"Tiger's Destiny" by Colleen Houck

Tiger's Destiny (Tiger Saga #4)
by Colleen Houck
350 pages (nook edition)

Short Version: Kelsey, Ren and Kishan have come to the final quest to break the tiger curse.

Why I Read It: I have been waiting for this book since I finished the third one. I couldn't wait to see how the saga would end.

The Book: (From Goodreads)
With three of the goddess Durga's quests behind them, only one prophecy now stands in the way of Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan breaking the tiger's curse. But the trio's greatest challenge awaits them: A life-endangering pursuit in search of Durga's final gift, the Rope of Fire, on the Adaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. 

It's a race against time--and the evil sorcerer Lokesh--in this eagerly anticipated fourth volume of the bestselling Tiger's Curse series, which pits good against evil, tests the bonds of love and loyalty, and finally reveals the tiger's' true destiny once and for all.

My Thoughts: (WARNING: This review contains spoilers!!!)
Overall, Tiger's Destiny was a great ending to the Tiger Saga. Tiger's Voyage left off with Kelsey being kidnapped by Lokesh and her making the decision to be with Kishan, although she was unsure about it. With an ending like that I could NOT wait for book 4.
We picked up right where we left off. Lokesh has Kelsey and the boys are out to save her. I'm going to skip the actual details of everything and just focus on a few parts of the book though. Kelsey's heart is so unsure of the brother she should be with. When Ren turned her down and she chose Kishan, she promised to stay with him and see it through. When Kishan proposed her heart was even more twisted up. Ren was beside himself for pushing Kelsey away, but he stayed devoted waiting for her at all times. Houck did a great job of making it hard to guess who Kelsey would choose in the end. I have always thought it to be Ren since they had such a connection, but Houck would put in lines such as "I kissed the one I loved..." and you would have no idea which tiger it was since Kelsey loved both.
The final battle in Durga's quest is where I figured it out. The whole ending of the book was amazing. Meeting Durga in the past, the emotions of their quest coming to an end, the battle, and the final sacrifice. I was so close to tears a few times, which is not something that happens to me often.
Usually I am sad when a series like this ends, but it was done so well that I feel satisfied and complete. Some day I'm going to have to come back and read them all over again.

4.5/5 Stars

#17 in 2012 Ebook Challenge
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#7 in 2012 Wishlist Challenge

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Update

It has been just over a month since I have touched my blog, which makes me kind of sad to think about. But that month has just flown by. I can honestly say I have had so much going on there really has been no time to read a book, let alone work on my blog. I hope you all understand. Unfortunately, my neglecting may continue a little while longer. I have 5 trips coming up in the next month, which is something I should be used to considering I used to travel non-stop. These trips are a bit different though. I will be with the client the entire time, and when I am not with them I have be working on my other programs or studying. 

Studying - that is the biggest thing that has kept me from touching books lately. Whenever I have reading time I make myself grab a study book instead. That did change this past week when Tiger's Destiny came out. I had to read it right away (review to follow). My certification test is in November so after that I can really get back into reading like I used to.

I apologize for neglecting my blog and followers. I promise I will be back. Thanks for sticking around :)

Another Friday Find...

Last Friday I discovered the Civil Library inside of a brewery and this Friday I had another bookish find! We were on our way to dinner with a couple friends, all riding in the same car. As we were about to drive over a speed bump I saw a book laying in the middle of the road. Of course I yelled "omg there is a book!" Everyone was laughing but we stopped and I ran out to grab it. I couldn't leave a book out there to possibly be ruined! It really is in quite good condition for being found in the road (it is a very quiet street), the cover is a bit dented up but not too terrible. The book is Killing Moon by Rebecca York - anyone ever heard of it? Sounds like a mystery or something along those lines. I don't know that I will read it anytime soon. I may even just pass it along. Although my friends were laughing at me for saving a book like it was a stray animal or something, this quite made my night. Here is a picture... if anyone is interested in reading this, let me know and I will send it your way!

The saved book!

Did you have any bookish finds this week? I'd love to hear about them!!

Life is crazy...

I have been thinking this over for a few days and I think I have to take a little step back from blogging for a bit. I am so busy the month of August with starting my new job, being a bridesmaid in 2 weddings and attending a few others, as well as trying to study for a certification test. I am trying to adjust to my new lifestyle with my job, but then every free moment is spent getting things together for a wedding. I am not going to stop blogging all together, I just will not be participating in all of the weekly memes such as Teaser Tuesday, Booking Through Thursday, and Feature & Follow Friday. If I have time during the week, I will definitely participate though. I plan on still posting my Picture Post!, book reviews (if I find time to finish reading a book), and other bookish things I find along the way. I hope you understand- I'm sure everyone has experienced times of craziness in their lives. I will definitely be back in full swing as soon as I can get a grip on my schedule and routine.


Until then, Happy reading!

"In Leah's Wake" by Terri Giuliano Long

In Leah's Wake
by Terri Giuliano Long
306 pages (Nookbook edition)

Short Version: Leah wants to make her own decisions in life, not be ruled by soccer or her parents.

Why I Read It: I think I downloaded this book when it was $.99 for a day. It sounded interesting so I thought I'd check it out.

The Book: (From Goodreads)
The Tylers have a perfect life--beautiful home, established careers, two sweet and talented daughters. Their eldest, Leah, an exceptional soccer player, is on track for a prestigious scholarship. Their youngest, Justine, more responsible than seems possible for her 12 years, just wants her sister's approval. With Leah nearing the end of high school and Justine a seemingly together kid, the parents are set to enjoy a peaceful life...until Leah meets Todd, a former roadie for a rock band.

As Leah's parents fight to save their daughter from a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties, their divided approach drives their daughter out of their home and a wedge into their marriage. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Justine observes her sister's rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family-leaving her to question whether anyone loves her and if God even knows she exists.

Can this family survive in Leah's wake? What happens when love just isn't enough?

My Thoughts: I was disappointed by this book. I don't really know what I expected but it definitely wasn't what I got. 
Most of the characters drove me crazy. I understand Leah's wanting to act out because of all the pressure from her parents to play soccer. I'd probably get sick of it too if I were her. She starts hanging out with Todd thinking he is the coolest guy ever. He pressures her into things like drinking, drugs, and sex that Leah probably wouldn't have gotten into if it was not for him. Then Leah's mind just seems to get lost. She believes she is going to marry Todd even though she gets mad at him quite often, she thinks her parents don't love her at all, and she believes she can truly make it on her own as a 17 year old with no job experience or even a high school degree. At least in the end she starts to figure herself out.
Then there are Leah's parents. They cannot seem to get along enough to try to get their daughter back, which ultimately pushes her away even more. Instead of being a united front, they were completely divided. They were so focused on Leah and her problems they sort of forgot Justine was even around.
Justine is the only character I liked. She is smart and sees way more that everyone expects her too for a 12 year old. She wants to protect Leah and sees how her parents push her away even more. 
As I think over this book, I think I was expecting more action and emotion. I expected more of the drugs, sex and parties from Leah's side of it, and more devotion and trying from her family. Overall the book lacked these strong emotions, which could have made it more enjoyable to read.

2/5 Stars

#8 in 2012 Mount TBR Challenge
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#16 in 2012 Ebook Challenge
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Picture Post! (Aug 8)

Now that I have started my new job I am not traveling to someplace fabulous every week. So for this week's Picture Post I went back through my photos and decided to share some from my trip to Paris last August. I had one day to see everything I could and I did just that. I started at Pompidou and walked the entire river down to the Eiffel Tower seeing everything along the way - Notre Dame, Louvre, Tuileries Gardens, Princess Diana's memorial, and of course the Eiffel Tower. Here are a few pics from along my walk...

Prayer candles in Notre Dame

Feeding the birds outside of Notre Dame

Enjoying a drink before getting to the Eiffel Tower

And of course, the Eiffel Tower!

Teaser Tuesday (Aug 7)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works...

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers...

"You're not back together? How could you, Lee?"

p. 187, In Leah's Wake by Terri Giuliano Long