This book was really good. It can be hard for books about broken homes and horrible tragedies to really get you emotionally. This book did a great job with it. I wasn't expecting much when I opened up this book and ended up getting a lot from it.

It starts off right away with Alexis attending a the funeral of Bodee's mother. Her mother is murdered by his father and he sees the WHOLE event take place. So right away, you know this is going to be a book about these two trying to get through these horrible things. Alexis has a problem of not being able to sleep and then sitting in her closet, scratching at her neck to calm down. She had been raped the summer before and no one knows about it. She's trying to pretend that it was no big deal and brush it aside. In doing so, she's totally losing it.

Then the book becomes sort of a guessing game on who did this to her. I have to say that my first couple of guesses were completely wrong! She does a really good job hiding it because she totally acts normal around the guy now. She has been brainwashed to believe he is a good guy and it was just a stupid mistake he made. I couldn't believe who it was when it was revealed!

Anyways, throughout the book, Bodee becomes her saving grace. In the end they both save each other. He helps her when she can't sleep at night, when she needs a friend. I really liked how they didn't just jump into a relationship. They both understood that they just needed friends right now and took it slow. Once they both started to heal they then took it to the next level. That was great to see.

I was a bit disappointed by her friends. I would hope that my best friends would be able to figure a way to help me. They were worried about her but never really did anything about it. Bodee comes along and he figures it out right away. Why wouldn't her friends be able to see that she really needed help?

This was a great book and I would highly recommend it!

This was a cute love story. It didn't blow me away and it was so predictable. I didn't really enjoy the book as much as I thought it would. The middle of this book was really flat and kind of boring.

Two teens meet one night when the power goes out in NYC. They live in the same building and end up stuck in an elevator together. They then spend the rest of the night with each other and sleep on the roof. After this, they both find out they are moving. They then end up all over the world, separately. They communicate by sending each other post cards. That's about it. They meet up once throughout during this separation to get in a fight. Still they think each other as the "one." The end of the book they meet up in NYC for a few days and that's it.

There's also some issues with their parents that they have to deal with. She feels like she's always left behind and abandoned because her parents are always traveling. He has to deal with the loss of his mother and his dad not dealing with it.

By the end of this book, everything gets all squared away to a perfect ending with all the parents and each other. Not believable. Sorry. Life just doesn't work that way! I guess I am a bit cynical for this book.

This is an amazing ending to an awesome series! Seriously, I can't believe Clary's story is now over. What a story it was!
I loved the fact that this book was 700+ pages. I couldn't believe how big the book was for being a teen book. Anyways, I tore through this with a vengeance and was completely immersed into the shadow hunters world. From start to finish, this book is packed with twists and turns. Really, no boring parts a lot of action packed scenes. I was surprised with the size of this book and how she kept the story moving forward.
You get so much more character development in this book. Not only does she introduce many more characters but you have so much attachment to the ones existing. You could just feel their love, pain, sadness, happiness and everything. With Alec & Magnus you could just feel their tension and longing for each other. How they wanted to be with each other but were just so stuck to their own beliefs. With Simon and Isabelle you could feel the longing they had for each other. You could feel how Simon was getting so impatient and frustrated with Isabelle being so closed off. At the same time, she was just so worried that he really felt for Clary the way she wanted him to feel for her. I mean she has good reason because the first few books that's what he is all about- Clary. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, they reveal how they feel. FINALLY! It's been a long time coming! Ever since she turned him into a rat, I knew it was meant to be! :)
Clary and Jace.. what can I say. They are always overcoming some obstacle that keeps them apart in some sort of way in every one of these books. No matter what, they find faith in each other and their love keeps them fighting for their love. It's so refreshing to see a relationship in a book that is not based on a physical side. I mean it's 6 books into this series and it's finally something that happens. That is really impressive from this author! It goes to show you that there really is so much more to them. They really do love each other and would do anything for each other. This whole book is about how he can't even touch her! They touch each other and she is scorched from the heavenly fire. No matter, they find a way to be positive and keep going. I feel in a lot of books, you don't get that anymore. It's all based on how someone is attracted to each other and they fall instantly in love. Not in this book, it's a lot of hard work and it makes it so much more believable.

I loved that we got a lot more of Jocelyn in this book. I always felt she was a huge part of this story because she had the angel and demon babies. That's where it starts. She then takes the cup that starts all of this war. Unknowingly, she was tricked into all of this and we didn't get much of her in previous books. Much more of her character comes out. When she is suffering and holding her son as he is dying, was so moving. All her life she has mourned the loss of a son that never would be because he was born with demon blood. He was brought up out of evil and then turned more evil than his father. Battling with the decision of not killing him the instant she realized what Valentine had done. She still loves him enough to hold him as he dies and mourn him all over. I'm so glad that [a:Cassandra Clare|150038|Cassandra Clare|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1270502031p2/150038.jpg]didn't make light of that. I'm not a mother yet but I couldn't imagine not loving a child even if he is a horrible person.

I was getting worried for Simon. He is such a huge part of this story! For him to sacrifice everything and lose all the people he loves to save them, he's the hero, right? I was so glad that there was a loophole Magnus found to getting his memories back. There's no way he could not be in their future! It would be cruel to have Isabelle finally let someone in and she lose him forever.

I was so glad that it was Clary that defeated Sebastian. You always knew it was going to be a showdown but when it was Jace that had the heavenly fire, I wasn't sure it would be Clary. So I'm glad that it actually worked out that way. I had a feeling she was the one that had the heavenly fire after the desert incident, but I wasn't sure how.

Of course, this book did a great job tying up some loose ends in the prequel series and introducing the spinoff series. With Angels, demons, vampires, werewolves, faerie, warlocks & shadow hunters, there can never be peace for long, right?!! Magnus tries to warn them but of course, they don't listen. SO now we get the glimpse into what the next series will be, who the characters are and why it's happening. I wasn't sure about a spinoff before I read this book but now I can' wait!

Thank you, [a:Cassandra Clare|150038|Cassandra Clare|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1270502031p2/150038.jpg] for an amazing series! I look forward to the next :)

Also, this is the longest review I have ever written and probably will write! lol

3.5 stars. I won this from a Goodreads, first reads giveaway. Thanks to random house publishing for this copy.

I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this book. I've had a hard time with Debbie Macomber on her last few books. One of them even being a rose harbor novel.

This one was a sweet love story with three different stories. A couple and a girl come stay at the Inn for the weekend and their lives are transformed afterwards.

I was surprised how Jo Marie, the owner of the Inn, didn't catch onto Mark'a feelings for her. It was so obvious! Anyways, I'm wondering hep it will play out in the future, you know he won't leave.

I really liked the story of Maggie and Roy. I think this story is really made the book for me. I pretty much figured out what happened before it came to light and I give them a lot of credit to try and come back from their huge mistakes. Of course, no way it will be easy and I wasn't sure how it would play out in the end.

The story of Ellie was a little on the boring side for me. It's nice and all that she got to reunite with her father but I think there should have been a little more of a problem with Tom lying to her.

Anyways, I think this is one of the better books I've read by her. It was a quick read and the love letters were touching. Reading her intro to the book you get some of her own family history. Love letters are the best. I have one framed that my own husband wrote to me in college after I was in a car accident. Love letters are one of the most amazing ways to show your love.

Oh, Nora Roberts... I read her books like crazy throughout high school and a little after. Then I kind of got sick of the repetitiveness... I haven't read a Nora Roberts romance novel in a long time, at least 4 years or so. I do have to say, I missed her. ha ha. I know all of her books start and end the same way. A pair, who are attracted to each other and can't figure out why, fall in love but pretend they aren't, and then have some major event come between them where they "break up" and then get back together and have this great reunion. I have to say, that sounds kind of negative. Even though, I know how it works, I just can't help loving them. You just get so caught up in the stories by situation. I think that's how she gets you. As always, her books are a trilogy or quartet.. You usually can figure out who is going to get paired up by the first book. I do love the bridal quartet. I just love the friendships and how strong they are and how they are always there for each other. This book seems to be going along the same way and I know that once I have some time and finish this challenge, I'm going to finish the trilogy. Although, I get sick of the formula, I love NR books... Weird but true, such as I am.

I won this book from a goodreads, first reads giveaway. It has in no way, influenced my opinion.
In college, I had a class where a transgendered (male to female) came in and told her story. I remember that my friend and I were quite fascinated. You hear about it but to see it right in front of your face, really opens your eyes. It was one of the experiences from college that really stayed with me. They are just regular people. So I was interested in what this book would be about. It fell really flat for me.

One of my "pet peeves" about reading, is when I'm being told a story but in the middle of that story, another story starts. Before that second story finishes, I have completely forgotten what the initial story is. I then have to try hard to remember what the beginning was when we get back into the original story. Sound confusing? It is. It's annoying! I don't like when authors do this over and over. This happens a lot in this book. It was just really dry and it honestly took me a long time to get through this book.

The most interesting part of this book is really all the interviews with all of her friends. Their life story about their parents and some of the things they have gone through to be parents themselves. To me that was the core of this book. The rest of the stories about Jenny felt more like just fluff to fill pages. It was also a bit annoying to have the interview at the end with Deedie and Jenny and just focus on the first book. I didn't read the first book, so I had no idea what they were talking about. That interview should have been at the back of the first book, not this one.

Overall, this book was just okay.

I won this book from a goodreads, first reads, giveaway. Receiving this book for free has in no way influenced my opinions.
This book is about two families on opposite sides of the civil war in Sri Lanka. You get a coming of age type story of a girl from each family. Even though, it's about the families, you get the story from one main girl on each side.
The beginning of this book was a bit slow but after about 50 pages it picked up quickly. What I really liked about this book is that you got two stories and what happened to them along the way. You get the story of Yasodhara and her sister La, who moved to the United States to get away from the war. Also, you get their back story with Shiva, who had left with his family.
Saraswatha was a Tamil freedom fighter but you get her story at how she became that way. I mean she was a totally different person and couldn't understand why anyone would want to be a martyr. Then when she has something horrible happen to her, her views change. She becomes immersed in the cause and decides to give up her life.
This book leads you up to the events that make these two different sides cross paths. It's not in a good way and it's a very sad ending. It's actually quite heartbreaking but you kind of know it's coming. You get that sense of foreboding when the author starts to immerse both stories in one chapter. You can feel the climatic ending coming up. Not until the end, was I sure what was going to happen. I liked this book. I think the author did a great job providing history without it overpowering the story. You get a lot of culture and knowledge of their traditions as well.

I'm being very generous with the rating. It's cool to see all the different pictures of her nails and things you can do. I felt like many of the styles were a bit repetitive. I also didn't like that there was absolutely NO explanation for anything!
It would have been SO much better if she took the different techniques and expanded or explained how she did them. Some of the designs are pretty simple and basic. Maybe she could have devoted a chapter to striping, marble, stamping and so on. I'd like to know what products she uses and so on.
I feel like I see the same thing on pinterest all the time and they usually have links to the "how to". She could have had SOME type of information. I know that she has a blog, which I haven't checked out. I just feel the book is in my hands, I shouldn't have to take extra steps.

It's cool to see the designs but unless you want a book that is basically, picture after picture of her different nails, this book is not for you.

I won this book from a first reads, goodreads giveaway. Receiving this book for free has in no way influenced my opinion.

This is a new author for me and I have not read the first book in this series. Although, now I'm thinking I should get the story on Delphine the dolphin. I'm thinking that with most trilogy stories, one book will be based mostly on one of the girls. This book was about Dora. She is staying at Sea Breeze with her step-sisters and grandmother. She is at the start of a divorce, renovating to sell their home, and dealing with her autistic sons depression from the incident with the dolphin. She ends up collapsing under the stress and is diagnosed with "broken heart syndrome."
She then realizes that things have to change and starts taking steps to do so. She had really wanted to make her marriage work and was willing to give it a go, until she understands that Cal wants nothing to do with their son. He finds him difficult and doesn't want to deal with it. This is her moment of clarity that things are over between them. While she is out walking she runs into her first love. Of course, you can figure out that they will rekindle that old flame.
All the while, her sisters and her are trying to make get to know each other better. Carson takes her son to a dolphin camp in Florida so he can get over his depression about Delphine. In that time, Harper and Dora really connect and finally break through and form a bond.

This is a really sweet story. I really want to read the next book to see how all the things tie up. I'm really curious about what Carson is going to do. Sometimes when things feel like they are unbearable and your life is in ruins, it is the time that you learn who you really are. I really liked all the characters and how they were each at such different points in their lives. They all seem to be at a standstill at the beginning of summer. You can see how they are starting to figure out what they want and need. I wish I had a summer vacation home! This book really made me want to go to the beach. HAHA. I also like that Nate was a big part of this story. She went into detail about his Asperger's and you can feel how hard it would be for Dora.
Something I didn't like about this was the ending. Someone so important dies and it's kind of just washed over. I feel like she went from mourning to pure happiness in 60 seconds. I don't know, maybe we will get more in the third book.

Overall, I liked this book and would read more from this author. I will be reading the next book.