Knotted Roots by Ruthi Kight

 

 

Knotted Roots

by Ruthi Kight

   

 5 star read

Publisher: Ruthi Kight
 Format:Kindle
Source:author copy

 Genre: Paranormal Romance

About Book

Partying with friends and scoring a flawless tan is about all Roxie has on her list of things to make her Hampton's summer perfect.

Her parents, however, have other plans and Grandma Betty's farm is just one of them.

Just as her life is in shambles and the quaint town is suffocating her, she meets Chase.

Somewhere in the mix of bummer summer and small town doldrums, he becomes the boy she can't seem to avoid falling for. Just adding him to the picture, her stay starts to get better, even if she knows it has to end with the summer holidays.

That is until Betty drops a life-shattering bomb.
Roxie must make a choice that will change her life forever. What happens when a spoiled brat from New York learns the true meaning of love, loss, and forgiveness?

Can Chase and Roxie find a way to be together or is this just another summer romance?

My Thoughts

First let me say Ruthie is a truly amazing person it has been such a pleasure getting to know her. But what a great joy to be allowed to read her book before it was even released. My rating should be enough to tell you my thoughts on the book but let me share with you why I gave it the rating I did.

I felt l could relate very much to this book. No I never grew up having everything my heart desired, money to spend whenever and where ever. But running from feelings, confusion, anger, hurt. I have had all those as I am sure we all have and that is what makes this book so phenomenal.

Roxie is a teenager who grew up thinking she had it all and never wanted for anything. Then out of nowhere she is thrust into a new world she knows nothing about to meet a grandmother she has never known. Her planned summer of beach parties and everyone knows everyone and your status will be ruined if you are not there has been totally stolen from her. Her parents deliver some news and she is fuming that thought so little of her they couldn’t share it before deciding to ship her off. She is angry, hurt, confused and she is ready to lash out at anyone and everyone.

But in walks mister adorable, cat got your tongue, mouth hanging open looking like a fool was exactly how Roxie was feeling when she met Chase for the first time. I laughed so hard at this scene I could see it and I have been her at that moment. I felt for Roxie and at the same time wanted to just shake her and say wake up girl say something.

For the first few weeks Roxie really struggles with her summer at her grandmothers, they are not getting along, she isn’t getting along with anyone really. Now I will say I totally understand how she is feeling but boy she is good at laying on the poor me stuff. LOL she is so much like my 16 year old daughter sometimes I keep saying okay Roxie show me it gets better. Roxie doesn’t fail me – as her days and weeks go on she grows, she learns, he sees. She opens up her eyes and she sees.

She sees love, caring, friendship, happiness and then it all crashes in. Bad news, devastating news, worse news than when her parents said they were getting a divorce and shipping her down south. She is angry again and she runs from the one who can help her get through it. It isn’t the first time, it may not be the last time, it is what Roxie is used to, and it is all she knows.

But in time with the help of her new real friend Katy and the ever present, ever adorable, ever surprising Chase she comes around. Roxie decides to take steps to better her life and to change her life, she finally realizes where she wants to be and refuses to allow anything to change that.

The romance between Roxie and Chase is so adorable I absolutely loved it. I loved the up and downs they went through. The struggles, the laughter, the very tender moments. I am sure we all remember being a teenager or maybe you are a teenager, remember those first kisses, the ones that blow you off your feet, make your mind spin out of control, steal your breath and your words. You will find those within the pages of Knotted Roots. You will fine pure unadulterated laughter, uncontrollable tears, and moments of pure “CAN I SHAKE HER AND WAKE HER UP”. Your emotions will go from one end to the other with Knotted Roots.

I picked up this book on a Monday afternoon during my lunch break at work and finished it on a Tuesday evening. If I could have sat and read it in one sitting (i.e play hooky from work) trust me I would have.

Ruthie – B-E-A-UTIFUL!!!!!! Waiting impatiently for the next book – LOL 

          


 

 

Forsaken (Daughters of the Sea #1) by Kristen Day

 

 Forsaken (Daughters of the Sea #1)

         by Kristen Day         

 5 star read

Publisher:Kristen Day
 Format:Kindle
Source:author copy

 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Reposted From

About Book

Once you’ve been touched by darkness, it never leaves you…
Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitmans three years ago.
Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her.
Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity.
Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her’, Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendants of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.
But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love.
She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesied to be a part of. The fate of all the descendants will forever depend upon it.

My Thoughts

What a truly amazing book – I have loved reading this book. Let’s just say that if I could make time stand still so I could just read and never have to put the book down until it was finished (though I hate that it comes to an end – as all books do). I really got into this book and while reading I really felt transported into the story, like I was right there watching every moment unfold before my eyes. To me an author is only as good as the story’s ability to draw you into it and making you the guest of honor that is there, but not there. Author Kristen Day has done that with Forsaken.
Let’s start with the main character her parents leave her as a baby at a police station in the middle of the night in the middle of a storm. Even though the storm is referring to the weather outside you can tell that it represent the storm within the hearts of the parents that are leaving their beautiful daughter for what one can only assume is a better life.
Flash forward and she is all grown up. Hannah Elizabeth Whitman or that is what the foster system named her. Her newest family comes from money and adopted her as a teenager. Though she has never truly felt like she fit in she does the best she can to make her adoptive mother happy. At a party something happens that for Hannah is normal but very embarrassing for her adoptive mother. So her adoptive mother sends her to a therapist. Not long after Hannah’s world is completely turned upside down.
Hannah’s therapists recommends sending her to a special school for people like her. Only she doesn’t know what that meant “people like her.” Coming to this school is a new start for her, a start where no one knows about her past, her life in foster care, the things she has seen and subject to and so with that fresh start Hannah decides to change her name and becomes Anastasia.
Anastasia is special as are all the rest of the students at this school. At this school she begins to learn where she really came from, she makes great friends and meets a very dark, very handsome guy. And even though they never met until this point she knows him, she has known him most of her life. Finn as she comes to learn has been in many of her dreams throughout her life. And not long after coming to the new school he saves her life. She soon learns what is special about everyone at this school, all of them are children of Gods or Goddesses. There are different types, each having something special about them based on who their parents were.
Anastasia’s friends in this book have such character. Her roommates Willow, Phoebe and Carmen each are so very different from each other but are also like “Stasia” as they end up calling her. Only Anastasia is a bit more special than the rest, and everyone but Anastasia knows this. A great bond grows between the girls from the moment Anastasia arrives and instantly they take to each other. I love Phoebe’s whit, she is funny, spunky and quirky and you can tell she loves to get under Carmen’s skin – but in a good way. Willow she is the motherly type of the group a healer and great in the kitchen. Carmen is the exotic one and has a bit of fire in her, attitude which you see throughout the book and I really loved. I really liked all three of these girls, so well written in the story and so easily like-able. And others are as easily dis likable such as Olivia one of the other girls from across the hall who had serious attitude and what seems like jealousy issues. But they always say never judge a book by its cover – Olivia is a good example of that.
There are moments throughout this book that your breath is completely taken away, you are laughing at Phoebe and her comments, holding your breath waiting to see if Carmen is just going to let her have one. There are moments that you are brought to tears, okay well I was brought to tears. You can feel the pain that ‘Stasia’ and her friends feel. The struggle, the laughter and joy. I could feel the struggle within Finn every time he was with Anastasia and she would ask a question. The author did such a great job writing the emotions into the book that they are right on the tip of the page and as you turn to it, it’s like it grabs hold of you and you feel what they are feeling within those pages.
The story flows from beginning to end, there is no down time, there is no okay let me skip a page or two so I can get to a good part, it’s all good from the very beginning when you are drawn into the parents pain of leaving their daughter to the very end when who and what Anastasia truly is and is truly meant for comes to light. You can close your eyes and hear the music play as Finn and Anastasia are dancing, you can imagine her wonder when she is battling the elements to save something very dear to her. You can feel the pain as she tries to save a friends life and you can feel the tender moments between her and Finn.
This is one book I thoroughly enjoyed reading and now I am going to close this review and head right into the next book of this series “Awaken”.

          


 

 

Between by Jessica Warman

 Between

          by Jessica Warman       

 4 star read

Reviewed by:Emily

Publisher:Walker and Company

 Format:Paperback

Source:Purchased copy

 Genre: Contemporary

About Book

Elizabeth Valchar-pretty, popular, perfect- wakes up after spending her eighteenth birthday party on her family's yacht to investigate a thumping noise. What she finds will change everything she thought she knew about her life, her friends, and everything in between. As Liz begins to unravel the circumstances surrounding her birthday night, she will find that no one around her, least of all Liz herself, was perfect-or innocent.

My Thoughts

Elizabeth Valchar-pretty, popular, and perfect-wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday party on her family's yacht, where she'd been celebrating with her six closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, what she finds will change everything she thought she knew about her life, her friends, and everything in between. As Liz begins to unravel the circumstances surrounding her birthday night, she will find that no one around her, least of all Liz herself, was perfect-or innocent. Critically acclaimed author Jessica Warman brings readers along on a roller-coaster ride of a mystery, one that is also a heartbreaking character study, a touching romance, and ultimately a hopeful tale of redemption, love, and letting go.

After reading a few of  Jessica Warmans other books i decided to finally purchase Between. Now im glad i did, its taken me less then a few hours to finish the book and i enjoyed it a lot. Not as much as i have other contemporary books but if you are up for a slight spoiler (possibly wont even be one) read below to find out my one tiny little problem. All in all id give this book 4 stars.

amazingly executed and stunningly real in the sense that it actually gives you a realistic look into high school life. The popular kids arent all perfect as some might think, bully's are mean but not so mean as many books make them out to be. Finishing this i just want to sit down and cry. Im not exactly sure if its from happiness at the peace i felt at the end or the fact that it just didnt end the way i wanted. Guess we all cant have our happy fairytale ending.

ALERT!! Possibly spoiler

Dont get me wrong. i loved loved loved this book and would give it 5 stars if it wasnt for my dislike of books where at the end the character ive come to love doesnt get a second chance at life to go back and fix her mistakes where they started. That being my only problem with the book if it ended with what i would call a perfect ending id of given it 5 stars....i guess its just me being slightly crazy for wanting everything i read about to be a magical fantasy where anything is possible. I would recommend this book to anyone who can handle story's like this because it is amazingly written and does a fantastic job at making you love everyone in it.

Whilst loving this book though i have to admit it does resemble the lovely bones quite a bit in the fact that it has the same idea about being in limbo and those whom where closest to you being able to get signs from you. even if you cant exactly prove it rationally. Overall fantastic read and well, slightly predictable, i found it amazing and would say its hours worth of reading well spent.