Mama Bear Reviews

Out of the Ordinary by Jen Turano is a lovely religious historical fiction novel. This is the second book in the Apart from the Crowd series. I did not read the first book but feel that this books stands well on its own. Many of the characters in Out of the Ordinary were introduced in the first book but I felt as though I could easily catch up with the different characters and the adventures that they had already embarked upon. This book focuses on Gertrude who is a paid companion for Mrs. Davenport. Mrs. Davenport has a bad habit of taking things that Gertrude is asked to discreetly replace. Her love interest, Harrison Sinclair, is an unusual character that shows an interest in Gertrude right from the beginning. The characters in this story are interesting and quirky. They all mesh well together and create a very interesting journey. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Jen Turano. I think this book would be good for anyone that enjoys historical roman...

It is probably no secret that young adult fantasy is one of my favorite genres. I just finished reading Nyxia by Scott Reintgen and it is the start of a wonderful new series. Before receiving this book, I saw a few reviews that compared this story to the Hunger Games but in space. I think that is a pretty accurate description. The story is told from the perspective of Emmett who is a teenager from Detroit. He is recruited for a mission to travel along with 9 other teenagers to the planet Eden. There are a lot of secrets surrounding why these kids were chosen and just what exactly they will be doing when they get to Eden. The crew is put through daily competitions as they are told only 8 will be making it to Eden. The competition causes some rivalry but still friendships are formed and secrets are uncovered. I thought this was a wonderful start to a series and look forward to reading the next book. This story left off right where I would have expected and I can't wait to pick...

Noelle by Greg Kincaid is the perfect novel to get you in the holiday spirit. Especially if you are anything like me and love Christmas movies. I love all of the sappy, sweet holiday movies about people finding themselves and their true loves. Noelle is the fourth book about the McCray family, but it is the first one that I have read. I think this book does just fine on its own but I will be going back to read the first three as I loved this one so much! This book covers the time leading up to Christmas in the small town of Crossing Trail. A new animal shelter has opened bringing home one of the McCray boys. The story also covers the eldest of the McCray family and challenges that they are going through over the holidays as well as the trials of a young family going through divorce. Through it all, animals play a role especially Noelle. She is a sweet dog with a lot of heart but just can't seem to be trained. This is such a sweet story. I found myself crying multiple times not...