Elizabeth Scott. BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER

I've adored all of Elizabeth Scott's books. As you can see here, I've reviewed many of them. Some of them hit you over the head with their powerful prose and plot. Others have a quiet strength that builds to an emotional ending. BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER is in the second category.

It sucks you in right away. Abby's sister Tess is in a coma. Abby has been visiting her every day since the accident. We learn from flashbacks and memories that Tess is the perfect daughter. Abby feels like Tess has always had it easy. She's pretty, smart and always knows how to act. Abby is the complete opposite. She feels pretty unsure of herself and has always been in Tess's shadow.

When a gorgeous guy begins working at the hospital, Abby gets an idea to wake up Tess. Eli had walked into Tess's room to drop something off and when he spoke, her eyes seem to move behind her lids. Surely, it's because she hears his voice, thinks Abby. So, she makes a deal with him to begin visiting her room and talking to her. Abby just knows that she'll wake up after listening to him. Then Eli will fall in love with her and everything will be back to normal.

But as Abby gets to know Eli, she discovers that she likes him. Plus, he's really acting interested in her. Abby's not sure how to handle that because guys never, ever like her when her sister is around. In addition to this inner conflict, Abby begins to discover some things about her sister that contradict her perfect image. She unravels the mystery surrounding her sister while attempting to unravel the mystery of her own trouble with love.

I enjoyed this sweet story of forgiveness, understanding and courage. You'll enjoy Abby's journey and root for her, like I did. Will she learn that she's worthy of love and be brave enough to give away her heart again?

For more about Elizabeth Scott and her fantastic books, go to her website. For more of my reviews of her books, go here for a listing.

Heather Brewer. TWELFTH GRADE KILLS

What an appropriately epic finale!

The Elysian Council has given Vlad only a few weeks to live. Plus, the Slayer Society has their own sweet little deal where he has to choose to die or kill everyone he loves. But on top of that, Vlad thinks he may be going crazy. He swears he saw his father in the woods during a fight with a slayer. The finale gets off to a great start. Then there is fast paced action, all the way to the end. Let me just say that the title is totally appropriate and the finale does not disappoint!

I've loved this series from day one. Big, huge fan. So, I'm sad that it's over. I've really enjoyed Vlad, Nelly, Otis, Henry, Snow and Joss.

I had hopes that maybe there'd be a Stokerton University series or something, but after checking Auntie Heather's website, it does look to be over. Although it looks like she's cooking up something mighty nice to moderate our mourning.

From her website:

Coming September 20, 2011
Are you a fan of Joss? Curious about the Slayer Society and their secretive ways? Want to know what transpired during the summers between Vlad's school years? Get ready for a spin-off series of epic proportions, all about Joss and featuring some of your favorite vampires from The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. (Don't forget your stake!)

So, hey, at least the Vlad universe lives on! Yay!

Check out all of Heather Brewer's books at her website.

Sloane Tanen. ARE YOU GOING TO KISS ME NOW? **GIVEAWAY**

Francesca Manning, secret tabloid addict, is thrilled about winning a contest to go hang out with celebrities in Africa for a charity event. However, things go awry when the plane crashes on a deserted island. At first, she's not exactly depressed that she's with some super famous, not to mention gorgeous people. But as she gets to know them, she discovers that some of them are pretty clueless and self-absorbed. In fact, she may never read another tabloid again after this!

What a hilarious mix of tabloid fodder and reality TV! The six celebrities end up being mostly useless. After all, one of them was the pilot of the plane that crashed! Then end up fighting and pouring out their insecurities and issues. Francesca ends up texting it all to her best friend, even though she doesn't have a signal. It comforts her to feel like she's talking to someone normal.

Tanen is hilarious! She doesn't hold back in her acerbic ribs! For example, one character uses this barb against a celeb who obviously wasn't very studious, "You gotta love Hollywood... Where else does a preschool education pay the bills." Ouch.

She's wonderful at creating just the right phrase! When trying to get Chaz, the TMZ reporter stranded with the celebs, to help with a manly task, he says, "But I'm not strong. I know it's deceptive, but trust me, there is no muscle under all this fat. There's just layer upon layer of fluffy nougat. Imagine a human 3 Musketeers bar if you will."

Photo credit gemb1

This is side-splitting funny! Even though these are merely fictional celebrities, you feel as if you're getting to see what it would be like stranded with real celebrities. This would make a hysterical movie!

CONTEST!!! If you'd like to win a copy of the book, read more!

If you were stranded on a desert island, what ONE book would you take with you. No, you can't take your Kindle with a bunch of books on it. Select ONE book you would bring. Okay, let's make it more fun. Select one celebrity you would take with you, in addition to that one book. 


Post your two choices (book & celeb) in the comments by Friday, May 20th, and I'll randomly select the winner! The winner will get a free copy of the book! YAY!

Ally Carter. HEIST SOCIETY

You know Ally Carter from the I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU series. Her new series feels like a cross between The Thomas Crown Affair and Ocean's Eleven, but with teens. And it's fantastic!

Katarina Bishop has left the family business. Or at least she thought she did. After three months at a boarding school trying to live a "normal" life, her old friend, Hale, rescues her. Well, technically, he gets her kicked out, but he considers it rescuing. Then through a series of false accusations, Kat gets pulled back into the family business, which is white collar crime. However, she's really just stealing some paintings back to save her father's life. She's not planning to get back into the life.

Ally Carter is masterful at action packed, funny capers. This is not only fun, but smart. I really enjoyed the quirky family members, as well as the two cute boys Kat gets to hang around.

The next book is due out in June.

Suzanne Collins. MOCKINGJAY

I'm so sad it's over. Suzanne Collins is a brilliant writer. It's a large task on its own to create such a detailed fictional world, but to also create such a suspenseful, intelligent, action packed plot as well is genius. It's unforgettable, for sure.

Katniss and Peeta have survived through another game. But the ending was even more rebellious than the first and Katniss has a big surprise for her at the end. She's been rescued by the rebels to be their leader. Will she be the Mockinjay for real, as their symbol for the revolution? Does she really have much choice?

To make things more complicated, Peeta was rescued too, but by the other side. The Capitol has him. Katniss feels it's her fault because of how they were separated in the arena. She knows he's being tortured and it's all because of her. More blood on her hands.

She agrees to help the rebels, but with hope that she can save Peeta and the other remaining victors. Whether or not she can save herself is questionable. But she isn't sure she even cares anymore.

A perfect ending to an intriguing, horrifying, incredible trilogy! You must read it! I warn you that you'll want to have all three on hand. Once you begin, you won't want to stop until the end.

Of course, the trailer: