Cascade by Lisa T. Bergen

I’ve found that sometimes good fantasy books can get buried because they get categorized into the “Christian fantasy” section and people immediately go “well, that’s not for me!” I’ve read some really great fantasy novels, that are technically Christian fantasy, but aren’t preachy at all! I hate to see these good books go unnoticed by fans of fantasy and this series by Lisa T. Bergen is one of the ones I’d really like people for people to try!

The River of Time series, by Lisa T. Bergen, is good ol’ fashion fun. I really had a great time reading the first installment, Waterfall (review). So when the author offered for me to read an ARC of “Cascade”, I jumped at the chance! It was just what I was looking for.. something not ridiculously angsty (don’t get me wrong, I love angst, but a girl needs a break now and then!), sexy, or dark. I wanted something light, clean, but still fantasy and this was the perfect fit. Cascade continues the story of sisters Lia and Gabi who have found a portal to travel back in time. The story begins right where we left off with book one, their arrival back into present time after Gabi’s been poisoned in the past. As happy as they are to be home, Gabi’s left a part of her heart back in the 14th century and she’s anxious to return to her Italian nobleman. In order to do so, Lia and Gabi have to convince their scientist mother to join them. But... the past isn’t for everyone. It’s a world where death is present in the everyday life of even the wealthy. To Gabi, this makes life more real, more vivid, but what about Lia and her mother? Can she convince them that the 14th century is a place for all of them? And what about this great power they hold in the time portal... could they use it to save their deceased father from his fate?

So many questions and while Ms. Bergen does go about answering quite a few of them, she leaves you anxious to read the third book which will be coming out later this year. The writing is solid, though sometimes the youth voice seems a bit forced. Nothing too irritating though! The adventure is fabulous. I’m a big fan of action scenes and “Cacade” is chocked full of them. If you’re an action junkie, you’ll love these books. Sword fights, horse chases, great escapes, and all set in medieval Italy? Oh so fun! Yes, God is mentioned. 1) It’s 14th century Italy. Religion is pretty important culturally. 2) Um, they are facing life or death situations so sometimes they pray or think about God. That’s about it though. It’s REALLY not preachy so those of you who are turned off by it being a “Christian” book have no need to fear. I don’t want to get into my religious views on here, but I’m not really a religious person and have strong opinions about preaching and it doesn’t bother me. Don’t let this simple yet very fun fantasy story pass you by. It’s worth a read and is the perfect book to take to the beach this June.

The River of Time series is published by David. C Cook. "Cascade" is scheduled to be released on June 1st of this year. I was provided with a digital ARC by the author for honest review.

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, Illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham

E's Pick of the Week is a classic! It's "Harry the Dirty Dog" by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham. This is the tale of a little dog who wants nothing more than to get dirty and play. He leaves his family home to do so, but realizes in the end, that he misses his family. They're even worth enduring a bath! This book is a bit longer, but my little guy still sits through it and loves every minute. The illustrations are fantastic and incredibly detailed. E loves exploring the backgrounds of each page to find items that he recognizes. His favorite page is the one with the coal chute. This book is great to read anytime of the day, but makes a nice addition to a night time routine due to it's soothing rhythm and ending on the note of sleeping. We read it before naps and in the evening everyday.

"Harry the Dirty Dog" is published by HarperCollins and is available in a variety of formats (we have the board book!). Go pick up a copy at your local bookstore today. :)

Wishful Thinking by Alexandra Bullen

If you could wish away all your troubles and get a new life, would you? Seventeen year old Hazel has been given that opportunity. On the day she decides to finally approach her birth mother...she is given a gift. The seamstress that she brings her thrift store dress to not only repairs her gown, but unknowingly to Hazel, gives her three magical dresses in return. Each dress corresponds to one wish. Hazel discovers her unexpected fairy godmother’s magic when she is thrust into the past on a journey to complete her first wish... a wish to get to know her mother.

This book floats like its magical butterflies in a few different genres. It seems to take all the best pieces from every genre and blend them into a solid, emotional tale of self-discovery and strength. “Wishful Thinking” is technically a sequel to Alexandra Bullen’s first book “Wish”, but it reads as a standalone. This book makes me think of my mother. As I mentioned in my review of Lost Voices, my mom had a thing for stories about wounded people. Hazel definitely fits the bill. She’s been on her own all of her life. She was adopted by a woman who passed away when she was just a baby and has been passed from home to home since. She doesn’t know who she is or where she belongs. She has lived her whole life in survival mode, not getting to close to caring about anything since it could all just get taken away. Then she gets this incredible chance to possibly change her whole life story. It’s a story of self-discovery and learning that part of what makes you who you are as a person are the challenges you face along the way.

I really enjoyed “Wishful Thinking”. It was really thoughtful and well written. There is something in it for everyone - romance, a touch of fantasy, time travel, and some deep characters. The end made me teary eyed, so be sure to have a box of tissues near by. You may need them! Man, I really just don’t have much to say. It was very enjoyable and really defies words. It won’t blow your mind, but it will certainly make you think. What would you do if you were given three wishes? Would you change your life or are you happy with who you already are?

I was provided with a copy of “Wishful Thinking” by the publisher. This book is published by Scholastic and was released in January of this year. Go pick up a copy today.

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs

THANK YOU TRACY DEEBS. Let me tell you, as a girl who grew up during Disney’s revival, I lllllllllooooooooovvvvvveeeee mermaids (yes, the extra letters are necessary). I’ve been aching to find a mermaid book that clicked with me and Tracy Deebs delivered with “Tempest Rising”.

Tempest Maguire is an almost seventeen year old surfer gal who would be happy to just continue living her life the way it is - surfing day and night, dating her off-and-on slightly overprotective boyfriend, and taking care of her family. Unfortunately, that’s not her only option. Her seventeenth birthday is quickly approaching and she’ll soon be faced with an incredible life decision - to remain on land or answer the call of the ocean, like her mother did six years ago. That’s right. Tempest isn’t your average girl. She’s half mermaid and has grown up knowing this. It wasn’t such a big deal until her mom left six years ago, leaving her to take care of her two younger brothers and her heartbroken father. She left each of her children a note letting them know about the situation they’d each face someday. For Tempest though, this decision is even bigger than she could possibly imagine. There’s something out there in the ocean, calling to her. It wants her and she has no idea why. Then there is dark and sexy Kai, who mysteriously appears at the water’s edge one day and the connection between them is beyond anything she’s ever experienced. How is a girl to choose?

“Tempest Rising” is such a fun read! I read it in less than 24 hours. I just couldn’t stop. It’s addictive. The chemistry between the character crackles with electricity and boy oh boy, can Ms. Deebs write a good kissing scene. It does follow a lot of the traditional YA paranormal romance formula - life seems perfect, finds out life isn’t perfect when hottie appears, angsty love triangle ensues, then epic action, adventure, yadda yadda yadda. I know some of you may be sick of this, but you know, there is a reason this formula exists … because it works. Tracy Deebs takes it on and makes it her own with “Tempest Rising”. She creates two lovely worlds (the beaches of San Diego and the underwater world of the Pacific) that Tempest has to choose from. Each world have amazing things to offer her, but one world needs her and maybe she needs it too.

My only problem with this book, which seems to be the popular complaint, is the ending. There was so much tension and then it kinda went thump. I seriously had to do a double take and back track to make sure that I didn’t miss anything (I was reading this book FAST since I was dying to know what was going to happen to Tempest!). I’m happy to report, after browsing like a madwoman online, that I discovered this isn’t a standalone and there are going to be other books in this series. THANK YOU. I am dying to know what happens with Tempest after she makes her decision and how the world and the love she chooses is affected.

Okay. Enough rambling from this crazy blogger. If I say anymore, I am totally going to spoil it for you and I do not want to do that. If you’re like me and you like mermaids & paranormal romance, this is a must read. Why are you still here? Go out and buy a copy now! The author is doing a $75 gift certificate giveaway over on her blog! Tomorrow is the contest deadline. :)

I was provided with an ARC by the publisher (thank you!). “Tempest Rising” by Tracy Deebs is scheduled to be released on May 10th (today! Happy book birthday!). It is published by Walker Books for Children (Bloomsbury).

BooBoo by Olivier Dunrea

E’s Pick of the Week comes from the series of books by Olivier Dunrea that are all about quirky goslings. This week’s favorite gosling is BooBoo, a small blue gosling who likes to eat. This book has long been Elliot’s favorite in the series due to the large amount of hummingbirds in it (a favorite animal of his). Though hummingbirds aren’t the only thing on his mind nowadays, he still loves reading about BooBoo’s adventure, as she eats everything that she sees. He especially likes it when we get to the burping part and we make silly noises to represent her burping. The book has a pleasing repetitive nature that children will love. Elliot loves to sign “eat” or say it when we run into the word over and over again. It’s a fun one. Some of the other gosling books have some awkward pacing or odd rhythm, but BooBoo is just as wonderful as the original, another one of E’s favorites, Gossie. :)

BooBoo is published by Houghton Mifflin for Children. It is available in Hardcover, Board Book, and apparently, for your Amazon.com Kindle as well.

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Like many debut novels, I came into reading “The Girl in the Steel Corset” with low expectations. It’s not that this book isn’t well loved. It’s getting some great reviews from my fellow bloggers. I just tend to be a harsher critic than most. That being said, I really did enjoy “The Girl in the Steel Corset”. It suffers from some of the same problems that most debut authors seem to have (for example - “show, don’t tell”), but the writing and plot are solid enough to keep the flow going even through the more “tell-oriented” scenes. Ms. Cross shows promise in this debut novel to become a rising star in the world of young adult fiction.

The story follows Finley Jayne, who at the top of the book is about to be molested by her employer, a spoiled rich boy with sadistic tendencies. Being threatened unleashes Miss Jayne’s dark side, allowing her to beat the crud out of the jerk and make a run for it. While running, she crashes into a young duke named Griffin, who takes her in, realizing that her darkness is something special and a bit... familiar. Come to find out, Griffin and his band of misfits who all live on his estate are just like Finley. They’re different. They use their abilities to help protect the crown (this does take place in a Steampunk version of Victorian England after all!) and are currently investigating a series of crimes committed by a man they call the “Machinist”. There are two little love triangles, a cowboy with a dark secret, and a young man who happens to be part robot. Does it get any better than this?

I really liked our heroine, Finley Jayne, and would have loved to get to know both sides of her better. She really goes through a lot in this book and comes out of it a completely new person (and not just metaphorically!). Throughout the book, she becomes this incredibly complex character that doesn’t know what she wants or what she is yet in life. It’s something I think any YA reader can relate to. We all at some point in our life felt a little different. The secondary characters are also great and I look forward to getting to know them more in the rest of the series.

I’ve never read a Steampunk book before, but I have to say - I really enjoyed that aspect of “The Girl in the Steel Corset”. It was like sci-fi and historical fiction (two genres you know I love) having a baby! :D Due to the somewhat technical nature of the book, Ms. Cross can at times get a little detail oriented which slows down the pacing. I think this will improve in the sequel though now that she’s set up her version of the time period and explained a lot of the mechanics involved.

“The Girl in the Steel Corset” is full of lush imagery of a mechanized Victorian England, gorgeous costumes (I want some of these outfits!), and science fiction-y style action and adventure. This is the first installment in the “Steampunk Chronicles”. It is a tad slow at times, but now that all of this set up has taken place, I’m sure the rest of the series is going to move at a faster pace. I enjoyed escaping into this incredible world and am looking forward to book 2!

I was provided with a digital ARC via NetGalley.com from the publisher. “The Girl in the Steel Corset” is published by Harlequin and will be released May 24th.

It’s Time to Sleep, My Love by Nancy Tillman and Eric Metaxas

Sleep has been a major focus for our family lately. E has been having some sleep problems ever since he reached toddlerhood. So, we’ve been on the hunt for books that are soothing and talk about sleeping. We found a great addition to our collection which is E’s Pick of the Week - “It’s Time to Sleep, My Love”. This book is absolutely gorgeous and the rhythm of the text is very soothing. E just loves to cuddle up and listen to us reading it in a calming voice. He adores all the animals saying good night to their babies. The depth of the images really allows him to visually explore the image while listening to us reading.

Breathtaking artwork and a soothing melody make this book a valuable and pleasant one to add to any night time routine. I know that E is happy we got a copy and I think your little one will enjoy it too!

“It’s Time to Sleep, My Love” is published by Feiwel & Friends (a Macmillan imprint). It is available in hardcover or board book form.