Evermore

Title: Evermore
Author: Alyson Noel
Series: The Immortals 1
Rating: 5/5 stars
Review:

One day, Ever and her entire family are in a car crash. Her mother, her father, her little sister and her dog all die, but somehow she survives. And after surviving, she finds she has new talents. She can see people's auras, read their minds, see into the past and future, oh and she can communicate with her dead sister. Then Damen Auguste comes along and she finds out he has the power to cancel out hers.

I absolutely loved this book. I picked it up from the library this afternoon and finished it in a couple hours. It was engaging, well thought out and I didn't want to put it down.

The characters were pretty deep - not some cookie cutter stereotype. I do think we could have used a bit more depth with Ever's friends, but it wasn't too bad. I also liked the whole flower thing too. That was very romantic and funny.

Though the plot is a little cliched, Noel handled everything in a way that was unique and interesting. Looking back, and thinking about some things it seems a little cliche but it didn't seem so while I was reading it.

The only real fault I can find with the book is when Ever visits Disneyland. Magic Kingdom, is not in Disneyland nor is it in California. It's at Disney World in Florida. I think she probably should have done a little bit more research on that one. (But that might just be because I'm anal about things like that.)

The Vast Fields of Ordinary

Title: The Vast Fields of Ordinary
Author: Nick Burd
Series: N/A
Rating: 4/5 stars
Review:

This novel is about Dade Hamilton's last summer at home. He goes to parties, goes to work and meets a few friends. The boy he's fooling around with pretty much dumps him and he meets a new boy named Alex who he falls in love with.

Okay, I liked this book overall but there were a lot of things I didn't like about it. I think there were too many side plots going on and none of them were really developed at all. The whole thing with Jenny Moore was weird, and didn't really have anything to do with the story line. The problems between his parents was also weird and pretty anti-climactic.

I didn't much like the ending either. It seemed rushed and was also a bit anti-climactic. The author had some interesting ideas for the ending, but he kinda just crammed them all together in an overview plot summary. The ending leaves you with a lot of questions - What happened to Jenny? What happen with Pablo? What happened with Alex?

It also seemed like some of the characters were bipolar. One minute they wanted to be his best friend, and then next they were bitching and yelling at him. Pablo and "Fessica" (A crappy name IMO) in particular. The whole scene with Pablo in the milk cooler was unnecessary too. (Don't forget creepy.)

But for some reason, I liked the book over all. I enjoyed Dade's relationship with Alex, and I could relate to some of the things he was going through. The novel was well written, free of any blaring grammatical or punctuation mistakes. Once I got through the first chapter or two, it was a pretty engaging novel. =)

Oleander House

Title: Oleander House
Author: Ally Blue
Series: Bay City Paranormal Investigations
Rating: 5/5 stars
Review:

Sam Raintree is a computer tech who has just gotten a job with Bay City Paranormal Investigations. He hasn't even had a chance to see his new apartment in Mobile before he has a job. When he arrives at Oleander House two things happen - he meets a man who he falls for almost instantly and he feels a weird presence in the house - almost as if it's stalking him, waiting to attack.

This book is the first novel in the BCPI series and I absolutely loved it. The characters felt realistic and I really liked them - well, most of them. Even the paranormal investigating was extremely realists - it had a lot of science and factual information instead of just a team of "psychics".

I think the thing I liked most about this is that it read as a paranormal mystery novel and not a cheesy four dollar romance novel. I like my romance novels to have at least an equal amount of actual plot to go along with the romance - not just hot steamy sex - and this novel didn't dissapoint.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy paranormal books and don't mind a little bit of MM romance on the side. Bravo, Ally Blue!

** Warning ** This novel contains sex scenes and may not be appropriate for readers under than age of 18.

Love, Like Ghosts

Title: Love, Like Ghosts
Author: Ally Blue
Series: Bay City Paranormal Investigations
Rating: 5/5 stars
Review:

Love, Like Ghosts follows Adrian, a college student at UNC who is a little different than the rest. While most students would rather be out partying, he'd rather sit in his apartment and do his physics homework. Oh yeah, and he has psychokinesis, the ability to move things with his mind. Then he meets two people who change his world - Greg Woodhall, a theater major that he meets while constructing a haunted house and Lyndon Groome, a ghost who was murdered back in 1905.

Let me start out by saying that though this says it is book 7 in the Bay City Paranormal Investigations, it can be read as a standalone novel. Ally Blue's novel actually lists the novel as related to the series, rather than part of it.

Now, I read this book for the group read for October in the M/M Romance group and I was not disappointed. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I'm also extremely interested in reading the rest of this series.

The characters and their emotions were extremely real. The problems that they have and their reactions all are very well thought out and executed and could easily be a real story. (If psychokinesis and ghosts were real of course.) I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes M/M Romance novels. Maybe even to some of you who don't. This isn't like those trashy two dollar romances you can buy at the drug store - this is a well written and thought out novel.

** Warning ** This novel contains sex scenes and may not be appropriate for readers under than age of 18.