The Ghost of You and Me

From Goodreads:

"The tragic death of Spencer Schott unravels the lives of the two people he loved most—his girlfriend Bailey and his best friend Wes. Secrets and guilt from that fateful night keep both Bailey and Wes from overcoming Spencer’s loss and moving on with their lives.

Now, nearly a year later, both Bailey and Wes are still so broken over what happened that Spencer can’t find peace in the afterlife. In order to put his soul to rest, he’s given one chance to come back and set things right...even if that means setting up his girlfriend with his best friend.

With the emotional resonance of Jellicoe Road and the magical realism of The Lovely Bones, The Ghost of You and Me is a story about overcoming grief, finding redemption for past mistakes, and the healing power of friendship and love."

***

This is newest book from one of my favorite authors! It's very serious, which is to be expected, given the subject matter, but still light-hearted in all the right places, demonstrating Kelly's talent with balancing tone. It's really a great story about grief and love and understanding and the power of true friends. The voice is excellent and drew me in. The compelling emotions of everyone involved made me cheer Spencer on and root for his success as he tried to help the loved ones he'd left behind. The Ghost of You and Me was an emotional journey and COMPLETELY worth it.

Gentle Reader Alert:  A few PG-level swears.

Stage Kissed

From Goodreads:

"Sixteen-year-old Kate knows how to juggle. From basketball practices to her shifts at Jamba Juice, Kate flies through her days wondering if she got a decent meal. When she lands a role in the school play, adding yet another task to her already full schedule, Kate starts fumbling through her routine, resorting to desperate measures to get the grades expected of her.

Co-worker and classmate Seth isn’t much of a juggler. Crowds and attention? Not his thing. So witnessing Kate’s ability to handle it all leaves Seth in awe. He could never do it. But then one of the leading actors in the play gets tonsillitis days before opening night, and Kate volunteers Seth to replace him. With his eidetic memory and killer dance moves, Seth’s the obvious choice—if it weren’t for his social anxiety.

With Seth’s growing—and unwanted—popularity and Kate spreading herself too thin, they start to wonder if their friendship will even last through the performances. But putting these two into a romance on stage has an effect neither of them could predict."

***
This was such a charming and wonderful book. TOTALLY worth the sleep I sacrificed for it. I loved Kate's bluntness and fresh voice. I saw the effect of her flaws, but she made realizations and determined to fix them on her own. SO. SPLENDID. She didn't have anyone beating her over the head to make better life choices, which was very in line with her character.

Seth was a fantastic character--he didn't need to change, but got out of his comfort zone nonetheless for Kate. I loved the balance of his highly analytical side with his ability to laugh with Kate and finding ways to teach her.

The relationship built slowly and was beautifully done--the groundwork was laid subtly and well. Kate and Seth complement each other and don't try to change each other--they work with the other person's limitations instead of against them.

This was a really, REALLY well-written story. I read it in one sitting because I loved the characters so much. I highly recommend it.

Gentle Reader Alert: A few PG-level swears.

Blissfully Married

From Goodreads:


"Sidney’s matchmaking business is suffering. When her best friend convinces her to put on a fake engagement ring to boost customer confidence in her, she reluctantly agrees. Couldn’t hurt to try, right? And when her childhood crush comes walking in, she’s glad to have her fake engagement as an excuse not to get involved with him. He shattered her heart ten years ago, and she can’t take another painful Blake incident.

Blake can’t believe it when he sees Sidney, all grown up. She looks amazing. But she’s also off limits, or so he thinks. When he finds out she’s not really engaged, he’s confused as to why Sidney would lie to him. He makes it his goal to coax the truth out of her, even if he has to go to great lengths to do it."

****
Blissfully Married has a good, solid plot, likable characters, and resolves neatly. There's nothing gripping, make you stay up all night and sacrifice your sleep to get to the end, or exciting--it's a perfectly lovely fluffy read, with just enough resistance to Blake by Sidney to keep the reader hooked. There's a certain reliance on telling instead of showing, which will always stick out to me because it drives me nuts, but it doesn't detract from the delightful push-and-pull between our leading guy and gal. Definitely give it a shot when you're in the mood for something light.

Gentle Reader Alert: I found nothing of concern.

Senior Year Bites

From Goodreads:

"Senior year is supposed to be fun: boys, dances and graduation. It’s significantly harder to enjoy it when you’re dead.

Thanks to an innocent game of Truth or Dare, I wound up sleeping in a graveyard. Probably not the brightest thing I’ve ever done, but thanks to a couple of well-placed fangs, I’m here to tell the tale.

Vampires might stalk pop culture, but they’re just myths, right? Yeah. Not so much…

Everything seems a lot more difficult when you’re a nocturnal creature of the night, especially school. I was managing, but couldn’t keep it hidden from my friends. Steph decided that we should be cool, like superheroes, and fight crime.

I’m a vampire, not a hero. Living in a sleepy New England town, crime is a little harder to come by. At least it is until a serial killer moves into the area. He’s got the authorities stumped, but then again, the cops don’t have a teenage, blood-sucking, non-hero on their team. It doesn’t take long for me to discover the world is full of monsters. I may be one of them…but will I turn out to be the hero, or the killer everyone is looking for."

***
This was fun and gripping--the characters were great and the plot was tight. Meg is genuine and smart, Steph and Ann are great friends and their loyalty to each other was refreshing. The characters that Meg ended up meeting as a result of her transformation were unexpected and turned out to be pretty awesome--I loved the way her new friends rallied around her. The story has good layers and an excellent ending. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Gentle Reader Alert: There is some language, including a few f-bombs.

Perfectly Oblivious

From Goodreads:
"Cameron Bates (Cam) could have almost any girl at Franklin High School…except for the one he wants. Unfortunately Bebe seems to be immune to his flirty charm and good looks, which means one of two things: a) she’s completely oblivious to how he feels, or b) she’s just not into him. If that’s the case, declaring his love would be disastrous for their friendship.

Bianca Barnes (Bebe) has a huge problem: the universe hates her. Every time she admits feelings for a boy, he ends up falling for her sweet, popular, and beautiful sister Beth. To avoid a broken heart, Bebe has sworn herself to secrecy. Nobody can know how she feels about Cam…Ever!

Neither person wants to confess their feelings, but the universe has its own plan. Out of the blue, Bebe is courted by a secret admirer. Cam has to step up his game and Bebe has to make a choice. Play it safe and accept the affections of her mystery man or challenge fate and take a chance on the boy she loves."

***
This is a charming debut novel by Robin Daniels, sister of Kelly Oram (the writing gene is strong with this family!). The tension between Bianca and Cam, created by their own ridiculous personal rules that sprang from their own very believable insecurities, was taut and well-played. I loved Bianca's spunk and Cameron's cocky confidence--their characters were very well-rounded. Even Cam's overly feminine attempts at wooing--most likely brought on by the fact that he's surrounded by females ALL THE TIME--worked, and worked well. The high school setting was believable and the ending was a good combination of convoluted and fun. I really enjoyed this novel.

Gentle Reader Alert:  There were some PG-level swears, but that's it.

Cinder Heart

From Goodreads:
"Sixteen-year-old Gabriella just wants to finish high school without ticking off her stepmom and being forced out of her father’s house. When she finds out she’s the girl prophesied about in the fairytale Cinderella, her world gets turn upside-down.

Things get worse when the cute senior, Hal Charm, finally discovers that she exists. Add a fairy godmother, the powers of fire and speed, and a villain other than her stepmom and Gabbie’s life goes up in flames.

Now she's forced to decide between ignoring her destiny to save her friendships, or risking discovery to become the hero she needs to be."

***
Oh, how I wanted to love this book! The idea was interesting and I wanted to see how it all came together. But the execution was choppy and erratic, there was far too much telling and not enough showing, and it ended up not being a pleasant read at all. The characters seemed interesting and the story really could have gone somewhere. It had potential. Unfortunately, that potential needed to be brought out with a lot more polishing.

Silver Screen Kisses

Buckle up, because here's the *synopsis* of this 400+ page book from Goodreads:

"Silver Screen Kisses is a collection of stories inspired by movies from everyone’s favorite list. Written by award-winning and bestselling authors, these contemporary romances take the reader back to Echo Ridge in the spring, when the promise of new love is budding just like the tulips around the Emerald Inn Bed & Breakfast.

My Fair Lacey by Janette Rallison
 Lacey Johnson has dreamed of opening a restaurant for years. All she needs is one little loan to make it happen. But with the way Lacey talks and dresses, she looks more like someone who would hold up a bank than someone who’d ever get a loan from one. When Garrett Halifax, her roommate’s Harvard-educated brother, volunteers to change her image and teach her to speak correctly, she jumps at the chance. But she quickly finds she’s in over her head. Pretending to fit in with the town’s elite is harder than she thought, and despite her best efforts, she’s falling for Garrett. Could someone who is handsome, rich, and educated ever consider her as more than just a project? A contemporary twist on My Fair Lady, this is a story that is sure to please Echo Ridge fans.

You’ve Got Email by Heather Tullis
 Maria never expected to fall in love with a man she’d never met, but she can’t wait to get to her laptop every night to chat with Bobwhite67. She would be happy to focus on getting to know him better, but her two jobs and two sons keep her ridiculously busy. Then there’s her ex-husband’s bookie, who’s impatiently waiting for the last couple payments on his debt.

Bret can’t help but notice how hard the beautiful Maria works and the similarities she has with the Zoomama he’s been talking with online. Though he really wants to make things easier for her, Bret accidentally gets her in hot water with both of her bosses. Can he get Maria to give him a chance in the real world and not just online?

The Princess Bride of Riodan by Rachelle J. Christensen
 When a mysterious man offers to help Elise redecorate the old Bed & Breakfast, she gladly hands him a wallpaper steamer. After she discovers his true identity, she doesn’t know whether to curtsy or run and hide. Unfortunately, hiding isn’t an option because her heart is already tangled up with the handsome prince. At the same time, Elise’s old crush from high school wants a relationship and she’s forced to decide whether to chase after a fairy tale ending or stay grounded in reality.

My Best Man’s Wedding by Cami Checketts
 Jessica Mason made a vow to marry her best guy friend, Josh, when they turned thirty. When Josh calls with the news that he's coming home to Echo Ridge for his wedding, Jessica is determined to break up the happy couple and take her rightful place as his bride. Gentry Trine, a coworker, agrees to pretend to be her fiancé to stir up feelings of jealousy. However, Jessica didn't realize fake fiancés could kiss like champions, and make a girl smile nonstop. Can she figure out which is the right man for her before she loses them both?

While You Were Skiing by Lucy McConnell
 Mia Davis’s new job in guest relations at Ruby Mountain Ski Resort gets complicated when the gorgeous Ryder Montgomery falls off the ski lift, tells everyone they are engaged, and then loses consciousness. Worried about a head injury, Mia plays along, making him lunch, kissing in the front entryway and planning a future together; a future Mia wants with all of her heart. Things become all the more complicated when Ryder’s estranged family gets involved. Caught up in the fantasy and romance, Mia has to tell the truth or risk losing a part of herself and the man she loves forever."

***

My Fair Lacey--As always, Janette Rallison's writing cracked me up. I love reading her books for the tremendous humor as well as the sizzling romance. This My Fair Lady knockoff has great characters and a fantastically tight and twisty plot. Loved every minute of it.

You've Got Email was good set up and looked to be suspenseful. I wondered how the characters were going to get themselves out of the situation, but then it just...fizzled. Missed opportunity for great suspense and relationship building.

The Princess Bride of Riodan--Oh my. Such good characters! Elise, the heroine, was a little bland but I found myself rooting for her anyway. LOVED the inclusion of iconic Princess Bride lines and the fantastic way they were worked into the dialogue in situations that had nothing to do with the movie.

My Best Man's Wedding--So, the best man came out of nowhere, but the guy friend and the romance sizzled. Loved that the heroine got over herself quickly and followed her generous heart. Good read.

While You Were Skiing--This was a great story. Characters had depth, the plot was well done without being a carbon copy of the inspiration movie, and I actually wasn't sure who was going to get the girl at first. Loved the inclusion of the WYWS lines and actions (post it notes for important documents FTW!). Adorable story.

I loved how the stories tied each other together, but stood well on their own. They were all clean reads that still had smoldering romances. Well done anthology. I highly recommend it.