Guardians of Stone by Anita Clenney

Guardians of Stone by Anita Clenney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Anita Clenney's books are always exciting. Things are happening and there are twists and unexpected turns. This book lives up to that promise. The story is about a girl, Kendall, who has the gift of discovering things about people and objects by touching them or something that belonged to them which makes her unusually adept at finding lost items. She works for Nathan, a rich collector who is searching for a specific ancient box for reasons he will not disclose. Then there's Jake who also works for Nathan as a "tough" guy, good in a fight, and skilled at finding and protecting people. Nathan sends Jake and Kendall to Italy to find the box. The box is under the protection of the Protettori, an organization begun many many years ago. The locals say the castle is cursed and anyone that goes there doesn't come back. Their adventures are exciting and the situations they find themselves in are comical as well as extremely dangerous. There are lots of secret passageways and strange guardians all over. Kendall is having revelations like she had been to the castle before, but she doesn't remember that. Of course, there is a bit of a love interest between Jake and Kendall as well as some kind of relationship between Nathan and Kendall, but we don't know exactly what. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. I know it is leading up to a sequel, but it didn't seem finished enough to move on. We didn't discover the truth about Jake or Nathan or their relationship. I was just a little disappointed that at least one of the mysteries didn't get solved.


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The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

by Jasper Fforde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had been reading about the Thursday Next books on several blogs and I was curious to read one. I chose this first one of Jasper Fforde's novels, "The Eyre Affair." I had listened to "Jane Eyre" on an audiobook last year so I knew the story and, in particular, how it ended. "The Eyre Affair" was very entertaining, but a little strange. I chose it for our book club's October selection. One of the ladies in our club claimed, "I like unusual books. This is one of the strangest I've come across." Hahaha. She likes mysteries and crime-solvers. Anyway, it wasn't exactly what I expected, but it was okay. I don't have a real strong desire to go out and find another one, but I'm glad I read this one.


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Dark Nebula by W.J. May - cover reveal

Nothing is as it seems anymore.

Leery from the horrifying incident at the end of her first year at Guilder Boarding School, Rae Kerrigan is determined to learn more about her new tattoo. looks Her expectations are high, an easy senior year and a happy reunion with Devon— the boy she’s not supposed to date. All hopes of happiness fade into shattered dreams the moment she steps back on campus.

Lies and secrets are everywhere, and a betrayal cuts Rae deeply. Among her conflicts and enemies, it appears as if her father is reaching out from beyond the grave to ruin her life. With no one to trust, Rae doesn’t know where or who to turn to for help.

Has her destiny been written? Or will she becomes the one thing she hates the most-- her father’s prodigy.

Dark Nebula is available December 15th

It is the sequel to Rae of Hope, part of the Chronicles of Kerrigan

See my review of Rae of Hope here.

BIO OF W. J. MAY:

 

Wanita May grew up in the fruit belt of Ontario - St.Catharines. With a crazy-happy childhood, she has always had a vivid imagination and way too much energy.

The youngest of six -- four older brothers, and a sister -- taught her at a young age to be competitive in all aspects of life.

At sixteen, she began competing in athletics (track and field) and before she turned seventeen, she was representing Canada in high jump. She continued to compete, breaking Canada's JR High Jump record (1.92m - 6' 3 1/2" for those metric-ly challenged). She attented University of Toronto, and Kansas State University - winning CIAU's and becoming All-American 6x - NCAA Indoors Runner Up + more.

But you're not interested in her athletic career - unless of course you're curious to know she stands 1.70m (5'7") and has jumped 20cm over her head on more than one occasion. She's represented Canada at the World Championships, World Jrs., won Francophone Games, and loved every minute of every competition. From the grueling workouts, the crazy weights she lifted on her back, the days she thought her lungs were going to spit out of her mouth for lack of oxygen, the traveling around the world and the opportunity to read - her favorite past time.

Life continued with her husband (a distance runner from Liverpool, UK, who she met at KSU) and then their first, then second and finally third child. Their house became full of more imagination and stories. Wanita and her husband run an online business, dealing in antiques and collectables - particularly jewelry and porcelain

After her father passed away in 2009, from a six-year battle with cancer (which she still believes he won the fight against), she began to write again. A passion she'd loved for years, but realized life was too short to keep putting it off.

Her first book, Rae of Hope - from the Chronicles of Kerrigan, published by Mitchell Morris Publishing debuted Oct 2011. Rae of Hope, the first book in the series is going to be free to download on Amazon October 15th.

Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Rae-Hope-Chronicles-Kerrigan-ebook/dp/B005LJEVJQ/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC&qid=1329789966&sr=8-2

Dark Nebula is available December 15th, 2012.

She is represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Wanita is a writer of Young Adult, Fantasy Fiction and where ever else her little muses take her.

Her LINKS:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-WJ-May-FAN-PAGE/141170442608149

Twitter: @wanitajump

Website: www.wanitamay.yolasite.com

Email: wanitamay@aol.com

Book Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/wanitajump

Where Rainbows End by Cecilia Ahern

Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was written as a series of letters - well, e-mails, letters & text messages. I know there's a name for that type of book, but I can't remember it right now. Anyway, I liked the way it was written. The story was about Rosie and her best friend, Alex. That's the bottom line. They went through their whole lives from age 7 to 50 something corresponding with each other, standing up at each other's wedding, supporting each other across an ocean and loving each other although neither one was brave enough to admit it. At age 17, Alex moved to Boston because his Dad got a glorious job there. He couldn't make it to Rosie's end-of-school dance, so she went with someone else, got very drunk and got pregnant! Yes, her dreams of going to school in Boston were dashed when she decided to have the baby. The father split immediately. Alex went on to medical school to pursue his dream of being a doctor. They still kept in touch though. Their lives went on with missed opportunities and bad marriages, etc. The book is rather predictable. You know what is going to happen in the end, but getting there all you can think is "what roadblock to true love is going to appear next?" I know this is a spoiler, but with a title like "Where Rainbows End" you should know that they get together in the end. It takes a LONG time, but they finally get together IN THE EPILOGUE!!! I did really enjoy this book. I especially liked the fact that Rosie's daughter, Katie, was the key to getting them together. If you are a lover of love stories, I recommend you read this book.


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