Your Left-Handed Child Making Things Easier for Left-handers in a Right-handed World

This book was about the differences that left-handed people have compared to right handed people. It had practical tips on how to make life easier too. I found this book to be educational and hilarious because most of the stuff they talked about I have personally struggled with and will always struggle with. I wish I had this book when I was going through school. It makes me look at how I do things in a whole new light. It also makes me want to relearn how to do some things too. They have a website where I can go and buy stuff suited for a lefty, anythingleft-handed.co.uk. I was very impressed.

The Choice

Gabby moves to North Carolina with her boyfriend to start a new job at a hospital. After a couple weeks her dog gets pregnant and she goes to her neighbor's house to tell Travis that his dogs is why. She later finds out that he is the town vet. Her relationship with her boyfriend has become stagnant and she starts to hang out Travis and his family. Trying new things, having picnics, and hanging on the beach. Shortly they fall in love and she has to choose if she wants to be with her boyfriend or Travis. She realizes that Travis makes her feel more alive than she has ever felt before. This is the first reference to the choice.
       Part 2 of the story kind freaked me about a bit because Sparks confused me.  I have never been confused by his books before. It flashes 11 years into the future unknowingly to me. Gabby did choose Travis over her dull boyfriend thank God. They got married and had 2 kids, both girls. Then on the way home from date night they get into a car accident. Travis wakes up but Gabby ends up in a coma. In the mean time he takes care of the girls and visits her quite regularly. Then after 3 months he is faced with choosing to let her die or move her to a nursing home. This is the second reference to the choice. I thought this part was interesting that he referenced the choice 2x's. Then he decided that he can't let her go and moves her to the nursing home. Miraculously 4 months later she wakes up proving that true loves prevails.
       For the first time I was actually disappointed with Sparks. When I found out she was in a coma I was like seriously he is going to kill her off and Travis will be heartbroken forever. He sorta in a way did kill her but not all the way and then brought her back to live happily ever after. I almost cried when I thought that she was gonna die but I was very impressed by the ending. Also this is the first Sparks book I have read that someone in the plot didn't have a special talent. I love the fact that he always ties his book tittle into the plot.

Crystal Kingdom

This is the 3rd book to the Kanin Chronicles. Bryn was kicked out of Dolstom in the last book Ice Kissed. She doesn't really have any place to go but she runs into Konstantin Black and teams up with him after he tells her what really happened the night he attacked her dad. He then tells her that Mina (the Dolstom queen) is evil and she recruited Kemnet to help her, is the one that is leading an attack out of revenge, seeks power at all costs, and she is behind everything. She will do anything including starting a war.
     They go see the Omete tribe for help. The Omete tribe are huge giants and ogres. The Omete tribe live in Louisiana. After a few days being locked up in a cell they are released. They find out later the Omete teamed up with Mina. They then went to Forening the capital of the Tyrelle tribe to get the queen to grant her amnesty. She does grant her amnesty. They stay with Finn, who is Ember's brother, and his family. Bryn goes to Iskyla, a really isolated city in the far North where Mina was born and lived for a short time, that is very desolate and isolated. She goes to see Mina's sister and finds out that Mina is Victor's daughter. Mina has Dolstom on lock down. Ridley and Tilda escape from Dolstom and they find Bryn.
      Mina declared war on the Skojare people because she wants their jewels. Bryn decided to go to Stravatten, the capital of the Skojare tribe, and help them train for war. The Tyrelle and the Vittra tribes come to help Skojare. The Tyrelle tribe have psychokinesis, and fire abilities. The Vittra tribe are hobgoblins that are stronger than the other tribe, are quick tempered, and aggressive. The queen put on a masquerade ball. Bryn got to dance with Ridley. Mina poisoned the king and blamed it on Bryn and Konstantin. She found out that Ridley was tortured by Mina after he helped her escape. During the ball some of the guards that were guarding the perimeter were attacked including Konstantin. After the attack Konstantin, Bryn, Tilda, Ridley, and a bunch of other people from Stravatten went to Dolstom. They were attacked on the way and then they camped outside of the city. Before the war began they went into the city to rescue their family members. During the rescue Bryn went back to rescue Ember because she wouldn't come with them and she gave her the letters she wrote. Ember was later killed saving her lover. During the family rescue Ridley was captured. The war started after that and they entered the city. After fighting for awhile she went to the place with Konstantin to rescue Ridley. He was inside a bird cage like in Splintered series in when Alice was captured and stuck in a bird cage her whole life. Mina wanted Konstantin to run away with her but he wouldn't go so she killed him. Bryn kills Mina, and rescues Ridley. After Bryn kills Mina the city is in shambles. Linus Berlin becomes the new king. Then they had a ceremony for the dead. Bryn got the people to clear Konstantin's name and he was regarded as a hero. Ridley stepped down form his position so he could be with Bryn and now he commands the trackers. Ridley and Bryn get to live happily after after. Bryn gets to become the king's personal assistant, and tracker. She is accepted fully into the Kanin society and gets an award for saving everyone.
      This was a great conclusion to the trilogy. I loved it. The only thing I didn't like was killing Ember, she was Bryn's best friend, and killing Konstantin. He really grew on me and what he said when he was killed was heart wrenching.

Twins Under the Christmas Tree

Isi has two 4 year old twins. She works at a bar to help make ends meet. Her life gets complicated when her babysitter for the twins moves away. She gets Conway to help her babysit them so she can finish her degree at a local community college to get a better job. Conway likes hanging out with the twins they have a really great time together but he is dead set set against being a dad. He is afraid that he will run out on them like his dad did to him. But he can't help the growing attraction to Isi. Isi wants to be with him so bad but knows that he will never commit to her. He even sets her up on a date. They both fight each other about being together until they have sex. He introduces her to his family too. They keep asking him what his problem is. He finally realizes that he can't live without Isi.
       This book was ok but I didn't like it that much. I don't like when characters constantly fight each other when they know they can't live without each other. The ending was very beautiful though.

Star Crossed

Helen lives on an island in the middle of nowhere. A new family the Delos move to the island. Helen is not impressed but the minute she meets Lucas she attacks him. She has this rage that she doesn't know how to control. She also see theses three women crying in blood every time she is near them which she later finds out is the furies. The keep attacking each other for weeks until she flies by accident to get away from this woman that was chasing her. Lucas catches her after she starts to fall cause he can fly too but they land hard on the beach which makes a crater and his family comes and saves them. Lucas has powers from Apollo. Helen has the ability to create lighting bolts, and fly which means she gets her powers from Zeus. Lucas teaches Helen how to fly. After Lucas saves Helen they no longer hate each other. They are forbidden lovers cause if Lucas starts a relationship with Helen it could start a new Trojan war.
      She finds out that the Delos and her are demigods. They are Scions which is basically descendants of demigods. Scion's have specific powers that all scions have that include strength, speed, agility, acute hearing and eyesight, rapid healing, beauty, and intelligence. Then they all have rare talents that arr specific to each individual like flying for example.
      There were 4 families of Greek Gods that fought each other during the Trojan war;The House of Arteus, The House of Rome, The House of Athens, and the House of Thebes. The families have been fighting for centuries. The houses joined with the Greek Gods to fight the Trojan war. The war went on for 10 years and Zeus had to step in to stop it. He made a truce to end the war but in order to do that he had to make sure that the houses never united together again. Then a few decades later the houses had this huge confrontation where they tried to eliminate each other. The House Atreus, the House of Athens, and the House of Rome were completely wiped out supposedly. The House of Thebes was the only house, which is the Delos family's house, separated from the 100 cousins so they would not kill each other. They are not sure what family Helen is from but her mother took some high risks to hide her. The families tried to raise the lost city of Atlantis so that the Greek Gods can return to Earth, rule, and to make the Scions immortal.
       Helen and Lucas want to have a relationship really bad but they are star crossed. Lucas's mom forbids them to stop seeing each other but they can't resist. Later on Creon who is the relative that lives in Venice, Italy comes after Helen because he wants to kill her. Helen finally gets to meet her mother and she discovers she has a gift of changing her face to any age she wants.  The family also finds out that not all the houses are extinct as they thought. They are very much alive still. The fates really have it in for the 4 houses. There has always been a pattern of star crossed lovers from different houses for decades. Helen's mom has dedicated her life to finding these star crossed lovers. Helen's mom gets kidnapped, a family member is killed, and Hector becomes an outcast for killing his own kin. The hundred cousins are on their way to try to kill Helen but I won't know more about that until the 2nd book.