Waiting on Wednesday (117)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.

We are all huge fans of The Elemental Series and can't wait to read Michael's story.  And this cover?  Swoon!  

Title: Sacrifice

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

Publication Date: September 30, 2014

Publisher: Kensington Teen

One misstep and they lose it all. For the last time.

Michael Merrick is used to pressure. 

He’s the only parent his three brothers have had for years. His power to control Earth could kill someone if he miscalculates. Now an Elemental Guide has it out for his family, and he’s all that stands in the way. 

His girlfriend, Hannah, gets that. She’s got a kid of her own, and a job as a firefighter that could end her life without a moment’s notice. 

But there are people who have had enough of Michael’s defiance, his family’s “bad luck.” Before he knows it, Michael’s enemies have turned into the Merricks’ enemies, and they’re armed for war. 

They’re not interested in surrender. But Michael isn’t the white flag type anyway. There will be blood on the ground tonight…

Title: The Wonder of All Things

Author:  Jason Motts

Publication Date: September 30, 2014

Publisher: Mira

From critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author Jason Mott comes a spellbinding tale of love, sacrifice and the power of miracles. 

On an ordinary day, at an air show like that in any small town across the country, a plane crashes into a crowd of spectators, killing and injuring dozens. But when the dust clears, a thirteen-year-old girl named Ava is found huddled beneath a pocket of rubble with her best friend, Wash. He is injured and bleeding, and when Ava places her hands over him, his wounds miraculously disappear. Ava has a unique gift: she can heal others of their physical ailments. Until the air show tragedy, her gift was a secret. But now the whole world knows, and suddenly Ava is thrust into the spotlight. People from all over the globe begin flocking to her small town, looking for healing and eager to glimpse the wonder of a miracle. But Ava's unusual ability comes at a great cost, her own health, and as she grows weaker with each healing, Ava begins searching for an escape. Wash agrees to help Ava, but little does she know he has his own secret he's been harboring, and soon Ava finds herself having to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice in order to save the one she loves most.(

Waiting on Wednesday (86)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.

Shel convinced Bel and I to read the Elementals series and we are all now smitten with the Merrick brothers. Can these poor guys catch a break?  Since there is one more book after this, I somehow doubt it.  But that's okay. I'll keep my hopes up.




By Brigid Kemmerer
Publication Date:  January 28, 2014

Nowhere is Safe.  Not even home...

Nick Merrick is stretched to the breaking point.

Keep his grades sky-high or he’ll never escape his hometown.
Keep his brother’s business going or the Merricks will be out on the street.
Keep the secret of where he’s going in the evenings from his own twin—-or he’ll lose his family.

Keep his mind off the hot, self-assured dancer who’s supposed to be his “girlfriend’s” partner.

Of course there’s also the homicidal freak Quinn has taken to hanging around, and the Elemental Guide counting the hours until he can try again to kill the Merrick brothers.

There’s a storm coming. From all sides. And then some.

Nick Merrick, can you keep it together?

Spirit (Elemental #3) by Brigid Kemmerer

* * * *

With power comes enemies. Lots of them.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…

Regular followers of the blog know that The Elemental Series is a big hit with Shel. And it wasn’t until recently that I finally had my turn with the books. I read Storm and Spark which I enjoyed immensely but it was the e-novella Breathless that completely won me over.  Kemmerer excels at giving her characters a turn in the spotlight, this time being Hunter’s, and gives them the time to develop properly. And even though Hunter is not a Merrick brother, he is very much connected to them and there’s no escaping that tie.

Hunter is a surprising revelation in Spirit. He appears to be a jovial, easy-going guy in the previous books but in Spirit, all his insecurities and demons are played out. He’s mentally in a bad place here with issues at home and at school which means he’s making some bad decisions that land him in all kinds of messes. Of course, he’s still on the outs with Gabriel Merrick and the rest of the brothers because of his “spying” in Spark. Right now being isolated from the people he has considered friends leaves him very vulnerable to trouble. And trouble comes in the form of Kate, the mysterious new girl at school who befriends him and the Merricks. Spirit has everyone figuring out what exactly honesty means, who can be trusted and how to stand their ground while they’re being hunted mercilessly.

Readers, The Elemental Series has been a blast! Once you get started, it’s hard to put the books down – any of them. One of the best things about the series is that even though these are all teens with special powers, they’re also so very human and relatable.  Everything they go through be it sibling rivalries, high school drama or dislike of authority figures, they’re all reminiscent of stuff we’ve all been through. There are so many times where you’ll find yourself going, “been there", "oh that guy" or “yeah that sucks”. There's bound to be a character or a situation that will remind you of someone you know or something that has happened.

Spirit continues the superb, fast-paced action and humor of its predecessors.  The plot may be thickening but the bonds between our dysfunctional but utterly awesome Elementals are also getting tighter. I’m excited for more!

~ Bel

Waiting on Wednesday (63)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.



By Brigid Kemmerer 
Publication Date: May 28, 2013


With power comes enemies. Lots of them.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…

Waiting on Wednesday (29)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights future releases that we are excitedly anticipating.



By Brigid Kemmerer
Publication Date: August 28, 2012

Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally.

Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can’t. Like the fire that killed his parents.

Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he’s not doing it.

More than Gabriel’s pride is at stake -- this could cost him his family, maybe his life. And no one seems to hear him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Layne understands family problems, and she understands secrets. She has a few of her own.

Gabriel can’t let her guess about his brothers, about his abilities, about the danger that’s right at his heels. But there are some risks he can’t help taking.

The fuse is lit…