#BookReview : The Summer that Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel

The Summer that Melted Everything
by Tiffany McDaniel

Genre: Contemporary, Adult, Fiction
Publication:  July 26th, 2016 by St. Martin's Press
Format: ebooks
Source: ARC
Connect: Website | Goodreads

Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heat wave scorched Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil.

Sal seems to appear out of nowhere - a bruised and tattered thirteen-year-old boy claiming to be the devil himself answering an invitation. Fielding Bliss, the son of a local prosecutor, brings him home where he's welcomed into the Bliss family, assuming he's a runaway from a nearby farm town.

When word spreads that the devil has come to Breathed, not everyone is happy to welcome this self-proclaimed fallen angel. Murmurs follow him and tensions rise, along with the temperatures as an unbearable heat wave rolls into town right along with him.

As strange accidents start to occur, riled by the feverish heat, some in the town start to believe that Sal is exactly who he claims to be.

While the Bliss family wrestles with their own personal demons, a fanatic drives the town to the brink of a catastrophe that will change this sleepy Ohio backwater forever.

I have to admit that I wasn't so sure about reading this one. I mean, the synopsis sounds great, but, The Summer that Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel is not the kind of book I usually pick to read. But I do think that reading this is definitely a good change of pace. 

Fielding Bliss remembered the summer of 1984 in Breathed, Ohio. The weather is scorched and that's when a boy , Sal appeared from nowhere, claiming that he's a devil. The book was written in Feilding's perspective. Because this isn't the type of book I usually pick up, I was a bit worried about how the story going to turn. The story grabbed me with the first few chapters. After that, I was a bit lost with the story at first with how some of the chapters went away from the year of 1984. But, after a while, I got used to how the story was written.

I enjoyed reading about the Bliss family and the rest of Breathed residences. There's no denying that Tiffany McDaniel is good with words. I thought the pace of the story was a bit slow, but the way the book was written beautifully keep me engage towards the end. I thought that I was going to read a book about the Devil. But, The Summer that Melted Everything isn't really about the Devil. It was more than that. I can't really say anything much without giving the story away, so, you will have to read the book to know what the book is all about.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my review.

#Spotlight: The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel - #Q&A

The Summer That Melted Everything
by Tiffany McDaniel

Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Adult, Literary Fiction
Publication:  July 26th, 2016 by St. Martin's Press
Connect: Website | Goodreads
Buy: Amazon

Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heat wave scorched Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil.

Sal seems to appear out of nowhere - a bruised and tattered thirteen-year-old boy claiming to be the devil himself answering an invitation. Fielding Bliss, the son of a local prosecutor, brings him home where he's welcomed into the Bliss family, assuming he's a runaway from a nearby farm town.

When word spreads that the devil has come to Breathed, not everyone is happy to welcome this self-proclaimed fallen angel. Murmurs follow him and tensions rise, along with the temperatures as an unbearable heat wave rolls into town right along with him. As strange accidents start to occur, riled by the feverish heat, some in the town start to believe that Sal is exactly who he claims to be. While the Bliss family wrestles with their own personal demons, a fanatic drives the town to the brink of a catastrophe that will change this sleepy Ohio backwater forever.

Q&A with Tiffany McDaniel

1. Please introduce yourself and your book.
   I’m an Ohio poet and novelist who wants to live on the greenest summer leaf on the highest tree.
   
   
2. How do you come up with the idea of the book? What is your inspiration?I always say the ideas come from the elements that make me. All those tiny little connections, all those big bangs, rippling my soul, crafting its edges and turning its center. Somewhere in that chaos and that impact, there’s an origin of the story. Whether it be a deep well or high mountain peak, the ideas exist there only to drift toward me like smoke I can’t grasp but can decipher. I know this answer is very dream-like, but to me, the craft of story itself is a dream.
   
   
3. How long on average does it take you to write a book?
   I wrote The Summer that Melted Everything in a month. I have eight completed novels and on average they took me about a month. One novel, Because of the Indians, I wrote in eight days. I’m still not sure how that happened. And another novel, When Lions Stood as Me, took about four months. It’s a novel that takes place during WW2 so there was more research involved and I had to be a bit more concrete with dating.
   
   
4. How do you set up your book? Do you outline them first, or did you just spin the story?
   I never outline or pre-plan. I like the natural flow of allowing the characters and scenes to come out on their own. It’s like setting up a lantern on a dark porch and waiting for the moths to chatter around the light. I listen to that chatter, capture it, all the while the moths freely fly in their own good time.
   
   
5. What did you like most about writing this book? 
   What I like about writing all my books is being introduced to the characters for the first time, falling in love with them, and feeling like I can never let them go, hoping I’ll never have to.
   
   
6. What's the best thing that happened to you since becoming an author?
   It hasn’t happened yet. And that is when I’ll get to see my novel on the bookstore shelf for the first time. I wrote my first novel when I was eighteen and didn’t get a publishing contract until I was twenty-nine, so it was eleven years of rejection and fear I’d never get published. I honestly never believed I would. I know I’m very fortunate to be in the position I am, about to see my book on the shelf for the first time. I feel for those authors still on the journey to publication. To them, I say it will happen. Have faith that the best thing as an author is yet to happen to you too.
   
   
7. Grade your book. How many stars out of a perfect score of 5 stars? Please give the reason too.
   This is a dangerous question. If an author answers they’d give their own book five stars, they may appear over-confident or egotistical. But if an author rates their own novel too low, then why should a reader even bother reading it? So I’ll tiptoe around the danger and say I’ll leave the rating up to the readers who, in their fair and honest judgment, can best rate the novel.
   
   
8. What are you working on right now?
   The novel I hope to follow The Summer that Melted Everything up with is When Lions Stood as Men. It’s a story of a Jewish brother and sister who escape Nazi Germany, cross the Atlantic Ocean, and end up in Ohio of all places. Struggling with the guilt of surviving the Holocaust, they create their own sort of camp where they punish themselves, realizing in the end, it was each other they truly had to survive.
   
   
9. Please say something to your readers.
   You readers have all the power. It’s not the agents or the editors or the publishing houses as a whole that determine a writer’s career. It’s the readers. Without readers buying books, there are no novelists to be had. Readers give meaning to an author’s words. So if you like a book, tell everyone you know. Be that book’s champion because if you do, you’re being a champion for the author herself. My only hope is that readers like what I’ve written. That they can count on me to deliver a story that is worth both their time and their hard-earned money. Nothing would make me happier than to know a reader has finished one of my books with the pleasure of having read it. That’s what I strive for as an author. To be someone’s favorite author as so many authors have been mine.

Review: The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

The Passenger
by Lisa Lutz

Genre: Adult, Crime & Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
Publication: March 1st, 2016 by Simon & Schuster
Format: ebooks
Source: Netgalley, ARC
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it...

Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. It’s not the first time.

She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous―alliance is born.

It’s almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try. Hopscotching from city to city, Debra especially is chased by a very dark secret…can she outrun her past?

I can't stop thinking about this book. It was different than Lisa Lutz's Spellman Series, which happen to be my all time favorite. It was more mysterious and well, a bit more confusing.

The beginning starts with Tanya leaving her husband's body at the base of the stairs. She gets some money, a new name, changes her identity and skips town. Tanya, now Amelia, meets Blue, a bartender who knows exactly who she is and offers her a place to stay. 

'Passanger' has this mysterious thing going on all over the book. A few times, I have to close the book because things are getting confusing.  But I have to pick up the book again to find out to all the answers to my questions—who exactly is Tanya? What is she running away from? And Why?

I guess, Tanya, Amelia, or whoever she is starts to grow on me. She has to change her name and identity for many times to be safe. She has gone through so much while she's on the run and I couldn't help but to feel sorry for her. She finds someone who she might like on her run, and runs again once she found out that he's a cop! And I found Blue an interesting character. She helped Amelia with questioning motives, and in the end, I wish I could hear what is her story.

Lisa Lutz is excellent at building the story with good plots and twists that keeps me going as the mystery behind Tanya-Amelia-Debra unfolds. I definitely enjoy reading this book and would recommend this to fans of crime fans.

I received a copy of this book from the Netgalley & Simon & Schuster in exchange for my review.

Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On
by Rainbow Rowell

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Publication: October 6th, 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin
Format: Hardcover, 522 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

I enjoyed reading Raibow Rowell's Fangirl, and had pre-ordered Carry On when I found out that the author was going to write a story about Simon and Baz.

I love Carry On! I do think that the beginning of the book was a bit slow, but everything began to get much more interesting when Baz, Simon's nemesis showed up. The plot was straightforward, but, with a bit twist at the end that I totally wasn't expecting. I am contented with how the story goes and how it ended. But, I wouldn't mind for a sequel just to find out what will happen to Simon next.

Rainbow Rowell was really good with her characters in all her books. The characters in Carry On were brilliant. I love Simon interaction with Penny and Baz. Especially with Baz. I especially love the development with Simon and Baz. There were lots of moments that made me squealed and laughed maniacally, like a crazy fangirl. And then, I would reread a few of the scenes again, because it made me happy.

I have to say that Carry On was not what I had imagined or expected at first, But that didn't mean that I didn't enjoy it. I've been pondering whether to give this book 4 or 5 stars. In the end, I think Carry On deserved 5 stars. I don't really mind if people are comparing Simon with Harry Potter, or saying that Carry On was a fanfiction to Harry Potter. I enjoyed the book, and had fun reading Carry On. I think, that was what matter most. 

P.S: I've participated in Romance Is in the Air Giveaway Hop hosted by Bookhounds, which run from Feb 4 to 14, and listed Carry On by Rainbow Rowell as the prize. You should totally check it out before the giveaway ends.

Review: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

A Thousand Nights
by E.K. Johnston

Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Young Adult
Expected Publication: October 6th 2015 by Disney-Hyperion
Format: ebook, 336 pages
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Connect: Website | Twitter | tumblr | Goodreads

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time.But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.

Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.

Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston book cover's looks amazing! And the blurbs sounds interesting, which was why I wanted to read this book. But I didn't expect that I would enjoy this book so much based on the first few pages. I mean, I wasn't really comfortable with the author's writing style at first, but strangely, the writing was one of the reasons why I wanted to keep on reading.

I was expecting a little bit of romance in the book, but sadly, there wasn't any. But I wasn't totally disappointed, because the plot was amazing that I did not think that romance was important to the story. The story was a bit slow paced, but I love how the story was built up. The characters were great, and I enjoyed their interaction with the heroine. I love reading about the heroine in Lo-Melkhiin's court. 

What I didn't like most about the book was the ending. Not that it wasn't great or anything, but the ending kinda made me go, 'what? That's it?' I wanted to see more of the heroine and Lo-Melkhiin. But still, A Thousand Nights was a great read that I absolutely enjoyed. I'm sure that fans of fairy tales and fantasy of all ages would enjoy this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher/NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Review: Everything You and I Could Have Been If We Were not You and I by Albert Espinosa

Everything You and I Could Have Been If We Were not You and I
by Albert Espinosa

Genre: Adult, Sci-fi, Fiction
Publication: May 26th, 2015
Format: ebook
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter 

Can you imagine a future where everyone has given up sleeping?

From the creator of the television series Red Band Society and author of the international bestseller The Yellow World comes this uniquely special novel.

What if I could reveal your secrets with just a glance? And what if I could feel with your heart just by looking at you? And what if --in a single moment-- I could know that we were made for each other? Marcos has just lost his mother, a famous dancer who taught him everything, and he decides that his world can never be the same without her. Just as he is about to make a radical change, a phone call turns his world upside down.

Albert Espinosa has a peculiar talent for generating immediate congeniality around him, for shifting people's moods toward the positive and for reconciling them with themselves and the world, when needed.

I wanted to read this book when I heard that the writer was one of the writers for Red Band Society, and I adore the show so much. But, um... I'm not sure what this book was about. I mean, if I were to judge the book by its title, I would probably guess that 'Everything You and I Could Have Been If We Were not You and I', was a romantic kind of book. But this book isn't really about romance. I think that this is one of the weird book I sometimes pick up to read.

The main character, Marcos, had a gift where he was able to read people's memory. So he worked for the police so that he could use his gift. He had recently lost his mother, and Marcos decided to take a drug that will make him give up sleeping forever. I don't understand why anyone would give up sleeping. I love sleeping!

'Everything You and I Could Have Been If We Were not You and I', was a strange book. I wouldn't say that the book was bad, or it was written badly. And I wouldn't say that I didn't like the book. I thought that the writing and the story were okay. I didn't really understand what this book was about. The story and characters were a bit strange, but fascinating. There were a bit of romance and a bit of sci-fi with an alien appearance. But I wouldn't really categorize this book as a romantic or a sci-fi. In the end, I was so curious about the book that I finished it. In the end, I was hoping that the story didn't end like that. I was a bit shocked by the ending. It was a bit sudden and I wish there was just a little bit more to it.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Review: On the Road with Del and Louise: A Novel in Stories by Art Taylor

On the Road with Del and Louise: A Novel in Stories
by Art Taylor

Genre: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Drama, Romance
Publication: September 15th, 2015 by Henery Press
Format: ebooks
Source: NetGalley
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Del’s a small time crook with a moral conscience—robbing convenience stores only for tuition and academic expenses. Brash and sassy Louise goes from being a holdup victim to Del’s lover and accomplice. All they want is a fresh start, an honest life, and a chance to build a family together, but fate conspires to put ever-steeper challenges in their path—and escalating temptations, too.

A real estate scam in recession-blighted Southern California. A wine heist in Napa Valley. A Vegas wedding chapel holdup. A kidnapping in an oil-rich North Dakota boomtown. Can Del and Louise stay on the right side of the law? On one another’s good side? And when they head back to Louise’s hometown in North Carolina, what new trouble will prove the biggest: Louise’s nagging mama or a hidden adversary seemingly intent on tearing the couple apart? Or could those be one and the same?

From screwball comedy to domestic drama, and from caper tale to traditional whodunit, these six stories offer suspense with a side of romance—and a little something for all tastes.

I'm not sure what to expect when I first read this book, but, the title and the cover look fun, and I decided to give it a try. Del and Louise met when Del robbed the convenience store where Louise was working at, and he asked her out. All they wanted was a fresh start and an honest life. That was when their journey began. But it wasn't easy. Trouble seemed to follow them wherever they go, and forcing them to break the law again.

I really like how the story begins. The author's writing was easy to read. The characters were fun and interesting. I love how Del and Louise met at the convenience store, and I wanted to read and find out what will happen to Del and Louise. But, after a while, I got bored. This is probably because I have a short attention span, and the chapters (or stories) were a bit too long. I might enjoy the story a bit more if it weren't for the long chapters.

Nevertheless, I do enjoy the Del and Louise's journey in the story. I love the romance between them. They may not have that fairytale romance, but, they always have each other. And I like that a lot about them. I wanted to cheer for them no matter what they're going through. There were some laugh-out-loud moments, as well as moments that made me teary. If you're a fan of mystery, and you don't mind reading books with long chapter, you will definitely love On the Road with Del and Louise.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Review: Passing Through Perfect by Bette Lee Crosby

Passing Through Perfect (Wyattsville #3)
by Bette Lee Crosby

Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Womens Fiction
Publication: January 14th, 2015 by Bent Pine Publishing
Format: ebook, 256 pages
Source: Author
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

It's 1946. The war is over. Millions of American soldiers are coming home and Benjamin Church is one of them. After four years of being away he thought things in Alabama would have changed, but they haven't. Grinder's Corner is as it's always been--a hardscrabble burp in the road. It's not much, but it's home.

When Benjamin attends a harvest festival in Twin Pines, he catches sight of Delia. Before their first dance ends, he knows for certain she's the one. They fall madly in love: happily, impatiently, imprudently, in love. It doesn't matter that her daddy is staunchly opposed to the thought of his daughter marrying a cotton farmer, never mind a poor one.

It's true Benjamin has little to offer; he's a sharecropper who will spend his whole life sweating and slaving to do little more than put food on the table. But that's how things are in Alabama. Benjamin is better off than most; he has a wife, a boy he adores, and a house that doesn't leak rain. Yes, Benjamin considers himself a lucky man until the fateful night that changes everything.

I'm not sure what to expect from this book when I start reading. This wasn't the kind of book I usually read. So, I am surprised that I really enjoy reading this story.

Passing Through Perfect tells a story of Benjamin Church after he returned home after the war. He fell in love with Delia, and married her even though Delia's father opposed the marriage. Benjamin faced a lot of hardship, but he was happy with his wife and his son until that one night that took his happiness away. 

The book can be read as a standalone even though this is the third book from the Wyattsville series. The story was a bit slow at the beginning, but the writing was smooth. It was easy to get into the story. I can't put the book down once I picked it up. I need to find out what will happen to Benjamin and his family. I wanted to cheer for him. I wanted him to find his happiness after everything he went through. 

Passing Through Perfect was a great book. The writing was flawless, the characters were great and the story was smooth. There are lots of things going on! I was on a rollercoaster of emotion throughout the book. I'm glad that I gave this book a chance. I really enjoyed this. I think this is the kind of book that everyone would enjoy, even though this isn't something that you'd like to read.

I received a copy of this book from the author to provide an honest review.

Review: The Book of Why by Nicholas Montemarano

The Book of Why
by Nicholas Montemarano

Genre: Self-help, Fiction
Publication: January, 2013
Format: kindle
Source: Netgalley
Connect: Website

A novel that asks if love ever really has to die

The power to solve your problems is within you-with the right sense of belief, the mind's ability to create success, happiness, and health is limitless.

At least that's the philosophy of self-help author Eric Newborn, whose books and lectures have spawned a legion of devoted followers who swear that his ideas have pulled their lives from the brink. But after the traumatic loss of his wife, Eric is left to face the darker side of his own teachings, living as a recluse in the home they shared on Martha's Vineyard, struggling to reconcile his worldview with the pain he has suffered. It's a fundamental question that haunts him: why?

When a fan with questions forces Eric to face the world once again, he's put on a path that might lead him towards the closure he seeks, but in astounding ways he could never begin to dream.

At once a stirring portrait of a soul laid bare by grief and a celebration of coincidence and the magic of real connection, The Book of Why explores the deep powers of the heart and mind to shape the world around us, blurring the lines between loss and love, fate and free will, and despair and joy.

I don’t usually mind reading a self-help book. But just cannot get into The Book of Why. It was sort of confusing. I do not get what the book was really about.

I thought that the beginning was alright. The middle part was very confusing. I have a hard figuring out what the author was trying to deliver. I had to put down the book for a few times because of it. And I cringed every time I decided to continue where I stopped. Yes. It was a torture. The ending left me unsatisfied. I think some of the issues in the book were left unanswered. The only reason I finished the book was because I hate to start a book, and not finishing it.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.