Favorite Books of 2013

As I look over the books that I have read this past year, its hard to pick a favorite.  There are so many on my shelf from different genre and for different age groups.  From Middle Grade age fantasy such as

 

 



    or

 

 

 

 

There has been many great Young Adult reads this year such as

 

 

and of course many different genre in the adult reads such as

 

 

    A great mystery that kept you glued to your seat. And we can't forget 

  which is an awesome series that everyone should read.


And we can't forget to put a little spice into life (for those of us 18+)      This has been a great year of reading even if I didn't finish as many as last year.  For next year I shall try to get back to my regular goal of 100.  What are your favorite reads this year and your goals for 2014?


I hope everyone has had a wonderful year of reading in 2013. Thanks for making the Cotton Patch a great place to visit.  I look forward to a great year of reading in 2014.  Feel free to stop in anytime, take your shoes off and sit a spell and you might find your next favorite read.

Winter Reads

Sit back, relax in your favorite reading chair and enjoy 15 Winter Reads from 15 bestselling YA authors. There is something to delight every reader in this box set – paranormal romance, futuristic sci-fi, historical, time travel, and contemporary. Many of the Indelibles have given you access to both the first and second books in their series – you’ll be reading well into the New Year!

The Eleventh Plague

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This dystopia is a good middle grade age or young adult read. And while there's nothing over the top about the story like aliens or super powers or zombies, what makes it so good is its plausibility. The story behind the plague and what happens after is plausible.

Stephen is born into a world that is harsh and survival is an every day struggle. And at the same time he is still just a kid. He wants to not have so many worries and struggles and just play baseball with his friends and go to school and have a girlfriend. And when he faced with having those options he is torn between the life he wants and the one that he was always taught to have.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. Its a good dystopia for the age group it was written for. Its no so harsh and dark that its unfit for a younger crowd. It has great characters and lots of excitement and its plausibility factor earned points with me.



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Midwinter's Eve Blog Hop

 

 

 

Its time once again for the Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop. This is a great time of year to snuggle up in front of a fire or on the couch with a blanket and your favorite comfort read.  Up for grabs is your choice of either $20 Amazon Gift Card or a book from the Book Depository up to $20.  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and a great up coming New Year!

 

 



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Bastian

Bastian by Elizabeth Amber

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is by far my favorite in the Lords of Satyr series. Silvia and Machaela are ephemerals that were once part of the vestals that served the goddess Vesta. Pledge to service when they were young girls, they became more than best friends. When the temple was overran they were changed from mortals to the eternal ephemerals with the ability to take hosts from those that are dying. Machaela gives up her immortality for the man she loves, believing that she can make him love her in time.

Silvia is a strong female character, even though she isn't always female. She has a vested interest in the work of Lord Bastian Satyr and is determined not to let her feeling get in the way of her quest. I loved Silvia's character and how Bastian relates to her. He is a great character, and that he has a flaw makes him that much more alive and relatable to. The chemistry between them and the story that unfolds around them is wonderful. The erotic nature of the story doesn't overwhelm and overtake the storyline instead it very much enhances it.

Pontifex is the bad guy in this story. And while his is wonderfully evil, he stays put in his evil lair and his downfall fell a bit short of the rest of the story. The ending as well was tied up rather quickly and it wasn't really explained how things actually happened. But otherwise this was a great story.

Overall, this was my favorite of the series so far. I would recommend it for anyone over 18 that loves a good erotica, although the fantasy side of this series may not be for everyone. These are all stand alone stories, but once you start you'll be hooked. Loved, loved, loved!!!



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New Blog

I would like everyone to check out the new wordpress blog that I have just started.  I've had a lot of problems with the Cotton Patch on Blogger so I've decided to make the move to Wordpress.  Its currently a work in progress as I get the hang of things.  Feel free to give me feedback on how I can make my page better. The current giveaway is being offered on my new page as well. So come on over, pull up a chair and sit a spell and join us at the Cotton Patch on Wordpress:

 

 

 



The Cotton Patch

The Eyeball Collector

The Eyeball Collector by F.E. Higgins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the third story in the Tales From the Sinister City Series. Its a bit gothic, creepy, and a bit on the dark side and wonderful fun for all.

Hector lives on the wealthy side of Urbs Umida and enjoys crossing over to the wrong side of the river for adventure until he finds himself an orphan with no other place to go. Filled with revenge against the sinister Truepin, he soon finds himself embroiled in a mystery.

Mysteries woven into other mysteries, this story contains threads of the previous books but is a story all its own. I love how some of the previous loose ends are almost tied up but not really explained making you want to know more.

Overall, I love the series and can't wait to read more. This book as well as the series, is great for the kid in all of us. A cross between Poe and Dickens, a little bit dark, but a whole lot fun.



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Deborah's Story

Deborah's Story by Ann Burton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a fictional account of the early years of Deborah's life. Deborah was born into slavery and her mother was killed by an abusive master when Deborah was very small. She grew up believing her life had no worth and hid her gift of prophecy as best she could.

Deborah was a strong female character. Despite her negative self worth and low self esteem she did what she felt was right. She put herself in jeopardy in order to help others.

I'm no biblical scholar. I don't know if it follows the biblical account of Deborah's life. But considering this is a work of fiction I don't see how that is really relevant. The author did a wonderful job of breathing life into her characters and showing the way of life during this time in history. The division between the classes and the different groups of people was a big part of society and made things especially hard on those at the bottom which were the slaves.

Overall, I enjoyed the story of Deborah as I have all of Ann Burton's books. If you like historical fiction, particularly religious fiction you should give this as well as the others in this series a try.



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Spellfire

Tour Schedule

Spell Fire, The Teen Wytche Saga #3
By Ariella Moon

Summary

New school. New friends. New reputation. High school sophomore Ainslie Avalon-Bennett works hard to hide her Crazy Girl past. But as long as her best friend’s disappearance remains unsolved, she can’t shake the depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder that once landed her in a mental ward.

Ainslie’s tenuous control over her life shatters when her warring parents ditch her at Christmas. While they take a cruise to “work things out,” Ainslie must spend the holiday in Palm Springs with her aunt and uncle, owners of a struggling Mystery School and occult store. Plunged into the world of fire fortunes, dragons, entity eaters, and an ailing spell book, Ainslie is well beyond her comfort zone. Then she meets a boy who spikes her pulse and calms her OCD. But will she lose him once he discovers her past? Or will his deadly secret, hidden in plain view, be their undoing?

When Stars Die

Title: When Stars Die
Author: Amber Skye Forbes
Published: October 22nd, 2013 (Print) & December 12th, 2013 (eBook) by AEC Stellar Publishing
Word Count: 83,000
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Content Warning: Contains some minor dark and sexual content
Recommended Age: 12 - 18+
Synopsis:
Amelia Gareth's brother is a witch and the only way to save her family from the taint in his blood is to become a professed nun at Cathedral Reims in the snowy city of Malva. However, in order to become professed, she must endure trials that all nuns must face.

Surviving these trials is not easy, especially for Amelia, who is being stalked by shadowy beings only she can see. They're searching for people they can physically touch, because only those they can touch can see them. Amelia soon learns why she is being stalked when she accidentally harms her best friend with fire during the third trial. Fire is a witch's signature. The shadows are after witches.

Now Amelia must decide what to do: should she continue on her path to profession knowing there is no redemption, or should she give up on her dream and turn away from Cathedral Reims in order to stop the shadows who plan to destroy everything she loves?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | GoodReads

Best of 2013 Blog Hop

One of my favorite books this year has to be Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare.  So up for grabs is your choice of formats:  either kindle or hard copy sent from Amazon or Book Depository.  As always its not a requirement that you follow my blog but its always appreciated.  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a happy new year!

 

 

 

 

 

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