Emma Madison's dream of launching her career as a jewellery designer has come true. She loves junkin' for old beads and baubles so she can give them new life. Emma had a good morning at a garage sale and decides to swing by the antiques shop her friend owns to share her finds, but she wasn't prepared to learn that her friend, Tina, has been murdered there at the shop. Emma wants the murderer locked up but it seems as though the police aren't finding any leads, so she uses her newspaper reporting experience to assist them. Someone doesn't want Emma snooping around, but Emma is determined to find the person responsible for Tina's death, no matter what. This book was filled with interesting things and creative characters - jewellery makers, painters, weavers, antiques, fashion and food. It's a small town so there's no shortage of gossip, but who would want Tina dead?! I couldn't figure it out. The writing was good which made it a fast and ...

As a child Kay Kelly had always envied Violet-May Duff - she was pretty and she was privileged. As new friends Kay is welcomed into the grand old Duff house. She is charmed by Violet-May's younger sister, Rosemary-June. She takes a liking to Mr. Duff, is intrigued by Mrs. Duff. And she falls hopelessly in love with Violet-May's older brother, Robbie. It all seems too good to be true. And Kay finds out one September afternoon that it is, when the three young girls take baby Alexander Duff for a walk. Kay Kelly is now in her thirties and when her path crosses with the Duff family once again, it doesn't take her long to realize something is wrong. Kay has to go through what happened that day long ago on Bone Bridge and face the terrible truth. This started off good. It's divided into book one and book two. Book one is when Kay and Violet-May were younger and how quiet Kay Kelly is accepted into Violet-May's very different world. I found their lives interesting and I wa...

When Ingrid was younger she traveled all over Europe with her opera star mother, Margot-Sophia. They were so happy. But then Margot-Sophia could no longer sing and they no longer acknowledged the past. They settled into a small, normal life but Ingrid desperately wanted their old life back. Now Ingrid is on a summer wilderness survival trek for at-risk teens. She has no idea why her mother sent her here. It's grueling and every day she feels as though she's going to break. But she has to figure out why she's here and why the music really stopped. I don't think there's anything I disliked. Ingrid had a magical childhood. Then things went downhill and fast. I liked her very much. She was a strong person. She was self-aware. She didn't give up. She was sarcastic. I liked the setting. The wilderness survival thing was fun to read. Ingrid went through a lot - physically, emotionally, mentally. She would write letters to her mother telling her about all t...

Maggie Stone reluctantly goes along with her brother, Andy, and her best friend/roommate, Sarah, to the launch party of the Vertix H2. The Vertix is an innovative device that connects to your brain stem and allows you to control virtual reality with your mind. It becomes an addiction for Maggie and it's quickly ruining her life. I could not put this book down. Although Maggie was frustrating and kind of childish at times I was so wrapped up in her life. Everyone felt real and this new Vertix could very well happen in the near future. It sounds amazing, too, to be honest. There were some cool apps. Since it's split screen, you could see the places you're looking at as they are in the present as well as how they looked in the past. Very interesting and creative. The author lost me towards the end - it was just a tiny bit too long and felt different from the rest of the book as Maggie's addiction and her life spiraled out of control, but overall I enjoyed this story of bei...

It's autumn term at the exclusive St. Aidan the Great boarding school, also known as S.T.A.G.S to the privileged pupils, and Greer MacDonald is struggling to fit in. Making even one friend is looking bleak until she receives a mysterious invitation with three words embossed on it - huntin' shootin' fishin'. And it's from Henry de Warlencourt. Henry is the most popular and wealthy boy at S.T.A.G.S and he's inviting her to spend half term weekend at his country manor. She's surprised and flattered. But when she arrives at the ancient and sprawling Longcross Hall, she realizes that the only adults around are the servants and the three bloodsports - hunting, shooting, fishing - aren't only about the wild animals. Greer and the other two misfits Henry has invited along are being hunted. To look at the actual cover, it's gorgeous. Crisp and elegant. When I read the blurb I thought people were being hunted and that was it. People being hunted I'm okay w...

In war-torn London, 1941, fourteen-year-old Ruth Goldberg and her two younger siblings, Gabi and Hannah, survive the bombing of their family home but their parents are believed to be dead, buried under the rubble. They don't know that their father has been taken to the hospital with amnesia. Years later, Ruth stumbles across a newspaper photo of a celebrated pianist who looks exactly like her father. The only way to find out for sure is to write him a letter, and as the pianist's memories surface, his new life begins to fall apart. I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I did like the early days - with the Goldberg's as a whole, and as poor Ruth had to stay with aunt Fenella and uncle Harry while her younger siblings went to stay with aunt Betty. The characters were okay. The concept was interesting. I liked the setting. But I found it long and drawn-out. Once I put the book down I didn't really want to pick it back up. I'm happy it's...

Sinful Pleasures consists of eleven steamy short stories. The good thing about short stories about sex is that things don't get stale and repetitious. Of course there's probably going to be at least one you don't like but all in all it's fun to read something different and get a glimpse inside someone else's imagination. I really enjoyed The Dream Feeder - I thought it was well-written. The story was weird but in a good way; it was creative. I also enjoyed On The Line - I thought the writing was really good and I liked the two young characters who were inexperienced with each other but were a little bit bolder through the phone. And I also enjoyed Lazy Sunday - there was a lot of depth to their relationship. They don't take what they have for granted, and they're spontaneous and fun even after fifteen years together. And I love that cover!  Thank you to Sinful Press and LibraryThing. 4/5.

Carver Briggs is a high school student at Nashville Academy for the Arts. He makes up one fourth of the Sauce Crew along with his best friends Blake, Eli and Mars. Carver's talent is writing. The cruel irony is that he just killed his three best friends with a simple text that said "Where are you guys? Text me back." He blames himself but he's not the only one - Mars's father, who is also a judge, is pushing for a criminal investigation into Carver's actions. But Carver's not alone. He has supportive parents and a supportive older sister. He's become close with Eli's girlfriend Jesmyn. And Nana Betsy, Blake's grandma, is on his side. Nana Betsy suggests they spend a day together sharing their memories of Blake and to say a proper goodbye. The other families want Carver to spend a day with them as well, sharing a side of their son they never knew, but he's not sure it's a good idea especially when Mars's father tells him he wants to ...