Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Summary:

Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job in the affluent suburb of Spring Brook, New Jersey as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.

Mallory immediately loves this new job. She lives in the Maxwell’s pool house, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.

As the days pass, Teddy’s artwork becomes more and more sinister, and his stick figures steadily evolve into more detailed, complex, and lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to suspect these are glimpses of an unsolved murder from long ago, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force lingering in the forest behind the Maxwell’s house.

With help from a handsome landscaper and an eccentric neighbor, Mallory sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy—while coming to terms with a tragedy in her own past—before it’s too late.

My Review:

Ready to be freaked out?

Hidden Pictures was such a fun read. Not sure if, I would want to watch a kid that drawing creepy pictures. The book was very tense at times. Your not really sure is the main character just gone crazy. I love this cover so much. It the prefect Halloween read. Well to me Halloween can be all year round.

The main character Mallory I liked in the book. She was a mess in the beginning. Now she trying to get her life in order with help from support. Mallory landed a cool nanny job. How hard will it be watching an kid? Weird things start happening like Teddy drawings, him talking to himself at times. It feels like someone always watching her. Did Mallory fall off the wagon again or something haunting going on?

Ready to sleep with the lights on, then check out Hidden Pictures.

Happy Reading!!!!!

{Arc Review} Furious Things by Jenny Downham

Book Summary:

Bad things happen when you’re around, Lex…

That’s what her stepfather tells her. That’s what she believes about herself.

But how can she convince herself and everyone around her that her anger doesn’t make her a monster? If only she could stop losing her temper and behave herself, her stepfather would accept her, her mom would love her like she used to, and her stepbrother would declare his crushing desire to spend the rest of his life with her. She wants these things so badly, she’s determined to swallow her anger and make her family proud.

But pushing fury down doesn’t make it disappear. Instead, it simmers below the surface, waiting to erupt. There’ll be fireworks when it does…

My Review:

Being angry all the time can hurt the ones you love, but is it really a mental thing or something going on at home.

Lex seems like she is out of control since her stepfather came along. She don’t know how to control her anger or express herself better. It don’t help when her stepfather talk down to her and her mother all the times. At times she thinks she going crazy. Hopefully Lex gets the helps she needs before it’s to late.

This book was an interesting read. The main character struggles with her issues and to control her emotions. It don’t help having someone making things worse for her. I did like the storyline to the book and how good the ending was to it. It deals with kinda mental health issues and controlling issues also. The book recently came out just came out, just late on reading and reviewing it.

Looking for a new read, then try Furious Things.

Lie to Me by Kaitlin Ward

Book Summary:

Ever since Amelia woke up in the hospital, recovering from a near-death fall she has no memory of, she’s been suspicious. Her friends, family, and doctors insist it was an accident, but Amelia is sure she remembers being pushed. Then another girl is found nearby — one who fell, but didn’t survive. Amelia’s fears suddenly feel very real, and with the help of her new boyfriend, Liam, she tries to investigate her own horrific ordeal. But what is she looking for, exactly? And how can she tell who’s trustworthy, and who might be — must be — lying to her?

The closer Amelia gets to the truth, the more terrifying her once orderly, safe world becomes. She’s determined to know what happened, but if she doesn’t act fast, her next accident might be her last.

My Review:

A girl who was found unconscious by the river bank. She is lucky to just be alive as reports of another girl found dead almost the same spot.

Amelia is recovering the best as she can. She can’t seem to remember what happen that day. Her best friend was the one that found her. Everyone thinks she might have try to kill herself, but she has a nagging feeling that something more sinister going on.

Her hest friend acting weird, then the guy who hates her brother take a notice in her. Amelia getting strange messages to leave it be. Who can she really trust, when the people close to her seem to be lying to her.

This book was pretty good. The cover I do like a lot, so breathtaking and pretty. Amelia was lucky a tree stop her fall and from going in that water to drown. The book may be a little predictable at times for some readers. It kept me entertained until the very end. This book is very short read.

If your in mood for a good mystery, then check out Lie to Me.

Happy Reading!!!!

Keystone by Katie Delahanty

Book Summary:

When Ella Karman debuts on the Social Stock Exchange, she finds out life as a high-profile “Influencer” isn’t what she expected. Everyone around her is consumed by their rankings, in creating the smoke and mirrors that make them the envy of the world.

But then Ella’s best friend betrays her, her rankings tank, and she loses—everything.

Leaving her old life behind, she joins Keystone, a secret school for thieves, where students are being trained to steal everything analog and original because something—or someone—is changing history to suit their needs.

Partnered with the annoyingly hot—and utterly impossible—Garrett Alexander, who has plenty of his own secrets, Ella is forced to return to the Influencer world, while unraveling a conspiracy that began decades ago.

One wrong move and she could lose everything—again.

My Review:

Keystone is a place where you are disconnected from the world. You learn the art of the heist and to become anyone you want to. A school for learning to be the best thief.

Ella life kinda blew up in her face. When tragic strikes her friends on a boat, she becomes someone new. Now learn at a school of thieves. It kinda hard to do when the pass has a way of catching up with you.

She has the skill of good instincts. Ella can act her out of anything and be prefect fit to train at Keystone. She becomes a new person and hopefully can leave the past behind, if Garrett will let her.

This book was so good. I so engrossed in the story and world building. The world is pretty neat in the book. You have life online and being watch all the time. You must learn to become popular in order to make it big. You can become discounted and disappear from the spotlight if you don’t follow the rules.

I likes the interactions with Garrett and Ella. It was fun when they always bumping heads,yet they feel something for each other. They both have there own secrets at keystone. Ella and Garrett are both very skill and must work together to pass a test.

Looking for a good original heist story, Then enter the world of Keystone.

Happy Reading!!!!!

Signing Events Week

Hello my readers,

Despite suffering a bad cough for nearly 3 weeks I been busy attending two awesome signing events. Sorry for late blog updates also. Just have been really sick and hardly reading much. Got some reviews upcoming hopefully soon. In meantime enjoy some fun pictures of my signing events.

I was lucky enough to get a chance to met Holly black and Brigid Kemmerer. It was such a fun event and very packed night. These two was lots of fun and excited to read both their books.

Here are my sign reads:

Also today I met three very nice authors.

Tiffany Schmidt, she wrote Bookish Boyfriends books. It a cute contemporary read for book nerds. Wish more people read it.

Isabel Bandeira, she has three books release. The first book call Bookishly Ever After. Another adorable contemporary read. I’m in the middle reading it and enjoying it. Will a post review of it when finish.
Julie Eshbaugh, I was lucky enough to bump into at this event. She wrote Crown of Oblivion book. Which was very awesome fantasy stand alone. Will be writing up my review of that book this week.

Here are my sign reads:

Hope my blog been helping you guys to discover some awesome new reads.

Happy Reading!!!

Pretend She’s Here by Luanne Rice

Book Summary:

Emily Lonergan’s best friend died last year.

And Emily hasn’t stopped grieving. Lizzie Porter was lively, loud, and fun — Emily’s better half. Emily can’t accept that she’s gone.

When Lizzie’s parents and her sister come back to town to visit, Emily’s heartened to see them. The Porters understand her pain. They miss Lizzie desperately, too.

Desperately enough to do something crazy.

Something unthinkable.

Suddenly, Emily’s life is hurtling toward a very dark place — and she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to return to what she once knew was real.

My Review:

In Pretend She’s Here, the book is about grieving a lost of a friend and daughter. Some people grieve in their own way or grieve in a unhealthy way.

For Emily she dealing with the lost of her best friend. She has support from friends and family to help her out. It been a long time since she saw Lizzie’s family. She thought they long move on with life but she was wrong.

Lurking in the darkness of grief, Lizzie’s family been plotting and planning. They do whatever it takes to have their daughter back, even if it means to kidnap Emily. Making Emily pretend she is their dead daughter by force.

With lives threaten, Emily must become something she is not and slowly start loosing herself in the process. Will she be able to find a way to escape?

This book was such an emotional read. At times it was a little dark. You can really feel how each characters is handling the situation at hand. Overall I really liked this read and so engrossed in the story, also rooting for Emily. This is a tense read and has mental abuse. May be little sensitive to other readers.

If your into heavy read thrillers, then you may like Pretend She’s Here. Also you can check it out library if your unsure of this read.

Every Stolen Breathe by Kimberly Gabriel

Book Summary:

The Swarm is unrecognizable, untraceable, and unpredictable—random attacks on the streets of Chicago by a mob of crazed teens that leaves death in its wake. It’s been two years since the last attack, but Lia Finch has found clues that reveal the Swarm is ready to claim a new victim.

Lia is the only one still pursuing her father’s killers, two years after attorney Steven Finch’s murder by the Swarm. Devastated and desperate for answers, Lia will do anything to uncover the reasons behind his death and to stop someone else from being struck down. But due to debilitating asthma and PTSD that leaves her with a tenuous hold on reality, Lia is the last person to mount a crusade on her own.

After a close encounter with the Swarm puts Lia on their radar, she teams up with a teen hacker, a reporter, and a mysterious stranger who knows firsthand how the mob works. Together, they work to uncover the master puppeteer behind the group. Though if Lia and her network don’t stop the person pulling the strings—and fast—Lia may end up the next target.

My Review:

Every Stolen Breathe was such a very intense read. The storyline was something a little different. The book keeps you on the edge of your seat. I do like the characters in it also.

Lia in the book witness the death of her father by the swarm. The swarm is a like a gang that goes around attacking random people. Lia thinks there was a motive on why the swarm kill him. She has a feeling her father was getting close to something big to take down the swarm. With her best friend help, she tries to seek answers before the swarm comes for her next.

This book was a quick read and action pack. I like how the main character has certain quirks like asthma and PTSD she working through. Lia is a tough cookie with dealing health issues while seeking out a dangerous gang. Her mom in the book a little over protected and just want her daughter safe and not end up like her father. You don’t know who to trust since the swarm can be anyone in public.

Looking for another new read to tackle then you might want to check out Every Stolen Breathe.

Happy Reading!!!

The Hive by Barry Lyga and Morgan Baden

Book Summary:

Cassie McKinney has always believed in the Hive.

Social media used to be out of control, after all. People were torn apart by trolls and doxxers. Even hackers – like Cassie’s dad – were powerless against it.

But then the Hive came. A better way to sanction people for what they do online. Cause trouble, get too many “condemns,” and a crowd can come after you, teach you a lesson in real life. It’s safer, fairer and perfectly legal.

Entering her senior year of high school, filled with grief over an unexpected loss, Cassie is primed to lash out. Egged on by new friends, she makes an edgy joke online. Cassie doubts anyone will notice.

But the Hive notices everything. And as her viral comment whips an entire country into a frenzy, the Hive demands retribution.

One moment Cassie is anonymous; the next, she’s infamous. And running for her life.

With nowhere to turn, she must learn to rely on herself – and a group of Hive outcasts who may not be reliable – as she slowly uncovers the truth about the machine behind the Hive.

My Review:

The Hive was a interesting read. The storyline was somewhat different than I use to read. I liked some of the characters in the book and connected well with them.

Cassie always on her phone, checking social media. She believes in the hive system and the justice it serves on the people. After he father passed away she is angry and hurt. She kinda of a loner at the start of school. Later on she becomes friends with the mean girls at school. One harmless prank with them, leads Cassie on the run from the hive. While on the run she has no one to trust.

The book starts out pretty good. I did like the idea of it. Somehow in the middle the book is start dragging out for me. Cassie in the book at first seems a bit mean girl herself, but slowly grows on you. She dealing with a lot like the hive chasing her and some shocking father secrets she discovers along the way. Her mother is very supportive person and will do anything to help her daughter out. I like the bond between Cassie and her mom in the book. I’m still looking forward to reading a book two if there is one. The ending make me want to read more. If your in the mood to discover something new and different, then check out the hive yourself.

Happy Reading!!!!!

Beau and Bett by Kathryn Berla

Book Summary:

After Beau LeFrancois’s mother wrecks Bett Diaz’s luxury SUV, his family faces an impossibly large bill—with no car insurance to help pay it. To pay off the debt, Beau spends his weekends working at the Diaz Ranch.

Beau’s prepared to work, but he’s definitely not prepared for the infamous temper of Bett Diaz, also known as “The Beast” at school. As Beau learns the secrets behind Bett’s tough exterior, he finds himself falling for her . . . until he catches Bett in a lie.

A contemporary twist on a classic fairy tale, Beau and Bett is a timely story of family, friendship, and the power of speaking out and standing up for yourself.

My Review:

I did enjoyed this book. It was a short and quick read. A very modern take on Beauty and Beast story. I did like some of the characters in the book.

Beau is a nice guy and hard worker. So when his mom gets into an car accident. He goes working with this rich family to pay off dents. Beau is a type of person who see the good in everyone.

Bett can come off this mean chick. There are rumors at school she is this beast. When Beau start working for her dad, he kinda pecks her interest a bit. Is Bett really all that bad?

This review may be a little short sorry. I like the characters develop in the book. It fun how they interact with each other. It has a very slow burn romance build up, which don’t bother me. To me this book was a cute retelling, some of you might enjoy it.

Happy Reading!!

WWW Wednesday

Thanks to my editor Stay Fetters at Acourtofcoffeeandbooks for this new banner.

The three Ws:

What I’m currently reading?

What I finish reading?

What I plan to read next?

Finish Reading:

I did like this modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Will write my review of the book soon.

Currently Reading:

I’m in the middle of The Hive. I’m liking it a bit. It has an interesting storyline.

Summary:

Cassie McKinney has always believed in the Hive.

Social media used to be out of control, after all. People were torn apart by trolls and doxxers. Even hackers – like Cassie’s dad – were powerless against it.

But then the Hive came. A better way to sanction people for what they do online. Cause trouble, get too many “condemns,” and a crowd can come after you, teach you a lesson in real life. It’s safer, fairer and perfectly legal.

Entering her senior year of high school, filled with grief over an unexpected loss, Cassie is primed to lash out. Egged on by new friends, she makes an edgy joke online. Cassie doubts anyone will notice.

But the Hive notices everything. And as her viral comment whips an entire country into a frenzy, the Hive demands retribution.

One moment Cassie is anonymous; the next, she’s infamous. And running for her life.

With nowhere to turn, she must learn to rely on herself – and a group of Hive outcasts who may not be reliable – as she slowly uncovers the truth about the machine behind the Hive.

New York Times bestselling authors Barry Lyga and Morgan Baden have teamed up for the first time to create a novel that’s gripping, terrifying and more relevant every day, based on a story proposal by Jennifer Beals and Tom Jacobson

Reading Next:

Looking forward to reading The Memory Thief. The summary sounds very good. The cover is so pretty for it.

Summary:

In the city of Craewick, memories reign. The power-obsessed ruler of the city, Madame, has cultivated a society in which memories are currency, citizens are divided by ability, and Gifted individuals can take memories from others through touch as they please.

Seventeen-year-old Etta Lark is desperate to live outside of the corrupt culture, but grapples with the guilt of an accident that has left her mother bedridden in the city’s asylum. When Madame threatens to put her mother up for auction, a Craewick practice in which a “criminal’s” memories are sold to the highest bidder before being killed, Etta will do whatever it takes to save her. Even if it means rejoining the Shadows, the rebel group she swore off in the wake of the accident years earlier.

To prove her allegiance to the Shadows and rescue her mother, Etta must steal a memorized map of the Maze, a formidable prison created by the bloodthirsty ruler of a neighboring Realm. So she sets out on a journey in which she faces startling attacks, unexpected romance, and, above all, her own past in order to set things right in her world.

Just been feeling sick and trying to keep blog active as best as I can. I’m reading at a slow peace since real life stuff been getting in the way.

Happy Reading!!!