London 1957. In a bid to erase her past and build the family she yearns for, Sophie Schofield accepts a wedding proposal from ambitious British diplomat, Lucien Grainger. When he is posted to New Delhi, into the glittering circle of ex-pat high society, old wounds begin to break open as she is confronted with the memory of her first, forbidden love and its devastating consequences.

The suffocating conformity of diplomatic life soon closes in on her. This is not the India she fell in love with ten years before when her father was a maharaja’s physician, the India of tigers and scorpions and palaces afloat on shimmering lakes; the India that ripped out her heart as Partition tore the country in two, separating her from her one true love. The past haunts her still, the guilt of her actions, the destruction it wreaked upon her fragile parents, and the boy with the tourmaline eyes.

Sophie had never meant to come back, yet the moment she stepped onto India’s burning soil as a newlywed wife, she realised her return was inevitable. And so begins the unravelling of an ill-fated marriage, setting in motion a devastating chain of events that will bring her face to face with a past she tried so desperately to forget, and a future she must fight for.

A story of love, loss of innocence, and the aftermath of a terrible decision no one knew how to avoid.

Under the Jewelled Sky was a thoroughly heartbreaking book, with an ending that shows the hope that I think they would have wanted for ther family, even if they couldn’t all be together in the end.

The writing was absolutely stunning, the characters were wonderfully balanced, and I could feel everything that Sophie felt.

The time changes were well done, easily recognizable, and it was easy to get right back into the story. The time changes actually strengthened the story to the point that I feel like I know Sophie.

I do wish we’d seen more of he boy, though I know he wasn’t particularly important as a character, more as an idea.

I received a copy of Root, Petal, Thorn as an eARC from the publisher, Kensington Books, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Root, Petal, Thorn follows the stories of five women who lived in the same house on Downington Avenue in Salt Lake City over the years since it was built, telling the stories that the walls held within them – Emmeline, the young Mormon torn between her heart and anti-polygamist beliefs; Bitsy, a young girl whose family falls apart; Eris, the Greek immigrant during World War II; Lainey, a troubled single mother in the 1960s; and modern-day Ivy Bagren, whose husband has just passed away, leaving her and her children to finish the renovations of this beautiful house. As Ivy works through her grief, she finds little things throughout the house from its previous inhabitants, and begins earnestly researching the history of her home.

The project helps Ivy to work through the loss of her husband, as well as show her that there is still light left in her life. Each of the ladies of the house had their own distinct personalities, and their own losses, but all of them were wonderful characters. My favorite of the characters was probably Lainey, even though her story broke my heart.

Read the full review here!

I received a copy of The Graces as an eARC from Netgalley and the publisher, Amulet Books, which is an imprint of Abrams.

When a glamorous family of teenage witches brings a mysterious new girl into their fold, they unwittingly nurture a powerful black magic that could destroy them all. This paranormal YA fantasy features intrigue, spells, and a devastating twist. In The Graces, the first rule of witchcraft states that if you want something badly enough, you can get it . . . no matter who has to pay.
Everyone loves the Graces. Fenrin, Thalia, and Summer Grace are captivating, wealthy, and glamorous. They’ve managed to cast a spell over not just their high school but also their entire town—and they’re rumored to have powerful connections all over the world. If you’re not in love with one of them, you want to be them. Especially River: the loner, new girl at school. She’s different from her peers, who both revere and fear the Grace family. She wants to be a Grace more than anything. But what the Graces don’t know is that River’s presence in town is no accident.

The Graces is the first novel I’ve ever read by Laura Eve, but it certainly won’t be the last. This novel felt like Twilight, but with more humanity, and without vampires. I’d like to point out that my comparison to Twilight is not an insult. It just has a similar vibe, while still being its own story.

River is an incredibly dedicated woman when she wants to be, and she dedicates herself to making friends with the Grace family once she finds out about who they are. It’s honestly impressive, and a little terrifying to read as she does everything she can to become who they need her to be.

Read my full review here!

Blood doesn't lie...

Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning...


Okay, so before we begin, I’m going to remind everyone that this is a spinoff series of Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series. If you haven’t read those books, you will be entirely confused as to what on earth is going on. From other reviews that I’ve read, this seems to be their main issue – they wanted a book that stood up alone from the VA series, and this does not, at all. The main characters all had awesome parts throughout the VA series, and that’s part of why this is so awesome.
I would also like to say that I really love Sydney. She is sensible, loyal, and brilliant. She’s also not a fighter, which is something that readers will have to get used to. It’s a very definite shift in perspective from action-driven Rose to pragmatic, logical Sydney. There’s also the difference in that Rose is always very sure about what she’s doing and very comfortable in the vampire world. Sydney is very uncomfortable with things relating to vampires –feeders, fangs, magic, etc.-, but she pushes through it to end up caring about Jill, Eddie, Clarence, and even Adrian. She’s somehow still loyal to the Alchemist order, despite the way they’ve dropped her every time she’s been in a trouble spot (which happened fairly often in VA). Another thing is that Rose is very sure of herself socially whereas Sydney is not. She’s shy, has a poor body image, and being homeschooled, she never had the “real school experience,” which makes it harder for her to fit in to the school in Palm Springs. Also, she drops book references and that makes me happy. I have those Captain America moments where I just smile and think, “I got that reference!”
From the beginning of this book, we know that Sydney hates Keith Darnell. When I found out why, it made my blood boil. From the beginning, I didn’t like him. I don’t generally like his type of person, and a person who did what he did? Not a chance in the world I’d like him, let alone trust him with power, as the Alchemists did. Of course, they had no reason to believe anything ill of him, but I feel like there should be some sort of character test. I guess that they have to be kind of hard to live the way they do, denying everything that relates to vampirism in their life, but they don’t have to be bad people, do they?
We also know that she’s afraid of Ibrahim “Abe” Mazur. Of course, everyone with sense in the vampire world is afraid of him, since being an unapologetic, non-royal Moroi mobster is terrifying. Well, everyone but Rose, Janine (Rose’s mom) and Adrian are afraid of him, from what I can tell. Adrian just gets annoyed with him, which is understandable, since Adrian dislikes taking orders in general.
I really wanted Mead to do more with Micah’s character. Micah is reminiscent of Mason, who I really loved in Vampire Academy and Frostbite. I really wish she’d done more with him than just made him Jill’s romantic interest. She could have developed a real relationship between him and Eddie. I feel like she also could have done more with Eddie in this book. While she does a great job getting us into Sydney’s head and letting us get to know Jill and Adrian some more, she doesn’t do a great job with most of her minor characters.
That being said, she does do very well with foreshadowing throughout this book, even for The Golden Lily. Things that might seem insignificant in the beginning… not so much so by the end, or by the next book. And there were a few minor characters that she did really well with, such as Ms. Terwilliger. History teacher, poker player… and a little bit more, as those of you who’ve read the book(s) know. SUCH an intriguing character, and I can’t wait to see more of her, despite Sydney’s issues with her at the end.
I have to say, even having read this probably four or five times, the ending still shocks me. I think my favorite moment was when I think Adrian first began to realize he loved Sydney.
“My God, Sage. Your eyes. How have I never noticed them?” … “The color,” he breathed. “When you stand in the light. They’re amazing . . . like molten gold. I could paint those . . .” He reached toward me but then pulled back. “They’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.”
Just his blatant entrancement in as small a thing as the color of her eyes… it was so much the Adrian that we all knew was there, the part of himself that he hides. Also the fact that he’s okay with letting Sydney get away with having Keith’s eye taken.
I think my Bloodlines rating is gonna have to be 4 stars out of 5. She does great with her main characters and foreshadowing, though she could use some work on her minor characters. Also, whoever picks these covers needs to not. They’re legitimately terrible.

I received an ARC of The Secret Ingredient of Wishes as a courtesy from Netgalley and Thomas Dunne Books.

26-year-old Rachel Monroe has spent her whole life trying to keep a very unusual secret: she can make wishes come true. And sometimes the consequences are disastrous. So when Rachel accidentally grants an outlandish wish for the first time in years, she decides it’s time to leave her hometown—and her past—behind for good.

Rachel isn’t on the road long before she runs out of gas in a town that’s not on her map: Nowhere, North Carolina—also known as the town of “Lost and Found.” In Nowhere, Rachel is taken in by a spit-fire old woman, Catch, who possesses a strange gift of her own: she can bind secrets by baking them into pies. Rachel also meets Catch’s neighbor, Ashe, a Southern gentleman with a complicated past, who makes her want to believe in happily-ever-after for the first time in her life.

As she settles into the small town, Rachel hopes her own secrets will stay hidden, but wishes start piling up everywhere Rachel goes. When the consequences threaten to ruin everything she’s begun to build in Nowhere, Rachel must come to terms with who she is and what she can do, or risk losing the people she’s starting to love—and her chance at happiness—all over again.

The Secret Ingredient of Wishes had all of the ingredients I love in a book - familiar settings, sweet romance, food and a little bit of magic. Unfortunately, it really just didn't click for me, and the ending left me with a sour aftertaste, much like the plums in this book.

The food in this book made me hungry, even though I had just eaten dinner when I started reading it. The descriptions of the pies that Catch made were absolutely mouthwatering, and while I was raised to be a North Carolinian, pork vinegar-based barbecue still makes me a little bit sick to my stomach. I'm with Rachel and going for the brisket!

I wish that a lot of the elements in this book had been explored more, especially the magic. Half of the town of Nowhere, NC - which reminded me remarkably of the college town I lived in for four years of Cullowhee - had some sort of magical ability, but there was never any discussion of how the abilities worked, or where they came from. Rachel had no clue how to control hers, and she never did learn how to.

The storyline about Mary Beth and her sister really came out of nowhere for me, and didn't really cause any conflict in the story, so it felt shoved into the novel. My largest issue was that the ending was incredibly abrupt. I kept clicking the next button trying to continue, but there was nothing there, which left me more than a little upset.

I think this book had good elements, but I never fell in love with it, unfortunately, so I can only rate it three stars. It released on September 6, so if it sounds like something you'd enjoy, go grab a copy from your local bookstore or Indiebound!

"I’m not one of those writers who’s been scribbling down stories since I could hold a pencil. I didn’t read constantly growing up (blasphemy, I know!), and I can still be found in public without a book tucked into my purse (again with the blasphemy!).

I am, however, the kind of writer who lives for the imaginative spark that introduces me to a new character or story idea that pushes me to turn everyday life into something magical. I have a B.F.A. in creative writing from The University of North Carolina - Wilmington. I live and write near Wilmington, NC with my husband, Mark, and our two literary-named cats.

Aside from writing, I obsess over swoony fictional boys and baked goods and watch quirky TV shows, most of which got canceled way before their time (and I have a wax lion to prove it!)."