BOOK REVIEW: BLACK BLOOD BY MELISSA PEARL

Title: Black Blood
Author: Melissa Pearl
Genre: Fantasy

Published on: December 14, 2011, self-published

Gemma's parents have put enough rules around her relationship with Harrison that she feels like she's living on parole. But she wins one battle—a summer job working for Harrison's step-father. It is the perfect chance to spend the steamy, hot Florida days with her boyfriend. It's also a great distraction from the cellphone hiding in her underwear drawer—her only contact with Gabe, the mystery man who's stalking her.

When she confronts Gabe, he tells her that her parents are not who she thinks they are, and Harrison has the gall to believe him. Surrounded by conflict, Gemma doesn't know what to believe, and it takes a trip back in time for her to glimpse the sickening truth.

Thanks to her parents, she returns to the present to find the love of her life no longer exists. His family line was broken and now, so is she.

This betrayal forces her to seek out Gabe. Setting aside her fear of the truth, she must trust this man and learn what he can teach her... otherwise, she'll never get her boyfriend back.

After reading Golden Blood, I bought the next two books right away. It was a quick but riveting novel. This sequel picks up shortly after Golden Blood ends. The book’s main heroine is Gemma Hart, a time spirit (a human who can time travel). She’s dating Harrison Granger, a normal human she’s had a big crush on for a small while. The two fell in love rather quickly, but I found nothing wrong with that. Some people are just made for each other.

Gemma’s family are also time spirits. Alistair and his wife Penelope use their time travel power to improve the world. They’re very traditional and strict, though, bordering on archaic. Gemma's parents forbid her from dating anyone who’s not a time spirit. They found out about Harrison by accident and didn’t take it well. Alistair in particular is furious about it. Gemma had to coerce them to let her have her happiness. They ended up agreeing, as long as Gemma and Harrison break up after their high school graduation.

BOOK REVIEW: FAIR GAME BY MONICA MURPHY

Title: Fair Game

Author: Monica Murphy

Genre: Romance, New Adult

Published on: May 12, 2015 by Monica Murphy

When your boyfriend bets YOU in a poker game, you better know when to run…

Bad enough Jade Frost’s boyfriend drags her to a boring poker game. Even worse that he actually threw her into the betting pot during an intense round…and lost. Talk about the perfect excuse for Jade to make him her ex-boyfriend.

Now she supposedly belongs to the ultra rich, extremely gorgeous Shep Prescott. He could have anything he wants yet he seems to be in hot pursuit of her. No matter how rude, how snarky, how impossible she acts, it doesn’t stop him. More like her horrible behavior seems to make him want her more.

When she finds herself starting to fall for him, Jade’s confused. There’s more to Shep than the carefree rich charmer he portrays. No way could he want a serious relationship with her…or could he?

This is one of those books in which the premise drew my interest. It sounded like it would be an entertaining read. Fair Game has two protagonists, Jade Frost and Shepard “Shep” Prescott. The story is written in first-person POV, alternating between their perspectives. Jade and Shepard meet under unusual circumstances. Jade is with her boyfriend, Joel. He’s playing blackjack against Shepard at the latter’s clandestine gambling house. When it seems like Joel may have a winning hand, Shepard makes a bet. If Joel wins, he’ll get fifty thousand dollars. But if Shepard wins, he’ll get Jade.

That surprising bet made me intrigued to find out what happens after. Why would Shepard want a girl he doesn’t even know? He’s been watching Jade all night using a mirror meant to catch cheaters. Something about her intrigued Shepard. You can guess how the bet turns out: Shepard wins Jade. She’s irritated about it and storms off. Jade is fully aware of Shepard’s playboy reputation. He’s a one-and-done kind of guy. Not to mention Jade dislikes his pretentious-sounding trust-fund-baby name. I kind of agree with her. Names hardly get any more preppy than Shepard Prescott.

BOOK REVIEW: RIPPLER BY CIDNEY SWANSON

Title: Rippler
Author: Cidney Swanson
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Published on: March 8, 2013, self-published

Discovering she can turn invisible terrifies Samantha, especially when she learns a geneticist who murdered her mom wants her too. Handsome Will Baker offers help and secrecy, but soon Sam will have to choose between keeping her secrets and keeping Will in her life. Suspenseful and romantic, Rippler and its sequels capture the collision of the beautiful with the dark.

Two further sequels form a complete trilogy. Four additional books in series for those who fall in love with the Ripple world and want even more!

RIPPLER is the free first book in a teen and young adult paranormal fantasy series set in a contemporary world where invisibility has long been a well kept secret. It combines the heart pounding action of a thriller with a touch of clean romance and a science fiction twist.

Looking forward to reading another contemporary sci-fi novel, I picked up Rippler. It’s the first entry in a trilogy, and it was free when I got it, so that was a boon. I began reading it, not expecting to be significantly wowed or anything. After finishing it, I was eager for more. Books that have characters with special abilities are among my favorite, and Rippler does not disappoint.

The main protagonist is Samantha Ruiz, a teenage schoolgirl from some tiny town called Las Abuelitas. Supposedly, it’s located somewhere in California. The town doesn’t actually exist, just so you know. Personally, I found the name a bit silly, no offense to the author. Anyway, Rippler starts out drawing your interest right from the first page. Samantha’s just suffered an incident in front of her classmates while rowing: she turned invisible. Lucky for Sam, no one notices…except for a boy named Will. He pulls off a well-thought distraction to allow Sam to return to normal.

BOOK REVIEW: THE CUCKOO'S CALLING BY ROBERT GALBRAITH

Title: The Cuckoo's Calling

Author: Robert Galbraith

Genre: Mystery

Published on: September 22, 2015 by Mulholland Books (first published April 18, 2013)

When a troubled supermodel falls to her death from the balcony of her London home, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts and calls in private detective Cormoran Strike to investigate.

Strike is a war veteran--wounded both physically and psychologically--and his private life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's world, the darker things get and the closer he comes to terrible danger.

As a huge fan of both the Harry Potter series and of mystery/thriller novels, I was looking forward to reading this book. I was piqued when I heard J.K. Rowling started writing mysteries under the name Robert Galbraith. It took me longer than I wished to read it. My reading list is miles long and time just kept on passing. Anyway, I’ve finally got to the Cormoran Strike series. Was it worth the wait? Read on.

The Cuckoo’s Calling introduces private investigator Cormoran Strike. He’s about as interesting as his name is (by which I mean “a lot”). It sounds a bit like a military rank instead of a name. Cormoran Strike. The story is set in London. It opens with the death of supermodel Lula Landry. The event shocks everyone in the city. The Metropolitan Police conduct a thorough investigation. Lula’s death ends up being ruled a suicide.

BOOK REVIEW: THE MAN WITH TWO PASTS BY DAN RIX

Title: The Man with Two Pasts

Author: Dan Rix

Genre: Science Fiction

Published on: March 28, 2016 by Burning Ember Press

She was too smart to be popular. Too pretty to be ignored. Too conceited to be tolerated.

Seventeen-year-old Iris Strasser can’t seem to blend in to save her life, and she just made everything ten times worse. Time travel must have seriously compromised her judgment, because somehow she’s blundered into a relationship she’s not ready for with way-too-popular-for-his-own-good Cory Holland, the one boy she hates more than anyone—and now, infuriatingly, has a crush on. Now every girl at Lakeside wants her head on a stick.

Screw her feelings for him. They can have him back. She can’t stand Cory’s prickish cockiness for one more insufferable second. Except breaking up with him also breaks something in the past.

Now, all that’s left of the boy she almost loved is a lingering hint of déjà vu. That, and a confused ache in her heart.

Because everyone knows Cory died a long time ago.

After the first three books wowed me so much, I couldn’t not finish the series. It’s got romance and cool tech, two of my favorite topics to read about. The protagonists have gone on such a journey. First is Cory Holland, a young genius who’s on his senior year at Lakeside High. Next is Iris Strasser, Cory’s overachieving rival turned love interest. Noah Wright is Cory’s best friend, who attends the school on a scholarship. The Timeloopers series centers around a quantum computer prototype named the Chronos. A renowned tech lab donated it to Lakeside. Despite being off limits, Cory snuck out to check the machine and discovered its true nature. Lured by the thrill of time travel, Cory, Iris, and Noah kept using the Chronos for weeks afterward.

In the previous book, Cory barely managed to rescue Iris after mistakenly trapping her in an infinite loop. The ordeal caused them to develop a strong attraction. Cory and Iris are now dating, but their relationship is precarious. Iris has never had a boyfriend and fears that Cory will break her heart. He's an arrogant womanizer and used to treat Iris with disdain. Cory’s never been in a serious relationship either. As expected, Cory messes up bad and Iris breaks up with him.