Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker

Here’s a little bit about this book from Ms. Walker’s website:

Does falling in love mean falling out of faith?

“Lacey Anne Byer is a perennial good girl and lifelong member of the House of Enlightenment, the Evangelical church in her small town. With her driver’s license in hand and the chance to try out for a lead role in Hell House, her church’s annual haunted house of sin, Lacey’s junior year is looking promising. But when a cute new stranger comes to town, something begins to stir inside her. Ty Davis doesn’t know the sweet, shy Lacey Anne Byer everyone else does. With Ty, Lacey could reinvent herself. As her feelings for Ty make Lacey test her boundaries, events surrounding Hell House make her question her religion.”

My Take

I didn’t know if I was going to like this book.  I don’t generally do well with anything that’s one extreme or another.  However, I did find that I really did enjoy this book.  It was nice to see a different kind of character represented as well.  Not much swearing and not much sex in this book and it was nice to see a more innocent side of teens and in today’s world to boot.  Ms. Walker’s characters are very endearing.  A group of friends whose bonds are as strong as steel, but willing to add another to their ranks was wonderful.  It was also nice to see parents who were present, not clueless and not portrayed as the villains.  Are Lacey's values strong enough to withstand a challenge?  Will her family understand if Lacey's values aren't the same as theirs?  The love story between Lacey and Ty was great and built slowly, which I liked.  He respected her and was not the typical bad boy.  I thought Ms. Walker's characters were unique and I liked them all.  This book is yet another in the Contemps Challenge.  I’m giving it 4 ½ sweet innocent kisses!

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Here’s a little bit about it from Ms. Schroeder’s website:
Sometimes there's no turning back.

Amber's life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of her family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell that he's also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she's drawn to him. And the more she's troubled by his darkness. Because Cade's not just living in the now--he's living like each moment is his last.

My Take

This book is written in verse and I loved it.  Lisa Schroeder is the expert at writing in verse.  Her books never fail to pluck at my heart strings and fall in love with her characters.  Amber is off for her day to herself when she meets Cade who’s like a gust of wind in her life.  It’s funny how sometimes the few hours you spend getting to know someone, can forever change your life.  The only little nit-picky thing I have to say is that I thought the girl on the cover was dead.  Sorry but it kinda' looks that way.  Just my opinion though, to be sure.  It's a lovely cover despite that.  This is another of the books on the Contemps Challenge.  The ending has a surprise.  I loved this book.  It was a sweet story about treasuring the here and now.  I’m giving it 5 lasting kisses!!

Family by Micol Ostow

Here’s a quick bit from the author’s website: It is a day like any other when seventeen-year-old Melinda Jensen hits the road for San Francisco, leaving behind her fractured home life and a constant assault on her self-esteem. Henry is the handsome, charismatic man who comes upon her, collapsed on a park bench, and offers love, a bright new consciousness, and—best of all—a family. One that will embrace her and give her love. Because family is what Mel has never really had. And this new family, Henry’s family, shares everything. They share the chores, their bodies, and their beliefs. And if Mel truly wants to belong, she will share in everything they do. No matter what the family does, or how far they go. Told in episodic verse, family is a fictionalized exploration of cult dynamics, loosely based on the Manson Family murders of 1969. It is an unflinching look at people who are born broken, and the lengths they’ll go to to make themselves “whole” again.

My Take

Wow, this book was...wow!  It definitely pulled me right back to the early 70’s.  Mel describes herself as broken and she has been through so very much.  It was at times disturbing to see the affect Henry had over his “family”.  Further and further down the rabbit hole they all seemed to fall.  How far will they all fall for the love and acceptance they crave so deeply?  The verse it was written in was interesting and while it did switch between past and present, it seemed easy enough to follow.  This is one of the books on the Contemps Challenge.  There are depictions of sex and drug use in this book, so be aware of that.  I would recommend this book especially as a look back into history.  Even though fictional, it's very realistic of that time period.  This book was a taut emotional ride through a very haunting time and experience in America.  I’m giving it four kisses!

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

A bit from Ms. Ryan's website: There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.

Except, Catcher has his own secrets—dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah—can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

My Take

The third and final book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth series.  I just decided to read all three, one after another.  I couldn't wait to read the last one anyway.  This continues with the characters we've gotten to know, especially in book two (The Dead Tossed Waves).  Everything in this book feels more intense, more urgent. 

Ms. Ryan's writing is taut as ever.  The thirst of the characters to survive is more desperate than ever.  I loved this book and felt it was a terrific wrap-up to the series.  Full of action but the love stories so central in the plot as well.  Another 5 smooch-erific zombified story!

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Here's a blurb from Ms. Ryan's website: Gabry lives a quiet life, secure in her town next to the sea and behind the Barrier. She's content to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. Home is all she's ever known, and all she needs for happiness.

But life after the Return is never safe, and there are threats even the Barrier can't hold back.

Gabry's mother thought she left her secrets behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, but like the dead in their world, secrets don't stay buried. And now, Gabry's world is crumbling.

One night beyond the Barrier...

One boy Gabry's known forever and one veiled in mystery...

One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned.

Gabry knows only one thing: if she is to have any hope of a future, she must face the forest of her mother's past.

My Take

This is the second in the series of the Forest of Hands and Teeth books.  I loved the first book and this one did not disappoint either.  Carrie Ryan sucks you in with her writing.  Each chapter ends with you dying to turn the page and keep reading.  Her descriptions have you visualizing everything clearly and when the characters are desperately trying to get away, your heart is pounding almost as hard as theirs.

Gabry is a great main character.  She's so much stronger than she realizes.  It's nice to get a glimpse of Mary from the first book as well.  I loved how the storylines would tie together to make you feel as though you were coming full circle with it all. 

I never thought I could get into zombie stories.  However, I'm a convert.  I really do love these books.  They have a wonderful love story woven around the fact that there are undead everywhere.  I'm giving this one 5 fleshy kisses!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Here's a quite bite from Carrie Ryan's website:

In Mary's world, there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect and serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

My Take

This book was absolutely a page turner!  It was so suspensful.  I couldn't wait to find out what happened with Mary, Travis, Harry and everyone.  It's dystopian at it's best.  I never thought I could really get into the whole zombie thing, but this book was a definite must read.  You feel pulled into the storyline and the characters are relatable.  I'm giving this one 5 very alive kisses!  Oh and I'm currently reading The Dead Tossed Waves.

Eli the Good by Silas House

This book tells a bittersweet tale of a family trying desperately to hold on to their beliefs and one another.  Set in 1976, it’s absolutely relatable for me.  Eli Book is looking back remembering the summer everything changed for him. 

We all reach a point in life when we realize our parents are people too.  They are fragile and scarred from life’s tribulations.  Oftentimes we don’t reach these conclusions until near or well into adulthood.  This particular summer Eli discovered the adults in his life were grappling with large issues.  His father was clinging to sanity, desperately trying not to give in to the nightmares and flashbacks plaguing him from Vietnam.  His war-protesting aunt is fighting cancer and trying to repair her relationship with her brother.  His mother caught between the two, trying to hold the entire family together.  Eli Book manages to find solace amongst the branches of a birch tree.

At one point, Eli realizes that the Vietnam War has affected every member of his family and in many ways they are still fighting this war every day.  He knows they are all victims of the Vietnam War whether they fought in uniform or not. 

I liked this book and felt Silas House did a wonderful job with description and the overall story.  You knew Eli was a young boy who worshipped his father, but was getting a bitter dose of reality.  I enjoyed the character development and loved that there was a sense of closure in the end with details from his adulthood.  I give this one four tender kisses.