Reader Girls Blog

Paperback, 306 pages Published October 4th 2011 by Signet Blurb: Bitter at first bite… Corazon Ferreira is one heck of a jaded woman. Not only did her husband dump her for a pretty, vivacious blonde, but her sister has lost her mind and married a vampire. Worse, it turns out that Cora herself was a vampire’s mate in a past life…the very same vampire she witnessed killing someone. If only Cora hadn’t inadvertently been caught up in the ill-laid plans of a reanimated corpse and its master, she could deal with the distractingly gorgeous vampire. But it’s only Alec who stands between her and those who threaten her existence, and there’s only so much temptation a woman can bear before she starts taking her heart as seriously as her head… My review: Katie MacAlister can always make me laugh. When I settle back to dive into one of her Dark Ones novels, I know I will be entertained. This ninth installment, as much as I enjoyed it, does show some wear. Having so many heroines in the serie...

Reading level: Ages 14 and up Hardcover: 368 pages Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (November 9, 2010) Book Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury. There is war in Marbury. It is a desolate and murderous place where Jack is responsible for the survival of two younger boys. Conner is there, too. But he’s trying to kill them. Meanwhile, Jack is falling in love with an English girl, and afraid he’s losing his mind. Conner tells Jack it’s going to be okay. But it’s not. My Review:  Andrew Smith’s unique and creepy novel, “The Marbury Lens,” provides a dark and unsettling journey in contrast to the various romance, supernatural, and dramatic novels that currently make up the YA genre. After...

Book synopsis:  A mysterious young woman called Jane appears in a small New England town. She claims a fragmentary memory of growing up in this place, yet she has never been here before in her life. Searching for an explanation, she arrives at the unthinkable: that she is somehow connected to a beautiful girl who disappeared from the town in 1853. Is she recalling a past life? Jane becomes convinced of it. As she presses onward to find out what happened in this town over 150 years ago, strange and alarming things begin happening to some of the town's inhabitants. A thunderhead of karmic justice gathers over the village as Jane's memories reawaken piece by piece. They carry her back in time to a long-buried secret, while the townspeople hurtle forward to a horrific event when past and present fatally collide. ( Hardcover, 318 pages (published June 14, 2011 by Grey Swan Press). My review: I love a good mystery and Jane Was Here provided that and so much more. Sarah Kernoch...

THE BELLE STALKER An Urban Fantasy Thriller by Minnette Meador Book blurb: The police have done all they can, but it isn’t enough. When Belle finds the mutilated body of her lover strewn across the furniture she knows only her ex-husband, Homicide Detective Mike Cranston can stop the maniac who has been dogging her steps for over a year. The only problem is the man who stalks her...is not a man at all. Belle plays a dangerous game and only hopes that Cranston can stop the monster before it’s too late. Guest Post:  GENRE BENDING When they opened the double swinging doors, the victim’s body lay there in all its sterile glory, opened like a grisly butterfly on a cold stainless steel table. Doc Thurman, immaculate as ever in a pristine white coat, spared them one quick eye then went back to her recorder to dictate in a few more words. “Detectives,” she said coolly. The body appeared pretty much as it did in the apartment, with two notable exceptions: His chest lay ...

Win a literary agent or acclaimed author's feedback on your unpublished manuscript for young adult or middle grade readers. This rare opportunity is being offered to the six winners of an essay contest recently announced by the literacy charity Book Wish Foundation. See http://bookwish.org/contest for full details. You could win a manuscript critique from: Laura Langlie, literary agent for Meg Cabot Nancy Gallt, literary agent for Jeanne DuPrau Brenda Bowen, literary agent and editor of Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust Ann M. Martin, winner of the Newbery Honor for A Corner of the Universe Francisco X. Stork, winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award for The Last Summer of the Death Warriors Cynthia Voigt, winner of the Newbery Medal for Dicey's Song and the Newbery Honor for A Solitary Blue All that separates you from this prize is a 500-word essay about a short story in Book Wish Foundation's new anthology, What You Wish For . Essays...

We host the She Can Run Book Tour today. We welcome Tribute Books' Melinda Leigh. Book Summary:  Elizabeth was a young widow with two small children when she met Congressman Richard Baker. Handsome and wealthy, with a sparkling public image, Richard seemed like the perfect man to provide the security that Beth and her kids were craving. But when she uncovers a dangerous secret about her new husband, Beth realizes he will go to any lengths—even murder—to keep it. After barely escaping with her life, she and her children flee. They eventually make their way to a secluded estate in the Pennsylvania countryside, where Beth dares to hope she has found a safe place at last… Forced into retirement by an unexpected injury, Philadelphia homicide detective Jack O’Malley is mourning the loss of his career when his uncle abruptly dies, leaving Jack to dispose of his crumbling country house. Unbeknownst to him, his uncle engaged a caretaker just before his death, a mysterious woman wit...