Another Chance to Dream

Title: Another Chance to Dream
Author: Lynn Kurland
Series: De Piaget (Book 1)
Genre: Historical Romance


Gwen has a large dowry of land, homes and money. It's only natural that her father would want to use her to the best advantage when looking for a husband. Unfortunately, high spirited Gwen falls in love with landless Rhys de Piaget when she is merely 10. The two pledge to each other and plan to get together, but it never seems to work out in their advantage.

Gwen's husband Alain is being led around by his brother, who harbors a deep and twisted love for Gwen. He does his best to keep her from ever having any peace and love with Rhys.

I felt like this was the never ending story. Gwen and Rhys are going to get together...but then it's 5 years later and they're not. They plan it again...and time passes and their not. It did irritate me that Gwen had 2 kids with Alain and still wanted to leave him asap, even though I wasn't a fan of his character in general.

I would also have liked to have seen Rhys find out about his son, but expect it may happen in a later story.

Goddess of the Rose

Title: Goddess of the Rose
Author: P.C. Cast
Series: Goddess Summoning (Book 4)
Genre: Romance


The Goddess Summoning Series is books that are based on fairy tales. Goddess of the Rose is based loosely on Beauty and the Beast. I thought it was interesting that the dedication page said, "This book is for everyone who fell in love with the Beast, and then was truly disappointed when he turned into a handsome prince."

Mikado Empousai is a single woman who has a hard time finding someone to date. She loves her roses and feeds them her blood to keep them healthy and one of a kind. After a date gone wrong she is wandering around a Rose Garden where she volunteers when through a series of events is transported to another realm, where she is celebrated. Mikki has been entrusted with the "job" of keeping all of the roses of her new realm alive and happy. It is a pretty sweet job, except for the whole sacrificing yourself thing.

The Guardian (the Beast, Asterius) is exactly what his title suggests. He keeps the bad things away from the realm and helps Mikki in her work. He was recently freed after a long imprisonment. He had fallen in love (so he thought) with the previous Empoisa and helped her escape so she didn't have to be sacrificed. He has paid his toll but is afraid of getting close to Mikki. Unfortunately for him, Mikki has other ideas.

I felt like this was a beautiful story. Very far from Beauty and the Beast, but beautiful none the less. I love Mikki trying to break through all of the Asterius's walls and defenses as well as learning about the Dream Weavers. I really felt for Asterius throughout the story and felt as if he was a much better version of "the Beast"

Intertwined

Title: Intertwined
Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Intertwined (Book 1)
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal



Aden has led a rough life, bouncing from foster home to mental institution to being homeless and back around. This is all due to the four souls living in his mind with him. He's not crazy, but try to tell that to someone after you told them you hear the voices of 3 other people.

He finally seems to be in a good place, a ranch for troubled teens and has gotten the opportunity to go to a public school as well. Have I mentioned that each of the four souls have their own ability: Time Travel, Raising the Dead, Possession and Prophecy.

His good place starts to turn on it's head when he meets a Vampire, Shape Shifter, Witches and all other sorts of creatures that say he has called them. Time to figure things out.

I've always loved this author's other books and finally decided to check out her young adult fiction as well. The stories really remind of me of Kelley Armstrong's young adult series.

I really like the way this series has started out, and never saw the connection to one of the ghosts coming. I had my guesses (are they siblings?) but none of them really panned out.

Sisterhood Everlasting

Title: Sisterhood Everlasting
Author: Ann Brashares
Series: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Book 5)
Genre: Young Adult


My last few years of high school and through college, I read the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. At a later date I was given them as a Christmas gift from a close friend. I've read the four original books and while I enjoyed them to some degree always seemed to have a difficult time keeping the four characters separate. When I heard that there was another book, with the girls on the verge of turning 30, I picked it up to read it.

I can't really give much explanation about the story line, it's one of those stories where you're not sure where it's going, nor how it's going to get there. Little by little it is revealed.

What I will say, is that the book for me was horribly depressing. I felt like up until the last few chapters, it was all doom, gloom and depression. We see the girls floundering around not having any direction and being overall confused with life. Being close to their age currently myself, I was shocked to see how juvenile they all seemed to be portrayed. Sure maybe one of them could be that way, but all of them?

Then the last few chapters, everything is wrapped up perfectly. Everyone lives together, one big happy family. How is it that 3 of the girls end up with the boys that they met in their early years? They all met their significant others by the time they were 15? I understand that's probably due to pleasing the readers and having them have an investment in the men in the story, but still very unrealistic.