Bibliophile Support Group

Short-Straw Bride is the newest inspirational historical romance from Karen Witemeyer. Twelve years ago the now twenty-two year old Meredith Hayes fell in love. Or, at least she felt like she did. Perhaps now she’d call it a youthful crush – but it’s sure stayed with her. She’d always been warned about the dangerous, reclusive Archer boys. They never left their land and guarded it with guns and vicious guard dogs. Yet when she braved crossing the boundary to retrieve her lunch bucket and got herself in a painful situation – Travis Archer saved the day, with an unexpected kindness in his eyes. That’s why all these years later, though she hasn’t seen neither hide nor hair of him since, Meredith knows that she must warn him of the threat to Archer land. She overheard her intended fiancé (not intended by her) plotting to burn the Archer’s off their land to force them into selling. So, propriety be damned! Meredith can’t let that happen! But when her worthy cause turns into a po...

The White Glove War is the second Magnolia League book, a paranormal series, written by Katie Crouch and Grady Hendrix. As this is the second book in a series, you know what I’m going to say don’t you? If you haven’t read The Magnolia League , you should not read this review as it will contain inevitable spoilers. You can check out my review of The Magnolia League here instead. Now, if you HAVE read The Magnolia League , feel free to continue reading… Being a member of Savannah’s Magnolia League has never been so dangerous. The beauty, money, popularity of its youngest members might look envy-worthy, but those spells, potions, and conjures from the Buzzard family come with a price. When Hayes, one of the nicest girls in the Magnolia League who struggles to meet expectations of her bossy grandmother and boozy mom, starts to be followed by some thing – something that feels inherently evil – she realizes that magic can’t fix everything. She’s in danger. They all are. Me...

The Alchemyst is the first in the YA fantasy adventure series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. I know I’m late to this series. Very late. But the fact that the sixth and final novel in the series, The Enchantress , recently came out that my long-held interest in the series came to a head. So, here I am! I’ll be getting caught up on this series, one book a month until I get to The Enchantress ! Let’s be honest: As much as a bibliophile wants to be able to read every book as it comes out, it just ain’t possible! ;) And maybe you also happen to one of the few book lovers’ that hasn’t had a chance to dive into this series yet – so, let’s learn a little more about it… Opinion to follow, of course! Sophie and Josh Newman, fifteen-year-old twins, have been enjoying their summer in San Francisco. Sophie’s working at a cute café right across the street from her brother who’s working as an assistant at a slightly eccentric bookstore owned by Nick Fleming, s...

Twice Upon a Time: Sleeping Beauty, the One Who Took the Really Long Nap is the second middlegrade fairy-tale retelling by Wendy Mass. Princess Rose has grown up under constant supervision. After all, when she was just a tiny baby in a crib she was cursed by a cranky old fairy – therefore all sharp objects have been banished from the kingdom. Of course… that doesn’t mean she won’t still get pricked, does it? Yep. Being a princess isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The Prince hasn’t had the easiest time of it either. He’s never been properly named because his mother the Queen has some ogre blood and he had the misfortune of being born on the second Thursday of the month. Let’s just say… it was a close call. So though The Prince survived his birth, the oddness of his family has left him rather lonely. But his walks in the woods are a comfort. That’s where he finds a hidden castle. One that looks exactly like the one he lives in, but not camouflaged by leaves. He’s determined...

Dying to Read is a humorous mystery novel, and the first in the Cate Kinkaid Files, by Lorena McCourtney. Out of work longer than she expected, a messily broken engagement, nearing that dreaded “30” and a really bad haircut are what bring Cate Kinkaid to accept a temporary job from her PI uncle. She has absolutely no experience in the world of private investigating – and no instincts that she’s aware of (or else how would she have ended up in her current life situation). But her uncle assures her that all she’ll be doing is routine, unexciting, uncomplicated assignments until she can find work elsewhere. Cate’s first task sounds simple enough: find out whether a certain woman named Willow lives at a certain address. No biggie. Even Cate should be able to complete that job successfully. But when she arrives at said address, a fairly spooky looking old Victorian, she discovers a rather snarky group of ravenous mystery novel lovers quite disgruntled at having their book group mee...

Rapture is the fourth and final book in the YA angel fantasy Fallen series by Lauren Kate. Happy TGIF! Today I'm providing you TWO reviews! Occasionally this is gonna happen - and today is one of those days! As always (feel like I’m saying this a lot lately – lots of sequels this year!), don’t read this review if you haven’t read the three previous books. It’ll only cause spoilers and possibly influence your opinion of the earlier novels. Instead, read my review of Fallen here , Torment here , and Passion here . Then there was that little in-between book called Fallen in Love , which I reviewed here . Now, if you are all caught up with the series, feel free to continue and find out what my thoughts were as this popular series came to a close… It seems like a lot of us have felt the Fallen quartet has gone off track. Passion was still good for me, but none of the books ever were as good as Fallen was, in my opinion. Like some other series (for example The Maze Ru...

The Chamber in the Sky is the fourth and final book in M. T. Anderson’s amazing sci-fi/fantasy Norumbegan Quartet . If you haven’t read the other books in this series, please check out my reviews of The Game of Sunken Places , The Suburb Beyond the Stars , and The Empire of Gut and Bone . Read the books in order, and I’ll be surprised if you won’t be scrambling for book four like I was! But, please, PLEASE don’t ruin it by reading this review! So, check out M. T. Anderson’s awesome novels and come back on Friday for a TGIF double-review! Last warning to avert your eyes if you haven’t read books 1 through 3… All right! Very little synopsis will be found here, as I don’t want to even kinda spoil your own enjoyment of The Chamber in the Sky . Childhood friends Brian and Gregory are on their way to find someone who can help them stop the Thusser invasion of Earth. The privileged, fluffy-brained Norumbegan’s refuse to believe they’re in any danger, even as Brian and Gregory see ...

Ladies in Waiting is a YA historical fiction/romance novel by Laura L. Sullivan. Three young women are entering the court of King Edward II’s scandalous court. There’s Eliza whom her father wants married off to someone with power and privilege inside the royal circle, as despite their immense wealth they have no say in affairs of the country. Yet he’s held back and frustrated by a promise he made Eliza’s dying mother to let her choose her own husband. Eliza, though, doesn’t have an interest in marrying at all. What she most looks forward to as she enter the Queen’s service as a lady in waiting is the nearness of other playwrights – which is exactly what she wants to be. Beth has been groomed to, against her will, flaunt her beauty of face and form but keep her purity guarded fiercely by a willful, abusive mother that is determined to attach her daughter to someone that will lift them from their place of utter poverty. But she has dreams of true love, and escape from her cruel ...

The Ear, the Eye and the Arm is a middlegrade sci-fi/fantasy novel by Nancy Farmer. In the year 2194, the three children of Zimbabwe’s chief of security are feeling the tingling need for adventure. Their father has kept them essentially cloistered within the secure walls of their estate, worried about what the dangerous city of Harare would do with them. But they figure sneaking out for one day of fun and then hurrying back won’t be so bad. Shortly after leaving, though, they disappear. Their parents call in a detective agency, one of the only ones left, called the Ear, the Eye and the Arm. Their exposure to nuclear waste has given them special powers that will help them find the children faster – or so they hope. The children, meanwhile, are getting a much bigger, far more dangerous adventure than they expected… The Ear, the Eye and the Arm features an intriguing futuristic world full of household robots and Praise singers that hypnotize you with happiness to make you fe...

Dear America: Behind the Masks, The Diary of Angeline Reddy, Bodie, California, 1880 is a middlegrade historical fiction novel by Susan Patron. Angeline Reddy has been living the authentic Wild West life. Her father being a renowned criminal lawyer in the highly criminal town of Bodie proves to be never dull, and often dangerous. So, when Angie’s father is declared murdered – she knows deep in her heart that it isn’t true. She feels it’s up to her to figure out what is really going on. But with her mother ill and the gang of vigilantes called the 601 trying to take control of the town, it’s more complicated than it seems in novels. Yet with the help of new friends Ellie and Ling Loi, Angie believes she can solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance… and the shadowy apparition that seems to be a ghost that is showing up! I read a lot of Dear America books when I was younger, and loved most of all of them. So, this was a bit of nostalgia for me. Behind the Masks has an...

Kitty Steals the Show is an adult paranormal novel by Carrie Vaughn. First off, I do want to let y’all know that is the latest book in the Kitty Norville series – of which this is the 10th book. Though I did read it as my first foray into the series, I wouldn’t recommend it. My suggestion is to look into the series and grab the first book, Kitty and the Midnight Hour , instead. That was just a brief disclosure; as this review will inevitable contain some spoilers from the past nine books. Anywho… Werewolf and radio personality Kitty Norville has been selected to be the keynote speaker at the First International Conference on Paranatural Studies. She gets to travel all the way to London, where it’s taking place, and dodge protestors and activists while pretending to understand all the scientists. It’s definitely interesting; as the conference is bringing a whole bunch of supernatural beings to one location, including vampires. Kitty, her husband Ben, and close friend Cormac a...

The File on Angelyn Stark is a YA contemporary fiction novel by Catherine Atkins. Fifteen-year-old Angelyn once had a neighbor that cared. She was almost like a grandma. But when her real grandson saw something – or thought he saw something – and lied about it, Angelyn’s whole life was ruined. Now, her mother hates her. It seems everything is blamed on Angelyn. Her stepdad won’t even look at her anymore. Rumors swirl around the school that encourage her boyfriend to treat her like crap – and gets all of her friends to abandon her. The only person that seems to like her – to think she might be worth something – is her World Cultures teacher, Mr. Rossi. He tells her she’s smart, that she just needs to try. He’s nice – like her neighbor used to be, before her Mom bullied her out of the neighborhood. He doesn’t even act like a teacher. He acts like a friend… I read Catherine Atkins’ When Jeff Comes Home many years ago and have never forgotten its haunting impact. It was a...

Troubletwisters #1: The Magic is a middlegrade fantasy novel by Garth Nix and Sean Williams. Practically overnight, Jack and Jaide’s lives are turned upside down. They seemed to cause a mysterious explosion, or rather implosion , of their house after their dad returned from a enigmatic trip. Before they know it, their dad takes off and their disgruntled mom, who refuses to answer their questions, takes them to a relative they’ve never met – Grandma X. What the X is for, the twins almost don’t even want to ask. Grandma X’s home is most definitely strange – weather vanes point in the opposite direction of the wind, doors you saw one day might be gone the next, and weirdest of all… cats talk. Jack and Jaide are clueless as to what’s going on – but it appears there’s some kind of magic in them. They’re troubletwisters. And as an evil force is growing, it’s time they learned about what they can do to stop it. I really wanted to like Troubletwisters: The Magic , but I for some r...

Take a Bow is a contemporary fiction YA novel by Elizabeth Eulberg. Emme writes songs – really good songs – and Sophie sings them. That was their blueprint as kids, and that’s the way it’s always been. Her friends in her band tell her Sophie’s using her, but they’ve been friends too long to believe that. Anyway, it frees Emme up to write on a deeper level when she knows that Sophie will be the one singing, not her. Sophie won’t let anything get in the way of her dreams. She will be a star. Snagging rather famous Carter as a boyfriend and cozying up to her best friend Emme to make sure she keeps the songs coming is only part of that plan. Carter has long lived in the shadow of his childhood-star status. He thought going to high school, even a performing arts school like they’re attending, would help him feel normal – but all it’s done is get him special favors in the drama department that he doesn’t want. Maybe normal doesn’t have anything to do with fame for him anymore. Etha...

Green Heart is the combination of two YA novels Green Angel and Green Witch by Alice Hoffman. The day it happened, fifteen-year-old Green was angry and refused to speak to her family as they left. She had wanted to go with them to the city, but they needed her to stay home. Her father, mother, and sister all died in the terrible disaster – leaving Green all alone, and plagued by the memory of her last moments with them. She struggles to survive in a world turned topsy-turvy, a place where nothing wants to grow among the ashes. Green becomes one with the thorny, lifeless realm of her garden – but finds she must allow herself to open back up to life, to possibility… to magic. Even though all she can see is pain. Green Heart was a majestic read! I read The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman years ago and was dumbfounded by it – so I had high expectations, and, my, were they reached! The haunting, mournful, poetic sentences create an almost ethereal, atmospheric tone – a poem...

The Calling is a YA urban paranormal novel, and the second in the Darkness Rising trilogy, by Kelley Armstrong. Oooh boy. Okay, any regular readers of the Bibliophile Support Group will know that I am a HUGE fan of Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers trilogy and really loved the first in the Darkness Rising trilogy The Gathering . Well, here we go again. Get ready for the love! First of all, though, I strongly suggest that anyone who hasn’t read the The Gathering to stay away from this review! I actually would recommend you read the Darkest Powers series first, too – but that’s not as necessary for reading The Calling , just creates the best, in my opinion, overall experience. Anyway, go read the other books! Do NOT spoil the awesome entertainment of them by reading this review first! You can read my review of The Gathering here . Now, all you lucky ducks who have read The Gathering (and hopefully the Darkest Powers trilogy too), feel free to continue… As you’ll recall...

Infinity is a YA dystopia/sci-fi book, and the third and final book in the Numbers series, by Rachel Ward. If you haven’t read Numbers or The Chaos , books one and two, then you definitely shouldn’t read this review! If you have, read on! :) It’s been two years since the Chaos that tore the world apart and revealed Adam’s ability to see the day each person will die when he looks them in the eye. For two years now he and Sarah, her two little brothers, and Sarah’s daughter Mia have been a makeshift family – moving around almost constantly to stay safe from those sure to pursue him. But Sarah’s done running. She’s ready to pick a spot and stay. She’s tired of the numbers and the sadness and the loss. And she knows Adam is too. Her heart yearns for stability, privacy, and a chance to build a life together. Yet people are after them – but is it Adam they are after, or Mia? After all – they’ve never truly understood the implications of that night when Mia’s number changed… ...