The Clearing by Heather Davis Review

The Clearing
by Heather Davis
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Synopsis: Amy, a sixteen-year-old recovering from an abusive relationship, moves to the country to start a new life with her aunt–all she wants is for everything to be different. In the clearing at the back of Aunt Mae’s property, she makes an amazing discovery—Henry, a boy stuck in the endless summer of 1944. Henry and his world become Amy’s refuge and she begins to learn that some moments are worth savoring. But when the past and present come crashing together, both of them must find the courage to face what is meant to be, even if it means losing each other forever.



The Clearing by Heather Davis 
Review by Me
5 Squees/5 Squees

I don't even know how to begin this review. When I read the synopsis of this book, I thought it sounded really strange. It seemed different though, and I like different. I loved this book from the beginning. The character of Amy is just so relate-able. She is a realistic girl who is going through real and painful things.  She goes to get away from things and ends up meeting Henry. Henry is that good, respectable, country boy that EVERY girl dreams about. He couldn't be more perfect.  I love that even though he seemed so perfect for Amy, Heather Davis made him have problems too. I love that both characters have to struggle through a lot of things and their outcome isn't necessarily the happy fluffy one that is expected in books of this genre.  I really enjoyed all characters in this book, down to Aunt Mae's dog.  The author really made this world she created realistic, while still making it interesting and exciting.  I love the outcome of the book, even though it wasn't my ideal ending. I really like where Heather Davis took this story and how she made it possible and believable all the way through the last page.  I was happy for everyone in the end and I loved that things turned out the way they did. Makes you curious huh? You'll have to check this one out for yourself.

The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry Review

The Birthday Ball
by Lois Lowry
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt


Synopsis: Princess Patricia Priscilla is bored with her royal life and the excitement surrounding her sixteenth birthday ball. Doomed to endure courtship by three grotesquely unappealing noblemen, she escapes her fate-for a week. Disguised as a peasant, she attends the village school as the smart new girl, "Pat," and attracts friends and the attention of the handsome school master. Disgusting suitors, lovable peasants, and the clueless King and Queen collide at the ball, where Princess Patricia Priscilla calls the shots. What began as a cure for boredom, becomes a chance for Princess Patricia Priscilla to break the rules and marry the man she loves.


The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry
Review by Me
4 Squees/5 Squees

This book was incredibly cute. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It was for a younger audience then what I usually read, but the storyline was pretty cute, so I decided to check it out. I read this in one sitting and loved every minute of it. Princess Patricia Priscilla was super adorable and lovable from the start. I love that the whole book starts out with her being bored and wanting to fix her boredom. Lois Lowry did a great job with her characters and each one was distinct and enjoyable. I loved the personalities of the suitors. Each was very unique and highly over the top, which made them very entertaining. I also enjoyed the growing relationship between the servants and the relationship between the princess and the teacher. All in all this was a great children's story and I know girls of all ages will enjoy this one.

Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones Review

Save The Date
by Jenny B. Jones

Synopsis:
When Alex and Lucy pick out wedding invitations, they wonder if they can be printed in vanishing ink.

Former NFL star Alex Sinclair is a man who has it all--except the votes he needs to win his bid for Congress. Despite their mutual dislike, Alex makes Lucy a proposition: pose as his fiance in return for the money she desperately needs. Bound to a man who isn't quite what he seems, Lucy will find her heart on the line--and maybe even her life. When God asks Alex and Lucy to scrap their playbook and follow his rules, will they finally say, "I do"?


Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones
Review by Me
4.5 Squees/ 5 Squees

Oh man, I don't even know what to start on this book. I absolutely loved everything about this book. I cried, I laughed and I of coursed Squeed many many times. I completely and utterly loved both the main characters, Lucy and Alex. They had amazing chemistry and they were the perfect pair for this story.  I really could tell that Jenny B. Jones loved them as she wrote about them. You could feel the time and the dedication she put in to developing her characters. 

The storyline was also great. Both Lucy and Alex have dark pasts that they're working through and you see their struggles throughout the book. I love the work Lucy does with the girls program and the dedication she has for her work is phenomenal. Being a Thomas Nelson novel, this book also had a great message that really pulled on my heart strings. It's not often that I read a book with religious themes and love it.  The message wasn't suffocating and I never felt like I was reading a "religious" book.  All in all, I thought this was a great story of suffering, family and love.  You'll squee just like I did during Lucy and Alex's more personal moments. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”  

The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint by Bree Despain Review

The Dark Divine

by Bree Despain

Synopsis:

I stood back and watched his movements. Daniel had that way about him that could shut me down in an instant. . . . I kicked the gravel a couple of times and worked up my courage again. “Tell me . . . I mean . . . why did you come back? Why now, after all this time?”

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel's dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.

 

The Lost Saint

by Bree Despain

Synopsis:

*Spoiler Alert* - If you have not read The Dark Divine, this synopsis may contain spoilers.

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot—a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel is put in danger—in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her—not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

Review by Me

4.5 Squees/ 5 Squees

I absolutely loved these books.  They had an awesome mix of paranormal, romance and everyday life to not only make them believable, but to draw in anyone from page one.

In the Dark Divine, you meet Grace Divine, average everyday artist girl.  She's a pastor's daughter, and living within that lifestyle.  You also meet Daniel, a troubled teen from Grace's childhood and her one true love.  These two characters just dragged you into the book.  Between their relationship with each other and Daniel's dark past, I was completely enthralled with this series from book one.

Bree Despain has quite a knack for making you fall in love with her characters and she kept me turning the pages.  There is a nice twist in the first book, that I sort of saw coming, but I can say I was shocked with the outcome.  I love the way the whole book rode along through the despair and heartache in Daniel's life, but it wasn't overwhelming.

In The Lost Saint, we have the same cast of characters with a couple of new faces. I won't go into to much detail plot-wise, since I'm not one for spoilers, but the story just keeps getting better.  There is a new character named Talbot in this book, that I just adored.  Everything about him just makes you love him.  I love that the author mixed everything up a bit throwing him into the mix.  He's very different from the other characters in the book and he definitely makes this interesting.  Once again Bree Despain through in a twist with this one,  I saw things coming, but there was a lot that surprised me.

I definitely enjoyed reading both of these books and I can't wait for another installment.  I know there has to be more. She can't just leave it where she did.  I loved the characters, the story line and the writing in both books.  Plus, who doesn't love a hot paranormal boys.

Check out more on Bree's Site: http://www.breedespain.com/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Egmont USA. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Month of Thanks

Hello friends and neighbors,

Many of you may not be aware that Romance in the Backseat is offering a very special Month of Thanks this November.  The most exciting part is coming from Silver Publishing, a generous giveaway of $100 Grocery Gift Card.

November is a time to give thanks to those in our life who day in and day out make our lives better. To give thanks to friends and family that year after year support us. This year there are a lot of families and friends in need of some extra support and help. That is why Silver Publishing has so generously offered to help pay for a families Thanksgiving dinner.

Please share the news about this giveaway and join us to nominate someone in your life who could use the extra help. All nominations are private, our goal is to add some holiday cheer and some extra goodies to the table this Thanksgiving. 

I want to thank Silver Publishing for this amazing gift. Even if you and your loved ones are lucky enough to have a table of food waiting Thanksgiving day drop in and show your appreciation not only to Silver Publishing, but to the other authors who have come on the site this month and shared their tales of thanks.  To give us a little more cheer those authors have also offered a book giveaway to share with those you love.

Terry Kate
Romance in the Backseat

 

Visit Silver Publishing's Site to find out about their books - http://silverpublishing.info/

Enter Here - http://ritbs.blogspot.com/2010/11/month-of-thanks-food-giveaways-silver.html

Kylie Brant's Giveaway

Deadly Intent

 http://ritbs.blogspot.com/2010/11/gratitude-attitude-by-kylie-brant.html

Lydia Dare's Giveaway

The Taming of the Wolf

 http://ritbs.blogspot.com/2010/11/month-of-thanks-lydia-dare.html

Nicola Cornick's Giveaway

Whispers of Scandal

http://ritbs.blogspot.com/2010/11/nicola-cornicks-month-of-thanks-blog.html 

Kersten Hamilton's Giveaway

Tyger Tyger

http://ritbs.blogspot.com/2010/11/month-of-thanks-with-kersten-hamilton.html

Manda Writes A Novel Part 1

I decided to get ahead of the game a bit and write up my synopsis and make the cover art for my novel. Check it out. :)

Sara Henderson has always had her future planned out. She does everything by a schedule and lives her life by her day planner. It takes the most important speech of her life and a sea of familiar faces for her to realize that something is missing. The day of her high school graduation takes her on a whirlwind, unplanned start to the rest of her life and she is writing it all down.










Comments and Criticism appreciated!  Writing starts tomorrow night at midnight! Woo.

Hello there, November...

I see you peeking at me from around the corner. You're only four days away??? OH MY!

Not only is November my wedding anniversary and Thanksgiving it's also NaNoWriMo! Now I know I talked about NaNoWriMo last year, but for those of you new kids and others who just didn't pay attention I'll explain again.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's basically a ton of people getting together and challenging themselves to write a novel during the month of November. 50,000 words in 30 days. Insane, I know.

I talked myself out of it actually. As of about fifteen minutes ago, I was NOT going to be participating again this year. I just didn't feel like I had the energy or the time to write 50,000 words. Then today I got to thinking, and also was persuaded by some of my favorite Youtubers, why not? Why in the world can I not do this? I don't have a job, I make bows and tutus whenever an order comes in, but I have a lot of free time. I spend most of this free time starring at Facebook and watching ridiculous tv shows. It's about time I dedicate myself to something and start taking steps toward my future. I am big on giving up on things and not even starting things that might challenge me. It's time for a change.

So, here's to many sleepless nights, angry mental monologues and pissing off my hubby. I'm in this 100%. Whose with me? My NaNo name is Manderiffic, if you want to join in.

Ok, so I guess I should tell YOU, my readers, what to expect from me this next month.  I'll update you periodically on my progress, I'll share the rare gems I write with you (most of my writing will probably be crap) and I'll whine. I'll probably whine A LOT. Starting at Midnight, November 1st, writing will be my life. I will be a hardcore writing, crying machine. Oops, forget that crying part.

Tomorrow I start this whole adventure with a plot idea and an outline. I might even come with a title of some sort to get me started. I've always found that my best writing starts with an epic title, that I change 50 million times.

Well I think I've rambled enough for one day, if you have any questions, my e-mail is cold and lonely. Also comments might keep me sane, so send lots my way! Love you forever and always.