Forget Me

Since the night Morgan saw her boyfriend die in a hit and run accident, she hasn't been able to let go.  She may have only known Flynn for a few months, but he still has a hold on her.

But there are other reasons she's stuck.  Like everyone else in River's End, she is suffering from the downfall of Stell Pharmaceuticals.  When the news came out that a popular drug was actually killing some people, the company folded, and may people, like Morgan's parents, lost their jobs.  The closing rolled out into the rest of River's End with restaurants, stores, and pretty much everything else going out of business.  Everyone who's left is stuck.  They can't even sell their homes to move away.

When Morgan's best friend, Toni, encourages her to try to find closure by posting a picture of Flynn to a social networking site with a farewell message, things start to get strange.  The site wants to tag Flynn as someone else, Evan Murphy.  To make things weirder, Evan Murphy is identical to the mysterious Flynn.
This can't be a coincidence.  Morgan begins to investigate Flynn.  The more truth she uncovers, the more she realizes how little she knew about her boyfriend, and her investigation is leading her into danger.  Maybe Flynn's death wasn't an accident after all, and if Morgan doesn't stop snooping, maybe she will be next.

Read K. A. Harrington's tale of mystery, suspense, and romance to find out the truth!  This one was hard to put down!

All Fall Down

Grace's mother died in an accident.  That's what everyone keeps telling her.  The only problem is Grace was there that night.  She remembers the man who killed her mother.  Despite all the therapists and treatments and entreaties from her family, she knows her mother was murdered.

With her older brother in college and her father deployed to a war zone, Grace has been sent to live with her grandfather, the U.S. ambassador to Adria, a small but important European nation.  She does not want to be there.  Her grandfather hasn't spoken to her in three years, not since the night her mother died.  Every corner of the house reminds Grace of her mother and the painful loss she still suffers.

Now that she's back on Embassy Row, she reconnects with some old friends and meets some new faces.  Embassy Row is an international crossroads where every home is a sovereign country and every neighbor speaks a different language.

Grace really is trying to make things work until she sees him, the man who killed her mother.  No one will believe her, so Grace starts her own investigation to find out the truth.  But every secret revealed leads to more lies, and soon Grace isn't even sure she can trust herself anymore.

Ally Carter's new series is set in the high stakes world of international relations where every careless word can cause an international incident.  I love Carter's other books, and I look forward to more in this series!

In the After

Amy is home alone watching TV when it happens.  A spaceshift.  Horrible green creatures with razor sharp talons and teeth.  They are so terrifying and so fast.  It doesn't take long for them to decimate the population.  The worst part is the screaming.  They eat their victims alive.

Amy is alone.  She doesn't even know if there are any other survivors.  She doesn't want to venture out of her haven.  She mourns in silence so They won't hear her and come running.  She's safe for a long time.  Her dad was pretty much a hippy who kept the pantry stocked with food storage and the roof top garden thriving.  The solar panels are great, too, because it only takes a few days before the power goes out.

Her mother's paranoia protects Amy, too.  Without that electric fence surrounding the house, she'd probably be dead by now.  The shock is enough to keep the creatures out.  They aren't smart, just hungry.

After a while the food storage runs out, and Amy learns how to scavenge for food and stay safe from Them.  It is on one of these trips that she finds Baby.  Baby is so little, maybe three, and she doesn't talk, but she's plenty smart.  The two girls live alone for several years in silence.  It's seems too good to be true, and their solitary time eventually runs out.  As they venture out into the After, they will face dangers old and new, and in this new nightmare world it's hard to know who to trust.

I could not put Demitria Lunetta's debut novel down.  It is fascinating and terrifying.  Highly recommended!

Popular

Maya was the lowest of the low on the social scale at her Brownsville, Texas, middle school.  She was a geek with glasses, braces, and only a handful of friends.  That's when she decided to embark on a social experiment.

Armed with a thrift store copy of a teenage etiquette book from the 1950's, Maya decided to see if the sixty year old advice would hold up today.  She did everything Betty Cornell, former model and author of the book suggested from changing her diet to her wardrobe with sometimes hilarious results.

But things really get crazy when Maya follows Betty's advice on making friends and meeting new people.  In her quest to get out of her comfort zone and find out what popularity really means, Maya has heartbreaking downs, some hilarious moments, and a few surprising triumphs.

Maya Van Wagenen's memoir took me back to my own middle school experiences, good and bad.  I really enjoyed reading this gem of a book about a girl with true courage and integrity.  I know I was never that brave!  Maya Van Wagenen proves the best way to become popular is to let people know you care.  Highly recommended!

Buzz Kill

When the universally disliked football coach of the Honeywell Stingers is murdered, there is no shortage of suspects.  It seems like everyone had a reason to kill Hollerin' Hank Killdare.  From the much abused members of the team to the long time assistant coach who's now been promoted to the cheerleader he humiliated in an infamous You Tube clip, everyone had a reason to hate him.  But who killed him?

Millie Ostermeyer is not usually a "joiner." She is content to read her books and skate by on the edge in her classes.  The one thing she does take seriously is writing for the school paper even if the student editor is her arch nemesis, Vivienne.  When Millie discovers Coach Killdare's body while writing what should have been a boring story about the new stadium, she thinks she should have first dibs on reporting.  Vivienne, of course, disagrees.  Things heat up when the local police seem to be focusing their investigation on the assistant coach/local mayor who just happens to be Millie's father.

Now, with so much at stake, Millie is determined to find the real killer and rescue her father from the evil editorial clutches of Vivienne and the all but useless local police.  Her investigation leads her to Chase, gorgeous, new in town and a complete mystery.  The more time she spends with Chase investigating the murder, the more she sees that there was another side to Hollerin' Hank.  She also realizes Chase is more than just a pretty face.

Will Millie discover the truth in time to save her father's career and catch the killer before he/she strikes again?  Read Beth Fantaskey's new book to find out!  This was a fun mystery with a dose of romance thrown in.

Jackaby

Abigail Rook has just arrived in 1892 New England.  She ran away from a life of conformity and finds herself penniless, jobless, and homeless.  That is how she finds herself of the doorstep of R.F. Jackaby, detective.

He is unusual to say the least, but Abigail immediately feels comfortable as his assistant, despite the fact that she is skeptical of his claims that he can see the supernatural.

The scene of the first crime is a grisly murder that has the police stumped, but Jackaby sees a paranormal hand at work.  As they settle into the investigation, they grow closer to danger.

This is a fun if not wholly original story with a Sherlock Holmes-esque detective with the Doctor/Companion relationship dynamic and a paranormal twist.  I hope William Ritter continues this series!

Unbreakable

Kennedy Waters is living a pretty normal life.  OK, her dad left when she was a little kid, but she and her mom are happy and healthy.  She has her art, her best friend, and her cat.  All in all, life is pretty good.

Everything changes when she returns home to find her mother dead of an apparent heart attack.  Suddenly, her world is falling apart.  But things are about to get a lot worse.  Worse like a vengeance spirit trying to murder her in her sleep!

She is saved by two guys she's never seen before who break into the house and destroy the spirit.  Lukas and Jared tell her that her mother didn't have a heart attack; the same spirit who tried to kill Kennedy killed her mother.  And it's all part of a bigger plan.

Lukas and Jared bring Kennedy into the world of the Legion, a group that has been battling demons and spirits for hundreds of years all in an effort to keep a world-destroying evil at bay.  They are also convinced that Kennedy has inherited a place in their ranks.

Now she and the other Legion members must battle vengeance spirits to collect pieces of a device that will save the world.

This is Kami Garcia's first solo novel, and the best part about it is the creepy factor.  I loved all the haunted locations in the story.  If you are a Supernatural fan, you will either love or hate this book because it has a lot of similarities to the tv show.

The Winner's Curse

Kestrel's life is about to change, but she doesn't know it.  Herrani slaves are a matter of life in the empire, but Kestrel doesn't like to think too much about it.  It's almost an accident when she wonders into the slave market one day.  The whole idea makes her uncomfortable, and she wants to leave until she sees him.  He's handsome, strong, and a trained blacksmith.  That talent would be useful to her father, a general in the Valorian army with soldiers garrisoned on the estate, but that wouldn't be enough to tempt her.  It's his refusal to sing and the implied punishment in the auctioneer's eyes that pushes Kestrel to bid and win.

Arin wasn't always a slave.  When the Valorian war machine showed up ten years ago conquering, killing, and enslaving, he was just a child.  Now he is a slave, but he doesn't intend to be one for long.

Kestrel and Arin should be enemies, but each seeks out the company of the other, and their feelings begin to grow.  This isn't just a tale of star crossed lovers.  These two are on opposite sides of a brutal war with each side taking ruthless action against the other and each betrayal cutting ever deeper.  Kestrel can only deny her feelings for so long, but can she ever truly love and trust her enemy?

I loved Marie Rutkoski's new book!  It's a great love story, but there are so many more moral questions at play.  It is much more complex than I had imagined.  Highly recommended!

The Nethergrim

Edmund wants to be a magician, so he saves all his money to buy books and candles to learn on his own, but he has to do it in secret because he father thinks reading is a waste of time.  He bought the inn to leave to his eldest son, and that's what Edmund should be concerned about.  But Edmund only cares about two things:  magic and Katherine.

Katherine is tall and strong and prefers sword fighting and horses to pretty much everything else.  Her father trains all the king's horses with Katherine's help.  She doesn't have many friends, but she only needs her father, the horses, and her two best friends Edmund and Tom.

Tom is a slave to the cruelest master in the village.  He has a special gift with the natural world.  He can speak to and understand animals, and he has a vast knowledge of plants.  His only moments of peace are when he can steal time with his friends.

When a number of children go missing from the surrounding area, all signs point to the return of the Nethergrim.  Even though it's supposed to be dead, killed by a trio of men including Katherine's father, the signs are clear.  As fear and despair spread through the countryside, Edmund, Katherine, and Tom realize they know where to find the missing children, but no one will listen.  That means the three friends must venture into danger to save the missing children before it is too late and the ancient horror that is the Nethergrim awakens.

What a fabulous fantasy epic by Matthew Jobin!  I can't wait for book two!

Contaminated

Velvet lives in a world of monsters.  She used to think all that horror movie stuff was a joke, but that was before the first wave, before thousands of people suddenly turned into mindlessly violent creatures.  Connies--short for contaminated.

ThinPro protein water was the most popular diet drink in the country.  People were drinking it everywhere.  It wasn't until after the second wave when Connies were rounded up to be experimented on that scientists discovered the truth.  The protein in the water was contaminated causing a mad cow effect on humans.  Many people know someone contaminated.

For Velvet it's both her parents, and now she is left to take care of her little sister, make ends meet, and try to finish high school.  Add to that the stress of the unaccounted for Connies still living in some remote areas.

Most of the Connies have been rounded up and neutralized with collars that send shocks to their brains to control their violent urges.  These Connies live in kennels like animals waiting for family members to claim them.  Most don't.  Even though they aren't violent anymore, they are like dementia patients.  They can't talk, they need help going to the bathroom and feeding themselves, and they have to be tied up to keep them from wandering off.

But Velvet is different.  When she finally finds her mother, she brings her home where she faces violence and prejudice.  But Velvet is convinced her mom is different.  If she can just get her back into a familiar routine, maybe her mom's brain will be able to repair itself.

Even as Velvet is struggling with all the responsibility of caring for her family, more contaminated are starting to appear.  Is this the beginning of a new wave?  And how will she be able to protect her family and survive in a world gone mad?

This is was a great sci-fi thriller.  There are plenty of dystopian elements with just enough horror to keep you on edge!  Read Em Garner's new book for a new take on zombies.  I already ordered the sequel!

Poison

Kyra is on the run for the attempted murder of Princess Ariana who also happens to be her best friend.  I know what you're thinking.  Maybe she was framed.  Nope, she really did try to murder the princess, but there is more to the story than that.

With the help of a special pig who can sniff out anyone, Kyra tries to find the princess, whose gone into hiding, in order to save the kingdom.

Kyra was living a quiet and successful life as a master potioner with a specialty in poisons before things went wrong.  She worked well with her two partners and was even engaged to be married, but her life was not destined to be easy.

With the help/hindrance of a cute boy named Fred, Kyra tries to outwit the palace guard and her fellow potioners to save the kingdom!

This is a fun read filled with romance and adventure!

This is Bridget Zinn's debut novel.  Sadly, the author died from colon cancer in 2011.

The Testing

It's graduation day for Cia, and all she can think about being chosen for Testing.  If she doesn't make the cut, she will have no choices for further education.  She will simply have to chose a job and stick with it.
So when she hears the news that she has been chosen, she is overjoyed.  If she passes all the tests, she will get to study at the university just like her father did.  The night before she is to leave, her father takes her aside and gives her a vague warning.  He can't really remember anything about his testing, but he does have nightmare of blood and violence.  The only help he can offer is to be careful.

This puts her on edge, but once a student has been chosen, she must follow through.  Besides, Cia still wants the chance to learn more.

The initial phase of testing seems normal enough, but soon things become deadly, and the candidates turn on one another.  Who can Cia trust as tries to survive the most dangerous test of her life?

Cia knows the government is just trying to find the best leaders for the future, but each test leads her to question the system even more, and she has a terrible feeling that failure is not an option.

Fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent will enjoy Joelle Charbonneau's fast-paced dystopian thriller.

Brotherhood

It's 1867, and the Civil War is over, but life in Richmond is nothing close to back to normal.  Richmond residents have lost the war, their property, and their pride.  The city is overrun with Yankee soldiers who are eager for any opportunity to kick the beaten rebels while they are down.

Shad's father died in the war, and he and his mother work for Granddaddy's tailoring business to support the family.  Shad is becoming a skilled tailor even though he is only fourteen.  None of that matters because his older brother, Jeremiah, is the favorite.  Jeremiah will inherit the tailoring business even though he's never shown any interest, and Shad is pretty sure his hothead older brother is drinking and antagonizing Yankees when he should be looking for work.

Jeremiah is a bully who never did anything for his little brother, so Shad knows the only way to find out what Jeremiah is up to at night is to follow him.  That's how he accidentally gets initiated into the brotherhood, the KKK.  They don't seem too bad to Shad though--just good old boys getting together to sing songs on take care of war widows.

Something else is happening to change Shad's world.  He's always felt stupid because he can't read, but there's a new teacher in town who thinks he can help.  The only problem is Mr. Nelson is in Richmond to teach at a colored school, and he wants Shad to go there, too.

Shad knows it would be devastating for Jeremiah and the brotherhood to find out about the colored school and his participation in it, but the promise of learning to read is too good to pass up.  But when the brotherhood turns out to be more dangerous than he could have dreamed, Shad will be caught up in conflicting loyalties and choices that could have deadly consequences.

A.B. Westrick's story of postwar Richmond is fascinating and thought provoking.  This is a tale with few moral absolutes and plenty of danger and intrigue.  It's the story of Shad's transformation, and we see him in a way we rarely see characters in children' literature.  You won't like Shad all the time, but you will see him for what he is--a product of his upbringing and environment.  This makes the changes in his character all the more powerful.  I highly recommend it!

The Warrior's Heart

Eric Greitens's memoir is a great read.  After weeks of putting it off thinking it would be too manly for me, I read the whole thing in one day!  What a great story about the importance of living a life of service.

The story starts when Greitens was in college and went on several humanitarian trips.  The first one led him to China where he taught English to college students and learned for the first time what it is like to live in a world with strong government control.  His students were hungry to learn anything about America, and when he learned that several of his students participated in the protests at Tienanmen Square, his view of the world really began to change.  These were normal people who were willing to risk everything to fight for their rights.

Greitens when on several other humanitarian trips before eventually deciding to join the military.  He knew that if he really wanted to make a difference in the world, he would need to step up and protect those who couldn't protect themselves.

The first half of the book describes Greitens humanitarian efforts that led him to the decision to join the military, and the second half mostly focuses on his SEAL training.  There he learned about strength, perseverance, and learning to protect his team.  Greitens class started with over 200 men, most owhom dropped out before graduation.

This is such a great read and an inspiring story.  I do want to mention that in the military section of book there is some "bleeped" profanity--the first and last letters with a dash in between.

Dangerous

Maisie has lived a pretty sheltered life.  Her mom home schools her, and her only real friend is another home schooler named Luther.  Her world is small.  It seems like a huge joke that her middle name is Danger.  She's a science wiz, and her life long dream is to be an astronaut.  As difficult as that dream would be normally, for Maisie it is practically impossible.  She was born without a right hand.

When she finds a contest to win a spot at a space camp run by one of the greatest minds in space exploration, she thinks her dreams have come true.  She has a great time at the camp, and she even starts a camp romance with the super-hot and super-rich Wilder.

But there is more going on here than Maisie realizes, and a close encounter with alien technology changes everything.  Soon Maisie Danger Brown may the earth's only hope against an invading force.

I can't really give you too many details about Shannon Hale's new book because I don't want to ruin any of the surprises.  This is a bit of an experiment for Hale whose other books are fantasy novels.  Hale is one of my favorite authors, and I was excited to read this one.  It takes a bit to really get going, but once it does, it's a great ride!