Perception

Perception

by Kim Harrington
Clarity, book two

When you can see things others can't, what happens when someone is watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.

Only, Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?

One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared. Clare needs to see her way to the truth -- before it's much too late. (description from Amazon.com)

I loved this follow-up to Clarity.

 

I still think that Clare is a fantastic character and I love her power.  It would be cool, interesting, and sometimes creepy to be able to touch things and see visions!

 

I thought that there was a lot of great stuff going on with Clare's family in this book. I love the bond that she and her brother share...and thought it was well tested in this book.  I also love watching Clare and her mother figure things out...

 

I have to confess I was eagerly anticipating the romance element of this book. I could not wait to see what would happen with Clare and her two beaus...I thought that Harrington did great with this aspect.  It was realistic and fun.

 

The mystery in this one was totally creepy. Stalker books always give me the heebie-jeebies.  I will confess that I figured out who the bad guy was just a hair before Clare did...but not by much! I thought the mystery was well done.

 

I can't wait for what happens next. :)

 

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Smokin' Seventeen

Smokin' Seventeen
by Janet Evanovich
Stephanie Plum, book seventeen
(*not counting the in-between novels)

Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list.

Short on time to find evidence proving the killer’s identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it’s time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both and choose a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir “bake-off.” And Grandma Bella, Morelli’s old-world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts “the eye” on Stephanie.

With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke. (description from Amazon.com)

OMG. How do I love this series? Let me count the ways!

1. Stephanie is both incompetent and surprisingly good at her job...
2. Ranger
3. Morelli
4. Lula...her crazy diets, her crazier wardrobe, and her propensity for shooting at suspects
5. Grandma Mazur...who doesn't love a "cute" little old grandma that carries a giant gun in her purse and wreaks havoc at funeral homes for fun?
6. Mooner...stoner extraordinaire
7. Stephanie's love of food...which will overcome the most extreme circumstances!
8. Bulgari body wash (Ummm...and the man who uses it...did I mention him already? Oh I did. Well...*sigh*)
9. Connie...the "connected" woman behind the scenes at the bail bonds office
10. Just to round things out --> RANGER. *omg*

These books make me snarf out loud! Every single time. I love poor Stephanie's propensity for blowing up cars, accidentally catching bad guys, and her understandable trouble choosing between two HOTT guys that want to be with her...

This particular volume caused me to laugh out loud so hard that I cried...within the first 50 pages! It doesn't get better than that. Let's just say that the perps Stephanie has to round up in this book are definitely hilarous (including a senior who thinks he's a vampire). The relationship drama heats up again...and I for one, LOVED it. The best part, though, is how even with all of the guy drama in Stephanie's life, she still knows that her girls mean more...the girlpower ending made me grin!

Manifest

Manifest
by Artist Arthur
Mystyx, book one

Krystal just met the perfect boy. Trouble is, he's dead.

When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moves to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.

But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, he's funny, a good listener - and everything she'd ever want - except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door - Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize that they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good?
(description from back jacket copy)

This book did not really grab me. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't really compelling for me either. There were things I really liked and things that really bothered me, but overall, I felt this was just an average addition to the paranormal genre.

Things I liked:
*The way that Krystal finds out what really happened to her parents relationship and how it helps to repair her relationship with her mother.
*The way that Krystal, Sasha, and Jake discovered their powers and came to learn that they shared some kind of larger "power."
*The way that Krystal, Sasha, and Jake hang out together even though they come from different economic classes.
*The cliffhanger that the book ended on - now I really want to know more about the "power" and its origins...

Things I disliked:
*The way this town seemed so hung up on economic differences, to the point of violence...it seemed unrealistic to me.
*Krystal's unacceptance to face her issues and admit that she was upset in the beginning of the book.
*The wrap-up of the Ricky/Trina storyline I felt was too fast. There was no explanation about how the bad guy was doing the stalking he was doing.
*I needed more information about the Mystyx...this book felt like mostly just a setup for the rest of the series.

Overall, not my favorite new series, but not a terrible book.

Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye

Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye
by Victoria Laurie

Abby Cooper is a P.I., psychic intuitive. But her insight failed her when she didn't foresee the death of one of her clients-or that the lead investigator for the case is the gorgeous blind date she just met. Now, with the police suspicious of her abilities and a killer on the loose, Abby's future looks more uncertain than ever.

Oh. What a fun start to a series. Based on the review of book 7 in this Psychic Eye Mysteries series at yabooknerd, I decided to interlibrary loan this book. It was a great mystery! What I loved was that there was that hint of the paranormal, but it was still very realistic and really mystery driven. The characters were fantastic...especially Abby. She is snarky, but still totally sweet. I really liked, too, that the author did not throw Abby and Dutch into bed together right away. It's better that they are still developing a real relationship! I cannot wait to read book two and have already requested that one!