character is really the only one who is fully fleshed.  Erica is a large part of the story, yet I didn't get the feeling that I knew her too well.  Will's choices were what powered the story.  I found some choices very natural and some choices baffling, especially towards the end.  Overall, The Reluctant healer is a story of opening your mind to a world of opportunities beyond what you would normally consider.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Vivienne Davenport is a high-schooler who is still reeling after the death of her mother to cancer.  Now living with her grandmother, Vivienne looks back on memories of her mother and finds that she is adopted.  When her grandmother won't give her any answers about her biological mother, Vivienne enlist her friend Savannah to track down her biological mom.  Vivienne and Savannah find Claire easily enough, but not any answers.  When Vivienne returns, her mom has disappeared and Vivienne is let in on the secret of her adoption and the curse of her family.  She is a witch and an immortal has taken her mother in order to get to Vivienne.  Now, with a new family and new powers to figure out, Vivienne must find her mother and figure out their curse. 


This is a fast-paced young adult paranormal centered around witches.  I enjoyed the premise of the story with a young woman learning about her family of witches and trying a break a curse from the past.  However, the pacing of this book was extremely fast.  This made for a quick and easy read, but I was left wanting to know more of the characters, the setting and the curse.  I'm not quite sure that I really got to know Vivienne's character or any of her many family members that she quickly acquired.  I think I knew more about her best friend, Savannah through Vivienne's eyes.  I did like the overall themes of family, purpose and coming-of-age that resounded throughout the story.  I also thought the mystery of Vivienne's opal ring and the curse was intriguing.  I would have loved to see more of a developed story line for the ring's original owner, Lisette instead of just brief flashbacks.  The book did quickly wrap up with an exciting battle, but left me wanting more.  I would definitely dive into the sequel.