The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan 
Eclectic Reader Challange 
Middle Grade/ YA Adventure 
5 out of 5 Stars

So I have a confession:  I am a grown woman and yet I love YA novels. I adore the stories, the innocent romance, and the coming of age drama, I just love it all and this one did not disappoint. This series is a sequel of sorts to the Percy Jackson series which is one of my absolute favorites. The main focus is on 3 new heroes but our old favorites are there as background players which is really cool. I also enjoyed the slightly new take on a world I have become very familiar with, I won't spoil it for you but it's a very neat twist. Here is the goodreads.com blurb as per normal... 

Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly? 
Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out. 
Leo has a way with tools.When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who;s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god. Does this have anything to do with Jason's amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts?

I enjoyed the story and the characters and actually can't wait to read the sequels, you all should give this a try too... but start with The Lighting Thief, in the Percy Jackson series if you haven't read those first. Happy reading everyone! 

Safe Haven

Safe Haven - Nicolas Sparks 
Eclectic Reader Challenge
Contemporary Romance
4 out of 5 Stars

So this is your basic Nicholas Sparks novel, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me realize there are really weird people in the world etc...but overall I really enjoyed it. It had just the right balance of happy, funny, and sad moments to keep me hooked. Katie was a sweet character and I found myself rooting for her. I had seen the movie a while back but as is usual the book is so much better there are just so many more details that make it a more vibrant and compelling story. Here is the goodreads.com blurb:  

Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again, you must learn to trust again.When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

 You have to hand it to Nicholas Sparks the man knows what he's doing with a romance novel and I am sure I will continue to read his novels even though they always make me cry. Hope you all enjoy!