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A Shade of a Vampire Series

August 26, 2017 by Leah Leave a Comment

When it comes to vampire stories, I was all about Twilight. I read the books and saw the movies, and I actually liked them. People would suggest other vampire stories to me and they just never really caught my interest. However, a friend of mine suggested I give this vampire series she’s been reading a try, I figured, “what the heck”. I really do like series books (especially the Alex Cross series by James Patterson) and the Shade of a Vampire series did have a lot of books out, which is another thing I really like about series books, so I did what I do anytime I about to read a new book. I went to Amazon to check out the description.

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About A Shade of a Vampire Series

On the evening of Sofia Claremont’s seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake. A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to The Shade, an enchanted island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine – an island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is selected out of hundreds of girls to take up residence in the tree-top harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? Or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

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My Thoughts

When I started reading A Shade of a Vampire, I was very skeptical. Like I said, I had already done the whole “sparkly vampire” thing. And, besides the Twilight series, I was not really into reading about vampires. Bella Forrest changed my mind on that very quickly! Almost instantly I was drawn into the character of Sophia and her relationship with Derek Novak. I found myself rooting for them! When the first book ended, I quickly downloaded the second one. And the rest, they say, is history…I’m currently reading book number 48!

A Shade Of Vampire A Shade of Vampire 2: A Shade of Blood A Shade of Vampire 3: A Castle of Sand

Sometimes I find myself drifting off in a book and not paying as close attention as I should be. Not because I’m not interested in the book (though, that is the reason sometimes), but mainly because I have a lot on my mind. When that happens, I often have to go back and reread a passage to see who’s point of view that particular chapter is in. That bugs me. Bella Forrest does it a little differently, and I love what she does. Each chapter starts with a characters name. That entire chapter is in that characters point of view. I really enjoy that style. Especially if a particular scene is told in multiple characters point of view. It allows for you to really delve deeper into the book.

Books in the Series

Like I said above, right now there are currently 48 books out. These 48 books are broken into their own mini series within the bigger series.

Derek and Sophia’s story (series 1, books 1-7)
Rose and Caleb’s story (series 2, books 8-16)
The Shade Continues with a New Hero (series 3, books 17-24)
A Clan of Novaks (series 4, books 25-32)
A Dawn of Guardians (series 5, books 33-41)
A Gift of Three (series 6, books 42+)

If you were to ask me which series out of the six is my favorite, I would say series six. While I like them all, series six has been my favorite. Each series gets better and better.

Kindle Paperwhite E-reader – Black, 6 Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Leather Case, Onyx Black – fits all Paperwhite generationsIf your

Another great thing about this vampire series is that it’s not just about vampires! You have werewolf’s, witches, goblins, and other paranormal creatures! I would recommend this series for adults that love a quick easy read, but also for teens that are looking for a good young adult novel series to start reading.

Definitely check the series out. If you have Kindle Unlimited, the books are free! Join Amazon Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial. So what are you waiting for? Get the free trial of Kindle Unlimited and read a couple A Shade of a Vampire books to see if you like the series!

What is your favorite genre of books to read?

Kindle E-Reader – Perfect for Back to School

August 22, 2017 by Leah Leave a Comment

Kids are starting to go back to school (mine don’t go back until the day after Labor Day) and parents are scrambling around to get the best deals on markers, notebooks, and other back to school supplies. One thing that you may not realize your kid needs, but could prove to be a good thing to have, is a Kindle e-reader. Not only could it be great to have for the classroom, but it is also great for trips, reading at night, etc.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

Now, before you look at me like I have two heads and tell me I’m crazy for suggesting this, hear me out. When my son went to middle school, it was a requirement that they always had a silent reading book with them. They had mandatory silent reading time in homeroom, as well as plenty of other times throughout the day as they finished class work. If they ever forgot to bring a silent reading book to class, they would get in trouble. Kids shouldn’t have to take more than one book with them just because they are close to finishing one of them. Because, who needs that extra added weight?!?

About the Kindle E-Reader

If you aren’t familiar with a Kindle, you need to be! I got one almost two years ago and it is my absolute favorite gift I’ve ever gotten. There are four different Kindle e-reader options:

Kindle
Kindle Paperwhite
Kindle Voyage
Kindle Oasis

Kindle E-reader – Black, 6 Kindle Paperwhite E-reader – Black, 6 Kindle Voyage E-reader, 6 Kindle Oasis E-reader with Leather Charging Cover – Black, 6

The Kindle is your basic e-reader device. It is lightweight, as are the other three, but it has a lower resolution and it is not backlit so you cannot read in the dark with it, unless you have a light of some sort (like possibly this light). Each of the other three types of Kindles offer a higher resolution, a built in-light, plus other features. I have the Kindle Paperwhite and personally prefer that one over the others. The price point is perfect and it does what I need it to do.

Why Is It Good For School?

You may still be asking yourself, “why does my child need a Kindle e-reader for school?”. The answer is, he or she doesn’t need it, but it may come in handy for a number of reasons. Nowadays, kids are carrying so much stuff to school. An added book or two for silent reading could potentially make things a lot heavier or awkward to carry. With a Kindle, they can have literally thousands of books on there; it stays charged for weeks at a time; it is lightweight; and it doesn’t take up much room.

Doesn’t that sound like a good idea? Plus, they can borrow books from your local public library or sign up for Kindle Unlimited. With Kindle Unlimited, you have thousands upon thousands of books at your fingertips, all for a small monthly fee. I personally love having Kindle Unlimited! Sign up for a free 30 day trial to see how you like it!

Be sure to check out the different Kindle e-reader options and pick one up today while they are on sale! Happy back to school shopping!

Hilo The Boy Who Crashed to Earth

August 21, 2017 by Leah Leave a Comment

Getting kids to read can be a chore sometimes. I know when I was a kid, the vast majority of the books were geared towards little girls. Now that I have both a son and a daughter and times have changed a bit, the books still seem to be geared towards girls. Having a daughter that is not interested in girly things, finding books for her (other than non-fiction books. She loves those) can be difficult. That is…until we found the Hilo series of graphic novels.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

About the Hilo Series

The Hilo series is written by Judd Winick. It is often compared to Calvin and Hobbes, Big Nate and Bones. All amazing comics and graphic novels that kids love.

D.J. and his friend Gina are totally normal kids. But Hilo isn’t! Hilo doesn’t know where he came from, or what he’s doing on Earth. (Or why going to school in only your underwear is a BAD idea!) . . . But UH-OH, what if Hilo wasn’t the only thing to fall to our planet? Can the trio unlock the secrets of Hilo’s past? Can Hilo SURVIVE a day at school? Find out in HILO-a laugh-out-loud, epic story of friendship! Adventure! (And the occasionally mutant robot ant).

Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth Hilo Book 2: Saving the Whole Wide World Hilo Book 3: The Great Big Boom Hilo Book 4: Waking the Monsters

My daughter loves the Hilo series so much so that when my mother in-law told the kids they could pick something from Amazon, she chose to get two books from the series! Books three and four will definitely be purchased for her for Christmas! I know some people aren’t fond of graphic novels and feel that they are not really reading if they “read” one, but I disagree. If a graphic novel is what a child chooses to read, then we need to be thankful they have a book in their hands and continue to encourage it!

This series is recommend for kids between the ages of 10 and 12. However, I can definitely see kids younger than 10 liking the series too.

Do your kids like graphic novels? Which ones do they like?

Alex Cross Series by James Patterson

August 20, 2017 by Leah 12 Comments

One of my favorite things to read are series books. I get so invested in the characters that I just want to read more and more with them in it. The Alex Cross series by James Patterson is the first series I remember reading. I read my first one about 20 years years ago and I was hooked from the start. Not only did James Patterson immediately become my favorite author, but Alex Cross became my favorite character.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

If you aren’t familiar with James Patterson, then you need to stop what you are doing and pick up one of his books right now. If you like series books like I do, then you will want to give the Alex Cross books a try. The first book in the series is Along Came A Spider. And yes…it was eventually made into a movie that, if you haven’t seen it yet, you need to (after you read the book, of course)!

Along Came A Spider Along Came a Spider

About Alex Cross and Along Came a Spider

Alex Cross is a homicide detective with the D.C. police department. Having a degree in psychology, with a special concentration in abnormal psychology and forensic psychology, Alex Cross is able to get into the minds of the criminals he’s after.

Life changes for Deputy Chief of Detectives Alex Cross when he is drawn into a high-profile case. Two nine-year-old children are kidnapped by a teacher, Gary Soneji, from the prestigious Washington Day School. Maggie Rose Dunne is the daughter of an actress, and Michael “Shrimpie” Goldberg is the son of the Secretary of Treasury. A ransom of $10 million is demanded.

Just from the blurb on the back of Along Came a Spider, I was hooked. Little did I know, I would also become hooked on the character of Alex Cross and begin 20 years of reading the Alex Cross series (newest one comes out in November). James Patterson does an excellent job with character development. You really get to know all of the characters in each of his books. I truly believe that his strong point, as an author, is his various series he has on the market. With strong character development, you become invested in the characters as if you truly knew them and you want to read more with them!

With close to 25 books in the series already out, you will have plenty of books to keep you busy! My favorite way to start a new series is when there are several books already out! For a complete list of the books in this series and the order you should read them in, visit the official James Patterson website.