Goodreads Blurb

Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him?

Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter, while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Familyasks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?

My Review

A page turner thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. How far will you go to save your perfect family? Can the pastor father protect his daughter and find the true killer? Will the lawyer mom do everything in her power to save her daughter no matter what is at stake? 

Stella wasn’t the perfect daughter. She was spontaneous and did the opposite of what she was told to do. Her love for her best friend Amina will push boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed. This legal thriller kept my interest and agony until the very end. Will a motive be found for the death of Chris and can you really prove Stella did it? I liked that the story was written in 3 different points of view. You find out her pastor father wasn’t as ethical as one might think. He did his personal investigation to find the true murderer to have his baby girl released. The relation between Stella and her dad was strong. He was always trying to protect her from her own self. Then the story switched to Stella and her bond for Amina is very eminent throughout her story. A bond so strong will keep secrets at bay and have you suffer in order to protect. Stella’s mom wished Amina was her daughter and would stop at nothing to protect Amina with secrets and betrayal to save the future. Will the perfect family leave this nightmare unscathed? You will need to read it to find out! I rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

M. T. Edvardsson is an author and teacher from Trelleborg, Sweden. He is the author of three previous novels and two books for young readers in Sweden. He lives with his family in Löddeköpinge, Sweden.

Celadon Interview with Author

https://celadonbooks.com/a-nearly-normal-family-author-m-t-edvardsson/?fbclid=IwAR1dRrHpdyCPfrCaS6X5z7pghY80CnP5wOV0auXUrI1zF9fM0iKU9a9SvQk

Goodreads Blurb

England, 1815: Two travelers—Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane—arrive in a field, disheveled and weighed down with hidden money. They are not what they seem, but colleagues from a technologically advanced future, posing as a doctor and his spinster sister. While Rachel and Liam aren’t the first team of time travelers, their mission is the most audacious yet: meet, befriend, and steal from Jane Austen.

Carefully selected and rigorously trained by The Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics, disaster-relief doctor Rachel and actor-turned-scholar Liam have little in common except their extraordinary circumstances. Circumstances that call for Rachel to stifle her independent nature and let Liam take the lead as they infiltrate Austen’s circle via her favorite brother, Henry.

But diagnosing Jane’s fatal illness and obtaining an unpublished novel hinted at in her letters pose enough of a challenge without the convolutions of living a lie. While her friendship with Jane deepens and her relationship with Liam grows complicated, Rachel fights to reconcile her true self with the constrictions of 19th century society. As their portal to the future prepares to close, Rachel and Liam struggle with their directive to leave history as they found it…however heartbreaking that proves.

My Review

Absolutely a brilliant novel. Who wouldn’t like to time travel to save Jane Austen’s life? I loved both Rachel and Liam. They worked well together to get their mission accomplished. But sometimes things don’t go as planned. We as humans always have that need to help others who are in need. If you change something from the past this can cause an effect to events from the past and the present. I loved the interaction between them and Jane. I had my unanswered questions of knowing more about her. I wish we had more wonderful novels from Jane Austen. I was a little sad with the outcome of Rachel and Liam’s return. I was hoping that they were able to proceed with their mission, while not causing an effect to the future. Can we time travel and try to make changes while not changing our current life? One day we might find out. I rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

Kathleen A. Flynn grew up in tiny Falls Village, Conn., the daughter of an electrician and a kindergarten teacher. Currently a copy editor at The New York Times and resident of Brooklyn, Flynn has taught English in Hong Kong, washed dishes on Nantucket, and is a life member of the Jane Austen Society of North America.

Goodreads Blurb

hane has been doing college all wrong. Pre-med, stellar grades, and happy parents…sounds ideal—but Shane’s made zero friends, goes home every weekend, and romance…what’s that? 

Her life has been dorm, dining hall, class, repeat. Time’s a ticking, and she needs a change—there’s nothing like moving to a new country to really mix things up. Shane signs up for a semester abroad in London. She’s going to right all her college mistakes: make friends, pursue boys, and find adventure! 

Easier said than done. She is soon faced with the complicated realities of living outside her bubble, and when self-doubt sneaks in, her new life starts to fall apart. 

Shane comes to find that, with the right amount of courage and determination one can conquer anything. Throw in some fate and a touch of magic—the possibilities are endless. 

My Review

A witty, funny, adventurous story with a second chance in finding true love and creating the life you always dreamed of. I really resonated with this story. Shane and I have plenty in common. I felt exactly like her the fear of traveling abroad by yourself and knowing deep in your heart what you want to do in life, but not having the courage to stand up for what you love. I truly enjoyed every minute of this book. I enjoyed the trips to Paris, Italy, Scotland and where the story took place in London. I haven’t traveled to Europe but looking forward to going soon. Paris would be my first stop. It’s great to see a young person enjoy life to its fullest, while finding love. Christine gave us a quirky fun time travel story filled with friendships, love, adventures, downfalls, reality, but most of all the power to change all that went wrong in Shane’s life and made her stand up for what she loved doing and fought and worked hard to get there. I laughed throughout the story with Shane and her mishaps with the chairs. It was fun to have a time travel piece to this story. Shane and Pilot had the opportunity of a lifetime to change their life and they jumped right on it. Time traveling is an awesome idea, but we still haven’t scientifically figured that possibility out. We can still change our lives because opportunities are always there, we just have to be willing to work hard and never give up. I rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

Christine Riccio has been on a quest to encourage more humans to read since the third grade. No one really listened until she started making videos about books on Youtube in 2010. Now her channel PolandbananasBOOKS has over 390,000 book-loving subscribers. She makes comedic book reviews, vlogs, sketches, and writing videos chronicling the creation of her own novel. She’s also one of the three YouTubers behind BOOKSPLOSION. Originally from New Jersey, Christine graduated from Boston University in 2012 with a degree in Film and TV and now lives in Los Angeles, CA. Other hobbies include hot yoga and oatmeal. 

Goodreads Blurb

There are many adventures waiting for Landon in the big city he loves so much… but first, he needs lunch. Join Landon and his mom as they explore the yummy foods that are created in some really cool food trucks.

My Review

An adorable book where Landon and his mom go in search for food in NYC. His mother brings him to diverse food trucks for him to decide what he wants to eat. He enjoyed all the unique food trucks and foods, but at the end NYC hot dogs was his choice. I loved the illustrations. Landon’s mom had fun newspaper leggings. The colors were vibrant and the diverse food trucks was a great idea. Kids will enjoy this fun travel to NYC food trucks.

My Review

Super adorable and interactive. Children will enjoy the illustrations and all the fun things the little monster says to do to make his monster friend smile. I loved the vivid colors and the illustrations. I followed all the rules to make sure I make the monster smile 😀. Everyone will enjoy! I rated 4 our of 5 stars.

Author Biography

Tomi is a mover, shaker, and baby maker – which in actuality means she enjoys a good dance party in the kitchen and is a mom to two monsters of her own creation.

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Tomi has spent the better part of a decade zigzagging the country, following a boy in a military uniform she fell head over heels in love with almost 15 years ago. The Army life has been adventurous and challenging, but she has learned to embrace the journey. 

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Things that make Tomi smile: a quiet weekend with her little family, peanut butter, using only GIFs to text, civic engagement, when she and her husband agree on what to watch on Netflix before one of them falls asleep, and all things birthdays!

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Tomi is from Kansas and is currently a Political Science instructor and contributor for Wichita Moms Blog.

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How to Make a Monster Smile was written after a day in the trenches of parenting a toddler. Tomi most likely served snack in the wrong color bowl, the sun was way too bright, and the tag on her daughter’s shirt was exceptionally itchy. The two of them needed to pivot; they needed to dance, laugh, and shake off those Grumpies. They needed to smile. 

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Tomi loves filling her children’s shelves with books they all enjoy reading. If you are going to read the same book over and over again, it might as well be one that you makes you and your little monster smile!

My Review

A fun book to read to your little ones before they go to bed. The little girl in the story didn’t want to go to bed. Her mother created a jungle filled with animals while combining lyrics making it feel like they were in the jungle with the animals. You will encounter owls who “who”, a bear who will be lonely, growls, hisses, trumpets and meows. It’s interactive and fun for children. I rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2017 Children’s Literature Legacy Award, the 2016 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include the much-honored books Garvey’s Choice, ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade, and Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin’s Notebook, Talkin’ About Bessie, Dark Sons, Words with Wings, and The Road to Paris. Creator of the popular Meet Danitra Brown, Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California.

Goodreads Blurb

Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they’ll find seven months after the invasion?

Meanwhile, Kady’s cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza’s ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha’s past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict.

With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.

My Review

An adventurous ending to this wonderful series. Amie and Jay truly created a series that no one else has ventured. I loved how the book was told through text, emails, video retelling and images. It provides the reader a sense of what each character looks like and what they are going through. I was very happy with the final outcome. The Illuminae team fought to the very end for freedom, equality and humanity. Cheers to an amazing series that took me through space and saw that good always beats evil. I rated 5 out of 5 Stars.

Author Biography

Amie Kaufman is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her multi-award winning work is slated for publication in over 30 countries, and is in development for film and TV. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law and conflict resolution. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, their rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library.

Jay Kristoff is the #1 international, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, THE ILLUMINAE FILES and THE LOTUS WAR. He is the winner of five Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, has over half a million books in print and is published in over thirty five countries, most of which he has never visited. He is as surprised about all of this as you are. He is 6’7 and has approximately 12,000 days to live. 

He does not believe in happy endings.

Goodreads Blurb

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminaecontinues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

My Review

What an amazing book. I just love all the action in this series. It’s great when the heroes are teenagers who are there to fight to the end. If you love space travel with alien like creatures killing everyone off, plus a killing squad then look no further. This was a non stop thriller. Plus it’s so enjoyable reading a book that is written in a nontraditional way. All the emails, images and texts plus documents makes this story so interesting and engaging. Thanks for writing a wonderful book. I rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

Amie Kaufman is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her multi-award winning work is slated for publication in over 30 countries, and is in development for film and TV. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law and conflict resolution. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, their rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library.

Jay Kristoff is the #1 international, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, THE ILLUMINAE FILES and THE LOTUS WAR. He is the winner of five Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, has over half a million books in print and is published in over thirty five countries, most of which he has never visited. He is as surprised about all of this as you are. He is 6’7 and has approximately 12,000 days to live. 

He does not believe in happy endings.

Goodreads Blurb

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

My Review

I got this book from First on Line and was very happy I had the amazing opportunity to review such an amazing story of love, courage, strength, determination, and the will to survive. The story started off with a huge bang and ended with a bigger bang. It had my mine rolling over its own intelligence while the story kept on plotting for the next danger. Kady and Ezra will be together in my heart forever. Such strong willed young teens were able to survive and find that love was still amiss all the havoc. My heart broke when kady thought that going to the ship Alexander was the only way to save Ezra and she finds out she was wrong. I was heartbroken and scared that she had to try to bring Aidan back (who was central intelligence that was controlling everything) while having to go through a ship infested with humans that were contaminated. I felt every emotion, fear and helplessness that Kady had to live through in order for her to save everyone. My favorite part is the this book was written in email, text and image format. Is definitely nothing you have ever read before. This is an amazing series. I rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

Amie Kaufman is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her multi-award winning work is slated for publication in over 30 countries, and is in development for film and TV. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law and conflict resolution. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, their rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library.

Jay Kristoff is the #1 international, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, THE ILLUMINAE FILES and THE LOTUS WAR. He is the winner of five Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, has over half a million books in print and is published in over thirty five countries, most of which he has never visited. He is as surprised about all of this as you are. He is 6’7 and has approximately 12,000 days to live. 

He does not believe in happy endings.

Goodreads Blurb

‘How long have you been sitting out here?’
‘I got here yesterday.’
‘Where did you come from?’
‘I have no idea.’

East Yorkshire: Single mum Alice Lake finds a man on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, no idea what he is doing there. Against her better judgement she invites him in to her home.

Surrey: Twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.

Two women, twenty years of secrets and a man who can’t remember lie at the heart of Lisa Jewell’s brilliant new novel.

My Review

This thriller was one of the top reads for 2017. Lisa Jewell has left me with tears in my eyes after this heart breaking story. This book grasped my attention from the very first sentence. It started off breaking the chapters in the present with a man who doesn’t know who he is and a women missing her husband. Then it would take you to the dreadful year 1993, that takes you to a gripping and horrifying event. This truly is a story that we should all remember. People’s true colors are not seen right away. Some people are more sensitive and can feel when someone doesn’t have good intentions. What I learned from this book “people are like onions, you need to peel a piece each day to truly see who they truly are”. Please don’t miss this incredible book. It will alter you life forever.  I rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

She worked for the fashion chain Warehouse for three years as a PR assistant and then for Thomas Pink, the Jermyn Street shirt company for four years as a receptionist and PA. She started her first novel, Ralph’s Party, for a bet in 1996. She finished it in 1997 and it was published by Penguin books in May 1998. It went on to become the best-selling debut novel of that year.

She has since written a further nine novels, as is currently at work on her eleventh.

She now lives in an innermost part of north London with her husband Jascha, an IT consultant, her daughters, Amelie and Evie and her silver tabbies, Jack and Milly.