STRANGERS by Chirag Upadhyay

Have you ever been overseas and wondered who the strangers you meet at the hotel, at the bar, swimming pool, and on the nine hour bus journey through the night really are? Danny Shah didn't. He should have.
Made redundant, Danny decides a holiday, specifically a visit to Machu Picchu, is in order. He joins an organised tour where he meets his fellow travellers, eight other strangers. All Danny wants to do is party. However, some of these strangers harbour secrets…A fugitive on the run. An undercover cop in pursuit.
Will Danny get the chance to experience sun, sex, sours and once-in-a-lifetime sites? Or will he be dragged into a story he wants nothing to do with?  From Goodreads.

This is one of the more confusing books I have read but I still kind of liked it. I chose it because it was set in Peru and the characters were going to visit Machu Picchu, which I visited many years ago. Unfortunately they never got there! I had no idea till the book told me at the end who was the bad guy and who was the undercover cop and I think that was really good.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Travel Around the World
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z

Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is a fairy tale—and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…
Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.
Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive... From Goodreads.

I liked how this book also placed the characters from the previous books in quite important roles at the same time as there is a new main couple. Charlotte and Richard are perfect heroes going after the slavers. The young boys, now teenagers, George and Jack are back and they learn something about their past.
The only thing is that the main enemy from the last three books, the Spider and the Hand, is fixed in about half a page. I think there should have been a bit more about that.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

Memories of the Blue Door by Neil Davis

Allow us if you will to transport you back to a wonderful carefree time, where lifelong boyhood memories were made and adventure was abundant!
Back in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the 1980s close-knit relationships and unshakeable combined imaginations ruled. Remembering friendships forged together more than three decades ago, long before and out of reach of today’s busy modern world, of reality bites and virtual Xbox adventures, Paul and Neil will take you back to the notorious Cowgate Estate. Cowgate, which lies in their city's west end, was a place so barren and devoid of both hope and dreams that it seemed excitement and an overwhelming sense of brotherhood were never quite meant to happen!
Turn a page if you will and take the road back to an era we all just might remember, to that time and place where we had the greatest adventures of our lives! From Goodreads.


This was okay but I think you have to have grown up in that kind of British neighbourhood to really appreciate the stories.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
Rawk-A-Tiers: Twelve Days of Christmas
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015 
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z

Memory & Dream by Charles de Lint

Isabelle Copley, as the young student of the cruel, brilliant artist Vincent Rushkin, discovered that she could paint images so vividly real they brought her wildest fantasies to life. But when the forces she unleashed brought tragedy to those she loved, she turned her back on her talent and her dreams.
Now, twenty years later, Isabelle must come to terms with the shattering memories she has long denied and unlock the slumbering power of her brush. And, in a dark reckoning with her old master, she must find the courage to live out her dreams and bring the magic back to life.
This is a tale of love, courage, and the transforming power of imagination.
"The [Newford] books have all been written in such a way that you should be able to pick up any one and get a full and complete story. However, characters do reoccur, off center stage as it were, and their stories do follow a sequence." From Goodreads.

After having read a few Charles de Lint books I decided that I wanted to read the Newford books in order. Not that they can't be read on their own but there are characters that turn up in books more than once.
I listened to this on audio which was a problem for me, the narrator did well but it just took me too long to get through. If I had read this I would most likely have finished it in one or two sittings.
I really enjoy Charles de Lint's urban fantasies.They have quite a bit of magic just under the surface of normal life. Isabelle was a very complex person and she kept surprising me. I enjoyed going forward and backward in time.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
2015 Audiobook challenge
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Haunted House
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015 
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
The Christmas Spirit Read-a-Thon 2015 
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Wacky Reading Challenges: Character Names, A-Z
Crazy Challenge Connection: Monopoly
Wacky Reading Challenges: Vampires, Witches & Ghosts, O My

Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews

Audrey Callahan left behind her life in the Edge, and she's determined to stay on the straight and narrow. But when her brother gets into hot water, the former thief takes on one last heist and finds herself matching wits with a jack of all trades...
Kaldar Mar-a gambler, lawyer, thief, and spy-expects his latest assignment tracking down a stolen item to be a piece of cake, until Audrey shows up. But when the item falls into the hands of a lethal criminal, Kaldar realizes that in order to finish the job, he's going to need Audrey's help... From Goodreads.

I remember being slightly disappointed in book two because this series is not about the same main characters in each book, though the main character is a person we have met in a previous book. This has changed as I find it quite interesting to read about a person who was a minor character earlier. Kaldar Mar is the main character but Georgie and Jack, who we met in the first book, are also important and I like them. I am continuing this series and already have book 4 ready.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Companion Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
Rawk-A-Tiers: Twelve Days of Christmas
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Autumn Fun
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Crazy Challenge Connection: Pick a Theme 2015-2016
Wacky Reading Challenges: Vampires, Witches & Ghosts, O My

Love, Laughter, and Murder Ever After by Jeanine Spooner

When cake kills…
Kitty Sinclair lives for love. A bold and bubbly woman just shy of thirty, Kitty has opened her own wedding planning business in elegant Greenwich, Connecticut where the blooming spring flowers and lusciously rolling hills are the perfect setting to tie the knot. If only Kitty herself could find love…
Her store Happily Ever After opens with a kick when the daughter of the notorious Duke von Winkle accepts a grand proposal from an equally wealthy suitor. It seems Kitty is in the throws of planning the wedding of the century. Finally her dream has come true.
But when the bride's father suddenly drops dead in her store, Kitty's true talents emerge. A lemon custard cake, a bottle of poison, and questions that seem to never end, Kitty follows the trail of clues, determined to solve the mystery before the bride and groom can say I do.
If she succeeds her store will thrive. If she falls short her business will be in peril. The choice is easy and her determination is strong, but one man stands in her way…
Detective Sterling Slaughter has a funny way with women. Resist though she does, his charm can be distracting… From Goodreads.

I didn't like this book. I found the main character unbelievable, I expect that in a cosy mystery but this was too much, and all in all just too silly. I am glad this was free and I am not looking for more books in this series.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Companion Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Haunted House
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
Rawk-A-Tiers: Twelve Days of Christmas
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Nothing but Reading Challenges: 50 States Challenge 

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after… from Goodreads.

This is a good continuation of The Raven Boys, and, although it centres around Ronan and his abilities, all the other characters are still a very important part of the story. I also like that one of the bad guys might turn good or at least not turn out to be as bad as expected. I have ordered the third book from the library.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Mini Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XVI
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Companion Challenge 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Haunted House
Rawk-A-Tiers: Reading by the Numbers
Rawk-A-Tiers: Twelve Days of Christmas
A Million More Pages: Scavenger 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Wacky Reading Challenges: Locations A-Z
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?

Lady Falls by Renee Bernard

Raven Wells is no ordinary girl. Plucked from an orphanage by a scheming earl, she has been raised like a thoroughbred, groomed for one purpose: Revenge. Unfortunately, the Earl of Trent never let her in on the plan, so when she meets the man of her dreams, Sir Phillip Warrick, she has no idea that every lesson, every tutor and every impulsive inch of her was crafted for his seduction and destruction. What she does know is that love is the prize she wants most and that nothing should stand in a woman’s way to getting what she wants.
Phillip Warrick is simply trying to recover his friendship with the earl, unaware that the man has spent years laying the foundation for destroying Phillip’s peace of mind. What he does know is that the earl’s ward, Raven Wells, is mesmerizing, fascinating and apparently without reserve. Witty, beautiful, impulsive and impossible—she is like a siren beckoning him to forget the rules and seize only the pleasures of the moment.
Together, their love will set in motion a series of events that no one can foresee. Revenge creates more than one victim, but also more than one winner. Raven Wells will be transformed into a force of nature the likes of which Victorian London has never experienced before. LADY FALLS is the birth of the Black Rose and the end of innocence. From Goodreads.

I liked both Raven and Phillip but for a historical romance I thought they jumped into bed with each other a bit  fast, as in two days after they met! Also the way their first sexual encounter is described doesn't quite fit with the end of the book. But I liked the story and I am interested in reading the continuation of it.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Wacky Reading Challenges: Word Search 2015
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Wacky Reading Challenges: Animal House 

Country Heaven by Ava Miles

A down-on-her luck cook uses food’s magical properties to tame a beastly country singer after he hires her under false pretenses to restore his image.
When famous—and infamous—country singer Rye Crenshaw saunters into the diner where she cooks, Tory Simmons is certain she’s got him pegged. He’s a bad boy who indulges himself in all things, women included. But while she couldn’t care less about country music or arrogant men, Rye makes her an offer she can’t refuse when he asks her to be his private chef on his multi-city concert tour. The job is the answer to all her prayers: it will clear out her debt and finance the fresh start she desperately needs.
Rye is certain his sassy new cook is the last woman who’d ever tempt him, but spending time with the wholesome girl next door will do wonders for his damaged public image, whether she likes being forced into the spotlight or not. Her food also happens to be the best he’s ever eaten, both comforting and seductive. But spending time with Tory on the road shows him a new side to her—one that’s as impossible to resist as her food. And when an emergency in his family whisks him home, he does the one thing he’s never risked: he lets a woman into his heart…
Soon the emotions Rye faked for the tabloids become all too real, but will the country heaven he’s found in Tory’s arms survive in the real world? From Goodreads.

I enjoyed this one and the character Rory had me crying. Rye is a private person and has a lot of problems with missing his family who has disowned him. Tory gets mixed up in it when she has the job to cook for him. There is more to this than just the romance between Rye and Tory, the problems in his family with the slight mention of spousal abuse. I will look into more of Ava Miles' books.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Rawk-A-Tiers: Pack Your Picnic Basket
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages: Campfire Cookout
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt 

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

Geralt is a witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. He roams the country seeking assignments, but gradually comes to realise that while some of his quarry are unremittingly vile, vicious grotesques, others are the victims of sin, evil or simple naivety. From Goodreads.

The reason I decided to read this book now is that I am just starting to play the game The Witcher which is based on this book. It is short stories loosely put together where Geralt is looking for work. Witcher work is slaying monsters, of which there are many but evil and not so evil. This is fantasy based on fairy tales and it is very good.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
2015 Witches & Witchcraft Challenge
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?

The Return of Gabe McLeod by Joanne Hill

Veterinarian Tessa Callaghan is on a mission to save her home town. The bay has just been voted one of the dullest small towns in the country and she’s determined to do her bit to make it great again. She just hasn’t counted on brother-in-law Gabe McLeod coming back on to the scene – nor her growing feelings for the man who abandoned her when she needed him most.
An SOS call from the small town's mayor has brought Gabe back home for the shortest time possible but it also brings him face-to-face with the secret he’s kept all these years. That he is in love with Tessa - and that she is the one woman he can never have. But when life in the Bay takes some unexpected turns, it becomes clear that he’s not going anywhere… and neither are his feelings for Tessa.
Set in a small New Zealand town, The Return of Gabe McLeod is a cosy romance that will make you laugh - and warm your heart. From Goodreads.



I enjoyed this one. A nice romance of second chances. I also liked the serious story about Gabe's father and (step)mother and what sorrow can do to a person. It is of course all settled in the end.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Yahtzee Challenge
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Rawk-A-Tiers: Summer At The Beach
Rawk-A-Tiers: Pack Your Picnic Basket
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Theme Challenges
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
A Million More Pages: Reading Under The Stars
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Crazy Challenge Connection: Scrabble, anyone?

Geoducks Are for Lovers by Daisy Prescott

Food writer Maggie Marrion is just getting back on her feet after a horrible year, or two, or three. With their twentieth reunion approaching, she invites four of her closest friends from college for a weekend at her beach cabin on Whidbey Island. What she doesn't expect is her best friends, artist Quinn Dayton and part-time erotica novelist, Selah Elmore, to play matchmaker. The two plot a surprise that will make the weekend, and her life, a lot more interesting.
Gil Morrow, former grunge musician turned history professor, joins them as Selah's date for the weekend. After coming face to face with the one who got away, he decides he's waited long enough to get the girl. With the support of old friends, a few wishing rocks, the world's largest burrowing clam, and a hot lumberjack thrown into the mix, Gil reminds Maggie that forty-something isn't too old for second chances.
Can we learn to love the life we have and let go of who we expected to be? What happens when the generation from The Breakfast Club and Reality Bites meets The Big Chill? Come spend a weekend with these Generation X-ers as they share laughter, tears, life's ups and downs, old stories, and new beginnings. From Goodreads.

I really enjoyed this. I read a lot of young adult books and it was nice to read a book of adult love and second chances. It is about friends that are still friends despite their very different lifestyles. I liked their scrabble board and that is all I will say about that. I will definitely read more in this series at some point.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.
The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps.
The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over. From Goodreads.

Yes, this was a great ending to the Heroes of Olympus series. The book is written in a lot of different POVs, and I found that interesting. I didn't mind Percy didn't have a chapter told from his POV. All the other characters are so strong and have to endure a lot all the way through. It is a bit open-ended but that was fine.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
2015 Witches & Witchcraft Challenge
Rawk-A-Tiers: Summer At The Beach
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Clue#2
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Tricked into releasing the evil spirit Ruin while attempting to close the Well of Ascension, new emperor Elend Venture and his wife, the assassin Vin, are now hard-pressed to save the world.
This adventure brings the Mistborn epic fantasy trilogy to a dramatic and surprising climax as Sanderson's saga offers complex characters and a compelling plot, asking hard questions about loyalty, faith and responsibility. From Goodreads.

Another book it took me a few chapters to get back into, as it is so long since I read the second book. It was a brilliant end to the Mistborn trilogy. Vin and Eland are the main characters but so are the rest of the group as they nearly all have major parts to play.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
2015 Witches & Witchcraft Challenge
Romance Readers Reading Challenges: Word Hunt 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Rawk-A-Tiers: Summer At The Beach
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Rhyme Time
Rawk-A-Tiers: Scavenger Hunt
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: Big Books Bonus Club
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt
Crazy Challenge Connection: Monopoly

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Twenty-seven-year-old Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter in her North Carolina hometown is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her hidden closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night…. Until she finds it harboring none other than local waitress Della Lee Baker, a tough-talking, tenderhearted woman who is one part nemesis—and two parts fairy godmother…
Fleeing a life of bad luck and big mistakes, Della Lee has decided Josey’s clandestine closet is the safest place to crash. In return she’s going to change Josey’s life—because, clearly, it is not the closet of a happy woman. With Della Lee’s tough love, Josey is soon forgoing pecan rolls and caramels, tapping into her startlingly keen feminine instincts, and finding her narrow existence quickly expanding.
Before long, Josey bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who makes the best sandwiches in town, is hounded by books that inexplicably appear whenever she needs them, and—most amazing of all—has a close connection to Josey’s longtime crush.
As little by little Josey dares to step outside herself, she discovers a world where the color red has astonishing power, passion can make eggs fry in their cartons, and romance can blossom at any time—even for her. It seems that Della Lee’s work is done, and it’s time for her to move on. But the truth about where she’s going, why she showed up in the first place—and what Chloe has to do with it all—is about to add one more unexpected chapter to Josey’ s fast-changing life.
Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love—and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.. From Goodreads.

This was different. Josey, the main character of this book wasn't my favourite person in this book. Della Lee was far more interesting and I would love to be having books turn up out of the blue like Chloe.
Another interesting character is Rawley who can't break a promise, he has a small role but is still quite important in connection with Josey's awful mother.
I also liked the twist at the end that I really hadn't seen coming.
I am definitely going to read more of  Sarah Addison Allen's books.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
The Challenge Factory: Scavenger Hunt Part XV
Rawk-A-Tiers: Summer At The Beach
Rawk-A-Tiers: Words With ... Myself!
Rawk-A-Tiers: Getting Acquainted
Rawk-A-Tiers: House Games
Rawk-A-Tiers: Troupe Task 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

A magical new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Lost Lake, featuring characters from her beloved novel Garden Spells.
Autumn has finally arrived in the small town of Bascom, North Carolina, heralded by a strange old man appearing with a beat-up suitcase. He has stories to tell, stories that could change the lives of the Waverley women forever. From Goodreads.

This wasn't as good as the first book in the series but it was still very enjoyable. Bay knows where things belong and she also knows the boy she belongs with, but for a 15 year old that is not so easy as it sounds.
Claire seems to be so sure of herself but when she seriously doubts her identity she needs the support of her family.
I hope there will be more books about the Waverly family.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
2015 Witches & Witchcraft Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: House Elves
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Deja Vu Books
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Summertime Mountaineering
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Pick One For Me
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt

Marked by Sarah Fine

In a broken landscape carved by environmental collapse, Boston paramedic Cacia Ferry risks life and limb on the front lines of a fragile and dangerous city. What most don’t know—including her sexy new partner, Eli Margolis—is that while Cacy works to save lives, she has another job ferrying the dead to the Afterlife. Once humans are “Marked” by Fate, the powerful Ferrys are called to escort the vulnerable souls to either eternal bliss or unending fire and pain.
Unaware of Cacy’s other life, Eli finds himself as mesmerized by his fierce and beautiful partner as he is mistrustful of the influential Ferry clan led by the Charon—who happens to be Cacy’s father. Cacy, in turn, can no longer deny her intense attraction to the mysterious ex-Ranger with a haunted past. But just as their relationship heats up, an apparent hit takes the Charon before his time. Shaken to the core, Cacy pursues the rogue element who has seized the reins of Fate, only to discover that Eli has a devastating secret of his own. Not knowing whom to trust, what will Cacy have to sacrifice to protect Eli—and to make sure humanity’s future is secure? From Goodreads.

This is a bit different. The Fates see who has to die and the Kere marks these people. When they have died the Ferry has to help them cross. These two groups of paranormal depend on each other. This is full of love, betrayal and suspense. I will continue this series.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Deja Vu Books
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Harry Potter: The Ultimate Series Tour
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: School's Out, Well...Almost
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Summertime Mountaineering
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: the 50 States Amazing Book Hunt
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt

Young Lord of Khadora by Richard S. Tuttle

A skilled warrior gets entangled in a corrupt political world, his cunning strategies pitted against thousands who seek his death. Marak challenges the clans of Khadora and the Chula, the dreaded cat people of ancient times, in a struggle that will change the fate of the world. Young Lord of Khadora is a tale of magic, military cunning, and political intrigue set in a land where honor is everything yet deceit is everywhere. From Goodreads.

In this world, when you lie you become the slave of whoever you lied to. This is what happened to Marek's mother. Everybody also has to swear vows of service to their lord. Son's of slaves can make the choice to become soldiers instead of being slaves and this is what Marek does.
At the beginning of the book Marek is promoted and purposely sent to failure. The problem is that he does not fail and he manages to communicate with the savages instead.
It ends a bit to neatly but it was still good.

This book qualifies for:
2015 Witches & Witchcraft Challenge
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: June Challenges
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: House Elves
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Harry Potter: The Ultimate Series Tour
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A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
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En Heldig Mand by Michael J. Fox

A funny, highly personal, gorgeously written account of what it's like to be a 30-year-old man who is told he has an 80-year-old's disease."Life is great. Sometimes, though, you just have to put up with a little more crap." --Michael J. Fox
In September 1998, Michael J. Fox stunned the world by announcing he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease -- a degenerative neurological condition. In fact, he had been secretly fighting it for seven years. The worldwide response was staggering. Fortunately, he had accepted the diagnosis and by the time the public started grieving for him, he had stopped grieving for himself. Now, with the same passion, humor, and energy that Fox has invested in his dozens of performances over the last 18 years, he tells the story of his life, his career, and his campaign to find a cure for Parkinson's.
Combining his trademark ironic sensibility and keen sense of the absurd, he recounts his life -- from his childhood in a small town in western Canada to his meteoric rise in film and television which made him a worldwide celebrity. Most importantly however, he writes of the last 10 years, during which -- with the unswerving support of his wife, family, and friends -- he has dealt with his illness. He talks about what Parkinson's has given him: the chance to appreciate a wonderful life and career, and the opportunity to help search for a cure and spread public awareness of the disease. He is a very lucky man, indeed. From Goodreads.

I have always liked Michael J. Fox in his various roles and of course had heard about him having Parkinson's Disease. I was surprised to learn of his alcohol abuse and how he nearly lost his family because of it.
But this book is mainly about accepting the disease and moving on to sharing it with the world. I do not read a lot of memoirs but I will read his second book as well.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
I love Library books 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Student Club Roster
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A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Dragon Nursery
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt

The Vintage Sewing and Knitting Bee by De-ann Black

Ilona leaves Edinburgh city and goes to live in a lovely little cottage in rural Scotland. She enjoys living quietly until she joins the local vintage sewing and knitting bee run by Flora. Although Ilona becomes friends with the ladies and is welcomed into their bee, they also get up to mischief making, especially when it comes to men and romance.
The ladies are intrigued to find out that one of their neighbours, handsome dancer Etive, dances half naked in his garden at night. And then there’s the well-built builder Greig to contend with.
While making sparkly vintage dresses for parties and dinner dances, knitting everything from shawls and tea cosies to scarves and skirts, Ilona and the ladies get up to all sorts of mischief and mayhem. From Goodreads.





Another short, cute and cosy romance from De-ann Black. I still like the way the stories are set in Scotland and also that they are quite creative. I am not very good at either sewing or knitting but it is cosy to read about it.

This book qualifies for:
Goodreads Reading Challenge 2015
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Harry Potter: The Ultimate Series Tour
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Diagon Alley Supply List
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Backpacking Around The Globe
A Million More Pages Hogwarts: Hogwarts Scavenger Hunt