Review by Coll! Bird Box by Josh Malerman. 4 Coffee Cups!

Bird Box

By Josh Malerman

Genre: Horror / Dystopia

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat--blindfolded--with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

Interweaving past and present, Bird Box is a snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.

Review by Coll 

My Rating: 4 Coffee Cups!

The first thing I want to say is that this book creeped the hell out of me and I loved every second of it! Since the disaster happened, Malorie has lived in fear. Fear of other people, fear of going outside, fear of sight, fear of the things that we have always taken for granted. Something exists in the world and seeing it will drive you mad, turning any human into a frenzied lunatic. Malorie has spent five years in a house with the windows and door blocked, only going outside for water and supplies, always doing so blindfolded. Now it is time to move on, for the sake of her children, and as she embarks on her blind journey every sound around her is a threat and every threat is real. As Malorie travels down a river in an old rowboat, to a salvation that may or may not exist, her only guidance and warnings come from her two children who she has trained to hear without seeing since birth. But in this new, sightless world nothing is as simple as it seems and the only thing between a person and death is the cloth that covers their eyes.

I love dystopia and I love horror so it seemed like a no-brainer for me to read this book. The story starts with a quick introduction to Malorie and a glimpse into the beginning of the new dystopian world. When I say a quick intro I really mean it because only a few pages are given to the start of the disaster and the downfall of the world. The main focus of the story is on Malorie’s stay at an abandoned house that has become her safe haven. Not one chapter of this book goes by without something happening that sends shivers up your spine. Malerman’s ability to creep the reader out is phenomenal and it is always done in such a subtle manner that is so fear inducing. I cannot even count how many times I was reading pages as fast as possible to see what was going to happen next. To me that is always the sign of a well done horror book.

The main brilliance in this book is the ability of Malerman to tell a story and make you feel as sightless as the characters when they are blindfolded. He is able to explain a situation to you without describing anything you would see. Instead he relies on feel, smell, and sound to describe the world to us and we experience things the way the characters in the book do. It is hard to describe being made to feel like you are blind when you are reading but that is, in a way, what it is like when reading Bird Box. To convey the feeling of fear and also making the reader feel like they cannot see is no easy feat, yet it was executed perfectly in Bird Box.

There are numerous scenes in this book that are downright terrifying and brilliantly written. Malerman does not use the typical horror tactics to induce fear either, he weaves together psychological fear, suspense, and mystery to build a story that is unnerving and just plain scary. He also touches on the age old fear of being afraid of the dark, something all people experienced in their childhood and a fear that we can all understand. Add in the concept of the unknown and we have a mix of terrifying elements that are the basis for a well told horror story.

Where this book lost a cup for me in the rating was the ending. The story was so fast paced and there were so many questions and ideas throughout the book and the ending didn’t seem to fit completely with overall tone of the book. After everything I had read in the book I guess I was just anticipating something different. But this is a small complaint and did not take away from the book being enjoyable and very well written. Bird Box is a quick read because it sucks you in from the beginning and makes you yearn for the outcome of the story.  If you are looking for a creepy and suspenseful read that is not your ordinary horror story, then definitely give this book a read and prepare to be terrified in the process.

“It's better to face madness with a plan than to sit still and let it take you in pieces.”

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Final October Spooky Reads!! Review by Christyn! Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. 4.5 Coffee Cups!!

Happy Almost Halloween!! Christyn here with the 4th and FINAL review of our October Spooky Reads feature here at The Book Cafe!

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1)
by Kendare Blake
Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

Yet she spares Cas's life.

Reviewed by Christyn :)

My Rating: 4.5 Coffee Cups!!

This book has been on my TBR list pretty much since it's been out. Which has been nearly 4 years. I honestly can't tell you what took me so long to actually read it. It's completely my kind of book. And when we decided to do this feature for October, I knew this would be my book (with a little push in that direction from Coll). And it absolutely DID NOT disappoint. It is the perfect mixture of horror and romance and spooky-ness and an odd bunch of friends. 

Theseus Cassio Lowood (or just simply Cas) is a ghost hunter. Think along the lines of Supernatural. Armed with a mystical, ancestral athame Cas travels the country with his Wiccan mom (he is only 17) looking for valid stories of vengeful, violent ghosts and banishing them with a weapon only he can wield. He is left this duty after the death of his father. And he spends his time honing his skills in the hope to one day face off against the ghost that killed his father. And he gets one tip of a ghost in Thunder Bay, Canada and per usual him, his mother and her cat Tybalt pack up and head to Canada.

"We're driving close to the lake now, and I can hear Superior whisper to me in waves about all of the dead things she hides beneath her surface, staring through the depths with murky eyes and fish-bitten cheeks."

His first day at school he hears about the ghost that he's looking for, Anna Korlov. Stories of the gruesome deaths of vagabonds and adventurous teens who dare to step foot in her home. Anna Dressed in Blood. That first night also brings him face to face with the most powerful ghost that he has ever encountered. He sees firsthand that the stories were not exaggerated. But when she had the opportunity to kill him she spared his life. She was torn, but held onto herself enough to allow him to flee. This encounter did what Cas has NEVER done before. It caused him to have to rely on others. More specifically, part-time psychic and witch Thomas and Prom Queen Carmel. An odd group if there ever was one, but their night in Anna's house of horrors bound them together in something Cas has never had- friendship.

He knows what he needs to do. He needs to banish Anna. Just like he has to every other ghost he's hunted since he was seven. But something is stopping him. Anna is different. Not only did she spare him, she looked conflicted. And it felt off. He didn't know what the problem was but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. 

Cas is a complicated character. For lack of a better phrase he's a loner. He wants a normal life, in theory, but knows that's not what's meant for him and he has accepted that. So when the things he didn't believe he had enough room for in his dangerous and less than appealing lifestyle start actually becoming realities for him, he doesn't know what to do with it. You get enough inside his head that you feel his confusion and frustration and disgust. 

This story takes a little bit to unfold, but once it does it's both gruesome and enlightening. My only gripe is it could've been a little scarier (this was my Halloween read after all). You get a glimpse into what makes Anna Anna. You see early on the path that the book wants to take, but you're really not sure how Kendare Blake is going to make it work. But she does and she makes it feel as though it's the natural progression of the book. Which I suppose it is, because I know that when I read the last sentence of the book I wanted more. Oh did I forget to mention there's a sequel? ;) 

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Review by Amanda! Death Before Decaf by Caroline Fardig. 4 Tea Cups!

Death Before Decaf 

By Caroline Fardig

Genre: Fiction / Cozy Mystery

After her music career crashes and burns spectacularly, Juliet Langley is forced to turn to the only other business she knows: food service. Unfortunately, bad luck strikes yet again when her two-timing fiancé robs her blind and runs off with her best waitress. Flushing what’s left of her beloved café down the toilet with her failed engagement, Juliet packs up and moves back to her college stomping grounds in Nashville to manage an old friend’s coffeehouse. At first glance, it seems as though nothing’s changed at Java Jive. What could possibly go wrong? Only that the place is hemorrhaging money, the staff is in open revolt, and Juliet finds one unlucky employee dead in the dumpster out back before her first day is even over.

The corpse just so happens to belong to the cook who’d locked horns with Juliet over the finer points of the health code. Unimpressed with her management style, the other disgruntled employees are only too eager to spill the beans about her fiery temper to the detective on the case. Add to the mix a hunky stranger who’s asking way too many questions, and suddenly Juliet finds herself in some very hot water. If she can’t simmer down and sleuth her way to the real killer, she’s going to get burned.

Review by Amanda

My Rating: 4 Tea Cups

*Thank you Netgallery for proving me a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review. 

A few years I was super into romances. Then I got tired of romances and went more into a mystery direction. Then I discovered Cozy mysteries. Cozy mysteries are the perfect blend of a laid back mystery and a little bit of romance. I love them! Normally I save cozy mysteries for vacations, but after a weekend of moving, I found this cozy mystery the perfect read! 

First of all, I love the main character, Juliet! She is super sweet and super feisty. I found her very easy to relate to and I want to be her friend! I loved how the novel was in present day and Juliet would think of a past memory and the author went in depth in that past memory. I felt more connected to Juliet and whomever was apart of the past memory. 

I loved the relationship between Juliet and her best friend Pete. You could tell that they cared about each other and have gone through a lot. However, I didn't enjoy how obvious it was that both of them wanted to get together with each other. I really don't need a whole book of will they/won't they. It reminded me of the Stephanie Plum series, which has the main character deciding between an old friend and a new flame. 

The mystery aspect was amazing! I had no idea who the killer was until they revealed it! There was also a few twists and turns throughout the novel to keep you entertained. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the Death Before Decaf and I am super excited that the novel is the first in a series. This is one cozy mystery that you don't want to miss! 

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Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Death-Before-Decaf-Java-Mystery

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/death-before-decaf

Review by Coll! Slade House by David Mitchell. 4 Coffee Cups!

Slade House

By David Mitchell

Genre: Fiction / Mystery Thriller

Keep your eyes peeled for a small black iron door.

 Down the road from a working-class British pub, along the brick wall of a narrow alley, if the conditions are exactly right, you’ll find the entrance to Slade House. A stranger will greet you by name and invite you inside. At first, you won’t want to leave. Later, you’ll find that you can’t. Every nine years, the house’s residents—an odd brother and sister—extend a unique invitation to someone who’s different or lonely: a precocious teenager, a recently divorced policeman, a shy college student. But what really goes on inside Slade House? For those who find out, it’s already too late. . . .

Spanning five decades, from the last days of the 1970s to the present, leaping genres, and barreling toward an astonishing conclusion, this intricately woven novel will pull you into a reality-warping new vision of the haunted house story—as only David Mitchell could imagine it.

Review by Coll

My Rating: 4 Coffee Cups

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I want to start off by saying that this story takes place in the same world as The Bone Clocks so you might want to read that book first, but it is not necessary and you can get away with reading this book on its own. This story spans decades and follows multiple characters who all have run-ins with the Slade House and are all linked to one another through their experiences with the house. The black, iron door to the garden of Slade House is child size, unassuming, and not visible to everyone. Every nine years someone encounters the door, and those who find it and go through it wish they never had. From the first people to disappear at Slade House to those who go looking for them, this story follows what happens to each one of them when they try to unravel a decades long mystery of an elusive house and the mysterious and sinister twins who reside there. Take your typical haunted house tale and twist it around and turn it upside-down and Slade House is what you would get.

In this story Mitchell uses the technique that he has come to master, of jumping years and switching between characters seamlessly and telling a perfectly cohesive story in the process (similar to the style he used in Cloud Atlas but not as complex). The story hooks you right from the beginning, even though you have no idea what is going on, and it is almost as if the main appeal of this book is the idea of not knowing. Written in five parts, a mystery is built and slowly unraveled over the decades the book follows and the reader undergoes a rather intense learning process to understand the story.

What is done brilliantly in this book is that each character’s story is akin to one another yet it never gets boring. In most cases, telling a similar story over and over again would come off as redundant but Mitchell was able to avoid that and tell a compelling story for each person. Every character is portrayed in such a way that in a short period of time you cannot help but care for them and feel an emotional attachment to them. I have read longer books that are unable to develop the characters well, so to invoke feelings towards many characters in such a short period of time comes off as quite an accomplishment. The people in the story are also shown with emphasis on their human qualities, ones that seem so mundane but in the end expose why they were the ones chosen to find the Slade House. Mitchell draws upon characteristics we would normally see as negative and shows how these are the things that make people human.

Slade House is a quick read and I was never once bored with it, but a part of me wishes it had not been so quick. I would have liked a slightly longer story because at times I felt the book was a little rushed. Aside from that, I thought this book was very well done and never fell flat once in terms of the story. It is highly imaginative, as are all of Mitchell’s stories, and towards the end it does become rather involved and complex, in all the right ways. Incredibly fantastical ideas are woven throughout the climax of this story and you cannot help but be impressed with the level of creativity it took to come up with the world we encounter in the Slade House.

As a standalone this book is quite successful, but I do believe the knowledge you would gain from reading The Bone Clocks first would be beneficial for the last part of the book. Slade House is beautifully written and tells an eerie and malevolent story. It does not scare you outright but instead it injects an ominous feeling into you and slowly chills your soul as the pieces of the story come together and you learn the secrets of the Slade House.

“Tonight feels like a board game co-designed by M.C. Escher on a bender and Stephen King in a fever.” 

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Amazon: http://amzn.to/1KqvRgC

B&N: http://bit.ly/1hWVCi6

October's Spooky Reads!! Review by Amanda! Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, 2 Tea Cups

Here is the third Spooky Reads review for the month of October, in honour of Halloween!

Silence of the Lambs 

By: Thomas Harris

Genre: Thriller / Mystery

Hannibal Lecter. The ultimate villain of modern fiction. A young FBI trainee. An evil genius locked away for unspeakable crimes. A plunge into the darkest chambers of a psychopath's mind-- in the deadly search for a serial killer. As part of the search for a serial murderer nicknamed "Buffalo Bill," FBI trainee Clarice Starling is given an assignment. She must visit a man confined to a high-security facility for the criminally insane and interview him.

Review by Amanda

My Rating: 2 Tea Cups

For those who don’t know Silence of the Lambs is a widely popular 1991 film, which won best picture, as well as best actor and best actress for Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. As per Wikipedia it is the first and only Best Picture winner widely considered to be a horror film. 

At first, I was very hesitant to read Silence of the Lambs since I am not a fan of horror and gory novels. Even my parents were telling me not to read the novel since they had seen the movie and they know that I’m a huge scaredy cat. However, after reading Silence of the Lambs, I was very underwhelmed by the novel and found it to be lacking in the horror department. 

Please note that I have not seen the award winning movie so I had no comparison. As well, I will not be watching the movie, not because of the novel, but because I hate horror films (remember scaredy cat). 

I really liked the concept of Silence of the Lambs. In order to catch a psychopath, the FBI needs help from another psychopath. However, I found that the execution fell flat. The reader was in the minds of so many people, that it was hard to keep track of who was who. However, I did love being in the mind of Buffalo Bill. I liked being able to see the reasoning behind the killing.

I did not feel a connection with the one of the lead characters, FBI trainee Clarice Starling. I found her to be distant and cold. I think it was mostly due to the writing. It was choppy and all over the place. 

I did enjoy the end of the novel. There was lots of mystery and suspense, and I didn't know what was going to happen. I also loved how the author wrapped up the story line and there wasn't any loose ends. 

I was expecting a great horror thriller, but got a disjointed plot and an average shocker. If you are a fan of thrillers, I would suggest skipping this one and watching the movie. From what I hear it's suppose to be one of the best! 

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Amazon: http://amazon.com/The-Silence-Lambs

B&N: http://barnesandnoble.com/w/silence-of-the-lambs

Review by Coll! The Pool Boy's Beatitude by D.J. Swykert. 5 Coffee Cups!

The Pool Boy's Beatitude
by D.J. Swykert
Genre: Literary Fiction

In space, the expansion of the universe exceeds the speed of light. In a jail cell the speed of light slows, time ages and deteriorates slowly to a crawl.

Jack Joseph understands physics. He understands the nature of quarks, leptons, dark matter and the desire to find the God particle. What Jack doesn’t understand is Jack.

He has a Masters degree in particle physics, an ex-wife, a sugar mama, a passion for cooking and chronic dependencies he needs to feed. He cleans pools to maintain this chaotic lifestyle.

Spinning about in a Large Hadron Collider of his own making, the particle known as Jack is about to collide with a particle known as Sarah.

Review by Coll

My Rating: 5 Coffee Cups!

**I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was not what I expected it to be, and I say that in a positive way. Jack Joseph is your atypical particle physicist turned pool boy and full-time alcoholic. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the universe and fully aware of the lack of definitive answers to any of the questions in life. This unnerves him to the point of becoming an alcoholic who part-time self-medicates with prescription drugs to quit his addiction. He is a man who is unable to hold an honest relationship, and ultimately a person who just does not understand who he really is. Then he meets Sarah, a woman who does to him what no one else has yet been able to do, she makes him want to change into better person. Through the course of this book we follow Jack, with an insider’s view of his life. Following an ex-physicist pool boy’s life might not sound very intriguing but trust me it is, and you have no idea what’s in store when you tag along with Jack Joseph.

The Pool Boy’s Beatitude is a very intelligent book, from the language to the subject matter to the science, psychology, and philosophy behind it. D.J. Swykert did an amazing job of weaving all these complex ideas together in a smart and entertaining manner. On a base level the book deals with what happens when you give up hope, but on a more complex level it tackles basic human needs, weaknesses, vices and love. Jack knows so much but what he doesn’t know are concrete, scientific answers to the universe and life, and he has a hard time dealing with this. He turns to alcohol as a coping mechanism and seems to sabotage himself over and over again as he struggles to come to terms with himself and reality. There is also a continuous, internal struggle of who is to blame for his actions.  We see in him the alcoholic’s tendency to blame others and the world around them for their mistakes and actions, but we also see him blame himself and take responsibility for who he is and where his life has gone. The reader is witness to a man fighting with the good and bad inside himself, a struggle we each go through every day of our lives.

From the beginning I found this book to be reminiscent of Douglas Adams in terms of the style and the humor and intelligence behind it. It also reminded me of philosopher and author Albert Camus, who dealt a lot with coming to terms with the uncertainty and futility of life and how to deal with living. Where the first half of this book deals with Jack’s downfall at the hands of his questions, vices, and self-sabotage, the second half tackles his struggle to better himself, understand the things he can, and rebuild his life.

This book shows us is that not even the smartest people out there, the ones who understand the universe and space and physics, can fully understand themselves and life. It also shows us that it is okay not to understand everything, as long as we can understand what makes us happy. In Pool Boy’s Beatitude, Swykert focuses on human nature and our struggle and desire to understand the universe and ourselves. It is a very smart book and a very human book. I really enjoyed reading it, partly due to my love of the universe and philosophy, but also because it is a well-written and engaging book. It may not be for everyone but if you want a book that touches on deeply philosophical issues, challenges human behavior and our understanding of the world we think we know, then this book would definitely be for you. D.J. Swykert tells a story we can understand and created a character we can relate to. Jack is not a hero, in the heroic sense, and he is not perfect. He is human. He is a person doing the same thing everyone else in the world is doing, trying to be happy.

“I awake believing coincidence solves most problems, answers most questions. Most of science believes we are a cosmological accident and everything was created from an explosion of a primeval atom, a Big Bang, not a lick of which they can prove. This is what we do know: beyond any reasonable doubt our universe began, we are here. Prior to us being here there was nothing; during and after the beginning there was something. This is the state of cosmology, what we believe we know about creation. No wonder billions of us choose to pray.”

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Amazon: http://amzn.to/1GhGbMT

B&N: http://bit.ly/1LdPlco

October's Spooky Reads!! Review by Crystal! Dirty Promises (Dirty Angels #3) by Karina Halle. 5 Coffee Cups!!!

Here is the second Spooky Reads review for the month of October, in honor of Halloween!

Dirty Promises (Dirty Angels #3)

by Karina Halle

Genre: Dark Thriller / Suspense

Dirty Promises is the final book in The Dirty Angels Trilogy. While the first two books can be read as standalones, Dirty Promises can not. Reading Dirty Angels and Dirty Deeds beforehand is HIGHLY recommended.

Also, people sensitive to violence and immoral characters who make

questionable decisions should refrain from reading this book. The real cartel

life is not pretty, not easy and certainly NOT romantic and that is more than

reflected in Dirty Promises.

Blood. Sex. Revenge. It ain't easy being king. Drug lord Javier Bernal has sliced and diced his way to the top of the Mexican drug trade, presiding over the country's largest cartel. But his rise to power comes at a brutal price: the death of his sister, Alana. Devastated and wracked with guilt, he turns away from his new wife, Luisa, forcing their marriage into a steady decline. But it isn't until she's pushed into the waiting arms of Esteban Mendoza, his right-hand man, that Javier realizes everything he's lost. And it isn't until he learns the truth about Alana, that he realizes everything here is to gain.

Blood will spill. Cities will burn. Heads will roll.

Because Javier will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.

And what he wants is raw, ruthless revenge.

The most dangerous man is the one with nothing left to lose.

Review by Crystal

My Rating: 5 Coffee Cups!

Heed Halle's warnings about this book! There are triggers.

It is not an easy read at all.

This book can definitely fall into the horror category!

It is horror? Nope. It is horrific.

Is it scary? Hell yes, however beautiful at the same time.

I have read some scary stuff before and this book made those smell like roses.

It is beautifully brutal in every word Halle has written and left me absolutely

breathless for the entire first half of the book, and with gooseflesh the entire last half.

If you are looking for action, angst, betrayal, bloodshed, revenge, and even

a HEA, then this is definitely a book for you!

Murder? Check, Rape? Check. A little sodomy? Check. Drugs? Check Check.

Adultery? Check. Torture? Check Check. Revenge? Check.

Forgiveness? Possibly

Javier is totally ruined after the death of his sister, Alana. His cartel is falling to

shambles, mostly due to Esteban, the sick jerk. Not even Luisa can

bring him back. Luisa is doing everything she possibly can to bring Javier back

to her, even sleeping with the enemy, and nothing is working. Everything is

backfiring and falling apart even more.

However, more secrets are revealed, like who really killed Alana, and whoa

boy that is even more of a whopper in the stomach when those events are

snowballing! Can Javier ever forgive Luisa? But can Lusia forgive Javier

all of his infidelities an cruelness?

This story absolutely gutted me. It was super emotional, brutal and quite

honestly, disgusting at times. I felt like I needed to take a bath in Holy Water

when I was done and go directly to church. However, sweet justice is finally

served and I wanted to leap for joy, but I was still crying too hard and that

would have just looked weird!

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Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NcGOak
B&N: http://bit.ly/1NGZa6o

Review: 5 Coffee Cups!! A Lover's Lament by KL Grayson & BT Urruela

A Lover's Lament
by KL Grayson & BT Urruela
Genre: Contemporary Romance

In a matter of seconds my entire world changed, and it was in that moment that I stopped living and simply began to exist.

In my grief, I sent a letter to the first boy I ever loved. I hoped in writing it I’d find some peace from the nightmare I was living, some solace in my anger.

I didn’t expect him to write back. I wasn’t prepared for his words, and I certainly wasn’t ready for the impact this soldier would have on my life. A deep-rooted hate transformed into friendship, and then molded into a love like I’d never known before.

Sergeant Devin Ulysses Clay did what I couldn’t: he put the shattered pieces of my heart back together, restoring my faith in humanity and teaching me how to live again.

But now that I’m whole, I have a decision to make. Do I return to my life as I knew it and the fiancé I left behind, or do I walk away from it all for the only man to ever break my heart?

***

I’ve been living in hell, but you won’t hear me complain.

These men depend on me, as I do them, and this brotherhood is the only family I’ve ever known.

The Army saved me from a callous mother and a life on the wrong side of the tracks that was quickly spiraling out of control. So unlike most of the men in my platoon, going home wasn’t something I longed for.

I was content overseas, spending my days defending this country that gave me my life back. Fighting became my new normal … until her.

A letter from Katie Devora—a letter that I almost didn’t open. Her words put a fire back inside of me that I didn’t know I’d lost. She gave me hope during a time when I was fighting every day just to stay alive, and now it’s time I fight for her.

Reviewed by: Christyn :)

My Rating: 5 Coffee Cups!!

This book was, simply put, absolutely incredible. The emotions evoked from this story - not quite so simple. KL Grayson and BT Urruela put my heart through the wringer. It's been a long time since I've read a book that actually, physically, had me holding my breath during certain parts because I was that scared about what was going to happen next. Because I was that invested in the characters and their happiness and their well-being. And not just the main characters either. ALL OF THEM. I was brought into a world so real and a love so deep and poignant that I felt it. Every time Katie heard from Devin I felt her relief. When Devin had an exceptionally hard experience I felt his anguish. 

Katie and Devin's relationship was complicated. Friends from childhood, I guess they can be easily described as childhood sweethearts. But it didn't end well. Extenuating circumstances caused the transition from friends to lovers to be cut extremely short. The relationship ended, but their love never did. Neither of them really truly moved on from it. 10 years later and simply seeing his name on a piece of paper causes Katie's heart and mind to tremble with an intense combination of feelings. That fate had put them in each other's path after all this time- right at a time when she NEEDED him to be there had her a confused jumble of emotions. She makes the decision to open a door to him, open herself to him and to the risk of getting hurt after being left once already.

Devin was taking everything day by day. First in Afghanistan, then in Iraq he has seen his fair share of loss and darkness. But he has his Brothers here. Whereas at home it's pretty empty. That emptiness and the envy of having everyone around him receiving letters and care packages from home caused him to very randomly sign up for a Military pen-pal program. To which he has actually pretty much disregarded everything he received from it. Until the return name of one of the letters catches his eye. Katie's name and handwriting in a letter that fills him so full of hope. Hope for a future he really wasn't thinking about. Re-opening and fully mending old, deep scars- scars created by both each other and by the actions of other around them- is difficult and they both have to be willing to completely open themselves up to possibility of more pain but with the results having the potential to be something so beautiful and soul-happy the past will pale in comparison.

The fact that this is BT Urruela's debut novel will have you shaking your head going "nuh-huh, don't believe it. Not fooling me." He puts so much passion and depth to the characters and the story. And the realism and emotion in every word of Devin's life in the field and with his brothers makes you feel it that much more. You see and visualize everything being described so clearly and it hits you straight in your heart. 

This story will leave you a breathless, emotional wreck when you finish the last sentence of the last page. You will cry, you will laugh (Katie's BFF Maggie is a much needed comic release) but most of all you will connect. This book has easily gone to the top of my list for the year. 

As a side note- the idea of military pen-pals intrigued me. I enjoy giving back whenever I can. So I did what I do best: I googled it. And I found quite a few. And because I obviously love writing I found a Letter Writing program thru a volunteer service called Soldiers' Angels and signed up. I may not be able to do much, but to send letters and care packages to deployed servicemen and women is a small thing to do in thanks for all that they do for us. 

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

About the Authors:

K.L. Grayson resides in a small town outside of St. Louis, MO. She is entertained daily by her extraordinary husband, who will forever inspire every good quality she writes in a man. Her entire life rests in the palms of six dirty little hands, and when the day is over and those pint-sized cherubs have been washed and tucked into bed, you can find her typing away furiously on her computer. She has a love for alpha-males, brownies, reading, tattoos, sunglasses, and happy endings…and not particularly in that order. 

FACEBOOK :: TWITTER :: IG:@booksbyklgrayson

Taylor Urruela was an infantryman in the US Army from August 2004 until February 2011. At the end of a year long tour in Baghdad, IQ, his vehicle was hit by two roadside bombs, which took his right leg below the knee and the life of his commander. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his wounds, an Army Commendation Medal and Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He medically retired from the Army in 2011 and moved to Tampa, FL where he currently works as a Director and Brand Ambassador of VETSports, a veteran community sports nonprofit he co-founded in 2012. He also conducts speaking engagements and he’s a personal trainer for Tampa Sports Academy.

FACEBOOK :: TWITTER :: IG: @BTUrruela

New Feature: October's Spooky Reads!! Review by Coll! Brother by Ania Ahlborn. 5 Coffee Cups!!!

So we're trying a little something new and fun here at The Book Cafe. So we kind of love Halloween here. I, personally, love it to the point where every weekend in October my friends and I planned to get together and watch a different horror movie. We each get to choose one. So I thought why not with books right?? Exactly. So each Wednesday for the month of October each of us are going to choose and review a different horror/paranormal/spooky/creepy type book. First up is "The Queen of All Things Horror" (yup, I gave her that title and it's sticking!) Coll.  

~Christyn~

Brother
by Ania Ahlborn
Genre: Horror

From the bestselling horror author of Within These Walls and The Bird Eater comes a brand-new novel of terror that follows a teenager determined to break from his family’s unconventional—and deeply disturbing—traditions.

Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard.

But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s become. But his brother, Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place…

Review by Coll

My Rating: 5 Coffee Cups

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I have been patiently awaiting this book for months now so I was very excited to get the opportunity from NetGalley to review it. I read the book in about a day and it took me another day after I finished it purely to wrap my head around what I had just read. Michael Morrow lives in a secluded farmhouse in the Appalachian area of West Virginia with his family, leading the only life he has ever known, a life that would terrify any other human. He was raised on the adage that blood is thicker than water and was trained to keep the family’s secrets and bring them with him to the grave. However, Michael was never truly happy with this life and when he meets a girl and starts to have experiences that normal teenagers have he begins to question everything he has ever known. But family is family and some things you just can’t escape, and Michael’s brother, Rebel, wants to make sure that Michael never EVER forgets that.

When I was reading this book half of me wanted to make it last and savor it while the other half of me wanted to not take my eyes off of it and just devour it. I was never one for willpower so I read the book in a day. Brother throws you right into the macabre schemes of the Morrow family on the first page and it keeps you there, allowing no respite, until the very last sentence. When I finished the book I had to go back and read the last page several times to fully digest everything, and when I was done I felt I could do nothing else for the night. To move on to reading something else was just impossible and I was completely satisfied to just lie in bed and contemplate everything I had just read. 

I think the main brilliance in this book lies in Ahlborn’s ability to create a character that you should, by all means, hate and fear yet you are compelled to love him and take his side throughout the entire story. I found myself in awe of this the entire time I was reading the book.  The storyline was wonderfully creepy and the range of emotions I felt while reading this book was rather intense. Anger, sympathy, disgust, heartbreak, satisfaction, I felt them all during the course of reading this book, sometimes all at the same time, and I loved every second of it. This book is basically an emotional roller coaster in all the right ways.

For a sizable portion of the book the story changes between chapters from past to present, giving the readers insight into all the characters. This makes the story seem slightly disjointed at times, but everything in this book is done for a reason and the past is equally as important as the present when it comes to the story of the Morrows. As the family’s history grows more sinister with the passing of years, the reader comes to the grim understanding of how past traumas led to the present evil that is the Morrow clan.

This book does not give you the ability to predict what is going to happen in advance, so don’t go into it thinking you can figure it all out. I found myself blindsided several times by unexpected elements that Ahlborn added into the plot and just when you think the book cannot get more disturbing, it does. Brother combines all the key story elements depicted in a high level of detail from setting to characters to actions to realizations made by the characters in the book. Ahlborn forces the reader to confront nightmarish situations and realize how far humans can go when pushed in certain ways. The book shows that on a basic level human beings are no different than animals, and sometimes they can even be worse.

I feel like I need to say that if you are squeamish or afraid to look into the deepest and darkest areas of human behavior then you may want to think twice about reading this book. But in my opinion this is a must read, especially for any and all horror fans out there. It has been a long time since I have read an amazing horror book and Brother left me feeling so satisfied. I can honestly say it is one of the most chilling and brilliantly terrifying books I have ever read. 

“There wasn’t much to fear in places like this. That’s why people moved out to the country. It seemed safe and peaceful and perfect until you caught a lunatic crawling through your bedroom window.”

Add to Goodreads

Buy links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FWMwgF

B&N: http://bit.ly/1MZnwVL

Tour Stop! 4 Coffee Cup Review!! Excerpt and Giveaway!! Rock Redemption by Nalini Singh

Rock Redemption (A Rock Kiss Novel)
by Nalini Singh
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Kit Devigny could have loved rock guitarist Noah St. John. Their friendship burned with the promise of intense passion and searing tenderness…until the night Noah deliberately shattered her heart.

Noah knows he destroyed something precious the night he chose to betray Kit, but he’d rather she hate him than learn his darkest secret. All he has left is his music. It’s his saving grace, but it doesn’t silence the voices that keep him up at night. Chasing oblivion through endless one-night-stands, he earns a few hours’ sleep and his bad boy reputation.

When a media error sees Noah and Kit dubbed the new “it” couple, Kit discovers her chance at the role of a lifetime hinges on riding the media wave. Wanting—needing—to give Kit this, even if he can’t give her everything, Noah agrees to play the adoring boyfriend. Only the illusion is suddenly too real, too painful, too beautiful…and it may be too late for the redemption of Noah St. John.

My Rating: 4 Coffee Cups!!

I love rock star romance books. It's one of my guilty little pleasures in the romance genre. So, the fact that I hadn't read the other books in this series surprises even me. But after having read this book I plan on rectifying that. QUICKLY. This synopsis doesn't do this book justice. Kit and Noah's relationship is amazing. Their relationship is built on pure friendship. Yes, there's chemistry and feelings and attraction but they were best friends. And when she wants more and he starts feeling things he believes he shouldn't, he pulls the stereotypical douchebag guy move and completely shatters her heart.

Kathleen "Kit Devigny is an up and coming actress. She enjoys her life, her career, her friends. She's close friends with all of the members of the rock band Schoolboy Choir and has been for years, and has in turn become super close with their girlfriends/fiancees. All except one. The one she used to be the closest to. Two years ago Noah St. John irrevocably crushed her and she hasn't had any contact since. Until pretty much the opening chapter (which is the awesome excerpt posted below).  

Noah knows what he did to Kit was hurtful, disrespectful and cruel. And when he remembers the pain he saw in her eyes that night it nearly kills him. But he keeps reminding himself that it was for the best. His demons are too dark and she is his light. The last thing in the world he wants to do is taint it, or her. Now, let me be honest with you about my feelings for Noah. It took me about 50% of the book to full out love and accept him. Some people would say it was because of his actions towards Kit. And yes, he did seem to have a never-ending, angry cycle of building her up and then letting her down and hurting her. And although it was horrible to see Kit getting repeatedly hurt, you got to be able to see into his POV and you slowly learned why. You understood his asshole-ish behavior and his reasoning behind them and you wanted to hug him- HARD. That being said, this "understanding" took a little bit longer than I would have liked. Which is the major reason I couldn't give it more than 4 stars. But anywho, back to the story. 

Kit, hurt numerous times by this man can't fully give up on him. She tried to move on, date other men, forget, but it all circles back to Noah. Who is trying desperately to get back the friendship that he lost. And when he has the ability to help Kit get an opportunity at an A List role while being there to protect her from a super stalker, he jumps at the chance- despite how awkward and uncomfortable it may become. Why the awkwardness? Well, they pretty much have to pretend to be a couple for the media. And that act leads to Noah thinking that maybe-just maybe- he can do this. He can have her, be with her, care for her without his darkness killing it before it begins.

“Be with me… I can’t be what you need,” he whispered against the side of her head. “But be with me anyway.”

Despite the slow progression, the story unfolds perfectly. You see the importance this friendship has on both of them. It's almost the complete and total OPPOSITE of that dreaded insta-love. And once Noah's secret is revealed your heart breaks. It's a great story. And although I haven't read the rest of the series, the little that I read of the supporting characters I can tell that for those of you who love the Rock Kiss series there are definitely little character updates for the previous couples.  

Happy Release Day to KL Grayson & BT Urruela!!! A Lover's Lament is LIVE!!! Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway Going On!

It’s the release day of A Lover’s Lament by KL Grayson & BT Urruela! I love this fantastic contemporary romance so much. Today, we have an excerpt and a fantastic giveaway, so be sure to check out all of the release day festivities!

Oh and PS- Just finished reading this on Sunday night and HOLY CRAP! Such a great, great story. My Review goes up on Friday so stay tuned!!

About A Lover’s Lament: 

 In a matter of seconds my entire world changed, and it was in that moment that I stopped living and simply began to exist. In my grief, I sent a letter to the first boy I ever loved. I hoped in writing it I’d find some peace from the nightmare I was living, some solace in my anger. I didn’t expect him to write back. I wasn’t prepared for his words, and I certainly wasn’t ready for the impact this soldier would have on my life. A deep-rooted hate transformed into friendship, and then molded into a love like I’d never known before. Sergeant Devin Ulysses Clay did what I couldn’t: he put the shattered pieces of my heart back together, restoring my faith in humanity and teaching me how to live again. But now that I’m whole, I have a decision to make. Do I return to my life as I knew it and the fiancé I left behind, or do I walk away from it all for the only man to ever break my heart? *** I’ve been living in hell, but you won’t hear me complain. These men depend on me, as I do them, and this brotherhood is the only family I’ve ever known. The Army saved me from a callous mother and a life on the wrong side of the tracks that was quickly spiraling out of control. So unlike most of the men in my platoon, going home wasn’t something I longed for. I was content overseas, spending my days defending this country that gave me my life back. Fighting became my new normal … until her. A letter from Katie Devora—a letter that I almost didn’t open. Her words put a fire back inside of me that I didn’t know I’d lost. She gave me hope during a time when I was fighting every day just to stay alive, and now it’s time I fight for her. 

Buy Links: 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads