Grave Refrain by Sarah M. Glover

 

Grave Refrain

By: Sarah Glover

4 of 5 stars

Here is what the back cover of the book says about Grave Refrain.

Andrew Hayes, a brilliant but troubled guitarist in an up-and-coming band, has been haunted since childhood by the presence of his muse. One night during a performance in San Francisco he spots her-- but she vanishes before he can catch her. Desperate to find her, he accepts a curious offer to stay in the city, moving into a dilapidated Victorian undergoing renovations that stir up far more than dust. Andrew's life soon becomes even more chaotic with the arrival of martini-swilling ghosts and a troupe of flesh-and-blood stoner spiritualists bringing bad tidings from the Great Beyond.

The dark side of his obsession creates visions both thrilling and menacing. As he struggles to solve the mysteries threatening the woman he loves, Andrew discovers his life is repeating a refrain more deadly than he ever imagined.

Here's what Holly says.

There's Andrew and his friends, Simon and Christian. The trio make up a band called The Lost Boys. One night a legendary music producer, Neil St. John, offers them the chance to go state side (the boys have been playing pubs in London) to San Fran and live in an old Victorian house he is renovating. The boys could use a break so they agree.

Did I mention the house is haunted? Oh, yeah, it is. By these two...

Nicholas & Noreen Chamberlain, inspired by Dashiell Hammett's, The Thin Man. A fictitious detective team known for their witty banter and love for a good martini.

See, Nick and Nora are both dead, but they can't be together. Even in the afterlife, something is holding them back from spending all of eternity together.

More on that later.


Regardless, Andrew and his friends take up residence in the house and before you know it, Nick and Nora aren't the only two they are sharing it with.



Enter, Emily, Zoey and Margot. They are in need of a place to live as well since the lease on their apartment is up. Zoey has to have good light for her art work, Margot just wants enough room to be comfortable, and Emily likes the charm of good house. Just so happens that the house the boys live in is more like a duplex and soon, the girls move in.

But see, it's so much more complicated than that. For Andrew's whole life he's been plagued by his "muse". Most everyone thought, or thinks, he has lost his mind. That he's imagined this woman and she doesn't exist. Whatever the case, The Lost Boys don't care because she has been the drive behind some of their best songs.

Imagine Andrew's surprise when he sees this muse, in the flesh and blood, at one of his shows. You'd think it's be all sunshine and roses. Wrong! He comes across a little too harsh and Emily flees the club convinced he hates her. Little does she know, he lives in the flat below her.

Awkward...

But the boys do their best to welcome the ladies by throwing a dinner party. Instant attraction, like lovers spanning across several lifetimes, for Andrew and Emily. Their connection is undeniable. They both feel this pull to one another like they've known each other forever. And Andrew, right from the get go is very protective of his muse. Especially when it comes to a certain college professor of Emily's, who is like scum.

Dr. Vandin.

Even the name sends chills down my spine.

Forgetting the bad doctor for a second, let's focus back on those martini drinking ghosts. See, they need some help and it seems only Andrew and Emily can help them. They need to be reunited. They truly can't be at peace until they are back together.

And this is where the story picks up. Emily is determined to reunite the lost lovers. Andrew...not so much. He just wants to spend time with Emily. And he gets his wish as they all load up and held up the coast to find Nick. Yeap! They have Nora's ashes, they just need to find Nick's.

I won't go any further with the details of the story, for fear that I'll spoil it all for you, but know that Vandin isn't the only thing these young lovers fear. There is so much more waiting for them on their journey.

With a group of people who have become a family of sorts, and with the help of some spiritualistic ghost hunting stoners and their van,

RIP- Big Doobie

You are missed.

Andrew and Emily face much more than they ever bargained for. But two questions remain. One, will true love- an all encompassing, fire breathing, passionate love- be enough to stand the test of time? That is, if they don't run out of it before it's too late.

And two, what was his answer?! Will poor Herschel get the help he needs?

Sarah is a dear friend of mine and I'm very happy for her book release! Today, February 14, you can order Grave Refrain from either Amazon or Omnific Publishing. If you love a love story that takes you on a roller coaster ride down the coast of California with an electric cast of supporting characters and throws a mystery in- not to mention a few surprise twists- then you'll love Grave Refrain.

And forgive me while I gloat...

Why yes, that is a handwritten note in the front of my book!

Thank you Sarah for sending me an advanced copy! I enjoyed it very much!!

What's this again! I'm mentioned in the acknowledgements?!

Actually, it says,

"The Muselets who supported this story from the very beginning."

The Lost Boys, forever it will be, has their own group of fangirls. The Muselets. I'm so very proud to be one of these women, and more importantly, I'm very lucky to consider them friends, and sisters.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Sarah for sending me an advanced copy of the book! I enjoyed every minute of it!

Holly

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

5 of 5 stars

First off, let me tell you what the synopsis of this book says. PS- this is the follow up to Unearthly. You'll want to read it before you read this one.

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Described by Richelle Mead as “utterly captivating,” Unearthly received outstanding reviews, garnered accolades from New York Times bestselling authors, and was named an Indie Next Pick. In this heart-wrenching sequel, Cynthia Hand expertly captures the all-consuming joy of first love—and the agony of loss. This beautifully woven tale will appeal to fans of Lauren Kate, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Aprilynne Pike.

Now, let's move on to Holly's take. Beware...*spoiler alert*

Here were my updates as I read the book.
---"Oh!!!! Christian. You're breaking my heart. I need tucker to do something horrible. I need Clara to choose you!" 
---"This is getting ugly. And by ugly I mean my tear stained face."

And for realz, I totally cried. So here is the review I did on Goodreads. It's totally incoherent and makes no sense if you haven't read the book. So I'm sorry for any rambling, but this is what Hallowed did to me.

Sobs.

Now that the crying has commenced, I think it's time to review this little beauty.

WOW. This series just keeps getting better and better. So,we left off in Unearthly with Clara not fulfilling her purpose and her brother coming out of the woods looking guilty as sin. Oh and then there was the case of the two boys. Tucker and Christian. In Hallowed we pick up right where we left off. Only this time, Clara is having a different vision, one that still involves Christian. So to keep her relationship on the up with Tucker, she tries to pass Christian off. That is until Angela forms "Angel Club" and they are forced together. I'm sure the whole mind reading/in each others heads things doesn't help much. But then, Christian tells her he is seeing the vision too. It's a cemetery, that much we know, oh and Tucker isn't there, but Christian is being Clara's rock. Naturally, we think it's Tucker that's going to do. It's not.

It's her mom. (and cue the crying)

This book gives you a deeper look into the world and the other lives of the angels. There's Clara's mom and her revolving lives she's lead. Teachers at the school who are looking out for Clara and Jeffery, and Angela and Christian. Oh, and then of course the black wing who just won't go away. And did I mention Clara's dad? Oh yeah. He's here and daddy is a full blooded angel. Which makes Clara and Jeffery, more angel than they thought.

This book is heartbreaking and will have you crying in several spots. It explains left open questions from the first book (who did start the fire Billy Joel?- I was so right in that aspect) and you even find out about Jeffery's purpose? What? Totally forgot that kid was going to have one too? Yeah, well he did and it wasn't fulfilled and now he's a man on the run.

And then...oh man. Then you totally switch teams. Where in book one you might have been Team Tucker, book two leaves you screaming in earnest for Christian.

I can't wait to see where book 3 takes us. I'm guessing college with the three amigos? Maybe a little Jeffery searching, that is, if he hasn't joined the black wings by then.

My advice? Pick up both of these books if you haven't already. They are wonderful reads!!!

Emerald City by Alicia K. Leppert

First off, I received this book (my first one at that) from Net Galley. I don't know why, but I felt really important to be given the chance to read a book that's not yet to be released until April 10th. Like I was going to know this all important secret before the rest of the world. So if you will, indulge me for a moment while I live on this high.

To be honest, what first drew me to the book was the cover and the title.

4 of 5 stars

I mean, the cover looked all dark and mysterious and the title instantly made me think of Wizard of Oz. Then I read the blurb that was on Net Galley-

One city of 600,000 people.

One broken girl.

One mysterious boy.

One fateful night,

Two worlds collide.  

I thought, how in the world is this related to the Wizard of Oz. It didn't matter, I wanted to read it. And fast. Quite frankly, it doesn't have anything to do with the Wizard of Oz. That was just my own ignorance shining through. Thank goodness I had a coworker who told me that Seattle, or Washington more like it, is called the Emerald State.

Okay, I get it. That made more sense when I read this blurb on the authors website.

Olivia Tate is a broken shell of a girl haunted by the tragic events that fill her past. She has closed herself off from the world, each day grasping at something—anything—to live for. Convinced there will never be a way out, she seeks solace in the depths of her medicine cabinet. When she wakes up days later in the hospital she is introduced to Jude, the quiet stranger responsible for saving her life. She never could have guessed then that her mysterious rescuer would end up saving her life a second time, while simultaneously turning her world upside down. A modern-day romance with a twist, Emerald City has a little bit of something for everyone!

I went into this book not really knowing what it was about. Obviously (see my Wizard of Oz moment from above) but I came out absolutely LOVING this book. Mrs. Leppert is right when she says that this mysterious rescuer turns Olivia's world upside down. Oh and the twist on the romance? Yeah, wouldn't have expected what it was from the tiny summary above.

Now, on to my take on this book.

Olivia is depressed. There is no way to sugar coat her life. It sucks and it's monotonous. She has the same routine every day. Find the will to get up, shower, eat, go to work, come home, avoid sleep- when that doesn't work, do her damnest to get through her nightmares. Why the nightmares? Why the depression? Sister has had it rough! Her dad was living a double life and choose the "other" family over her and her mom. Her mom struggled to make ends meet and support Olivia as a single mother. When it all became too much, her mom killed herself in the bathroom, for Olivia to find. Six months later, still reeling from the hand that life has dealt her, she decides to take the pain away herself by od'ing on pills. She's unsuccessful. See, there's this mysterious neighbor by the name of Jude who comes to her rescue.

And this is where the fluttery romance begins. Jude, after explaining to the doctors, that is was an accident that Olivia tried to kill herself, makes it his mission to keep his eye on Olivia. Convenient to keep a watch out for her when he lives right across the street. Just so happens, he shows up everywhere. On her doorstep when she can't sleep. At her job when her shift is over. And before you know it, Jude not only has taken up residence in Olivia's life but he's now in her heart. And if his could beat...(dun dun dun) she'd be in his too.

Hey Jude (go ahead and sing it. You know you want to) is "mysterious" and  totally had my cheeks aching. He's sweet and adorable and I won't say swoony because I really don't like that word, but he's just...yeah. He's pretty awesome. Along the way, you pick up clues as to what Jude really is. I won't spoil the secret, but halfway through the book, you have a pretty good idea that he's something else. Something other worldly.

This book was truly wonderful because it shows hope and promise when you've reached your limit that you can go on. You can find happiness if you allow yourself. Yeah, life sucks sometimes, but if you can pick yourself up and do right by yourself, then maybe you can be given a second chance. And love. Oh love. Who wouldn't want a second chance at life when you have someone to love to share it with?

Thank you NetGalley and Cedar Fort Publishers for allowing me to read this gem before it's released. I feel honored and humbled at the opportunity. And if you can get your hands on this April 10th, I suggest you do. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

The whole time I read this book, I had this as the soundtrack in my head.

Original I know, but considering the author begins the book with an exerpt from the song, I'm sure you'll have it stuck in your head too.

5 of 5 stars

Across the Universe starts off with Amy and her parents living on Earth as we know it. Her parents have been choosen to participate in a project that will freeze their bodies for 300 years so that they can be one of the firsts to inhabit a new planet. People from all over the world, based on their expertise, are choosen for this mission. Amy is nonessential meaning, she's just kind of along for the ride.

Now, in the first chapter, I was hooked. You get the whole scene played out as Amy watches her mother become frozen, and when it's supposed to be her turn, her father steps up to give her the choice to stay behind or go with them. Either way, he wont' know her outcome until he wakes up on this new planet. Well, Amy decides to go. As she's being frozen she over hears the men saying they won't arrive for three hundred and one years. Naturally this freaks Amy out. And this was my first, uh oh moment.

Every other chapter is from Amy while the others are from Elder. A man living upon Godspeed, the ship sailing the skies from about 250 years into the future. Well, Amy's future. Elder is supposed to be the next leader of the ship. A ship built on lies and crazy systems. But when Amy is woken up, fifty years too soon, she and Elder have to find out who is trying to unfreeze the "Earthlings" before her parents end up dead. Like, really dead.

The saying, Don't drink the water, holds true on this vessel. Drugs and nutrients are filtered through the water to keep everyone complacent and normal. Well, the sad thing is, those they keep in the hospitals ward are really the normal ones.

This book had several twists and turns. Some I had figured out from the very beginning and some I never saw coming. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the second in the series.

All of the cute and fluffy bunnies of the world

I might have mentioned once or twice how I wrote this book. And that this book has been in the hands of someone who has read and provided feedback, corrected my misuse of the comma, and made little red marks all over my word doc. Well, this book is now back in my hands and they are shaking.

Why? They're my words. I've read them. Hell, I wrote them. I know what they say. So why am I so nervous and hesitant to begin edits?

I've decided to take it a chapter a day. Every day I will make notes and edit a chapter. It'll take about a month to do this, but I think it'll be the best for me. This way I'm not burned out reading my own story and I can give myself a break from reading one thing to the next. Does that make sense? It doesn't matter. It's my own little system that I've devised.

And on top of editing this book, there is the other issue of plot bunnies invading my brain. They start off all cute and cuddly.

Aww! Look at the bunnies in the coffee cups! Makes you want to pick them up and cuddle them so close their little noses keep moving a mile a minute.

So sure, they're all cute right now. Like a fresh new idea that is so amazing it smells like a brand new car. Until...

They look like this.

And you know something is going on. They're corralling you, mocking you; roping you into their idea. Singing happy songs that make you want to drop everything and start focusing on this one little idea. It's like they know you have other things you need to be doing, but they don't care, because behind your back, they're doing this...

Laughing at you for dropping everything to focus on pretty pictures and form ideas so that you write pages and pages of notes. And when you've written your notes and played nice with the bunnies, you take matters back into your own hands.

HAHAHAHA!

While I appreciate the bunnies stopping by the play, I need them to leave when it's their time to go. And now that I have my story back and it needs editing, I need the bunnies to move along. I humored them. I wrote down the idea they helped me plot. But now? It's best to move along and multiply in someone else's head. 

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

4 of 5 stars

I'm a sucker for reading reviews before I actually read a book. I need to know what other people thought before I dive into something. One thing I saw with Spellbound, and other books recently, is that they are being compared to Twilight. Now, I'll admit there are a few I've read that read like a fanfic it was so bad I wondered if the author hadn't just did a cut and paste of character names. But when I come across a story that I don't feel has any symbolance to Twilight, I get discouraged. Spellbound is one of those books. Yes, there is boy meets girl. Boy is "bad" and is not good for girl. A secret is being withheld and they aren't right for one another. Okay, so who says that Stefanie Meyer has the monopoly of writing that kind of storyline? She doesn't, and many authors did it before her and many will do it after.

This book is about Emma and Brenden and an age old love story. Rich man falls for poor girl. They marry, have children, woman is murdered because she's not of nobility. And every generation the cycle repeats. And this is how Emma and Brenden find one another. In order to stay together, they must break the spell.

It's a good book in that there are twists and turns every where. When it ended, I thought, this was a nice little ending but...what happened to...?

There will be a second book and I wonder if we'll find out what happened to the "murderer" that was after Emma.



The greatest kid ever! And I do mean ever!

So I kind of have this kid. He's kind of a rock star in my eyes. He's sweet, energetic, has the biggest brown eyes and the best smile. The longest eye lashes you've ever seen. He's pretty awesome. Albeit, he's a holy terror at times, then again, what 4 year old isn't? Regardless, he's mine and I think he's the best thing ever. I mean, really? Look at this kid!

How could you possibly not think he's the cutest ever?

Then there was the too cute conversation between him and his BFF Ayden this morning as they walked to school. It went like this.

Hayden: Hey, what's that toy?
Ayden: Optimus Prime (in a voice that said, duh!)
Hayden: I got rescue bots from Santa!
Ayden: What kind?
Hayden: Rescue Bots!! You need to come to my house & play. I live in Shreveport.
Ayden: Hey, you want to go look at the fish?
((Hayden and Ayden ignore the fish to run down the hall laughing the whole way))

These two...

Are going to give me and Candace a run for our money. Ladies men? Oh no doubt. Troublemakers? For sure. But aren't they cute? They really, really are.
But, this post isn't about how amazing I think my child is or how every other kid annoys me to no end but yet, I some how have the patience to deal with my own kid, or those that are of blood relation to me. Then again, those kids aren't even talking yet so they haven't begun to feel the wrathful stare of Aunt Holly. Watch out Cole, Lainey, and Haley. But remember, Aunt Holly loves you and Uncle Stephen will always be scary- or hiding behind his cell phone and it'll be when you're fifteen that you even realize that you have an Uncle Stephen.

No, this post is about another websites blog entry that appeared on my Facebook feed earlier. Before I even read the article, the picture is what made me stop and do a double take.

For realz. When I saw it I thought, Holy time machine Marty McFly! They've gone into the future and taken a picture of my kid and my dad! In case you need a comparison, here's Hayden and his pap-paw.

He's already so affectionate!



I mean, that could totally be my dad in another twenty years! Then...THEN I read the article.

Because People Might Think We're Dating, And Other Reasons My Grandfather Doesn't like Hugging Me.

(I'll pause so that you can read the link above).

Done? Great.

It's so my kid. This guy, is my kid, in twenty years. And I could totally see my dad pulling something like this when old age sets upon him. Notice I said, when. I don't think my dad is old at all. In fact, in my eyes, my dad will never get old. But he might get cranky...when he gets older.

A few things from the above article that made me go, "yeap, I can totally see Hayden saying that."

Up until then, I had been all right with my Nonno’s inability to touch me. I assumed that it was an old-person thing, being frail and whatnot. It now dawned on me that the actual issue was our gender. I should have realized it sooner with how openly affectionate he is to my female cousins, pleading for their hugs and kisses! And they’re totally pretty enough to be hookers! But this, unfortunately, was never an issue of “who’s prettier” (me) – it’s about how terrified men are in our culture to show affection towards one another.

Why can I see my kid saying something like that? Because not only do I think I'm the prettiest, my brother and I are in constant battles on who is the favorite. (Duh, me). So if Hayden is anything like me (and even though he's this social butterfly like his daddy, I'm pretty sure he's going to inherit my sense of humor and sarcasm whom I inherited from, you guessed it, my dad), he'll totally say something like this when he's older. And not to mention, I'm pretty sure, given how my dad and Hayden are with one another right now, that Hayden will do everything to aggravate my dad, and vice versa- something I never see my dad losing.

Even when he gets old and cranky.

Holly

DISCLAIMER: Because I don't want people mad, the above picture was from the mentioned article above on the site, www.hellogiggles.com which is a pretty awesome site co-run by equally awesome Zooey Deschanel. New Girl on Fox, Tuesday's at 8 (I was not paid by Fox to say that, I just really enjoy the show).