Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Review: The End of Feeling by Cindy C. Bennett

Image & description from goodreads.com
Benjamin Nefer seems to have it all. He’s the most popular guy in school, the star quarterback with college scouts looking at him, his grades are near the top of his class, he can get any girl he wants . . . but he hides behind his dream life to mask the nightmare of his reality.

Charlie Austin is the new girl. Forced to move in with a bitter aunt, she only wants to protect her fragile mom from the world’s cruelty. When Benjamin sets his sights on Charlie, she’s armored against his charm—friends warned her about Benjamin’s game of pursuing and then dumping a long line of girls, not caring about the broken hearts he leaves behind. She doesn’t count on how single-minded he can be when she refuses him, or how charismatic, easing into her life through what he claims is just friendship.

Benjamin thought he could keep Charlie in the same place he keeps all girls—something to be used and then discarded. But Charlie has as many secrets as he does, secrets he’s determined to discover while keeping his own hidden. He realizes she’s the perfect girlfriend candidate . . . someone he can use to keep up the façade of a perfect life. Now he just has to keep his frozen heart from softening toward this unique girl, because if he doesn’t, his carefully constructed lies might just come thundering down around him, crushing him beneath the burden of feeling.

My Thoughts:

It's so hard to imagine what some kids go through just to survive.  What hell some of them endure without anyone ever realizing.  For Ben & Charlie, hiding their home lives seems like the only way to survive.  Charlie fails to see that hiding her secret isn't protecting someone she loves, it's protecting herself.  Ben learns that not all love ends in hurt and not all hurt goes on forever.  Cindy Bennett uses her amazing gift of writing about difficult subjects to create a wonderful story with such realistic characters.  I've loved every book of her's that I've read.  She has a way of bringing out beautiful results from really tragic situations.  You might want to have some tissues handy.

Other books I love by Cindy C. Bennett:





Friday, May 2, 2014

Review: Seeress by Ednah Walters

 
Book Title: Seeress
Series: A Runes Novel #3
Author: Ednah Walters
Release Date: April 28th 2014
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Firetrail Publishing
Presented by: As You Wish Tours

BLURB

I love Torin St. James...
I need his strength…
But someone from his past wants me dead.


Raine Cooper is certain of two things: her love for Torin St. James and her destiny to be a powerful seeress. But when she starts having premonitions, they are unclear and disturbing. Worse, they involve Torin. With her mother gone, her father dying, and her best friend in Hel, she is not sure who to talk to.

But when the visions become more personal and she foresees her future with Torin threatened by someone from his past, Raine becomes desperate for answers. Just her luck two new students arrive at her school and they seem to have answers. When with them, her powers are enhanced and her visions become clear. There is only one problem: Torin forbids Raine to see the two girls.

Can their love survive without trust? 

Runes Series Books:

 EXCERPT

In-between classes, I cocked my ear to catch the song again. No such luck.

Lunch time, Torin was waiting outside my class, a group of girls hanging on his every word. One reached up and brushed his shirt. That was crossing the line. I stake my claim when I reached his side, sliding my hand into his. They took off. “Groupies?”

He laughed. “No.”

“Next time Leanna Finch strokes your chest, I’ll break her fingers.”

“Who’s Leanna?”

I forgave him for not noticing. Girls were always pushing boundaries like damn predator checking for weaknesses. Someone needed to tell them Torin and I was tight. Fortified like Fort Knox. “Have you seen Ingrid?”

“No.” He stroked my cheek with his knuckles. “Are we eating here or at home? I can make us something.”

I wanted to stay there and let him stroke me. His touch was intoxicating. But first things first. “Okay, but I need to ask Ingrid something first.”

He went still. “About?”

“Something.” I reached up and kissed him. “Go. I’m right behind you.”

He didn’t look happy leaving me behind, which was sweet.

“I won’t take long,” I added.

He nodded. With a fingertip brush across my cheek, he disappeared into the men’s room to find a portal. I shook my head. Sometimes he could be so possessive. He hadn’t had a relationship in centuries and was learning to adjust to ours, which hadn’t exactly been smooth. What mattered was we loved it each other, knew it and cherished out time together. Whatever bumps laid ahead, and I was sure the Norns weren’t done with us, I was determined to never let them destroy what we had.

I turned the corner and saw Cora at the cafeteria entrance. Her lunch schedule depended on whether or not Echo was around. She waved.

“Please tell me you’re eating here. Please. Echo will be gone most of today and evening,” Cora explained. “There was a fire at some nursing home in Seattle.”

“I’m heading home, but you can join us. Torin already left to make something.”

She sighed melodramatically and looked around the cafeteria. “I don’t want to be a third wheel.”

“You won’t be.”

“Nah. Go enjoy your man.” She waved and I turned to see three girls from the swim team, Kicker, Sonya and Tess. “I’ll join the girls and catch up on the latest gossip. See you tonight.”

“You want to come and watch The Originals online? I missed last two episodes.”

Her eyes widened. “Ohmigod, the poor, damaged, just-needs-to-be-loved Klaus. I have to get my Klaus fix every week. I’ve even gotten Echo to tolerate him. Okay, I’ll watch with you, so we can hate on some witches. I also want your opinion on something.”

“Okay.” Ingrid, her cheerleader friends, and their jock boyfriends walked in.

Cora beamed at me and gave me a quick hug. “You’re the best.”

Everyone at Ingrid’s looked up questioningly when I stopped by their table. “What?”

“Where’s Torin?” a girl asked.

“Around. You know I can actually breathe without him. Ingrid.” I indicated outside with a nod and took off.

“What’s going on?” she asked, sounding a bit worried.

“I want to pick your brain.” Some of the students were hanging out on the deck. Others threw football in the grassy area along the building. It was still cold, but the sun was up and diehards were already wearing shorts. I found an area away from the others and faced her.

“You are beginning to worry me,” Ingrid said. “If this is about Andris—”

“No, this is about me. Do you remember I told you last night that I heard the woman sing during my vision?”

She nodded. “Varðlokur.”

“Varo-what?”

“The warding or spirit-summoning song. We sing it before the Seeress goes into a trance. What about it?”

“I thought I heard it this morning.”

Her frown deepened. “Where?”

“Here at school. What does that mean?” I saw a movement from the corner of my eyes and turned to look. It was Blaine. He waved.

“I don’t know. I guess whoever sang the song last night is a student here.”

“But the Seeress was older. At least, she sounded older.”

“Uh, that’s because the Seeress never does the singing. Someone else does. You sure it wasn’t the same voice?”

I nodded. Someone working with a Seeress was here at my school. “Is Blaine waiting for you?” He was talking to friends but he kept looking in our direction.

Ingrid waved to him. “No. Do you want me to point her out when I recognize her?”

“You can do that?”

She shrugged. “Oh, yes. It’s like, uh, having a witch radar. Why do you think Maliina hated you from the moment she saw you?”

“Uh, because Andris was being a total douche?”

She laughed. “That came second. My sister was a powerful Seidr witch, but in you, she saw something else. Something she’d never seen before and she was jealous. Maliina always wanted to be important and, uh, revered. Back at home, they did, but it wasn’t enough. Then she met Andris and he turned her. But he took her away from home and her adoring fans. She stopped being important and she didn’t like it. That’s why she joined the Norns. She was very ambitious.”

It didn’t excuse what she’d done, but it made sense. “So what did she see in me?”

Ingrid shrugged. “A more powerful witch, I guess. I’m not as strong as Maliina, but I should be able to spot the witch here at school. I’ll let you know when I do.”

“Thanks.” I really liked this new Ingrid. She stopped by the group with Blaine, said something to him and disappeared inside the building. Blaine followed her. I went to the nearest restroom and headed home to Torin.

My Thoughts:
Ednah Walters!  There seems to be no end to her brilliance!  She has once again filled a book with beautiful, witty charming characters.  Seeress dives deeper into the world of Raine Cooper and explores the depths of her abilities as a powerful seeress.  Raine & Torin, in all his deliciousness, are battling against a hidden enemy.  Is it the Norns?  Witches?  Disgruntled Gods?  I had no idea until the end!  It was fantastic!  All my favorite characters came back.  Even Echo in all his leather and bad attitude.  This series is such a great way to explore Norse mythology.  I recommend reading this series and anything written by Ednah.  She knows how to bring you a feast of amazing characters for your reading pleasure.  

Books in the series:

Runes
Immortals
Grimnirs (Echo & Cora's story)
Seeress

**Warning**  You will fall into full on book crush with some of these characters.  Don't say I didn't warn you.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
EDNAH WALTERS grew up reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and dreaming of one day writing her own stories. She is a stay-at-home mother of five humans and two American short-hair cats (one of which has ADHD) and a husband. When she is not writing, she’s at the gym doing Zumba or doing things with her family, reading, traveling or online chatting with fans.

Ednah is the author of The Guardian Legacy series, a YA fantasy series about children of the fallen angels, who fight demons and protect mankind. AWAKENED, the prequel was released by Pill Hill Press in September 2010 with rave reviews. BETRAYED, book one in the series was released by her new publisher Spencer Hill Press in June 2012 and HUNTED, the third installment, was released March 2013. She’s working on the next book in the series, FORGOTTEN. Visit her at www.ednahwalters.com.

Ednah also writes YA paranormal romance. RUNES is the first book in her new series. IMMORTALS is book 2. She just released book 3, GRIMNIRS December 2013. Read more about this series and the world she's created here www.runestheseries.com.

Under the pseudonym E. B. Walters, Ednah writes contemporary romance. SLOW BURN, the first contemporary romance with suspense, was released in April 2011. It is the first book in the Fitzgerald family series. Since then she has published five more books in this series. She's presently working on book seven. You can visit her online at or www.ebwalters.com.


SEERESS [RUNES SERIES: #3]
Goodreads


 
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