The Bo0ki3

Waterfall

Lisa T. Bergren

River of Time Book One

Paperback: 384 pages

Young Adult, Historical Fiction

Publisher: David C. Cook

ISBN: 978-1-43476-433-1

Release Date: February 1, 2011

Overall Rating: 5/5

Gabi is an American girl who spends her summers in Italy with her family and she’s always bored out of her mind. Instead of seeing the sites or meeting cute Italian boys the Betarrini sister spend their time on the site of archaeological digs, with their parents. That is until while exploring an ancient tomb the sisters place their hands in a set of handprints they find in the tombs and that’s when things get crazy. They find themselves in the Fourteenth Century, separated, confused, lost, in the middle of a war and no idea how to get home.

Usually I tend to stay away from books about time-travel but I received this book for review, so I told myself I would read the whole thing through. I was hooked from chapter one, and I couldn’t put it down. I read fast I can finish a book in a few hours if I really like it and this was one of those books. I loved everything about it. Gabi was a fun and awesome character to read about, she was smart, strong, fearless, gentle, sweet, brave, and not without weakness. Even when she was scared and had no idea what to do she still pushed on and faced those fears head-on.

This book was great, it had a strong female lead, handsome men, swords fights, a love triangle (though sometimes I hate those), mystery, and bit of unexplained magic. The guys in this book were awesome Prince Marcello, his cousin, sir Luca (a knight), and even Marcello’s sick older brother Prince Fortino. What I loved most about Waterfall was the fact that I believed what I was reading. The words made you believe what you were reading was real. I loved that the character were believable, they felt happiness, felt sadness, felt pain, they were scared and unsure, at times they were hurt, and they didn’t always win the fight. The character were really human and I believe that’s something really important in a story. The adventure in this book was amazing and had me holding my breath the whole time, waiting to see how Gabi and Lia were ever going to get home.

One thing I absolutely hated about this book was the fact that it ended. When I turned the page and realized it was over I sat there and looked at the book for a moment. Thinking maybe if I stared at it long enough more pages would appear but as you can guess that didn’t happen. The only thing that made up for the fact that book was over so was that I know there will be a second book. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, I NEED to know what happens next.

I recommend this book to anyone no matter what kind of books they read. This is one you don’t want to miss.

{Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book enable my review. All opinions presented here are my own.}

To learn more about Lisa T. Bergren and her books please visit her website.

                                                

Love Story

Jennifer Echols

Paperback: 256 pages

Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

Publisher: MTV Books

ISBN-13: 978-1439178324

Release Date: July 19, 2011

Overall Rating 4.5 Stars

Erin Blackwell is from Kentucky and her family owns and runs a famous horserace farm, though she loves horses and the farm that’s not want Erin wants to do with her life. Erin wants to write books, romance books to be specific, so Erin is going to college in New York City, creative writing will be her major. Her grandmother on the other hand would like Erin to go to college and get her business degree so she can run the farm. So when the two bump heads on the subject grandma decides that Erin should live her dreams just not with the family money. Grandma takes away Erin’s inheritance and her money for college, and then gives it to Hunter Allen.

Hunter is the stable boy, he lives on the farm and though the both he and Erin are the same age they aren’t friends. Erin’s stayed away and given him space throughout their whole lives because both their families share the same family tragedy. So while Erin is working trying to for pay school and food, her grandmother has given Hunter everything that should be Erin’s and is now sending Hunter to Erin’s school. Erin writes a short story in her creative writing class letting her pen write the fantasy her mind has been playing for a while now. A fantasy about a rich girl and poor stable boy, who just happens to look like Hunter. Little does Erin know that Hunter has now switched to her writing class.

This book was good in so many ways. I love Jennifer Echols by the way, so when I got the chance to read this I had such high hopes, and Love Story didn’t let me down. I loved everything about this book, it was serious, heartbreaking, beautiful, charming, funny, and so many other things. It was much more than just some teenage romance. Jennifer Echols has a way of making the characters real and giving them problems that make the reader relate.

Erin and Hunter are in each other lives more than they have ever been before and that’s where lines get crossed and feelings become unclear. But of course things can’t always skip to the happy ending, where would be the fun in that. Jennifer Echols makes this web of lies, and problems that the two have to overcome and work out before anything can really happen between them. I love that things weren’t as black and white we were made to think. There are secrets that we could have never guessed. One of the main things I love about Ms. Echols books is the realism, the conflicts and solutions are ones that could be seen in everyday life, and Love Story is just as real as any other. The ending was one of the realists ending to a story I have ever read, Ms. Echols leaves things to the unknown proving that you never truly know how life would turn out. This book was amazing in so many ways and I would recommend it anyone.

{Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book enable my review. All opinions presented here are my own.}

To learn more about Jennifer Echols or her books please visit her website.