Heist Society (Heist Society #1) by Ally Carter

Genre: adventure
Series and Book #: Heist Society #1
Pages: 287
Synopsis:

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected.

Soon, Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back to the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster’s priceless art collection has been stolen and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled off this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully, just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s (very crooked) history—and with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

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I've read Ally Carter's Gallagher Girl Series (except for the more recent novel Only the Good Spy Young) and I loved those. This was another stunning debut from Ally. I love a great con, as I mentioned in my review of White Cat by Holly Black, and this definitely lived up to my standards.

Kat was a great MC. You understood the way she resisted Hale when he came to ask her for help with the con that she really wanted to leave "the life" when she joined Colgan School. But I loved the joy she felt when she was involved in the con and I loved the people who helped her along the way. Hale, her best friend; Gabrielle, her perfect cousin; the Bagshaw brothers, two very mischievous boys; and Simon, a completely nervous wreck. I loved the way Ally brought everything together and explained everyone. But sometimes I was really confused about what she was talking about. It seemed to me that she was sharing a inside joke with the novel and I wasn't a part of it.

The heist was amazing. Ally explained the mastermind behind it and she told us every detail about what was happening when it was happened. She also added just enough twists to keep you interested until the end, where she added just a twinge of mystery to keep you excited for the next novel.

Overall, I can't wait to read the sequel! I loved the con and the people in Kat's life. Ally is such a great author in creating an exciting world, both legal and not. I loved her Gallagher Girl series and I am hooked on Heist Society. The detail in every chapter, the suspense leading to the heist, and the characters in the story were all perfectly executed. Once I get my hands on Uncommon Criminals, Heist Society's sequel, I am going to pick it up with no hesitation. This was such a great novel.

The Cover: I love the missing painting in Kat's other lens and her crooked smile. It's a great fit for this novel.

Release: Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Title: Love Story

Author: Jennifer Echols

She's writing about him. He's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines.

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions—it’s her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family’s racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin’s college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she’s sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He’s joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin’s heart with longing. Now she’s not just imagining what might have been. She’s writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

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I haven't read anything by Jennifer yet, but I've heard she's amazing at writing love stories and I do love a good romance, so I can't wait to read this debut and her previous novels Forget You and Going Too Far. Another great novel of 2011!

Daily Dose (28)

Daily Dose is a weekly meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly where bloggers feature moving pictures that they've found on the Web lately.

Desires of the Dead (Body Finder #2) by Kimberly Derting

Genre: paranormal mystery
Series and Book #: Body Finder #2
Pages: 355
Synopsis:

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

Violet can sense the echoes of those who’ve been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she’d turn to her best friend Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike’s tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

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I read The Body Finder back in May, and I didn't enjoy it. I had said that I may read the sequel, and when I happened upon it in the library, I decided, Whatever, I might as well give it a chance. And I'm somewhat glad that I did.

I still have problems with the sequel. I felt as if Kimberly enunciated words way more than she needed to, and I was tired of there being so much force behind the simplest words. And despite what the summary says, the story wasn't really about the little boy Violet found or the FBIs awareness of Violet's ability. It was about a person who was silently threatening Violet, trying to scare her, and that was the mystery. But it was a great mystery. Kimberly dropped hints suggesting who was threatening Violet, but she added the tiniest details that had you questioning who it really was. Once she told you who it had been, there was still a lingering mystery that held Violet's interest, and I was so intrigued by the story.

Unlike my concerns in The Body Finder, I don't think that Violet and Jay's relationship covered the mystery. I felt that the book was more about the threats than their relationship. There was still the subplot of Jay and Violet's love life, but I didn't think it was completely taking over the story.

Overall, much better than The Body Finder. I felt as if Kimberly had more mystery instead of romance. My favorite character was Chelsea, Violet's friend. I also thought that the new kids Mike and Megan were a brilliant add to the novel. I'm excited for The Last Echo, the next installment in the Body Finder series.

The Cover: Not as great as the first. I think the pink defeated the darkness that I think the book really is about. But I love the flower. It again reminds me of the echoes of the dead.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Genre: social issues
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 480
Synopsis:

All sixteen-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum effort. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s going to die.

Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there’s a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of Gonzo, a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf, and a yard gnome who just might be the Viking god Balder, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America…into the heart of what matters most.

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The second book I've read of Libba Bray's, and again I fell in love! This was a hilarious and sad story that makes you think about life and how quickly it can be taken away from you.

Cameron was one of the best MCs I've met. He was honest and didn't care what people thought of him. He was just so real and he didn't pretend he was something he wasn't. I think that Libba did a great job of writing Cam so that later on you felt happy for him, or you mourned with him, or you laughed with him. The same goes for Gonzo and Balder. I didn't think that we saw a ton of Dulcie. She popped up here and there and Cam's relationship with her grew, but I thought it all came on so fast. I wasn't as hooked onto Dulcie as I was with the other characters.

Libba described every scene perfectly! Cam, Gonzo, and Balder's adventures were so vivid and I couldn't stop reading. I wanted to see how everything turned out. I was flipping pages so fast that once in awhile I had to look back and see what exactly had happened. She did an amazing job of knitting every experience together so that no detail was unimportant.

Overall, this was freakin' hilarious! I laughed so much and I was sad and I was rooting everyone on. Libba is seriously one of my all-time favorite authors. I can't wait to read her Gemma Doyle series. I recommend that you READ THIS BOOK! Like, don't wait. This is a perfect summer read that will have you doubling-over with laughter and realizing that you should live life to its all-time fullest. One of the best books I've ever read. 'Nuff said.

The Cover: The cow, the feather, the yard gnome.... It just brings back so many memories.

Cover Reveals: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand and Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Two days ago, I saw the cover of Cynthia Hand's second book, Hallowed, on the blog The Book Bubble. Many thanks to Athena!

Look at how pretty it is:

I love how it looks really close to the first book, Unearthly. I loved the lettering and the girl on the cover of that book and I love the same with this one. It's so pretty! I hope its as shiny as the previous novel!

P.S. I have not read Unearthly, but its on my list.

On to the next book....

I loved Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall. Her writing was fantastic and her characters had depth. I bought Delirium, Lauren's next book, and I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Yesterday on her blog, Lauren revealed the newest cover of the second book in the Delirium Trilogy, Pandemonium. Check it out:

You've all probably seen the original blue cover for Delirium, and are wondering what happened with the girl and the cut out letters and all of that. Earlier in the year, Lauren revealed the new cover to Delirium that looks like this:

Even though the original cover was spectacular, I think Delirium's new cover and Pandemonium's cover is beautiful. Can't wait to read more from Lauren!

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

Genre: romance
Series and Book #: none
Pages: 280
Synopsis:

June and Wes do not “meet cute.” They do not fall in love at first sight. They do not swoon with scorching desire. They do not believe that they are instant soul mates destined to be together forever.

This is not that kind of love story.

Instead, June and Wes hang around in each other’s orbits…until eventually they collide. And even after that happens, they’re still not sure where it will go. Especially when June starts to pity-date one of Wes’s friends, and Wes makes some choices that he immediately regrets.

This is a love story for people not particularly biased toward romance. But it is romantic, in the way that the truth can be romantic and uncertainty can be the biggest certainty of all.

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I was a bit unsure when I was handed this book and told that it was cute and funny and worth the read. And through the first couple of chapters, that uncertainty followed me. But as June and Wes continue to talk and meet, I felt that the story was picking up and soon I couldn't put the book down!

True to the summary, this is not the average book love story. It's an average, everyday love story--sort of--with two people who see each other, notice one another, and eventually talk. June travels a lot because of her dad's job and Wes just ended his long-time relationship with his girlfriend, Izzy. They both weren't looking for a romance. I thought Pete did a wonderful job of having them come together, then go apart, somewhat teasing the reader. He was also great in writing June and Wes's relationship. They obviously loved each other, but they had their fights and they had their moments of well, what now?

Overall, I thought this was a well-written romance, with just enough stuff to make it interesting and to keep me engaged, but also the average fights and times when they didn't quite know where the relationship was going. I also thought that Pete did a great job of showing us who Wes and June were without adding too many details, along with the side characters. This is a great, under-the-radar summer read and a wonderful romance.

The Cover: Its exactly how Wes and June's relationship goes throughout the seasons. I liked it the moment I was given the book.