New Releases ~ week of 04/13/2015

Accidentally Evil by Lara Chapman (#2 Xyzs of Being Wicked)

Aunt Dimity and the Summer King by Nancy Atherton (#20 Aunt Dimity)
Bad Babysitter by Matthew Holm, Jennifer L Holm (#19 Babymouse)
Bloodkin by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (#2 Maeveara Trilogy)
Breaking Ties by Vaughn R. Demont (#4 Broken Mirrors)
Crushed by Lauren Layne (#2 Redemption)
Dante of the Maury River by Gigi Amateau (#3 Horses of the Maury River)
Dare to Hold by Carly Phillips (#6 Dare to Love)
Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier (#1 Silver Trilogy)
Flame of the Phoenix by N J Walters (#6 Hades' Carnival)
Forged by Erin Bowman (#3 Taken)
His Perfect Wolf by Elle Boon (#2 Mystic Wolves)
Ropes and Revenge by Jessie Evans (#6 Lonesome Point Texas)

Second Guard by J D Vaughn (#1 Second Guard)
Sing a Worried Song by William Deverell (#6 Arthur Beauchamp)
Slated for Death by Elizabeth J Duncan (#6 Penny Brannigan Mystery)
The Inn at Ocean's Edge by Colleen Coble (#1 Sunset Cove)
The Masque of a Murderer by Susanna Calkins (#3 Lucy Campion Mysteries)
The Pet and the Pendulum by Gordon McAlpine (#3 The Misadventures of Edgar & Allan Poe)
The Pretty App by Katie Sise (#2 App)
The Wondrous and the Wicked by Page Morgan (#3 Dispossessed)
The World Forgot by Martin Leicht, Isla Neal (#3 Ever-Expanding Universe)
Their Virgin Mistress by Shayla Black, Lexi Blake (#7 Masters of Menage)
Wild With You by Sara Jane Stone (#4 Independence Falls)
Wilderness Rising by A L Shields (#2 Church Builder)
Window Wall by Melanie Rawn (#4 Glass Thorns)
With Vics You Get Eggroll by Diane Vallere (#3 Mad for Mod Mysteries)

Book Review ~ Sapphire Blue

Sapphire Blue (Edelstein Trilogy #2)
by Kerstin Gier
translated by Anthea Bell
published by Henry Holt and Co
genre: YA, Fantasy

Summary (Goodreads): Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

My Thoughts: I'm still not sure... I'm now thinking this is one of those trilogies that you just need to wait until all three books are out and read them together. I liked the book but still feel like there are too many unanswered questions.
Gwen's normal-ness is still something that I enjoy but I really wanted her to stand up for herself. Especially when she was getting lessons from her cousin and the evil instructor. While her thoughts on the subject were good, she never verbalized them out loud. This kind of made her seem a little weaker. At the same time she had her moments when you couldn't help but root for her.
Loved the new sidekick, Xemerius. He's a cute little gargoyle who brought the humor to the story. We also get a nice dose of Lesley and James as well as Gwen's grandfather. Gideon is still up in the air. I kept waiting for Gwen to just slap him and was glad when she confronted him towards the end and has a better understanding of where she stands with him.
Overall, This was another good book in the series but I will be reading both book one and two right before three just to see if they read better that way.

Rating: 4

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Sapphire Blue (Edelstein Trilogy #2)

by Kerstin Gier

published by Henry Holt and Co

expected release date: October 30, 2012

Summary (Goodreads): Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean.

 

At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party. And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

**I really enjoyed the first one, looking forward to finding out where the story and characters go.

Book Review ~ Ruby Red

Ruby Red (Edelstein Trilogy #1)
By Kerstin Gier
Published By Henry Holt and Co.

Summary: Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

My Thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I loved it and it was definitely one of my favorite reads from this year. The author was able to blend both the present and the past without it being jarring to the senses. It didn't feel as if you were reading two different books that were then mashed together.
Loved the characters as well. Even though Gwyneth is a typical teenager, she didn't annoy me as some do in contemporary YA. It was easy to see where she was coming from, being the invisible member of the family while her cousin was showered with attention and lessons. I found her ability to see ghosts a useful twist in helping her catch up on all the years of training she missed. I'm not sure about Gideon, I liked him for the most part but at the same time he is the character that you always need to keep one eye on. The Count comes across as suitably creepy, and him and his friends work well as the bad guys if that is what they are.
Overall, while loving the book there was just something missing that stopped me from giving it a 5 star rating. The ground work and back story for the series were laid out nicely but when the book ends there were to many unanswered questions. The only definite thing we get from this book is that Gwyneth is the time traveler.  Still I'm looking forward to reading the next book and unraveling the mysteries that were presented.

Rating: 4