Feature and Follow Friday #51

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme that allows book bloggers to interact with each other and find new blogs! It has two hosts, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The rules are...
 
(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
(Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say “hi” in your comments and that they are now following you.
If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn’t have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”
If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers
If you’re new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog.

Question of the Week: Craziest thing you'd be willing to do for an ARC you are dying to read (aka what would you doooo-ooo for that ARC you want? *think of the Klondike Bar music*) - Suggested by A Great Read  

 

 Our answer is really quite boring. We both read quite a few ARCs and although there may be some that we really want to read, we never get too excited about them. It's always nice to get them but if we don't, there are always others. Our "to read" list is bigger than what we could possibly ever read so there is always another book for us to read.

 

What's the craziest thing you would do?

 

That is our Feature and Follow Friday for this week! Comment down below if you're a new follower of ours with a link to your blog and we will make sure to follow you back. You can follow us via gfc, bloglovin, email, facebook and/or twitter. 

 

 

Review: Follow My Heart by Frances Lawson

Do we have adventures to change our lives or do we change our lives to have adventures?

When your life in middle age seems to be going downhill, and your restless heart just won't be quiet, what do you do? You move to France, but before you leap read this intimate account of a New Zealand woman's efforts to survive and thrive while doing just that. It's a cautionary tale that tells it like it is; full of passion, powerlessness, perseverance and hope.

This personal journey includes a search for love and efforts to establish a new life while exploring one of the most beautiful and fascinating countries in the world. It examines French culture and difficulties faced by non-European Union immigrants. Follow Frances's journey along a life-changing path where the true destination is unknown.

This book contains numerous photographs. Photographs appearing in the paperback version are in black and white. Readers with Kindle devices capable of color will enjoy these in full color. A book for dreamers, travelers, romantics, immigrants, women, life-changers and other adventurers.

Paperback, 322 pages

Published June 3rd 2014 by Createspace 

Kristine's Thoughts:

I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

This book didn't wow me as much as I thought it would. I was expecting an uplifting story of courage and satisfaction but instead I found it to be slow at times, depressing and quite negative. Considering France is the authors passion and true destiny, she paints a very dreary and negative picture of the people and place she loves.

Her descriptions of the places that she visits are quite beautiful but her experiences are anything but. Instead of inspiring people to follow their dreams I fear that this book will do quite the opposite with its long list of poor luck. I by no means want to minimise the authors experiences and struggles to fulfill her dream. If nothing else, the book does prove her strong determination and will to succeed. I guess I was just hoping for a little more happy or even some happy within the pages but I couldn't really find any. 

About the Author

Frances Lawson is a direct descendent of the Libeau family, one of the original French families who left Rochefort , France in 1840 to found a colony in Akaroa, New Zealand. She remains passionate about her French origins and would like to become a French citizen.

A past contributor to New Zealand Geographic she is author of the popular blog To the Ends of the Earth. When she's not writing she's teaching English , taking photographs, gardening or adding to her bucket list.

Review: The Heart Has Its Reasons by Maria Duenas

Declared "a writer to watch" ("Publishers Weekly," starred review), "New York Times "bestselling author Maria Duenas pours heart and soul into this story of a woman who discovers the power of second chances.
With her debut novel "The Time in Between," Maria Duenas garnered outstanding acclaim and inspired a TV series, dubbed the "Spanish Downton Abbey" by the media. "USA TODAY "said of the book: "From a terrific opening line to the final page, chapters zip by at a pulsing pace." Now Duenas returns with a novel about a heartbroken woman's attempt to pick up the pieces of her shattered world.
Blanca Perea is a college professor in Madrid who seems to have it all. But her perfect career and marriage start to unravel when her husband of twenty years suddenly leaves her for another woman. Devastated, Blanca is forced to question the life she once had and how well she truly knows herself. She leaves Madrid for San Francisco, where she becomes entrenched in the history of an enigmatic Spanish writer who died decades earlier. The more Blanca discovers about this man, the more she is enthralled by the ill-fated loves, half truths, and silent ambitions that haunted his life.
With lush, imaginative prose and unforgettable characters, "The Heart Has Its Reasons "is a journey of the soul that takes readers from Spain to California, between the thorny past and all-too-real present. It is a story about the thrill of creating one's life anew.

Hardcover, 384 pages

Expected publication: November 11th 2014 by Atria Books (first published 2012)

Terri's Thoughts           

I won a copy of this book in a giveaway on Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is November 11th 2014.

I believe this story is a translation that was originally written in Spanish.  I may be wrong as I can no longer find what it was that leads me to believe that.  If so, I have to admit it is one of the better translations I have read.  Most tend to get a little lost in translation however this one did not.

This story divides it's time between the present day with Blanca and the past with stories of Fontana and Carter.  As tends to be the case I was drawn to the story in the past and in particular Carters story.  From his struggle to put himself through school to his adventures and subsequent falling in love in Spain.

Although left largely off the page at the heart of this story is a love story, learning to start over and healing from the past.  I found myself wishing that Blanca's story involved a bit more romance on the page however I understand why it was written the way it was.  I enjoyed the fact that the characters were not young (nor would I categorize them as old) and instead people who have lived half a lifetime and had the battle scars to show for it.  It made it a little more real for me.

I struggled a little bit when the story dug in to the missions in California in the 1800's for a couple of reasons.  The first is that I am not familiar at all with them.  The second is that they do not hold a particular interest to me.  That being said they were the string that tied the story together.

I enjoyed this read and I will look for other works by Duenas.

About the Author

María Dueñas es Doctora en Filología Inglesa y profesora titular de la Universidad de Murcia. Nacida en Puertollano (Ciudad Real) en 1964; casada, dos hijos, siete hermanos, un puñado grande de buenos amigos. Reside en Cartagena.

(From google translate)

Maria Dueñas holds a PhD in English and professor at the University of Murcia Philology. Born in Puertollano (Ciudad Real) in 1964 ; married , two children, seven children, a large handful of good friends. She lives in Cartagena.

 

Review: The Accident by Kate Hendrick

A rainy night. A car crash.
After the accident Sarah moves to a new school. A new place where no one knows what happened to her or her brother, where she doesn't have to deal with the history that's pulling the rest of her family apart.
Will is keeping his head down at home, just trying to get by. Then his sister Lauren comes back, as caustic as always but somehow changed. Will doesn't know what upheaval brought her home. But it's sparking some serious change in his life too.
Eliat's got no mother of her own, and she's way too young to be one. Looking after a two-year-old, trying to finish school. Sometimes all that keeps her sane is partying as hard and fast as she can. Now the pressure's building and Eliat just wants to get away.
Just get into a car and drive.
In this impressive and beautifully written debut, Kate Hendrick sets the butterfly effect in motion. The moving stories of three teenagers going through crucial changes show how random actions acquire significance. How one pivotal moment could transform your life and you might never know; how what you do matters.

Publication date: November 11, 2014 by Text Publishing Company (originally published June 16, 2013)
Genre: Young Adult

Kristine's Thoughts:

I received an ARC from Text Publishing company via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is November 11, 2014 however it appears to be a re-release.

This book took a little while to get use to. It is told from the point of view of three different teenagers in three different time frames...before, after and later. The time frames revolve around the "accident" that the reader knows little about but learns of as the story progresses. Normally I really like this style of writing but I found it to be a little confusing at first.

Ultimately it is a story of how actions and events shape the lives of three different people and the people in their lives. Although not previously connected, one event can dramatically change and impact the lives of numerous other people. It is a story about growth, understanding and figuring out where and how your life will lead you.

I liked the story and enjoyed seeing how each character evolved but I did find it a little slow. I fear that young readers will find it a little boring particularly Will's story. Although I understood and appreciated the message that was being conveyed, I'm unsure all reader will. It was a beautiful story but I feel it lacked something (although I don't know what) that would show the true beauty of it. Perhaps if the accident was at the beginning of the story instead of at the end? I don't know.

This is Hendrick's first novel and I look forward to seeing what she comes out with next.

About the Author

Kate Hendrick is a high school teacher and creative jack-of-all trades, with interests in art, design, photography, writing and anything DIY, especially if it involves power tools. She and her husband live in Sydney, Australia, with their young daughter. The Accident is her first novel.

Review: Heir To Scandal (Secrets of Eden) by Andrea Laurence

"Yes, you have a son."

The past is about to catch up with Congressman Xander Langston...in more ways than one. While his re-election campaign is in full swing, unidentified remains surface on his family's farm and scandal ensues. Yet when he returns home, it's his reunion with Rose Pierce that's consuming all his waking thoughts.

His high school sweetheart has blossomed into a radiant beauty. The thrill of first love that Xander had once dismissed is proving to be a more enduring proposition. But Rose has a secret, too--will it put a stop to their second chance and derail his career for good?

Paperback, 192 pages

Published September 2nd 2014 by Harlequin (first published January 1st 2014)

Terri's Thoughts

I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit that I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would.  I had a preconceived idea about what a Harlequin novel is about and I must say they have come a long way since the old days, even the covers are slightly improved.

Yes there was still the physical chemistry and steamy scenes that one expects.  The difference is that it seems the characters now have more depth than the past and that was evident in this story.  Both Xander and Rose were strong people with strong personalities which added to the enjoyment of the story.  The story of reignited love was a pleasure to read.  As a hopeless romantic it was nice to see high school sweethearts that still carried a torch for each other.

While the formula for the story does not stray from what you would expect it was the characters that made this one such a pleasure to read.  I am tempted to check out the rest of the series.

About the Author

Andrea Laurence has been a lover of reading and writing stories since she learned to read at a young age. She always dreamed of seeing her work in print and is thrilled to finally be able to share her special blend of sensuality and dry, sarcastic humor with the world. A dedicated West Coast girl transplanted into the Deep South, she's working on her own "happily ever after" with her boyfriend and their collection of animals including a Siberian Husky that sheds like nobody's business.

Website:  http://www.andrealaurence.com
 Twitter:  Andrea_Laurence

Review: Ouray's Peak by Leigh Podgorski

As heroine Kristin Tabor stands atop Ouray’s Peak during her final quest she ponders:

Chief Jack knew: whenever the red man wars against the white, it is always the red man who loses.
But which was she?
Jamie said his mother’s blood flowed in his veins.
Just so, her father’s blood flowed in hers.
And so it had been husband against wife.
Father against daughter.
Brother against sister.
Whenever the red man wars against the white, it is always the red man who loses.
And what if the red man is you?
And what if the white man is you?
And what if the red man and what if the white man both together, mixed together, flowed freely together in the same veins and those veins were you?

The history of the massacre of White River, Colorado of 1879 provides the backdrop for the story of the Tabor family in contemporary times. Family matriarch Christiana Tabor lies dying and implores her daughter Christine to contact the Ute Shaman Sowowic to guide her passing. When Christine Tabor does so, her heritage, long buried, awakens. This awakening creates a fissure in the Tabor household: Mickey Tabor, Christine’s husband cannot nor will not understand the hunger aroused in his wife. Tensions in the once happy household escalate with brother, Jamie, and sister, Kristin, caught between two immovable forces, until one day, without explanation or preamble, Christine Tabor is gone.

Mickey Tabor begins a long slow slide into alcoholism, secrets, and violence. What once was a close relationship between Kristin and Jamie becomes strained and distant. Jamie, once Kristin’s hero, seems to align with his father. One day challenging her father’s strict admonitions and Jamie’s repeated warnings, Kristin breaks open the lock to her father’s room. There, she finds the w’ni thokunup—a Ute musical instrument given to her mother by her grandmother-- and her mother’s letters. Mickey finds Kristin, and attacks her brutally. When Jamie comes home from hockey practice, he stumbles ashen upon the scene, and spirits Kristin away to the hospital. Unconscious, Kristin dreams of her mother and grandmother. When she returns from the hospital, she leaves home for good.

Thus begins Kristin Tabor’s journey, a journey she begins at the age of fourteen that will take her cross country and deep within the Rocky Nountains in search of the mother who left her and will lead her to the discovery of her Ute heritage and her own visionary powers, powers that take her back in time. What she sees there is so startling, so brutal, Kristin cannot bear the weight of what she has witnessed. Returned to the present, it is only the constant love of Billy Max White Cloud that leads Kristin back to hope and eventual reunification not only with her immediate family but with the two worlds that she, as did her mother before her, has so painfully tried to straddle.

Paperback, 217 pages

Published April 15th 2012 by Violet HIlls Productions 

Kristine's Thoughts:

I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

With such a detailed synopsis I don't feel the need to re-tell the story. I will say that I liked the story but I was left wishing for a little more. The book is not long and it follows Kristin from 14 to 19 years so I felt like some of the really important and interesting aspects were glossed over. I wanted more details and story particularly when it came to her heritage and her ancestors. The back story was just a little too brief for my liking and I would have enjoyed reading and learning more about it. I just felt like I didn't get enough time with the characters to know them.

I don't want to give the impression that I disliked the book because that is not the case. I guess from reading the synopsis I was just expecting a little more. It was an interesting story and a quick read that I feel younger readers will enjoy.

About the Author

 Leigh Podgorski’s stage plays have been produced in Los Angeles, New York City and regionally. She had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross for her one-act play Windstorm, which was presented as part of the annual festival CelebrateWomen that Leigh also co-produced. We Are Still Here, the story of Cahuilla Indian elder Katherine Siva Saubel, was premiered at the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum as part of CelebrateWomen 2000. The play has been presented throughout Southern California at college campuses, Universities, and Indian Reservations and Casinos. 

Connect with Leigh

Twitter/Goodreads

Review: Betting Blind by Stephanie Guerra

The cards are stacking up against Gabriel James: first there’s Phil, the guy paying the bills for Gabe’s mom (but not leaving his wife). Then there’s Gabe’s new school, filled with kids competing for the Ivies, Silicon Valley, and Wall Street—while Gabe’s just trying to swing enough Cs to graduate.

Gabe’s luck seems ready to change when he meets Irina Petrova: a hot violinist who is home-schooled by her strict Russian parents. When Gabe gets her number, he impresses the top guys at his school. When he becomes the drug connection for parties, his reputation is solidified. How else is he going to afford hanging with his new crew and impressing Irina? Anyway, it’s not really dealing if you’re just hooking up friends...right?

Gabe’s never been loyal to a girl before, but he finds himself falling for Irina hard. As the stakes are raised, Gabe will have to decide how high he’s willing to bet on school, on friends, on Irina—but most of all, on himself.

Kindle Edition, 258 pages

Expected publication: November 4th 2014 by Skyscape

Terri's Thoughts

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Skyscape via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is November 4th, 2014.

Oh boy I struggled with this story.  On the one hand it was an easy YA read however on the other it had a main character that really didn't have any redeeming qualities.

Gabe was dealing drugs.  Ok.  If the book was centralized around a theme where he was forced in to his choices by circumstances beyond his control I would have been more compassionate.  I would have understood as it would have been about someone who had no choices and the events that led him there.  This was not the case.  Gabe's choices were simply about gaining social status which left him very selfish.

Throughout the story you see that Guerra was trying to redeem Gabe however the story fell short of it.  He still continued to make choices because they were the easiest way out.  Vegas seemed surplus and unnecessary.  It seems that Irina was the one who was supposed to save Gabe from himself yet she was part of his excuses for what he did.  Is it really a love story or is it just a story about a self destructive boy who chooses the easiest path each time?

It appears that there will be a sequel to this story.  Perhaps here is where we see Gabe redeem himself?  Based on this first instalment I am not sure I want to invest any more time in his story yet on the other hand maybe I want to find out what the end vision is.  I will put some time between this read to determine if I will invest any more of my time in this story.

About the Author

Website:  http://www.stephanieguerra.com/