Scandal's 2014 Midseason Premier Date

So ABC Network is never satisfied until Scandal fans are shacking and twitching with anticipation.  The hit series does not premier until 27 Feb 2014, unlike most network series that start their midseason premier in January.  I am sure the February premier date will not discourage die hard Scandal fans from tuning in just see what awesome coat Olivia Pope will be wearing that week.

2014 Movie Release Dates: That Matter to Me

2014 MOVIE DATES

Expect my upcoming reviews on the below movie titles this year.  I can't say I am ecstatic about the lineup but this list is not half bad.

OPENING DATE	MOVIE
January 10	The Legend of Hercules
January  10	The Adventurer:  The Curse of the Midas Box
January 10	Raze
January 10	Banshee Chapter
January 17	Ride Along
January 17	Jack Ryan
January 24	I, Frankenstein
February 7	The Lego Movie
February 12	Robocop
February 14	About Last Night
February 21	Pompeii
February 28	The Son of God
February 28	Nonstop
March 7	300: Rise of an Empire
March 21	Divergent
March 28	Noah
April 4	Captain America:  The Winter Soldier
April 4	Jinn
May 2	The Amazing Spiderman 2
May 2	Belle
May 16	Godzilla
May 23	X Men:  Days of future Past
May 30	Maleficent
June 6	Edge of Tomorrow
June 13	How to Train a Dragon 2
June 20	Think Like a Man 2
June 27	Transformer 4:  Age of Extinction
July  11	Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
August 8	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
August  15	Expendables 3
October 3	Gone Girl

Book Review: Stitch (Stitch Trilogy Book 1) By Samantha Durante

Genre: Dystopian & Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Samantha Durante (Self Published)

Publication Date: July 30, 2012
Links:  Amazon     Goodreads

Star Rating

Synopsis 

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

My Overall Impression of the Book:

I was gifted this book by the author for an honest review.  I give Stitch 2 Stars with a caveat.  Although I give this book 2 stars, I will be reading the sequel.  I know I know…if I gave the book two stars, why in the world would I read the second book.  

Well…

To be perfectly honest I would have just given up on the book all together if I was not gifted the book for the purpose of a review.  Simply put…the majority of the book was boring.  I mean somebody shoot me now boring.  The book revolves around Alessa…yet another college student that loses her parents at an early age.  Where have I seen that before…in every romance novel EVER.  But that was not the worse part of the book.  Alessa was just a boring character.  Her life was boring, her friends were boring, even her encounters with the ghost were boring.

To make matter worse, she became obsessed with this ghost.  A ghost that, as a reader, I could care less about.  She spend so much time in the first half of the book researching this dang ghost that I wanted to scream.  Her emotional reaction to the ghost and her feeling toward the ghost made no sense until the last 1/4^th of the book.  By the time the book got interesting…I was already over it.

I just did not love these characters.  This is Samantha Durante’s  first novel, so I am sure that her storytelling will improve with time.  

As stated before, I will read the second book.  The last 1/4th of the book was intriguing enough that I would like to know what happens with the characters.

Book Review: Origin (Lux #4) by Jennifer Armentrout

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance Series
Publisher:  Entangled: Teen (August 27, 2013)

Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Links:  Goodreads Amazon

 

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything.

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on?

And will they even be together?

My Overall Impression of the Book:

Oh Jennifer…you are still amazing.  What can I say about this book?  I liked this book but I did not love it.  It was missing something.  This book did not evoke the same emotion as the first three books in the series did.  If I do not want to want to throw my Kindle across the room at least twice while reading a book, you have failed :-).  I did like the innocent intimacy between Kate and Daemon…who is still awesome by the way!!  This book also had a lot of surprises that I appreciate in this series.  The Origins…now that was a very creative and interesting way to breathe life into the series, keeping things fresh.  One thing I love about the Lux series is that when think you have things figured out, there is always something lurking around the corner!!   This is one of my favorite YA Paranormal Series by far.  I can’t wait for the final book.

Characters

 

Daemon – Love him still!!  There is something about that sexy green eyed alien that makes my toes curl :-).  In this book you get to see a very different side of Daemon.  Don’t get me wrong he is still a jerk and he is still awesome, but he is also very much in love…and you can see this in every action that he makes.  He will do anything, say anything, and destroy anything for Katy.  He was a man on a mission from page one, but this mission is only the beginning.  I can’t wait to see if his love for Katy is strong enough for him to do what’s right in the next book.

Katy – I liked Katy in this book, which is a change from the last book.  In the last book Katy left me royally pissed off, but I think she redeemed herself in this book.  At the end of the day they are all teenagers who are dealing with bad situations, so sometimes there is no right answer.  Her whole life has changed in a matter of a year and she is trying to deal with that.   Can’t wait until the next book to see the kind of woman Katy becomes.  She has some hard choices ahead of her.

Plot and Writing

 

The writing is great as usual.  Ms. Armentrout is a professional.  This is the 4^th installment of the Lux series.  Jennifer has done an excellent job progressing the storyline.  Each book adds something new and fresh about the world of the Lux.   This story was all about sacrifice.  Everyone that was a part of this story sacrificed something for someone else and, I think that was one of the best parts of the book.  The book was also action packed and fast paced.  Yet again we are left with a cliffhanger, but this cliffhanger was not as devastating to me as the last one, but it is still very intense.  I look forward to the final book in the series and the resolution of the Lux and the Origins. 

Book Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

Genre: New Adult Romance
Publisher:  Berkley

Publication Date: October 9, 2012
Links:  Amazon   Goodreads

 

 

Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

My Overall Impression of the Book:

This is the first book I’ve had the pleasure of reading from Tammara Webber, and it will not be the last.  Easy was an exceptional book. I've read many books over the years and this is one of my favorites. The writing and the flow of the story was remarkable and the author kept me engaged during the whole story.  Reading this book gave me a sense of contentment that I have not felt after reading a book in awhile.  This is one of those books that grabs you in the very beginning and never lets you go.

The overall story was powerful because it meant something. They are so many people both young and old that can relate to the situations that happened in this book. The book was empowering and I would suggest it not only to the New Adult crowd, but to anyone. Anyone who is young going off to college or the military should read this book.  The book centers on Jacqueline Wallace who follows her long time boyfriend Kennedy to college only to find out that everything that glitters is not gold, and basing your decisions in life on another person may not be the best idea. 

Caution:  This book deals with sexual assault in a very tasteful manner.  

Lastly, there will not be a sequel to this book.  I am usually disappointed when I love a book and there is not a sequel, but the story is so strong and meaningful that a sequel is not needed and I respect the author’s decision completely.  The plot and writing in this book was spot on.  

 

Characters

 

Lucus – Was the hero and I loved him. I thought I would not find a hero I loved more than Christen Grey and I was so wrong. Lucas was a protector and so selfless. He was such a great character. He was not over powering like a lot of heroes, but he was able to get his point across. He was so caring and attentive but not sappy and annoying. He was wonderful and his back story was so interesting and heartbreaking.

 

Jackie – Is a heroine I really love.  She was not weak (and not a freaking virgin thank goodness :-).  Not that I have anything against virgins, but there are far too many books focused on “innocent virgin” college girls.  She was a strong woman and I loved how she evolved during the story. That is so true of anyone who goes through a break-up with someone they adored for a long period of time.  I loved how she finally realized who she was as a woman, and how she fought for her happiness with Lucas. Usually the hero is doing all the chasing in love stories, but in this story they chased each other.