Rachel A. Olson's Blog, page 60

Saving Grace #Review by CL Champlain

Every day Dy wakes up in her own brand of horror in a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone. After it becomes clear that her father's anger issues are endangering her family's life, Dy learns something about herself that will forever change her.
Suddenly, her small town life doesn't seem so small and boring,as she sets out on an adventure to discover who she really is.
Join Dy on her adventure, as she tries to be a normal teenage girl, deal with cheer-leading, grades, and a boyfriend. Follow her on her journey, as she enters the world of Fae, druids, magic, warriors, soul mates, and blood bonds.
Will her future be what has been foretold by the seers of Fae, or can Dy rewrite her future, and the future of her family, with the help of her warriors and friends?

I found this book to be more than I expected.  I'm usually not a big fan of mystical reads, but this was definitely an exception.  I loved the small town setting.  It made me feel right at home.  The characters were so fun that I found myself laughing out loud at their quick wit and sarcasm.  The storyline flowed so easily, and I loved the element of suspense as well.  There were some moments of laughter, tears and fear - and some moments that I was so wrapped up in them all that I couldn't stop reading.
I give Saving Grace by C.L. Champlain 4 stars.  It is a really good read!
Find it here: Amazon || Goodreads
Reviewed by   Rockin Robin Reader

Insights Cover Reveal @LaurenKlever

Title: Insights (The Secret Watchers, Book Three)Author: Lauren Klever Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Action and AdventureRelease Date: August 26, 2013Cover Reveal Host: Lady Amber's Tours
Owen Ryer thought he was normal. He thought his life was boring. A walk into a pawnshop in eighth grade showed him that his life was a lie. Two years later Owen has accepted how far from normal he really is. He has a special gift, granting him the ability to see dark energy in the objects around him. Now he’s part of a secret society where people like himself help others and fight the dark watchers who want them for their powers.
Owen has discovered that a Secret Watcher does not have to live his life alone. He knows that he can expand his powers by working with other watchersbut what will the price be? Darkness is growing and evil thinks it has found its new prince in Owen. They will stop at nothing to get to him even if it means kidnapping, mind-control or murder.
Owen must do more than fight; he must use his wits and every ability he has at his disposal to hold the growing darkness at bay. Who knew high school could be more challenging than football, homework and relationships? The dark side knows… and they’re watching.
Whispers on Barnes & Noble || Visions on Barnes & Noble  Whispers on Amazon || Visions on Amazon  Insights on YouTube || Whispers on YouTube || Visions on YouTube 
Lauren Klever is the author of the young adult series, The Secret Watchers. She graduated from both Oregon State and Portland State University with degrees in education. Lauren found writing to be just another way to reach her students. She’s passionate about sharing her love of reading and writing with them.
The Pacific Northwest, with its vivid and varied panoramas is where Lauren makes her home. When she’s not writing, she can be found working with students, reading, gardening or hiking around Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge and the Oregon Coast. Watch out for the lady with the camera, it may be Lauren scouting out the perfect shot for her next cover.
You can visit her at www.LaurenKleverAuthor.com

Author Website || Series Website || Goodreads  ||  Author Lauren Klever on Amazon Facebook Author Page || Facebook Series Page || Twitter 

Octavian's Undoing #Review @AirickaPhoenix

No good deed goes unpunished.
Riley Masters learns this the hard way when she finds a wallet and decides to do the right thing. But returning it will cost her much more than she bargains for.
Abandoned by her mother, raised by an indifferent father, Riley has accepted the fact that she would be alone always. She has no idea that a single act of kindness would propel her into a world where creatures that shouldn’t exist guard the human race from the demons that lurk in the shadows. That it will cost her the lives of those she loves while unearthing a destiny she never imagined with a man who is forbidden to love her. She finds passion, romance and the family she’d been searching for her entire life, but at what cost and what is she willing to sacrifice to find answers and happiness?
Octavian Maxwell has always known his place. He is a Caster, a Son of Judgment. His job is to protect the mortal world from the creatures plotting to destroy it. Instead, his world is shattered when a human girl walks into Final Judgment, a girl he has been searching for his entire life, a girl he is forbidden to ever touch. Being with her will break the oath he’s sworn to never love a mortal. But his heart has already found its mate and it refuses to let go.
Final Judgment… a place undetected, a gateway to evil and a legend that will undo everything anyone has ever known about our world.
Riley Masters is a 19 year old girl who lives with her “distant” dad. She pays the bills, but is still behind on them. She starts looking for a job, but ends up at the post office to send a bill out. She “runs” into Octavian (whom she does not know, yet).
Riley finds a wallet on the ground after getting out of the post office and goes to an address that is mentioned on a business card in the wallet. There, she finds a bar and diner. The owners offer her a job position after they offer to let her stay so she can return the wallet to its rightful owner, Octavian. When Octavian sees her, he is mad. He wants his parents to take back their job offer or better yet, for Riley to quit.
Riley does not quit. She stays. Octavian does not quit warm-up to her right away.
Riley soon finds out that this diner, is no ordinary diner, and the owners are not ordinary. They are protectors of humans. They say what “demons” can roam the earth for a short period of time before returning to hell.
Octavian eventually learns who Riley is to him. He wants to be with her, but it is forbidden for him, a Caster to fall for a human.
Octavian has to make a decision, to protect Riley from his world and being killed, or risk her being killed.
To say that Octavian’s Undoing was good, does it no justice. It was amazing. The characters were amazing, especially Octavian and his feelings. Octavian wants to be with Riley yet he can’t. The way he protects Riley is amazing. The rest of Octavian’s family also protects Riley and they become her family because her dad is not there for her and her mom left when she was little.
I give Airicka Phoenix 5 stars for Octavian's Undoing for a job well done.
Grab your copy now! Amazon || Goodreads

Reviewed by Amanda "Kat" Edmunds

Fallen For You (Bk. 1), Taken By You (Bk. 2) #Review @CarlieSexton4

If you believe your life is the sum total of your choices, what do you do when things just don’t add up? You are about to find out. It won’t be pretty. It won’t be dull. And surely, it won’t be safe. In fact, making just one wrong choice could put evil at your bedside watching you sleep.
And so it is with Kate Simmons, a young woman who, by choosing to regain her life, actually puts it at risk by the very choices she makes. After unimaginable heartbreak stops her world on a dime, Kate falls into a three-year blackness of self blame that brings her to the edge of life, itself. As time finally brings light back through tiny cracks of renewed desire, Kate moves out of the prison she made for herself in her mother’s home to find a new reality, rooming with her best girlfriend, Charlie.
Yet, to be free is to be vulnerable, and Kate’s choices more than ever mark a splattered line between being happy and being dead.
Care to choose? Here’s your menu: A strangely alluring building manager so possessed with wanting you for his own, he’ll bury more than the fact he has a girlfriend; a buff college student for whom you are clearly hot, as are all the other girls on campus; a pushy lawyer who is as handsome as he is intoxicated with conquest, who doesn’t take no for an answer, who gets what he wants — always.
Sometimes, it’s whom you choose. Sometimes, it’s who chooses you. If you’re Kate, it’s both, and it puts you on a perilous road where good looks and humor are the thin masks of jealous delusion and utter violence.
You’re in trouble when the sum total of your choices is written in blood red.
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How tragic it is when a caged spirit finally finds its freedom and — entranced in its ecstasy — is invited by that freedom into a cloaked dance with danger.
In Book One of this three-part epic, Kate Simmons — young and alluring, and finally out of her cage of grief — attracts more than attention. Intoxicated by her newfound independence, a blithe Kate is on her way to finding out that around the corners of life, some life-changing eye-openers await. As the story continues in Book Two and she begins to churn a dangerously turbulent trail, it is Kate who now has to snap to, to react, to outrun, or become yet another tortured victim who vanishes down the path of wrong choice.
Having already roiled the risky waters of jealousy, Kate moves in with Neil while Roger — an enamored oddity — visits his son in Germany. Upon his return and finding Kate gone, Roger’s predator mind becomes unhitched, and then unleashed, on the hunt of a lifetime. But whose life?
Step by creeping step, even as Kate’s future closes in on her, she attends — obliviously — to her new life, working through the challenges of fresh relationships, losing family members both to death and to deceit, questioning the depth of love. Every path offers a choice. Every choice offers a consequence. And every consequence summons its due. As emotions swirl across fateful days and nights, some in Kate’s life will reach out to touch happiness in warm embraces, others to sever ties in bloody traces.
The stains of passion are frequently mistaken. The question here is who will be taken?
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Fallen for You is the debut romance novel from author Carlie Sexton, with Taken by you continuing the story. I read these books back to back, so I will review them together. I also don't feel that they would stand alone, as book 2 is a continuation of book 1.
On to the review! This story is amazing! The books aren't very long, but they are very to-the-point and leave nothing out. The characters are wonderful. I loved seeing their interaction. The storyline is so unpredictable and addicting. It just made me want to keep reading. This story is a perfect mix of friendship, love, laughter, tears with some spicy sex and total creepiness all rolled together. Each book ended with a great cliffhanger. Book 3, Given to You will be released soon, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it!!
I give Fallen for You and Taken by You by Carlie Sexton 5 Stars! You must read these books!

Reviewed by
Rockin Robin Reader

Pandora's Box #Review @GracenMiller

Where does the road to Hell begin?

What happens when your son turns homicidal overnight and your husband disappears on his way to work? Do you cower in fear or fight for your life? Madison Wescott fights against the odds. Distrustful of a God she doesn’t believe in, she finds herself face-to-face with a world she didn’t know existed and discovers her own soul is darkened with demonic connections.
With good intentions? Or by demonic design?
Phoenix Birmingham bursts into Madison’s life in a whirlwind of sarcasm and sexual appeal. A hero for the masses—and for her jaded heart—but few will ever know the sacrifices he has made or the sacrifices to come. Discovering her entire life has been influenced by multifaceted paranormal beings, Madison is determined to defeat the apocalyptic blueprint fate has decreed, but only one man dares to challenge the supernatural forces manipulating them. Even with Phoenix’s aid, can destiny be denied? Or will demonic design prevail while they pay the crucial price with their souls?
In a small, sleepy Alabama town the battle for mankind’s liberty has begun...


Wow! Yep that is my first thought...just wow! This book was just all over the place. It just started out with a bang and rarely slowed down for a second. I can't count the number of times I caught myself holding my breath. Eeeeeeeeee! Loved all the characters. Madison was just fantastic. I loved her balls to the wall attitude that she had right from the beginning. Even when she was ready to give up, she stayed strong and never did. And the way she stuck by her son, Amos, just made me love her more. No offense but I may have had to slap my kid around a couple of times after some of the stuff he did. But then again, it wasn't all his fault. Poor little guy got the short end of the stick when it came to DNA. But no matter what happened you never saw Mads not sticking up for him. It was great. At times I did picture Amos as a blonde Chucky doll. Shiver. Sigh, now Nix the man-whore. Yep I just sighed, I just added another book boyfriend to my harem. This poor guy got hell all in his life and was still so strong when he knew someone needed him. He never gave up on Madison and Amos. It sucked that the minute love was handed to him it got snatched away. My heart broke for him. He literally sold his soul to save the ones he loved. And oh did I mention that he has tattoos? Mmmm well he does.
As far as the story and all goes, well as you can tell I thought it was great. It was action packed, lusty and twisted. Yay! Haha, it seriously never slowed down, you rarely got a break from one of those three things. Now the good lusty parts, were great. It was just enough to get you wiggling in your seat but it never over did it. I think if the author would of put more it may have ruined the story. Now there was bad icky yucky lusty stuff to and that also ties into the twisted stuff. At some of those times it became ewwy times and I would just shake my head to clear the images. The only bad thing to this book was, although it may have been the roller coaster ride from hell, it did drag some for me. Sadly I did catch myself wondering if the story was over yet. There just seemed to be a lot packed into one book. But i can honestly say that I can not wait to find out what happens in the next book.
My song for this book: Puscifer- Rev 22:20
Grab your copy now! Amazon || B&N || Smashwords || Goodreads

Reviewed by Ginni Munchk-N

All Grown Up #Review @SadieGrubor

All Grown Upby Sadie GruborReviewed by Rockin Robin Reader
"I was fourteen when it happened. The day the Mackey’s moved into the house next door. The day that changed my life, as much as it was, forever. A tiny, blonde girl standing on my doorstep would be the beginning of the craziness which became my life. This girl became my best friend, my confidant and side kick. She also introduced me to the love of my life."

Chloe, a computer and gaming nerd, hides behind the scenes in school and keeps to herself. Mina enters her world like a hurricane, helping her find herself and introduces her to Leo, Mina’s gorgeous older brother. Chloe instantly developed a crush, but knows he only sees her as Mina’s best friend. Or does he?

Leo, graduating high school and trying to figure out what to do with his life, becomes immediately mesmerized by a gorgeous, tall brunette, dancing like she hadn’t a care in the world and laughing without restraint. Dumbfounded to find out this amazingly beautiful girl is Chloe, Mina’s best friend. He fights against his desire, determined he and Chloe cannot be together. But how long can you fight against true love?

All Grown Up is a laugh out loud, heartwarming and heart breaking tale following the lives of Chloe and Leo and all of their misfit friends. Through long distance and separate paths of life, can true love prevail once you’re all grown up?
REVIEW - 3.5 STARSI loved the blurb for this book and was so excited to read it.  It is really written differently than any other book that I've read.  Although it is told from two different characters' points of view, I feel like it was coming from many more people.  The book is a good mix of personalities.  The supporting characters play a big role in the entire book and are very detailed, which I loved.  Some parts seemed to drag out a bit, while some seemed to speed through.  I'm glad I gave it a chance, though, because I liked the middle to the end of the book a lot.

I give All Grown Up by Sadie Grubor 3.5 stars. It was a good, fun read!
Try it out yourself on Amazon! Goodreads

Reviewed by   Rockin Robin Reader

#SevenYears #CoverReveal @DannikaDark

“Seven Years”(The Seven Series #1)By Dannika DarkCover Reveal Blitz

Seven years ago, my world ended.Seven years later, my new life began.
It's been seven years since Lexi Knight lost her brother in a tragic accident. On the anniversary of his death, her brother's best friend shows up unexpectedly - a man she hasn't seen since the funeral. He is no longer the boy Lexi once knew, but a dangerous-looking man with tattoos and dark secrets. He broke her trust and abandoned her family, yet what he reveals makes it impossible to stay angry. Lexi has been secretly infatuated with Austin since childhood, so finding out he's a Shifter just makes him sexier. Dammit.
Austin Cole has returned to the city where he grew up, and just in time. He's lived a hard life these past seven years, and the shadows of his past are threatening to destroy Lexi's family. It's time that she learned the truth about her brother, but there is a shocking twist that Austin never saw coming. Now he must protect her family when her mother and sister wind up in mortal danger. Will Lexi learn to accept the truth about who he is, and can Austin salvage a relationship from the ruins of their past?

ADD TO YOUR TBR LIST NOW!




The closer I snuggled up to Austin, the more I craved that cozy familiarity—more than I would have cared to admit. I’d missed him. How do you not miss someone who was a huge chunk of your childhood and young-adult life who disappeared off the face of the earth? Almost every memory I had from kindergarten to age twenty involved Austin Cole.The next thing I knew, my cheek rested on his bicep and I tucked my body against his like a puzzle piece. Just when I closed my heavy eyelids, he groaned.Oh God, please don’t let him wake up now.It was deep and guttural, and he shifted on his right side, facing me.“You okay?” he murmured.I didn’t reply. I played dead and pretended I was asleep. It seemed like a good plan to avoid the embarrassment of explaining why I was latched on to him like a man-sucking leech.A rough, warm hand cupped my cheek and I felt him scoot down a little. Maybe he thought I had fallen asleep, because his thumb brushed over my right eyelid softly.Five times. I counted.When his lips lightly touched mine, my brain just shut down. It was a soft, almost nonexistent kiss, but I felt it all the way down to my toes. Then it zinged back up to my hips and damn if I didn’t moan.Now we were both aware I wasn’t asleep and he was kissing me. But it didn’t stop. His kiss pressed a little bit harder and tingles roared through my body, and my breath was shaky and erratic.When his tongue touched my lip, I quickly opened my mouth and kissed him back.Hard.Deep.Kissed him like I’d fantasized about doing for the last seven years.


This is the segment where you learn a little more about who I am, so here's what I can tell you:  I drink copious amounts of vitamin water placed precariously close to my laptop while writing. These are two healthy habits I have no intention of breaking. I'm a transplant living in the south, but I was born in the 70's to a military dad who moved us around the world.
When I'm not writing (which is all the time), I'm hunting down Indie music, watching movies, reading, eating Tex-Mex, discovering new ways to humiliate myself bowling, and burning up my laptop battery on the Internet. I have a relaxed, easy-going personality and don't like drama. I live with a cat who thinks she is a dog, or a goat (she eats plastic, so I'm not sure which).
Throughout my life, I've had insomnia. Counting sheep never worked and eventually I would imagine those sheep were the sole source of food after an apocalyptic battle where only thousands survived. I made up stories in a futile attempt to bore myself to sleep. The problem was, I got so wrapped up in my "head stories" that I would continue them through the following nights, changing it up each time to make it more exciting. Eventually, I started writing my ideas down - creating short stories, and then I discovered my love for poetry.
It's almost embarrassing how many spiral notebooks and stacks of paper I have of poetry and lyrics. 
Another passion: digital art. I design all my book covers, marketing, and series art. I'm a very visual person and pursued photography as an avid hobby for many years. 
I am not a YA author (I feel like I have to state this only because I've had a few people ask), but I think it's wonderful there are so many books available to teens in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal.  
I am finally doing what I have always wanted to do: giving my characters a pulse through writing full time. I focus on adult urban fantasy romance, but I don't like labels and I enjoy blending genres to break out of the confines of predictability.
But it's what I love to do.
Danni  

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Life Ever After #Review @ClaireCRiley

Life Ever AfterClaire C. Riley(Part of the Fusion Anthology, due for release August 31st)
Claire C. Riley's Life Ever After is a fantastic short story! It's one of those flesh eating undead kind of stories that you want to call predictable, but the truth is you really just don't know for sure what's going to happen. It holds you through the entirety of it, squeezing just tight enough that you don't know if you want to gag or disembowel yourself just for some sort of relief (yes, it's that pleasant). If you're not into gruesome or are faint at heart, don't read this. I personally loved it and can't wait for part two!
Definite 4 stars for Claire, and a high recommendation for all my dark side dwellers out there!



Add the Fusion Anthology to your TBR list! Click here.Find more works by Claire here.

Breaking Glass #Review @lisa_amowitz

On the night seventeen-year-old Jeremy Glass winds up in the hospital with a broken leg and a blood alcohol level well above the legal limit, his secret crush, Susannah, disappears. When he begins receiving messages from her from beyond the grave, he's not sure whether they're real or if he's losing his grip on reality. Clue by clue, he gets closer to unraveling the mystery, and soon realizes he must discover the truth or become the next victim himself.
This Young Adult Mystery by Lisa Amowitz is everything that I expected, and more.  The main character, Jeremy, is such a strong kid with a great personality.  His story takes him down some super dark roads at times, but he carries on.  There are so many twists and turns in this book that I never knew what was coming.  I just knew that I couldn't stop reading.  Small towns do indeed hold big secrets. 

I give Breaking Glass by Lisa Amowitz 4 stars.  I'm looking to forward to reading more from her.
Get your copy now!AmazonGoodreads
Reviewed by Rockin Robin Reader

The Posse #Review @tawdra

Being a widow at the age of forty-four was never in Jude Hawthorne’s plans. After her husband’s death, she’s left with her family’s beach restaurant and two nearly-grown children. The last thing she’s looking for is another chance at love.

However, if her husband’s best friends, the Posse, have anything to say about it, love is just what she’s going to get. The Posse is determined to take care of Jude, and when they decide the best way to do that is for one of them to sweep her off her feet, three begin to vie for her affections. But only one can reach her heart.
In a story of friendship, loss and second chances, Jude will learn her life is far from being over.
I found this story to be a light and sweet read. Here we have Jude, a strong, sometimes feisty and a little heartbroken widower.  Still 2 years after she lost her husband she is still trying to stay strong while mourning the loss of her first love.  Then we have Logan. 1 of the guys from The Posse. The Posse is just a group of 5 friends that have stuck together since grade school. In a way they are all still mourning the loss of Daniel, Jude's husband and one of the honorary members. After a night of drinking they all come up with a plan, that one of the single members will be the one to take care of Jude if she chooses. Little do they know that Logan has secretly been in love with her his whole life. So after some awkward moments Jude and Logan realize that they share the same feelings. It was very sweet to watch the love these two shared grow and become so much more.
 As far as the story goes, this is way different from what I am use to and I can honestly say that although I really never got into it, it still was a good book. Great writing and maybe there was a couple of mess ups here and there but nothing terrible. It truly was a light and sweet read, just a little too sweet for my taste. I did battle with myself on what to give this book, 3 or 4 stars. So after going over the pros and cons and really only finding one con, I gave it 4 stars because it really was a good read.
My song for this book: Distance by Christina Perri ft Jason Mraz
It really took me a bit to get through this book. It just really wasn't something I would usually read. But like I said, it was a really good book. I thought it would be unfair to give it only 3 stars just because it wasn't my style. Thank you!

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Reviewed by
Ginni Munchk-N