Review ~ Facade by Nyrae Dawn

Facade 

by Nyrae Dawn

Book description from amazon:

Can love save them?

After her father commits a crime that shatters her family, eighteen-year-old Delaney Cross is tired of pretending everything is alright. Packing up her car, she sets out to find the people her father hurt. Her search leads her to places she's never been--and into the arms of Adrian Westfall.

To the outside world, Adrian is a sexy, charming ladies man. But his playboy persona is just an act. Secretly his soul is tortured by a memory too painful to share. Only Delaney seems to see through his façade to the real man underneath. And for the first time in his life, Adrian feels he can begin to open up about his past.

Together, Adrian and Delaney share a passionate, carefree love they never expected to find. Yet both still harbor their own secrets. When the dark truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together, or tear them apart forever?

                This review was done by Flamingo 

          at The Sarcastic Palmtree

Nyrae Dawn is one of my favorite authors hands down!  Her writing hooks me on page one and I never look back.  Facade was no exception.  This book is the 2nd in Nyrae's "Game Series" following Charade which I also enjoyed very much.  Although we meet Adrian in Charade as Colt's best friend, we don't get too much of a look at him until Facade. Adrian is a guy with a lot of issues and he tries to use drugs, alcohol and women to escape his life through these fake physical releases instead of facing them.  Adrian isn't trusting of anyone, not even Colt, when it comes to the secrets of his past. Enter Delaney.  She is looking for Adrian to try and reconcile the hurt that was brought to him by a crime her father committed.  As they spend more and more time together, Adrian learns to trust and love again a little at a time.  

Although I found this book to be a bit dark compared to some of Nyrae's other books, it really had to be that way considering the story that was being told and I really enjoyed hearing Adrian's story.  He was so complex that you were constantly trying to figure him out.  I also liked how deep down he really did know how to love, he just needed someone to show him the way and pull it out of him again.  There were a couple surprises which I always like while I'm reading! "I seriously didn't see that one coming!" was something I thought more than once during this book. 

Banana has been asking me for over a week when I was going to write this review to which I would always respond "It's still marinating". It took me a while to write because this story was sticking with me for a couple days and I wanted to think about how it effected me and what I may have learned from it. I think we all have secrets that we may not want to share.  Ultimately it is about finding someone that you love, and perhaps love enough, to share our secrets with and find the help and acceptance we need to conquer our hurt or anger regardless.  Those who truly love us will always love us.

On the totally made up rating scale at The Sarcastic Palmtree

I give Facade

8 Yummy Carmel Apples

 (you will have to read the book to find out why!)

 A huge thank you to Nyrae Dawn for another great book!

 One last note due to the fact I share this blog with my 15year old son and I know he and his friends may read this,  I would not recommend this book for those under 18 due to language, drugs and alcohol use and adult content. 

  Movies we can't wait to see!

Post by

Flamingo
 and

Banana

So we have seen a lot of great movies this summer but the next few months some great movies we are MAJORLY excited to see, are coming out!  So here, in no particular order, is what we are looking forward to most and why!

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 11/22

So this is the #1 movie I am looking forward to this year!  It is my favorite book in the Hunger Games series and after the excellent job they did with the first movie I am totally pumped for this one.  I might add that the casting for Finnick Odair is SPOT ON for me.  November 22, get here already! 

Ditto to everything already said... (except for the favorite book thing).  I have to admit that I have been counting down the days until November 22 since they said that was the release date.  The last movie was done almost perfectly- the casting, the acting, everything!  This series at times can be criticized because of the whole "kids-killing-kids theme" but this movie is going to prove those idiots wrong!  There's a whole underlying theme that is brought out in this story that sets up the finale to the series.  Anyway... there aren't enough words to describe how excited I am to see this movie!



Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters 8/7

Okay, so the first movie in this series was a little disappointing for me, but this book was probably my favorite of the series and as long as they don't mess it up again, it could be one to watch time and time again just because I enjoyed the book so much!  Let's all keep our fingers crossed for this one to turn out better.

The first movie was such a letdown for me.  I liked the book but the movie was almost a different storyline from the book AND they changed the bad guy (although Luke is still a bad guy).  I am most excited for this movie because Nathan Fillion (who plays Richard Castle on the TV show Castle) is playing one of the gods in this movie.  I liked this book better than the first one so I hope that it will be 100% better than the first one. 

The Mortal Instruments : City of Bones 8/21

This is one movie I have been waiting for almost as much as Catching Fire!  The book series is one of my absolute favorites and I am re-reading them again right now which is making me even more excited to see it.  From a trailer POV, The casting is excellent especially for Jace.  I am super excited to see how Jamie Campbell Bower does in this role.  Hopefully this will be all that I am expecting and more!

I plan on reviewing the book or the movie soon but I just wanna say that I had to keep putting the book down for school reading the past few years so I have the first part of the book memorized so they better do a good job on that part!  ;)  I definitely think they casted Jace great, he looks like how I pictured Jace in the book.  As far as everyone else goes I felt like they casted most of them good.  Clary and her mom look almost identical. 

Ender's Game 11/1

Ender's Game is a book I read a couple years ago thanks to Banana's 4th grade teacher.  I probably would have never picked it up otherwise but I'm certainly glad I did!  I think this one has a lot of potential and I was THRILLED when they cast Harrison Ford for the movie!  (Interesting fact: Banana was named after Harrison Ford.  He has such a cool mom!) 

That was going to be MY interesting fact!  I thought the book was good but I hardly remember anything about it so I can't wait for my memory to be refreshed.  I do think based on the casting for this movie as well that it will be a good movie, they have lots of good actors such as Harrison Ford!

 

One Direction: This is Us 8/30

Honestly, I cannot wait to read Banana's post after mine on this one!  The main reason I am looking forward to this movie is that I will get to have a date with my 8yo.  I also want to see it due to the fact that Never Say Never turned me into a big fan of Justin Bieber and I'm honestly hoping I will love 1D even more after seeing this one. 



OMG!  I LIKE TOTALLY CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS MOVIE!  I LOVE ALL OF 1D AND I SO HOPE I GET TO GO!  

Now... for my true thought... I do want to go on that "date" with Flamingo and the 8yo!  But I want to be in the theater next door watching City of Bones... because it will be the #2 movie of the year and that's only because Catching Fire is coming out this year... ;)

Free Birds 11/1

Okay, so on the whole I am kinda tired of sub-par animated movies (The latest being Turbo which I just keep referring to as "the stupid snail movie" is one I don't care if I EVER see) That being said, when I saw the trailer for Free Birds I was intrigued.  The little bit of government espionage that it looks like they have woven into the story makes me interested as well as the fact that I can't wait to see what we should/will be eating for Thanksgiving dinner instead of turkey once they change the past.  

 I'm gonna have to say that I agree with how bad animated movies have been this year except for Despicable Me 2 (Monsters University wasn't bad, but it was only worthy of parenthesis).  That being said, I can't wait for this movie because it looks good enough for me to talk about it!  I'm up for any movie with Woody Harrelson in it (especially since he played Haymitch in The Hunger Games).  I hope that we end up eating something good on Thanksgiving after they change it. 



Thor: The Dark World 11/8

The #1 reason I'm looking forward to Thor is of course Chris Hemsworth.  The man is beautiful and I can never get too much of him!  I was a big fan of the first Thor movie and am excited to see where they take this story next and also how they transition what happened in The Avengers (one of my favorites from last year) into this one. 

 OMG!! I SOOO totally think that Thor is as hot as like all the 1D boys combined! (Just joking there again)
But in all seriousness, I thought the first one went by so fast and I can't wait to see what they do with this one.  I have seen the trailer and I think that it may be better than the other one but we will have to see.  I hope it keeps on moving like the last one. 

So that's it!  We hope you enjoyed our thoughts and we always welcome your comments!  Happy movie watching!  We seriously want your comments though... ;)

Taste the Heat By Rachel Harris

 This is one spicy dish you don't want to miss!

Book Description (from Amazon)

 One sexy fire captain. One Cajun chef. One combustible kitchen…

When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she can’t afford to taste. Colby can’t wait to leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas. 

Fire captain Jason Landry isn’t looking for love, either. Disillusioned by his past, he knows he should be focusing on finding the perfect mother for his daughter. But when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can’t help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason can’t say no. 

As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn’t as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility of getting burned?

 This book review is by Flamingo at The Sarcastic Palmtree

I would like to mention that this book is an adult book and I wouldn't recommend it for those under 18.  That being said, it was one of the most tame adult books I have ever read and was very light on suggestive material and not explicit at all.  

Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris was a book I wanted to read from the minute I read what it was about.  I thought it had the potential to be a whole lot of fun and I was right!  The characters in this book were so well done and well rounded.  I loved how this book was so upbeat and positive, even though the characters had been through a lot, they were living basically good, happy lives.  There wasn't a bunch of lies hovering around everyone and that was very refreshing.

My dad was a fireman so we often visited the firehouse and I always thought as a little girl the guys were a lot of fun. I have a soft spot in my heart for fireman anyway so that made me like Jason from the start.   I also liked that although Colby was the professional chef, Jason could cook!  He took care of the guys at the firehouse even on his days off stopping food off so they would eat well.  This was one of the ways you could see he was an all around great guy. 

Colby was a fun character.  Although she wasn't necessarily happy to be back in New Orleans to take care of the family restaurant she did it anyway and was willing to be okay with it.  I like that in an adult character.  She was so good to everyone in her family, and especially Jason's daughter Emma.  Even though I have 3 kids, I'm not a fan of other people's kids and it would be hard for me personally to do some of the things she was willing to, just help Emma feel important and special.

I loved both Colby and Jason, but Emma, Jason's daughter was awesome as well.  She is a 12 year old girl who is so spunky and cute you just want to eat her up!  I live with a 12 year old girl, and although their personalities are different, I could see so much of the same attitudes and behaviors in Emma which made her very real and well written.  I loved it!  I like the fact she wasn't a whiny tween even though she had been dealt a tough hand in life. Jason has done a splendid job with raising her, showing once again how great he is to the people her cares about.  I also loved that Jason calls her "Bug". That is the nickname we have for our 8yo so that really hit my heart. 

I love the tension between Jason and Colby.  They were constantly joking and sarcastic with each other but also very attracted to each other.  It made the story so enjoyable.  They both are hurt in different ways and have closed themselves off from loving someone for different reasons which is why they made the deal to just have a fling. This of course was what ultimately helped them realize they were perfect for each other.  They have a lot of things to work through, especially Colby, but Jason is so willing to help her through everything that you can't help but just love him! 

This book was a light hearted and enjoyable story.  I think it would be tasty dish for anyone that is looking for a spicy romance with a little bit of fun!

I give Taste the Heat 

8 really hot Jalapeno Peppers

Also, I think we need to throw in Jason's fire hose just in case we need to put out a fire that may start due to all the spice that's thrown into this book! 

Review- City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

This review is brought to you by the Banana at the Sarcastic Palmtree!   

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

 

READ IT BEFORE YOU SEE IT!

I have to be honest... I tried to read this book for almost 2 or 3 years now... but the one thing that always got in the way was the fact that I had to read some other crappy book for school!  I have the first 6 chapters almost memorized because of this, which means the movie can't make any changes without me noticing them..  ;)    Anyway... I absolutely loved this book and once I got past the part that I memorized it got EVEN BETTER!  I'm currently on the second one and I'm almost halfway... and I'm LOVING it!  I haven't wanted to read a book this badly since I read The Hunger Games!

In case you haven't seen a trailer yet or just don't really understand what it's about yet, here's a synopsis (from the front cover I might add :D)...

When fifteen-year old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons.  Then the body disappears into thin air.  It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing-not even a smear of blood-to show that a boy has died.  Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons.  It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk.  Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon.  But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother?  And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight?  The Shadow hunters would like to know... 

 

Just a couple more details... The shadowhunters all live at a place called the Institute... They have this thing called a stele which they use to create runes that do many different things ... The runes look like tattoos... but they do different things such as have more strength and for healing...

This book has so many awesome twists and turns that it always keeps you on the edge of your seat! I love all the characters for different reasons...  I love Clary because she's willing to do anything to get her mom back... I love Jace because he is so hilariously full of himself... Simon is awesome because he will always be Clary's best friend and he'd do anything for her... Isabelle is full of herself as well (hello! she's a shadowhunter!) but she's still awesome, just like her brother Alec... Jace, Isabelle, and Alec are like family!  Then there's Church, Church is probably the coolest cat since mine was born!  One more character, Magnus Bane... he's indescribably EPIC in every way!  I would love to go see the Institute and meet all of these awesome characters as well as their awesome weapons (a Seraph Blade for example).  It's too bad I probably won't find it...  ;)  

If you still don't want to read this book or see the movie please get over yourself and just do it!  There are some awesome things that happen in this story and there's such a great group dynamic!  

If you want to see the movie... read the book first... it will make the movie probably 100 times more epic than it already will be.  

If you've already read the book... GOOD FOR YOU!  Buy your movie tickets!  I'll see you at the midnight premiere!

I give City of Bones 9 slayed demons and an epic stele to slay the last one!  :D

 

 Come check out the review for the movie in a couple weeks!  I promise it will be better than this one!  ;)

Flamingo Here!  I just wanted to say great job on this review there Banana!  I love these books as well and look forward to your reviews (and maybe our joint reviews) on the rest of them as well as the MOVIE!  So Excited!  Cannot wait!  Okay, I'm done fangirling on your review page!  =)

   

JORDYN AND THE CAVERNS OF GLOOM RELEASE DAY LAUNCH

Welcome to The Sarcastic Palmtree and the release day launch of:

 JORDYN AND THE CAVERNS OF GLOOM Synopsis:

Lies.
My so-called family lied.
My friends lied.
The only guy I ever liked lied.
My mentor, the one I was supposed to trust lied.
My entire existence is built on lies and yet now they want my help. Scratch that, now
they need my help. I'll play the good soldier, but I am no longer the person I was before. This time it will be on my terms. I will trust no one.
I am a weapon. I am Jordyn.

 

Hello!  This Flamingo at The Sarcastic Palmtree and WELCOME to the release day launch for one of my FAVORITE Authors TIFFANY KING!!

I had the wonderful opportunity to read this book so that I could review it for this release day launch and  book birthday!  I really enjoyed JORDYN, the first book in this series,  but I LOVED JORDYN AND THE CAVERNS OF GLOOM!!  

This book starts out a month after JORDYN left off and Jordyn has been pretty ticked at everyone in her life, every last person she was supposed to be able to trust.  She has been hanging out alone since feeling so betrayed by the lies she has been told about who she is and what her life's purpose is.  She finds herself back home needed for a mission to rescue her best friend Lynn and Robert, Lynn's husband, from the Caverns of Gloom.  The mission is such that the forces of good and evil will have to combine to train Jordyn for what she will be facing and getting her in and out of the Caverns with Lynn and Robert alive. Jordyn still isn't sure who she can trust as she trains and follows her once boyfriend Emrys on the journey into the caverns.

There were so many things I loved about this book.  My favorite being we get a glimpse into Emrys' mind (I adore books where I get more than one character POV).  The constant adventure and different sort of daemons and creatures we find in the Canverns of Gloom are so creative, and the different ways they are to be defeated are nonstop entertaining.  I love the way Emrys is trying to get Jordyn to trust him and the fact that she is never quite sure about his integrity although she does love him.  Tiffany takes us on a roller coaster of adventure and excitement add in a dash of love and tension to make a very exciting second book to this series!

Here is the Trailer for 

 JORDYN AND THE CAVERNS OF GLOOM

Here is little bit about the extraordinary 

Tiffany King! 

Tiffany King is the author of The Saving Angels Series, Wishing for Someday Soon, Forever Changed, Unlikely Allies, Miss Me Not and Jordyn: A Daemon Hunter Novel book one. Writer by day and book fanatic the rest of the time, she is now pursuing her life-long dream of weaving tales for others to enjoy.

She has a loving husband and two wonderful kids. (Five, if you count her three spoiled cats). Her addictions include: Her iphone and ipad, chocolate, Diet Coke, chocolate, Harry Potter, chocolate, and her favorite TV shows. Want to know what they are? Just ask.

Twitter- @AuthorTiffany

Facebook- Tiffany King

Pintrest- Tiffany King

Blog- authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com

Goodreads- Tiffany King

Novel Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295681-jordyn-and-the-caverns-of-gloom?ac=1

Here's a link straight to Amazon for Jordyn and The Caverns of Gloom

Keep an eye out on Twitter and Facebook for the exciting blog tour coming up for Jordyn and the Caverns of Gloom!

 Thank you so much for stopping by The Sarcastic Palmtree!  We hope you enjoyed your stop here and best wishes to Tiffany King on her new book!  

Also, don't forget to fill out the Rafflecopter below for exciting prizes!

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