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Four by Veronica Roth. 2014. HarperCollins Publishers. Goodreads.

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth comes a companion volume to the worldwide bestselling DIVERGENT series, told from the per-spective of the immensely popular character Tobias. The four pieces included here—THE TRANSFER, THE INITIATE, THE SON, and THE TRAITOR—plus three additional exclusive scenes, give readers an electrifying glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the DIVERGENT trilogy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKVSBbXK3v8

If you didn’t watch the video I’ll do a quick written out review.

I loved reading Four! It was really fun to get to know him better. I think I might favor him as a character now over Tris. She is still awesome, but Four is unique. I found out more about him than I knew after reading three books where he was the side character.

All four of the short books are entertaining. After the 4 short books are 3 short stories where Four gets to know Tris. It was fun to see his thoughts and feelings during the Divergent book.

Read the Divergent trilogy first then read Four. It’s a book you’ll love!

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Sexual: mild ( kissing )
Language: very mild ( da**-2, God-2 )
Violence: mild ( abuse )

BOOKS BY VERONICA ROTH
As an Amazon Affiliate I receive a small portion of sales when you click then make a purchase from Amazon links on my blog.

I loved going to the North Texas Teen Book Festival for the first time! It was amazing! So many of my favorite authors were there. I use the panel pages from the festival to title my photos.

MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME
Editor and contributors discuss their recent holiday anthology
Jennifer E. Smith, David Levithan, Ally Carter, Jenny Han, Stephanie Perkins

 

Lindsay Cummings bent over to sign a young boy’s book.

 

ACTION PACKED
Discover how these authors create the thrills that keep you on the edge of your seat
Patrick Carman, Lindsay Cummings, Gordon Korman, Jeramey Kraatz, D. J. MacHale, Shannon Messenger

 

UNDER THE SPELL OF THE RETELL
Discussion of the writing and reading of retellings
Rachel Caine, Tera Lynn Childs, Stuart Gibbs, Claire Legrand, Sarah Mylnowski, Teri Lesense

 

MAKE A SPLASH
Set sail with stories on and under water
Ally Condie, Tera Lynn Childs, Polly Holyoke, Lisa McMann, Carrie Ryan, Karin Perry

 

I got a picture with Lindsay Cummings when I had her sign The Murder Complex. She was so sweet. I loved meeting her and a few more authors!

 

Have any of you been to author events recently or ever? Who did you get to meet? What made you happy?

On the Fence by Kasie West. 2014. HarperCollins. Goodreads.

For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn’t know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she’s spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.
To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can’t solve Charlie’s biggest problem: she’s falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Charlotte Reynolds, or Charlie, was the only girl in the house. She had three big brothers and only her dad since her mom passed away when she was very young. It’s funny to hear how much she’s a tom-boy. She was a big time sports player. Even though I didn’t grow up playing sports I still related to this uncomfortable high school girl.

At the first of summer Charlie got a ticket for speed driving. Her dad was one of the policemen in the city and told her he wouldn’t get her out of it this time. She had to get a job to pay off the ticket. I loved all the things she learned while working. Seeing her be exposed to more girl things than the guy stuff at home was fun.

Charlie’s backyard neighbor Braden came to visit her family all the time. They were the same age and grew up together. She still felt like one of the guys with him around until some things started to change. This was such a fun read!

I read the beginning of On the Fence a few days before my Brain Tumor Surgery then finished the book a few weeks after. Some people might think it’s crazy to try and read a book after brain surgery, but that’s what I needed! Reading teen fiction makes me happy. A few days after surgery was the first time I tried to read. It was so hard at first. I would need a few minutes just for one page or half a page. But I got better and was happy to read this story. Thank you Kasie West for your great book! It brought fun and happiness to my life.

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Sexual: mild ( kissing )
Language: none
Violence: none

BOOKS BY KASIE WEST
As an Amazon Affiliate I receive a small portion of sales when you click then make a purchase from Amazon links on my blog.

I posted three times on YouTube two years ago. Now I’ve started again. Have fun seeing me chat about my love of books I want to read or have read. When the book I wrote is closer to release I’ll also make videos about that.

Any of you on YouTube? I want to follow more book lovers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPg0cg-jNR8&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL1P6aj4gJ8

PAST BRAIN TUMOR UPDATES:
May 2, 2014. August 1, 2014. August 28, 2014. October 23, 2014.

My last update was in October when I finished my radiation treatments. Now I’m having Chemotherapy.

Every month I have 5 days where I take chemo pills. I also take pills to reduce nausea, and a special cream rubbed on my wrists also reduce the nausea. I’ve been through the week of chemo pills 4 times now. Every time I got better at taking the nausea pills on time and eating snacks all day which made the nausea go away. It really isn’t too bad anymore.

I’m not supposed to be around sick people, especially when it’s the week I’m taking the chemo pills. I can easily get sick. I’ve been told that if I get a low fever I would possibly be sent to an ER. That sounds scary, but so far so good.

My hair is growing back even though I’m taking chemo pills. Anyone who had brain radiation treatment will lose the hair where the radiation light is sent. Then with our chemo we don’t loss hair. Most people I’ve seen with another cancer lose their hair when going through chemo.

I talk about my brain tumor a little at the beginning and some more 3/4 of the way through this YouTube book video.
https://www.youtube.com/user/cleanteenfiction/videos

My husband Colt and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary this month! I got this super fun wig for the date night. I am definitely going to wear it again. It’s nice to be camouflaged from having a cancer.

I’ve had many MRI. The most recent ones have shown that the tumor is gone. I continue to fight off the possibility of it growing by doing the chemo treatment. I’ll be finished in September and hope to be down for a LONG time.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers for me and my family. We feel so blessed.

Mila 2.0 (Mila 2.0 #1) by Debra Driza. 2013. Katherine Tegen Books. Goodreads.

Mila 2.0 is the first book in an electrifying sci-fi thriller series about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an experiment in artificial intelligence.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

Mila 2.0 is Debra Driza’s bold debut and the first book in a Bourne Identity-style trilogy that combines heart-pounding action with a riveting exploration of what it really means to be human. Fans of I Am Number Four will love Mila for who she is and what she longs to be—and a cliffhanger ending will leave them breathlessly awaiting the sequel.

This book was read before my Brain Tumor surgery in August 2014. I should have posted a review before surgery, but life was hectic.

Mila 2.0 was a fun read by a great new author, Debra Driza. I definitely recommend it to all you YA readers.

Mila was a fun character! I loved the beginning with her a normal teenager going to school. She was the new girl trying to make friends. I don’t want to get into the amazingly cool things that happened, but just know that if you like teen fiction with some action you’ll like this one.

It was great getting to know Mila when she thought she was a regular human girl. There was a guy named Hunter who was also fun getting to know. The only thing that started to annoy me was her constant surprise of what she found out about herself. I guess that only annoyed me because I’m the opposite. The story really was great.

I look forward to reading book 2! Mila 2.0 was full of normal high school days then wild days on the run!

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Sexual: none
Language: mild ( God-25, h-12, d-7, sh**-2, Jesus-2, Jesus Christ-1 )
Violence: mild ( physical combat, injuries )

BOOKS BY DEBRA DRIZA
As an Amazon Affiliate I receive a small portion of sales when you click then make a purchase from Amazon links on my blog.

Rose Tinted (The Sugar Coated Trilogy #2) by Shannen Crane Camp. May 2014. Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing. Goodreads. Book 1: Sugar Coated

The façade is fading, questions are growing, and time is running out.

Brynn wanted to find answers about her world’s carefree existence and her own insatiable curiosity, and upon learning the truth about her planet Halcyon, Brynn’s task became simple: stop what she knew was coming. Behind the veneer of simplicity, though, nothing but complexity awaited. How could three people who were just learning to throw off the shackles of their unconscious limitations challenge an entire social order? More importantly, how could they survive the wrath of the deadly Angels who invaded Brynn’s dreams and loomed over her every waking moment?

An unexpected alliance with a small group of rebels from a place Brynn had never heard of only days before offered some hope—technology she hadn’t known existed, a hard-working person’s ability to endure, and a recklessness fueled by an icy determination she didn’t fully understand. But secrets lurked among them too, and when a betrayal from someone close to Brynn puts everyone in danger, bonds are shaken and lines are drawn.

In the battle against the Angels, the only victory is survival.

This book was read before my Brain Tumor surgery in August 2014. I should have posted a review before surgery, but life was hectic.

I love Shannen Crane Camp’s books! They are always so much fun to read. See a list of some of her other books at the bottom of this review post. Check them ALL out! Rose Tinted is book two in the series so be sure to read Sugar Coated first.

From the very beginning Brynn is going crazy with terrible dreams full of the evil woman. Brynn tries to find a way to take down the bad guys with her friends, but things don’t go as planned. The two main guy characters are so different and make things very entertaining. I’m really looking forward to reading book 3!

Sugar Coated was fun and exciting! Have fun reading this series.

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Sexual: mild ( kiss )
Language: none
Violence: mild ( action )

BOOKS BY SHANNEN CRANE CAMP
As an Amazon Affiliate I receive a small portion of sales when you click then make a purchase from Amazon links on my blog.

Working It Out by Rachael Anderson. 2013. HEA Publishing. Goodreads.

A chance encounter . . .
Grace Warren’s life is safe and predictable—exactly the way she likes it. But when she gets roped into going to an auction to help out a friend, everything changes. She meets Seth Tuttle—a guy who unexpectedly kisses her then disappears, leaving her flustered and upset. If she never sees him again, it will be too soon.A chance for love . . .
Weeks later, when Seth limps into Grace’s rehab clinic post surgery, he’s every bit as frustrating and annoying as she remembered. Yet there’s something about him that makes her second-guess her carefully placed boundaries even though he’s everything she’s sure she doesn’t want in a man. But maybe Seth is exactly what Grace has needed all along—assuming she’s willing to risk safe and predictable for a chance at love.

This book was read before my Brain Tumor surgery in August 2014. I should have posted a review before surgery, but life was hectic.

I LOVED this book! Reading the summary reminded me of the most amazing beginning to a romance book. They kissed! Before they even knew each other! I laughed and loved that part. That’s the way to start. They didn’t think they’d ever meet again, but then they did. It was funny to see how their relationship then went a little uncomfortable. I’m remembering fun times they spent together. I loved watching them go from strangers that once kissed to a built friendship.

I recommend Working it Out by Rachael Anderson to any of you that love to read the building of a fun relationship in a clean and cute way.

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Sexual: mild ( kissing )
Language: none
Violence: none

BOOKS BY RACHAEL ANDERSON
As an Amazon Affiliate I receive a small portion of sales when you click then make a purchase from Amazon links on my blog.

The Rejected Suitor (Clearbrook Regency #1) by Teresa McCarthy. 2013. Goodreads.

A tale of love and intrigue during the era of Jane Austen and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Lady Emily Clearbrook secretly loved Jared, the Earl of Stonebridge, but one day, he left her without a word. Now, years later, Emily’s four brawny brothers have decided she needs to marry. With no idea about Emily’s past love, the Clearbrook brothers ask their friend, Lord Stonebridge, to guard Lady Emily from unfit suitors until they find her a proper husband. With his dangerous past, the last thing Stonebridge needs is to be watchdog to Lady Emily. But he certainly cannot tell her brothers that the person Emily needs the most protection from is himself!

I loved this book. It was so fun to listen to, and of course I loved it when I read it. I had already read this book, and this time I got to listen to it. So fun!

Historical Romance can be so great to listen too. Of course the book was the same so I’ll post that review. Just know that if you ever need to listen to a book this is a great series to have on audio. You would love it!

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I love a wonderfully clean historical romance! This book (and whole series) was so pleasant to read. I liked Emily (the Main Character) from the very beginning with her independence and feisty-ness. She was 20, and her 4 older brothers wanted to choose a husband for her so she wouldn’t end up with a gambler or womanizer. Her brothers were so funny. They seriously thought they should and could control Emily.

The brothers sent Lord Stonebridge to watch her while they looked for her a ‘suitable’ husband. Little did they know that Lord Stonebridge and Emily had a past together. Woo! This book had some swoon worthy moments. Oh sigh.

I really enjoyed The Rejected Suitor, full of romance, tension, and even some mystery. I recommend this to anyone who loves a clean historical romance.

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Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Sexual: mild ( kissing )
Language: very mild ( h***-9 )
Violence: very mild ( fistfights )

I received this audio book from Teresa McCarthy. I am not paid for my reviews. My reviews are solely my opinion.

BOOKS BY TERESA MCCARTHY
As an Amazon Affiliate I receive a small portion of sales when you click then make a purchase from Amazon links on my blog.

Weathered Too Young by Marcia Lynn McClure. 2010. Distractions Ink. Goodreads.

Lark Lawrence was alone. In all the world there was no one who cared for her. Still, there were worse things than independence — and Lark had grown quite capable of providing for herself. Nevertheless, as winter loomed, she suddenly found herself with no means by which to afford food and shelter — destitute.

Yet Tom Evans was a kind and compassionate man. When Lark Lawrence appeared on his porch, without pause he hired her to keep house and cook for himself and his cantankerous elder brother, Slater. And although Tom had befriended Lark first, it would be Slater Evans — handsome, brooding and twelve years Lark’s senior — who would unknowingly abduct her heart.

Still, Lark’s true age (which she concealed at first meeting the Evans brothers) was not the only truth she had kept from Slater and Tom Evans. Darker secrets lay imprisoned deep within her heart — and her past. However, it is that secrets are made to be found out — and Lark’s secrets revealed would soon couple with the arrival of a woman from Slater’s past to forever shatter her dreams of winning his love — or so it seemed. Would truth and passion mingle to capture Lark the love she’d never dared to hope for?

Weathered Too Young was such a fun escape! I love all of Marcia’s books.

You can’t think of this book like a fast paced movie that many of the Young Adult books can be. This was more like a marathon that had a normal pace for a long distance which I loved and enjoyed. It was so entertaining because of the amazing characters and scenery.

Prepare for this read by getting a country accent. It was annoying at times to read an accent, but then it was charming. I’m from Texas and love accents. I just wasn’t used to reading one.

Slater was a hunk. All the heroes Marcia writes are hunks, actually. She is so skilled at writing kissing scenes. I know the couples in her books won’t go past kissing so I always enjoy reading those scenes.

Weathered Too Young was another amazing book by Marcia Lynn McClure. I highly recommend all of her books to any of you readers that enjoy love stories. MARCIA’S. BOOKS. ARE. AMAZING!

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Sexual: mild ( kissing )
Language: none
Violence: none

BOOKS BY MARCIA LYNN MCCLURE
As an Amazon Affiliate I receive a small portion of sales when you click then make a purchase from Amazon links on my blog.