The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes (Review)

    A new book from Colleen Oakes, The Black Coats tells a story about a group of slighted and hurt girls who a brought into a covert vigilantee group that gets revenge on the men who get away with crimes rangeing from arson to full blown murder. After Natalie tragically looses her cousin to an unexplained murder, and the culprit is not brought to justice, she is induceted into The Black Coats and trained for violence, with the promise that if she helps them, they will get justice for her cousin and punish the killer. As she gets further and further into the organization, some things start becoming more and more suspicious and Natalie starts suspecting them from not being what they claim to be, but once a Black Coat, always a Black Coat, and if Natalie pushes, she might not like what pushes back.
        Meh. It was okay. I found the story was okay, and had some engaging parts, but overall that I was bored while reading it. I didn't really connect with most of the characters and only vaguely cared about Natalie, which was a huge problem. I found it hard to invest, which sucked because I generally love Colleen Oakes writings. Oh well, I guess they can't all be winners. I give The Black Coats the rating of THREE AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*

Seas (Wendy Darling #2) by Colleen Oakes (Review)

    Addicting and epic, Wendy Darling: Seas picks up where the first novel left off. Rescued by Captain Hook and his hoard of evil pirates... or is it captured by them; Wendy is thrown into a new highly dangerous situation in which she will do anything to protect her little baby brother, Michael. While facing off pirates, mermaids and constant danger; the threat of Peter Pan still looms as his dark obsession with her grows by the day. Time is running out and if Wendy does not find a way to stop Peter, she knows he will capture her all over again and she will never get back to London with her brothers.
    I really enjoyed this novel. The dark intensity from the first novel transferred well into Wendy Darling: Stars. Wendy was still a very well developed character with a deep capacity to love. Her independent yet polite personality made her interactions with other characters entertaining and unique. On top of all that, there are more really well designed characters in this series. Micheal is a good example of this, his cute adorable childish ways lighten up the story just enough for the readers to keep on reading, and his innocence riles up the protective instinct in almost and reader. Besides the Darlings, the novel is made great by the villain, Peter Pan. Peter both horrifies and rivets the readers into being unable to put the book down. My only real complaint about this book is that there did not seem to be enough Peter Pan in it, but I have a feeling we will be getting plenty more of Peter in the next instalment. I cannot wait until the next novel, and definitely recommend the series. I give Wendy Darling: Stars the rating of FOUR AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE!!!

*Advanced Readers Copy Reveiw*

Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Colleen Oakes!

Bio: 

   Colleen Oakes is the author of books for both teens and adults, including The Elly in Bloom Series, The Queen of Hearts Saga (Harper Collins 2016) and The Wendy Darling Saga. 
    She lives in North Denver with her husband and son and surrounds herself with the most lovely family and friends imaginable. When not writing or plotting new books, Colleen can be found swimming, traveling or totally immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She currently at work on a standalone novel and another YA fairytale series.

    You can visit her webpage at: www.colleenoakes.com

     Find her on Facebook under Author Colleen Oakes or follow her on Twitter @ColleenBlooms.

What she has written:

Elly in Bloom (The Elly in Bloom #1), 

Queen of Hearts (Queen of Hearts, #1), 

Wendy Darling: Stars,

The Wonder (Queen of Hearts, #2), 

Elly In Love (The Elly in Bloom #2), 

and Wendy Darling: Volume 2: Seas.

Now on to the Interview!!!

1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

  I remember being interested in writing as early as fourth grade. I had a teacher, Miss Brown, who really encouraged me in that area. I earned my B.A in Creative Writing in college, but I didn't really take writing seriously until I was thirty years old, when I made a New Year's Resolution with a friend to write a book that year.

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

 I would hope that readers would find themselves lost in a different world, inhabiting a character who somehow both a wild stranger and a good friend.

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

   First, you need the right tools. Find yourself a laptop you love, earbuds and at least six or so hours to really get into your writing.  Two, research your genre before starting. Know your word count and what trends have already passed. If you have a great idea, chase it down like mad, because there is probably someone else with a similar idea out there.  Three, read. Read all the time.  If you aren't reading for pleasure, than you can't expect others to read your book for pleasure - why would they?

4) What is your favorite novel, why?

 My favorite classic novel is Jane Eyre. I love the current of Gothic horror that runs through this very buttoned-up, very religious story.  I reread it every year.

5) Who is your favorite author, why?

  I have a few, but the one that comes to mind today is Ann Patchett. State of Wonder was the best book I've read in a long time. That scene with the snake- I can shiver just thinking about it.  Patchett writes with such lyrical, bold strokes and yet her stories are so straight - like an arrow to the heart. She is one of a few writers that I aspire to. Also, if I met her in person I would probably go completely fangirl and make a total fool of myself.

6) What are your favorite past times besides writing?

  I love traveling, reading, spending time with my husband and son, swimming and keeping up with nerdy pop-culture.  Chocolate is also great.

7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most? 

  My parents, who never gave an age limit on using my imagination.

8) What are the top five things on your bucket list?

 Traveling to the U.K and Italy, being able to spend summers in Kauai, to own a swimming pool, to pet a manatee, and to meet Christian Bale at some point, whether pre-meditated or accidentally.

9) What is your funniest childhood memory?

 Well, I did once tell my mother that my little sister was in the car when she actually wasn't, which caused my mother to leave her at school and drive all the way home before noticing.  They still talk about it. I'm a much better sister these days.

10) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be? 

 That reading books is the best drug that will ever come their way. It's an escape, it's a release and that if they want to experience something exciting and independent, they need look no further than their bookcase.

Getting to Know the Authors: Featuring Colleen Oakes!

Bio: 

   Colleen Oakes is the author of books for both teens and adults, including The Elly in Bloom Series, The Queen of Hearts Saga (Harper Collins 2016) and The Wendy Darling Saga. 
    She lives in North Denver with her husband and son and surrounds herself with the most lovely family and friends imaginable. When not writing or plotting new books, Colleen can be found swimming, traveling or totally immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She currently at work on a standalone novel and another YA fairytale series.

    You can visit her webpage at: www.colleenoakes.com

     Find her on Facebook under Author Colleen Oakes or follow her on Twitter @ColleenBlooms.

What she has written:

Elly in Bloom (The Elly in Bloom #1), 

Queen of Hearts (Queen of Hearts, #1), 

Wendy Darling: Stars,

The Wonder (Queen of Hearts, #2), 

Elly In Love (The Elly in Bloom #2), 

and Wendy Darling: Volume 2: Seas.

Now on to the Interview!!!

1) How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

  I remember being interested in writing as early as fourth grade. I had a teacher, Miss Brown, who really encouraged me in that area. I earned my B.A in Creative Writing in college, but I didn't really take writing seriously until I was thirty years old, when I made a New Year's Resolution with a friend to write a book that year.

2) What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

 I would hope that readers would find themselves lost in a different world, inhabiting a character who somehow both a wild stranger and a good friend.

3) What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

   First, you need the right tools. Find yourself a laptop you love, earbuds and at least six or so hours to really get into your writing.  Two, research your genre before starting. Know your word count and what trends have already passed. If you have a great idea, chase it down like mad, because there is probably someone else with a similar idea out there.  Three, read. Read all the time.  If you aren't reading for pleasure, than you can't expect others to read your book for pleasure - why would they?

4) What is your favorite novel, why?

 My favorite classic novel is Jane Eyre. I love the current of Gothic horror that runs through this very buttoned-up, very religious story.  I reread it every year.

5) Who is your favorite author, why?

  I have a few, but the one that comes to mind today is Ann Patchett. State of Wonder was the best book I've read in a long time. That scene with the snake- I can shiver just thinking about it.  Patchett writes with such lyrical, bold strokes and yet her stories are so straight - like an arrow to the heart. She is one of a few writers that I aspire to. Also, if I met her in person I would probably go completely fangirl and make a total fool of myself.

6) What are your favorite past times besides writing?

  I love traveling, reading, spending time with my husband and son, swimming and keeping up with nerdy pop-culture.  Chocolate is also great.

7) Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most? 

  My parents, who never gave an age limit on using my imagination.

8) What are the top five things on your bucket list?

 Traveling to the U.K and Italy, being able to spend summers in Kauai, to own a swimming pool, to pet a manatee, and to meet Christian Bale at some point, whether pre-meditated or accidentally.

9) What is your funniest childhood memory?

 Well, I did once tell my mother that my little sister was in the car when she actually wasn't, which caused my mother to leave her at school and drive all the way home before noticing.  They still talk about it. I'm a much better sister these days.

10) To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be? 

 That reading books is the best drug that will ever come their way. It's an escape, it's a release and that if they want to experience something exciting and independent, they need look no further than their bookcase.

Wendy Darling: Stars (Wendy Darling #1) by Colleen Oakes (Review)

      Amazing, dangerous and intense; Wendy Darling: Stars brings readers into the world of Peter Pan and Neverland from their childhoods, but with a dark twist. When the infamous Pan comes into the lives of the Darlings, their lives are thrown into chaos and are infected with a dark, dangerous magic. With mystery and death around every corner, Wendy Darling does everything she can do to survive and keep her brothers intact.

      I loved this novel. Its storytelling was masterful and its characters were amazing. Each moment of the story was captivating, drawing the readers in and hooking them so they simply cannot get enough of it. Wendy is a strong, lovable and highly intelligent character. Her reactions to the world and her action in the world of Neverland are done perfectly, pushing on the plot and the story. There is romance in this novel, and I thought it was tastefully done and left me wanting more. Wendy's brothers were each unique and very well developed, especially the five year old. I loved that child, and as I read all I wanted to do was give that kid a big hug. He was extremely adorable. This novel is action pack and on the darker side. I was hooked from the beginning to the end, and cannot wait until the next novel in the series is released! I definitely recommend Wendy Darling: Stars, and give it the rating of FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!! 

*Advanced Readers Copy Review*