Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

First off I have to say that I have read Poughkeepsie twice, and both times I could not put the story down.

Poughkeepsie is the story of Livia and Blake, plus Cole and Kyle, Eve and Beckett. The primary characters in this story are Livia and Blake and through their meeting and growing relationship we meet Beckett and Cole and they in turn meet those that will help further develop the overall story.

Blake is homeless and spends his days at the Poughkeepsie Train platform waiting to see Livia. Blake is plagued with his own fears that Livia helps him to deal with. She shows Blake that he is worth more than his homeless status. Livia is a college student studying psychology and takes the train everyday to go to school.

Livia and Kyle are sisters and due to their being sisters Kyle meets Cole, who is Blake's Foster Brother, and their connection is immediate, however, Kyle's own personal demons make it hard for Kyle to truly see and be able to accept her feelings for Cole.

Beckett is the oldest of the Three Foster Brothers; Cole and Blake. Beckett has established a ring of drugs and prostitution due to the fact that he wanted to be able to provide for Cole and Blake when they age out of the foster program. Beckett meets Eve and that is a meeting that requires some reading in order to truly see and appreciate their relationship.

**********

Why do I love Poughkeepsie?

There is a long list of why I truly enjoyed this book, but one of the biggest reasons is because this book proves, time and time again that you can never judge a book or person by their cover.
Blake is homeless, Cole wants to be a minister, and Beckett is the local drug lord and every single one of these characters will surprise you at every turn.

This book shows that a Smile goes a LONG way. There is an underlying message (at least that I see) that shows that the littlest things that you can do can go a long way. Like smiling at the people that you see everyday.

Why do I recommend this book?

Debra Anastasia has a wonderful sense of humor. One minute I was emotionally upset because something happened that I didn't agree with, or there was something that was potentially going to turn the story 180 degrees and I wasn't to sure about it. To laughing out loud, even angry at a couple of parts.

Being that I follow Debra on Twitter, I see a lot of her sense of humor used in her books in the person that she presents to the twitter world and most of all I have no doubt that it is really her. There are more than a few one liners that had me laughing into my pillow in the middle of the night.


If you are looking for a beautiful story that will keep you guessing and keep you wanting to know what will happen next, then pick up Poughkeepsie today.

You can find Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia on Amazon or Barnes and Noble

You can also find Debra on Twitter, Facebook and GoodReads

Thanks guys for reading my review, and let me know if my review helped you in wanting to read Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia.
I have given Poughkeepsie 5 of 5 stars on Amazon and GoodReads.

Until we meet again,

*HugS*
Zoey

The Fade Series by Kate Dawes

15 of 15 Stars to Kate Dawes and her Fade Series....

Here is a copy of my Goodreads review.

I am going to try really hard to not spoil all three books, however, both of the times I have read the Fade Series I have plowed through all 3 books in one night. Why? Well, because I cannot put them down.


I was very quick to fall in love with Olivia and even faster to fall in love with Max. But then again, I am sucker for the hot rich and sexy man that everyone wants. One of the reasons that drew me into these books was not just the exciting sex scenes, but the banter between Max and Olivia. There is something special about a relationship that can pick and play with each other in the ways that Max and Olivia did throughout all three books. A relationship like this shows comfort and a growing relationship.

So many of these book with heroines with self esteem issues get old after a while. Olivia was no different, only that she was concerned with a broken heart than with whether or not she deserved to be with Max. She never really questioned his motivations and whether or not she deserved him. She just accepted what he had to offer her. That to me made these books special and realistic. The story between Max and Olivia is real, its something that happens everyday. Something that gives us hopeless romantics something to strive for and hope that true love is real and obtainable.

Because I am a hopeless romantic I couldn't put down the books and was turned on by hot and steamy sex scenes, I give Fade Into You, Fade Into Me, and Fade Into Always Five (5) Fabulous stars!

"Impossible" By Komal Lewis

I want to review this book on my blog because Komal and I have a lot in common. She is writing and releasing her first book and I was fortunate enough to be able to read an advanced copy.
I say fortunate because I believe that we can see some good things from Komal in the future and this book is a good start to a self published debut.

"Impossible" is about a high school girl named Ashton (and it did take me a little while to get use to the names that Komal used, however, they were very unique and I enjoyed this very much). Ashton is your typical high school girl, trying to fit in. She is the captain of the cheerleading squad and quickly learns that some people are not always who they seem.

Discovering that people, especially high school kids, tend to be about them selves and about their own popularity, they are quick to turn their backs on you. Ashton faces some pretty serious heartbreak and I will be the first to admit that it made me cry, and it also frustrated me because of her overall attitude.

Luca is the typical "bad boy" that kids in the school are quick to label as "a freak" or an outcast. This is part of what brings Ashton and Luca together.

I will not spoil any more of this story because I feel that to truly understand, you will need to read the book yourself.

I have written a review for both Goodreads and Amazon that will be shared below.
I do look forward to seeing what more Komal has to share with the story of Aston and Luca. It is not a book that I am totally hanging and need a sequel now, however it is one of those books that I would like to see Ashton and Luca grow up and I hope that Komal intends to continue the story.

Stop by Amazon and pick up your copy today.

Until we meet again,
Zoey D.
<3

Here is the review that I placed both on Goodreads and Amazon after purchasing a copy for my Kindle.

I have said it on Twitter, and I will say it again on Goodreads as well as Amazon. 

This book is a great Debut novel for Komal Lewis. I see many great things coming from her and I do look forward to reading more of her work. 

I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of this story from Komal herself and I am sorry that I was unable to finish it in time to give real feedback to her before its release. 

The main character Ashton is a little hard to like, I am not going to lie about that. She starts off as a bit stuck up and I personally have little tolerance for characters and people like that in real life. However, I quickly realized that Ashton is your typical high school girl and most importantly, I saw quickly that things were going to work out. Eventually I felt sorry for her and it brought tears to my eyes. Other times I wanted to reach in and smack her stupid.

Luca is your typical bad boy that is easy to fall for. He is easy to like and in some cases easy to hate. 

One of the many things that I enjoyed about "Impossible" is that you are able to follow along with the story from both sides and written in first person vs both sides written in 3rd person. 

I give 4 stars because of the difficulty in truly being able to enjoy the character of Ashton. She frustrated me and made me want to hate her. In the end I did really enjoy her as a whole. 

I do not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 17 because of the language and adult content of the story. I do however recommend this book to anyone wanting to try a new read and what I hope becomes a series. 

Fifty Shades of Steele?

Edited Oct. 8, 2012 with a very heavy heart. 

I wrote this blog post to kick start some conversation as to why I think E.L. James should continue the Fifty Shades Trilogy with Christian's point of view, and also the flip side to what writing from his perspective would mean to me. Once the blog was posted and I went to share it with my faithful Twitter followers and tag Ms. James so she could see a diehard fans perspective I discovered that I was no longer following Ms. James and when I went to re-follow her I was informed that I was blocked by the user from re-following her. 
I am a sensible girl and would like to think that Ms. James blocked me in error, however, this was the second time I needed to click follow in order to follow her and now I am unable to at all. 
This breaks my heart because I am a HUGE lover of the Fifty Shades Trilogy and what Ms. James has accomplished with this wonderful story. So much so that I personally own the eBook edition, 2 paperback copies of all three books, the audible versions and have purchased and gifted more than 7 copies of the series to my friends in Paperback and have gifted more than 10 copies of Fifty Shades of Grey in eBook format. 
Beyond that, I own the entire playlist listed on her website and the classical music inspired by Fifty Shades. 
Beyond this, I do what I can, where I can to support all of my favorite self published Authors via my blog as well as Twitter and my Facebook page. 
Not to mention that what she has done with Fifty and where this story originated is what has inspired me to follow my dream and complete my own book. 
So please forgive me if my being upset is unnecessary, but nothing like being shunned by what you have fought to support. 

What saddens me the most is that I have a wonderful Kindlegraph from Ms. James that says...
"Hi Zoey, Thank you for your lovely note. I am delighted you enjoyed Fifty and Ana's escapades, and that you have found them so inspiring. Laters baby. E L James

****** WARNING: This Blog post contains spoilers of E. L. James's Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. Consider yourself warned and if you have not read the books and want to, do not continue reading this post, plus having not read the books, this post might not make sense ******

     I have had Christian Grey on my mind for days. Okay I won't lie, months would be more accurate, but this morning I started to think about a reverse point of view and reading all Three Fifty books from Christian's head and I have decided that I have mixed feelings about it for a variety of reasons. 

     Now, you can chose to agree or disagree with me, either way, this is my opinion. :-)!

Why do I want to read Christian's POV?

#1. A lot of the unknown. There are specific parts that I want to read to really know what is going through his head.
#2. What causes his possessiveness. Why does he feel the overwhelming need to protect Ana even after she has proven her ability to handle herself?
#3. I personal am curious about the business side of Christian. 
#4. I am truly a sucker for a broken man.

Here are the parts I want to see from Christian Grey's point of view:

****** Fifty Shades of Grey ******

     A. All of Chapters 7, 8, & 9. Including Ana's viewing of the "Red Room of Pain", when Christian discovers her virginity and his verson of taking her virginity.
     B. The Contract Dinner, Graduation and The first night he stays with Ana in her apartment.
     C. Dinner with Mrs. R and his decision to go to Georgia, then seeing Ana and her Mom in the bar.
     D. Thomas Tallis (Don't think I need to explain why, do I?)
     E. The Belt and it's aftermath.

****** Fifty Shades Darker ******

Given that Fifty Shades Darker is by far my favorite book of the three, it's a pretty safe bet that this entire book would be amazing from Christian's POV. However, there are a few parts that would satisfy my cravings for Christian's POV more than others.
     A. The "Break Up" period. How much agony was he really in?
     B. The conversation with Mrs. R in the salon.
     C. The Charity Dinner, especially Ana's bid and the first dance auction.
     D. Tuesday night and Layla in Ana's apartment.
     E. Christian's submission to Ana after Layla is taken care of.
     F. The Elevator. Do I need to explain why?
     G. Charlie Tango and every page to the end of Fifty Shades Darker.

****** Fifty Shades Freed ******

     Freed is not one of my favorites for roughly the first half. Yes, I LoVe that they got married and are on their Honeymoon. However, I feel that the emotional aspect is on a down low and that they both seem pretty open about their feelings for one another. However, this goes back to the overall question of Christian's possessiveness. 
     Beyond the beginning I would LOVE to have Christian's POV from the moment Ana tells him about the baby until the end. It's one of those must know unknowns.

********************************

Now for the flipside. 

Why I don't want a flip POV?

     
     Honestly, I think that though Christian has some pretty dark secrets, everything gets explained pretty clearly by the end. You know more about Christian as a child and you know more about Mrs. R and the history there. Christian's secrets are pretty well revealed during course of the books.
     Sure I want to know his emotional turmoil regarding Ana and at what point he really falls in love with her, however, I have an idea of when in my mind and I personally am okay with that idea.
     What I really want to know is a Christian Prequel to Fifty Shades of Grey and the relationships he had with Layla or any of the "15" for that matter. Get a taste of what Christian Grey was like in the "Red Room of Pain" before Ana. Not to mention the fact that Christian's inner turmoil in my opinion would make for a rather dark story and until he steps into the light and gives into loving Ana, I am not so sure the story gets much lighter.  Christian's light is not found until the very end of Fifty Shades Freed when he becomes truly happy with the path that he and Ana are on with the baby on the way. The Epilogue really completed the story and proved to me that Christian was really capable of coming out of his darkness. 
     I also think a prequel would help explain Christian's emotions towards Ana from the beginning. Christian'z actions with Ana in the "Red Room of Pain" show me that he feels deeper for her from the very beginning because most Dominants do not bed their submissives in the course of a song or two. Play can last for hours and Christian has difficulty controlling himself and his need/desire for Ana and play is quickly escalated. Christian makes every "Red Room" encounter about Ana's pleasure and little to do with his own.
     Now only Christian and E. L. James have the real answers to who Christian really is, but I think that if you open your mind to the fact that things really are different for Christian when it comes to Ana, you will see that pressuring and begging Ms. James into writing Christian's POV might not be necessary.
Next time you want to read Christian and Ana's story, before you start read Christian's Epilogue of the first two Ana encounters, you will see that his emotions are changing before he even steps foot into the hardware store.

    Please feel free to comment with your own opinions. I am very curious as to why you want to read The Fifty Shades Trilogy from Christian's Point of View. 

Until we meet again you can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and GoodReads.

Haven't read The Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy? Check out your favorite e-reader website and get to it. :-)! 

*Laters Baby*
Zoey D.