April 2015 Wrap Up

I have read 10 books this month. Apparently most of them were Kindle books. I liked some of them, but others were more of a meh nature to me. I guess it's my very eclectic taste. I will try to remain as spoiler-free as possible! I have also decided to only post my Wrap-Ups. Hauls with me would get much too large, so I decided against posting them. I will leave March's up.

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Book #1: The Selection by Kiera Cass

I had seen many positive reviews about this book in the BookTube and Goodreads worlds. I thought I would give it a go just to see if it was all it was told to be.

It is about a young girl named America Singer who puts her name in a lottery to see if she will be one of the thirty-five women selected to compete for the hand of the Prince. No one knows how long they will be at the castle. It could be a few hours, or it could be a few months. Of all the young girls there, America is the one who has no interest in being the next Princess. She is only there because she was asked to submit her name to the drawing.

I didn't like it as much as I thought I would...rating it a 4/5 stars. It was a great story and well told, I just didn't really connect with it like I thought I would. I plan to pick up at the very least the next volume and see if I like that one before deciding what I will do. I might give them away some time if I don't like that one either.

Book #2: Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James

This was very much a curiosity got the better of me kind of thing. I borrowed this from my mother because I had pretty much zero interest in owning my own copy. I still have no interest, but I'm glad I've had the opportunity to read the books and discover what the hype was all about.

This book begins with Christian and Ana already married, and follows as they begin their life as spouses. Old enemies make a comeback and try to sabotage their life, but they don't let that stand in their way. 

Overall, I think out of all three books in this trilogy, I liked this one the best and rated it 4/5 stars. It's a little better than the previous two in terms of the action sequences, but still not my cup of tea. I'm glad I borrowed it instead of buying a copy because I'm sure I would never read these again unless I had to for some assignment. I didn't particularly care for the writing style or exceptional number of times the word "jeez" popped up.

Book #3: When I Dream of You by Rosa Sophia

I have known Rosa for a few years, and she asked if I would be willing to read her book for review for my blog. I was happy to oblige and eventually went and bought a copy. Though I had been given a copy for review, I did not have my Kindle then and my computer got grumpy with me about opening up the file.

Nina Archer has suffered a terrible event in her childhood and is working through it slowly. She is trying to find a way to balance what has happened with her future so that way she will not be as terrified. During a race she meets fellow runner and writer Wes, who helps her at least start to overcome her fear of men. 

My complaint? It was too short! It got 5/5 for the story itself because I loved it. It was not a novella where the point was I'm a girl your a boy let's take off our clothes like so many others I'd read. This one has a psychological depth I hadn't been expecting. I loved it very much!

Book #4: When I Think of You by Rosa Sophia

Who saw this coming? Hmmm? Not long before I finally finished When I Dream of You, Rosa asked if I would read When I Think of You. The sequel to Book #3. I agreed pretty quickly. It was cool to be asked to review another book by the same author. 

This book picks up a year and a half after Nina has moved to North Carolina. She needed some space to think and figure out what exactly it is that is important in her life. She attends A.C.A.P. (I think I've got the acronym right...I can't remember all of a sudden) and meets Roberta there. It's during this time she realizes that the place she needs to be is with her mother. 

I gave this novella a 4/5 because of the blurb it had on Amazon. I was lead to believe that it would be about Wes and Nina's growing relationship when Wes hardly made an appearance outside of the first and last chapters. The blurb was misleading and it soured me a little bit on the book. As usual I loved the rest of the story and eagerly await the next in the trilogy.

Book #5: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

EVERYBODY I follow on BookTube that has read this, was giving this book a rave review. When I had the extra money on me and I saw it in Barnes & Noble and I could afford it, I snatched it up with such ferocity that it made my fiance laugh at me and call me a silly book nerd.

Liesel Miminger is a 9-year-old girl who is sent to live with a new family in Molching, Germany during 1939. She is reluctant to even be going until she meets Hans Hubermann, who helps her grow accustomed to her new home and Rudy Steiner, a new friend she would make. 

I liked it. Not as much as I thought I would from what I had heard from others, so I rated this one 4/5 stars. The style was not what I like, but I like historical fictions so I read this one, knowing in advance at least when it was supposed to be. I liked it all but the weird way Mr. Zusak did chapters/parts and the miscellaneous blurb interruptions in the story.

Book #6: The Pyramids of London by Andrea K. Höst. 

Thank you NetGalley! I found the site through a BookTube post and I have selected a few books to request for review. The first among them being The Pyramids of London by Andrea K. Höst. I have posted a review on this book, so please head on over there for a more detailed version of this.

Arianne Seaforth has lost her brother and sister-in-law in a terrible accident and must figure out who is behind it. In this dystopian Europe, Rome never fell and Egypt now has vampires in their sway. Rian must look after her nieces and nephew while also searching for the person or people behind their parents death all while dealing with her new position as a Keeper of the Deep Grove. 

I was so-so throughout most of the book. There was a lot of information all being thrown at you at once and it was hard to keep up. I rated this one 4/5 for how confusing it was and how much you had to read at the end.

Book #7: The Everlasting Spell by Kristin Ravelle

Ms. Ravelle sent this to me with the question of if I would read it for a review. It was pretty good for a novelette.

Sabina Clair is in love with Justin Rokoff, and is willing to do anything to see her love returned. After overhearing some other college students talking about getting a moon spell from a little shop in the older section of town, she decides to check it out for herself. She buys one of the spells thinking it will help her get Justin's love on her side. It causes a lot more than she expected it would and now has to figure out how to undo it.

I liked the way the book was designed, though like usual I felt it too short. There were some places where things could have been fleshed out a little more. I did write up a full report of this book and posted it on this blog. Check it out if you are interested!

Book #8: Awakened by Brenda K. Davies

Traumatized by her past, and struggling to move on from it, Sera has spent the past three years of college hiding herself from the world and content to stay that way. A chance encounter with Liam shatters her sheltered world, leaving her stunned and shaken by the strange feelings and emotions he arises in her, feelings she never thought she would experience and that frighten her in their intensity. Harboring a dark and deadly secret of his own, Liam knows that he should stay away from Sera; that he will only bring her more hurt, but he is irresistibly drawn to her and unable to deny himself the pleasure that only she can bring to him. But when their pasts collide with their present, and Liam’s true nature is revealed, will their love for each other be enough, or will they be torn apart forever?

This book is definitely 18+. I didn't look it up first, and I was very surprised by the sex. It's good, very good though. I loved it.

Book #9: Fixed on You by Laurelin Paige

It looks a lot worse than it actually is. Though, warning if you don't like sex in a book I would not suggest reading this.

Stalking and restraining orders are a thing of Alayna Wither’s past. With her MBA newly in hand, she has her future figured out — move up at the nightclub she works at and stay away from any guy who might trigger her obsessive love disorder. A perfect plan.

Alayna Withers is 'hired' by the man who owns the nightclub she works with to be his girlfriend in order to get his mother to drop an engagement with a woman he has no intention of marrying. They unintentionally fall in love when they help each other heal from their various compulsive disorders. 

I liked it very much. Another 18+ book that I would not let anybody under the age of 16 even get their hands on, let alone read. I'm not going to review this one for my blog, but it was definitely a good read.

Book #10: Agatha H. and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Foglio

I borrowed this book from my fiance. She has read most (if not all, I don't know how many there are in the series) of the Girl Genius comic books. This particular book here is the first book in the novelization of the comics. 

It was too funny. I had read the comics before, making it I think to volume 6 or 7? I liked it and I thought it was great, but I much prefer real books to comic books. In this one, Agatha finds out who she really is while trying to learn exactly who is an enemy and who is a friend. There is a fine line between them.

If you like what can only be described as steampunk, you'd love this book very much. I know I liked it and normally books like this don't interest me. Though it may have been because I already knew what the story was from the comics. I gave this book a 5/5 stars because again, who doesn't like a girl who knows her way around a machine shop and isn't afraid to defend herself with a wrench? (Kudos to people who think of Winry Rockbell.)

I hope everyone else had a great reading (or writing) month!

Why Don't I Have a BookTube Channel?

I have no idea why, but people have been subscribing to my channel on YouTube. The only problem with this is that I haven't got a channel. I mean, I have an account, but I don't post any videos on it. I probably never will.

I have a few reasons why I don't have a BookTube account. First and foremost, I absolutely hate my own voice on recordings. I don't sound anything at all like I hear in my own head. When I hear it on a recording I'm just like “This is not my voice. I don't know who this person is.”

The second reason is that I have EXTREME stage-fright. If I have to say something out loud, I usually either feel it's very silly and end up messing it up or I get so nervous that I turn bright red and can't talk. I've even done everything in my power to avoid doing school projects because of it. Yes, I've heard the 'if you talk in front of groups more, you'll actually come to like it.' Yeah, no. I have actually completed oral reports for school and I am just as nervous now as I was before I did it. I don't like talking in front of people or a camera unless I absolutely cannot get out of it.

The third reason I do not have a BookTube is because I don't have a good camera for it, nor can I even afford one. I have a Nikon that has an mp4 limit of eight minutes. I can't even film anything longer than that. Not that would want to film me. I prefer being behind the camera and not in front of it. I like taking photographs and filming people. I don't like being filmed.

I think that is all of my reasoning. If I come up with another reason, or a way to expand on a reason, I will do that. I just...I am better with typed words than with saying them aloud. I do hope you understand.

A Mini Haul

Let me begin by saying that my church has this book case in the back they call the Book Nook. They sell books donated by members and use the money raised for whatever we need. 

Every so often, they get more in than they can shelve. That's when it's great to be a reader and hovering around the back of the sanctuary after the service. I just get handed stuff or told to pick whatever I want and not to worry about paying for it.

This time around, I picked up a few books that looked great. I had grabbed a Penguin Classics edition of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, intending to bring my own mass market edition in next week to replace it because I hadn't had a dollar on me in cash. Instead, I just got told to take it. Here are the books I got: 

Book #1: The Best Short Stories of Rudyard Kipling ed by Randall Jarrell

Book #2: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Book #3: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Book #4: Never Come Back by David Bell

Book #5: Beautiful as Yesterday by Fan Wu (I was reading this during the congregational meeting my ride was attending)

Book #6: Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Book #7: At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks (I think I had a copy of this, but it got ruined)

Book #8: Love Spell by Phyllis Curott

I actually wound up having to find a plastic bag so I could bring them into my house when I got home. I might get more next week because there were a couple that I remember seeing there (that have been there for a while) that people on BookTube have talked about and said were good. 

Until then, happy reading!

Review: The Everlasting Spell by Kristin Ravelle

This novelette was published in 2013 by Kristin Ravelle. It has twenty-nine pages in it. I was given a copy of it for review by Ms. Ravelle herself.

Casting a full moon spell to capture the love of Justin Rokoff seems crazy to college psychology student, Sabina Clair.

When she overhears a conversation about a powerful Celandrium Shop love spell, Sabina decides to take desperate measures to attract Justin, the captain of the men’s rowing team and her unrequited crush since starting college.

The bliss of Justin’s immediate and undivided romantic attention very quickly turns to dread when the antique spell works perfectly, with unexpected, sinister results.

Sabina must now find a way to reverse an irreversible spell before it undoes her! - Goodreads.com

This sounds exactly like my kind of novelette. Sabina has a crush on her classmate, Justin. She wishes he would give her more than just a courtesy glance as a member of the women's rowing team. When she learns there is a spell out there that could cause him to fall in love with her, she snaps up that chance. She is told that there are no antidotes. 

That should have been Sabina's first clue things were going to go wrong. I would never buy a spell or potion or anything if there were no way to undo it. That's one of the most dangerous things you can do. I half expected that it would end in a very bad way for Sabina. 

I liked the way the book was written for the most part, but I think some sections could have been fleshed out a little more. There might have been more detail about the Celandrium Shop or if what I assume was witchcraft was even believed in or common in their area. It would not have made sense for her to go to a shop that dealt in spells if she did not believe in it. I did think her being a psychology student was a nice touch. There could have been more information on why Sabina was moved up in the rowing team. Just generally more there to the story.

Well done, Sabina figuring out how to undo the spell. I would never have thought of that myself and I pride myself on thinking out of the box. I liked the way it wrapped up and I can only imagine what Nicole's reaction to Sabina's story would. 

I gave this book a 3.5/5 because of the shortness. Though I would definitely add this to the list of novelettes I would recommend to friends. If it were part of a similarly themed (such as love-spell or be careful what you wish for) anthology(-ies), it would be perfect. 

Review: They Pyramids of London by Andrea K. Höst

This book was published on February 27, 2015 by Andrea Höst. It is an LGBTQIA/Fantasy novel with 340 pages.

Arianne "Rian" Seaforth was selected to become the next person to serve a vampire lord, though this all goes wrong when she is attacked by a Sphinx. She becomes bound to another vampire who is from London. While in London with her three charges, she discovers who is after her and what it is they are hiding.

Left in her care is a piece of round fulgite, a stone used to power electric devices. There have been rumors of fulgite being haunted and causing automatons to act without being programmed to. One such automaton, a converted mannequin, is left in the care of Rian. It is in its back that she finds this rare, completely round fulgite.

Through a series of strange almost coincidences, she discovers the person she thought responsible was one of the ones trying to help figure out who in fact was the guilty party. This novel combines elements of Greek, Roman, Welsh, Gaelic and Egyptian pantheons together in a way that make it a highly unusual story.

I loved and hated this book. I loved the way it was so original, until I'd read the little bit in the back...I would never have guessed that Prytennia, the country she is from, is modern day Wales. It wasn't exactly obvious when the only two places they mentioned that ANYBODY would know were London and Sweden. And Rutherford University.

This novel is listed as LGBTQIA, but the only hints of it is about 75-80% of the way through when a pair of crushes are mentioned. In both a young woman is crushing on someone of a much higher status than her own and there is very little chance of them getting together. I would not put the LGBTQIA tag on it for that. It's insignificant to the story.

The plot sometimes seems just barely linked together to keep the story going. There were moments when reading it, when I actually felt a headache developing trying to link the various pieces together. The character of Arianne was stiff and I couldn't relate at all to her or her plight. I could not sympathize with her no matter how hard I tried because she was just too closed off. It was like I was trying to get an impression from a picture of a painting. If she had been given more emotion, I probably would have liked her much better.

When Comfrey Makepeace made appearances I wasn't sure if I liked him or not. He seemed the kind that only does things to suit his motives, and not of anyone who's employ he may have been in. I half expected that he was part of the group that was trying to get the fulgite in the beginning.

I rated this book a 4/5 because the I did like the way the story was presented, but not the story itself. I would definitely be recommending it to friends of mine who are interested in alternative history stories and the like. Overall it was a good book and I was glad to have the opportunity to read it, but I would not suggest it to anybody who does not like Roman or Egyptian history.

March 2015 Book Haul

So this month, I've decided I'm going to put up a blog post about any books I've bought every month. I don't count the ones that I got for free because....well, I didn't buy them. Why would I count free books? In this blog post, I'll go over which books I bought and a brief synopsis trying to be as spoiler-free as I can. (I don't know why it's not letting me justify this section.)

Book #1: A Call to Arms by Shiriluna Nott & SaJa H.

This book is one of the first ones I reviewed. It's all about the young boy, Gibben, and his journey through being sent off to become a sentinel and discovering more about himself at the same time. I read it back in March and it was very good. I liked the way it related just how terrifying growing up in a small, secluded village and then being thrust into city life can be. I loved the way they presented everything. 

Shiriluna Nott and SaJa H have a gift for writing that should not be passed up if possible. They are releasing the next volume in the set some time this spring, and I am very excited to get it. I can't wait to see what happens next for Gib and the gang.

Book #2: The Narrow Three by J.K. Miller II

I bought this after becoming friends with J.K. Miller on Facebook. What can I say? I like having a lot of writer friends. I think this book is fantastic and deserves better light than it is in. I am also excited because I'm getting a signed copy of this in paperback. Too cool!

It follows a private (sort of) detective as he tries to figure out what it is that's going on in the town. Reports are coming in of animals going crazy, and then a little girl turns up dead. The day before she had been fine and all of a sudden she looks more like a mummy than a child. Nathan is given the task of finding out just what happened to her. There are enough twists and turns to keep everybody hooked. I didn't even figure out the title until the very end.

Book #3: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

I have wanted this book for....EVER. It's the printed version of Anne's diary that she kept while in hiding during WWII. I have very vague memories of having to read it during middle school, and wanting to get a copy for myself. I finally broke down and bought one on my Kindle. I can't wait to read it and see if I can't remember half of what we read in school. For some reason I am thinking I had to read it for those weekly log things they made us do in 6th-8th grade.

"Since Anne’s diary is a true personal account of a life in hiding, it is inappropriate to analyze it as a novel or other work of fiction. Parts of the diary were intended for public view, but others clearly were not. To appreciate and interpret the diary, it is necessary to consider its horrible context, World War II and the Holocaust, before any discussion of plot development or thematic content." - SparkNotes.

Book #4: Best of Friends by Joseph Crowe

 Another book purchased simply because I happen to be friends with the author. I have a lot of those. This book is featured in my March wrap up, so if you want a slightly more in-depth review, you can find one there.

This book follows teenagers Sam and Rex as they realize truths about themselves and each other. I loved the story, despite how short it was. I wished it were longer so that way I could spend more time with Sam, Rex, and Shawn. Of course, I was visualizing their small town high school looking exactly like mine...

Book #5: A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by 

I bought it because it was pretty! Seriously, that is the entire reason why I bought it. That and it was only $6 in Barnes & Noble's Last Chance bin. There were two copies of it and I just loved the artwork on the cover so much that I went and bought the book. 

According to the inside cover, this book is about a young girl named Saba Hafezi, who grows up in the 1980s in Iran working on a rice paddy with her twin sister Mahteb. When her mother and sister disappear, she is left with just her father. Saba grows up believing that her sister has gone off to America without her and so when things are difficult for her, she imagines Mahteb's life and how is must be living in the United States. 

I'm not sure if this will be the kind of book I like to read, but I just couldn't pass up all the pretty blues.

Book #6: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Everyone has been raving about this book, so when I got some extra money I hadn't been expecting my very first stop was to Barnes & Noble where I picked it up. I love the way it's being told and cannot wait to finish it.

I won't spoil who is telling us the story for those who have not read it, but it centers around a young girl who like the title suggest, steals books during WWII. Some she does not steal, some are given to her. She experiences things that no child her age should: heartache, loneliness, and suffering that should be reserved only for those who are prepared to deal with it.

This book so far is getting 5/5. I will probably finish it some time this month and post it in my April Wrap up!

Book #7: The Selection by Kiera Cass

This was the first book I bought because of it's reviews. Many of the people that I subscribed to on YouTube and follow/am friends with on Goodreads were giving this book 5-star reviews and absolutely raving about it. It takes place in a future, dystopian America. There's a contest and some thirty-five girls are chosen from all over the country from all different walks of life to compete for the hand of the prince. It's basically a royal version of the Bachelor, only you could be there for years while he decides. 

I didn't like this book nearly as much as the others did. Probably because I don't like the Bachelor or the Bachlorette. They just aren't my kinds of shows. I prefer fantasy, paranormal, and the criminal shows. I can't wait until I can afford a copy of The Elite so that way I can keep reading it and find out what happens though.

Book #8: That Time with Sugar by Tess Oliver

Bought because of a competition. They were giving away swag packs and you had to show a screenshot or picture of you having the book on your reading device. I wanted the swag pack, so I bought this book and took a picture of it open to page one. Figured I have it, I may as well read it. It was so good. I wasn't expecting that.

It follows Tommy, Sugar and Julian as they find out things about their pasts that had been kept in the dark. Times they were lied to, and some connections that went deeper than Green Willow Rehabilitation. They escape one evening after Julian figures out how to turn off the security system and they learn how Julian's father had a hand in some pretty dark things. I don't want to ruin it because the reveal is very worth the read.

Book #9: The Alexander Cipher by Will Adams

A Dollar General find. I love ancient Greece. It's history, culture, politics...everything. I had seen this book earlier, but since I have a habit of accidentally buy like #4 or one time #14 in a series, I didn't buy it. After figuring out the mechanics of Goodreads, I learned that this particular book was the first in a series. So I went right back up and bought it. 

I love it. I love it so very much. It's actually contemporary, which surprised me. Daniel Knox, a scuba instructor and underwater archaeologist is brought on to help figure out who is buried in a Macedonian tomb found during the construction of a hotel in Alexandria, Egypt. During the exploration he meets Gaille Bonnard, a girl whose father he used to work for. He's eventually found out by some people who want to kill him, and in this the people he's working for at the time decide they want to kill him and he has to somehow manage to figure out who is in the tomb, use the cipher they found on the wall to find the missing body of Alexander the Great and not get killed all that the same time. 

It is a great read if anybody likes that kind of thing.

Book #10: Esperanza by Trish J. MacGregor

Yet another Dollar General book. I have a bad habit. I saw it, it looked interesting, and it cost $1. I'm not sure at all if I even bothered to read the back of it in the store. 

According to the synopsis, Tess Livingston and Ian Ritter meet in a small town called Esperanza. They have the key to help decide the battle between the good ghosts who guard the world and the "hungry" ghosts that want to possess people so they can at least temporarily be alive again. 

Ghosts, Honduras, two people who will *probably* fall in love by the end of the story...how could I not want to own this? I picked it up because it looks absolutely fantastic from the back and from what I read of the prologue while I was walking home. I might do a review of this one when I get done with it.

Book #11: The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind

I am in love with Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind, the first in the Sword of Truth books. This happens to be #14 I believe in that series. Of course I have to by #5-#13 yet as I have only the first four and this one. Still it looked good.

From what I understand, this just a continuation of the story of Richard and Kahlan. I must reread the first four and then find volumes 5-13 before I can read this and tell you anything about it. I just couldn't pass it up at $3. My local Dollar General has this section at the end of one of the aisles that is just filled with $1-$3 books. This one that I got was one of the $3 hardbacks. I don't buy very many of those because much like The Omen Machine they start at "Volume 14 in the...." I am glad I grabbed this one though, while it was cheap.

Book #12: The Sculptor by Gregory Funaro

I really have no shame. That or I have to stop going into the Dollar General. I bought this one from the same place as I have been buying the rest of them recently. I feel this will be my biggest bane next to yard sales come June and July, when they are $0.25/ea or 5/$1.00. 

This book is about a mad serial killer who preserves his victims and turns them into replicas of Michelangelo's statues. The FBI gets involved and has to figure out who his next victim is going to be and where he is to stop this before the death toll gets any higher. I am curious to see how this will work because it reminds me very much of the TV show Criminal Minds. As I stated with Esperanza, I will probably be adding a review of this book when I finish it. I am still deciding what all books will be first and foremost on my May TBR and these two are definitely up there!

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I think these are all the books I bought in March....I didn't exactly record them and I don't remember which is which. I'll do better from now on...I promise! I think I'm going to start writing down books that I buy in a notebook to make sure I don't forget to haul them!

Review: When I Think of You by Rosa Sophia

This book was published on January 23, 2015 by Limitless Publishing. It has 98 pages.

I read the Kindle edition of this book, and I loved it. It picks up again a year and a half after When I Dream of You ends. Nina has moved to North Carolina and is trying to get used to her new life there. Something feels off, but she can't place what it is. All she knows is that she doesn't feel quite at home in North Carolina.

After a session at the ACA, she makes a new friend named Roberta and learns that while they don't have running in common...they do have books. They decide to go to a book fair together. She runs into the person she'd been trying not to think of since she moved. Wes is at the book fair as one of the authors with a table. They talk for a while and Nina decides later that week at the next ACA meeting that she will head back to South Florida, where she belongs.

Now don't get me wrong, I loved the book. There was something about it that was...I don't know, missing? I don't think the title really made sense in connection with what was actually in the novella. She rarely thought about Wes. More often than anything she thought about some of her first boyfriends. I had expected that it would either have picked up closer to when the first book ended or focused more on the relationships from the first book. Her mother has spontaneously gotten better, I don't think she speaks to Wes much at all except for three instances that pop to mind, and then she starts emailing an old boyfriend.

It's not explained well what happened at the beginning with Wes and what she said to him when she left. Nor is it explained how exactly Nina got Brett's email address. One would assume that if you were not talking to your first ex-boyfriend...you wouldn't know what their email address was. I assume she got it from Jenny, but even she barely had a presence in the novella.

I would read it again and even suggest it to my friends to read if I thought they would like it, but I was a tad disappointed with the length. If Rosa would have made them parts in the same book instead of different novellas, that probably would have been more what I like in a novel. I like the long ones. I just...I don't know, I can't really get into novellas like other people.

Overall I gave this book a 4/5 because I just don't like short books. I'm trying to read more of them and see if that's an acquired taste or not! Until next time~

Review: When I Dream of You by Rosa Sophia

When I Dream of You was published on September 17, 2014 by CreateSpace. It is 88 pages long. I read the Kindle Edition which was published October 28, 2014 by Limitless Publishing. 

Nina Archer is a young woman suffering from PTSD and an abusive mother. She has to struggle every day with the memories from twelve years ago along with her mother's alcohol driven mood swings. It becomes almost unbearable until she meets Wes, a writer from Cocoa Beach. They meet up at a run and the connection is instant. Wes

With his help, she learns overcome her past. It is a beautifully written story and I instantly felt bad for her. I couldn't even begin to comprehend what it would have been like to grow up with a mother like hers. Sober one moment and the most loving caring person in the world and drunk by the afternoon. Yelling and screaming at her. 

This story talks about love and first sight and overcoming odds. I'm sure that if it weren't for Wes, Nina would probably never have gotten over the incident from a dozen years earlier. Nor would she have finally (I think) accepted that what her mother was doing was abusive to her. No one should ever have to be forced into that sort of situation.

I rated this book a 5/5 because I absolutely loved the way Rosa told the story. It felt for a brief second that I was Nina. I was the girl lost and lonely sitting in my car on the beach, just too overwhelmed by the things that were out of my hands. I can't wait to get my hands on the second volume, When I Think of You and read that to find out the continuing story of Nina and Wes. This book was great and I would probably read it again once I made my way through the TBR pile I have.

Until next time~