Destined by Tess Oliver (Years from Home #3)

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance
Publication Date: June 29th 2013
POV: Alternating - First-person, Past tense
My Rating: 4 out of 5

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All Poppy Seabrooke wants is to marry the man she loves, Cade Tanner, but she has unwittingly signed a blood pact promising herself in marriage to Angus Wolfe, a powerful warlock. And in the witch’s realm, the pact is unbreakable. Now unless the past can be changed, happiness is forever out of her reach.

Cade Tanner would follow Poppy Seabrooke to hell and everywhere in between if it meant she’d be his forever. When Poppy’s powerful aunt and grandmother devise a scheme to break the pact with Angus, Cade and Poppy are transported back to fifteenth century England. But Cade soon finds that Angus Wolfe isn’t the last of his troubles.

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This was a great conclusion to Cade and Poppy's story. We visit a third new world, meet new characters, and have new adventures. I loved the setting in this one. I have always been intrigued by the time period and I loved seeing Cade adapt so well. Except for his jealousy. I thought he was being very foolish about that.

I liked Colin and Pearl and I am sad that I won't see them again. In a way, this story felt incomplete or that it could be revisted in the future. Cade and Poppy are safe and together and happy, but Angus is still out there, and the Council is still corrupt. They saved themselves but not their world. I suppose that is more than I should expect from them, but I am just used to stories where the characters go all the way to solve all the problems they see, especially in all the dystopians I have read.

Although a sacrifice was made in order for them to be together, I am so happy that they finally are. The ending reminded me why I loved Distraction so much. It was my favourite from this series, and this would be my second. I felt like I didn't see enough of Cade and Poppy together in this one. While they were on their mission in the past they didn't get a lot of opportunity to be together and I was beginning to really miss that by the end of the book.

Another reason why this story felt like it could be revisited is because of Mari and Jackson. I would love for Mari to find happiness like her sister but it was unclear whether or not that had happened. All the book said was that they had become inseparable. That's a word usually used to describe friends or children, and I don't know if I would be reading too much into it to assume they were more than friends. But I choose to assume that they are.

So, a great conclusion to the series, with a bit of tragedy mixed in with their happiness. And another great book from Tess Oliver. I will continue to read more from her.

Distraction by Tess Oliver (Years from Home #1)

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance
Publication Date: January 21st 2013
POV: Alternating - First-person, Past tense
My Rating: 4 out of 5

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As false accusations of witchcraft consume Salem Village, eighteen-year-old Poppy Seabrooke, a true witch, is content to stay away from the hysteria and more importantly from the relentless advances of Angus Wolfe, a powerful warlock masquerading as Salem’s pastor. When Poppy uses her magic to help a young boy, she is arrested. Angus is the only person who can help her, but, in return, she must promise her hand in marriage. In desperation, Poppy’s grandmother sends her two hundred years into the future to hide. Poppy finds herself years from home in the middle of a strange place called Montana where rooms light up without candles or sorcery, steam puffing dragons roar across fields on tracks, and cows sprout horns as long as tree trunks. And while Poppy hides from the man who turns her heart cold as ice, she discovers the man who can set it on fire.


Cade Tanner has always lived fast and hard, and he prefers it that way. The last thing he needs is a girl to distract him from running the cattle ranch his father left him. But Poppy, the sweetly innocent beauty with the soft smile and dark eyes, who seemingly fell from the sky, is tough to ignore. But Cade soon finds that falling for Poppy comes with a dangerous price.

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An ending like this had, has a way of instantly connecting you with the characters, making you feel what they feel, even more so than a happy ending. I still prefer happy endings, but this is only book one, so there is time for that later. I think I actually enjoyed this more than Camille! Making it now my favourite Tess Oliver book.

I can tell Tess Oliver likes her men a little bit naughty, a little bit cocky, but with a heart of gold. Cade and Nathaniel are very similar in that sense. And I cannot blame her for that. They are amazing characters. I think I might prefer Distraction over Camille because Cade is just amazing. He really broke my heart in the end.

"Cade grabbed my hand and pressed it against his chest. "You are right here forever, and no magic tricks or sorcery can pry you from my heart.""

I always enjoy a good time travel story, seeing someone try to find their way in a new time, as an outsider. Its like us, the readers, looking into their world of magic from the outside, and it helps us relate to the character because we are outsiders too. And I especially enjoyed the fact that Poppy time traveled and is still in our past. I thought she would time travel to our present day, but she ended up in the old west and that just made the story more interesting. Seeing two different historical time periods in the same book.

Angus is a truly menacing villain and I was dreading his reappearance for the whole book. Just waiting for him to arrive and ruin everything for Poppy (love her name btw!) and Cade. This book was so sweet and romantic and I can only imagine what will happen in book 2! Its going to be awesome because Poppy will be fighting for Cade, and Cade is gonna do something awesome like overcome magic for her!

I have a few more books by Tess Oliver on my Kindle and I will have to move them up my TBR. I already loved her Camille series but I always feel like I need to read at least two stories from an author to really confirm my sentiments. Now I know for sure she is awesome. Thank you so much Tess for this book, which she gifted to me!

“You were meant for me, Poppy. I can feel it in my fingertips when I touch you.”

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier (Precious Stone Trilogy #1)

Genres: Young Adult, Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Publication Date: January 6th 2009
POV: Female - First-person, Past tense
My Rating: 4 out of 5

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Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!

Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.

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This book was a lot of fun. It was very exciting with an original idea. The only other time I have heard of people time traveling without the help of a device was in The Time Traveler's Wife, which was an excellent book but it was pretty contemporary. More magical realism than fantasy. Ruby Red is thoroughly a fantasy, with time traveling to spectacular historical settings using their own innate abilities or with the help of a mysterious magical clock, secret societies and conspiracies, ghost, gargoyles, and mind powers. It had everything, action, mystery, humour, beautiful dresses, and a little romance with a thoroughly swoon-worthy guy.

 

I really like Gwenyth a lot. She is very spunky, like a lot of heroines who don't know there is anything special about them, but then are suddenly thrust into a strange new world. I also really like Gideon's calm, cool exterior and how he so very occasionally cracks a joke. You can tell there is much more to him underneath. But what? I am still a little suspicious about him. We didn't really get to know him very well or discover his real intentions.

The book felt extremely short. Goodreads says it was 324 pages, but I read it on my reader and it felt so much shorter than that. It is hard to believe it was 324 pages. It felt like just the intro to the story, like the book should not have finished yet. The series would probably best be read as one long book.

Since the story and the characters were still in the development stage, I hadn't yet gotten a clear picture of Gideon, but I really hope he is good and can be trusted. I would also love to believe that what happened between them at the end was real, but it seemed too fast. He might be up to something. I cant wait to read Sapphire Blue. I would read it immediately if it weren't for the fact that the English translation hasn't been published yet. I can foresee a lot of adventure and danger in their future and it is going to be thoroughly exciting.

“The first pair Opal and Amber are, 

Agate sings in B flat, the wolf avatar, 

A duet-solutio! - with Aquamarine. 

Mighty Emerald next, with the lovely Citrine. 

Number Eight is digestio, her stand is Jade fine. 

E major's the key of the Black Tourmaline, 

Sapphire sings in F major, and bright is her sheen. 

Then almost at once comes Diamond alone, 

Whose sign of the lion as Leo is known. 

Projectio! Time flows on, both present and past. 

Ruby red is the first and is also the last.”

Twist by Colby Hodge

Genres: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Post-apocalyptic, Romance
Publication Date: January 29th 2008
My Rating: 4 out of 5

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Abbey Shore never intended to be the savior of the world; it was just something that happened—like her father's tragic death and the fact that she's now poor and "flipping"houses in the Chicago suburbs to finish college. And there's more: behind a crumbling wall in her current renovation, a swirling vortex hides. It's a gate, a portal—and it will not only cast her into the arms and power of the enigmatic yet doomed Dr. Shane Maddox, but also into the clutches of Lucinda, the eerie, leather -clad beauty who shadowed his every move in the Sacred Heart ER. Abbey will soon be one hundred years in the future, in a dying land filled with roving bands of humans fighting for survival, and the "ticks" against whom they fight. Oh yes, Abbey's life has had a Twist.

Time is running out to twist things back.

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The cover on this kind of turned me off at first. But one of my RL friends recommended it to me and she lent me her copy, so I really had to read it. And I am glad I did! Ignore the cover. This reads like any other YA paranormal romance.

This is one twisted book! No pun intended. Its a romance/post-apocalyptic/alien invasion/time-travel/vampire/ninja book. The story was a combination of pretty much everything you can think of, which actually made it feel incredibly original. And it had almost endless movie and TV references. The main character even named her cat Jayne, after Jayne Cobb from Firefly. A nice tense, action-packed story with great romance.

I enjoyed the fact that their relationship was slow to develop. Very fun to read. It was obvious they wanted each other from the beginning, but being a life-sucking alien-spawn puts a damper on things, and it took forever before he finally gave in. And he still couldnt do it without her persuasion, which is one of my favourite parts of the book, her pleading. You gotta love when a guy doesnt wanna hurt a girl and she doesnt care. Haha, that part maybe isnt so original, but surrounding circumstances still were. Such as, it wasnt a matter of self control, no amount of love would control him. In the end, he does hurt her and she has to leave him. Sort of. ;)

The dialogue between the two did sound a bit juvenile at times, but that is my only complaint, and it was only sometimes. Also the ending is, in a way, bittersweet.