Dream Chaser (Dark-Hunter Series, Book Twenty-four): Sherrilyn Kenyon

“HADES DOESN’T OFTEN GIVE SECOND CHANCES…

“Xypher has one month on Earth to redeem himself through one good deed, or be condemned to eternal torture in Tartarus. But redemption means little to a demigod who only wants vengeance on the one who caused his downfall.

“UNTIL ONE DAY IN A CEMETERY…

“Simone Dubois is a medical examiner with a real knack for the job. Those who are wrongfully killed appear to her and help her find the evidence the police need to convict their killers. But when a man appears and tells her that she;d more than just a psychic, she’d convinced he’s insane.

“NOW THE FATE OF THE WORLD HANDS IN HER HANDS…

“It was bad enough when just the dead relied on her. Now there’s the seductive Dream-Hunter Xypher who needs Simone’s help in opening a portal to the Atlantean hell realm to fight insatiable demons. The future of mankind is at stake—and so is her life. The only question now is: Who is the bigger threat? The demons out to kill her? Or the man who had left her forever changed?”

***Technically, you’re supposed to read the Dark-Hunter Companion before you read this book, but I’m about half-way through the Companion and picked this up and just COULD NOT put it down long enough to go back to the other book. Sorry for my weakness!***

Readers are initially introduced to Xypher in an earlier book with Katra and Sin titled Devil May Cry. It’s difficult to care for a man (or should I say, god?) with such an acerbic personality and grim outlook, but even then I was able to tell that there really was more to Xypher than Sherrilyn Kenyon was letting on. Obviously, I couldn’t wait to read more. When I got this book and saw that its hero was in fact Xypher, I was so excited! The more I read, the more I fell for the battered man. It was really difficult not to, seeing as how he’d been so wrongfully tortured.

Xypher is truly the epitome of a beaten being—as are most of Kenyon’s characters—but Xypher was made even more interesting by the fact that he is a Dream-Hunter. It was nice to see the world from the eyes of a Dream-Hunter once more. I’ve only read another book and a short-story by Kenyon that were from this p.o.v. and it was really great to see again. However, I will say that I miss the Dark-Hunters a little…

Anyway, this story was full of really GREAT twists and turns and I look forward to reading more, as always!!!

P.S. I Love You: Cecelia Ahern

"Holly and Gerry are the kind of perfectly happy married couple that others envy. Then, at the age of thirty, Gerry is diagnosed with a terrible illness. Months after Gerry's death, Holly receives a package of letters that he's left for her, instructing her to perform a series of unexpected tasks. With the help of the letters--and her fun, quick-witted girlfriends abd a raucously endearing family that smothers, loves, and drives her crazy--Holly wobbles, weaves, and jokes her way toward a new life, even larger than the one that she's been forced to leave behind."

I've noticed a trend in my past several reviews. They're all books that have been made into movies!

Anyhow, I saw the last twenty minutes of this movie about a year or two ago (I know...that's cheating...but my aunt and uncle were watching the movie and I was only there to catch the end...still made me sob uncontrollably...) Seeing the movie really made me want to read the book, but I just now actually made the time to get my hands on it and read it. Though the ending was somewhat different from what I remember the movie to be, I loved the book none-the-less.

The characters were fanastic and the story was so unique. It's so difficult not to fall for Gerry and feel for Holly. This book truly shows what love can do. It can overcome death and cripple you, but it can also help you heal from even the keenest of losses. This book is about moving on after lost love and learning to live life to its fullest once you are on your own. I recommend this book to anyone who believes in true love; anyone who's lost someone they held dear in their lives; or someone who needs to get back in touch with what makes life worth living.

I loved this book and will read more from this author in the future.

The Time Traveler's Wife: Audrey Niffenegger

"A most untraditional love story, this is the celebrated tale of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who involuntarily travels through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate affair endures across a sea of time and captures them in an impossibly romantic trap that tests the strength of fate and basks in the bonds of love."

I actually finished this book a few weeks ago...I know...I know...I'm really slacking in my reviews. But, anyway, I LOVED this book! Initially, I only read this book because I saw a commercial for the movie that was based off of it. I wanted to see the movie, but had several weeks to wait for it. I ordered the book and began reading it immediately.

I was very quickly sucked into Niffenegger's unique writing style and her amazing characters. Henry was so easy to love--despite his many faults--and Clare was an easy heroine to feel for. (However, in the movie adaptation, she is made out to be a real bitch, but she's really not that bad. That's another story...)

I laughed. I cried. I fell in love with the personalities. I cursed fate right along with Clare and Henry. This book is right up there with some of my favorites.