Review: DIVINITY by Michelle L. Johnson (A)

DIVINITY

A Divine Novel

by Michelle L. Johnson

Release date: September 23rd, 2014

Published by: Spence City

Genre: Adult Supernatural Urban Fantasy

Format: Paperback, eBook

Format read: ARC from the publisher.

SUMMARY

When Julia climbs into a flaming car to save a trapped child, she's left wondering why either of them survived. Then she learns that her father is the Archangel Gabriel, and that she is half human, half Archangel. 

With guidance from Michael, the most powerful Archangel, Julia sets out to discover her own history and explore her angelic powers. But her journey is cut short when an evil force, invisible to human and angel alike, tears her world apart. 

Now Julia must fight through her despair, harness her newfound gifts, and risk her very soul to stop the A'nwel and protect the family she never knew she had. 

What she doesn't know is that Archangels have secrets too.

MY REVIEW

The author has created a unique angelic storyline combining the good and evil amongst us with strong character building and a necessary detailed plot.

Julia has struggled and has experienced a lot of pain in her life. At her weakest moment, the unimaginable happens and things in her life start to take a turn for the good. Julia is now the proud owner of an up and coming restaurant, owns her own home and has found love like no other...

Things come to a halt when she discovers who her father is, the Archangel, Gabriel. 

The confusion and anger Julia goes through is just the beginning to a new chapter in her life that she has no choice but to face head on without having the time to grieve... a new life that she cannot ignore and must learn to navigate quickly - it isn't easy being half-human and half-angel. 

As she is trying to work out what this means and how to deal with it, going through the everyday motions takes much effort, but worth the effort since she is dedicated to her employees, and, her beloved boyfriend... But when tragedies strike again and again - heartbreaking moments that brought tears to my own eyes - how can we expect Julia to let her human losses go? But the cause of these tragedies are bigger than everything that has ever existed before. Not even the Archangels know what this evil is, and they are heavily depending on Julia and her new strengths to pull it together and help them not only figure it out, but destroy it too.  

What was amazing about Julia's story is how the author was able to give us so many minute details and information without going overboard and making it boring - every single piece of information is vital in learning about Julia's destiny, finding this evil presence and in witnessing Julia's progress and transformation. 

The story is not religion-heavy, however, there is much talk about spirits and faith since we are dealing with Archangels and evil spirits, which is to be expected. Also, the author touches upon some very hard topics, such as child and spousal abuse and suicide. 

One of the things I loved about this book is the strong importance of family. Julia never had a family and finds one with her boyfriend Alex and his mother. And then later learns that the Archangels have always been there for her. It is quite endearing to see this mentioned over and over again.

My one and only quirk is: the ending felt a bit rushed and I wish I would have learned more about this evil 'thing'. But then, if that was done, there probably wouldn't be a huge need for a sequel...

This is the perfect read for those of us that have been clamoring to get back into supernatural/paranormal kind of books. 

*An ARC was sent to me by the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Michelle L. Johnson

Michelle L. Johnson was born in Ohio and adopted by Canadians. They traveled all over North America, and when they weren't on the road Michelle could be found with her nose buried deeply in the pages of a book. With all of her travels and adventures, she hopes to bring some of her unique perspective to the pages and to entertain others the way all of her heroes have for her. When she's not hanging out with her feathered friends, she's busy being a literary agent with Inklings Literary Agency. She says wherever she hangs her coffee mug is her home, and right now that's a toasty warm Jacksonville, Florida with her happy Cocker Spaniel and her small family.

Goodreads / Website / Twitter

Waiting On Wednesday #66: THE A-WORD (Sweet Dead Life #2) by Joy Preble (YA)

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by  Breaking the Spine. 

This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)

What I'm waiting on... 

THE A-WORD

(A Sweet Dead Life Novel, #2)

by Joy Preble

Expected release date: May 13th, 2014

Published by: Soho Teen

Genre: Young Adult

SUMMARY

Jenna Samuels is about to turn fifteen. It's been almost a year since her stoner brother, Casey, bit the dust. Almost a year since he returned as her guardian angel, along with his "angel boss," Amber Velasco, the hot twenty-something former EMT. Almost a year since Casey and Amber used up their one-time-only angel power of flight to save Jenna from the evil Dr. Renfroe, swooping down to catch her as she tumbled off the balcony at the Houston Galleria. In short, a lot of A-word shenanigans and a mostly happy ending.

Except now Casey's begun to wonder why he's still hanging around—not that he minds protecting Jenna. She's a handful, but there's got to be a bigger picture, right? Something to distract him from his on again/off again, doomed relationship with cheerleader Lanie Phelps, who has no idea her boyfriend is, well, dead. After all, he can't use his angel wings anymore. Neither can Amber. 

Enter Bo Shivers, Amber's "angel boss"—a mysterious A-word guy Jenna and Casey didn't even know existed. Whiskey-guzzling. Handsome in a grizzled way. Unpredictable. Okay, make that crazy. Bo lost his angel wings in an earthly flight a long, long, long time back—and he's been a thorn in Angel Management's side ever since. But Bo knows something is coming. Something big. Something that was worth forfeiting wings for Jenna... something that might just change everything for everyone.

Why I'm waiting on... THE A-WORD...

I absolutely adore the first book, A Sweet Dead Life, I just know that I'm going to enjoy the second book even more! It looks like Joy Preble is going to go in deeper about the who, what, when, how and why's of these angels. Casey as a 'beginner' angel was fun to read about, I am really curious to see how he's dealing with it all. And more importantly, how Jenna is doing and handling everything in her life right now. 

You can see my review of THE SWEET DEAD LIFE right here!!!

What are you waiting for???

Thanks for stopping by today :) 

xoxo

Review: THE SWEET DEAD LIFE by Joy Preble (YA)

THE SWEET DEAD LIFE

by Joy Preble

Release date: May 14th, 2013

Published by: Soho Teen

Genre: Young Adult 
Format: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Format read: Hardcover I received from publisher for an honest review.

SUMMARY

I found out two things today. One, I think I’m dying. And two, my brother is a perv.

So begins the diary of 14-year-old Jenna Samuels, who is having a very bad eighth-grade year. Her single mother spends all day in bed. Dad vanished when she was eight. Her 16-year-old brother, Casey, tries to hold together what’s left of the family by working two after-school jobs— difficult, as he’s stoned all the time. To make matters worse, Jenna is sick. When she collapses one day, Casey tries to race her to the hospital in their beat-up Prius and crashes instead.

Jenna wakes up in the ER to find Casey beside her. Beatified. Literally. The flab and zits? Gone. Before long, Jenna figures out that Casey didn’t survive the accident at all. He’s an “A-word.” (She can’t bring herself to utter the truth.) Soon they discover that Jenna isn’t just dying: she’s being poisoned. And Casey has been sent back to help solve the mystery that not only holds the key to her survival, but also to their mother’s mysterious depression and father’s disappearance.

BOOK TRAILER - The Sweet Dead Life

MY REVIEW

Such an original, funny and sad, mysterious story - a take on angels like no other!

 Jenna has a lot going on in her life right now - her father has abandoned the family, her mother seems to be in a depression and hardly ever leaves her bed, and her older brother, Casey, is your typical teenage boy that tries to keep things together the best way that a teenage boy can. Which can be pretty difficult at times since Jenna is always sick with some sort of mystery illness that the doctors can never figure out. When Jenna gets extremely ill, Casey attempts to rush her to the hospital and unfortunately gets into a bad car accident on the way there. Jenna tries to keep alert, but now with a few injuries on top of being so very sick, she can hardly hang on and keep track as to what has happened to her brother.
When she wakes up, things get very, very interesting...

 The book does start with a 'middle grade' sort of feel, but once things start moving along it definitely takes a good 'young adult' turn. We see spunky 13 year old Jenna mature and take responsibility like no other teen should have to. With creativity, humor and sass, Jenna is able to deal with whatever life throws her way - her absence from school, her medical care, having no adult supervision, taking care of her mother and to top it all off - a brother who is now an angel?! And that's not all! With the help of Casey's 'angel-ism', they soon discover that Jenna's illness and their mothers forgetfulness and supposed depression are related and someone is purposefully making them sick, maybe even trying to kill them! And all of this may be the reason why their father has disappeared...

The relationship between Jenna and Casey is so realistic and amazing - every time they are together you get some really great sister and brother moments that leave you chuckling and, if you have a sibling, completely relating to them. They have their ups and downs, but under the circumstances that have come to light, they need each other more than ever. And absolutely nothing can keep these two apart. Not even a pair of angel wings.

A fast-paced novel for ages 12 and up. There is something for everyone in this book. Joy Preble has wowed me with her writing and realistic story. She really knows how to create a realistic family dynamic.
I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series called THE A-WORD, which is expected to be released in May 2014.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Joy Preble

Goodreads / Official Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Tumblr

Welcome to my first Beehive News Vlog!

Hello bookie friends!!!
It's been a while now that I have been wanting to create my own vlog, and here it is!
It's kind of long, SO sorry!!! I forgot to keep an eye on the time! and the funny part is - I forgot to mention a few things too, lol! I think things would have moved along a lot faster if a) I could read my notes, lol! b) could remember what I want to say without my notes! ha!
I was really nervous while doing it, you can actually see me trying to contain myself from giggling and making fun of myself :) I promise to do better on the next one!
This first vlog was suppose to be a virtual type of newsletter, but like I said, it got too long, so I edited some stuff out and just concentrated on the books that I had received....

So, here it is! You're getting a dose of some of the bumbling madness that goes on around here!
Please feel free to leave me some tips/feedback!!! but do remember be nice to me, please ;)



(ETA: I am unsure as to who/whom to give credit to for my newsletter-vlog type post!
There are SO many bloggers that have inspired me to expand my horizons - too many to list every time! So I have decided that I will add in a few shout outs to those very deserving people :)

Here's a quick summary... 

On the blog last week: 

- A Review: Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis 

- Pretty Crooked Book Blast 

- Waiting On Wednesday: Three books! 

Books mentioned: 

- Elemental by Emily White (release date 5/1/20102)

- The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty (release date 6/5/2012)

- Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins (release date 5/1/2012)

- The Selection by Kiera Cass (release date 5/1/2012)

- Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (release date 5/1/2012)

- Embrace by Jessica Shirvington 

- Kane Richards Must Die by Shanice Willliams 

- The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate 

- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 

- Ascend (Trylle Trilogy #3) by Amanda Hocking 

- Enchanted by Alethea Kontis (release date 5/1/2012)

- Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen by Serena Valentino
- Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout (mass paperback release date 5/15/2012)

Thank you to... 

Jac of The Reading Housewives of Indiana, Fire & Ice, Riverhead Books (Penguin), Ashley Suzanne (Donation Post), Tara of Tater's Tall Tails and Ivy of Ivy Reads. 

Mentions: 

- Loretta of Between the Pages
- Amy of Book Loving Mama 

- Jen and Belle of Reading with Pugs

What to look forward to next week!
- Elemental Review and Book Blast
- Waiting On Wednesday Post
- A Bewitching Book Tour (Interview and Review) for ReVamped by Ada Adams
- The Enchanted Attic: Facing the Hunchback of Notre Dame Review
- Waiting On Wednesday Post
- Fallen series review :)

What I'm going to (hopefully) read:
- The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis
- The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
- Frost by Kate Avery Ellison

Thanks SO much for stopping by!!! 

Sooo, what have you been up to??? Let me know in the comments below :) 

My Bumble-y Review for Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Good Monday morning book-y friends :)
I'm finally reviewing Halo today! I have to admit, I had to take some time to think on this one, lol, and I am still a bit unsure on how I feel about this book... here's what I think of it... for now ;)

Title: Halo

Author: Alexandra Adornetto 

Release Date: August 2010 

Age Group: Young Adult (13-17)

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback (496 pages), Ebook

"Three angels – Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human – are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They must work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.

Then Bethany meets Xavier Woods, and neither of them is able to resist the attraction between them. Gabriel and Ivy do everything in their power to intervene, but the bond between Xavier and Bethany seems too strong. 

Then comes the brooding and popular new transfer, Jake Thorn... who just so happens to be in Bethany's class. Something about Jake seems to be hiding something darker, something more powerful than expected. That thing, and Xavier, distracts Bethany to a point that Gabriel and Ivy are concerned.
The angel’s mission is urgent, and dark forces are threatening. Will love ruin Bethany or save her?"

Angels. Real Angels.
I have to admit, it was truly refreshing to read about 'good Angels', rather than the 'fallen kind' (although, those are really really really good too, hee hee)...

In Halo, Angels are being sent down all around earth to bring peace, love, compassion... Adornetto wants us to believe that they are all around us, helping and guiding humans to better themselves and not harm others. During their missions, they must keep their identities hidden at all costs because of free will, humans are to create their own beliefs of whether or not anything exists beyond our own existence... Once the angels missions have been completed, they are to return home, to heaven.

What I enjoyed most about this book was that it didn't get preachy or historical. Yes, there are references to the Bible and God, just enough for you to get to know the main characters and where they came from...

Gabriel is the oldest, and I don't mean just in age. He reminds me of the saying "Wise Old Man", lol, he most certainly acts like one, very practical and stern. Definitely a father figure. And he's suppose to be  a strong warrior, please note the 'suppose to be'...
Ivy is the mother figure in this story, she is very sweet, thoughtful, homely. She keeps everyone calm and in line...
And Bethany. Beth is the youngest out of her angel-siblings. Very young, only 17 human years old (we are not told on how much that is in angel-years, but I'm guessing it's a lot, lol)... and the only one to be able to relate to humans so well. She has had no experience with the human wold until now, everything is new to her. I didn't expect her to be so vulnerable, I had to constantly remind myself that this was her first time being exposed to everything.

And the, boy meets Angel-girl, and they fall in love. Angels are not suppose to have relationships with the humans... no one knows what will happen.
The story then gets a bit repetitive: "Oh, Xavier! How I love thee!" over and over again. After a few chapters of this, it gets tiring... and it's obvious when their love is instantly put to the test when the 'bad boy' comes into town... things get pretty predictable from here. But I kept reading because I wanted to know what will happen to Bethany/Xavier, will there love withstand or will they be punished for breaking heavens rules...

*Spoiler Alert:
Unfortunately, this book will not be telling you whether or not Bethany and Xavier's relationship will be okay with the heavens, sigh...
From all of the reviews and ratings I saw, I really expected so much more! I am not saying I was disappointed, I just wish that the author could have at least hinted as to something big to come... I wasn't satisfied... this was definitely a teen book, lol!

However, the second book to the series is already out! 

Hades

"Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier’s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can’t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth’s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well."

Hmmm, I really don't know what to make of it from this summary.
But I sure to love the cover, gorgeous work!

I give Halo a total of 3 bumble-y bees! 

If you've read the book, let me know what you think! and/or leave the link to your review!
and if not, will you be reading it???

My FIRST Official Review: Halflings by Heather Burch, available now!

Hi again!!!
I am back with my first official review and debut for 2012!!!
I couldn't believe that a newbie like me was approved by NetGalley to read/review this :)

Title: Halflings 
Author: Heather Burch
Release date: (Orig. February 1, 2012) January 2012 (available now!) 
Age Group: Young Adult 
Publisher: Zondervan Publishings 
Available Formats: Paperback (288 pages), Ebook 
Author's website: http://www.heatherburchbooks.com/ and 
http://halflings.ning.com/

"After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with. 


A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world."

_______________________________________

Halflings. Half human... half angel.

That's all I needed to know!
It starts off quick with lots of action and you instantly get sucked right in, running through the forest and trying to catch your breath while trying to figure out what is going on, right along with Nikki Youngblood.
Nikki was definitely not who I expected her to be! From the synopsis, I got the impression of 'damsel in distress', but she is quite the opposite - this girl is super smart, gutsy, stubborn and forthright.

Meet the "Lost Boys"...  Mace. Oh, sweet Mace!
The leader. The rule follower. The one with the biggest heart.
And then Raven. Raven.
The confused 'bad boy' - but instantly you can tell that it is all just a front and you will grow a soft spot for this tough guy...
And lastly, but certainly not the least in one bit, Vine.
Vine is the youngest of the three 'brothers' - innocent, sweet, and probably the strongest.

Halflings reminded me of Peter Pan's story - the angels refer to themselves as 'lost boys' and Mace definitely played the Peter Pan lead-role, while Nikki was a lot like Wendy; and "Captain Hook" and his minions are everywhere!

This book is fast paced, the story is laid out well, the writing is good and easy to follow...
but I can't help but feel that the book was a bit short! It ended too quick for me - it left me hanging and wanting to know more about ALL the characters, which is good! It ends a good spot where you know that the story will pick up where it exactly left off and storm ahead with more action, love... and lots of angel wings!

____________________________________

The sequel to Halflings is called Guardian, and will be released in September 2012.
The third, and last book to the trilogy, Risen, is currently scheduled to be released towards the end of 2012 as well.

In the meantime, you can also get your hands on 11:15: The Making of a Halfling -
a FREE illustrated ebook, right now!! !

"Mace and Raven are given a mission to stop a catastrophic event. 
With his halfling abilities still untapped, Vine is allowed to join the mission, but only as a spectator. The clock is ticking and the tragedy is proving difficult to stop. Will Vine be able to sit back and watch, or will the power of heaven unleash just in time?"

I would suggest reading this 20 page sort-of synopsis first!
It definitely gives you a feel of what to expect in Halflings, a peek into their world, a sense as to how a halfling becomes one and introduces you to all the main characters!

________________________

So, how did I do???
Thanks for stopping by! Until next time!!!