Jan 31, 2014

Recent Reads: Delilah Dusticle #1 by A.J. York

Delilah Dusticle #1 by A.J. York
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Publication Date: March 3, 2013

 
 

Format: ebook
Source: Author for review

Rating:



Goodreads Synopsis:
Delilah Dusticle has special powers, she can completely eradicate dust. With her quiver pouch of special dusters Delilah can run up walls and reaches places others just can’t. As a maid in the Fenchurch-Whittington house Delilah’s unusual skills soon lead to her being promoted to Chief Dust Eradicator and Remover. Until one day a broken heart leads to her powers taking an expected turn.

This is the first in a series of touching and funny stories about Delilah Dusticle. Follow her on a journey of self-discovery, friendship and adventure.
 Review: 
Delilah Dusticle #1 was gifted to me by the author to read and review and I have to admit I was hesitant to read it, what a silly title and synopsis, was all I kept thinking. But I was also entertained by it, so I started reading. Delilah is a maid in the first book, for a wealthy family, and she is secretly in love with the son of the couple she works for. Eventually she realizes that she will never be with this man and she becomes very depressed. With it come crazy emotions and also crazy dust-producing abilities which are the opposite of her job. 

Delilah is very cute, in the beginning she has a wonderful outlook on like as a maid and is happy about everything, this was very refreshing. Later, when she is sad, she learns a lot about herself and what she is capable of and allows herself to make friends and find herself without the maids uniform. This all sounds pretty boring right?, well there are also talking portraits, suits of armor that talk and are ticklish, and a very grumpy sponge thrown in. 

This was a cute start to a series, and it was also a novella, so very short. I think it left a lot of questions about Delilah's abilities thus the need to read book two. Which I intend to do.

Jan 30, 2014

Blog Blitz: Excerpt & Giveaway! -- Carnelian by @BKMcMichael


Carnelian by B. Kristin McMichael
(Chalcedony Chronicles #1)
Publication date: January 10th 2014
Genres: Time-Travel, Young Adult

About the book:
Everyone has a past, but for most it isn’t so far in the past as Seth Sangre. His past is literally from thousands of years ago. Seth’s past led him to the present seeking something that might help him save his country from destruction. He has been in the present for over three years now and just found exactly what he has been looking for.

Mari had dreams of college being a fresh start, one where she would start over and not fall for the good looking player like high school. Unfortunately for her that’s exactly what ends up falling into her lap on the first day she moves into the dorms. Now she has to hold to her promise to herself and not fall for the handsome Seth. But he doesn’t plan to make it easy for her. Seth has already marked her as his next conquest. As the semester progresses, Mari learns that Seth might just have a past of his own that’s literally in the past. Suddenly Mari finds her future along with her past put into question. She’s connected to Seth far more than she ever wanted to be and maybe the player isn’t who she thought he was. If Mari can trust her heart enough to follow him, Seth will lead Mari on an adventure of a lifetime and reveal family secrets she never knew existed.

Jan 29, 2014

Graphic Novel Challenge Update #1


Graphic Novel Challenge Update #1


 So since normal comics count in this challenge I am already super ahead of schedule and will most likely be raising my goal. I choose Bronze with is 24 (2 a month) and in January I have already read 9 sooooo...yea... I'm an overachiever. 

I made a little counter that I will be adding to since I normally don't review my comics but I will post updated with tiny reviews about them as I go (if I can).


**January Comics**

These covers will go to Goodreads

Harley Quinn #1 (The New 52)The Steam Engines of OzSteam Engines of Oz #1  by

by

These two I did not write reviews for at all, however the Steam Engines #0 is available online HERE if you are interested it was a Free Comic Book Day comic.

  
Courtney Crumrin Volume 5: The Witch Next Door (Courtney Crumrin #5) 
Courtney Crumrin and the Witch Next Door (Volume 5) by Ted Naifeh  -- I love these and got this from Netgalley and the publisher, full review on the Blog closer to release date (April) 



  

Origin II (#1 of 5) by

Origin II #1 (Origin II #1 of 5)All I can say is: SO SAD.
I love stories of Wolverine, but this one was so depressing. Yes, i know that the Origin story has been done a few times, but really this one caught me off-guard and I was so upset. My husband warmed me I would cry and I did -- go figure.

The art was great and there were little to no words as the pictures tell the story very well for themselves. It is a sad story of the death of a family.



 


 
Forever Evil #2 (The New 52) Forever Evil #2 (The New 52) by

Forever Evil and the New 52 are turning things around with these comics, the villains are not your normal ones and you find yourself questioning if there are even good-guys left. I am loving where this story is going and the amount of characters in the series is both overwhelming and amazing all at once. 


 

Forever Evil: Arkham War #1 (The New 52)Forever Evil: Arkham War #2 (The New 52) by


Arkham War is a series running with Forever Evil and both are situating themselves for awesomeness. Arkham Asylum and the prison have been opened and the villains are taking over the city, but this series takes a new twist; while many are preoccupied with the secret society who released them, Bane is taking it as an opportunity to take over Gotham. Now it is villains versus other villains and how they come together in groups to try to resist all of the more-than-evil uprisings.

I really like how the characters interact with one another, they are all crazy (literally- they were just released for the asylum) and it makes for great entertainment
 

 

Forever Evil #3 (The New 52)Forever Evil #3 (The New 52) by





Harley Quinn #2 (The New 52)Harley Quinn #2 (The New 52) by




Jan 28, 2014

Recent Reads: Spellbinding by Maya Gold



Spellbinding by Maya Gold
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Publication Date: April 1, 2013

 
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley and Scholastic Point

My Rating: 

Goodreads Synopsis:
There's more than one way to be powerful . . .

It is during a routine school project that Abby Silva--sixteen and nearly friendless--makes a startling discovery: She is descended from women who were accused of witchcraft back in 1600s Salem. And when Abby visits nearby Salem, strange, inexplicable events start to unfold. Objects move when she wills them to. Candles burst into sudden flame. And an ancient spellbook somehow winds up in her possession.

Trying to harness her newfound power, Abby concocts a love potion to win over her longtime crush--and exact revenge upon his cruel, bullying girlfriend. But old magic is not to be trifled with. Soon, Abby is thrust headlong into a world of hexes, secrets, and danger. And then there's Rem Anders, the beautiful, mysterious Salem boy who seems to know more about Abby than he first lets on.

A reckoning is coming, and Abby will have to make sense of her history--and her heart--before she can face the powerful truth.

Review:
I have a love for all things involving witches, it started young and I still love everything about them and stories that feature them. When I saw this book on Netgalley I immediately requested it, sadly due to being a huge slacker it has taken me forever to read it, but it was a wonderful book and only took me a night to get through it.

Abby is a high school Junior about to be done for the summer, but not without a few more assignments. One of which is extra credit after a test that did not go well, and the assignment turns out to be researching your family tree. Knowing more about her father’s side of the family, she quickly writes up that part but hits a few roadblocks as she researchers her mother’s side. She is eventually drawn to Salem, MA and find out she is descended from the accused witches.

The story follows her discovery, her attraction to Salem, and then a more sinister plot held by the modern day witches of Salem. The plot of which was pretty straightforward. I think I enjoyed the book so much because of the research Abby went through to find out about her descendants and how she finds out more about herself as a person. She is a sixteen year old but seems a lot younger in the beginning of the story and progresses as she accepts her fate and learns how to use her heritage. Not to mention the swoon-worthy character of Rem, a mysterious, sends multiple signals, type guy who appears very suddenly into Abby’s life.

I don’t think that this book is for everyone, I thin that you really have to have a thing for witch lore to enjoy it. There are elements of YA romance, but they aren’t too deep, and the action of the plot does not really show up until the end of the book and it isn’t even all that threatening until then either… I did enjoy it very much though regardless.

Jan 27, 2014

Blog Tour: Review -- The Spellspinner's Series by Heidi Kling


The Spellspinner of Melas County Series by Heidi Kling
Publisher: Coliloquy, LLC
Publication Date: January 21, 2014  (for the trilogy pack/ Devil's Frost)


 

Format: Ebook
Source: Author for Review/ Tour

Witch's Brew #1
Goodreads Synopsis:

The Spellspinners of Melas County is a fantasy YA romance series about a witch, a warlock, and their fight for their forbidden but prophesied love.

Once soulmates, the witch and warlock covens of the California coast have been estranged for a century. Raised to hate each other, their teenagers meet in the Solstice Stones, a magical battleground where they draw energy from each other to maintain their balance. 16 year olds Logan and Lily have spent years training for their first Stones…only to discover just days before that the enemy may not be what either of them had thought.

In Witch’s Brew, Lily is torn between her feelings for Logan and her coven’s need to know who—or what—he is. The young lovers race against time, their distrust for each other, and the powerful influence of their elders to unravel the mystery of their pasts before their future is destroyed.

This is an Active Fiction title
"Active fiction" is a new type of e-reading experience that allows the reader and the author to interact with each other and the text in new and different ways.

In Witch’s Brew, Lily and Logan's fate is already decided, but Heidi explores several different possible pathways for how they get there. She shares scenes that wouldn’t normally fit in a book format and gives readers more precious moments between the two young lovers. As the series progresses, you'll see some normal narrative forms, interspersed with smaller scenes, alternate points of view, and a lot of "what if" scenarios.
Rating: 


Review:
I have owned Witch's Brew for a long time, I got it as a Kindle deal and it has sat on my reader forever, I just never had a chance to read it with other blog tours and books that I was reading. I was given the chance to be on the Spellspinner's tour and was thrilled because now I could read the book that I had been wanting to for some time now AND I was getting the other 2 books in the series as well! 

First thing to note is that the Spellspinners books (as stated above) are "Active Fiction" i.e. remember those choose your own adventure books some of us read as kids, well it is kind of like that, only regardless of how you choose you come to the same end, the only difference between the choices is that you get ore of less detail depending on your tastes. SO if you want action ALL THE TIME you can skip over the more informational bits and learn about those thing later in the story, or if you want to know ALL the details, you can read it in that way . I chose both styles depending on where I was in the story, so it was a lot of fun.

Book one begins our introduction into the world of Spellspinners aka witches and warlocks and how they became divided and enemies 100 years prior, not there is a prophecy that may or may not help  to reunite them if they can get past their differences. 

I really enjoyed this book, but it at times let me asking strange questions, like who the heck people were, there were a lot of flower names, names that start with J and then Lily and Logan (the two L's as I started referring to them as) are the main characters. I also wanted to know more about how the Spinners came to be, and you get more and more of that as you read the other books, but I wanted am overview in book one and it was not really there. 

Here Lily and Logan meet, and it is forbidden but also very mysterious and alluring. We learn about some of the background of their worlds and I loved how the book alternated back and forth between their POVs -- small issue though was that when they alternate it is sometimes a reply of what just happened but from the other's POV.

Overall it was a good read, but it took a few chapters to get into the style of the book and writing. 
 
The Gleaning #2
Goodreads Synopsis:
In the second installment of the Spellspinners saga, Lily’s worldview is rocked by fear, mistrust, and heartbreak, as she deals with the fallout from the night of her enchantment.

Someone powerful is determined to keep her and Logan apart. But who? And why?

As the covens prepare to do battle in the Solstice Stones, the lines between good and evil, dark and light, begin to blur. Allegiances are called into question. Trust is broken. And all Lily knows may just be an illusion.

Will the star-crossed lovers unearth the seeds of betrayal before it’s too late? Or will the witches and warlocks of Melas County be forced to say goodbye to their magic—and any chance of reconciliation between the covens—for good?

In The Gleaning, nothing is as it seems. And Lily and Logan will have to tread carefully if they hope to uncover the truth in time to save their love and break the curse.
 
Rating:



Review:
In book 2 there was the most action and emotional stress on Lily and Logan, they are about to go into the power exchange battle of The Gleaning and there is a lot of crazy happening around them -- without giving too much away --  Lily and Logan are destined to be together and they are learning more and more why and how. 

So why 3 stars? Well this book, while it had the most action in it, made things confusing for me. There were a few times I had to turn back and reread because I missed a very small detail that was VERY important somehow, and when you are book-binging (as I was) sometimes those moments get lost. I also found Lily to be wishy-washy, one moment she is strong, a leader, and loves Logan and other times she is whine-y, confused and not sure if she can trust Logan.

I also found many of the twists and plot goodies to be predictable and not as outrageous they could have been.

Devil's Frost #3
Goodreads Synopsis: 
Every young witch looks forward to her first Solstice Stones. The pride of representing her coven against the warlocks. The rush from her first taste of dark magic.

But a few short minutes into the Stones, and Lily’s lifelong dream turns into a nightmare of pain and regret. Betrayed not once, but twice, her restraint snaps—with dire consequences.

Lily is wracked with guilt and on the run from the powerful Congression, when her broken confidence is further shattered by an ugly secret from the past. As her options dwindle, Lily is forced into a distasteful alliance.

Will she be able to find her way back to the light? Or will darkness consume her before dawn's new day?
 
Rating:

Review:
Ah! Finished and still more...? I thought this series was a trilogy -- just so you know, it is not. There is a lot more to go in this storyline after Devil's Frost. 


This third book in the series picks up at the betrayal and the Stones becoming a huge mess. Lily has to run, Logan is hurt and there are still many questions left unanswered.

The plot of this installment was to clear up a lot of the questions the first two books leave you with. Things that will be helpful later in the story as well. I cannot really say too much about the plot without giving too many good parts away, so I will move on.

Lily is better in this book again, she can be a little too trusting almost all of the time, but that really is her downfall throughout the series. 

Logan is more and more becoming my favorite character, the sections of the book from his POV are wonderful to read and very interesting. I am glad in this book that we are getting both Lily and Logan's POVs there are some scenes that I wanted more of and got them because if it. 

Again this book is an active read, there are a few choices throughout and they are still just as entertaining as the last 2 books. 

I think that the story is going to get  a lot deeper and more emotional as it goes on, because the end of this one was both an aww moment but left me a little anxious for what is to come.

Jan 26, 2014

Building the Book Pile #76

Photobucket
Welcome to Building the Book Pile!  A Weekly meme inspired by Stacking the Shelves

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 


Giveaways Going on NOW!   

   

Click pic to be taken to the giveaway!

Others may be linked on the right sidebar :) check them out!

  
What's Happening?!

I have read some awesome books so far this year (older books that were on my TBR, but awesome all the same!) What have you been up to? How has the first month of 2014 been treating you?! 

Coming up on the blog are a few books about witches it seems :)

Coming up on the Blog...


Blog Tour Review: Spellspinner's Series by Heidi Kling (YA) 
Review: Spellbinding by Maya Gold (YA)
Blog Blitz: Carnelian by B. Kristin McMichael



Books This Week:
Delilah Dusticle (Delilah Dusticle, #1) Delilah Dusticle's Transylvanian Adv<enture (Delilah Dusticle, #2) Knight Assassin


Delilah Dusticle by A.J. York from the author for review 
Delilah Dusticle's Transylvanian Adventure by A.J. York from author for review 
Knight Assassin by Rima Jean from Entangled Publishing for Review

Images will bring you to Goodreads

  Comment and leave me a link to your Round-up post! Happy Reading!

Jan 25, 2014

Release Event: Starcrossed by Brenda Hill


Starcrossed, a Starstruck novel by Brenda Hiatt, is out now!  To celebrate the release we are happy to share an interview with Princess Emileia and Rigel Stuart as well as an excerpt from the book.  Be sure to stay tuned to the end where there's a giveaway as well!

 The Starstruck adventure continues…

 Marsha spent the first fifteen years of her life as a nerdy nobody before discovering her true identity as the long lost princess of a secret civilization. Now M is dodging extraterrestrial paparazzi while trying to keep the truth from her adoptive aunt and uncle and everyone at school. At least she can be herself with her boyfriend and literal soulmate, Rigel. Whenever they’re together, it’s easy to forget the responsibilities that will eventually come with her new status. But when a new boy arrives at Jewel High, everything M thought she knew about herself and her future is turned upside down. Now the very destiny that lifted her from obscurity threatens to tear her away from Rigel and their happy ever after. But when two planets conspire against you, where is there to run?



Recently Discovered Princess Grants Exclusive Interview
with Gwendolyn Gannett, Echtran Enquirer

I’m sitting here in a charming little ice cream shop in Jewel, Indiana, to chat with our newfound Princess Emileia and Rigel Stuart, the boy who recently saved her life when she was attacked by the dictator Faxon’s minions here on Earth.

Tell me, Princess, how did it feel to discover your true identity after being raises as a Duchas?

With great presence of mind, the Princess immediately shushes me. “Not so loud! And please, stick to English. I don’t want everyone in Dream Cream to freak out the way I did when Rigel first told me there are . . . people like us…living on Earth!”

Given the pains our Nuathan Ministry of Terran Obfuscation has taken to keep that secret, I suppose she has a point. I lower my voice as I continue.

Is that true, Rigel? Did the Princess ‘freak out?’

“Only for a day or so,” he replies. “Really, she handled the news like a champ—way better than I did when my parents first told me.”

So you were raised Duch I catch myself. Like a regular Earthling, too?

“Until I was ten, yeah.”

Back to my original question, Princess—

Please don’t call me that!” she interrupts me. “Not here. Just Marsha is fine, or M—that’s what my friends call me.”

Though it seems terribly disrespectful, far be it from me to disobey. M, then. How has your life changed since learning the truth?

“If you don’t count people trying to kill me, mostly for the better. I mean, back in August I was a complete nobody on the very bottom rung of the social ladder. Now I hardly get picked on at all—well, except by Trina, but that’ll never change. I even get invited to parties and stuff. Not that my aunt ever lets me go, but it’s still cool to be invited. But that’s not because of being, you know, who I am. Nobody at school knows about that.”

Unfortunately, this coincides with the rumors of her being mistreated by her adoptive Duchas family and the surrounding townsfolk.

Then why the change?

“Mostly because of Rigel. He’s pretty popular, what with being quarterback of our football team and just generally awesome. I’m just kind of along for the ride.”
“Not true!” Rigel interjects. “You’re the awesome one. It just took people a while to figure it out.”
The Princess laughs at this and claims, “Nobody would ever have called me awesome before—” She breaks off when Rigel raises his eyebrows at her.

Not wishing to pry, I move on. You must be dying to tell everyone the truth about yourself. Is it hard living with such a huge secret?

“Sometimes,” she confesses, “but when I think about what could happen if people found out, I’m a lot less tempted to say anything.”

And what was your life like, growing up as a—you used the word ‘nobody’ in a non-Echtran household? Was it difficult living in such primitive conditions?

She laughs again. “Since I never knew anything else, I never thought of my conditions as primitive. And it’s not like my aunt was ever actually cruel or anything, even if she isn’t always easy to get along with.”

All right, then, next question. Once a certain dictator falls, how do you see your future unfolding? Are you excited at the prospect of someday returning to the place you were born?

The Princess shrugs. “I guess so, though I have an awful lot to learn before I’ll be ready for that! All the stuff people will expect of me, I mean. Besides, I’m pretty happy right here in Jewel for now. For instance, I went to my very first Homecoming dance last week and it was amazing.”

Oh? With Rigel here as your date?

“Well, yes. He and I—”
“Went with a bunch of our friends,” Rigel butts in, cutting her off for the second time, something he’d never dare to do in Nuath, I’m sure.

This makes me very curious. You two have shared a few harrowing experiences since meeting and I’m sure that’s created a bond of sorts. (I notice they exchange a glance when I say that.) Tell me, just how close have you two become?

At this point, Rigel stands up, then the Princess stands, too. “We said we’d give you five minutes,” Rigel says, “and we’ve been here longer than that. You have your story. And please tell your readers she’s tired of being stalked, okay?”
The Princess is much more polite, but it’s clear she’s ready to leave, too, so I don’t detain them.

Overall, I’d say our Princess seems surprisingly content with her new identity and especially with her knight in shining armor, Rigel Stuart. It will be interesting to see how things progress there once she’s called upon to take up the position she was born to—but I’ll leave that story to my colleagues in Nuath, who will be on the spot to witness it firsthand. 
 

STARCROSSED EXCERPT:

 “Hey, did you hear there’s a new transfer?” Debbi Andrews asked the moment I sat next to her in Geometry class.
Petite and blond, Deb was my second-best friend after Brianna Morrison, though lately it seemed like the two of them were closer to each other than to me. Not that I could blame them, between the time I spent with Rigel and all the secrets I couldn’t tell them.
“Really? Two in one semester must be a record.” I grinned over at Rigel, who’d been the new kid at the start of the school year. “Boy or girl?”
“Boy. I haven’t seen him yet. I think he’s a junior or senior. Natalie said—”
The teacher cleared his throat then and Deb had to shut up. I was sure I’d hear more later, from Bri if not from Deb. New students were a huge deal at our little rural school.
Sure enough, the new guy was the first thing Bri talked about when we met up with her in the lunchroom a couple hours later.
“Hey, Rigel, looks like you’re off the hook for the basketball team.” Bri had been pestering Rigel for days to try out, egged on by her father, who was on the coaching staff. “This new guy, Sean, is just what our sucky team needs, according to my dad.”
“Sean?” Deb asked eagerly. “So that’s his name?”
I glanced at Rigel, who looked more relieved than curious. I, meanwhile, was having a mild deja vu moment, remembering when Bri had been all excited about the wonderful new quarterback we were getting—Rigel.
“Yeah, Sean O’Gara,” Bri told Deb.
“So, is it true he’s from Ireland? That’s what Natalie told me this morning.”
Bri nodded, her long, dark curls bouncing. “That’s what Dad said, too. I didn’t even know they played basketball in Ireland! But apparently it’s huge there.”
“Ireland? Really?” I glanced at Rigel again, remembering something he’d told me a while back, and saw he looked a little more interested. 
“Yeah, he and his family just moved here last— Ooh, that must be him!” Bri broke off to point.
Of course, we all looked. The new guy was definitely tall enough to play basketball, maybe three or four inches taller than Rigel. He was fair bordering on pale, with bright, copper-colored hair. Very good looking, though of course he couldn’t compete with Rigel in that department. Who could?
“Let’s go say hi,” Bri suggested, already heading his way. “You know, welcome him to Jewel.”
It looked to me like plenty of people—mainly girls—were already doing just that. Again I was reminded of Rigel’s first day, especially when I saw Trina Squires—cheerleader, flirt and bitch extraordinaire—saunter up to to the newcomer. Rigel and I followed Bri and Deb, since it seemed the nice thing to do. We were maybe halfway across the lunchroom when both of us stopped cold to stare at each other.
“Do you—?” Rigel asked.
I nodded. “I feel it, too.” It was the brath—the weird, almost electric vibe Martians sense when other Martians are nearby. Like what I’d felt from those two tourist women yesterday.
Sean O’Gara was one of us.


Don't miss the first book, Starstruck, only .99 cents for a limited time!



Brenda Hiatt is the author of nearly twenty novels (so far), including traditional Regency romance, time travel romance, historical romance, and humorous mystery. She is as excited about her new STARSTRUCK series as she's ever been about any of her books. In addition to writing, Brenda is passionate about embracing life to the fullest, to include scuba diving (she has over 60 dives to her credit), Taekwondo (where she recently achieved her 2nd degree black belt), hiking, traveling, and pursuing new experiences and skills. She is an active member of Romance Writers of America, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and Novelists, Inc, an international organization of multipublished novelists, where she served as President in 2006. For the past dozen years, Brenda has also collected data on writers' earnings, which she shares at her website, http://brendahiatt.com You can also find Brenda on Facebook, Twitter (@Brenda_Hiatt), Tumblr, Goodreads and Wattpad.


Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


This promo was put together by CBB Book Promotions.
 

Jan 24, 2014

Release Blitz: Hidden Magic by Melanie Crouse

Hidden Magic by Melanie Crouse


Synopsis
When Jenny has the opportunity to spend the summer with her sister, a small slice of freedom is all she's really hoping for when she has the opportunity to spend the summer with her sister. Instead she finds something else altogether: electricity.
That's what Jenny feels when she looks at Arram. She knows he’s drawn to her too, but the mage-in-training does his best to hide it. Stung, Jenny turns to Arram's former best friend, Jack. But Arram and Jack's rivalry is much darker than Jenny suspects, and so are Jack's intentions. Soon she's caught in a mystery of old murder, ancient prophecies, and magic hidden where no one has thought to look. When Jenny uncovers a secret magic, she is offered two choices. Arram wants her to do the safe thing. Jack wants to show her the easy way out. Whatever Jenny decides, her life will irrevocably change. Either way, freedom may be the one thing Jenny can never have.



Jack put his finger to his lips and motioned toward an empty bedroom across the hall. Not knowing what else to do, she went in, her heart thudding against her ribs. “Jack,” she whispered. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?” “What? No welcome home kiss?” His voice was mocking. Trying to keep her voice steady, she said, “So Arram was right. You do want to kidnap me after all.” “Kidnap you?” Jack looked horrified. Underneath the horror though, Jenny could see that his eyes were sparkling with mischief. “I should have known Arram would fill your head with something stupid like that. No, you wonderful, impossible girl, I’m here to rescue you.”  
About Melanie Crouse
Melanie Crouse is the author of Hidden Magic, coauthor of the book Alchemy and the CEO of the craziest household in the Western Hemisphere. Lately, both of those full-time jobs have collided, creating chaos on a colossal scale. Which is just the way she likes it. In her spare time, Melanie likes to play the piano, swim, hike and teach preschool. Whether she has spare time or not, she manages to read prolifically, which probably explains more than it doesn't. She loves her family dearly, and wishes with all her heart that her teenage children weren't so embarrassed that their mom writes "kissing scenes."