I thought it would be fun to highlight the books that really shone for me in 2011.
As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety
train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on
Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob,
now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a
living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in
charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met
Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the
charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an
untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate
traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of
love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.
You can find my review here.
After five long years,
Georgiana McLaughlin returns to the only place she’s ever considered
home—the same place she stole a kiss from Ridge Carson under the
community “kissing tree.” But this time he’s a man, and reconciling
their past is just the beginning. You’ll find yourself applauding each
new chapter filled with fun, romance, and adventure in this captivating,
heartfelt tale of love, friendship, and finding your way back.
You can find my review here
In a small cottage house in rural Ireland, Finley discovers she can no longer outrun the past.
When Finley travels to Ireland as a foreign exchange student, she hopes
to create a new identity and get some answers from the God who took
her brother away and seems to have left her high and dry.
But from the moment she boards the plane and sits by Beckett Rush, teen
star of the hottest vampire flicks, nothing goes according to Finley's
plan.
When she gets too close to Beckett, a classmate goes on a mission to
make sure Finley packs her bags, departs Ireland-and leaves Beckett
alone.
Finley feels the pressure all around. As things start to fall apart,
she begins to rely on a not-so-healthy method of taking control of her
life.
Finley tries to balance it all-disasters on the set of Beckett's new
movie, the demands of school, and her growing romance with one actor
who is not what he seems. Yet Finley is also not who she portrays to
Beckett and her friends.
For the first time in her life, Finley must get honest with herself to get right with God.
You can find my review here.
Pearl is a sixteen-year-old
vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil...
until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his
horn. Oops.
Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because,
obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived.
They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the
sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The
Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast.
If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends
and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.
The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience.
How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes
her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if
she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?
You can find my review here.
Sixteen-year-old
Addison Blakely has tireless played the role of PK—preacher’s kid—her
entire life. But after Wes Keegan revs his motorcycle into town and into
her heart, Addison begins to wonder how much of her faith is her own
and how much has been handed to her. She isn’t so sure she wants to be
the good girl anymore. Join Addison Blakely as she attempts to separate
love from lust, facts from faith, and keep her head above water in her
murky, fishbowl existence.
You can find my review here.
It all begins with a stupid question:
Are you a Global Vagabond?
No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for
independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she
signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged
tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When
Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his
outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch
her group and join them off the beaten path.
Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to
stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote
Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they
discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old
versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s
found, is to keep moving forward.
But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what
Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone
worthwhile, she has to start looking back.
Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry into this ultimate backpacker
novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer
and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America
are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.
You can find my review here.
Brainiac Tessa McClean’s
newly discovered magical powers give her an escape from her
self-absorbed parents. But the thrill of being a witch fades when she
learns of a rival coven and begins to suspect her own coven’s motives.
Evidence tells Tessa to trust one side, but instinct drives her toward
the other.
When the school’s scrumptious delinquent, Hayden Anders,
offers Tessa self-defense lessons in exchange for tutoring, his timing
couldn’t be better. Although hanging out with him is a necessary evil in
Tessa’s fight to stay alive, resisting a bad-boy she secretly yearns
for might be more than she can manage.
Together, Tessa and Hayden
work to unravel the mysteries behind the two covens to discover why
they’ll stop at nothing to lure Tessa to their side. She must form an
alliance with one of the covens before it’s too late. But the wrong
decision could cost Tessa the lives of all who she holds dear —
including Hayden.
You can find my review here.
With her body still
recovering from last year's cancer treatments, Leigh Tressman is
determined to be independent. Despite the interference from her
overprotective brother, physical frustrations, and spiritual dilemmas—
not to mention the ever expanding line of young men ready to fall in
love with her— Leigh discovers what it actually means to stand on her
own and learns that love can be found in unexpected but delightful
places.
You can find my review here.
Funny, free-spirited
Annie Quintana and sophisticated, ambitious Julia St. Clair come from
two different worlds. Yet, as the daughter of the St. Clair’s
housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia’s San Francisco mansion and they
forged a bond that only two little girls who know nothing of class
differences and scholarships could—until a life-altering betrayal
destroyed their friendship.
A decade later, Annie is now a talented, if underpaid, pastry chef
who bakes to fill the void left in her heart by her mother’s death.
Julia, a successful businesswoman, is tormented by a painful secret that
could jeopardize her engagement to the man she loves. When a chance
reunion prompts the unlikely duo to open a cupcakery, they must overcome
past hurts and a mysterious saboteur or risk losing their fledgling
business and any chance of healing their fractured friendship.
You can find my review here.
Hayley Matthews has
one dream: to make it onto the varsity cheerleading team her senior year
of high school. Odds are against her, but she doesn't let that stop her
from trying. So she works hard for months, perfecting her gymnastics
and dancing moves. And despite the odds, she makes the squad.
In
an instant, Hayley's life changes. Now she's part of the popular crowd
at school, dating a football player, and going to parties. And she's
working hard to be as perfect on the squad as her captain expects them
all to be.
But then one day Hayley notices a lump on her left leg
and the steady throb she's been feeling has gotten much worse. She can
barely walk. When Hayley goes with her mom to get it checked out, the
diagnosis is cancer. The doctor can't say how bad it is or what the
prognosis will be. At the minimum, she'll have to have surgery. At the
most it could mean loss of her leg or even her life.
Once again
Hayley's life changes in an instant. Now she must face the odds again
and show everyone, including herself, just how strong she is. And
through it all--three surgeries, chemo, radiation, rehab, and just
getting back to a normal life--it's cheerleading that keeps Hayley
focused and positive.
All she wants to do is cheer, and nothing, including cancer, is going to stop her.
You can find my review here.
At Gottfried Academy, just one
kiss will take your breath away. After Renee discovers her parents dead
in what appears to be a strange double murder, she is sent to
Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious high school dedicated to
philosophy, 'crude sciences', and Latin: the Language of the Dead.
Here she meets Dante, a dark
and elusive student who harbors a deadly secret, but to whom she feels
inexplicably drawn. Despite himself, Dante cannot control his
attraction to Renee either and their desires gradually deepen into a
complex and dangerous romance. But Dante's not the only one with
secrets...Gottfried Academy has a few of its own.
When Renee begins to
investigate the mysterious disappearance of a former student, she
begins to realize just how deadly these secrets are...Dark romance
meets haunting murder mystery in this captivating tale of love, death
and destiny.
You can find my review here.
I have not shown the blurb here as this is book 2 in a series and I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has not read book 1.
*** The review in the link below does contain spoilers.***
You can find my review of Life Eternal here.
Sasha is desperate to find
out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her
soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha
is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.
A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for
redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in
the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the
girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.
With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her
over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?
You can find my review here.
Best wishes
Debs :-)
