A Great Catch

Book Blurb:


It is the beginning of a new century at Lake Manawa Resort in Iowa, but some things never change. When 22-year-old Emily Graham's meddlesome aunts and grandmother take it upon themselves to find her a husband among the resort guests, the spunky suffragist is determined to politely decline each and every suitor. She has neither the time nor the need for a man in her busy life.
Carter Stockton, a recent college graduate and pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team, intends to enjoy every minute of the summer at Lake Manawa, Iowa, before he is forced into the straitlaced business world of his father.
When Emily crashes into Carter at a roller skating rink, neither could guess what would come next. Will Carter strike out? Or will Emily cast her vote for a love that might cost her dreams?
The perfect summer novel, A Great Catch will enchant readers with its breezy setting and endearing characters.


My Review:
5 STARS

A Great Catch was a great summer read!! I haven’t read the first book in this series, Making Waves, but once I finished A Great Catch I eagerly want to go get my hands on that book! This is a story about a young woman Emily who is fighting her little heart out for women’s rights and has dedicated all her spare time to her suffragist organization. Then there is Carter who is an old friend of Emily’s brother who shows up for the summer to play baseball for the local team. Carter is drawn to Emily despite her clumsy ways and her opinionated mouth! They are at Lake Manawa playing baseball, swimming and drinking lemonade!

I found myself laughing out loud numerous times while reading this story especially when it came to Emily’s 2 aunts that are a piece of work! They try to set her up on dates with anyone they can think of even if he is balding and has a name like Mr. Wormsley. The scene with Mr. Wormsley just had me cracking up!!

Carter was oh so delightful. I’ve always had a thing for baseball players and this was no exception. He sounds so yummy and oh so sweet at the same time! But no…he is not perfect either! I find it hard to relate to characters when they have no flaws. Oh how he was sweet to Emily despite her ability to jump to conclusions without seeking God.

There were lots of lessons to be learned while reading A Great Catch like putting God ahead of all your other priorities! Emily struggled with putting God before her suffragist group and her relationship with Carter and we see how that can really cripple you!

There were a lot of things to enjoy in this story; summer fun like watching baseball and swimming, a summer romance blooming, a bit of history on women’s suffrage and some mystery involved making an exciting climax and satisfying ending!

Now that I have read a Great Catch, I plan on getting a copy of Making Waves to see who else found romance in the story of Lake Manawa. Great book!!

Content: Very clean!

About the Author:

http://www.lornaseilstad.com/

For as long as I can remember, I loved writing. I even dreamed in plots. I also grew up attending antique auctions nearly every weekend, so history was as much a part of my life as chores on our farm in Iowa, reading books, and playing with Barbies. So, writing historical romances fit perfectly. Times may change, the style of clothes, the way we speak, but the common threads that unite us remain the same. Couples fall in love. Injustices happen. We fight for what we believe in. We struggle. We endure. We grow.

After graduating from York College in York, Nebraska with an A.A. and then receiving a B.S.Ed. from Lubbock Christian University, I met and married the love of my life, David. God had
written our love story, and I knew from the moment we met that he was the one. It was not love at first sight by any means, but I was so sure he was "it" that I wrote that I'd met the man I would marry in my diary. We pledged our hearts to one another two and half years later.

I taught high school English until my oldest child was born. After that I began my career as a professional wiper. I wiped noses, counter tops, tiny tushes, tears, and scraped knees.

Deciding that my children were now older and less in need of my constant supervision, I started pursuing my first love again --writing. After joining American Christian Fiction Writers, I found a wonderful critique group and began studying the craft of writing.

David and I have three children ages 18, 16, and 11. We also work in youth ministry and teach youth and adult Bible classes.

Thank you so much for stopping by, friend! 

Buy A Great Catch on Amazon:
  
 

Airel by Aaron Patterson, Chris White

Book Blurb:

All Airel ever wanted to be was normal, to disappear into the crowd. But bloodlines can produce surprises, like sudden mysterious illness. Then there’s Michael Alexander, the new guy in school, who is impossibly gorgeous…and captivated by her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she can hear the sound of pages turning, and another, older story being written. It is the story of an ancient family, of great warriors, of the Sword of Light, and the struggle against an evil so terrible, so far-reaching, that it threatens everything she hopes for even now. Airel knew change would be inevitable as life went on. But can she hold on when murder and darkness begin to close in and take away everything she loves? Will she have what it takes when the truth is finally revealed?


My Review:
4 STARS 
I LOVE THE COVER!!!!

I have had this fascination with fallen angel stories lately and I just love them. I expected Airel to be similar to most of the fallen angel stories I've read but it is nothing like those except that it is about a fallen angel. This was such a unique twist to the common way angels are portrayed. There are two stories going on through most of the book that are woven together at the end.

First you have the story set in present day Boise, ID where an average high school girl Airel is just living her normal life when suddenly hot new boy enters and she catches the love bug! The second story is about the fallen angel Kreios dated back in 1250 BC and his struggles with losing his wife and then the battles of the Brotherhood. In Part 1 of this book having the 2 separate stories going on was a bit hard to follow but you instantly were connected to the lives of Kreios and Airel.

One of the things I liked most about this story is the main character Airel. The authors nailed a typical teenage girl with the glimpses they give us of being inside her head. I love how we see in to her mind, because it is pretty hilarious in there. There were so many quotes I loved, here is a favorite: "Sometimes I watched all the popular girls, wondering if they actually had brains or if they just ran on batteries, plugging in at night to charge their ever-so-perfect personalities. No bitterness here!"

There wasn't a whole lot of dialogue in this story; most of it is coming from the minds of the characters. This was a new way to read a story, I did enjoy it, although at times I wished there was more conversations going on. You get to see in the minds of Airel, of Kreios, and of a killer. The struggle between good and evil is the forefront of this great story!

The ending was the best! I was a bit frustrated at how things were going and wasn't sure I'd like the way it ended but the authors sure pulled out the big stuff for an ending that leaves you begging for the next book!

I loved the message that is being taught; "you don't need a man to love you and make you special, you are special because you are you...see and believe you are one of God's children; that's what makes you special."

Great YA fantasy that I highly recommend to those that love the fallen angel stories like Hush, Hush and others alike.

I received this book free from PUYB for my honest opinion and review. I would not recommend this book if I didn't enjoy it!
 
About Aaron Patterson:

Aaron Patterson lives in Boise Idaho, and has three children, Soleil, Kale, and Klayton. Aaron is the author of the bestselling WJA series. SWEET DREAMS, DREAM ON and IN YOUR DREAMS (coming soon). He also began a line of "Digital Shorts" which are eBook short stories. His first in the line is "19, and The Craigslist killer."  

About Chris White:

Chris loves history, Sherlock Holmes, and anything that's not virtual, like old motorcycles and mechanical typewriters. He also doesn't get why we have these things called "smartphones" when all they do is make people dumber. He recently celebrated 10 years of marriage with his wife, April, and has two boys: Noah, age 8, and Jaden, age 3, who inspired the Great Jammy Adventure series; the OK-to-color-in picture books. Chris is working on a short story called The Marsburg Diary that will further explore one of the subplots of Airel (with Aaron Patterson). His first novel, K: phantasmagoria, is due out in 2011. Chris has a major crush on Audrey Hepburn, who is now dead. He also thinks Mary Poppins is hot. His wife is okay with all of this.  

Buy Airel from Amazon:
  

Raider's Heart by Marcia Gruver

Book Blurb:

Steal away to the Old South with Marcia Gruver’s Backwoods Brides series. Two brothers—one violent and one gentle—belong to a family of bandits. While Duncan McRae can hardly stomach their raids, his brother Hooper revels in the violence perpetrated by the band of thieves. When they meet mild-mannered Dawsey Wilkes, the competition steps up a notch as the brothers vie for her hand. Which marauder will steal Dawsey’s heart? Meanwhile, Dawsey holds the key to Dilsey McRae’s past. What will Dilsey do when she discovers the truth?

My Review:
4 STARS

Two lives...the wealthy and lonely and the loving family of outlaws!
Dawsey, a young lady from a wealthy family gets suddenly taken from her home and ends up with a family of outlaws! They keep her prisoner while they try to decide how to fix the mistake Hooper has done by taking her in the first place! Dawsey is mad, obviously, at the fact that she is a hostage but somehow the McRae family of outlaws is working their way in to her heart! Set in the late 1800's.

I really enjoyed this book!! I won this book on someone's blog a long ways back but had yet to read it because the book blurb on the back didn't sound too interesting! Well, once I started Raider's Heart I could not put it down! 

There is so much that happens in the story that I'd love to mention but I'd ruin it for you so all I'll say about the plot is that it's exciting, full of surprises, and keeps you guessing all the way to the very last page! This is such a unique story that isn't like anything I've ever read.  This was like reading a modern day Robin Hood story with a bit of a romance twist - which made for a fun tale!

The characters were all really likable and fun to read about! I especially enjoyed the two raiding brothers Hooper and Duncan! They remind me a lot of brothers; always competing, always messing with each other and ready to brawl at any chance!

My only complaint is that at times I felt the story moved just a bit too slowly and I wish the romance would have played out more than it did! I still loved the story and I will be watching for the next book in this series about the nephew Tiller. 

Content: This is completely clean romance wise but there was a tad bit of violence but not much. 

About the Marcia Gruver:

Marcia Gruver, author and creative writing teacher, lives in Texas, and has published various articles, poems, and devotionals. Her novel, Love Never Fails, won third place in the 2007 ACFW Genesis Contest. She is a member of ACFW, Fellowship of Christian Writers, and The Writers View."

Buy Raider's Heart at Amazon!
 

Judgement Day by Wanda L. Dyson

Book Blurb:
Sensational journalism has never been so deadly.

The weekly cable news show Judgment Day with Suzanne Kidwell promises to expose businessmen, religious leaders, and politicians for the lies they tell. Suzanne positions herself as a champion of ethics and morality with a backbone of steel—until a revelation of her shoddy investigation tactics and creative fact embellishing put her in hot water with her employers, putting her credibility in question and threatening her professional ambitions..
           
Bitter and angry, Suzanne returns home one day to find an entrepreneur she is investigating, John Edward Sterling, unconscious on her living room floor. Before the night is over, Sterling is dead, she has his blood on her hands, and the police are arresting her for murder. She needs help to prove her innocence, but her only hope, private investigator Marcus Crisp, is also her ex-fiancé–the man she betrayed in college.
                       
Marcus and his partner Alexandria Fisher-Hawthorne reluctantly agree to take the case, but they won’t cut Suzanne any slack. Exposing her lack of ethics and the lives she’s destroyed in her fight for ratings does little to make them think Suzanne is innocent. But as Marcus digs into the mire of secrets surrounding her enemies, he unveils an alliance well-worth killing for. Now all he has to do is keep Suzanne and Alex alive long enough to prove it. 

My Review:
3 STARS

Have you ever watched that show TMZ (I think that is what it is called)? Where they basically are reporting gossip about celebrities and calling it “news”. Well, the main character reminded me of those reporters. Susan is reporter that isn’t really reporting on celebrities but she was basically reporting information that she couldn’t fully back up. She was accusing people of things without full proof. She is judging w/o the facts.

Then one day it all blows up in her face when she comes home to find someone unconscious and then they die and she is blamed. Everyone starts to judge her and she turns to her ex-fiancé’ who is a detective for help.

This story was just okay for me. Not sure what to say about it. I enjoyed the crime that was described; it was very unique and kept the plot very entertaining. However, I never really connected at all with the characters. I barely remember their names even right after putting the book down. I also noticed a lot of holes in the story and way too many characters involved to keep them all straight.

The main character Susan was a snob and she drove me nuts. I didn’t find her sob story very convincing and I didn’t believe her turnaround either, she was just unconvincing and unlovable.

I wanted very much too really like the two detectives, Alex and Marcus, but again they just fell short. Marcus was not a memorable person, he didn’t seem like a strong lead guy and he being a detective wasn’t described well. Also, the fact that Alex and Marcus were supposed to be Christians was just not believable.

Again, the plot was unique. The crime was fascinating and I had no trouble reading the book or enjoying the suspense and mystery involved. I just found the characters to be dull and boring and I just didn’t connect with the story.

I do think other readers would enjoy this, especially those that like mystery and suspense.

WaterbrookMultnomah provided me with a review copy of this book. I received no other compensation, and all opinions about the book are my own.





About Wanda L. Dyson:
Wanda Dyson – "a shining example of what Christian fiction is becoming..." (Christian Fiction Review). She's been called a "natural" and a "master of pacing," but her fans know that whether it's police thrillers, suspense, or bringing a true story to life, Wanda knows how to take her readers on a journey they'll never forget.

Wanda is a multipublished suspense author, currently writing for Random House/Waterbrook. Her one attempt at a nonfiction book was picked for an exclusive release on Oprah. In addition to writing full time, she is also the appointment coordinator for the CCWC, Great Philadelphia Christian Writers, and ACFW conferences.

Wanda lives in Western Maryland on a 125 acre farm with a menagerie of animals and when she's not writing critically acclaimed suspense, or away at conferences, you can find her zipping across the fields on a 4-wheeler with Maya, her German Shepherd, or plodding along at a more leisurely pace on her horse, Nanza. 

Buy Judgement Day by Wanda L. Dyson:
   

Interview/Giveaway with Sherry Gammon

Hello, Sherry Gammon, and thank you so much for talking with me today! To begin, could you just tell us a little about yourself?

I'm a nomad! I have lived in six states and something like 26 different homes/apartments! I have a secret desire to live in Paris, or Hawaii, I'll take either! We have been in Upstate NY for 8 years now. We love it and plan to stay here forever…Unless we get the chance to move to Paris and Hawaii!

How long have you known that you wanted to be a writer?  Did you receive a clear “calling” from God or have you always had a desire to write?

I started writing poems in Junior High and fell in love with writing. I found it a great way to express my feelings and emotions. When in College, I graduated to short stories, with my teacher encouraging me to continue writing. I became a mom and that took my attention, as it should. About five or six years ago, I wrote a Harry Potter novel for fun, after JK Rowling started killing off characters that I cares about. My love for writing was reignited, and I have written ever since.

Who has inspired you the most?

JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, and the great Victor Hugo. I would LOVE to write a novel as wonderful and Les Misérables!

What are two things that people wouldn’t normally know about you?

I wear a size 11 shoe, and I am a horrible typist!

You recently have had a book published, would you take this time to describe it to us? How and where can readers buy your book? (Versions and locations)

Book Bio: Seventeen year-old Maggie Brown is truly the poster child for Heroin Chic, complete with her jutting bones and her dark-ringed eyes. She’s struggling with her growing feelings for the new guy at school, Seth Prescott, and fears he is just another person who will let her down, like everyone in her life has done thus far.
Seth Prescott is an undercover cop assigned to Port Fare High, and despite his job, he’s developed strong feelings for Maggie. Seth’s working tirelessly to flush out the sadistic heroin peddlers that have invaded the small town of Port Fare, New York, while Maggie fights to stay alive as the search turns deadly.

Seth and Maggie’s romantic journey is one of humor, heartbreak and self-discovery as their world is about to change forever.

You can buy the Ebook at Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Unlovable-Port-Fare-ebook/dp/B004K1F9BA

And at Barnes and noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unlovable-sherry-gammon/1029730320?ean=2940012120045&itm=1&usri=unlovable

The hard copy is on Amazon.com also.

Is there a spiritual message in your book?  If so, what is it and what can readers expect to get from reading it?

To NEVER give up. Life is hard, at times VERY hard, but things will get better. AND don't let the cycle of abuse continue. If you have been in an abusive situation, you DO NOT have to repeat it. They say it is hard to break the cycle… I say it is not. You can DO anything, especially if it is worth it.

What’s your favorite part of the story?

When Maggie realizes she is Not the unlovable one.(So many others in the story are, but not Maggie!)

What was the hardest part to write?

The hospital scene with her mom near the end and the next scene when Maggie is in her trailer.

Do you have any other books in the making?

I am working on book two of the series right now. I am also working on a fun take on an Old Fairy Tale!

Would you give us your blog or webpage so everyone can check it out?  Anything else you’d like to share?

I wrote this story so my daughters and I would have clean teen romances to read together. They have been my biggest supports and promoters!! I hope clean read blogs like this hope they will spread like wildfire throughout the internet!!

The web site for Unlovable is: www.WordpaintingsUnlimited.blogspot.com

And the FB address is: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Unlovable-Book-One-of-The-Port-Fare-Series/129260103811533?created&v=page_getting_started

Here are a few fun questions:

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate!!!!!!!

Pepsi or Coke? Diet Pepsi!

Cats or Dogs? Dogs…Look for Daisy May, she is in the story -- she's my dog!!

Summer or Winter? Winter…I hate the heat.

Thank you for allowing me to share UNLOVABLE with you, and thank you for your great web site. If you will send me the exact web address of the interview, I will post it on my blog and on my FB account. Keep up the great work.

Thank you Sherry Gammon for writing a clean romance!! We need more of those! Thank you for sharing your story with us!!

My review of UNLOVABLE: 

 Unlovable was everything I thought it would be! I read some reviews of this book before I read it and was fully prepared for what it had to offer and I was actually surprised! It was a lot better than the one negative review I've read... a lot! This is about a young girl, Maggie, which is a senior in high school that struggles daily to survive. She lives in a trailer with her alcoholic mother and barely gets enough food because her mother spends all her money on booze. Maggie continually questions whether or not she is lovable because she hasn't been told by her mother that she is loved since she was a toddler.

I really enjoyed the characters despite the fact that there were some minor stereotypes going on. I think the author nailed Maggie as a true to character abused and sad young girl. Living with an alcoholic mother can really mess with a kid and this seemed evident with Maggie. The other main character was Seth, an undercover MET cop that is working at the high school pretending to be a popular student to try to find out who is selling drugs to the kids. He seemed a bit too perfect at times but I just really adored him. He had values and stuck to them, he was nice, sexy (which is always great in a hero) and he was a bit shy with how to flirt and impress the girl he wants and I found that delightful.

There aren’t a whole lot of young adult books out there that offer clean but exciting romances and I was thrilled that Unlovable was one of those books!! There was plenty of kissing scenes and danger that kept this book alive and exciting.

Even though this book did suffer some predictability I still enjoyed reading it and in-fact I couldn't seem to put it down. I was worried about what was going to happen to the mother, the drug issue and fragile state of Maggie all the way through.

There were some grammatical errors but it really didn't deter from the story at all. I barely noticed a few of them and they are in no way significant to distracting the reader.

I really was invested in all the characters, and I'm excited to learn that there is going to be additional stories on Booker and Cole. I will be picking up a copy of those when they are released because I really want to read some more about the lovable secondary characters.

Thank you to Sherry Gammon for providing me a copy of Unlovable for my honest review. All opinions are my own!

GIVEAWAY TIME

 
Okay readers, here is your chance to win a copy of "Unlovable" by Sherry Gammon!!

TO ENTER:

*Leave an encouraging comment about the interview/author with your name and email address (so I can contact you if you win). The comment is mandatory. You will not be entered unless you leave a comment AND your email address. Use this format kcmelone(at)yahoo(dot)com to protect you from spam.

*If you leave a comment you are automatically entered in the giveaway, unless you tell me not to.

*Here are ways to get entries:

mandatory entry: comment saying you would like to be entered with your email address.

+1 Become one of my followers OR subscribe to my blog by email.

+2 Rate my latest review (on Judgement Day) on Blogging for Books by clicking here.
 

+2 Read and leave a comment on any of my other reviews located on this blog.

**This is a total of 6 entries.  Tell me in your comments which of these entries you did. **

*The contest will run from today July 7 until July 21. I will announce the winner that night. The winner is always randomly drawn. I will contact the winner either directly and then that person will have one week to reply. If the winner doesn't reply within that time period, I will pick a new winner.

Good luck! Thanks for visiting.

**USA addresses only, please**

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Yesterday's Tomorrow by Catherine West

My Review:

5 ++ STARS

 

Un-forgettable!!  I thought that I wouldn't truly love or enjoy a book based off of Vietnam but I was SO AMAZED by this story!! I will never forget the characters in Yesterday's Tomorrow or the impact it made on my life! This story is about the heroes and heroines that gave their time and lives to the Vietnam War, what it was like for them there and how it was when they came home!

The main character Kristin goes to Vietnam as a journalist trying to finish the story her dad started in Vietnam before he was killed.  She meets Luke, who is a photographer and her room-mates brother and together they go out in to the war zones to capture the truth of what the soldiers were experiencing!

The suffering and sorrow was so authentic and realistic that I found myself crying several times while reading this book. I felt like I was right there living the pain and heartache along with the characters! 

The first majority of the book is about what Kristin and Luke went through in Vietnam and the latter half is about the homecoming.  This part of the book lacked a bit in keeping me interested but it was necessary for the story to flow well. I found myself fighting the urge to read the ending just to find out if everything was going to be okay. 

The dialogue was great! I LOVE grouchy yet sexy and mysterious heroes!! I feel awful that I'm always attracted to the "bad boy" in the books I read but it is true and Luke fits this well.  He and Kristin have some hilarious banter back and forth and it was great to feel like you were a part of it! They argued a lot yet the passion was unbelievable!!

The romance is so strong and so passionate!! They make mistakes and are slow to acknowledge the feelings they have but I loved it!! I actually went back and re-read some of the scenes I loved just to feel the passion all over again! The kissing scenes were breath-taking, not just because they were so passionate but also because of emotions involved with the kissing! Wow!!

The spiritual threads were kept to a minimum and I enjoyed what was in there.  I don't really care to read a story that is jammed packed full of strong-un-wavering Christians.  This story was much more believable because the Christians struggled with their faith off and on and I found it much more relatable to my life.

Content: There are a few swear words, maybe 2.  There are some passionate kissing scenes and some questionable choices. Due to the darkness of what these characters went through and the effects of war I recommend this for adults only, maybe 16 and up.

I find it hard to believe that this is a debut novel; I really have only read one other book that moved me quite like this one did! I will be keeping an eye out for more great books by this author!

Book Blurb:

She's after the story that might get her the Pulitzer.
He's determined to keep his secrets to himself.

Vietnam, 1967.
Independent, career-driven journalist Kristin Taylor wants two things: to honor her father's memory by becoming an award-winning overseas correspondent and to keep tabs on her only brother, Teddy, who signed up for the war against their mother's wishes. Brilliant photographer Luke Maddox, silent and brooding, exudes mystery. Kristin is convinced he's hiding something.
Willing to risk it all for what they believe in, Kristin and Luke engage in their own tumultuous battle until, in an unexpected twist, they're forced to work together. Ambushed by love, they must decide whether or not to set aside their own private agendas for the hope of tomorrow that has captured their hearts.
A poignant love story set amidst the tumultuous Vietnam War.
Beautifully crafted and thoroughly engaging!-DEBORAH RANEY, best-selling author ofthe Clayburn Novels and Almost Forever.
Filled with action, emotion, and splendid imagery that captivates the reader from the get-go.-DON BROWN, author of Zondervan's Navy Justice series
Exquisitely captures the feel of that time and place. Speaks to the very depths of your heart.--KATHI MACIAS, award-winning author of more than 30 books, including the popular Extreme Devotion series
Spans seas and generations to report on the Perfect Love Who will never let go. Don't miss this poignant debut novel.-PATTI LACY, author of The Rhythm of Secrets
Shows how even the most painful history can bring a future of beauty and redemption.-MEREDITH EFKEN, author of Lucky Baby
A beautifully crafted love story with poignantly flawed characters...a story of redemption, of finding Place when the known world is upheaved into the unknown.
-KATHRYN MAGENDIE, author of Tender Graces, Secret Graces, Sweetie, Publishing Editor, Rose & Thorn Journal

About Catherine West:
Website:

http://www.catherinejwest.com 

 

Buy Yesterday's Tomorrow on Amazon:

 

 
 

Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

Book Blurb:

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.
Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?
The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?
Tera Lynn Childs’s sequel to Forgive My Fins offers another tail-flicking romance with plenty of fun, sun, and underwater adventure.

My Review:
OH WOW, I love this series!!! This book was Crabbtastic!! In Fins are Forever the story continues right where Forgive My Fins left off with Lily being madly in love with Quince but deciding that she is interested in giving up her crown in Thalassinia as future queen to stay as a human on land forever with her boyfriend Quince and seek out college and a new life.

Forgive my Fins was great and so I had high expectation for Fins are Forever to be equally good!! However, I think that Fins are Forever was better than my expectations! I devoured the book as fast as possible and might even go back through and read it again! You know the author is great when the second book in the series doesn't have the case of "boring middle book" syndrome but is just as exciting as book one!

The new twists of Lily's bratty younger cousin Doe showing up was great! She is one of those characters you hate but find a bit amusing and appealing! The trouble she brings to the book adds a bit of additional humor to the story that is great!

Again, the plot in this series is unlike anything I've ever read and is so engrossing that it is hard to imagine waiting for the additional books in the series to be released! The ending was a bit predictable but still not disappointing in the least.

The romance is of course the most important part of this story and I loved it in Fins are Forever. I wish there were more kissing scenes between Lily and Quince but what Childs gives us is great! There was a mild make-out session between 2 other characters but it was all done very clean and I would say this book is appropriate for any age group!

One of my favorite things about Tera Lynn Childs writing is that her stories are fun, easy going, delightful but so engaging that you are thinking about the story for a long time after reading it and it is hard not to compare every other mermaid book out there to this outstanding series!

This was a great summer read that you should run out and buy even if you are not a young adult! I am almost 30 and this book has made my favorites list! Not sure how I will survive waiting for book 3.

About Tera Lynn Childs:

Tera Lynn Childs is the award-winning author of the mythology-based Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp, the mermaid tales Forgive My Fins and Fins Are Forever (coming June 28, 2011) and a new trilogy about monster-hunting descendants of Medusa beginning with Sweet Venom (Fall 2011). Tera lives nowhere in particular and has spent time fleeing hurricanes, making character profiles on MySpace, blogging on her own and with the Buzz Girls, and writing wherever she can find a comfy chair and a steady stream of caffeinated beverages.   





Buy Fins are Forever (Book 2) or Forgive My Fins (Book 1) on Amazon!