The Crystal Keeper Books 1-3 by Laurisa White Reyes

Jayson and Ivy are both hiding.  She's a seer and the crystal she uses gives her greater power.  Now she's in one place and Jayson another.  He has half the crystal and he's trying to reunite with her.  It's a long road from here to there...

The author graciously sent me a copy of this book for review.  It has been published now so check with your local bookstore for a copy.  Here is a link to her website where you can read the first book for free:  The Crystal Keeper

These stories flow smoothly together and since I had read the first two books Ms. Reyes published, it was like visiting old friends.  She weaves together a tantalizing tale with both good and evil an issue. Ivy and Jayson are on the side of good but banished from the Kingdom for marrying each other.  Jayson is a mixed breed and princesses don't marry that kind.  Ivy loves Jayson, so the heck with rules.

The Guilde is a group of people who protect the crystal.  The Vatez are after the crystal, too.  They are a group of sorcerers and their leader wants the ultimate power he would have with possession of both Ivy and the crystal.  Unfortunately, Ivy's brother and Jayson's best friend Arik has been banished from the Kingdom as well, and he wants to run the Kingdom.  He's more than willing to betray them.

This is an exciting adventure with danger and death everywhere as well as true love.  No one who befriends them comes away unscathed.  They are separated again by the end of the third book and I'm hoping I don't have to wait too long to read the other set of three books that will be coming out.  I want to know how this resolved!  I have enjoyed the journey.  They haven't conquered all their demons yet, but I think they will.  Read it and then tell me what you think...

The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister

His friend takes him to a magician's performance at the local theater.  He's not fond of magic but it's something to do.  He's a bit taken aback because the magician is female.  And when she cuts the man in half, it's even worse.  He knows it was a trick but with the illusive lights and colors, you can't tell.  When the stage hands find a dead man inside the box after the act, he figures the magician actually killed him this time...

Sourcebooks Landmark and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so you can find it at your local bookstore now.  I was so impressed by this story I am buying a copy to go in my own personal library.  You're going to want one, too.

She begins life as a young woman that lives at home and practices dancing.  She makes the mistake of catching her cousin Ray harming a horse.  He likes to heal things, but he hurts them before he helps them.  He's also fond of cutting himself.  She eventually runs to get away from him but he hasn't forgotten her...

The policeman who watched the performance finds the magician on the road and takes her to his police station.  It's a small room, he's the only employee, and he's going to take credit for capturing her.  It may save his job.

What I liked best about this story is that the woman tells her story step by step.  She won't hurry it, she won't talk about the murder.  She wants him to understand why she's walked the road she has in life and how it has made her what she is today.  She tells a most fascinating tale.  How she was injured by Ray, how she escaped home and then the job that had saved her.  How she hid from Ray but he still found her.  And how she found what might be love on the way. She was a successful illusionist and very good at dramatic effects. 

Since she can heal herself, the policeman hopes she can heal him.  He has a bullet near his spine that could kill him.  She reluctantly tells him no, her skills only work for herself.  But he learns from her lessons of life that you can still survive and make the most out of the life you have, even if it might not have been the life you chose. The ending is great.  I found myself sitting here cheering them on!

Finding out about magical tricks was fun, but it was the love story that held me.  I really enjoyed this one. 

Providence Noir edited by Ann Hood

Here we have another nice noir anthology from Akashic Books.  There are several short stories here and I liked this set because it's a bit different from the norm.  These books are very definitely set in the here and now and they make you wonder if something like that could happen to you...

Akashic Books sent me an ARC of this book for review (thank you).  It has just been published, so check with your local bookstore to get a copy.

The book is sorted into three sections:  Down City, What Cheer, and God's Merciful Providence.  Quite a few stories in this group surprised me.  I've read so much over the years that I'm always pleasantly surprised when an author shocks me with an ending.

I found two in this group that really touched me.  One in a good way, the other in a bad way.  I really liked Under the Shepard Clock by Ann Hood.  She did the exact opposite thing that I expected her to do.  I also liked Missing Siri by Marie Myung-Ok Lee even if the ending made me cry.  There were nice unique touches in each story.  

You get Alzheimer's, lesbians, Mafia and more as you read along.  This is a very good collection of stories that will stay with you after you close the book.  They are stories to think about.

The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

Corrine doesn't believe in Jumbies.  They're just a tale told to scare the kids and keep them out of the forest.  When she has to follow an agouti into the forest to retrieve her mother's necklace, she's not afraid.  Not until she sees the yellow eyes watching her...

Algonquin Young Readers and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

The Jumbie following Corrine is actually her aunt.  It seems Corrine is part Jumbie.  Her mother (who passed away) was a Jumbie and her father is a human.  Corrine doesn't know this and when she finds out, she tries to hide it.  The aunt comes to town as a beautiful woman and mesmerizes her father.  She also blocks Corrine from the house.

Corrine calls on her friends to help her save her dad.  Her aunt controls the other Jumbies and sets them all on the town.  You see, the Jumbies were there first.  Then man shows up and burns land to clear it, uses the trees for homes, and encroaches on the land that was always the Jumbies before.  So now the Jumbies are going to get even.

There are monsters of all kinds, some small, some large.  They are all strong and they follow the commands of the aunt.  How can one little girl fight an army of Jumbies?  What will it take to stop her aunt and get her father back?  All Corrine can do is try...

Amish Promises by Leslie Gould

She made a deathbed promise to care for her sister-in-law's children.  That may have ended her own hopes of a family of her own, but she would do anything for her.  It didn't matter, she wasn't in love with anyone anyhow.

Bethany House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, you can grab a copy now.

When I began reading this, I knew it was going to be about conflict between an Amish family and their non-Amish neighbors.  Ms. Gould drops an even thornier problem in this mix; Joel was injured in the war and has a bad leg and even worse attitude.  Mixing military and Amish is like oil and water; it doesn't.

Eve is caring for her brother's family and she's happy to have a woman living next door that she can chat with.  Joel's friend, Charlie, comes to help the family settle in and enjoys chatting with Eve, too.  Tim is the widowed patriarch next door, and he doesn't like his sister mingling with the Englischers.  However, when Zach inadvertently hurts his favorite son, he's willing to take Shani's help at keeping him alive and tells Zach he has to do Simon's chores until he's healed.  This connection leads to more interaction between the two families. The most devastating thing that could happen happens.  Eve falls in love with Charlie.  Her brother forbids her to see him again.

There's always conflict between Englischers and the Amish but adding a military family next door is a bit extreme.  The author also mixes the stories of the two families so you learn about Joel's problems, too.  Both families have a lot to work out before they can smile again.

All in all, this is a story of hope and love mixed with stress and emotional outbursts.  Sounds just like life, doesn't it?

The Fog Diver by Joel Ross

Chess is a tetherboy.  He dives into the fog and looks for salvage.  He's very good at it but right now he's desperate.  He needs to find something of value they can use to save the woman who raised them.  There are four in the salvage crew and they would have been dead by now if a woman with a big heart had not saved them from the streets.  Now she's sick and they must save her...

HarperCollins and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It was published May 26th, so you can grab a copy now.

This is a steampunk tale with floating ships, a crazy king, mutineers, and a fog gone wild.  There are only two known settlements, each on a mountain top.  The fog will make you ill if you're in it too long.  The fog came from a scientific experiment gone wrong.  Chess has a secret, too.  He has to hide it, because he knows it's a danger to him. 

Here you have a fascinating dystopian world with this small group of brave kids doing what they can to stay alive.  I really liked Mr. Ross' depiction of the children.  They're tough, they work hard, they run when they need to and they're survivors.

I'm sure this is the beginning of a new series.  They've stood up well to the first big challenge but you can tell there are more coming.  I'll be watching for them.

The Major's Faux Fiancee by Erica Ridley

When her father dies, her guardian tells her to pick a spouse or he'll pick one for her.  He wants her married and out of the house now.  Daphne doesn't want to get married.  She wants to work for changes in working conditions and other social needs.  The little bit of money she will inherit on her birthday will allow her to visit the places of need and she plans to help them organize and create change.  But how can she evade marriage?  Easy enough, she'll just ask the boy next door who is a Major with a war injury to be her betrothed.  After all, they don't have to go through with it.

Intrepid Reads and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  The book is being published today, so you can grab a copy now.

I've found this whole series to be a fun read.  This story lives up to my expectations of Ms. Ridley's work.  The story flows well, both of the characters are stubborn, and as much as they aren't the marrying kind they find themselves falling in love with each other.

I enjoyed the interplay between her two main characters.  Both have their own firm opinions and will not be moved in their beliefs.  But as they chat and begin to look through the other's eyes, they begin to see a bigger world and reasons for their own behavior.  They both change a bit and that's a good thing.  They also find love, which is a much better thing.

This series is fun and I can't wait to read the next in the series.  It involves a character we met in this book and a dead man returns alive.  Sounds like a fun read to me!