"My god, ads are found even on clipboards in a doctor's office. What will they think of next? Women with mental telepathy moving about in ads on subways—that's what's next." – You Dear, Sweet Man by Thomas Neviaser

(I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)

Bobby is a middle-aged foreman who routinely escapes his dull and monotonous reality during his long commute through the city by daydreaming. One day, his tired eyes find themselves beholding a poster featuring Megan, a young vixen who's gifted in the art of seduction. At first, what seems to be a natural attraction to Megan develops into something frightening and bizarre; her image comes to life and she starts addressing him through the advertisement. As Bobby grapples with the effects of this mind-boggling affliction, everyone who's involved in the making of the ad is left to wonder how far this new technology can go, and where they should probably draw the line. 

It's hard to define this unconventional novel! It is set in the sixties, has bits of mystery and fantasy and offers alternating perspectives of several different narrators; our main character (and unfortunate victim) Bobby, as well as the brains behind the mesmerizing ad. In this unique story-line, we get to witness a foxy ex-actress, a couple of nerds struggling to further their careers and a panel of experienced businessmen trying to save their jobs as they come together in an effort to create a cutting-edge piece of advertisement that will prove to be an exploit that is well-ahead of its time... And possibly out of this world. Not only did this book feature a believable dialogue, but I also found the characters to be well-developed and surprisingly down-to-earth. The writing made it easy to follow and even though the beginning moved a bit slow, the pace picked up nicely. I wasn't sure what to expect from You Dear, Sweet Man, but the fact that it presented some mystical and far-fetched ideas in such wonderfully realistic settings made for a really entertaining read. The ending definitely took me by surprise. It ended up being one of the most forward-thinking books I've read in a while. 

In all, I enjoyed the story. If you are eager to devour a smart and original tale, or if you're looking for a well-crafted story that's easy to engage in, this book is for you!

I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 feathers! 

“Our future together, dim as it would become, was sealed by his blazing embrace and an exploding sky. But that’s the thing when you play with fire, someone always gets burned.” – Like Broken China by J.D. Thompson

(I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
 
Courtney Cook embraced a wild new love full of adventure when she met Matt. Her heart belonged to him in what seemed like a heartbeat the very day he walked into the coffee shop and swept her away. 10 years later, Matt and Courtney have two wonderful children but their marriage isn’t as wild and happy as it was hoped to have been. Matt’s addiction to gambling only continues to cause fractures in their relationship. With so many broken pieces, will Courtney be able to find the strength she needs to put her world back together?
 
I loved how realistic this book was. Sometimes happily ever after might not pan out and life might not always go as planned and that’s the kind of situation that we find our main character in. I love that we get to see both the present and back when she met the charming Matt. It gives us a chance to see what drew her to him and how things changed. Though everything in her wants to try to fix things, she realizes that some happily ever afters happen by learning what’s right for one’s self.
 
I found myself really appreciating this book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to read books involving self-discovery.
 
This was definitely a 5 out of 5 rating from me. I loved it, hands down. 

(I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
 
Roxie Fisher feels like she hit rock bottom. No longer with a job, she moves back home and would rather not step foot outside unless necessary. With her parents terribly worried about how depressed she has become, her mother is thrilled to see Roxie has been invited to the Cupid Café and tries her very best to get her to go check it out. Aiden is a firefighter who aims to live life at its fullest. With a random invitation to the Cupid Café, he doesn’t take it seriously until he sees Roxie, who helped him and his late wife immensely before she passed away. Seeing the wall she built up for herself, his new resolve is to help her get back out there and living again, even if it means bringing down brick after brick.
 
I loved the idea of a seemingly magical café bringing couples together and I think it’s a great and unique way to make a series of standalones. Having read a book by Lori Sizemore before, I was really excited to read this one and was truly not one bit disappointed! Aiden is a determined character and I really enjoyed reading more of his backstory. I loved how even though he and Roxie are total opposites, they are perfect for one another. I did have a lot of trouble connecting to Roxie but grew to understand her a lot more when the plot unfolded. Depression is a really tough subject and I feel Lori did really well in portraying Roxie’s inner battle with it.
 
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this beautiful, well-written book and I highly recommend it!
 
I give it a 4 out of 5 rating!

    “‘No, I got it.’ Calder busted outside and ran to the door. But Susan was too quick, and for the first time that night she attempted to open the door herself. But the handle wouldn’t move; the door was broken just like the door on her dad’s truck. Calder came around and opened it from the outside.
     ‘Why is your door broken?’ she asked.
     ‘Because I broke it.’
     Susan frowned. ‘How did you break–?’      
   ‘Not how. Why. I broke it so that I could open it for you. As many chances as I get.’”
– The Simple Soul of Susan by Noel Branham                                              

(I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)

Susan Combs knows who her soul mate is. The only problem is her love might not be reciprocated. Susan and Calder have lived next door to each other their whole lives and have quickly become close friends. Susan wants to stay home and take care of her father while Calder wants to move away and aim for bigger things. One day, she overhears a conversation that makes her realize she might not be in the painted picture that is Calder’s future. Determined to live her own life and do her own thing, she tries to brush him off but those eyes of his are hard to look away from and is that a sudden spark she sees within them?
 
I don’t remember ever smiling so much while reading a book. This story was so heartwarming and had so many cute moments; the characters and overall story are all just so quick to love. I loved how real the story felt. It was captivating. You see the characters grow right in front of you as they finally figure out what they want and who they want to be. At first, Calder really got on my nerves with how flirty he was with other girls and how nonchalant he seemed. He didn’t seem to realize what Susan was going through and in the end, after really understanding Calder and his reasons, I actually grew to like him the best.
 
Overall, this story is simply beautiful. It’s one I definitely plan on re-reading again and again.
 
This book highly deserves 5 out of 5 feathers!

​“Nathan scanned the dark shapes of houses in the distance. A blur of yellow and red flickered far away, a rough shape somehow high above the lights of the city, as though a patch of night had been scratched away, revealing the flames beneath. He felt the warm shape of Alexa’s body against him. Side by side, the four of them watched in silence as the fire signaled to them from across the city.” – Fires by Tom Ward
 
(I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
 
Guy, a middle-aged fireman, loses his family in a tragic accident… Or so it seems. As he sets out to uncover the truth about the blaze that changed his life forever, a small gang of disgruntled teenagers experiment with a dangerous new hobby involving vacant buildings, matches and a lighter fluid. While the young arsonists evade the authorities, Guy keeps digging for answers – and in doing so, slowly makes peace with his traumatizing past.
 
This is such an intriguing novel! Although primarily a thriller, there were plenty of mystery elements and some thought-provoking political undertones as well. The first chapter really grabbed my attention right away. The characters in this story are dynamic and complex, yet I easily related to them. I found their strengths and weaknesses to be beautifully balanced. Alexa and Nathan both share similarities, one being their obsession to fire, yet they can be so different at the same time, making it all the more interesting. I will warn readers that some parts of this book were a little bit hard to read in the sense they were tragic and full of raw emotions.
 
All in all, I recommend this dark and stirring novel to readers who like to be kept at the edge of their seats!
 
I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 feathers.

“Good and evil battled within her every moment of every day. She weighed each action on a moral scale that few angels understood, and it wasn’t always clear what was right and what was wrong, but she had the means to decide. She could see evil and recognize it, because even she had evil within herself. The difference was that she would use it for good, never let it control her.” – Rise to Hope by A.J. Flowers

(I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
 
Suddenly the Queen of Angels, Azrael flies to Celestia where she is welcomed with open arms, or so they want her to think. The Seraphim has plans of his own that don’t quite include her on the throne. Once there, her first priority is to find Gabriel, now held captive by the Seraphim himself. What she doesn’t expect in her search is the unraveling of darker secrets within a world thought to be pure and good. Will she find the power within to stop the Seraphim and his plans? With her moral judgement and unexpected alliances, will she trust the right people to help her?
 
It took me a couple of chapters in the sequel before the events of the first book really caught up to me but after that, I found myself back in a world of angels that I loved and missed. Rise to Hope continued right where Fallen to Grace left off. I loved how we got to know Hyanthia more in this book and how everything isn’t so black and white on both sides. You learn more in depth on what’s really going on behind the mask that is Celestia and what hides behind the blinding brightness that did just that, blinded everyone from the dark that was the Seraphim. I loved how the outer-look of it all was so pure and bright and when things start unraveling, the picturesque of it all changes. With Gabriel held captive, I was sad that I didn’t see him too much in this installment but with the introduction of other characters from his past, I feel we might get the chance to learn more about him in the next one and I really hope we do!  
 
I need Stand for Justice to release right now please. September 2018 is way too far away!
 
I give Rise to Hope 5 out of 5 angel feathers!

“A feeling of regret moved her foot to the brake pedal, but then she caught herself. She had run this road before, chasing an unachievable dream. She was done being his jester.” – First Crush, Last Love by Elizabeth McKenna

(I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)

Jessie Baxter always felt a spark when it came to Lee Archer, a boy that only ever seemed to want to be friends and nothing more. When Lee suddenly moved away without a word to anyone, Jessie’s life was forced to take a very different turn. Fast-forward ten years and with their high school reunion fast approaching, Lee and Jessie just might see each other again. Ten years can change a person and Jessie, now divorced, had definitely experienced heartache and mistrust. Will her emotional scars deter her from finding love again? 

This book was incredibly written and I was definitely drawn to it from the start! I was so happy to have received a paperback copy and it now sits proudly on my romance shelf. Not only were the characters extremely believable in this story, it felt as though they were alive. Bringing your characters to life like this is such an amazing skill to have as a writer. Separated into three parts (their years in high school, their years apart and finally, around the time of their high school reunion), you get to meet her characters and really see them change but not so much that they become new characters completely. You see their transition from who they were and how their choices have affected them later on. You see the characters grow.

This story had everything I love in a romance. It was heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking with a hint of suspense that made you turn the pages so fast that it felt as though they were turning all on their own. You will definitely fall in love with Jessie and Lee!

I give this wonderful book a high rating of 5 out of 5 feathers!

"It took me a minute to realize something had changed. It wasn't only that the sun was shining a little brighter that day, it was also that something caught my attention, something had interested me enough to make me think, to make me wonder." – The Flawed Ones by Jay Chirino

(I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)

The Flawed Ones is the story of Jay Chirino's inner trials while being detained in a psychiatric hospital, after a lifelong history of anxiety and depression which led to years of substance abuse. Amidst the seemingly chaotic blend of doctors, nurses, addicts, schizophrenics and other afflicted souls, Jay meets people who will change his perceptions of mental illness and finds out there is light even in the darkest of places. 

This book reminds us that our mental health affects every aspect of us from how we feel to how we act. It changes the way we see the world around us and the choices we make in our lives. I must mention that the book covers a variety of sensitive topics and the reader should be aware of potential triggers. The world he describes is almost frightening at times and not always easy to read. Even though the story was deep, and some scenes evoke a keen sense of guilt and heartache, it wasn't too overwhelming. In fact, it brought awareness and inspiration to me in many ways. Jay's writing is on point, with vivid and realistic descriptions which make it easy to connect with the characters and the story. I loved that we get to witness this world inside a mental institution through the eyes of a smart and observant narrator. There is even a hint of romance thrown into the mix!

I would recommend this book to someone who is looking for an intense and intriguing memoir and who wants to learn a thing or two about what it's like to live with addictions and mental disorders.

I give The Flawed Ones a rating of 4 out of 5 feathers! 

What books would you recommend for this fantastical time of year?