This Week's Reads

Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones
Charley Davidson #8 (Goodreads)
**A series I have mostly enjoyed and trying to catch up on.

Flunked by Jen Calonita
Fairy Tale Reform School #1 (Goodreads)
**The second book in this series came out recently and caught my attention. I love fairy tales whether retellings or something original.

The Scientific Secrets of Doctor Who by Simon Guerrier and Dr Marek Kukula
(Goodreads)
**I've only been watching/interested in Doctor Who for about a year and a half. This is more of a non fiction that  discusses the science of Doctor Who

Riders by Veronica Rossi
Riders #1 (Goodreads)
**A new release that I have been looking forward to coming out.

New Releases ~ week of 02/29/2016

A Churn for the Worse by Laura Bradford (#5 Amish Mystery)

A Covert Affair by Katie Reus (#6 Deadly Ops)
A Fatal Inheritance by Cora Harrison (#13 Burren Mysteries)
A Murderous Mind by Jane Adams (#11 Naomi Blake)
A Reckless Desire by Isabella Bradford (#3 Breconridge Brothers)
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (#1 Charlotte Holmes)
A Treasure Concealed by Tracie Peterson (#1 Sapphire Brides)
All They Ever Wanted by Tracy Solheim (#2 Second Chances)
And Then There Were Nuns by Kylie Logan (#4 League of Literary Ladies)
Backhand Smash by J M Gregson (#19 Inspector Peach)
Behind Chocolate Bars by Kathy Aarons (#3 Chocolate Covered Mystery)
Behold the Man by Bodie Thoene (#3 Jerusalem Chronicles)
Between a Book and a Hard Place by Denise Swanson (#5 Devereaux Dime

Store Mystery)
Blood Passage by Heather Demetrios (#2 Dark Caravan Cycle)
Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie (#1 Burning Glass)
Chaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire (#5 Incryptid)
Charmed by Jen Calonita (#2 Fairy Tale Reform School)
Come On Closer by Kendra Leigh Castle (#4 Harvest Cove Series)
Dark Wolf Unbound by Stephanie Rowe (#2 Heart of the Shifter)
Devonshire Scream by Laura Childs (#17 Tea Shop Mysteries)
Draw Me Close by Nicole Michaels (#3 Hearts and Crafts)
Exposed by Jasinda Wilder (#2 Madame X)
Favorite Obsession by Nancy Corrigan (#3 Royal Pride)
Fight to the Finish by Jeanette Murray (#3 First to Fight)

Finders Reapers by Anna Staniszewski (#2 Switched at First Kiss)
Forest of Wonders by Linda Sue Park (#1 Wing & Claw)
Fury of Surrender by Coreene Callahan (#6 Dragonfury)
Gash by Sam Crescent (#13 Skulls)
Gone Again by James Grippando (#12 Jack Swyteck)
Happily Bedded Bliss by Tracy Anne Warren (#2 The Rakes of Cavendish Square)
Her Fierce Warrior by Paige Tyler (#4 X-OPS)
His Secretary's Surprise Fiancé by Catherine Mann (#2 Bayou Billionaires)
His to Keep by Terri L Austin (#4 Beauty and the Brit)
How to Handle a Scandal by Emily Greenwood (#2 Scandalous Sisters)
Imperative by Steve White, Charles E Gannon (#7 Starfire)

In Vino Veritas by Peter Turnbull (#5 Harry Vicary)
Kernel of Truth by Kristi Abbott (#1 Popcorn Shop Mystery)
Love by Association by Tara Taylor Quinn (#7 Where Secrets are Safe)
Midnight Bites: Stories of the Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine (#16 Morganville Vampires)
Midnight Lily by Mia Sheridan (#9 Sign of Love)
Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill (#12 Chicagoland Vampires)
Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize by Emily Brightwell (#36 Mrs Jeffries)
One Cowboy too Many by Carolyn Brown (#3 Burnt Boot)
Out of the Dying Pan by Linda S. Reilly (#2 Deep Fried Mystery)
Pegasus Down by Philip Donlay (#6 Donovan Nash)
Promise Me the Stars by Norah Wilson (#3 The Standish Clan)

Ripe for Murder by Carlene O'Neil (#2 Cypress Cove)
Rocked by Love by Christine Warren (#4 Gargoyles)
Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr (#1 Seven Black Diamonds)
Skin Like Silver by Chris Nickson (#3 DI Tom Harper Mystery)
Take the Monkey and Run by Laura Morrigan (#4 Call of the Wilde Mystery)
Tall, Dark, Billionaire Texan by Mandy Baxter (#4 Billionaire's Club: Texas)
The Bursar's Wife by E G Rodford (#1 George Kocharyan Mystery)
The Considerate Killer by Lene Kaaberbol (#4 Nina Borg Mysteries)
The Duke's Accidental Wife by Erica Ridley (#6 Dukes of War)
The English Son by Wanda E Brunstetter (#1 Amish Millionaire)
The Gangster by Clive Cussler, Justin Scott (#9 Isaac Bell)
The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home by Catherynne M Valente (#5 Fairyland)

The Harp and the Ravenvine by Ted Sanders (#2 The Keepers)
The Incubus Job by Diana Pharaoh Francis (#1 Mission: Magic)
The Last Girl by Joe Hart (#? The Dominion Trilogy)
The Mermaid Murders by Josh Lanyon (#1 Art of Murder)
The Ninth Life by Clea Simon (#1 Blackie and Care Mystery)
The Preacher's Lady by Lori Copeland (#1 Sugar Maple Hearts)
The Road to Hell by David Weber (#3 New Multiverse)
The Seals Rebel Librarian by Anne Calhoun (#2 An Alpha Ops)
Time of Fog and Fire by Rhys Bowen (#16 Molly Murphy)
Wedding Night With the Earl by Amelia Grey (#4 The Heirs' Club of Scoundrels Trilogy)
Wedding Takedown by Geri Krotow (#2 Silver Valley P.D.)
What's Left Behind by Gail Bowen (#16 Joanne Kilbourn)
When Falcons Fall by C S Harris (#11 Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery)
Wicked Places by Lily Harper Hart (#4 An Ivy Morgan Mystery)
Wolf Pack by Crissy Smith (#5 Shifter Chronicles)

Book Review ~ Belles

Belles (Belles #1)
by Jen Calonita
published by Poppy
genre: YA, Contemporary

Summary (Goodreads):  Fifteen-year-old Isabelle Scott loves her life by the boardwalk on the supposed wrong side of the tracks in North Carolina. But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she's ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well. Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls' lives forever.

My Thoughts: I'll start with saying that contemporary reads make up only 5-10 % of my reading for a year. That being said I was grabbed by this cover and then the blurb was interesting enough to make me check it out from the library.
The characters were what you would expect in this type of book just by reading what it's about. Isabelle fits into the rags to riches role, Savannah is your classic mean girl and Mira is the mean girl with guilt who isn't sure where she fits in.
The writing is what made this book for me. I started reading and looked up and I was already 200 pgs in. The fact that the author grabbed and kept me for that long was the most impressive thing for me. The writing was very smooth and made for an easy read. There was also enough in the story line to keep me going even when I thought I knew what was going to happen.
I will definitely  take the time to read the second book in this series to see what happens next (kind of hoping someone knocks Savannah down a bit).

Rating: 3.5