Author Archives: Kristal

I am a sucker for a book based on a fairy-tale. I can’t even say how many times I have read a modern re-telling of Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella. Something I had never read though, was a modern story based on Hansel and Gretel, so when this one landed in my inbox it was met with high excitement.

In this modern retelling of “Hansel and Gretel,” 13-year-old foster children, Holden and Griselda, escape from their abductor after three years of brutal captivity and try to cross the Shenandoah River on foot. Tragically, one of them makes it to safety but the other is left behind.

Ten years later, Griselda’s boyfriend drags her to a fight club grudge match where her world is turned upside down when she watches Holden step into the ring.

Though the connection between them is fierce, bitter regret, simmering rage and a cache of physical and emotional scars lie between them, just as dangerous as the whitewater of the Shenandoah.

Never Let You Go is a story of fear and hope, defeat and survival, and two people – once profoundly broken – who discover that love is the onlything that can make them whole again.

This is a standalone novel inspired by Hansel & Gretel. New Adult Contemporary Romance: Due to profanity, scenes of physical abuse and very strong sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. (Note: children are not sexually abused in this book.)

The story is told in the present day with flashbacks to the past. Admittedly I found the flashbacks a little confusing at first because they weren’t in chronological order. Once you get your head around this though, the flashbacks provide vital backstory for each of the characters and we come to discover how they have ended up where they are and the sequence of events that lead to the most pivotal moments in their lives.

No beating around the bush – the first half of this book is about as haunting and creepy as you would imagine a Hansel and Gretel retelling to be. The author manages to successfully create a vivid world that has you simultaneously wanting to read more more more, and wanting to hide under your duvet. It’s dark and disturbing but also incredibly captivating. Each character has both strengths and flaws that play a large part in this story. Sometimes the lines between their strengths and weaknesses are blurred to the point where you can’t tell if they are the nicest people in the world or the biggest idiots that ever existed.

The second half of the story is very ‘relationship based’ but both main characters go through a huge amount of personal growth as well, which really keeps the momentum of the story going. Never Let You Go is low on angst but still high in drama and has plenty going on to keep the reader interested.

The resolution of this story was a little different from the norm. Don’t worry romance lovers – it still has an awesome HEA, but there was one part in particular that really surprised me. I was very happy with how it ended though and felt it was completely in line with the characters’ personality.

I can’t wait to read more from Katy Regnery! I’m especially excited about the retelling of The Little Mermaid. Ariel is my ride or die. Bring it on!

**ARC generously provided by the author in exchange for a review. Thank you so much!

Hmm this review is going to be hard to do because I don’t think that anything I write can express how much I loved this book. I’ll try and refrain from  fangirling all over the show, bear with me. It was just that good.

The resurrection of Aubrey Miller is about a young girl who ends up experiencing more loss in her short life than most people would experience in a lifetime. Desperate to find reason or lay blame for these losses she turns inward. She changes who she is, the way she looks and how she behaves in an effort to keep others away – and, she believes, keep them safe from her.
On her first day of University she meets Quinn and Kaeleb and an unbreakable bond is formed that changes her whole world. Over time she starts to emerge from her self-imposed darkness, find herself and start living again. When death once again rears its ugly head, Aubrey reverts back to her old ways to try and protect herself and those around her.
Will the unconditional love, friendship, and strong bonds be enough to help her heal or will the darkness consume her again…

“I know you’re still in there Bree. And I will find you.”

Ok, deep breathe. WOW…this story was a super emotional read. I am not kidding when I say that, at times, I was bawling so much I had to put the book down and just take a freakin breather. The heartache the Aubrey endures is just so immense that you wonder how she’s still functioning. Some may argue that she is not. While at times I really wanted to jump into the book and tell her “Girl, this is not your fault!” I didn’t feel any frustration towards her. Only empathy. And a little bit of awe. Because I’m pretty sure I would have been rocking in a corner somewhere if I was her. The evolution, or, resurrection of her character was an amazing process to read about. The moment where she finally realises that this is not her fault, it is just life, is such a profound and beautiful moment. I cried then too (of course).

“Sometimes in life there are these random moments when everything just clicks. When all the fragments or your fractured past fall together, merging in your mind to form a lucid image of your future.”

The supporting characters, Quinn and Kaeleb, each have their owns problems. They each have their own secrets and emotional baggage, but these three friends are amazingly supportive of each other (and fiercely protective). There is no shame, only absolute love.  And ultimately it was love, as well as Aubreys own strength, which eventually pulled her through the darkness.

“I think some people are just inexplicably bonded. Drawn by forces beyond their own comprehension, they have no choice but to gravitate toward one another. Destined by fate to keep crossing paths until they finally get it right.”

The situations and emotions that accompanied each characters story were incredibly relatable to a lot of people. Even if you haven’t personally experienced any of the issues raised in this story, the emotions that came while reading about them was something I think most people can relate back to certain moments of their lives, whether it’s not being brave enough, pretty enough,  strong enough, or just not being enough in general.

“As long as you continue to travel through like in this darkness, you will never know how beautiful your light shines when you let yourself love and be loved.”

The writing in this book was amazing. The story flowed effortlessly and at times I was almost highlighting whole pages on my kindle because it was all so beautifully written. I would give this book a thousand stars if I could. It’s an absolute must-read for everyone.  But have tissues handy.

(Don’t despair! The story ends with an HEA)

I’m actually jumping the queue with this book review. I have a review that’s been waiting for me to finish up for a while but ever since I read Puddle Jumping I have not been able to get it out of my mind. Massive book hangover. So I’m thinking that if I write up the review and get aaaaall my feelings out, then I’ll be able to move on to other things.

When the dedication at the beginning of a book tugs so hard at your heart strings that it makes you tear up a little, I think that’s generally a pretty good sign that you’re in for a treat.

“And for Emory.
Someday you will find your own Lilly Grace.
You paint the world in colors I’ve never seen and I’ll always love you blue because you always love me yellow.”

Beautiful. How can you not love this book already? It’s pretty obvious that the author has some personal experience with the subject matter in this book. It’s written beautifully, and from the heart. It never feels fake or forced or overly dramatic.

This is actually the third book I have read this year where one of the main characters has Asperger’s. Before this year I really knew very little about it, other than knowing Asperger’s is on the Autism spectrum. Even though reading these three books was more coincidence than design, the thing I have loved about all three of them is that I have been able to learn something important. While my knowledge on the subject is still very limited, I know a lot more than I did and I think that’s hugely because authors like Amber L. Johnson have done their research.

Colton was a rich and vibrant character. Even though the book was a relatively short read, we got to know him well and get an inside peek into his life. His condition wasn’t romanticized. It was pretty clear, even at the end of the book, that Lilly Grace and Colton would always have their struggles but that it would be worth it. Although Colton didn’t communicate his feeling in the traditional way, he has his own way of making his feelings clear.

“There, rounded in each corner, the colors overlapped his brush strokes that bore the words I Love You over and over and over…creating the backdrop of his heartbreak. And mine.”

Lilly Grace was an extraordinary character. She was such a strong and lively person. She tried hard with Colton, to get to know his quirks and the right way of going about things so that they could make a life together. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy but she stuck with it because she loved him for exactly who he was, and I absolutely adored her all the way through for it.

“But I would never call loving Colton an accomplishment. It was an honor. It changed me. It made me actually become the person I’d tried so hard to be all those years ago.”

Lilly & Coltons story was written in such a way that you couldn’t help but be dragged into it even from the first page. After purchasing this book I thought I would have a quick peek before doing a few jobs then getting back into it in the evening.  Uh, no. That’s not what happened at all. Amber L. Johnson’s writing sucked me in immediately. The world faded away and by the time I read the last page and looked up from my Kindle I realized it was evening and I was sitting in a dark room with an uncooked dinner sitting on the bench.  Needless to say the family had to survive off takeaways for dinner that night. Warning – if you’re going to read this book make sure you have 3 or 4 spare hours ahead of you. You’re going to need it.

This book was such a gem on a dreary Wednesday afternoon. I went into it with no real expectations and left completely blown away. People with Asperger’s are pretty amazing people. This is going straight on my “Faves of 2014” list. Needless to say, I will be stalking Amber L. Johnson (in a nice way) to make sure I never miss another book of hers.

From the very first paragraph of the very first page of Becoming Calder, I was completely captivated. This is a powerful story of first experiences, forbidden love, and hopeless situations. It’s about bravery and sacrifice and the lengths that we would go to for the people we love.

There is a place in modern day America with no electricity, no plumbing, and no modern conveniences. In this place, there is no room for dreams, no space for self-expression, and no tolerance for ambition.

In this place, there is a boy with the body of a God and the heart of a warrior. He is strong and faithful and serves his family honorably. But he dares to dream of more.

In this place, there is a girl with the face of an angel and a heart full of courage. To her family, she is the vision of obedient perfection. But she dares to want that which she has been told can never be hers. 

Becoming Calder is the story of good versus evil, fear versus bravery, and the truth that the light of love has always found its way into even the darkest of places… From the beginning of time, to the end of the world.

The story starts off with the prologue being told from Edens POV. She’s in a pretty desperate situation and her helplessness screams off the page at you. I had tears in my eyes as I willed her to keep going, to not give up. As the prologue comes to a close, we head back and learn how Eden got to this point in her life…and this is where we meet Calder.

Calder and Eden are living in a religious community that is cut off from the rest of the world. They have strict rules to abide by which are set by the community’s leader, Hector. They live a simple life with no modern conveniences and are schooled from a young age on obedience, scripture and the virtues of living a simple life away from the evils of the rest of the world. They live their lives for a greater purpose – to serve their Gods so that one day they will live eternally along side them in Elysium.

Calder and Eden both have very different purposes in the commune. Calder is a ‘worker’, a lower member of the community, and Eden is to marry Hector and lead their people by his side. But from they moment Calder and Eden laid eyes on each other they are truly ‘meant to be’. Their paths were always on a collision course and over the years a couple of innocent moments of friendship and warmth develop into something deeper. A love that is so strong and so right that they would forsake everything and everyone to be together.

“Where do you find your strength, Morning Glory?” 

“From you”

The enormity of the situation between Calder and Eden can be felt throughout every page of the book. I felt on edge and almost breathless at times wondering how this love story could ever work. This is the story of forbidden love at it’s deepest. Their situation was desperate and hopeless. It makes you want to jump in the pages and do something, ANYTHING to help them find their way. I was celebrating small victories one moment and screaming about the injustice of it all the next.

The world they live in is so far removed from anything most people will experience in their lives but Mia Sheridan’s brilliant ability to weave a story and capture her audience brings it all to life. Their story is completely engrossing and I felt like I was there with them at times. I could see it all play out in my head and I LOVED every second of it. The emotion, the heartbreak, the desperation and love all had me unable to tear my eyes away.

“Until there is no breath in my body and my bones have turned to dust, you, my love, you and no other,”

Calder and Eden stole my heart, and their story will stay with me for a long time. I can’t wait to see how the rest of this story plays out in Finding Eden, which is also due to release on the same day as Finding Calder. I LOVE that Mia Sheridan has done it this way so we aren’t waiting around for a year to learn the fate of Calder and Eden. This story is so emotional that you will be diving into Finding Eden the second Finding Calder is done.